Sakura pulled over in front of a large mansion-like modern house, unstrapped her seat belt, and took hold of the shopping bag that she had newly brought with her. Getting out of the driver's seat, she took care not to slam the car door to not wake Hinata. She slowly opened the rear door, and gently shook Naruto awake. The sleepy blonde jolted out of his short-lived slumber and looked around.
"We've reached?" He asked.
"Yeah. Shh, don't talk too loudly. You'll wake her up."
Naruto nodded in compliance, and slowly got out of the car, with Hinata still sleeping in his arms. Her backpack was dangling on his left shoulder, and Sakura shielded the sleeping girl's forehead from the frame of the car door while he got out. Sakura locked the car and followed Naruto as he entered his house. The security guard who waited outside greeted them.
"Give Sakura the house keys. You're dismissed for the day." Naruto ordered, and the guard did as he was told, and briefly left.
"Put her in the room closest to the hall. Otherwise, she'll be lost when she wakes up. Your house is a fucking maze. " Sakura suggested. Naruto had no reason to disagree.
He carried the girl to a clean room, freshly dusted by his housekeeper. Thank God for that. The capacious room was veiled by the sunset which was quite bright, as a matter of fact. He gently set her on the soft quilt of the bed and retracted his arms. Strangely enough, they didn't seem sore. What was more, they seemed empty. Naruto smiled to himself, thinking of how it felt like his arms were made only to carry her. Ah. I'm thinking crazy shit again. He put down Hinata's backpack by the bed, on the floor, crossed his arms, and looked at her fondly.
"Mr Romeo, enough staring," Sakura rudely interrupted. "Poor girl's drenched and cold. Get me a bunch of towels, two sets of clean clothes that you have, and a hairdryer."
"You think she won't wake up all through that?"
"She's almost as good as passed out from all the exhaustion. She won't wake up anytime now. Have you checked her pulse?"
Naruto shook his head in oblivion.
"I have. I study medicine for a reason, brother. 'Kay now, chop-chop! Get me what I asked for. No more stalling"
"Roger that, ma'am." Before leaving the room, Naruto turned to Sakura. "Why's she all drenched though?" He asked.
"Well, if you ask me, it's one of your crazy fans."
Naruto face-palmed. Hinata was hurt because of him. Again. He sighed.
"Don't beat yourself up over it, Naruto," Sakura advised wisely. "It's not your fault. People are crazy like that. You don't need to take responsibility for people you don't even know. Oh yeah, I had this random epiphany. Ask Sasuke-kun to get the footage of the corridors outside the Women's Restroom. I texted him about it earlier too, so make sure you remind him. It'll give us a clue."
Naruto nodded slightly. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to put an end to the harassment Hinata faced because of him. For the time being, he decided that he would follow Sakura's advice on the matter. He then left to bring everything that Sakura had asked for and came back. "There's a stock of healing Bath Bombs in the bathroom, ya know, the aroma therapy ones. They release stiffness and body aches too. I use them after my workouts, they're really effective. The tap has warm water running 24/7, so in case she needs a bath, she can-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Get out of the room for now." Sakura cut him short.
"Hey, can you at least be polite with it?"
"Get out, lover boy. I'll take care of her." She said as she threw him the house keys and he swiftly caught them. "I don't have much time. My boyfriend told me to come back to him as early as possible"
"I hate you, Sakura-chan."
"Sure you do."
Sakura slammed the door after driving him out and chuckled to herself. She liked teasing him now and then. She knew he didn't mind it. Naruto knew that she was doing all that to get on his nerves too, so he let it go easily. Friendly banter like that was only to cheer him up. He was unconsciously very grateful to his childhood friend. She was like a responsible elder sister to him, so they did bicker with each other, just like he did with Sasuke.
Naruto slowly walked down the hall and sat down on the sofa with a heavy sigh. It had been a long day. But his work wasn't over just yet. He quickly removed his phone from his pocket and dialled someone he trusted- Hatake Kakashi, Superintendent of Police.
He was a policeman who had worked under his father, Minato, when Naruto was young and was almost like a brother to him since he had grown up with Kakashi being a very close family friend. In fact, Kakashi had personally trained Naruto in physical combat and martial arts and was a teacher figure to him. But the blonde young man's relationship with his father's subordinate blurred the lines between a close friend and a respected tutor. The line connected after a few rings.
"Naruto?"
"Heya, sensei~" Naruto addressed him like he always did. "You free?"
"How many times have I told you not to call on my personal number when I am on duty?"
"I had some important work," Naruto said, completely ignoring what the silver-haired man had to say.
"What?" The annoyed voice came from the other end.
"A couple of sexual offenders. In my college. Could you please lock them up and give them a special dose of thrashing?"
"Pretty sure you did that already?"
"Yeah, but it ain't enough. Ya see, they laid hands on someone they didn't even have the right to think about ."
"Oooooh, what's this, am I hearing wedding bells right now?"
"No shit, Sherlock. It's always the damn bells for you." Naruto chuckled light-heartedly. Kakashi-sensei was surely quick to catch on, he thought. "Well, it's at the unrequited stage now. So shut up and don't jinx it."
"Okay, okay~"
"More importantly, I'm dead serious about this, sensei. I've put Sasuke on guard so they don't run away, so be sure to get them asap."
"Why me?" Kakashi groaned lazily.
"Please? For me?"
"You're realizing that makes me less inclined to do it, right?"
"You shithead of a policeman..." Naruto commented.
"Alright, alright... I'll do it. Got any proof on you?"
"Plenty."
"Is the victim ready to file a complaint?"
"Umm... I dunno about that. She's resting, you see..."
"Naruto, is it that serious? Is she fine?" Kakashi's voice grew more concerned.
"Well, fortunately, I was able to stop it before it became worse, but..."
"I get it. I'll lock them up unofficially for now. How many days do you want?"
"Let 'em rot and die in jail."
"Hmm, the only thing is, I am answerable to your dad."
"That's your problem."
"Sure. If you have some handy evidence, it should be fine though..."
"Well, I do have it on me. Fuckin' dickheads decided to record it themselves, you know?"
"Wow, they're dumber than I thought."
"I know, right? But it's only a part of the whole thing. You should be able to find some CCTV footage of it from your dear friend, the Princi."
"Fine. I'll manage it. I'll get in touch with Sasuke. You take it easy."
"Thanks, you're a lifesaver."
"Sure. See you."
Naruto hung up. He stared at the ceiling blankly for a minute. He then called Sasuke and informed him about Kakashi's arrival. He also reminded him about what Sakura had asked for.
"Yeah. I remember that. As the Council President, it mustn't be too hard."
"Thanks, Prez. Also, I snapped at you for no reason back there. Sorry 'bout that."
"Understandable. Who wouldn't be livid when something happens to their girl?"
"Riiiight?"
"Mhm. Also, sorry for leaving her by herself like that. As an apology, let me press the management on giving some kind of compensation to her for the negligence."
"Gee, thanks. I'll talk to Princi, so he'll vote in this decision's favour, so don't you worry."
"Alright. See you then. Konohamaru was asking for you.."
"I'll talk to that kid later. Also, Sakura will be back in another 30 minutes, most prolly."
"Don't send her by the train."
"Gotcha."
The second call ended. Now, Naruto had one last call to make, and that was to the Director, his well-known family friend, as well as Sasuke's uncle, Obito, who he was on friendly terms with. He quickly informed Obito of what had happened, and the Director agreed that they would take the necessary action.
"I'll talk to the Director of the offenders' college too, and see that the people responsible for this are suspended."
"Obito-nii, Kakashi-sensei is coming there. Talk to him and Sasuke, finalize what decision is to be made and then get back to me after all the stuff is done. I haven't slept in two days."
"Okay, Naruto. Rest easy. I'll take care."
"Phew... Thanks"
Naruto was already yawning by the time the third call ended. He was just about to slump to bed when his phone rang again. Now what? He was growing tired and irritable. "Hello?"
"Shachou, it's me."
"What is it?"
"Looks like you'll really have to complete the next week's schedule now."
"Argh curse you, Haku!"
"What did I do?"
"Let a man take a fuckin' nap!" He protested.
"Just to be clear, you brought this up on yourself. Who asked you to leave the Hanyu Company proposal hanging?"
"What?"
"You mailed them this morning saying 'We will get back to you by tonight'."
"Fuuuck! I was in work mode! And I didn't think that I'd go back to college today."
"This wouldn't have happened if you had knocked yourself out with some Vodka."
"Hey hey, Haku... Finish reviewing the proposal for me, please? Pretty please?"
"No way! You've delegated all your sub-tasks to me already. Impossible."
"Don't do this to me... You're my secretary for a reason!"
"Alright, alright. I'll help you."
"God bless you!"
"You were cursing me a second ago."
"You know I didn't mean it," Naruto said playfully.
"Fine, I'll be at your house in thirty minutes. It's 4 pm now. I've emailed the proposal to you. I'm getting a hard copy with me. Review the first 20 pages till I come. We'll do the rest 50 together."
"Am I really your boss?"
"Are you?" Haku joked.
The fourth call of the day ended. Naruto sighed, and momentarily screamed internally. He wanted to sleep. But he had no choice but to work more. He then heard the door to Hinata's room clicking open.
"Naruto. She'll come out when she's ready. Don't disturb her... and don't you dare enter her room when she's asleep. Staring at her while she's sleeping is stalker behaviour, straight out of Twilight. Got that?"
"I know."
"You're not sleeping?" She asked as she noticed him fetching his work laptop.
"Seems like I'm not destined to sleep yet. Work's killing me." He complained.
"Fine, do whatever you want. I'm leaving. I'm taking your Audi home. I don't have the patience to travel by train."
"Okay~ Take care. Thanks. I owe you one."
Sakura left after grabbing a key from the assemblage of car keys that Naruto had. It was nothing short of a car collection, which was of no surprise, because Naruto was clearly a millionaire and a successful entrepreneur. He watched her leave, and then his sapphire eyes jumped to look in the direction of the room that Hinata was resting in. He was tempted to go in as soon as Sakura left. Of course, he meant no harm, but even watching Hinata sleep was a weird thing to do, as his friend had said.
Work, work. He reminded himself and tried to shrug off the temptation.
♠
.
.
Hinata found herself waking up in an almost dark room, gently illuminated by soft orange light from a nearby night lamp. The room was filled with a calming citrus scent, which was vaguely familiar. She slowly sat up, leaning against the bedpost, pulling her legs out of the blanket. She seemed to be dressed in a baggy blue T-shirt and a flabby pair of dark trousers that she didn't recognise. Her hair was surprisingly dry and her body didn't feel icky or cold like before. The room heater was apparently on, and as the lavender-eyed girl glanced around, she found a note addressed to her under the weight of a water bottle.
Dear Hinata
Don't mistake me for your Prince Charming. I'm just Sakura. Your backpack is on the floor, by the bed ( your right side). I have undressed you from your drenched clothes and dressed you again in Naruto's clothes. I have put your torn dress and your innerwear in the laundry. By the time you wake up, they will be in the drier of the washing machine, which you can find by the door of the bathroom. I have wiped you down and blow-dried your hair. You can take a bath in the bathtub with warm water from the tap and don't forget to use the bath bomb and shower cap that you find over there. At the foot of the bed, I have placed a shopping bag with new innerwear for you. There is also another clean pair of T-shirt and trousers in the same bag, along with a towel. Take a nice bath, get dressed, and head to the left of your room. You will find the hall. You can figure out things from then on.
Love
Sakura
PS, stay hydrated. There's a water bottle by your bed.
Hinata was strangely blushing after seeing the note. Maybe it was because Sakura had mentioned Naruto a bunch of times and because she was wearing Naruto's clothes then. Hinata slowly got up, and obediently drank water like Sakura had asked her to. She then went to collect her clothes. From the washing machine. Conveniently, there was a retractable clothesline in the room, so she proceeded to dry her clothes. Her pale yellow frock, though torn, was precious to her. It was the dress that her parents had bought for one of her birthdays. She then took the shopping bag with her and headed to the bathroom. I'll have to thank Sakura-san properly. She took so much care of me and was even considerate enough to buy me new innerwear.
She then filled the bathtub with some lukewarm water, put on a shower cap for her hair and threw in one of the violet bath bombs and stepped in slowly.
After a refreshing bath, Hinata opened the door of the room and headed in the direction Sakura had instructed her to, hoping to see the pink-haired girl. But to her huge surprise, it was Naruto who was sitting on a sofa, seriously discussing something with a long-haired man in a suit seated opposite him. Hiding behind the wall, she proceeded to watch in awe. He seemed to be doing something official.
Hinata had many reasons to hide: One, she had never, in her wildest dreams, assumed that she was at Naruto's house. She had assumed it to be Sakura's place for some reason and now was beyond surprised. That explains why the clothes are his, and the room smells like him, she blushed secretly in sweet realisation. Secondly, wearing the clothes of the person she liked and having that person look at her was something so daunting to her, that she couldn't help but shy away from facing the fear. Plus, it was not every day that she got to see Naruto that serious and earnest. He's such a hard worker.
♠
"Shachou... Someone's here..."
Naruto turned in the direction of the room rapidly. "Hinata?"
The peeping tom slowly and hesitantly came out from behind the wall. What caught Naruto's eyes first, was the endearing sight of Hinata dressed in his clothes. They were oversized and pliant on her small body, but she looked incredibly winsome that he felt a surge of bewildering excitement that made his heart race. He couldn't peel his eyes off of her.
So, this is the famed Hinata... I see. Haku thought to himself.
"Shachou... Aren't you going to introduce us to each other?" He asked.
After rolling his eyes subtly at his secretary to be quiet for a moment, Naruto called Hinata to come closer. He even found her soft steps so dashingly adorable, as she trudged towards him slowly. She had always been awkward around strangers, so she was clueless about what to do, especially after being spotted for her poor attempt at stealthily watching them from the shadows.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, looking up at her standing figure, while he was seated.
"B-Better." She nodded, but her meek voice was reduced to a whisper.
"Feeling any pain? Should we go see a doctor once?"
She shook her head while looking at the ground.
Naruto smiled. "This is Yuki Haku; my friend."
Haku stood up and smiled pleasantly, holding out his hand out for a handshake."Hello, I'm his friend and also his-"
"My Insurance Agent. Right?" Naruto interrupted hastily.
Haku eyed him suspiciously. Was it supposed to be a secret? He never even told me. For the time being, Haku decided to play along and shook hands with the pretty lady. "And you are?"
"I'm H-Hyuga Hinata. Nice to meet you." She bowed politely after shaking hands.
"You're really pretty." He complimented her and gave her a business smile.
"Th-Thank you!" A flustered reply came, to which Naruto's annoyed glare flew like daggers at Haku. The smart secretary shrugged it off like it was nothing.
"You hungry? Wanna grab some food?" Naruto asked.
"Well, I was thinking i-if we could all eat to-together?"
"I've already had my meals for the day, so count me out," Haku replied. "Naruto's work won't be done for a while now... Right? Filing insurance takes a lil time."
"Unfortunately. I'd like to eat together but it's at least gonna take 20 more minutes. Sorry..." Naruto pursed his lips. Welp, there goes my once-in-a-million-years opportunity.
"N-No problem! I'll wait!" Hinata insisted.
"You sure? Like, you had a long day. You should charge up soon."
"I'll wait, so... c-could we please eat together?" She asked, her head hung low, and her dainty fingers fiddling with the hem of her blue, oversized T-shirt.
It brought an easy smile to the blonde's face. Who'd have the heart to refuse her, especially when she's asking like this? "I'll try to wrap stuff up asap, alright? Oo~ Till then, you can try the new cinnamon rolls I ordered from the nearby bakery. They're on the kitchen counter over there."
"C-Cinnamon rolls?" Her eyes brightened.
Naruto grinned, "Yep, looking for an expert review." He winked at her.
She skipped away to the open kitchen to hide her furious blush at the unexpected wink. He remembered that I liked cinnamon rolls! She felt so treasured. It had been a while since someone pampered her this much after her family passed.
Munching on her favourite snacks while sitting on the seats by the kitchen counter, she took a quick glance at him. He was so focused on his work, and he looked so dazzlingly cool, like usual. His broad shoulders were leaning against the backrest of the sofa, as he sat cross-legged (ankle on knee), with the laptop resting on his lap, slightly frowning at the screen. His fingers seemed to fly across the keyboard with an imminent urgency; as if the sky was falling in a matter of seconds. She then hastily averted her gaze to something else. That was dangerous. If Uzumaki-kun sees me staring at him for that long, it'd be so embarrassing!. What's come over me? She internally cursed herself. But involuntarily, her eyes were back on the image of the busy blonde.
Shockingly for her, her shifting eyes were suddenly caught by a pair of blue orbs. She immediately averted her eyes, but the quick eruption of red on her face did not go unnoticed by him. He was very surprised at how this was going. Well, that's not too bad of a reaction. He chuckled lightly and told himself. He enjoyed making her lose her composure.
"You look weird grinning like that" A whisper from nearby seemingly ruined his mood.
"Oh, shut up, will you?" He whispered back.
"I'm just stating facts." Haku shrugged. "I never knew that was your type."
Naruto frowned at him. "What?"
"You know, the cute, small, innocent rabbit kinda girl? I didn't know you were into that."
"Mr. Yuki Haku, you have a talent for getting on my nerves very easily," Naruto commented while trying hard to disguise his gritted teeth into a grin. I can't possibly do anything to this impudent lil brat when Hinata is in the room.
"I enjoy the power." Haku gave his classic, closed-eyed smile.
"I'm kicking you out as soon as we're done dealing with this shitload of a proposal."
"That would be my pleasure." The smart secretary smiled again, unfazed.
♠
.
.
.
.
.
"Ah! That guy's finally fucking gone." Naruto heaved a sigh of relief.
"Haku-san seemed like a nice person, though?"
" 'Haku-san'? You call him by his first name?" Naruto asked, a little put off. "I didn't know you guys chummed up that much." He grumbled.
She still calls me by my last name, even though she knows me more than a dude she just met.
Hol' up... Is she into guys like that? Guys that are really sophisticated?
"Well... He a-asked me to..." Hinata confessed.
"Oh yeah? So I can ask you too? Call me by my first name, Hinata." It was just a request, but he was committed to the thought, so it seemed like a condescending demand.
Fuck fuck fuck! Why the heck did I just say that!? That came off way stronger than I expected. It sounded like I was fuckin' ordering her around. She's gonna be pissed.
"It's... different with you, Uzumaki-kun..." Her voice was reduced to a murmur, as she looked down at the ground. One could easily make out that her ears were beet red.
"Hmm, never mind. Let's see what we can eat." Naruto skipped the topic, satisfied with her reaction.
Is he mad? Hinata worried over his dismissive answer. Pursing her lips in silent discontent, she saw Naruto remove multiple home made plates of food from the fridge.
"We have some spaghetti, salad, burritos, cup ramen..." He seemed to be thinking of what to choose. "What do you wanna have, Hinata? My housekeeper made these this morning, so we'll just have to toss 'em in the oven and heat 'em up."
"Anything is fine," she said, while eyeing the scrumptious looking burritos. But she was too shy to ask. It'll seem greedy if I ask for them. She thought and resigned to her craving for the dish. But Naruto didn't miss it. He saw her hesitating eyes longing over the tasty burritos, and by now, he knew what Hinata was probably thinking of. He also knew that no amount of persuasion would convince her to speak up.
"Let's have burritos, yeah?" He asked, knowing what she had in her heart.
"Y-Yes!" Her face lit up in a bright smile, and Naruto couldn't help himself from chuckling. She's like a kid when it comes to stuff like this, he thought.
.
.
.
~After the meal~
Naruto stretched himself after getting up from the dining chair. It seemed like Hinata had her fill too.
"Will there be any trains running this late, U-Uzumaki-kun?" Hinata asked, fidgeting after looking at the time. It was half past eleven and a dangerous hour for travel.
"Yeah, plenty. Trains are round the clock, you know?" He replied absent-mindedly "Why though?"
"Then, I must leave before it gets even m-more late." She hurriedly rose from her seat and ran to the room, bringing back her hastily packed backpack.
Naruto frowned. "Wait... You're seriously thinking of leaving now?"
Hinata nodded and looked at Naruto as if he was saying something strange.
"You're not going home now, of all times, Hinata." He said sternly, inching closer.
"But why?"
"It's incredibly unsafe out there. Stay here tonight. I'll drop you home tomorrow, in the morning."
"But-!"
"Mm-mm, no buts. I'm drained right now and don't trust myself with driving tonight, so I'll drop you off first thing in the morning." He said, taking away the backpack from her.
"I can't p-possibly trouble U-Uzumaki-kun!" She reached for her bag, but it was swiftly held up in the air by the tall blonde. Hinata tried to seize it by tipping on her toes, but this was too easy of a height difference for Naruto to manage. He craftily dodged her attempt to lay her hand on the bag, hoisting it up in the air, to a height where she wouldn't be able to reach it.
Teasing her is fun, he thought, as he mindlessly swerved the bag around in the air. She was so focused that it was beyond lovely. Damn, she's soo cute. I should be in control, but this is so much fun. It was one of the very few times that Naruto had actually seen her being obstinate, and like always the adorable act stole his heart.
"If you get this, I'll let you go." He smirked at her playfully, as she proceeded to try numerous more times.
As Hinata flailed her arms desperately to grasp it, it was next to impossible to obtain it from THE Iron Defense. It also was a little unnerving how effortlessly he could defend, which she had to try her best. In her last attempt, she jumped a little and was almost about to get her hands on the bag, when she suddenly lost her balance. Oh no! If I fall, I'll push Uzumaki-kun down too! A momentary panic froze her heart, and she squeezed her eyes close in fear of falling, as she let out a small squeal of fear. (Of course Naruto was not going to be knocked over by Hinata falling onto him. Compared to him, Hinata was practically weightless.)
"Woah, there-! Careful Hinata!" Her fall was suddenly broken when Naruto's sturdy arm readily and gently wrapped around her waist, causing her to safely lean against his firm chest. Her hands involuntarily clutched onto the fabric of his T-shirt while her heart was still beating fast from the scare.
"You okay?" His voice broke through her mind clouded with fear. "Hinata?"
She slowly opened her eyes, letting her breath out cautiously. She was still being held quite close to him, and her heartbeat had already accelerated to an unbelievable speed. She cautiously looked up at him. He immediately set the bag down and cupped her face with his right hand, brushing his thumb across her cheek, still having his left arm fastened securely around her.
"You're very reckless sometimes, huh?" He smiled. "Either way, my win." He then released her from his grasp and was about to tell her to head to bed, when he noticed that she was still looking at him, her mouth agape, her rosy lips lining its outline, while tightly clasping his T-shirt and leaning on him.
Naruto had not planned for this. Never in his wildest dreams. He had never fathomed that Hinata would be the one to continue clinging, after an accidental embrace. But he quickly came to his senses. She must be in shock. "Hinata? It's fine to let go now." He informed, holding up his arms to convey that he had no hold on her whatsoever.
A flustered Hinata let go of him, leaving behind the softly unfurling crumples of the white fabric, and staggered back a few steps. Seeing her hastily backing away hurt Naruto a little. Did I scare her?
"Don't worry. I won't do anything. You're safe here." He smiled with great effort.
"No! It's not that I'm scared of you, U-Uzumaki-kun! I-It's the first time I'm spending a night in a boy's house... So, I can't seem to calm my nerves." She said, covering her red face with her palms. "I-It's really weird but-"
"Hahaha... You scared me for a moment there." Naruto laughed. Stuff's progressing! "Well, head to bed now, will you, Hinata? It's late. We need to start early tomorrow if you have to get in time to your house and then get ready for college."
"Y-Yes..." She replied bashfully, slowly picking up the bag and walking back to the room she was sleeping in earlier. Naruto's blue eyes followed her until she entered the room and almost closed the door.
To his sweet surprise, he was rewarded with the sight of her peeking over from inside the room by slightly opening the door again. "Good night... Uzumaki-kun. Sweet dreams," The evident blush had still not faded from her ears, but she had somehow managed to muster the courage to utter a good night.
The attack was almost fatal. Hinata was definitely bad for his heart. In order to mask his loud heartbeat, he attempted to take even louder footsteps while walking back to his room, but to no avail- It was because he could never outwalk the speed at which his heart banged against his chest. Fuuuck. He couldn't keep his cool. Right then, he just wanted to pull her into his arms for a long embrace, but couldn't bring himself to do it, no matter what. I don't want to hurt her. , But he couldn't help but react so passionately, especially since his defense against Hinata's adorable antics was so weak. I don't know if Hinata wants to kill me on purpose.
That night, poor Naruto slept while squeezing a bolster into a tight hug.
♠