(A/N : Extremely sorry for the delay! (>.<)
Thank you all sooo much for 25k! It's a big milestone for an aspiring writer like me! I wish you all safety and good health! Please keep supporting me like you always do! I couldn't have come so far without you guys.
Love you all
Take care and be safe
Mighty_03)
♠️
The train swayed back-and-forth in a dull fashion. Her tresses settled on her shoulder jerked subtly along with the monotonous rhythm. Her eyes stared off into the distance through the window; her gaze melting into the colours of the dusk that were slowly setting in.
In stark contrast, her visage was the only focus of an almost unnatural pair of blue eyes, that had been unfaltering for about a quarter hour now. She didn't have even the slightest inkling of what was running through his mind, yet she could tell that he was back to acting a little unpredictably.
He hadn't spoken the entire time after they had left Kiba's garage. During the meal, he had been talking jovially, but had clearly avoided her eyes. It was him this time.
His fingers tightened around the yellow handle that dangled from the handrail as he stood opposite to her. She sat uncomfortably on the cool metal, her shoulders rubbing against a rowdy teenage girl who seemed like she was just out of school.
Should I ask that kid to give her some space? His eyes wandered to her no matter how many times had had warned himself not to look at her. He knew he would be answerable if she caught him staring without saying anything. At that exact moment, it happened. Her eyes met his, rather fiercely.
"What is it?" She seemed to ask, her eyebrows in a subtle, questioning frown.
He gulped and shook his head. What will I even ask her? 'Just straight up, 'Hinata, do you like me?' Oh my God that's so ...urgh. He felt extremely queasy in his own skin. That was the first time he actually felt bad for being pompous. It sounded like something a narcissist would say. He wondered how one could say that and not make those around them recoil in disgust. It could be said that he was aware enough how not to shoot his shot, in case it does kill his chances, but he wasn't sure how to do it either.
Her grilling gaze persisted, her frown more evident that before. He put up his hand to his mouth, and felt beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. Breathe, breathe.
Ding! The train screeched to a stop at the next station, and most of the passengers got down, including the young girl beside Hinata. On a usual day, Naruto would immediately take the chance to sit beside her, but this time, she had to pull at his sleeve to help him take a seat.
"What is it, Naruto-kun? You look like you want to say s-something." Her voice turned stern.
"Nothing. I was just looking at you...r face." Wow. I didn't know I was this bad.
"Do I have something on my face?"
Yeah. He wanted to say.
Soft cheeks and an even cuter nose. A pair of pretty eyes and lips that he would love to kiss any moment. I want to steal you away. But he couldn't utter a word. Yet he wanted her to somehow, magically figure it out. Her oblivion made his heart bleed painfully. He drew in his breath resolutely and a question he never expected to roll out of his tongue, revealed itself. "Have you ever had a boyfriend?"
Her mouth agape, she audibly gasped. It wasn't only because she didn't expect the question, but because it was from him. She paused for a few second before answering. "I... haven't. Our household was very strict... s-so I haven't gone out with anyone."
"So, you've never liked anyone?"
"... I didn't say that." The untied lace on her shoes were particularly conspicuous then, than ever before.
His gritted teeth almost drew blood from the inside of his cheeks. So she has liked other guys before. "... What's your type?" He wasn't curious. It was just desperation at this point.
Her fidgeting fingers didn't help reduce any of her embarrassment. I never thought I would be talking about things like this with him! "Does it matter...?" She turned to him in hesitation.
"To me; yes." She did not miss the look in his eyes.
The shade of red on her cheeks intensified. Why is he talking in such a misleading way? Regardless, she understood that she couldn't run away from answering like she always did. "Umm... gentle, caring, and really s-smart, I guess?"
"And? Go on. What about looks?"
Golden hair, whisker marks, and blue eyes.
"...I don't have any such preferences." She lied.
"Really? What about the guys you liked? Didn't they have something in common at all?"
Plural!? Her tone changed immediately. She seemed to scrunch her eyebrows to iterate something seriously. "I'll have you know that I've only ever liked... one guy." The volume of her words dimmed towards the end.
Naruto tapped the dial on his watch, as if that would make the gingerly silence pass quicker. I am a fool. He knew he was going to hurt himself if he pried further. But he was too obsessed with her to follow reason. "Have you... kissed him?"
Immediately, her head turned to face him rather impetuously, her eyes in plain alarm at the astounding question. The tip of her lower lip quivered like an autumn leaf, her nose turning red once again. In contrast to her "How could you ask me s-such a thing!?" Her frown was unstable, but the pure indignation was very evident.
"My bad. Shouldn't have done that." If you kiss me once, and I'll know if you've ever been kissed before. The voice in his head threw him off. He wasn't thinking consciously. He pursed his lips, and took the chance to kneel to the ground and tie her shoelaces, while she looked down at him dumbfoundedly.
"Naruto-kun, let me-" She tried crouching down to stop him from doing so, but he held onto them, so she left him have it his way.
Hinata couldn't follow him at all. He was prodding at something, but she didn't know what it was. She was a little furious, because the very person she liked was talking to her as if she was supposed to like a stranger. He was done tying the laces, and sat back at the cool seat. THe train stopped with a jingle at the next station, but that didn't stop the creases between her brows, and she continued to look at him, as if she were asking for an explanation. He tried to ignore it for a while, but he just couldn't.
"Sheesh, you'll burn a hole through my head if you start so hard, miss."
"I... I want to know the reason." She said resolutely. "W-Why did you ask me such questions all of a sudden?"
"I was just curious." He shrugged. "Do I need another reason?"
"But why were you curious in the first place? I'm just a boring-"
"You're not boring."
"...But you've never asked me things like this before."
"Yeah, so I asked you now. 'Cos we've never talked about this stuff."
Talk? That's very one-sided to be called a talk, isn't it? A rare, competitive ego rose to the brim of her mouth. "Th-Then let's talk about you, Naruto-kun."
He did not anticipate that curveball at all. He blinked at her blankly. "What?"
"I... I also want to know. Have you dated anyone?"
He looked befuddled for a hot minute, and then finally found his tongue. "You know what, I admit my mistake. I shouldn't have asked you all that stuff. Let's... talk about something else." He tried to divert the focus, but in vain.
"Why are y-you trying to change the topic?" She was not going to let it go. It showed. "I answered you, so it's only fair that you-"
"No." The blond who was averting his eyes was now directly looking at her. The cerulean orbs snatched at her gaze, paralysing her lilac irises. His words were curt, to say the least. "I don't want to talk about that."
"But I thought-"
"Enough. I said I was sorry. Don't talk to me about that again." He turned away. Coldly. She had never seen him being so frigid. Especially to her.
Silence ensued. Her powerlessness on being shut down so bluntly, made her swallow her words and shrink back in the seat. She actually understood. It wasn't anger in his eyes. It was an eclipsed... Fear. He didn't look furious, it was a kind of grieving apprehension that stayed shrouded under the rumble of his voice.
He didn't try to initiate another conversation again, throughout the whole ride. The train rattled along the tracks, trying to fill the quietude that was overbearing.
.
The train stopped at Yokohama at around 6:35 pm. The suburban area was illuminated with sparse lights. He was still carrying the baggage all by himself. All alone. As soon as they got down, he booked a taxi to reach the inn that Sakura had texted him about.
"Apparently, they're starting early tomorrow morning. So, they'll be staying in an inn tonight." He stated plainly, as if he was making a report. She didn't like it one bit. His blithe demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
"Yes. You told me earlier."
He stared at her briefly. A short answer, huh.
Once the car arrived, He opened the door for her. She got in, assuming that he would be sitting in the passenger's seat too, but he shut the door curtly, making her jump a little. He then proceeded to sit in the front, beside the driver, making small talk with him while showing him the way.
She started feeling that dread again. As if she didn't exist. As if she didn't matter to him. As if... he had forgotten her, or worse still; chosen to forget her. She bit her lip. It's surely my fault. I pressed too much. His side profile looked detached, as he watched the rising of the languid moon against the tristful evening sky through the window. It was unlike him to retain his silence for so long. He was clearly troubled. She wanted to reach out, but was afraid of her hand being swatted away. At the end of the day, I'm irrelevant to him.
♠️
"Hey~!" A cheerful chirp greeted the young man and woman as they stepped out of the taxi. Hinata sprinted towards her and hugged her, and Sakura was stunned by the pleasant surprise. Hinata herself was bewildered as to why she felt this urge to just embrace the green-eyed woman as if she had seen her after years. Perhaps the dreary car ride had weighed down on her and so she wanted to find comfort in familiar arms. Sakura didn't miss the chance to hug her back tightly. She was a little strong, but it was okay.
"Hello, Sakura-san." Hinata still held on to her hand.
"Hello, sweet heart! I was waiting for the day you'd hug me first!" She stopped short upon seeing the blonde who was glaring at her enviously. But she smirked and didn't let the excitement in her voice die. "I'm so glad you made it!"
Why is she hugging her?
Hinata had never hugged him out of her own will. Nor had she held his hand for so long. Didn't she meet me first? I was the one who introduced her to Sakura.
He had already been lugging the hefty bag all day, and his earlier conversation with the violette had left him sore. His day couldn't have gotten any worse. It was irritating to see their fingers linked together like that. He hated it.
"Sakura, could you get us something to drink?"
Sakura nodded, and walked to the vending machine close by. She knew that Naruto wasn't in the best of moods. She could read that the air had turned rather sour. They would usually take turns blushing, but today, there was not a word or a glance exchanged between them. It has to be a fight. Meeting them back at the reception of the small, vintage-themed Japanese inn, she handed them their canned sodas. The receptionist who had just clocked in, had asked them to wait for a few minutes and had gone to ask someone about the number of rooms available. As impatient as always, the sturdy blond finished his drink in a few gulps, while Hinata waited until the dew on the cool metal trickled down for a bit, and then clicked open the can. Sakura knew she had to clear the air somehow.
"Hey, Hinata. I'm going to the night market in sometime. It's my ritual whenever I come here. Wanna come with me?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. And not Naruto. It's a girls night, Naruto. You can go ahead and sleep."
Naruto looked at her irritably. He knew that she was purposely trying to get on his nerves by showing off how well they got along. "Do whatever you want."
"Also, Hinata will be sleeping in my room." She added, just to earn more of his scorn.
"I'm not her guardian. You can stop with all the reporting." His gruff answer caught Hinata off-guard, but Sakura knew that it was only all-talk. He turned to the counter and booked an extra room for himself. He removed his clothes from the bag and stacked them on his forearm, took the key and walked towards his newly allotted room. He didn't even cast her a single glance as he went. Hinata's worry started to show on her face. Did I anger him that much? To not even say good night... He's more cruel than I thought.
Sakura waited for him to go by, and then immediately jumped to the questioning. "So? What's the matter with you both?" She lifted the bag Naruto had left on her shoulder, while simultaneously tugging at the violette's hand to lead her to her room.
Why does she always seem to know? "N-Nothing... we had a disagreement." She walked alongside the pink-head while trying to disguise the situation.
"Sweetheart, nothing can escape my eyes. I can tell it's something different."
"I can't win against you, S-Sakura-san." Hinata sighed in defeat. "I don't know what happened. But he suddenly went quiet when I asked him something on the subway today."
"You're saying he was the one to go quiet? That blabbermouth?"
"He's not a blabbermouth." She frowned.
"Alright, alright, we're not gonna diss your Prince Charming. Can I know what you asked?"
Hinata explained the whole predicament to her as they reached her room. Sakura understood instantly. Oh, so it's that topic. "Look, Hina. I can't tell you much, but he's really sensitive about that past of his. He had some pretty bad experiences." She tried to put it into words.
"Oh no, I should apologise to him then!"
"He'll be okay in a while, so don't worry about it." After setting up the clothes, she urged Hinata to rush into the bath. "They have these hot-tubs in these inns, it's wonderful. You have to try it. I've already taken a bath, so go get freshened up, and then we'll start out."
Still sceptical but helpless, Hinata nodded and obediently entered the bath area, and clicked the door shut.
Sakura immediately dialled Naruto's number. "Hey, what's up?"
"...What do you want?"
"Oh for fuck's sake, Naruto, I don't want this depressed stuff again. I heard from Hinata. I can only help you if you're up for it. C'mon."
"Come to my room for a while. I have something to give you."
"Fine." She went up to Room number 539, and knocked on the door. He slid the door open and let her in. He went back to the pile of clothes he had brought with him, and rummaged through them to find his wallet. He then pulled out a crisp black card, and tersely handed it to Sakura.
It was a credit card with no limit.
"Buy her whatever she likes." He said, matter-of-factly.
Sakura couldn't help but be astounded. "You're the biggest lovesick idiot. You know that, right?"
He refused to meet Sakura's fierce eyes. "You can leave." He replied, looking somewhere else.
"You can talk to her! Hinata is the sweetest girl! She wouldn't misunderstand!"
"What do you want me to tell her? That I had a bunch of flings?"
"I won't take the card with me if you don't talk about it." She tried giving him an ultimatum.
A glunch look from his dull eyes followed. "I can't give her that. She won't take it. You're the only one I can give it to."
"I know. So if you want me to use this card, speak up."
"Sakura-chan, you don't understand-"
"I do, in fact, understand. Don't teach me. I'm your elder sister."
"You're not."
"Well, almost. Kushina-san told me so."
"When we were five."
"That's not the point." She persisted. "Look. If you're not gonna talk to her, Hinata's gonna feel extremely awkward. You know how many times she's blamed herself in the past five minutes?"
Now, he looked concerned. Good, Sakura thought, as she continued. "She doesn't need to deal with this bullshit. Just tell her everything straight. You're gonna have to tell her some day, right?"
"... Yeah. But what if she thinks I'm a scum? I can't live with that!"
"She, of all the people, would never think that, Naruto. Have some trust in her!"
"... I'll think about it."
Sakura's phone buzzed. It was Hinata. She picked up in haste and answered. "Yeah, I'll be right there... I went out for some fresh air... Yeah, get dressed... Yup." She got up, and slid the black card in her pocket. "I'll take this. On the condition that you'll talk to her."
He didn't answer, as if he was lost in deep thought. He stared at Sakura until she left, and then sat still in the same place. Is it really alright?
The shrill tone from his phone rang, breaking his cloud of daze. "Hello?"
♠️
As the girls strolled across the night market, Hinata felt a surging rejuvenation in herself. She had talked it all out to the green-eyed young lass, and was feeling so much lighter. Her cajoles and coaxes were much needed, and once she earned them, Hinata felt more relieved than ever. She enjoyed all the spirit in the market, more than she had thought. Her family would have disapproved of her visiting such small stalls and watching group dances unmindfully, but nothing mattered now. She was free to experience the thrills and haunts of an average person, something she would have struggled to do, if she had kept on that slogging lifestyle as before. It's all thanks to Naruto-kun.
She had heard a little bit about the blue-eyed boy, who had an alleged infamous past. Sakura had explained that he had been exploring himself a little through such experiences, and that he had altogether stopped doing so for what would be an year and a half now.
Hinata didn't mind that at all, surprisingly. She was more open-minded than Sakura. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, then. Is there?" She questioned plainly.
"Well, most girls did have a problem."
"Because?"
"Because there is no commitment... You know, girls expect some level of commitment when they are romantically or physically involved with guys."
Hinata nodded understandingly. "But he did tell them in advance that he couldn't give them the romantic element, right?"
"But still. People are fickle. They conveniently remember only what they want to." She shrugged. "And the ones who remember, were too optimistic. They thought that they could change him."
Hinata's mind started ruminating on the thought. She couldn't help but absolve Naruto of the moral responsibility in this case. But she couldn't blame the girls either. Being so in love with someone, that you are ready to do anything to try and make them fall in love too, was something that resonated with her deeply.
"Come on, now, we're here to buy stuff for ourselves!" Her companion tried to amp up the energy that was lost. "We don't have much time."
As they entered store after store, Sakura was pretty quick at choosing what she had come to buy. It felt like she knew what she wanted and how much to buy it for. Hinata was still looking around, mesmerised by the wide array of the clothes, accessories and trinkets. Sakura tried asking her if she liked anything or whether she wanted to try anything on, but soon grew exasperated by the number of times her suggestions were denied. She then made up her mind, that in the next store they step in, she was going to force Hinata to try something on. She was sure that the beautiful fabric-work would suit Hinata perfectly. She was so naturally beautiful, that these intricately woven clothes would accentuate her features.
They did go to the next store, and a pale blue dress up to the ankles of a mannequin caught her keen, emerald eyes. Details of white, cloudy blossoms adorned the delicate batiste, and lantern sleeves flowed downwards, so very gracefully. I have to get her to try this on. The only problem was that the dress had a low-cut neckline. I don't think she has worn a dress like that before. But there's nothing wrong in seeing how it looks. She immediately asked the staff to help Hinata try on the piece. Hinata did protest against it initially, but Sakura was not going down without a fight. When the polite girl finally yielded to the demands of her friend, she felt a little victorious, for successfully helping her shed the veil of self-restraint and shyness. She finally understood why Naruto acted so pushy with her all the time.
Once the attendant ushered Hinata into the changing room, Sakura took the chance to walk up to the counter and surreptitiously talked about the black card.
"Good evening. I need a favour." She started. "I need you to keep up an act with me. I'll be paying with this card, so make sure you announce to the one who comes out of the changing room, that she is your 100th customer, and that everything in the store is free. Tell her that she can choose to take anything, regardless of the price."
"Ma'am, I think we need an agreement or something, I can't just rely on a verbal exchange." The man sitting at the counter tried to reason.
"Or... I'll prepay a certain amount. In case we underspend, send back the remaining to my account saying it's a cash prize."
He nodded understandingly. "I think that is definitely something that we can work with."
♠️
"Sakura-san! We were so l-lucky!" Hinata was skipping along the way back to the inn, carrying multiple bags of clothes they had bought, along with plenty of dainty and chic-styled jewellery.
"I know!" She chimed in, carrying just as many bags as the young lady beside her. "I'm taking you with me every time I'm gonna shop. You're a lucky charm!"
Though her friend had complimented her in a light-hearted manner, Hinata couldn't believe what she had heard. Gone were the days when she was called a bad omen, a curse on everyone around her, and someone whose negativity had gotten her family killed. She was now regarded as a person with good luck. She revelled in the happiness. She was also, obviously, still excited at how much they were able to buy for free. At first, Hinata had hesitated to buy anything at all. She didn't have much in her wallet, so she had decided to buy some trinkets for Naruto, Sakura and Erika and call it a day. But through sheer luck, she got to buy so many items for free. Once it was declared free, Hinata didn't hold back on choosing what looked good at all. If she had learnt anything while living on the brink of poverty, it was that whenever things came for free, she had to absolutely grab them. It might make me shameless, but it would just be foolish to let go of a chance like this. I can't wait to show Naruto-kun how much we hauled!
Right... Naruto-kun. Her excitement faded as soon as she remembered how dispirited he had looked in the evening. They had had dinner separately before she accompanied Sakura to the market, so she hadn't gotten to see him.
The time was around 11:00 pm when they reached back at the inn. Would he be awake now? I know he might still be angry at me, but I want to make up. I want to show him all that we bought.
"Sakura-san... D-Do you think ..."
"Is it about Naruto?" She said, all-knowingly. "He's awake for sure. You can go to his room for a while if you want, and come back."
"Thank you~!" She squeezed the pink-head into a heartfelt hug. Without even putting those bags down, she dashed towards Room no. 539. I'm sure he'll at least hear me out. I will apologise first and then ask him about his dinner, and then, and then...
She diligently planned out the whole 'Make-up with Naruto-kun' conversation in her head, and drew her soft breath in preparation, standing before his door.
*Knock, knock*
.
.
.
"...Sakura-chan, is that you?" A voice from inside groaned.
Oh no! Was he asleep? Did I disturb him? That's sad. Guess I'll just go back then. She decided to do so, but even before she had turned a heel, the door slid open loudly, revealing the image of a tardy blond, with a tousled head, dressed in a loose, grey robe. He leaned against the door frame, his eyes looking slightly glazed. But he seemed conscious enough to recognise her. (Even if he wasn't he would have recognised her, but that's another matter.) "...Hinata?" His words were getting a little slurred. "What're you doin' here at this hour?"
"I'm sorry I woke you up! I-I just wanted to see you... if that's alright."
In reply, he flashed the widest grin on his flushed face, as if he had forgotten all about the estrangement he had shown in the evening. It was a blissful, innocent smile. He wasted no time in lifting her bags and slinging them around his own shoulders. They were but a few, in comparison to his large build.
It was gestures like these that made her giddy. They made her doubt her ability of taking a stand against this wonderful, wonderful man.
"Come on in!" The mirth in his voice just couldn't be mistaken.
She couldn't refuse him. "Th-Then, I'll be intruding." She pushed back the stands of her hair behind her ear and entered the dimly lit room.
♠️