CYPHER ~ Naruhina

Chapter - 29

The alarm buzzed. He usually wasn't an early riser, but it had been a busy season at his work, so he couldn't afford to get those extra couple of hours of shut-eye. That said, it wasn't like he felt groggy either. He blinked, lying wide awake in bed, and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. 

4:06. Pretty early. He jumped off the bed, headed towards the bathroom, and looked at himself in the mirror. With his bright, blue eyes staring right back at him, he was faced with a question. Something's wrong. But I'm not able to put my finger on it.

He hadn't been eating and sleeping well, but it wasn't like his strength or agility were reduced. It was something other than that There was just something very off.
His mind wasn't at its best. It was rather blank. Since the past week or so, he seemed to miss his excitement; his tenacity. It was as if he was working for the sake of working. A tepid void started pooling in his stomach. It had been happening for a while now. His machine-like professional life, which used to fuel his motivation, was now failing to give him the same pleasure. Something was not adding up. 

Whatever. He chose to ignore it, like he always did and proceeded to take a cold shower to wash off the unsettling feeling. His morning routine continued without a hitch. He headed down to his basement, which he had personally transformed into an indoor gym with the help of a close friend, Sai, who happened to be an architect. The regime of his workout that day, surprisingly, felt less hard on him. It was odd. It was starting to get under his skin. He finished the rest of the sets in an irritated hurry and left the place after slamming the door of the basement shut. 

5:31. Matsuda, the housekeeper, would only arrive at 6 a.m. He was irked by the way the time on his watch glared at him. Should I just make myself something?  He headed to the kitchen, but his keenness to cook withered. He sighed, and grabbed a couple of nougat bars from the refrigerator, and sat down heavily in the dining room adjacent to the kitchen. Everything seemed so... mentally tiring. Is this how Shikamaru feels all the time?

Anyways. I've gotta start working soon. He dragged himself across the hall when his line of sight inadvertently shifted to the room with a closed door, and his thoughts, towards the person behind that door. It made him sigh again. She moved in with me after so much drama and for what. We don't even talk much these days.

She was always busy because the University Exams were going to come up in a week and a half. Of course, Naruto had to study too, but he was fine with getting a grade enough for him to pass the subject, unlike Hinata, who had a habit of excellence. It was something very commendable on her part, but something he could never replicate, because he was more of an on-the-toes person. Good for her. He didn't have the heart to intrude while she was working so hard on something. Time for another shower. It was to wash off all the sweat; and hopefully that would take the obscure sense of loneliness away along with it.

.

.

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"Hinata moved in with me!" He had enthusiastically announced while meeting his friends for a brief evening. Only to receive silent stares. "What? No reaction?"

"Did you force her to?" That was the Sakura's first question. She cut straight through his conscience. 

"Well... I kinda did, but ya know, it's not like she dislikes the idea-"

"Oh, really? So you apparently know what she's thinking about?"

"...Sakura-chan. Why do you have to be so mean about it?"

"Cos I'm goshdarn right." She stated simply. "How did you convince her?"

"She refused because she thought she would be a burden, which she most defly isn't. So what's the problem?" He asked, a little unnerved by the negative reaction.