What Went Wrong For Us?

Chapter 2

Naruto could hardly sleep after yelling at Boruto. Not only did he not see the boy come back in after the incident, Hinata barely talked to him when she finally came to bed. Instead, she got dressed, brushed her hair and teeth and climbed right into bed without so much as a peep in his direction. He doubted that she thought he was asleep, despite not saying anything. Although that hardly mattered when he knew that she was probably cross that he yelled at their son. But she just got into bed, read a book and didn't say anything. He vaguely remembered Jiraiya telling him that great couples don't have to say anything, their communication and bond is so good. This was probably not one of those situations. He knew she was angry with him.

That didn't mean he couldn't do anything. In the back of his mind, he hoped that he could rescue the situation and get back in Hinata's good graces. But he was also deeply concerned that he'd done far too much harm to earn it. He hadn't apologized to Boruto, after all, and it had hurt him as much as it hurt his son. He had heard Boruto wailing loudly about an hour after he got back, and he wanted him to stop. It was all his fault, of course. He knew it.

Still, it was better to try something than do nothing.

Pretending wake up, he turned to Hinata on his left. She was still sewing. "I knew you were awake," she said coldly. "Why did you yell at my son?"

He didn't have a reason or an excuse. So he didn't answer.

Wait, her son? Okay, it was certainly true. But her voice sounded possessive, and again, for good reason, but it sounded accusatory like she believed he didn't regret it and irrevocably hated Boruto.

"I don't hate him," he answered.

"Did I say that?" she asked.

"No," he replied.

"There where did you get that from?"

"I dunno."

"You need to apologize to him."

"I don't think he's ready."

She stopped, although Naruto doubted that she was done with the conversation. She might just be giving him the silent treatment. There wasn't much he could do in this case except wait for her to decide to talk to him again. But she didn't speak for several long, agonizing minutes. The only sound that came from her side of the bed was the clicking and clacking of her sewing needles. At times they could sound like a clock ticking.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," she said. "I shouldn't speak out of place. It's not for me to do."

Surprised by this, although she'd done it before, he turned to stare at her. She kept knitting, humming a light melody. This didn't sit well with Naruto.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," he said. "I'll try to make it up to him tomorrow. I'll take him to Ichiraku's."

"Don't worry about it," she said.

This wasn't right and Naruto knew it. For now he was too tired to keep the conversation going, and he quickly fell asleep.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

He was young again; not just young, but his age when he, Sakura and Sasuke defeated Madara and saved everyone from the nightmare that was the Infinite Tsukiyomi. In fact, they were just about to do battle with Kaguya in her Truth Ball form. They were truly reunited after almost four years separate in some shape or form. He could feel his heart pounding against its to cage, feeling as ready to go as he was. He knew they could get the job done. Even if his wariness of Sasuke was justified to an extent, there was no one else he trusted to fight alongside in the clutch. "You ready, guys!?" he shouted.