Naruhina: Something New

Chapter 3: Clothes Make the Woman

The door banged shut behind her as Hinata entered the same shop Naruto had left just a few minutes earlier.

The shop owner looked up with surprise, but relaxed slightly when he saw Hinata. His face turned to concern, though, as Hinata struggled for breath.

"Ms. Hyuuga! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she fairly shouted at the poor man. She pressed shaking hands to her heart, willing it to stop beating so erratically. She knew Naruto hadn't followed her, but she was shocked at herself for what she'd just done. What had come over her?!

Hinata glanced at the shop owner, who was still looking at her worriedly. He murmured instructions to his attendants to grab some tea for her.

"I'm sorry, I was just running 'cause I wanted to make sure I got here before you closed for the day," she lied. There was no way she could explain what had just happened with Naruto to him. She couldn't even explain it to herself.

"Oh! There was no worry. I would've waited for you, Ms. Hyuuga. I knew you'd come for your uniform," he said reassuringly. "I had other orders to fill, anyway."

"But I didn't want to inconvenience you," Hinata protested.

She welcomed this distraction. She didn't want to think about Naruto right now.

The owner waved her protest away. "It's no trouble at all."

He walked toward the back of the shop.

"Please wait here while I grab your suit." He indicated the seat beside the mirror.

Hinata glanced at her reflection and saw how disheveled she was. She looked flushed and her dark hair was wind-blown. She sighed as she combed through her thick hair with her fingers. She really hoped she hadn't looked like that when she was talking to Naruto. But she wouldn't be surprised if she had—it was always her luck.

She sighed again as she saw her favorite purple jacket. Hanabi was right. There was no way she could continue wearing it. It was so tattered and worn out. With her tomato face, her wild hair, and raggedy clothes, she could easily be mistaken for riffraff, not a member of the Hyuuga clan. No wonder Hanabi had been so embarrassed to be seen with her.

She was suddenly glad to have these new clothes.

Just then, the attendant came in with the tea and offered it to her.

"Thank you," Hinata said gratefully. She smiled when the attendant smiled bashfully and bowed low.

She took a sip and exhaled with pleasure. "This tea is really good! Thank you for preparing it."

The attendant beamed at her. "Ms. Hyuuga, you're too kind! It's nothing at all."

The owner came back to the main room with a package wrapped in white paper, whistling with delight, and eager to present his newest creation. He hoped she really liked it.

"Here it is!" he presented with a flourish.

Hinata looked up with eagerness. She put down her tea and walked toward the owner with hands outstretched. She ran her hands through the fabric and instantly liked the silky soft texture of her new uniform.

"Can I try it on?" she asked.

"Of course!" he exclaimed. "You must! I'll need to make adjustments if there's anything wrong."

Hinata grabbed the package and ran to the fitting room. She didn't care much for fashion, but having new mission gear made her feel excited. She quickly stripped down to her underwear, then put on the purple top and dark shorts. She belted the corset around her midriff and slid on the new tights that came up mid-thigh. The boots were waiting outside the door. She quickly put those on, too.