ⲃⳙⲧⲧⲉⲅ⳨ⳑⲩ 🦋 - Sessakag - Naruto [Archive of Our Own] (2024)

Chapter 1: Warning

Chapter Text

WARNING

This fic is a little different, kinda special to me. As those of you that read my author's notes know, I have some very heavy hitting mental illnesses.

I'll be taking a few of my diagnoses and life experiences and sharing them in this story.

If you are sensitive to abuse, drug usage, bullying, violence, suicide, mental health struggles, foul language, self-harm, angst, smut, depression, dark themes, please do not read this story.

Chapter 2: Hell

Chapter Text

Chapter One

Hell

November 15, 2004

-

A harsh breeze whipped through the night, shaking skinny trees made nearly bare by incoming winter, rustling piles of fallen, sunset colored leaves. She braced herself, huddling closer to the towering tree in her backyard, drawing scrapped knees tight to her little chest. She wanted to cover her arms like she had her toes with her long skirt but the sleeves were too short. A softer wind swept her cheek-length hair from her nape, though it felt far colder than the first one. Shivering, she curled her bare toes in the dirt beneath her feet, though it didn't really feel warm.

Her teeth chattered, and a wave of the bad feeling squeezed her chest.

Another wind roared in, tugging angrily at her clothes, blowing her hair around her head, nearly knocking her over.

Tears burned behind her tightly shut eyes.

Maybe the wind was mad at her too.

She spent what felt like forever, she worried if she would ever be able to feel her fingers and toes again, before the wind stopped for good. And when it was quiet, she poked her head from her safety huddle, peeking at the darkness around her.

Shadows danced along the wooden fence around the yard, a few of them reaching across father's perfect cut grass towards her.

It was scary...so scary...but...

She stole a timid glance at the back porch, her heart racing as she stared at the locked doors.

It was better, being out here.

Even if there were big scary monsters outside, they couldn't be worse than the monsters that lived inside her house.

Hot liquid trickled from her nose, filling her nose with the smell of old coins. She wiped away the drip, tears welling in the single eye that wasn't swollen completely shut.

It hurt.

Her face, her body, her heart.

Everything hurt.

She didn't know why father was so mean, why he kept hitting her, what she was doing wrong.

Maybe...maybe she just didn't understand because she was kid.

She was only five.

Maybe if he told her what she was doing wrong she could stop. And then...

And then, maybe he wouldn't have to hit her anymore.

She swallowed sickly, grimacing as her bloody lips stung.

Or maybe...it wouldn't matter.

Father got mad a lot about the house being dirty, so she cleaned it all the time, even when she couldn't really see any dirt, but...she still got hit. She kept quiet because father said her voice was too loud, but then he told her she wasn't loud enough when he asked her questions, and then, she got hit.

He told her she was bad, that she was always bad and bad girls were supposed to get hit, so she tried to be good all time but even that didn't seem to work. So she stayed in her room up in the attic, hiding until he called for her, hoping he'd be happier if he didn't have to see her face.

That didn't work either.

Nothing she did ever made him happy.

She didn't know how to change the hate in his eyes, how to stop his fists.

She swiped another tear, sucking back a whimper as pain shot up her cheek.

Maybe there really wasn't anything she could do.

Maybe, there was just something wrong with her.

Father wasn't the only one that hated her, her whole family did. They hit her too, just like father, and made fun of her stutter.

They at her like she were one of the rats in the attic.

Nobody ever looked at her that soft look, the one she saw on the face of the parents outside her window. No one cared whether she had eaten, if she was cold, sick or upset. No one cared if she slept in her cot in the attic or in the dirt outside.

She truly was...nothing.

She meant nothing.

In this cruel world, she was nothing.

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November 18, 2004

-

Father was gone again and had been for three days now.

She was grateful for each day because each one was a whole day she that she wouldn't be hit, but they were really hard days. She knew how to take care of herself a little bit, she used her potty on her own now, and she knew where the band aids were. Father brought her a small meal once a day, but she knew what her plate looked like and that it was in on the bottom row in the fridge. This time was different though, those other times she wasn't as hurt as she was today. There was something wrong with her arm, and when she moved it to much the pain made little black circles dance in front of her eyes and sometimes it made her sleep, but, it wasn't the good sleep, it was the bad one that happened when father hit her really hard or for a really long time.

Today though, today her tummy hurt worse than her body and it was getting hard to stand. She knew this painful feeling, father made her feel sometimes when he locked her in the attic, she needed food.

Rising slowly from her cot, she swung her bare feet to the cold floor and breathed.

That hurt.

Moving at all hurt so much.

Her tummy squeezed hard, painfully.

With a whimper, she hunched over, pressing her less injured arm around it.

She had to get up.

Tears leaked down her cheeks as she forced herself up and off the cot; wobbling on her bruised legs before flopping back on the cot as they gave out, the force knocking her arm. The little black dots came back as pain pushed a scream from her lips.

The room spun, and it took everything not to throw up. She'd get in trouble if she did. Father hated that a lot.

It took her two more tries to get up and longer than forever to drag herself downstairs and across the huge house she lived in. Nobody was home. Not father or her aunt, not even her cousins. She could barely push open the kitchen door by the time she reached it, panting as she tried to stay upright. She felt really tired and her body felt hard to move. She passed by the stoves and long counters, walking gingerly to the fridge, careful not to bump her aching arm as she held it close to her body. The fridge door was heavy, and she had to rest once before she was able to pull the door open.

Inside, there was so much food.

So many kinds she had never tasted in her life. Sweet treats her cousins ate in front of her and made fun of her for not being allowed to have any. She wanted to try some too, especially the little red circle ones with the little green leafs at the top, but...she knew better.

She...wasn't allowed to touch this food.

None of it...

Her stomach growled then ached, folding her in half again, the pain even worse.

Holding back tears, she straightened enough to reach for the plate with three fridge burned nuggets on a plastic plate on the bottom; left overs from the last meal father gave her, the meal she hadn't gotten to finish. She grabbed one nugget and shoved it in her mouth, willing herself to chew despite the pain it brought her swollen face.

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December 27, 2004

-

She lay motionless in the two small puddles father had left her in.

One bloody, the other yellow. The yellow the reason for the bloody one.

She wet herself...again.

She was six now, too old for accidents, he said. She was disgusting, soiling herself like an animal he said. She deserved it, every beating he gave her, she deserved it...he said.

Maybe this time...she really had brought it on herself. She knew, wetting herself made father really really mad, but...she couldn't help it.

She was scared...she was always scared, but she hadn't been her regular scared. Today, father had looked like a demon when he yelled at her earlier, he always did on her birthday, and while screamed and shouted at her, called her bad names she wouldn't dare repeat, her heart had been pounding so hard she was afraid she would die. Watching his fisted hands with wide eyes, she had silently prayed he wasn't going to use them on her. When he waved his arms, when he raised them up the way he had, she knew it could come at any time. He never told her when he was going to hit her. There were times where he would start hitting before he was even done screaming at her.

While he shouted and said bad words at her, she was getting read for the first punch, trying to get air in her lungs as she waited for it, and then, it happened. She peed. Right in front of father. She hadn't even known that she needed to go. She couldn't feel it.

All she could feel was scared.

And that's when it started...

A door slammed, startling her, ripping her away from the bad memory of five minutes ago.

Father was gone now.

She lay in silence for a while, in that weird space where she couldn't feel anything at all. She liked this place, even though it was scary not feeling, but it stopped her from hurting for a little while...

She woke up. She didn't know when she fell asleep or for how long. She could feel now, but she wish she couldn't.

She cried for a long time in her puddle, whining pitifully as the pain hit her. She knew no one would come and help her, that they wouldn't care about her crying until it started to get on their nerves. That thought was what stopped her tears. She didn't want that to happen. She would get hurt again.

The smelly liquid beneath her was cold now. Cold and gross. She was supposed to clean this up...but...

She couldn't move.

She hurt so bad.

Her head felt too big to lift and the short breaths she took made her sides hurt, but if she didn't get up before her eyes swelled, she wouldn't be able to see the mess she had to clean. And if she didn't clean it up, she'd get worse when father got home. It was pure misery, lifting her body, agony the likes no child should ever experience washed over her tiny frame. She wanted to suck in a stabling breath, to exhale the pain carving her insides but it hurt to breathe. Her ribs wouldn't let her take more than a few shallow gasps every few seconds. On trembling arms, sticky wet hair brushing her cheeks, she pushed away from the floor, willing the meager strength in them to hold her. Blood trickled from her nose, drizzling over her busted lips. Her tongue throbbed, stinging viciously, a feeling she knew all too well.

She'd bitten it again.

There was a certain way she held her mouth when he punched her in the face, it usually stopped her from biting her tongue.

She had forgotten to do it this time.

She listed on her feet, then collapsed against the kitchen cabinet. A bang sounded somewhere in the house and a panicked cry left her throat, certain that was the front door and father was coming. Her panicked eyes glued themselves to the kitchen door, terrified father would see she hadn't cleaned, that he had heard her crying.

She wasn't allowed to scream, even when he was beating her.

She wasn't allowed to cry, even when she was alone.

Screams led to kicks and punches...

Tears led her to an empty tummy for days...

Even if she cried but wipe away the tears, her red puffy eyes would put her in the dark place under the house...

And if she didn't clean the floor, she'd get all three.

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February 7th, 2005

-

She was cold.

She was hungry.

But she couldn't go home. Father had been drinking that bitter stuff again and she knew what would happen if she was in the house. She hadn't been hit in a few days, and she really wanted to be pain free for a little while longer.

She walked the dirt path silently, wincing each time something sharp dug into the softness of her bare feet. She hadn't had time to grab her ratty shoes with holes, or even her worn down jacket two sizes too big for her. The moment he reached for that bottle, panic set in, and making as little noise as possible, she snuck out the back door, crawled through the little gap in the fence and took off for the woods behind their house.

She chaffed her thin arms, teeth chattering as she walked.

She would go home tomorrow, when it was safe.

Father usually slept really late after drinking the bitter drink all day and night.

Laughter trilled through the air, freezing her in place.

There was a boy running towards. Blonde hair, vivid blue eyes, curious lines on his cheeks like that of cat whiskers. He was laughing as he ran through the brush, something she had never done before. He was clean like cousin Kyo, his orange sweatshirt fitted and hole free, his tan shorts were a little dirty but far cleaner than her dress. His sneakers were filthy, caked in mud and grass though she couldn't find a single hole. She couldn't see his arms but...he didn't have any bruises...not anywhere.

His smile was bright, his laughter echoing in the hushed forest. Her red rimmed eyes soaked up his joyful form, rooted to the spot by his carefree happiness, his vibrancy.

Energetic.

Radiant.

He reminded her of the sun above, so warm and bright.

Who was this little boy? she wondered.

So struck was she, she forgot to hide and by the time she remembered, it was much too late.

He noticed her.

Slowing on the dirt trial, that vivacious bundle turned his ocean eyes to her, his intense stare rooting her in place even more than she was. Her pulse raced, heart pounding so hard she felt like she might pass out. Standing before her seconds later, the child took in her shabby appearance, curiosity crinkling his blonde brows as he took in her dirty feet, stained dress and healing cheek, then met her gaze. The boy blinked, his piercing cobalt gaze still curious but a bit...weary.

"How come your eyes look like that?" he questioned, "its really weird, 'ttebayo."

She didn't know what she had expected from this encounter...but...it hadn't been that. Saddened, she turned them to the dirt. Maybe she should have prepared for that. She didn't know why that hurt her, she should be used to it by now.

Father didn't like her eyes either...nobody did.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" the boy exclaimed, waving his little hands around, making her nervous in the process, "I didn't mean to make you sad! I just...never seen eyes like that before."

He stretched a placating hand towards her.

"I wasn't-"

She moved before she even realized it, backing away from that outstretched hand, feeling skittish and scared. Their eyes met, his confused and questioning, hers fearful and uncertain. This child was bigger than her, not by much, but certainly large enough to hurt her. Human interaction without pain wasn't something she dealt with often, and this was the first child she'd ever spoken to, or even seen up close, besides cousin Kyo, and cousin Kyo was mean.

She swallowed, dread filling her tummy.

She wasn't sure how to interact with this boy.

Her stomach growled, the gurgling loud in the silence between them. The golden haired child blinked, then dug around in the pocket of his jacket.

"Here," he offered, offering her a half eaten sandwich.

She stared at the bread, cheese and meat a beat, then looked back at the boy.

"You can have it. You're hungry right?"

She was starving actually...and had been for the better part of the week. Father hadn't beaten her, a few slaps here and there, but he also hadn't fed her that often.

She reached out slowly and took the food in her trembling hand.

"I gotta go, my dad's coming to get me soon. I'm really sorry, I wasn't trying to make fun of your eyes, 'ttebayo. I swear," he turned, but paused, as if unsure if he wanted to leave, "its really cold, you should probably go home too before your mom and dad find out you went out to play with no shoes on. My mom always yells at me when I forget."

He gave a disconcerted smile.

"Well...I better go," he repeated, "bye."

She stood holding that half eaten sandwich long after the boy left. And as she stared at the gesture of kindness, tears filled her hollowed eyes.

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February 13, 2016

-

Chirping bird fluttered by her window, whistling her a sweet tune as they passed. She pressed her hand to the glass, silent gratitude for their melodious trill. It was cold beneath her fingers, though not as cold as it should have been mid-February, another sign of an early spring this year. She watched the birds disappear beyond the clouds, then turned back to face her reality.

Her new life.

Starting with her surroundings.

This room...the one that was to be her new bedroom, was so big, so opposite of her little closet in the attic and a bit...intimidating. She felt really silly feeling anxious standing in a normal sized teen-girl sleeping quarters. She knew it was normal size, cousin Kyo's room was roughly the same in comparison, but to her, this was more space than she had ever had in her entire existence.

The bed was elaborate, and decorative, beautiful even.

Full sized, low to the ground and topped with a lavender and crisp white comforter and enough pillows to drown in. There was a pastel desk across from the bed, fitted with a purple colored laptop, a little desk-light and an eggshell white computer chair.

Her floor was carpeted, the walls a soothing rose.

A pink beanbag chair sat right below her lilac curtained window and the softest rug her bare toes had ever experience ran from the door to beanbag.

She had a dresser, two actually, a closet that was nearly as big as her attic room, and the greatest shocker, there was a little bathroom inside her bedroom. Shower, tub, sink, toilet, fluffy purple towel and rug, a shower curtain covered in flowers, a real, true bathroom....

In her room.

This was all a bit much for her to process, to accept.

She felt...out of place, like a fraud. This was too much opulence for someone like her.

She wasn't worth all this fuss. She wasn't some princess, someone important or significant, she was a...

Her eyes burned.

She knew what she was.

Palming the hard shell holding her healing arm steady, she swallowed down that familiar ache in her throat. Her cast was coming off later today. Her bruises had faded, her face no longer swollen and puffy. Physically, she didn't hurt anymore, and but for her pretty pink cast, there was very little evidence of her father's final brutal beat down.

Inside was a different story...

Inside her heart, inside her mind, the damage was extensive, she was destroyed in a way very few would ever experienced, torn apart before she had ever been whole.

What had she even escaped from, in the end?

She relived her hellish life when she closed her eyes at night, her best friend anxiety was always at her side, ready and eager to suck her beneath its brutal grip. People scared her, and even when she knew she was safe, it was constant battle not to flinch in close proximity, her muscles locking, her panicked min bracing for violence.

And the sadness, the despair, overwhelming and soul deep, held captive her with more efficiency than chains.

She was beaten.

She was broken.

She was tired.

She was still...scared.

So what had she really escaped from in the end?

What had her rescue resulted in?

She couldn't say...she really didn't know.

A fresh start, her therapist called it...but to start what?

A new lease on life...to do what?

What was she supposed to do in this world where she had no one and nothing? When she couldn't think of a single thing she wanted from this life she'd been cursed with.

Why had she struggled that night?

Why had she run?

Why not let father end the life she didn't know what to do with now that she was free?

What was freedom?

What did that truly mean?

The past still held her, the pain was still present, and even removed from that hellish place she had never called home, Hinata didn't feel free.

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Laters

Sessakag~

Chapter 3: The Transfer Student

Chapter Text

Chapter Two

The Transfer Student

April 25, 2016

-

“I don’t know why you’re letting it bother you,” Shikamaru shrugged, “you know how Sakura is. This whole thing will blow over and you two will be back to pissing each other off like usual.”

Elbow to the table, chin in hand, azure eyes clouded with dejection, Naruto gazed out at the sunny day beyond the cafeteria window.

“It felt different this time,” he told the group.

“You always say that,” Kiba huffed with a roll of his eyes, “you two have been breaking up and making up since middle school. I don’t even know why you two stayed together this long to be honest. All you seem to do is fight.”

Naruto turned to glare, though the denial wouldn’t pass his lips. Even he knew it was true. He and Sakura fought ALL the time. Every week, sometimes every day in a single week. That’s just the type of relationship they had. They were fiery, passionate people in their own respect. When two people felt strongly, lacked a filter and gave no f*cks about restraint of course they’d butt heads…

A lot…

It wasn’t thatunusual, was it?

“Shut up,” he blustered, “you sound like my mom, ‘ttebayo.”

Surprisingly, his fiery, short-tempered mother didn’t think their relationship was so great either. She liked Sakura fine, just…not with him. They were too much alike, they ‘clashed’ rather than ‘meshed’ according to Kushina Uzumaki. She thought a girl that was just like her wasn’t suited for his rough around the edges personality. Directly contradicting the directive she’d given him as a little boy.

‘When you grow big and strong, make sure you find a girl that’s just like your pretty mother, sweetheart.’

Well, unknowingly, he had done just that. Nowall of a sudden she’d been ‘joking’ when she told him that. Now he needed a mellow, down to earth girl that was just as pretty as his mother. He was half convinced she’d never be happy with any girl he dated. The few that made it to an introduction to his parents hadn’t impressed the exacting redhead. They either, quote, “weren’t good enough for my son” or “weren’t a good match for my son”. Only the best for her boy. Meanwhile dad told him to go after whatever made him happy, but to really think carefully about who or what he believed would make him happy.

Sakura made him happy, even if his mother wasn’t too keen on it.

Dad had told him his mother was so fussy about him because he’d been so close to dying as a newborn. Premature, underdeveloped with low prospects of survival, that incident had traumatized the otherwise tough as steel redhead. Even though that itty bitty baby had grown into a healthy young man, his mom still saw that tiny baby she’d carried for seven and a half months, struggling to live.

“Your mom’s hot,” was Kiba’s reply.

Blonde brow twitching, Naruto debated if knocking the snot out of his childhood friend in the middle of lunch would net him a three or five-day suspension.

Three days would get him yelled at by mom and lectured by dad.

Five days would get him bellowed at by mom, lectured by dad and the loss of his car for a week.

It was almost worth it.

Almost.

“First of all,” the irritated blonde began, “shut the hell up. Second, that’s disgusting, and if you make me throw up my lunch you’re gonna leave here with a broken arm. Third, what the flying f*ckdoes that have to do with anything?”

“You know how he is,” Shikamaru sighed, “any mention of your mom and that’s the first thought that pops into his tiny little brain.”

“That’s the only thought that pops into his head about any pretty woman,” Choji added from his place next to Shikamaru.

True enough.

Mutt face was more sex crazed than he was, and that was saying something. His libido often got him in trouble with Sakura, she was always dancing away from his hands and blocking his kisses, sometimes outright slapping his face for being too clingy and focused on sex. Kiba wouldn’t live to see eighteen with her. He’d learned that early on when the girls they grew up with began to “blossom” and the boys around them began to notice. Kiba had been a devout regular on the wrong side of a bitch slap and stillhe hadn’t learned his lesson.

Naruto doubted he ever would. They were all a year from adulthood and mutt face was still a decade behind, mentally speaking.

“What’s wrong with that?” Mutt face shrugged, “everyone’s got their own hobby.”

“Man whorin’ ain’t a hobby.” Naruto deadpanned.

“Says you. You’re one to talk. You ain’t exactly chaste yourself.”

“So what? That’s not the issue. You go through more girls in a week than I’ve been with in an entire year.”

“That’s cuz you keep wasting your time running after Sakura. You’d be as bad as me if you weren’t so caught up in gettin’ your lights punched out by a girl that’s clearly not as into you as you are her. You’d be sittin’ right next to me in the man whor* club.”

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Why do we let him sit with us again?” he questioned the group.

The guys around him shrugged.

“Oh shut up,” Kiba said, “you guys would be bored stupid without me. I’m the life of this party. What would a blonde haired masoch*st, a chubby cheeked garbage disposal, a lazy mostly brain not enough personality douche, a bug obsessed sunglasses wearing stick in the mud, a bushy browed sickeningly upbeat headache, and an emotionally crippled suspected robot, know about fun? You guys needme.”

Silence filled the table then…

“This is your fault. You invited him to sit with us, Naruto.”

The blonde masoch*st sent the lazy mostly brain, not enough personality douche an incredulous look.

“When the hell did I do that?”

“Back when we were kids and your mom made us a bunch of water balloons to throw at each other at the park. Remember? When we sat down to eat lunch next to the sandbox, you invited him over to eat and let him throw the rest of the water balloons with us. Thanks to you, we’ve been stuck with him ever since.”

Naruto sighed.

“You’re right. My bad, dattebayo.”

Choji cackled while mutt face presented the group with a rude finger.

“Speaking of Lee and Sai, where’d those two go anyway?” Choji questioned.

"You didn't ask about me, Choji."

The deep voice startled the group. They turned to one end of the table to see Shino sitting with his lunch. A lunch that was half eaten, indicating he’d been there a while.

"f*ck Shino," Naruto growled, "you scared the crap outta us. Say something next time!"

Not that he thought the other teen would do it. Shino never announced his presence. He just rolled up to the scene and started talking, not giving a sh*t who he scared in the process. Naruto was convinced it wasn’t a matter of them not noticing his presence, but more of him sneaking up on them just because he could. His face was usually impassive, but the blonde was convinced he took enjoyment in watching them jump.

“Anyway, Lee hurt his wrist in his sparing match with Sasuke this morning,” Naruto explained, “he’s getting it checked out by the nurse to see if he can participate in practice after school today. Even if he doesn’t get the all clear, he’s probably gonna try and sneak in anyway. That guy doesn’t know the meaning of ‘give up’. And you know Sai, he’s probably outside sketching. I think he was headed out back, either that or he’s in the bathroom.”

“Lee’s still going after Sasuke?” Shikamaru questioned.

“Yep. I keep telling him, if he can’t beat me then how the hell’s he gonna beat Sasuke? Much as I hate to admit it, that asshole is pretty damn good.”

It burned to admit that. In every martial arts club their school had to offer, from primary to now, Naruto had always topped the class. Having trained beneath his father and Godfather Jiraiya, he’d never had much competition until his second year of high school, when Sasuke Uchiha joined. He didn’t know what kinda training that dark haired, dark eyes guy had undergone, but it damn sure gave him a run for his money. They were closely matched and yet somehow, someway, every time they fought, Naruto always had to struggle in order to eek out a victory. He didn’t mind having to work hard to win, he never had, quite the opposite. He enjoyed a challenge, but his problem with Sasuke was his lack of passion for the art of combat and his dismissal of sportsman like conduct. He kept himself separate from his fellow martial arts practitioners. It irritated him to no end, especially since the other man seemed unfazed, unruffled and uncaring throughout every fight. His ‘I don’t give a f*ck’ attitude rubbed him the wrong way to be honest. He was glad that pain in the neck wasn’t apart of their class this year.

The last thing he wanted to do was share space with him before graduation.

Shoot boxing was enough.

“You’re one to talk about not knowing the meaning of ‘give up’. You’re as hard-headed as Lee.”

Naruto exhaled exasperation through his lips.

“Now what the hell are you going on about?”

Instead of answering, the troublemaker nudged his head in the direction of another table. Across the lunch room, Sakura sat among her girlfriends, laughing, eating, not seeming to have a care in the world nor an interest in looking his way. She never looked like she cared when they were on a break. She’d hang out with her bestie Ino, goof around with Tenten and Karui or ignore him with Temari.

He pouted.

“Instead of mooning over Sakura, why not play your hand somewhere else?”

Frowning, the aggravated blonde turned back to Kiba. The shaggy haired teen merely nudged his head towards the lunchroom archway. Another girl had entered the cafeteria. One that was hell bent on avoiding eye contact with any and everybody. He knew what her eyes looked like, even though she kept them perpetually glued to the ground. The whole class had been abuzz when they first encountered those strange pupiless eyes. Many found them kinda creepy, him included. Not that he was one to talk or would ever say so aloud to her or anyone else. He might not have creepy features, but he did have some strange ones. The whisker marks on his cheeks, the ones that made him look like a fox were pretty unique. Not to mention he had a pretty strange verbal tic courtesy of his mother. A lot of kids in this city had unique traits that weren’t really…explainable.

Konoha was a strange place, with a strange background, founded eons ago by strange shinobi. It had a great number among the population with various abnormalities, his own whiskered cheeks were a testament to that.

He was the last person to make fun of anybody’s features.

Freaky though her eyes may be, at the very least he could say she wasn’t unattractive. She was pretty to be sure, beautiful actually. Big eyes, thick lashes, lush mouth, cute little petite nose, but for the missing pupils, she had a stunning face.

She wore the same uniform as any of the other girls, but she filled it out in a way not many could. Dark hair, ramrod straight, swung just below the plump bottom outlined by the deep navy colored skirt, a skirt given extra width by the lush flare of her hips. The simple, short sleeved sailor top, with its crisp white fabric and cute navy bow looked strained by the heavy breasts beneath it and with the sharp intake of her little waist, there was a significant rising of the hem of her shirt that she seemed to try and minimize by buttoning her skirt a bit higher. He didn’t think for a second her skirt was pulled that high out of a sense of fashion like the girls he knew. With the skirt only a few inches from her knees, it left her creamy legs attractively bare. Coupled with those pearly white, knee high stockings with the navy line at the top, she painted a very erotic picture despite the shyness that followed her like a banner.

To say she was sexually appealing was an understatement. He himself wouldn’t be opposed to getting his hands on her for a few hours of extracurricular activity, but that’d be the extent of his interest.

She wasn’t his type.

Hinata Hyuuga was afraid of her own shadow.

A real life dandere.

He liked girls with a lot more spine than she presented.

Sakura was fire and passion, speaking her mind, and swinging her fist at anyone that sought to cross any line she drew, including him…especially him. She was vivacious and lively, never was there a dull moment between them, good or bad. This wallflower looked like she’d wilt the moment anyone breathed hard in her direction. Hardly ideal for someone like him. He was energetic and short tempered, he often stuck his foot in his mouth and didn’t mind swinging his fists either.

She kept her head down as she traversed the lunchroom and sat at the table to the left in the back corner, far away from everyone.

Definitely not his type.

“There’s that hot Hyuuga girl that transferred two weeks ago.”

“Yeah, so what? Just because we’re not together right now doesn’t mean I’m gonna jump right on to the next girl. I’m not giving up on Sakura,” he insisted, “besides, Hyuuga’s not my type anyway.”

“Nobody said you had to give up on Sakura, and how the hell would you know what your type is anyway, you never date anybody long enough to figure that out. It’s always Sakura this and Sakura that. If nothing else, she’ll give you something to do while you wait for whatever the hell you two are arguing about now to blow over. Not to mention I heard from a certain somebody that Sakura does get jealous when she see’s you with another girl, she just doesn’t let you know that.”

He lifted a blonde brow.

Nowwhat he was saying was interesting.

Sakura rarely got jealous in front of him, hewas usually the one that got all irritated and aggravated when guys hit on her, it’d be nice to turn the tables and actually see it for himself.

He always repeated the same empty threat every time they broke up. That he’d move on and get with some other girl but had always been too afraid to do it though. He had this fear that if he went that route, if he tried his hand with another girl, Sakura would move on without a care in the world and somehow, that would devastate him more than their frivolous breakups. Sure, he went on a date or ten, messed around here and there when he and Sakura weren’t together and he got lonely or horny, but he made sure she never saw or caught wind of it. Sakura didn’t really extend him that courtesy. She flirted where he could see, even dated a guy or two in their school. Things like that made him feel as though he were more in love with her than she was with him, to quote mutt face.

Maybe he was going about this all wrong. He wore his heart on his sleeve for Sakura and as his friends stated, the two of them broke up and made up faster than most people changed socks. As bad as this fight had been, Sakura always took him back eventually, and even though he was a little bummed out about it, deep down he had no doubt this time would be no different.

But…

Did he really wanna keep repeating the same cycle?

Did he really wanna keep making this easy for her?

To keep having to be the one begging her to come back?

No, not even a little bit.

He wanted her to feel as deeply about him as he did her, he wanted her to beg him to come back instead of the other way around for once.

If she saw him with someone else, if his empty threat wasn’t so empty this time around, maybe the next time they made up she wouldn’t be so eager to breakup with him again. Maybe she’d fear, the way he did, that there would be no coming back next time.

His lips pursed.

“Why her though?” he asked, “she never talks to anybody and I don’t see her wanting to talk to me, let alone go out with me. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say sh*t before, dattebayo.”

His brow creased.

Searching his memory, he couldn’t think of a single instance, not even when she first arrived, clutching her bag to her chest, eyes to the floor. The teacher had done the introduction in her stead, and when attendance was taken, she merely raised a hand, rather than call out her presence.

Maybe she was a mute or something.

“Word on the street is she likes you,” Kiba shrugged.

Naruto gave him a disbelieving look.

First of all, he didn’t believe a word of it. Not once had he heard a rumor about the quiet girl crushing on him, nor would he believe it if someone else had told him.

Second, that mutt never did anything without something else in mind, he had to be making this up.

Naruto stared him down.

A beat later, he caved.

“Okay, maybe a few of the guys are bettin’ on whether or not any of us can get with her. f*ck man, look at her. You ever see a girl that hot in our class? Problem is, she doesn’t talk to anyone, she doesn’t have any girlfriends as a go between, and she always runs away when guys get near her. She’s like this elusive, albeit really pretty, damn bird that nobody can catch,” he complained, “but its true ya know, I heard she likes you.”

“From who?” the blonde questioned, “you just said she doesn’t talk to anybody and she doesn’t have any friends.”

“Sakura’s always been pretty popular, but Miss, short, dark and lush here tops even Ino Yamanaka in the sex appeal totem. Whole school’s been talking about her and it’s been irritating the f*ck outta a lot of girls. Sakura’s one of those girls, and apparently the busty new transfer student looks at you when you’re not paying attention and has this cute pink on her cheeks. Heard that from Ino, who told Sakura, who looked pretty f*ckin annoyed to hear that. ”

“Oh yeah?” he murmured, definitely interested in that last tidbit of information.

Curious blue eyes swung to the girl in question. Dark head bowed, quietly eating a serving of rice, Hinata Hyuuga didn’t seem to be aware of anyone. She looked only at the food in her lunch box. Did she really look at him and blush?

He found it hard to believe.

Not that a girl liked him. He was actually very popular among the female population, at school, at his summer job, walking around minding his business, he got approached pretty regularly. The lone woman way across the room, however, didn’t seem like she’d ever looked a boy in the eye let alone developed a crush on one. She didn’t want to be noticed by anybody, let alone a person of the opposite sex.

“She ain’t my type but at least she’s got good taste.”

Kiba rolled his eyes, “oh please, good taste where?”

“You’re just mad she doesn’t want you sniffing around her.”

“Whatever, shut the hell up. You in or not?”

He shrugged.

If it would make Sakura jealous, it was worth a try, maybe then he wouldn’t be the only one afraid to lose what they had to someone else.

“Yeah,” he shrugged, “probably gonna be like talking to a wall, but at least the wall is pretty.”

“By the way, there’s a ¥20,000 bet if you can get in her skirt.”

“Like I give a sh*t,” Naruto dismissed, “me and Sakura will probably be back together before I even get anywhere near her skirt, and you know I don’t do stupid ass bets like that anyway. I leave that to idiots like you ‘ttebayo. Don’t come crying to me when you catch something doing that stupid sh*t.”

That said, he stood up and grabbed his tray.

“The hell are you goin’?” Kiba questioned.

“To go get a new girlfriend, obviously.”

He could feel eyes on his back, not just from his friends, as his long legs carried him towards the back of the lunch room. Always one to dive right in, he sat down in the empty seat opposite her.

“Yo.”

Wide milky eyes stared across the table at him. Disconcerted at being the focus of those creepy eyes, Naruto gave a small, uncomfortable chuckle, his own gaze settling slightly over her shoulder. Until he got used to…looking at her eyes, it’d be best not to gaze into them.

“Sorry to drop in on ya,” he began, “I kinda wanted to talk to you about something, dattebayo. I was gonna do it before we had lunch but I couldn’t find you after class.”

The lie rolled cleanly from his lips, and while he had never been a good liar, he felt like he had done a pretty good job. Though, he couldn’t judge from her reaction. She seemed stunned into silence, whether it was because the rumor that she liked him was true and she didn’t know how to react to the actual presence of her crush, or if he had been right and it really was gonna be like talking to a brick wall.

“You mind being my tutor? When I passed out our test results last week you were the only one with a perfect score. I’m decent at calc but if I don’t start working on it, I’m gonna fall behind.”

That at least was true. She hadscored a perfect 20, and he was barely hanging on in calculus.

She was staring at him, her moon colored eyes wide and twinkling. Then she blinked, slow and languidly… Dull pink tinted her cheeks, taking him off guard. He didn’t think for a second it was due to simple embarrassment, nor was it particularly warm in the cafeteria. With the way she was looking at him, he knew.

For once, that mutt was right.

Hinata Hyuuga with the pretty face and freaky eyes really did like him.

He…wasn’t sure how he felt about that to be honest. Wasn’t the first time a girl had had a crush on him, not that he was conceited, but he wasn’t unaware of his own appeal. With his father’s blonde hair and blue eyes, his tanned skin, towering height and martial arts honed body, he knew he was above average in the looks department, and with his new haircut, his features had sharpened even more, granting the maturity of the adult he was six months away from becoming. It never bothered him that girls liked him, nor when they confessed said feelings to his face, but this girl in front of him…

It felt…kinda strange.

Weird actually and not in a good way.

He’d encountered shy girls that liked him before, but Hinata Hyuuga seemed beyond shy. Withdrawn. Sullen. Depressing. Those terms seemed better suited for her. His gaze slid from her disconcerting eyes and clashed incidentally with emerald. Sakura was watching them, and knowing her the way he did, she didn’t look the least bit pleased.

Something else that mutt had been right about.

Sakura was jealous. He turned pointedly back to the quiet girl at the table, throwing on his biggest, brightest, handsomest smile.

‘Get a good look, Sakura-chan,’ he gloated silently.

“I know its kinda sudden, and you don’t really know me from a hole in the wall, but since you’re new and all, and us being classmates, I figured this would be a good way to get help and get to know you better”

More silence and a deepening of the pink on her cheeks. He bit back a sigh. This seemed like it was gonna be more work than it was worth. Maybe he should try some other girl, one that would actually answer him when he spoke to her. Though it probably wouldn’t have as much as an impact considering Sakura was already fixated on the dynamic between him and the one across from him.

“I guess you’re really shy, huh?” he murmured, “I get it. That’s okay. You don’t have to give me an answer right away, dattebayo. Take a day or two and think it over, no pressure. I’ll wait in the library during study hall the rest of the week, and if you show up then we’ll go from there.”

Her gaze skirted from his, and he could see her fingers twining the material of her skirt.

Good grief.

“Well, I’m gonna head back to my friends. If you don’t show up that’s cool too,” he stood, taking his tray with him, “later.”

He may as well have left his lunch with the guys. That hadn’t gone remotely the way he though it would. A tiny bit of conversation, at least enough to make a dent in the fifteen minutes left to eat…clearly that wasn’t happening.

“Jeez Naruto, don’t you know anything about tact, decorum?” Shikamaru asked the moment he reclaimed his seat, “you can’t just bum-rush your way through everything. Use your head for once.”

“Hey Kiba, he’s using those big words again, what’s he talking about?” Naruto questioned.

“Beats me, forgot my dictionary.”

“Idiots.” Shikamaru sighed.

The group laughed. He might have been empty headed during his early years, but Naruto was no dummy. His father had seen to that and his nagging mother had re-enforced it even though, once again, he’d inherited his academic struggles directly from her. He just didn’t have time for tact, decorum or tip-toeing, he never had. Another Kushina trait, but one he certainly didn’t mind. It gave him the confidence he wore like a badge of honor.

“I would ask what she said, but we could see from here her lips didn’t move once,” Kiba said.

“Nope. Not once,” the blonde confirmed.

“So?”

“So what?”

“You know what asshole, quit playing stupid.”

“Hey Shikamaru, the uneducated one is saying something but I don’t understand. Care to translate for me?”

“Nope, got too many braincells to understand that language, sorry dude.”

“f*ckin idiots,” mutt face huffed.

Once he finished laughing, Naruto gave in.

“I told her I needed her help studying calc and to meet me in the library if she wanted to help, then I left, ‘ttebayo. She’s either gonna show up or she’s not.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

He shrugged.

“Dunno, depends on where me and Sakura-chan are, and if I’m in the mood to talk to myself again.”

The group headed back to their homeroom class, parting ways with Sai and Choji as they continued to the designated homeroom of Group B. News was already making their rounds, loud whispers circling the spacious room the moment they returned to class.

“Guess Uzumaki and Hyuuga are about to be the new IT couple,” Yui whispered.

“Figures,” Sara huffed, “he finally starts dating girls from our class and he goes for the big boobed new girl.”

“Right? Talk about bad luck,” she complained, “we’re graduating soon, if he starts dating her nobody else will get a chance before we’re off to University.”

“Well they’re not together yet, maybe I can snag him before he get’s too deep into it.”

“Oh please, if he was gonna date you he’d have done it last year. He and Sakura broke up constantly and not once did he take you up on the offer.”

“You’re one to talk, he didn’t want you either.”

“Oh shut up.”

“Guess this means its officially over with Sakura. He must of broken up with her this time. He’s talking to another girl while she’s glaring at him like she wants to punch him in the face. Did you see her at lunch today? Never seen her jealous before.”

Striving to keep the co*cky grin from his face, Naruto strode over to his seat closest to the window, the guys following as they usually did. Lee leaned against the flat surface just before the point where the window jutted out, Shino sat sideways in his assigned desk in front of the blonde, while Shikamaru sat in his own to Naruto’s right and Kiba folded himself into his seat behind him.

“One conversation and the whole classroom’s going crazy,” Kiba chuckled.

“It’s pretty big news,” Shikamaru shrugged, “not just because the new girl let a guy get ten feet near her, but also because this knuckle head never showed an interest in any girl from school. He’s always hidden his little girlfriends outside school grounds in case Sakura sees him dating while they’re broken up. Why, I’ll never know.”

“Good, because you don’t need to know,” Naruto muttered.

“She let Uzumaki sit with her, maybe I should try that,” Mizuki mulled, “if that’s all it takes-”

“Shhh, here she comes,” Shinji whispered.

The entire class seemed to be holding their breath as the dark-haired female clutching her empty food container entered the room. Eyes to the floor, pink staining her pretty cheeks, Hinata found her seat in the last desk to his far right, tucked away in the corner as she had been at lunch.

As he chatted with his friends, Naruto tuned in to the conversations his classmates were having about this new development.

“Can you believe Uzumaki talked to her? She didn’t even run away from him,” Kohaku whispered, “man, what’d he say to get that close to her? I went to say hi to her the other day and she took off before I could open my mouth.”

“Whatever he said was clearly what she wanted to hear. You see her blushing when she came in?” Shoji replied.

“You think he’s being friendly or trying to get with her?”

“I don’t know man, you know he’s alway’s had a thing for Sakura, then again, Hyuuga-san is really…well you know-”

“Sexy,”

“I was gonna say cute, but yeah, that too.”

“He’s gotta be after her. I don’t know a guy that’s not in line to try. No way he did all that at lunch knowing how it was gonna look if wasn’t planning on-”

“Shhh! Sakura’s coming. You wanna get us punched in the face?”

Sure enough, Sakura, Ino, Karui, and Tenten arrived. Three of the quad sent curious looks between the blonde in question and the attractive transfer student in the back of the room the. Meanwhile, the lone, green-eyed female ignored everyone and took a seat at her desk. She looked composed, but from the snappish way she moved, anyone with eyes could tell she was pretty f*cking annoyed and he enjoyed every moment of it.

-

Naruto sighed as he opened the front door to the house he shared with his parents. Tall, modern and a little on the pricier side, his family home was one of the newer structures on their block. He was all of twelve years old when they moved in five years ago. Though he’d been a whiny pain in the neck during the move, not wanting to leave his the house he’d grown up in, now in his late teens, he was glad for the change. There was a ton of room for a teenager on the way to manhood. He didn’t feel claustrophobic. The entire downstairs basem*nt was his domain. Renovated and modernized, it afforded him privacy, breathing room and an escape from anything and everything that bothered him, big or small.

“I’m home,” he called out as he slipped his shoes off and traded them for his orange slippers.

He was sore from practice and starving as he normally was after. He wandered through the wide archway, and as he entered the living room, he caught the faintest whiff of something delicious. He followed his nose a few more steps to the kitchen. Bright red hair gleaming against the deep green of her dress, his mother stood at the stove, carefully watching whatever concoction she had in the pot she stirred.

“Welcome home,” she greeted with the cheeky grin she’d passed on to him, “wash your hands and chop up those carrots for me would ya, sweetheart?”

He sighed.

“Mom…”

“Alright alright,” she huffed, releasing the wooden spoon and moving towards him, “wash your hands and chop up those carrots for me would ya, son. I swear, the moment you turned thirteen I lost my sweet little boy.”

He sighed internally, already knowing what was coming. He bent and indulged her a kiss to his forehead. He was too old for her to be calling him sweetheart and he was definitely too old for these forehead kisses, though she snuck them when there was no one around, so it was a fair compromise he could live with.

For now at least.

Setting his backpack down on an island seat, he washed his hands at the sink and started cutting the vegetables.

He finished the carrots, moved on to the potatoes and diced the left over celery.

The door opened shortly after and his father called out a greeting, which he and his mother returned.

His phone buzzed his pocket. He took it out, looked at it then put it back in his pocket. Sakura could wait. He always answered her messages the moment she contacted him while she made it a practice to leave his unread for hours.

Another avenue to give her a taste of her own medicine.

“Hey dad, got some time this weekend?”

His dad shook his head.

“Not this weekend. What did you need?”

“Just wanted to get some practice in. Got a match coming up in a couple weeks, ‘ttebayo.”

“Call your Godfather,” his father suggested, “he’s been asking about you for a while now. He misses his Godson. He thinks you’ve out growing him. Too cool to be seen with a big white haired old guy.”

“I know just how he feels,” his mother announced as she stirred the pot, “too cool for Grandpa Jiraiya, too cool for mommy! Thirteen and suddenly he’s too cool for anybody but dad, ‘ttebane!”

Naruto rolled his eyes.

“Pervy grandpa lives way across town in the middle of nowhere, its boring out there and when he does come to visit all he wants to talk about is women and his judo ‘glory days’,” the teen too cool for his family explained, “and I was embarrassed way before I turned thirteen mom. You were always calling me sweetheart in front of my friends, licking your finger to clean my face, hugging me and kissing me in public and patting me on the head back when you could reach it like I was a little kid. It was embarrassing, dattebayo!”

“What was so embarrassing about it?” she huffed, “so I like to show my son affection, what’s so wrong with that?!”

“Wrong time, wrong place mom!”

“Don’t give me that! You fight it even when you’re home! None of your friends were here a few minutes ago and still a simple ‘sweetheart’ had you all bent outta shape!”

“I’m seventeen! What seventeen-year-old wants to be talked to and treated like a ten-year-old?!”

“One that appreciates an affectionate, loving mother!”

“It has nothing to do with appreciation, dattebayo!”

“It absolutely does, dattebane!”

Ever the mediator, Minato Uzumaki placed himself between the two mean mugging hot heads.

“Alright, how about we agree to disagree on this one.”

“No way dad!,” the younger blonde bulked, “the pet names and all the other embarrassing stuff’s gotta stop! I’m turning eighteen this year! I’m too old for all that!”

Minato sighed, and that exhalation told him all he needed to know.

Dad agreed with him.

“Honey, he’s got a point,” his father told his mother, “he’s nearly an adult. If he doesn’t think ‘sweetheart’ and your very loving, very affectionate hugs, that he secretly loves, are making him uncomfortable, then we should respect his feelings on it.”

Naruto pouted.

‘Never said I didn’t like em so it ain’t exactly a secret dad,’ he thought mutely.

“Oh so you’re taking his side!” his mother accused, abandoning the spoon in the pot to fix both men with a glare, “men always stick together huh? I knew I should’ve had a daughter!”

Another teen eye roll at the announcement. His mom wouldn’t know what to do with a daughter if she didn’t take after her in the tomboy department. Having gone to school with and worked alongside girls and women, his redheaded, hot-headed mother almost always came away annoyed by them. Even his friend’s mothers, who she knew and liked, often irritated her with their girly girl ways.

“Now, now,” Minato soothed, taking one of her balled up fists from her hips and giving it a caress, “you know as well as I do that you’re perfectly happy with the son we have.”

“Hmph,” she pouted, dropping her husband’s hand in favor of the stove, “dinners ready.”

Amused, annoyed, Naruto reached for the table wear and started to set the table. Dinner was lively and fun. The debate from earlier was long forgotten in favor of sharing their day. Dad had spent a busy day at the office. A busy state official, his day was usually long, boring and frustrating, at least to Naruto’s mind. The amount of red tape and bureaucratic bullsh*t Minato Uzumaki encountered gave hima headache. His mom had spent the day trying to motivate a difficult client. She usually taught self defense classes in a group setting but she also gave private lessons. Apparently one of her female clients didn’t want to mess up her hair or break a nail.

“She’s gonna have to worry about broken bones if she doesn’t take this serious!” Kushina declared.

Naruto laughed, both at his mother’s words and his dad choking on his broth.

“Kushina,” he admonished, coughing in an effort to clear his throat.

“I’m serious! My reputation is on the line, ‘ttebane!”

“Why don’t you drop her then mom?”

Violet eyes holding not an ounce of shame, his mother answered him.

“The pay is good.”

This time, Naruto laughed until his sides ached.

“Kushina,” his dad sighed.

“What?!” the redhead giggled, “as frustrating as this woman is, at least she’s paying good money to get on my nerves. Her premium self defense package ended two months ago, she’s paying extra on top of the normal fee.”

“How unethical,” Naruto gasped.

“Eh, business is business.”

-

Belly full and satisfied, dishes cleaned and put away, Naruto landed with a thud on his bed.

His room spanned just as much as the upstairs living room, he’d divided it up into sections.

Coming through the door into his bedroom, his exercise and training equipment lined the wall inside a fairly deep grove in the wall. Beside it, his modest bathroom. In the middle, his pretty sizable flat screen Pervy Grandpa had gotten him for Christmas years ago jutted from the wall, facing the back wall. Below it, inside a metal compartment of the entertainment stand, his collection of movies, and videos were stacked neatly along with his gaming system. His bright orange couch rested against the back wall, a window above it and a back door to its right. To the left, a desk and laptop where he studied, did homework and messed around on websites his mother would bash his skull in for. Across from the ‘learning station’, there was a deep nook that housed his queen-sized bed. He’d turned it side ways leaving only one side to climb into bed.

His walls were painted a deeper orange than his couch, ‘to avoid clashing with your couch, ‘ttebane,’ and his carpet was mellow tan that made both sets of orange ‘pop in different ways, dattebane,’. His sheets were black, his bedspread of course orange but with a reddish hue. Several posters lined the walls, trophies and metals hung on hooks and stood proudly on shelves.

All in all, his room kicked ass, and was the number one hang out spot for him and his friends. Settling on his back Naruto pulled his phone from his pocket and read the message his ex-girlfriend left:

BubbleGumGoddess: lemme guess, that lunchroom stunt was u “moving on”?

It was already working. He couldn’t help the sh*t eating grin as he typed his reply.

Naruto: whats it 2 u? Last I checked u broke up with me. Y do you care what im doin?

It was working extremely well considering her reply was almost instant.

BubbleGumGoddess:u are so transparent.

Like she had any room to talk. She rarely texted him first and considering the first thing she sent was some catty, mocking question about what had happened at lunch today screamed jealousy. And he was loving every moment of it.

Naruto: and ur jealous.

BubbleGumGoddess:you wish. delusional much?

Naruto: u wouldn’t be texting me if u weren’t.

BubbleGumGoddess: I texted u to tell u that ur an idiot.

The amused glee left him, replaced by aggravation. Again with the insults. She always went there.

Naruto: Right. but the ‘idiot’ part was no where in the first text u sent. All I read was a bitchy, sarcastic question from a jealous ex-girlfriend.

BubbleGumGoddess: delusion and stupid.

Irritation furrowed his brow.

Naruto: u want this stupid, delusional guy so what that make you?

BubbleGumGoddess:too good 4 u but willing to settle!

Naruto: and you call me f*cking delusional. You know what? I’m not doing this back and forth sh*t. Be jealous and bitchy by yourself!

“Everything has to be a f*ckin’ argument, ‘ttebayo,” he muttered.

He tossed the phone on his dresser, irritated as hell. Well, he was getting what he wanted wasn’t he? The first sign Sakura was jealous and he couldn’t even enjoy it. She wasn’t jealous and wanting to talk things out. She was jealous, bitchy and spoiling for a fight.

His phone dinged.

He ignored it, got up, threw himself on the couch and turned his TV on instead. It pinged again as he flipped channels. Two more pings sounded from the metal communicator before it finally fell silent. He meant what he said. They’d done this song and dance so many times, the bickering back and forth that led to nowhere. She wanted to keep playing this game, then he’d make new rules. He was through taking what she gave, done taking her sh*t. When he wasn’t around for her to chew out, when she had to sit and watch him spend his time with another girl instead of pining after her maybe then she would learn how to treat him.

Until then, she could enjoy the show.

¸*´¨`* • .¸｡ ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`* • .¸｡¸ ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`* • .¸｡¸*

One of about five fics I plan on uploading. Like it? Let me know. Thank you Desiree14 for being my beta reader. I appreciate it so much! (She writes messy fics by the way, check 'em out, especially SasuHina fans!)

Laters

Sessakag~

Chapter 4: Therapy

Chapter Text

Chapter Three

Therapy

April 28, 2016

“What’s wrong, Hinata?”

Startled, Hinata’s head snapped up.

Soft crimson eyes gazed back at her, waiting patiently for a response, they were understanding and kind, and yet still she felt her insides heave.

“You’ve been picking at your food tonight. Is everything alright?”

Her chopsticks rattled as she set them down, lavender eyes wide and panicked, her heart fluttering despite herself. She knew she had nothing to fear from the woman across from her but…she couldn’t help but feel nervous. She’d already be on the floor if father or even auntie Suzume had noticed her wondering mind. A mere seven months had passed since she lived beneath the terror that was her paternal family, nowhere near enough time to remove the fear from her heart.

They were gone…she was safe and yet…it didn’t feel like she ever would be.

She never felt like she’d ever truly be free. In every new face, she would look for anger, on every new arm she’d look for a fist…

It was hardwired into her damaged soul.

“I’m s-sorry…” she apologized, her voice threadbare.

“It’s alright,” her caretaker assured her, “I wasn’t criticizing you, sweetheart, it just seems like there’s something on your mind. Do you want to talk about it?”

She hesitated.

No…she didn’t want to talk about it. She always felt uncomfortable talking.

Father didn’t like it.

Auntie Suzume didn’t like it.

Cousin Kyo didn’t like it.

If she talked, she’d get hit…

“It’s alright, Hinata, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but remember, you don’t have to be afraid to speak. You’re safe. You can use your voice as much as you want. I love hearing you talk,” the older woman encouraged softly, “If you need my help, you need only ask and if there’s something you don’t understand about the outside world I don’t mind explaining it to you.”

Sliding clammy palms into her lap, Hinata willed her thundering heart to quiet. She twined her fingers in the starch cloth of her skirt, fighting the urge to keep her mouth closed. Her therapist had urged her to take the first steps towards gathering the broken pieces inside her and putting them together in the hopes she’d one day become whole.

She swallowed, bracing for a blow even as her trembling voice filled the silence.

“T-there’s a guy in my c-class…he…asked me to t-tutor him…”

“That’s great Hinata. Are you going to help him?”

Eyes glued to the table, she shook her dark head. She had chickened out every time, standing outside the library during study hall, her heart pounding so hard in her ears it left her deaf. Twice she felt like she was going to faint.

Reaching for her arm, Kurenai gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Why not, sweetheart? Is he a bad guy?”

She shook her head again.

“Does he scare you too?”

She nodded slowly.

“Part of your therapy is opening yourself up to the kindness of others. I know it’s scary, I know it feels safer to avoid people but there aregood people out there, and this boy, he seems like he just wants to get to know you,” she giggled, “and get help with his classwork.”

Hinata looped her fingers. It wasn’t just that she feared being hurt by bringing new people in her life, her trepidation ran much deeper than that.

He was…thatboy.

That boy that had called her eyes weird that evening in the woods, the one that had made her feel so bad about herself one moment, then shown her such a small act of kindness that, in her world, had felt as big as a mountain. He’d told her he was sorry, words she had never heard before, then shared the last bit of food he had with her.

She knew that child’s name now.

Naruto Uzumaki…the first person to ever show her an ounce of compassion.

Seeing him again, now a strapping young man, so different from the small, sunny kid he’d been back then had shocked her. She couldn’t help but watch him in school, the bundle of energy she had thought of for a year following their encounter. She’d even gone back to that spot a few times hoping to find him again, to watch him from afar and bask in the warmth he exuded. Anything to banish the cold in her world…but he never came back and shortly after, he’d left her thoughts completely. There hadn’t been time to think of anything but the hellish existence she maintained.

While meeting him again had affected her greatly, she had only to see the way his ocean blue depths passed over her to realize he didn’t remember her at all.

Not that she blamed him, or was surprised that he didn’t.

It had been a fleeting few minutes, and he couldn’t have been much older than her at time. In the life he lived, meeting another child, albeit a strange one, wouldn’t have registered in his young mind. To her, a child that seemed to have been born simply to bear the brunt of the rage and hate festering within father and his family, that brief exchange had left her deeply touched.

Watching him at school that first day, she had relived that warm moment over and over, wondering if he was still that kind boy.

From what she could see, he seemed that, but so much more. Popular. Funny. Smart. Charismatic. He was a force of nature, standing out among his peers. In their class, he always appeared to be the center of attention. Like a shining sun, those around him basking in his shinning rays. His lively energy hadn’t faded, rather, expanded. He joked and horsed around with his friends, she’d see him going from one part of the school to the other, seemingly in constant motion any time he had reason to leave his desk. That sunny smile had grown beautifully blinding, his shimmering cerulean depths harboring a worldliness and intensity not present in his childhood. He was taller than her as kids, he was towering now, and the little body beneath his coat had filled out substantially.

She didn’t know why, but those changes always brought a dusting of pink to her cheeks. He was so much like that boy, but…so different.

“Do you want to help him?”

The question pulled her from her thoughts.

She nodded.

Of course she did. She truly did. He’d helped her in a very dark moment and whether he ever remembered it or not, she wanted to repay that gesture…but…

“I…c-can’t help my s-stutter…I don’t…w-want to be…”

She didn’t want to be made fun of.

Not by anyone and not him of all people.

Psychogenic stuttering.

A parting gift from her father and his kin, among many others she still suffered. This stammering she couldn’t seem to stop, kept her just as quiet as the fists that beat her into silence. Her cousins, her father, they made fun of her when she spoke, tormenting her as though she didn’t hate herself enough.

Stupid, they called her.

Slow.

A stammering embarrassment.

Stuttering little idiot, was the consensus among them.

She didn’t want to be what they called her.

“You said he doesn’t seem like a bad guy, right?”

She nodded.

“Then what good guy would make fun of your speech impediment? Besides, we’ve been working on it and it’s gotten so much better these last few weeks and as you go through therapy, it’ll only get better. Just remember what we practiced. Speak slowly, and clearly, don’t let nerves twist your tongue. You can control it. You don’t have to let it control you.”

She knew the steps, but she had a difficult time putting it into practice when she couldn’t calm her anxiety long enough to rememberto do those things while she spoke. Even now, she was so on edge having a simple conversation with a woman that had not only taken her in, but had never shown even frustration towards her and still that old fear of violence kept her from forming words like a normal human being.

It made her feel like she was those things her relatives had deemed her.

“We can practice again tonight. Would that help?”

Hinata nodded, even though she felt the complete opposite.

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May 2, 2016

Hinata stared into the bathroom mirror, feeling that sensation she hated the most slowly enveloping her mind.

She was having one of those days.

Those days when rising from bed was a Herculean task.

When putting thought to mind, mind to body, body to action was as impossible as jumping to Saturn in cement shoes.

Her father’s words were buzzing around and she couldn't get them out of her head.

‘Nobody wants you. Nobody cares about you. If you died no one would notice, and if they did, no one would care. You are nothing. You are less than worthless. You are a ball and chain around society’s neck, a curse upon any you come in contact with. The worse day of my life was the very day you were conceived.’

Sucking in a shuddering breath, she reached for the first bottle, among many, next to the glass of water on the counter.

‘If you loved me, you’d do it. You are useless trash. A plague. The least you can do is take this knife and go keep your mother company.’

She swallowed, glancing down at the bottle.

Clonazepam, little white pills to help combat the heart pounding anxiety that quite often held her within its vicious. One tablet now, another in the afternoon at school. They never completely extinguished the nausea, the shakes, the cold sweats or the sharp edge of panic, but they made it bearable. They helped her function, they got her through the day, they kept her from breaking down at the least provocation.

She opened it, threw one back, took a sip of water and grabbed two other orange containers.

Sertraline, another little white pill. An antidepressant meant to tackle the morse sadness that covered her like a wet blanket. In combination with her second antidepressant, Escitalopram. After four months, the fact that she could get out of bed was a testament to their effectiveness.

She downed them both, one pill each, and sat them back down next to her night time meds.

She always felt so drowsy during the day and yet, at night, she felt wired. Way too stimulated and nervous to close her eyes and drift off into her nightmares.

She looked at the other bottle.

That’s what the Desyrel was for.

Insomnia.

A side effect of emotional trauma and the nightmares that interrupted what little sleep she could garner without medication. Her sleepless nights were gone, but she never really felt rested. How could anyone feel rested from an artificial slumber?

There was a pill for everything.

To wake up, to face the day, to sleep at night. It didn’t bother her to take so many pills but it bothered her that they were what moved her through life. She felt like she was on life support, and the medication was breathing for her, simulating living because she was unable to.

All these medications served to sedate and regulate her often times tumultuous emotions, and they accomplished that goal but with a drawback.

Tiredness.

Of course…there was a pill for that, a stimulant that struggled against the sedative’s in her bloodstream, she’d take her Wellbutrin when she got halfway to school.

She looked again at her face in the mirror.

If this was what she had to do to live, to face each day using these pills to pretend she wasn’t broken inside…was it really worth it?

She was battling hell while living in hell.

Some days…she wanted to try again…

To end her existence.

The morbid desire was always floating in the back of her mind, but when she took a moment to assess her life, like now, it was more than a background thought-

The soft knock on her bathroom door startled her, rattling the pill bottle in her hand.

“Is everything alright, Hinata?”

“Y-yes,” she murmured, hoping her soft voice carried through the wood.

Kurenai must have heard her because she stepped away from the door a few moments later.

Again, her gaze was drawn to the broken woman in the reflective glass.

Was everything alright?

No.

It never had been and she didn’t think it ever would be.

-

“So I guess you heard I’m stupid, huh?”

She startled, turning wide eyes to the speaker. Confused, she felt her lips part as he set his tray down and took a seat across from her as he had the first day he approached her.

“You never showed up, dattebayo,” he pointed out with a grin, “I figured you heard the rumors that I’m dumb as a sack of potatoes and didn’t wanna deal with the headache of tryna teach me how to calc.”

His words were…insulting to him, but the grin on his face…

He was joking.

Even so…remorse rose.

She’d been avoiding him all week. Keeping her head down more than usual even as she sat in the back of their classroom, though the teen across from her hadn’t seemed bothered by her avoidance, nor seemed to harbor any hostility towards her for it.

Or so she thought…

She shook her head at his words, heart thundering in her chest, fearing his easy air was a rouse. That any moment now he was going to start yelling at her, browbeating her for being too cowardly to turn him down to his face.

“Cool, glad you don’t listen to crazy rumors, ‘ttebayo. Hey, by the way, can I ask you a personal question? I mean, you don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to or…I guess if you can’t answer, but since I asked you for help with school work I guess this would kinda be important, ya know?

She tilted her head, a question in her eyes.

“Are you mute?”

She shook her head.

“So you can talk then?”

After a brief hesitation, she nodded, the voiceless admission heightening her anxiety. She tugged at the fabric of her skirt, willing the discomfort to ease, hoping her too fast beating heart would subside. She didn’t want to shame herself and faint.

“How come you don’t talk then? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say a word once since you transferred here. I’m guessing there’s a good reason why you don’t, I mean the teachers don’t make you either.”

Her lips trembled a tiny bit. She couldn’t tell him, she couldn’t even open her mouth. Social situations always scared her, and her verbal handicap didn’t make it any easier to bear. Unable to explain, she stared helplessly down at the table. His arm moved, the quick motion scared her, snapping her gaze back to him.

He scratched his head, his shifting eyes missing her knee-jerk reaction.

“Well, I guess helping me study is out of the question then, huh?”

Hinata paused, the pounding in her chest increasing in tempo. She felt even closer to fainting. Could she do what Kurenai suggested? Could she take the steps her therapist had told her would bring her closer to healing? The moves that would place her within range of a normal person.

She didn’t know but…

For him…for the boy that had shared his last bit of food with her…

She wanted to try.

Slowly, she shook her head.

He blinked, seemingly surprised that she was still willing to help.

“Uh…okay, it’ll be kinda hard to get tutored if you don’t talk. I’m assuming you have a plan for that?”

No…

She nodded.

“Alright, then when do you wanna meet up, this week?”

No…

Again, she nodded.

“Alright cool. Next study hall, I’ll be in the library like last time, dattebayo.”

She expected him to leave right after, to go laugh, joke and enjoy his time with his friends but to her surprise, he didn’t. For the duration of lunch break, he sat there and talked to her. Telling her about the school. About his friends. About what was “kicking his ass” in calculus. She listened, both fascinated with his animated stories and petrified to have someone in her space this long. In between stories, he asked her a few questions, ones that required nothing more than a nod or shake of her head.

It was very…uncomfortable.

But enjoyable at the same time.

And once lunch was over, she was both disappointed and relieved it was over.

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As lunch rolled to a close, Naruto gave a short goodbye, grabbed the container from the meal his mother had made for him and strode across the wide lunchroom, feeling a bit annoyed. That had to be the weirdest, most frustrating interaction he’d had with a girl or anyone for that matter. He had never sat there and talked to somebody that uttered not a word in return. Well, not unless he was getting the cold shoulder for something he’d done. It would have made more sense if she was a mute like everyone in class thought she was, but seeing as that wasn’t the case, he couldn’t help but wanna know, what the hell was keeping her lips shut?

He honestly wasn’t sure what to make of her, but he was really curious despite himself.

How in the world was she going to tutor him without speaking?

More importantly.

How in the hell had he found the patience to sit there talking to her for that long without her saying a single word in return? Maybe he was starting to mellow like his dad said he would since he was so much like mom. Considering the way she was now, he didn’t know what his dad considered to be mellow. Kushina Uzumaki didn’t seem all that chill to her only child.

Not in the least.

He shuddered to think what she had been like before the ‘mellowing’ had kicked in.

Maybe it was pity.

He really did feel sorry for her, despite his annoyance, even he could see she was trying.

Just as he thought, he had been talking to a really pretty brick wall in terms that it didn’t talk back, but she still…communicated in a way he could understand even if it wasn’t with a shake or nod of her head. Those creepy lavender eyes she kept turning from him held so many unguarded emotions, her body language was even louder than her eyes, and though she shied from him a bit, jumped when he moved too fast and barely ever looked at him, he could tell she was listening intently when he spoke. Soaking it up so intensely he wondered if she didn’t have many people talk to her.

He could imagine not.

Head nods were hardly stimulating conversation. Nobody he knew would wanna sit and talk to themselves when they had someone across from them, including himself. Conversation was only fun when all parties participated. He knew he was a talkative guy by nature but he didn’t really want to be sitting there talking ather either.

At some point he’d get tired of hearing his own voice.

He found his circle of friends in the hallway on the way back to class.

“Still no luck?” Shikamaru asked him as he fell into step alongside them.

“Nope, not a peep,” he answered.

“Naruto!”

They stopped and turned. Long platinum blonde ponytail swinging, Ino jogged towards them. Double buns bobbing, Tenten was right beside her. Guess they were done giving him the cold shoulder with Sakura. Now they were here for information.

“What’s up with you and the transfer student?” Ino asked without compunction, “that’s the second time you sat with her at lunch.”

He folded his arms.

“Why you asking?” he questioned.

She gave him a glare, “you know why!”

Feeling emboldened, knowing she was going to repeat, verbatim, every word he said to Sakura, Naruto laid it on thick, confirming in a round about way his intentions with the transfer student.

“Sure don’t. I’m a free guy talking to a free girl, what’s there to question,” he deadpanned, “I’d think it was pretty obvious.”

“So you’re actually thinking about going out with her?”

“What do you think?”

“What about Sakura?” Tenten asked.

“What about her?

“What the hell do you mean ‘what about her’?” Yamanaka sputtered.

“Just what I said, dattebayo,” he said, blonde brow raised, “what about her?”

“You’re actually serious? Just like that?”

“I don’t know what the issue is. I’m pretty damn sure she told you that we broke up.”

“Well yeah,” the other blonde dismissed with a wave of her hand, “obviously.”

“Okay, and I’m sure you know shebroke up with me. So again, what about Sakura?”

Pale blue eyes met impassive cerulean.

“You’re serious,” she concluded softly, seemingly stunned.

Amusem*nt unfurled, though he made sure to keep it from his face. She couldn’t look more shocked if he had slapped her across the face. She really, truly didn’t think him capable of turning his sights to someone else openly, that he could be so dismissive discussing the girl he’d been chasing since primary school. He was always the one running to Ino, asking her questions about Sakura and whatever guy she was seeing while they were on break. It was always him watching her sit with another guy, wondering if this was the teen that would take her from him for good. Now, the shoe was on the other foot, and he was as happy and content as a kitten with cream.

“What was your first clue? Anyway, the second bell’s bout to ring, we gotta get back to homeroom.”

With that, he turned and walked away, finally allowing the sh*t eating grin he’d held back to spread across his lips.

“sh*t,” Kiba murmured next to him as they started moving towards class again, “maybe it will work. You know she sent her over here to find out what was going on with you and the Hyuuga Hottie. Ino’s always been nosy but Sakura was watching you the whole time. No way she didn’t send her.”

He knew that.

The moment he sat down across from Hinata he’d felt her gaze burning a hole in the back of his head, goading him to stay longer than he’d intended or even wanted to.

“Yep,” he chirped, “told you it’d work. I know what I’m doing.”

He really wish he had tried this sooner. Instead of letting her know she always had a place next to him, why not keep her guessing if it was still open or not?

“Psh, if it weren’t for me you’d still be on the ground begging her for crumbs.”

“You right,” the blonde admitted, in too good of a mood to deny it, “shut the hell up though,”

“f*ck that, you owe me,” he insisted, “you got the reaction you wanted outta Sakura andyou’re about to start going out with the hottest girl in school. All. Thanks. To. Me. You absolutelyowe me!”

His good mood dampened a fraction.

Leaning over, he glared as he spoke, “no really, shut the hell up, ‘ttebayo.”

“Want the whole school to hear you?” Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head.

He looked annoyed, but the Inuzuka didn’t utter another word on the matter. Last thing Naruto needed was for this little ploy to end too soon. Sakura would never let him live it down, and he’d find himself in an even worse position in the relationship dynamic.

He had Sakura right where he wanted her, jealous and nosy.

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I ’m glad you all are enjoying this story. I have about four more stories to post, they should be showing up soon, just moving a few things around and stuff. They’re really old, like 2016 old, and need some revising.

Thanks for reading, don ’t forget to drop kudos and comment !

Laters

Sessakag~

Chapter 5: One Secret Unveiled

Chapter Text

Chapter Four

One Secret Unveiled

May 4, 2016

-

He blinked, surprised even though he really shouldn’t have been.

Now he understood why she didn’t wanna talk…

Hinata Hyuuga…stuttered.

Why the hell hadn’t that thought crossed his mind? It made so much sense now. She probably had other kids teasing her about her lingual disability growing up. Hell, he knew some catty girls and sh*tty guys, people his age on the cusp of graduation, that would make fun of her even now. There were sh*tty adults too, so even after their third year ended and she left for university or started working, some asshole somewhere was gonna make fun of her.

That really had to suck for her.

His own strange way of speaking had gotten him teased constantly before he’d gained the confidence to tell those other kids to go f*ck themselves, even though his verbal tic really bothered him in his early youth. He was more than at peace with it now, thrilled even. He always loved standing out, loved being different yet uniquely remembered by others.

Dattebayo accomplished that.

He studied the female next to him. Her shoulders were painfully haunched, embarrassment radiating hot red on her cheeks.

No.

It wasn’t simple embarrassment.

It was…shame.

Soul deep shame.

Her eyes were shimmering, and he could see moisture collecting in their corners. There was tension in her delicate shoulders, a whiting of her knuckles as she gripped her skirt. She was bracing herself for his reaction he realized. Expecting something cruel and mocking to come out of his mouth he was sure.

Her lip trembled.

He rubbed the back of his neck.

He didn’t really like tears. He didn’t interact with a crying girl all that often. His mother rarely cried, her volcanic temper burned away any semblance of moisture in her eyes. Sakura was much the same. He’d never seen her cry, even when they broke up the millions of times they had. He didn’t really know how to deal with this current…situation, and wasn’t really sure he wanted to.

But…he couldn’t just sit there and ignore it. To not even try to make her feel less embarrassed about it. He wasn’t that type of guy and she had shown him a flaw in herself she hadn’t wanted to reveal for the sake of helping him.

He couldn’t let that gesture go unanswered.

She had guts to open her mouth knowing what would come out. If nothing else, he respected people that had guts.

“It’s not that big a deal, ya know,” he told her quietly.

He wracked his brain for something else to say. Anything that would make her feel better and turn this awkward situation into one that was bearable for both of them.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed it but I got some issues talking too. Minor, granted, so I can’t really compare it to yours but it gave me grief when I was little. Got me picked on a lot,”

Though it hadn’t lasted long. He had been a rough, loud mouth boy with his mother’s short temper and his father’s quick hands. It got him into trouble but he’d had no problem laying kids on their ass when they mocked him. It took six months of bloodying noses and blacking eyes for his peers to leave him the hell alone about the way he talked. Since then, he rarely if ever had that problem.

He doubted the delicate creature next to him would yell much less knock the snot outta some deserving bully.

“I got a verbal tic from my mom,” he continued, “her’s is dattebane, mine’s dattebayo. I’m the last person to make fun of how anybody talks, so you don’t have to feel uncomfortable when you talk to me. I won’t make fun of ya. Honestly you’ve got more ground to tease me than I do you. My verbal tic is pretty stupid. At least you’re saying real words,”

She still looked incredibly uncomfortable despite his confession and attempt to lighten the mood. In fact, she didn’t look like she wanted to utter another word. She looked like she sorely regretted opening her mouth in the first place.

He held back a sigh.

“I…w-wouldn’t do that…”

Just as it had been the first time, her voice was barely above a whisper. It was soft and willowy, smooth and lilting. Considering the pretty picture she painted with her delicate features, shiny dark hair and ivory skin, the gentle, feminine sound perfectly suited her. He just wished it were a few notches louder so he didn’t have to strain to hear her.

He chuckled.

“Thanks, haven’t been made fun of in years, it’d suck having to go back to being the butt of somebody’s joke, ‘ttebayo.”

She opened her mouth again, but closed it a moment later. Confused, he started to ask why when the answer presented itself. A student passed by. Her lavender gaze shifted to the boy that passed, then a girl coming the opposite way.

Too many people in hearing range for her to risk talking.

“Hey, wanna study on the roof?” he asked, “there’s never anybody up there and its close to homeroom. We can avoid the crush on the way back to class.”

She looked a little panicked by the offer and for the life of him, he didn’t understand why. She had a crush on him, and from his experience smitten girls usually jumped at the chance of being alone with the object of their affection. Maybe she though he was gonna jump the gun and do something to her while they were alone.

“What’s the matter?” he questioned, “do I make you uncomfortable or something? I promise I’m not asking to go up there to do something weird. I’m not that type of guy, ya know.”

She startled, milky eyes shooting to his.

“I’m s-sorry, I didn’t m-mean t-to imply that-”

“No it’s okay,” he refuted, waving away the apology, “I know you weren’t accusing me of anything, I just assumed that’s where your head was. Figured I’d clear the air about it, dattebayo. Girls kinda have to be careful about stuff like that. I get it. We don’t have to go up there if you don’t feel comfortable. I just thought all these people walking around close enough to hear you talk made you nervous.”

Her eyes swept the room.

“I-It…does…”

“Then where you wanna go? Doesn’t have to be the roof. You pick.”

She fell silent, twisting her fingers in her skirt, quietly struggling to make up her mind. He tried not to get impatient.

He had never, never met a girl this timid and meek.

Never.

She was a exercise in patience, something he had always lacked.

“I’m s-sorry,” she whispered, “I don’t w-want to t-trouble you but I…would feel more c-comfortable on the roof.”

He closed his book and hers, grabbed both and stood.

“It’s no trouble at all,” he assured her as she too stood but took a half step away from him, “I actually like being up there. I go up there all the time.”

Today was definitely roof weather. The sun was warm but not overbearing, covered as it was by fluffy white clouds. Ocean blue rivaling the vividness of his own eyes stretched far above the city. A gentle breeze whistle softly through his hair, the brisk air current further cooling the bright yellow rays above. There was a shady spot beside the outer wall of the stairwell they’d just exited. He wandered over to it and plopped down.

She shuffled over to him as he set their books down.

Following a brief hesitation, she settled beside him, folding her legs and skirt beneath her. Theres was quite a bit of space between them.

More than was necessary.

Not in the mood to make a fuss about it, he opened both books to the chapter they’d started and sat his notebook down.

“Alright, here comes the bullsh*t,” he sighed.

He looked down at the numbers, letters and nonsense symbols then at the directions.

“Find the derivative of f(x)=105√x3−√x7+63√x8−3?” he read aloud, “guess I’ll try it first then you can tell me where I f*cked up at, ‘ttebayo.”

“O-okay.”

Five minutes later, he glared at the book, blonde brow twitching.

“You don’t even need to tell me where I f*cked up,” he muttered, “the moment I picked up the pencil is where I f*cked up, dattebayo.”

“T-That’s alright…c-calculus can be t-tricky…” she murmured, taking the notebook and sliding it to face her, “t-try it this w-way.”

Her penmanship was clear and feminine. She breezed through the problem, haltingly explaining as she worked, giving him tips and tricks she used to help her solve the mathematical equations. He was a little slow on the uptake but eventually began to focus, and with her gentle patience, found patterns that would help him when she wasn’t next to him giving him assistance. He always felt antsy and impatient when being tutored by anyone other than his father, and that was because his tutors usually got impatient and antsy having to teach him, a teenage ball of energy that would rather be out and about than hitting the books.

She was neither.

Like a calm river, she remained serene and steady.

By the time the bell rang he knew a hell of a lot more than he had before. He was no where near proficient in the new techniques he’d acquired, but he definitely felt more confident. With this session, he might be able to accomplish an average score rather than barely acceptable.

“Well sh*t…” he muttered, a little surprised with himself, “guess I been going about this calculus stuff all wrong.”

He grabbed both their books and stood.

“Thanks a lot,” he grinned as he reached a hand down to help her stand.

She hesitated longer than he expected before she slid her little hand in his. Delicate, petite, his own roughened tanned hand fairly swallowed hers. Pink bloomed on her cheeks as she gained her feet.

“I really appreciate the help. Mind making this a regular thing?” he asked, “we can meet on the roof again, next study hall.”

Again, she hesitated before giving a slow nod.

“O-okay…”

“Cool, next study hall then,” he confirmed, handing her the text book she’d brought.

She took it, slid it into her bag.

“Better head back, we have history next and you know Shimura-sensei is a hard ass.”

Danzo Shimura was more than a hard ass. Fanatically interested in World History and disgustingly exacting, he was one of the least popular teachers among their group of instructors. Heading for the door, Naruto stuffed his own book in his bag.

“U-Uzumaki-san…”

He turned and gave her a questioning look.

“Please don’t t-tell anyone…”

Her threadbare plea and scared eyes made his chest hurt.

He really did feel for her.

“I won’t,” he assured her, “you know, there’s a lot of people that don’t care about stuff like that. My friends wouldn’t make fun of you. In fact, if we ever got wind that somebody was making fun of your stutter, we’d punch their lights out.”

Her eyes widened.

He shrugged.

“Girls too. We have a few girls in our group not afraid to talk with their fists.”

She looked even more startled. Amusem*nt curled his lips. She looked painfully innocent with those milky doe eyes. Clearly she didn’t come from a background where violence to get a point across was an acceptable answer.

“We’re a little rough around the edges but we’re cool, I promise,” he grinned, “once you get to know me better, let me know if you wanna meet everybody. I can explain the situation for you or you can let them find out for themselves, it’s up to you. Either way, they’re not gonna give a sh*t.”

Looking uncertain, she seemed at a lost as to how to answer.

“Think about it,” he said, “let me know or just come over and sit with us. Whatever you wanna do.”

And he meant that. She didn’t have any friends, and with her stutter, didn’t seem too interested in changing that. She had to feel lonely being on the outside. Knowing his social circle as he did, they’d welcome her without hesitation.

Well.

Mostly everyone.

Sakura would either be all attitude or she’d put on a front of indifference, but that’d be aimed towards him rather than her. While she was passionate and didn’t hesitate to speak her mind, his temporary ex-girlfriend wasn’t a bully or prone to going after people that didn’t deserve it. Not that he had to worry about any of that right now, she was on full blown cold shoulder along with the rest of the female counterparts of their group.

Kiba though…he’d really have to have a conversation with him.

That pervert would be salivating all over her if he didn’t put him on notice ahead of time.

-

Naruto shrugged off his shoes at the genkan, then moved to make room for his guests. Kiba, Choji, Sai, Shino, Lee and Shikamaru trudged in after him. He led the group through the living room and into the kitchen. Choji reached for the three containers in the fridge, the usual snacks his mother left for him and his friends, while the others grabbed drinks.

They headed to his room as they’d always done at least twice a week for the last twelve years. More so in the last five years considering his room offered the most space and the most privacy. Midway through the trip, Shikamaru stopped at his hall closet and yanked on the door. When it didn’t budge, he pulled again, harder this time. The resistant wood popped open.

Annoyed, the teen questioned over his shoulder, “when are you gonna do something with this door, Naruto? Every time we come over somebody has to fight to get the damn thing open.”

“Soon,” the blonde answered.

“You said that last year,” Kiba reminded him as he too ducked into the storage closet.

The pair returned with a few black beanbags and placed them in their normal spot in his TV area.

With a careless shrug, Naruto tossed his bag down on the floor near his bed, then plopped down in his favorite spot on the couch.

“I keep forgetting.”

Once the guys were seated, and a game of Shinobi Storm 7 was started, Naruto took the opportunity to speak to his friends about the new developments.

“So look, Hinata might be coming to sit with us at lunch some time soon, don’t ask me when, I don’t know for sure,” he announced, eyes glued to the screen, fingers sliding with expert ease over the buttons on his controller, “Anyway, when she does, try not to scare her off being idiots, dattebayo. At least let her get used to us before you all go full blown stupid,”

“You’re one to talk,” Kiba snorted, “you’re worse than me.”

“Nobody is worse than you, Kiba,” Choji laughed.

The others nodded their agreement.

“f*ck you guys,”

“No thank you Kiba-kun, I am not of that proclivity,” Sai interjected.

Naruto sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, the group at large mimicking his exasperation with gestures and sounds of their own, everyone except for the usual odd man out, Lee. Even though they were in an active match, the blonde and Nara called a momentary cease fire as they processed the current social mishap.

“He wasn’t being serious,” the bowl cut wearing teen explained, “it’s an expression of vulgar dismissal,”

The suspected robot blinked.

“Oh,” was his response, “…I see.”

“Do you?” Kiba huffed, “do you really?”

“No.”

“Course not.”

“Lay off him Kiba,” their chubby friend chortled, “he’s trying his best.”

“His best ain’t enough. He sucks the fun outta everything.”

“And you make everything unnecessarily lewd and disgusting,” Shikamaru countered.

“Speaking of disgusting,” the blonde cut in, “you’re gonna have to knock that sh*t off when she’s around us. Last thing girl’s wanna hear is the nasty sh*t that comes outta your mouth. We don’t even like it most of the time, we just tolerate it since we know your ass was raised by a pack of angry dogs,”

“I’ll make sure to let mom know that, asshole,” Kiba responded.

“Who do you think told us that story?” Naruto questioned, brow raised, “apparently they carted you off from the hospital, then dropped your ass off on her porch five years later once they got tired of you.”

Choji howled with belly deep laughter.

Kiba gave them all a glare laced with death as pink tinted his cheeks.

His mother really hadsaid that.

More than once.

Tsume Inuzuka had no chill. She was worse than his own mother and that was saying something. While far from easily offended, even Kushina found the aggressive woman more than a little abrasive.

“Whatever,” the Inuzuka snapped, “don’t need a damn warning, I know how to behave around girls.”

“Ino, Tenten and the other girls would say you’re full sh*t,” Shikamaru pointed out.

“They don’t count,” he refuted, “I’ve known them too long to put on a front. Sakura’s stuck on this idiot.”

He pointed at Naruto.

“Temari is stuck on that idiot.”

He pointed at Shikamaru.

“Karui’s stuck on this idiot.”

He pointed at Choji.

“Ino is stuck on that…whatever he is.”

He pointed at Sai.

“And I’m pretty sure Tenten isn’t on team sausage, so I don’t see the point in behaving. No play with any of them.”

Shikamaru sighed, “that’s not the point. They’re still females and don’t wanna be subjected to your filthy mouth. Have some respect man.”

“I respect them. I don’t sugarcoat sh*t. I’m real with them, what’s more respectful than that?”

The group again shook their heads.

“Whatever,” the exasperated Uzumaki dismissed, “point of this conversation, watch your mouth while she’s around, otherwise you’re gonna have more than the girls punching you in the throat, ‘ttebayo.”

Rolling his dark eyes, Kiba crossed his arms. Though flippant, he knew the blonde wasn’t one to make idle threats.

“Like I said, I know how to act around girls, don’t need a damn warning from you. Besides, I get to look at her during lunch, think I’d say something to f*ck that up?”

Naruto gave the teen a long stare, then sighed.

“You’re not sitting with us,” he decided.

“Oh come on! You’re really gonna cut your best bud outta the action? It’s not my fault she’s f*ckin-”

“Hot, yeah, I know, she’s also really f*ckin shy, so either act like a normal human being or go sit somewhere else. Only warning your gonna get.”

“I got it, jeez. I was just kidding. Not tryna f*ck this up for you. I’m a good wingman.”

“Like I need one,” he snorted, “not once did I need help from you or anyone else to get a girl. Save it for somebody that needs help, ‘ttebayo.”

“Well aren’t we Mr. Tall Blonde and Arrogant.”

“It’s called confidence, you should look for some instead of wasting so much time chasing girls to hit and quit.”

“Who the f*ck asked you, Naruto,” he muttered.

“Excuse me for tryna help your ass out. Much as you talk about girls, you’re the only one here that’s never even had a girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend for what? I like my freedom.”

“Fine, keep your freedom then, the rest of us are tryna actually build a relationship over here.”

“Some building you’re doing,” he scoffed, “all this building’s why Sakura’s giving you the cold shoulder?”

“You clearly don’t know sh*t about relationships. Ever heard of a rough patch?”

“Hate to say it but, that doesn’t seem to be what you and Sakura have going on. Rough patch implies things were smooth at some point,” Shikamaru injected, “rough patch is you guy’s standard.”

Naruto gave him an annoyed glance.

“I’m just saying.”

“He’s got a point, Naruto,” Choji added.

“He ain’t got sh*t,” Naruto muttered, “give it a month or two, sh*t’s gonna be smooth as butter.”

“We’ll see,” Kiba said, “you might not even wanna go back to her after you get your hands on that transfer student. She don’t talk much but hell, that’s not exactly a bad thing. You might like it more than getting your ear chewed the f*ck off every other day.”

“I’m confused,” Lee piped up, “get his hands on the transfer student? Hyuuga-san?”

“Yeah, he’s gonna date her for a little bit, get Sakura all jealous and sh*t, then hope she’ll take his ass back and finally be nice to him,” he explained, ignoring the irritated stare from the teen in question, “I don’t think it’s gonna work. She’s too used to him being her punching bag. I think he should just move the hell on.”

“Oiii…” the blonde growled.

“I see…maybe he’s right, Naruto,” Lee murmured, “Hyuuga-san seems like a really nice person. Rather than trying to make Sakura jealous, why not date her just to date her?”

“Cuz he’s hung up on Sakura and nobody can change his mind. He’s as stubborn as she is. Misery loves company. They’d rather be unhappy together than happy with someone else.”

Naruto was up and out of his seat before he finished.

“You know what-”

Shikamaru was there in an instant, and much as he always did, placed a restraining hand on the most hotheaded of his friends.

“Chill out Naruto,” he cautioned, then called over his shoulder, “Kiba, unless you wanna go home with a black eye, knock it off.”

With an annoyed click of his teeth, Naruto retook his seat.

“Anyway, you made your point, Naruto, when she sits with us, we’ll be cool,” Shikamaru promised for the group, though he looked pointedly at Kiba.

“Another thing,” the blonde continued, picking up his controller, “don’t react when she starts talking.”

They threw confused looks his way.

“Hold up,” Kiba commented, moving closer, “first of all, what the f*ck does that mean? And second, she talkedto you? Like said actual words to you?”

“Obviously, why the hell do you think we’re having this conversation? She came by the library and tutored me up on the roof. Kinda hard to do that without talking.”

“How the hell was anybody supposed to know that! You didn’t say sh*t about it at school! Next time start with the important stuff first!”

He hadforgotten that bit of it during their back and forth.

“My bad, I forgot. Anyway, yeah, she talked to me.”

“What’d she say? What’s she sound like?”

“Why doesn’t she talk at all even though she can?” Lee asked.

“What she said and how she sounded ain’t important, what’s important is that she has a…understandable reason for not talking, and no I’m not gonna tell you why. I gave her the option of letting me tell you all before she sits with us, or letting her do it, she hasn’t given me an answer yet, so I’m not gonna say. Hell, she hasn’t even decided if she’s gonna sit with us or not, but anyway, it’s up to her what she wants you guys to know. Either way, if she comes to sit with us at lunch, don’t make a big fuss about how she talks.”

He wasn’t worried about them making fun of her, or laughing at her, but surprised looks and stunned expressions probably wouldn’t help her stuttering situation. It’d be better if there wasn’t any reaction at all. She’d feel more comfortable and confident if nobody batted an eye when she stuttered.

“Now I’m really f*cking curious,” Kiba muttered.

“Stay curious. Unless she gives me the okay, or opens her mouth herself, I’m not saying anything, dattebayo. Like you said, I’m as stubborn as Sakura-chan. Don’t waste your breath.”

“I can’t believe this sh*t! It’s only been a week and not only is she not running away from you, she’s talking to you,” Kiba complained, “lucky asshole.”

“That doesn’t sound right,” Choji laughed, “wanna rephrase that?”

“Nope.”

“Disgusting,” Shikamaru sighed.

They returned to the game and snacks.

“f*ck,” Naruto huffed a few minutes later, “always with the back hand sh*t. I don’t see how the hell you keep wining when I have way more chakra than you. sh*t doesn’t make sense, ‘ttebayo.”

“You’re too upfront and open,” Shikamaru shrugged, “you go with brute force rather than thinking ahead. It’s not hard to get around it when you pretty much announce what you’re about to do.”

“Works most of the time,” he shrugged before handing the controller to Shino.

“I’m home!”

His mother’s faint call brought a sigh from a few in the group.

“Play time is over,” Choji murmured, munching on a sweet smelling fruit, “you mom’s home.”

They moved as one, reaching for backpacks and pulling out homework.

She was opening the door a few minutes later, all smiles and bright violet eyes.

“Good evening boys,” his cheery mother chirped.

“Good evening, Kushina-san,” from his friends.

“Hey mom,” he greeted, hoping she wasn’t gonna call him sweetheart in front of his friends again.

It had taken weeks for them to stop ribbing him about it the last time it slipped from her mouth.

“I see you all are hard at work,” she smiled, “do your best and let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks mom.”

“Thanks Kushina-san,” made their rounds.

“Are you all staying for dinner?”

Only two declined.

“I have to get home and feed Akamaru soon,” Kiba said, “mom’s working late at the vet tonight.”

“I see, well maybe next time. Tell your mother and Akamaru I said hello, dattebane,”

“I won’t be able to stay for dinner either,” Shino announced, “Torune will be back from his doctor’s appointment soon. He may need care.”

The redhead nodded, her pretty face arranged in an expression of concerned sympathy.

“How’s he doing?” she questioned softly.

Those around him listened in too. Shino’s adoptive brother was two years older than them, and wasn’t someone they interact with regularly, they were still friendly and concerned with his health. Battling a rare skin disease since birth, Torune’s health fluctuated weekly, sometimes daily.

“Better,” Shino replied, “he’s been responding positively to treatment.

“That’s good to hear, I’m glad he’s doing better. Send him my love and tell your father I said hello.”

“I will, thank you, Kushina-san.”

She gave him another gentle smiled before taking in the teens at large.

“Dinner will be ready in about an hour. Make sure you wash your hands before you come up to eat.”

Naruto stifled a sigh. It was mild in terms of embarrassment, but he could stomach it. She left shortly after, closing the door behind her.

“Too bad about dinner,” Kiba sighed, “Your mom’s-”

Naruto tossed his pencil, sharp point first at Kiba, cutting his favorite mantra off mid-sentence then grabbed another from his backpack and returned to his homework.

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“Hinata?”

She startled, moon colored eyes whipping across the table.

“What happened today, honey? You’re spacey again.”

Heat burned her cheeks.

“I’m s-sorry.”

Kurenai shook her head.

“It’s alright, I don’t bring it to your attention as a criticism, I’m merely wondering what you’re thinking. If it’s something I might be able to help you with.”

She was…starting to believe the older woman really meant that. Not once had she yelled at her for getting lost in her thoughts at the dinner table. Even though she was her caretaker until she was stable enough to function on her own, Hinata felt as though this woman was genuinely kind. That she wasn’t being nice to her just because she was being paid to…

Or maybe…

That was just wishful thinking on her part.

Either way, she had naught to complain about.

Paid kindness or heartfelt, it was infinitely better than the hostility and violence she’d grown up under.

“Did something happen at school today?”

She nodded.

“I t-tutored my c-classmate.”

“That’s great, honey. How were your anxiety levels?”

Her heart had been pounding for most of it, and a few times she had feared passing out or even worse, having a panic attack, but the blonde haired teen had been so laid back and engrossed in learning that slowly, she had been able to focus only on the task at hand, blocking out most of everything else.

“M-moderate,” she answered quietly, “a nine at t-the beginning, then a s-seven until s-study h-hall ended.”

“How was you speech?” she asked just as quietly, knowing the topic was a sensitive one.

Twining her hands in her skirt, Hinata turned her gaze to the table. She didn’t need to answer, her caregiver knew already.

“That’s alright, Hinata,” she told her, “it’ll get better the more you talk, the more you practice, the more comfortable you become in the outside world. It’ll take time and effort but I know you can do it. He didn’t make fun of you did he?”

She shook her head, fingers loosing in her skirt.

“U-Uzumaki-san w-was very nice. He…w-wants me t-to meet his friends. He says t-they’re nice t-too.”

“Uzumaki?” Kurenai repeated, “Naruto Uzumaki?”

Her dark head lifted, startled lavender meeting surprised crimson.

“Y-yes.”

“I know his father, Minato Uzumaki. He’s a very well liked and respected political figure, we were classmates a lifetime ago,” she smiled, “I haven’t had an opportunity to meet his son or wife, but from what I hear, they’re both very nice people.”

She hadn’t know his father was such an important person. Nobody had ever mentioned it within her hearing. People watching afforded her much in the way of news and gossip, but that hadn’t reached her ears. Knowing that now, she felt a tiny bit better that Kurenai had some knowledge of him, indirect though it may be. The description that Naruto was a nice person meshed with the image of his younger self in her memories.

“Do you plan on meeting his friends?”

She didn’t know.

A small part of her wanted to.

A larger part didn’t.

Having one person aware of her presence was scary enough. She wasn’t sure she was ready for one more person, let alone however many he wanted to introduce her to.

“I’m…not sure.”

“Take your time, Hinata. Move at your own pace, whatever you feel like you can handle, go for it.”

Hinata nodded, wondering if she even knew what she herself could handle. This was all new to her. Meeting people that didn’t hate her, that didn’t want to hurt her…talking with people her own age, studying and co-existing alongside them instead of being locked away in her tiny bedroom in the attic with nothing but her window to the outside world and studies to fill her time.

She was scared…

Petrified…

Hopeful…

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Hope you enjoyed, don ’t forget to comment and drop kudos for more! Thank you all for the support, you all keep me writing.

Laters

Sessakag~

Chapter 6: The Price of Attention

Chapter Text

Chapter Five

The Price of Attention

May 13, 2016

-

Smug smiles and sympathetic eyes, hushed whispers and not so quiet strings of gossip swept the crowded lunchroom as a pink-haired senior, with her head held high, stepped through the doors, female posse, just as haughty, following close behind. They claimed a table semi-center stage of the cafeteria, Sakura unwilling to convey even a hint of intimidation beneath the heightened scrutiny of her peers.

Throwing on her ice queen cloak, she took her seat with a taunting swish of her long bubblegum hair, conspicuously scanning the room for one person in particular.

She found him instantly, fueling the whispers and rumors with his mere presence.

Today’s titillating teen news?

Hinata Hyuuga wasn’t tucked in a dark corner, cut off from the world. The voluntary recluse was sitting at a table two rows away from being in the middle of the room, and once again, she wasn’t alone. Short blonde locks shiny and neatly trimmed, jet black jacket professionally pressed courtesy of Kushina Uzumaki, Naruto Uzumaki presented a rather dashing picture. Though the two golden buttons undone at the top disrupted the smooth, clean cut look Ouran High’s male uniform lent most of her school’s male counterparts and instead lent him a rugged bad boy persona.

Not that it was all persona.

Naruto wasa bit of a rule bender(breaker), though nothing too out of the norm for teens. A few drinks at a house party, sneaking out (or in) after curfew, a little bit of pot here and there though not as much this year since he was taking his last year of bukatsudo seriously, especially since he and others had finally gained approval for the shooto club, taught by ‘a total badass, dattebayo’, some weirdo they called ‘Guy-sensei’.

Guy-sensei was strict and could ‘smell pot sixteen miles away’.

Desperate to avoid being banned from tournaments or even worse, getting thrown off the team, Naruto kept the puff-puff to a boring minimum.

Sakura, meanwhile was puffing more than usual, irritated and agitated with having to listen to rumors about him with the transfer student or to have to sit through what she was now.

Hinata’s now infamous blonde haired, blue eyed lapdog sat perpendicular to the girl, the edge of the table between them, but their proximity was closer than it had ever been before. They were several tables over but directly in her line of sight if she turned her head to the right. Sakura’s ‘ex-boyfriend’ looked every bit his sunny, attractive self, chatting animatedly in the way only Naruto Uzumaki could, all smiles and nauseating good vibes for the girl at his side. Really selling the ‘I’ve moved on, dattebayo’ gimmick, and had it not been for his not so stealthy glances in her direction when he first started interacting with the Hyuuga, Sakura might have entertained the notion he was actually interested in the balloon tit* freak.

Sakura wasn’t stupid, not by a long shot.

He was baiting her, waging a silent war in self control, doing his very best to goad her into a jealous outburst and she was sooo tempted to give him what he wanted.

One good smack to his whiskered face would get her point across.

She turned away from him, striving for control.

He might as well be a six-foot-one piece of glass because she could absolutely see right through him. Every sunny grin was an act, his boisterous laughter and cheery disposition around the girl was just like his sickening fixation on Hinata Hyuuga, nothing more than a ploy to get under her skin.

Well joke was on him.

Sakura wasn’t the least bit jealous.

She wasn’t.

She found herself glaring at the pair again.

At least she shouldn’t be. It’s not like she didn’t know he had dated other girls on their ‘breaks’, she knew he slept with them too. She wasn’t mad about that really, they both kinda…tested the waters when they were on a ‘break’ even though they never really discussed it.

He had just never had the ballsto do it openly, let alone right in front of her even though she had, and yeah, maybe that was wrong, maybe she shouldn’t have paraded her ‘side boyfriends’ around in front him, but he knew it was never anything serious. She had never been serious about anyone but him, would never beserious about anyone but him.

Naruto Uzumaki rocked her world like nobody else, in bed and out. They had a special bond, a deep love and had been together since, well, forever.

They were meant for each other.

Sakura knew he felt the same, maybe even more than she did, and that’s why she knew his game.

This was his payback for every time she flirted with another boy in front of him, or flat out dated another guy openly, unfortunately for him, she wasn’t gonna give him the satisfaction of a reaction even if she found this whole charade so goddamn annoying.

Their eyes met accidentally, his smug and piercing, hers narrowed and irritated.

Sakura broke contact, rolling exasperated emerald eyes skyward and complaining to the table, “he’s so predictable and childish.”

Next to the bitching teen, Ino Yamanaka hummed her agreement as she brought a small broccoli floret to her mouth. The two girls had met and fallen in bff love freshman year, but from the type of bestfriend energy they exuded, you’d assume the sassy tag team had started their bonding straight from their respective mothers womb. From her refusal to leave the house without full make-up, to her snarky somewhat self absorbed attitude, Ino personified the title diva. She kept her platinum locks waist long and gathered at the top of her crown, her nails always freshly manicured and her uniform skirt dangerously high on her slim thighs.

Beside the platinum blonde was another blonde, Temari Ito. More like an older sister to the bunch, Temari was almost always the voice of reason, nagging at her friends when they were being idiots. They met sophom*ore year but hung out a little less than they used to at the start. Temari liked to do her own thing, she avoided drama for the most part but spoke her mind all the time. Her yellow hair was parted in four puffy ponytails, her uniform worn as directed but she liked to change up her shiny lip gloss once a week.

Across from the trio, Karui Ando shook a strawberry milkshake, nodding her head sagely at Sakura’s comment. The pretty mocha skinned teen was an OG part of their little clique. She was one of the kids Naruto invited to the sandbox back when they were all as small as a Chihuahua. Karui was a ‘tell it like I see it’ type girl. Though laid back by default Karui had a hot temper when riled. Her long red hair, a deeper shade than Kushina’s legendary strands, was kept shiny and lightly curled at the ends, a single bouncy bang brushing her dark brows.

Tayuya Nahara was the newest arrival to their group, having only connected at the start of the school year, though they had heard about her long before then. Everyoneknew about the bad tempered, foul mouthed, always down to fight, tomboy. She spent more time suspended than anyone Sakura had ever seen. Tayuya was more of a special guest among their group orbit. She hung with the girls here and there, but butted heads with too many of their guy friends to fit in amongst them. She was too abrasive and got under everybody’s skin, often finding herself the center of some pretty heated arguments. With hot heads like Naruto and Kiba, it was a recipe for disaster and it wasn’t just them. Tayuya had done the impossible, pissing off the ever cheerful Lee, not once, but twice. She was a unique breed of mess that just was not a good addition to their circle. She wasn’t bad looking at all, but the perpetual scowl was off putting. Her dark pink locks were cut short and messy, spiked loosely in a small mohawk. She wore her clothes as though she merely slept in them and rolled out of bed, wrinkled and sloppy. Honestly the school should relent and let the girl wear the male uniform because she sat like she was wearing pants.

Fuu Masuda was a ditzy fun loving, self proclaimed ‘free spirit’. The tan-skinned, minty-green haired girl smiled and laughed more than Choji, though had a hard time reading between the lines in social situations. Honest to a fault, and a detriment of those around, Fuu was the last person you told secrets to but was the first person you ran to for information. The happy-go-lucky track star would spill everything she knew in a heartbeat, though if you were lucky enough, she’d forget whatever sensitive information passed through her ears within a day or so.

Tenten Tanaka was suspiciously missing.

Again.

Another sandbox OG, Tenten was also, albeit significantly less extreme, tomboy, but where Tayuya was masculine and overt, Tenten retained a significant girly-girl persona. She was just as comfortable at a nail salon as she was horsing around on a dirty football field with smelly, sweaty guys. She was fun and a bit goofy, could be quite serious, and was one of the best secret keepers on the planet. Well, at least in regards to her sexual orientation. Tenten had never dated anybody that any of them had seen and after twelve years of friendship, no one had any idea idea what team she played for, if any. Ino was convinced the teen was asexual, most of them quietly agreed, though with the way she kept disappearing lately, even Ino was beginning to suspect that wasn’t the case.

“Ya gotta admire his dedication to the cause though,” Ino titled, opening her lunch box, “he’s gotta be bored out of his mind talking to himself.”

Sakura chuffed derisively as she unscrewed the cap to her tea.

“I dunno,” Fuu hummed, spooning another mouthful of chocolate pudding from her lunch tray, leaving the silverware hanging loosely in her mouth as she continued, “he might be serious this time. He’s never dated any girl around you, now he’s practically rubbing it in your face, andlook at the girl he decided to do it with. Every time you two ‘break up’,” she emphasized with finger quotes, “he goes for really thick girls. Hyuuga’s got more thickness than a jar of peanut butter. I think that’s reallyhis type of girl and he’s doing all this to tell you that without, you know, having to actually tellyou that.”

Sakura froze.

Tayuya snorted a laugh.

Karui let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her forehead.

“For the love of- read the room Fuu! Is this really the time for idiotic conspiracies?” Ino hissed, glancing over at her disturbed friend.

Pink brows furrowed, Sakura searched her memory for any mention of Naruto’s previous flings. Shion instantly came to mind, and she only knew about her because a friend of a friend recognized Shion as a girl she’d seen making out with Naruto during one of their ‘breaks’. Sakura and her group had coincidently decided to eat lunch at a shop where Shion was a cashier. Face to face with her ‘ex-boyfriend’s’ current…whatever, she couldn’t help but make comparisons and contractions between her and the voluptuous side piece. Giant tit*, generous backside, the two women couldn’t be more anatomically different. They were similar in attitude but that was it.

Sakura hadn’t though about it too deep after, and a week later, she and Naruto were an item again and Shion was forgotten by both teens. She didn’t really know who else he’d fooled around with, to her, they had always been faceless, nameless unimportant girls.

Until now because apparently, Naruto had a typewhen he wasn’t with her.

A type that didn’t line up with her body structure.

She wasn’t insecure, never had been and could never see herself ever being so, but that…kinda bothered her.

Why the hell was he going after women that were…more endowed than her?

Just what the hell did that mean?

“Hardly a conspiracy,” Temari huffed, “Naruto alwaysdates thicks girls when he’s not with you. We never said anything since you’re usually doing your own thing, but we’ve all seen him and heard about it. He is one hundred percent into curvy girls.”

“You two aren’t helping,” Ino growled.

“Yeah we are,” Temari refuted, leaning forward to catch the angry eyes of the pinkette, “you and blondie are toxic together, move on.”

“We are nottoxic,” Sakura snapped.

“Right, that’s why you guys break up every three days. You’re like oil and water, or two magnets flipped to negative and trying to fight the repelling force,” Temari clapped back, “I know you love him and all, but come on girl, it’s just not meant to be. You’re wasting your time chasing each other.”

“I’m not chasing him, you don’t even know what the hell you’re talking about,” she growled, snatching her tea and chugging aggressively.

Naruto was the one who chased her, not the other way around.

“Gotta agree with melon tit* over here, I think you’re wasting your time too, but hey, if you want the guy then don’t let that bitch wiggle her way into your spot,” Tayuya instigated, slamming a fist into her open palm, “f*ckin drag his ass back where he belongs and if Miss. Balloon-tit* has a problem, knock her bougie ass out-”

“And get suspended her final year of school. I’m sure that’ll look great on her transcripts and make it even easier to qualify for scholarships,” Karui mocked, her droll tone broadcasting how stupid that plan sounded, “good idea Tayuya.”

“Shut the f*ck up. I don’t see you coming up with any bright ideas.”

“That wasn’t even an idea, all you told her to do was beat-up the transfer student. You’re too heavy handed, all you wanna do is fight all the time.”

“Gets the point across faster than puss*footing around.”

“There’s a difference between puss*footing and avoiding jail time, Taz,” Ino injected.

“You’re exaggerating, we’re still in high school. They’re not gonna arrest ya over a little fight. Just don’t f*ck her up too bad and you’ll be fine. Worse comes to worse, ya might get expelled,” the reckless girl shoveled mashed potatoes into her mouth and continued on, ignoring their disgusted looks as she talked with her mouth full, “and if ya do end up breakin the lil bitch, well, juvie’s not that bad.”

“Her birthday was in March,” Ino said, “she’s absolutely going to jail if she-”

“I’m not beating up the hush mouth weirdo,” Sakura injected, rolling her eyes at the idiotic suggestion, “in fact, I’m not doing anything. If he wants to chase after that freaky-eyed mouse, more power to him. I’m not playing his game,” she announced to the table, aggressively ripping the plastic lid from her little bowl of rice, “he’ll be begging to get back together by summer break. I’m not worried about it. You know how he is.”

“Hmmm, I dunno, they look awfullycomfy right about now,” Fuu hummed finishing her last scoop of pudding, orange eyes shifted in the direction of the blonde.

‘Don’t take the bait, Sakura,’ she coaxed herself, gripping her chopsticks

“What’s he doing? Why’s he getting so close to her?” Tayuya questioned, she too gazing to the side.

‘Don’t let that idiot win.’

“He is not gonna do that in front of everybody!” Ino gasped.

Dammit.

She looked.

Naruto was leaned across that little space at the edge of their table, his handsome face extremely close to Hinata’s dipped head, riling a few students into a gossiping frenzy and excited anticipation. Sakura inhale sharply, something ugly and painful bubbling in her chest as she watch him lean even closer.

From her vantage point, it looked like he was…going to kiss her.

He looked like he was about to lock lips with the transfer student! Right in front of her!

He wouldn’t!

He absolutely wouldn’t!

She half rose from her seat, ready to smack herboyfriend into next week. Thank goodness for her bestie, Ino yanked her back down before she made an absolute fool of herself because the scene wasn’t what it looked like at all, though somehow, it was still a monumental event in the life of high schoolers.

“She talked!” Fuu gasped, mouth agape, eyes bright as though seeing some rare creature in the wild.

Apparently the busty thorn in her side really couldtalk. That rumor that remained an unverified rumor because the only person to ever actually seeher lips move was the source of the rumor; Naruto.

Now there was proof.

Hinata Hyuuga couldspeak.

Judging by the way the blonde was straining to hear, she wasn’t much louder than a whisper.

Crisis averted, Sakura felt like she could breathe again. She should have known he wouldn’t go thatfar with his idiotic game.

“The f*ck game is she playing at?” Tayuya barked, cutting through the novel moment, “if she can bump gums to him why the hell is she zipping lips with everybody else?”

“Probably some damsel in distress drama queen routine,” Ino surmised, scrunching her nose at the pair, “she’s pulling for attention and clearly it’s working. She’s got that delicate doll look and playing to it well. Guys really eat that sh*t up, even Sai has a bit of a hero complex.”

“So she’s a fake bitch.”

“Looks like it,” Karui hummed, craning her head to get a better look.

Sakura snorted, turning back to her rice, “more proof that idiot is pretending to be into her just to get back at me. Naruto can’t stand fragile girls, he doesn’t like dealing with them and he’s way too blunt and impatient for crybabies. He’ll lose his cool and have her crying real tears in no time,” she predicted confidently, taking a bite of rice, swallowing before adding, “I’ll let him crash and burn on his own. He likes to learn the hard way anyway.”

With an exasperated sigh, Temari grabbed her tray, “well, it’s been fun, I’m gonna go find me a drama free corner.”

“Yeah right,” Ino dismissed, grinning cheekily, “you’re gonna go suck face with Shikamaru.”

“Shut up,” cheeks pinks and no denial, Temari glared at her fellow blonde, ignoring the kissy sounds Ino made as she left.

The table erupted into laughter. They settled into their normal vibe, chit chatting about nothing, Sakura making a concerted effort notto look at her ex.

A shadow fell over her side of the table.

Sakura glanced over her shoulder, knowing, from the looks on Tayuya and Ino’s face, this new arrival wasn’t exactly somebody they liked.

She turned to look at the familiar guy standing behind her.

“Hey Sakura, heard about you and Uzumaki calling it quits,” he remarked casually, nudging his head in the blonde’s direction, “assholes’ already moving on apparently, so how’s about you and me go see a movie this weekend, gorgeous. I can make you forget all about him.”

Hot guys looking for a date with her usually gave the pinkette a bit of a thrill. What girl wouldn’t enjoy being singled out by the cream of the crop of her class and spoon fed a healthy dose of male attention? To say she was usually flattered was an understatement, right now however, she was less than impressed.

It wasn’t his looks.

He was handsome to be sure, though not in a way that was unique to her. His sandy brown hair was neat and trimmed, body built powerful but sleek, perfectly suited to the high level baseball player. It was his personality she found revolting.

She had no idea what the guy’s name was, but she knew ofhim.

A manwhor* jock who’s greatest ambition was to plow through the female population of Ouran High before graduation day.

Rumor had it, he didn’t limit himself to just students.

Two teachers got canned last year, and this cretin was credited as the source of those impromptu terminations. He was a repulsive meatbag she wouldn’t be caught dead with, and that was before she saw him salivating at the mouth chasing around her boyfriend’s current play thing last month. For that alone she would’ve rejected him, she didn’t want Hinata Hyuuga’s sloppy seconds.

“Weren’t you drooling all over the new girl last week?” she remarked, brow raised, arms crossed, “now you’re tying to ask me out? You must think I’m desperate.”

Unruffled by the rebuff, and the giggles of the table, he pressed on.

“Wasn’t anything serious, she’s hot, lot of guys were trying to get at her,” the baseball player shrugged, giving not a sh*t how shallow and gross that made him sound, in fact, he dug his pit deeper because, why the hell not?, “I was actually trying to make a little money,” the teen leaned towards her, his voice turning conspiratorial, excited as he whispered in her ear, “word is, there’s a ¥20,000 bet going around to sleep with her.”

Disgusted, unimpressed but unsurprised by the bet, Sakura mushed him out of her personal space, pert nose scrunched in distaste. Ouran High loved to pretend it was this shining example of upstanding young people, but a person didn’t have to look too deep to see the rot underneath its polished exterior. This school was full of creeps, weirdos and repulsive horny teens that liked to bet on girls like pieces of meat.

A real cesspool.

“If you’re that broke and pathetic why are you in my face, why don’t you go make some money, pig,” the pinkette snarked, wiggling her fingers in the direction of the Hyuuga girl, though she kept her eyes on her unwanted guest, “she’s still free.”

Brown eyes flashed dangerously, his pleasant features contorting, giving anybody that was paying attention a glimpse into the monster beneath his good looks, “poor Uzumaki, now I see why he broke up with you and is all over the new girl, you’re a trash mouthed bitch.”

Teeth gritted, eating utensil snapping in her outraged fist, Sakura rose from her seat, one hand co*cked to her hip, the other gripping the hard plastic beneath her food, ready to brain sewer mouth guy with her tray.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, stuck up bitch,” the tall asshole growled, straightening to his full height.

Sakura was a bit taller than the average girl, but he was a half head taller. Made up of lean muscle and at least fifty pounds heavier, he wasn’t exactly light weight. She had no doubt he could flatten her like a pancake but was she gonna back down from this giant douche?

Hell no.

Not after he had called her a bitch, not once but twice.

Not when the lunchroom was rumbling with excitement and watching this random showdown.

Sakura hadn’t encountered a guy that’d openly swing on a girl, and even if he was one of the slim few, she had back up. Tayuya, ever the glutton for violence, was up too, standing in a most unladylike stance. Foot anchored on the table, uncaring that she was wearing a skirt, the rowdy tomboy looked ready to launch herself over the moment sh*t popped off.

“f*ck off you arrogant prick. Big man talking sh*t to a girl. Not only are you weak, you’re beyond pathetic, you can’t even get a mousy, freaky-eyed mute to give you the time of day, why the hell did you think I would? But somehow in your pea brain that makes mestuck up and a bitch? Get lost loser,” Sakura snapped, tossing long strawberry locks, “I’m not interested in your over inflated ego or whatever the hell you’re compensating for with that tough douche attitude.”

Whispers abounded, a few chuckles and giggles from the onlookers close enough to hear.

“f*ck you,” he snarled, checks aflame, “don’t f*ckin flatter yourself. You should be grateful I’m even talking to your concave chest ass. I can get any girl I want, I don’t need-”

“Then go get her, numb nuts,” Tayuya goaded, “what’s stopping you? Nut up or shut up. Go bag the big tit weirdo, since you can have ‘any girl you want’ right?” the table of women (and some female spectators) snorted doubtfully and rolled eyes at that proclamation, “you’re a f*ckin joke. All that confidence and you got sh*t to show for it. You’re standing there with your dick in your hand trying to square up with females.”

“f*ck you bitch.”

“You stuck on repeat or something? Only bitch here is you. Ten whole minutes of whining and crying because you don’t know how to pick up girls. Why don’t you take your hurt feeling and fragile male ego and get the f*ck out of our face before I show you how big of a bitch you are and give you something to f*ckin cry about.”

Sakura didn’t back down from guys, and sure she might slap one to get her point across, however, that was a far cry from trying to go toe to toe with one.

Tayuya had no such reservations.

She’d throw hands with anyone or anything with a heartbeat that pissed her off. ‘Tasmanian Tayuya’ wasn’t one to do too much talking either. She wasn’t making a threat, she was making a promise, and from the way she was standing, Mr. Sandy-Haired Douche had about thirty seconds to vacate the premises before she started swinging.

Fuu slid her tray out of tantrum range.

Karui got up completely.

Pretty girl, not about to ruin said pretty face with second hand violence, Ino, joined Karui.

Luckily, king douche decided he wasn’t in the mood for smoke.

“One of these days you’re gonna get f*cked up trying to play a man you f*ckin butch,” and with that parting comment, the douche stormed across the cafeteria, elbowing those in his path.

“puss*!” Tayuya yell at his retreating back, glaring as he turned and shot the single fingered salute on both hands and disappeared through the door.

“Can you believe that?” one girl whispered.

“I wonder what that was about,” another murmured.

“Think he tried to pick up Haruno and got rejected,” a boy speculated.

“Guess she’s not over Uzumaki yet, huh?”

“Alright people, show’s over,” Ino shooed her fellow students rubbernecking and owl-eying the pink haired girl, “beat it! We’re trying to eat over here!”

“Yeah, mind your f*ckin business unless one of you wanna be next!” Tayuya barked, reclaiming her seat and chomping down on cold meat with a ferocity that bothered any guy watching.

Unable to help herself, Sakura searched for blonde hair and blue eyes, expecting to see a jealous teen glaring at the doors the baseball player disappeared behind or questioning if she was alright with his oceanic baby blues.

She found neither.

Naruto was gone.

So was the new girl.

Sakura stood, dumped her mostly uneaten lunch in the trash and stormed off.

¸*´¨`* • .¸｡ ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`* • .¸｡¸ ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`* • .¸｡¸*

The most frustrating thing about anxiety was that it absolutely didn’t care about anyone or anything.

It didn’t care if it made others think you were weird.

It didn’t care if it made you look like a fool.

It didn’t care if it reinforced the notion amongst the misinformed that people like you are weak just because you couldn’t do things a ‘normal’ person could.

It didn’t care if you wanted it or not, if you were ready or not, if you could handle it or not. It didn’t care where you were, who you were with, how ridiculous or small the trigger, it reared it’s ugly head when and wherever it wanted. At the drop of the dime that raging beast flared to life, hungry for the downtrodden and traumatized, rending every safeguarding mental health tool down to nothing and swallowing you whole.

Hinata was caught inside it jowls, she felt its bite down to her marrow, every sharp puncture tearing apart her illusion of control.

She walked on legs that protested her weight, chest burning on each hitch of her lungs, exacerbated by her pathetic attempt to mask her hyperventilation from the world at large. She had been here before, fleeing attention as though her life depended on fading into obscurity.

Disappearing was her best skill, but listening was too.

Back in those first harrowing days of school, the nervous young woman caught many excited whispers directed at her, many flattering, some catty, all stemming from her sudden arrival, her…attractiveness and ‘mysterious’ persona.

Unsettled and distressed, Hinata broke down often beneath this unwanted attention, flying into a panic attacked the moment she came home with Kurenai as witness for the first time since taking her in. Hinata knew she’d never live those days down, it still shamed her to remember how vulnerable and weak she had been in those moments. Stressed and overwhelmed, wanting to quit before something bad happened to her, Hinata had all but begged to stay home and finish her last year of school within the four corners of her bedroom. Her carer had pushed her, albeit gently, to wait out the buzz and novelty her presence brought to Ouran High, to allow herself and her classmates to adjust to each other’s presence, reminding her that she was strong, that she could make a place for herself in the world.

Clinging to that belief, Hinata returned day after day, each time she attended a quiet victory in a long line of failure.

By the second week, she was no longer fighting full blown panic attacks between classes.

By the third, she felt adjusted and calmer, able to tune out the noise around her and focus on the quiet contentment of attending school for the first time in her life.

She created a nook for herself, a place to belong amongst her peers.

She kept to herself and outside the occasional social request from boys and girls alike, Hinata was largely, thankfully, left alone.

She didn’t want anybody notice her.

She didn’t want anybody to know she existed.

If you didn’t exist, you couldn’t get hurt. When you were nothing more than a continuation of the background people passed right by you without a glance. Ignored and forgotten, overlooked and dismissed but more importantly than anything else, safe.

Sheltered from ridicule, free of the cruelty so prevalent to human nature, isolation held an appeal that few could appreciate in the way she did.

Being alone was comforting, reassuring that she was no one’s object of contempt.

No one’s target, no one’s punching bag.

She was just…nobody, and that was preferable to whatever frightening unknown awaited her in any measure of spotlight…

…and yet she was openly coveting a tiny fraction of that spotlight.

Naruto Uzumaki.

Her radiant, jovial, popular classmate was slowly pushing her more and more into the awareness of everyone else, shoving concerted efforts to live shadows in the opposite direction. Part of her wanted to distance herself from him, a bigger part wanted to stay.

He was the boy that shared his sandwich with a starving little girls and apologized when he hurt her feelings, and when she was around him, she was taken back to that day in the woods, her chest filled with that same warmth she had felt hunched over in the cold nibbling at that half eaten lunch meat and bread, remembering his sunny face and wondering what it was like to smile, and maybe it was selfish, maybe it was silly but…she didn’t want to give up that.

She didn’t want to return to the cold.

Naruto was…nice.

Larger than life, positive and upbeat, he was everything she wasn’t and she admired that.

He brought color to her dull world, and though he didn’t remember her, they shared a moment in time that was forever emblazoned in her heart.

He was her first.

Her first taste of kindness.

Her first glimpse of compassion.

Her first time meeting someone that wasn’t out to hurt her.

So many times she’d gone back to find him, and each time that sport turned up empty it was like a blow to her chest, a wound that ached more than the ones father gave her. Years later, now that she had finally found him, she felt that an easing of that childhood pain. She had finally come full circle, slowly healing that lonely rift her past self nursed, soothing to that child that still lived in her. He gave so easily that social connection she longed for, a sliver of contentment but…

Her newfound contentment came at a price.

Despite her nervousness around him, Hinata didn’t mind him knowing she existed.

Everyone else…

She couldn’t stand the weight of their attention.

She felt picked apart and stripped naked, surrounded by unfamiliar eyes and unknown intent. Like they were sizing her up and exposing every weakness she struggled to hide, waiting to figure out what made her tick just so they could take her apart from the inside out. She didn’t really know anybody in the cafeteria, but today, she’d recognized ghost of the past.

There was boy at the lunch table across from her who’s scowl reminded her of cousin Kyo.

A passing girl, meal tray in hand, that sneered so much like auntie Suzume.

Worse of all was the faculty member that stood monitoring the eating students. Tall and imposing, his hawkish gaze and prudish visage so stiff it was as if her hard faced father was watching her. Judging her table manners, checking her posture, ensuring she was sitting with her back straight enough, elbows off the table, chewing slow and quiet ‘as was proper for a lady’. As Naruto chatted endlessly, she’d found herself arranging herself according to her father’s teachings, losing herself in the past, remembering that for every infraction, every slouch and impropriety she’d find herself in a world of pain.

It was stupid of her to feel that way.

So stupid because she was no longer at her father’s table, no longer under his thumb.

And yet she had sat there, tense and sick with anxiety, her body bracing for a blow even though she told it not to, all the while a familiar demand raged inside her.

Fight or flight.

Realizing what was coming, that the trauma coaster had already begun its quick ascent and was poised for a whiplash descent, Hinata had excused herself, whispering of a tummy ache she did but didn’t have to Naruto and rushed from the cafeteria where she was now.

Gasping and choking on fear, searching for a hidden sanctuary to have her inappropriate meltdown.

The universe took mercy on her poor soul, every stall was open and empty, the girls bathroom on the third floor blessedly deserted.

Wheezing for control, shaking uncontrollably, Hinata struggled to recall her mental health tools list.

Recognize you’re having a panic attack. It may feel like you are dying but remind yourself this is temporary. Understand this will pass- Check.

Close your eyes. Panic attacks may come from triggers that overwhelm you. When you’re in a fast-paced environment with a lot of stimuli, this can exacerbate your condition. Closing your eyes can reduce excess stimuli during panic attacks and make it easier to focus on your breathing- Check.

She felt like it was backfiring, her wheezing sounded even louder.

Deep breathing. Breathe through the nose, fill the chest, count to four, hold a second then exhale slowly through the mouth, repeat, repeat, repeat until breathing is under control.

She sucked in a breath…and choked. Her lungs stuttered, refusing her plea to expand, heightening her terror. Falling back to her hitched breathing, Hinata gripped the bathroom sink, knuckles whitening as she held on for dear life.

Deep breathing- Not checked.

What else, what else?

Mindfulness may help ground you in the reality of what ’s around you. Panic attacks can cause a feeling of detachment or separation from reality, grounding helps combat the panic attack as it’s approaching or actually happening. Focus on the physical sensations you are familiar with, like digging your feet into the ground or feeling the texture of your jeans on your hands. These specific sensations ground you firmly in reality and give you something objective to focus on.

Sink- hard, chilly.

She touched her clothes, noticing how sweaty her palms felt, the dampness they left behind by her frantic stroking.

Her hands were sweaty, her skirt was stiff and skin felt clammy, cold and prickly and-

She shook her head.

Mindfulness- not checked.

Mental distractions such as counting can also help you escape your panic symptoms. Close your eyes and slowly count to 10, repeat and count to 20, then 30 and so on.

1…2…3…4…4….

…4…

She couldn’t concentrate, the sound of her labored breathing hurt her ears, the horrible echo of her struggling lungs drowning out her feeble counting.

She knew what she was going to have to do and hated it.

Today’s scheduled Clonazepam had already been distributed into her system but, she hadn’t touched the extras.

Not since her first few weeks of school.

Her therapist told her it wasn’t a big deal, her psychiatrist prescribed her extra just for these occasions.

Taking them wasn’t a big deal.

It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal.

She was makingit a big deal and she wanted to stop but that voice in her head, the one that agreed with the people that called her ‘weak’, those that looked at her funny and made fun of the way she panicked through everyday life. The ‘normal’ people that would tell her taking that extra pill was admitting defeat, that she was failing herself by leaning on an artificial crutch.

Trembling breaths puffed through her lips, shakily she reached again for the sink to support her weight.

Calm down…she willed herself.

“Please…” she begged herself quietly.

Don’t let it win.

Don’t make a fool of yourself.

Her short breaths quickened, kicked into overdrive as her callous mind played out a vivid nightmare of her breaking down at school. Highlighting the pitiful pictured she’d make suffocating on fear, sweating as though trapped in a sauna turned high, trembling like a spineless coward that couldn’t handle a tiny bit of attention.

Distraught and disheartened, she fumbled with her shoulder bag, popped the Velcro latch and dug for salvation.

Silently calling herself every painful name that had ever passed the lips of her father, she pulled out the orange bottle.

Spineless.

It shook in her hand, blaring a damning rattle louder than the awful roar in her head.

Useless.

She pushed down and twisted, freeing the cap but tightening her chains.

Worthless.

Clammy fingers fished one out and her eyes began to burn.

Helpless.

The tablet slid down her throat, tears traced her cheeks.

Weak.

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Naruto zipped his fly, and wandered over to the sink.

After Hinata’s quick exit, his mind shifted its focus to his screaming bladder. He sat with his friends for less than a minute before running to take a leak. Tea always went right through him, no matter what kind. Mom said it was good for him though Naruto wasn’t so sure. Peeing ten times a day wasn’t healthy no matter how you sliced it, at least not to his mind.

Once his hands were soaped, rinsed and dried, he fished his phone from his pocket and glanced over his LINE notifications.

Kiba created a new ‘guys only’ group chat for their ‘Hyuuga hottie’ discussions but as per usual, expanded the criteria to include any girly that tickled his perverted fancy, same as the last three chat groups he created. Naruto was convinced he just liked making bullsh*t ass groups with stupid stamps for no damn reason. That or he genuinely enjoyed being a virtual nuisance.

Their regular group chat, the one including the girls, made him chuckle. Sakura-chan was still active in it, but refused to interact with him, anything he shared or any texts concerning him. After her last messages (insults) to his phone were (purposefully) left on read, she went back to giving him the cold shoulder.

She hadn’t called, texted or spoken to him in over a week.

Would’ve bothered him if he didn’t notice she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. That look she gave him at lunch…

He chuckled.

She didn’t even need to slap his face for him to feel the sting.

Silence aside, she was pissed.

Satisfied with today’s events, he shot a few messages to the private group chat, pocketed his phone then pushed the bathroom door open with his shoulder, least his mother sense that he put his freshly washed hands on a filthy door.

“-most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, and I’ve never said that about any girl. Hey, hey, where you going? Don’t be shy. I don’t bite,” a voice coaxed, “let me take you out. I promise I’ll show you a good time.”

The comment stopped him as he left the boy’s bathroom.

Curious, he turned in the direction of the male voice.

A tall teen, one he recognized from the baseball club stood over a petite brunette. A brunette that clearly didn’t want the attention. His brows furrowed. You’d have to be blind, deaf and dumb, or a complete asshole, not realize that.

She didn’t just look uncomfortable…

Pressed against the lockers, leaning away from the teen heartthrob, Hinata Hyuuga looked terrified. Naruto knew she was a timid girl, prone to anxiety in social situations but this looked beyond that. There were tears forming on her thick lashes.

She was scared…genuinely scared.

He wasn’t sure if something had happened before hand while he was in the bathroom to put that look on her face, but he knew one thing for sure.

He didn’t like it.

He strode purposefully over to the two, blue eyes sharp on the sandy haired boy.

“Hey, doesn’t look like she’s interested man,” he told him, “let her be, ‘ttebayo.”

Sandy hair gave him an annoyed glare and straightened his full length in warning. Nearly eye level with the towering Uzumaki, the two shared a look, a silent challenge blaring between them. Naruto was sure the baseball player knew who he was and what he was capable of, but he also knew the overbearing Casanova wannabe wouldn’t want to look weak in front of a girl, even if that girl wasn’t interested in him. He’d either make a fuss or walk away.

Naruto was fine with either.

He’d never been shy about swinging his fists, though he was also not one to always choose violence first in everyencounter. Unless it was something that pissed him off, making the first move in a standoff wasn’t his thing anymore. Or at least, he was trying to retire that jerk reaction. He’d actually been doing pretty well. Two years ago, he’d have knocked the dude in front of him flat on his ass thirty seconds ago. With graduation looming, he didn’t need any more disciplinary marks on his record.

Dad had taught him better than that, and mom would skin him alive.

Besides, he didn’t usually needto go that route anymore.

People knew who Naruto Uzumaki was.

So it was up to sandy head.

He could walk away on his own or he could be made a fool of in front of Hinata.

“Look dude, either walk the f*ck away or take a f*cking swing. I really don’t give a sh*t which, pick one and hurry the f*ck up. I got twenty-three minutes left of lunch break and I’m not gonna waste the rest of it having a f*ckin staring contest with you,” Naruto deadpanned, “You wanna fight then let’s go, otherwise, f*ck off.”

Sandy hair’s jaw flexed, but the blonde already knew where this was going. He could smell bluster a mile away. Wasn’t hard to separate people that talked big and backed it up from those that just talked.

Sandy was the later.

Naruto had long since dismissed the guy the moment the tension left the baseball player’s bristling form. He barely heard the, “f*ck you, Uzumaki,” from the retreating teen as he turned his attention to the quietly distressed female still pressed against the lockers.

“You okay?”

She nodded.

“T-Thank you…U-Uzumaki-san…” she whispered.

“Naruto,” he corrected casually, “your stomach feeling better?”

She ducked her head a bit, pretty pink touching her cheeks but she nodded.

“Where were you headed?”

“O-outside to the t-track…”

“Come on, I’ll take you over there just in case another asshole rolls up on the scene.”

She thanked him a second time and settled at his side, keeping her distance though remaining in hearing range. As they walked, he couldn’t help asking the question that had popped into his head the moment he’d seen her terrified face.

A question that dug beneath his skin and was bugging the sh*t outta him.

“Hey? He do something to you?” he questioned, “If he did I’ll turn around and knock his ass out.”

He couldn’t stand a f*cking bully, especially one that bullied girls. That was lower than low. Looking shocked and adorably rattled, she shook her head a little frantically.

“Then what happened?” he asked, “you look traumatized, dattebayo.”

She was quiet for a long time, her face seeming sadder than the situation warranted. He frowned, another question on his lips when she finally spoke.

“I’m just…r-really s-shy…” she murmured, staring down at the ground as though the admission was a shameful sin, “t-too much attention m-makes me…n-nervous…”

f*ck.

He hadn’t thought about that.

That explained lunch today.

Sure he knew she was really uncomfortable socializing with people.

He would have to be complete idiot not to notice her shyness. Hinata Hyuuga was all blushes and nervous energy, like a stray kitten ready to bolt at the first loud sound. Even when it was just the two of them on the roof, she clammed up and tended to fold herself into an even smaller ball of cute when he got too close to her.

So in retrospect, it was really stupid of him to invite her to sit with him out in the ‘open’ of the cafeteria in a more ‘in your face’ scheme to rile up his ex. Hinata’s shyness hadn’t really factored. His half co*cked plan to rub his ‘lunch date’ with Hinata in her face had been louder, more insistent than any other loose thought.

The only eyes he’d wanted on them were jealous green.

Mission accomplished, he saw her looking, making faces and pretending not to be bothered, but hadn’t factored in hers wouldn’t be the only curious gazes.

“sh*t. Guess that’s why you left lunch early, huh?” he speculated, replaying her abrupt exit with new understanding, “sorry about that. I shouldn’t have flagged you down at a table that far out in the open.”

“T-that’s okay…I-I…have to get u-use to being…around p-people.”

His brows crinkled. She said that like she was some kinda feral animal that had never encountered another human before. He opened his mouth to ask her what in the world that meant, only to see a certain somebody sneaking out the doors of the gymnasium.

Well, well, well.

“Oi, Tenten, what’s up?!” he shouted, unknowingly startling the shy woman at his side.

Doing her best impression of a deer caught in the headlight of sixteen wheeler, Tenten stood frozen and wide eyed, looking like she was seconds from being mowed over into the afterlife. Her lips were shiny and swollen, a small pink bruise was forming on the smooth expanse of her neck. Naruto was no stranger to hickeys and the greasy sheen of smeared lip gloss.

Tenten hadn’t been in there working on her dribble game, that was certain.

In fact, she was probably sneaking back on campus. Naruto and his friends had been taking the ‘senior sneak-out’ route since they were sophom*ores. There was a popular corner store not far from the school that sold a bunch of junk food at a steep student discount. It was a frequented eatery for seniors sneaking off to eat lunch off school grounds. Wasn’t like the faculty didn’t know students were doing it, they just kinda treated it like an open secret.

“Gonna go on a limb and say that’s not chicken grease all over your mouth,” Naruto speculated aloud, his vulpine features arranged in sly, highly amused, accusation, “who you been suckin’ face with, huh?”

The double-buned teen wiped her glistening lips, adjusted her uniform top to cover that tell-tale bruise forming on her neck, and did something Naruto had neverseen her do before.

Tenten was a bit of a tomboy, an attractive one to be sure with her pretty brown eyes, creamy skin and petite features, but she was no girly girl, but right now, Tenten Tanaka was blushing. And not some light pink dusting either, full on burning cherry, Hinata Hyuuga tomato red.

Confirmation she indeed had not been chowing down on something greasy in the gym.

“What’s his,” he raised a brow, “or hername, eh?”

This was an open question mark among their group, a hot topic Tenten ducked and dodged like a pro football player.

What side did Tenten play for?

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” the lying girl insisted, shifting her brown eyes between him and the girl at his side, “but since we’re suddenly being all nosy, who’s your friend?”

Naruto gave her a look, sharing a silent conversation at the emphasis on ‘friend’.

She knew who Hinata was.

She wanted him to clarify their relationship then run back to tattle to Sakura.

Amused and wanting to keep her guessing, Naruto leaned closer to his pretty, hunched-shoulder companion, placing a casual hand to her arm. She startled beneath his palm, tensing up like he was hurting her, it threw him off a sec, but considering how nervous she alwaysseemed to be, and the situation he’d just helped her out of, her reaction kind of made sense. He’d never touched her before aside from giving her a hand up the first time they studied on the roof, since then, not even a single accidental brush. Hinata kept herself to herself in a way Naruto had never seen someone do.

Even though she talked to him and allowed him on the edge of her personal space, more than she allowed anyone else, sometimes he felt just like the rest of his classmates curious about the pretty transfer student that kept everyone at arms length.

When they studied together, he got the feeling he was only seeing a tiny fraction of Hinata Hyuuga.

He found it kinda…interesting.

Like he was sniffing out a big secret he wasn’t supposed to know about.

He moved his hand though, stuffing it in his pocket and turning his attention to Tenten, “Hinata Hyuuga, she’s my calc tutor, ya know.”

“Your tutor,” she repeated, popping a hip and crossing her arms across her chest, a move so reminiscent of his ex-girlfriend Naruto struggled not to roll his eyes at it, “surprised you didn’t ask Shikamaru for help.”

“You ever try to get him to teach you anything? Shikamaru’s lazy as hell,” Naruto countered, rebuffing her attempt to poke holes in his cover story, “he falls asleep soon as we open a book. You know he is.”

It was the truth at least, it really was the biggest freaking headache trying to get Shikamaru to stay awake, let alone teach him any damn thing.

She looked between him and the dark haired woman then back again.

“Mmmhmm, right,” she snorted, “I’ll leave you two to studythen.”

They watched silently as Tenten rounded them and headed in the direction of the cafeteria, Naruto rolling his eyes skyward, Hinata gazing at the shiny tiled floor, her face puzzled.

¸*´¨`* • .¸｡ ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`* • .¸｡¸ ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`* • .¸｡¸*

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I ’ve finished all the chapters to my other stories, but I do need to take the time to edit them, so they’ll be coming out as they’re finished at different times all throughout today. I actually got a cold and it’s lasted a full two weeks. I have chronic bronchitis, so my lungs get really upset. I’m mostly recovered now, thankfully.

Anyway.

It ’s been a while since I updated this story, there’s been some interest but not as much, so it kinda got pushed to the back in favor of my other fics.

Thank you all for reading, please leave a kudos if you enjoyed the chapter and leave a comment for your hard working smut writer that powered through the hell of a cold T.T

Gonna take a break after this mass update special.

Laters

Sessakag~

Chapter 7: A Single Touch

Chapter Text

Chapter Six

A Single Touch

May 13, 2016

-

The warmth of his touch spread like a wildfire.

Blooming at the point of contact at her upper arm, creeping down to her fingers tips, engulfing the entirety of her arm until it tingled. She rubbed at it, unsettled by the sensation, anxiously holding her breath as though that minuscule bit of contact had initiated some obscure countdown to catastrophe.

Very few people had touched her since her rescue, so few she could count them one hand.

Her new doctor, and a nurse; Kurenai and her occasional hand touches across the dinner table that took weeks for her to tolerate without startling.

And now, Naruto Uzumaki.

This was the second time he touched her, and it was no less rattling than it had been the first time, when his larger hand swallowed hers and his terrifying strength lifted her to her feet on the school rooftop.

She swallowed, fumbling with the starchy fabric of her skirt, silently struggling not to unravel over something so small, so inconsequential, so human , as a simple touch from another. Everything inside her recoiled at the possibility of another episode. She’d already dealt with two today, each of those shameful moments of weakness laying like boulders on her slender shoulders.

She didn’t have room for another failure.

Gripping her skirt in clammy fingers that trembled, Hinata fought the inappropriate panic brewing inside the tattered patchwork of her slowly healing psyche.

She could be handle this.

She could be strong .

She could, at least the very least, pretend to be… normal .

After all, this is what she wanted, what she asked for wasn’t it?

A chance to build a new life, to walk in the shoes of a normal girl for once in her less than ideal existence. While her first school hadn’t worked out, she couldn’t keep changing schools in hope that things would improve when the common denominator of all her failures was her . She made the decision to find out if she could fit in with this world, if she could find meaning and purpose to justify continuing to wake up every morning.

She had to remember why she was here…

Though remembering was a minuscule fraction of the battle and wasn’t as solid a foundation to stand on.

Fortunately, right now, despite her shaky resolve, she did have one last line of defense in the form of the little white pill she took in the bathroom minutes earlier. She was already feeling its calming effects in the dampening of her spiked senses, and the aggressive, forced reduction of her skyrocketing stress levels and, consequently, her energy.

Clonazepam was giving her chance to think instead of reacting like a feral stray.

And if she let herself be consumed by her emotions, she’d be wasting that lifeline.

She took silent, stabilizing breath.

Shoving aside her urge to freak out, she tapped into her tools from therapy, replaying the advice of her caregiver, reaching for her own privately whispered hopes for herself that she kept in her heart. She latched on to the well of information, asking one of the questions she was encouraged to ask herself when opportunities to rewire the trauma-based default responses in her brain presented themselves.

Had the touch hurt her?

Made her skin crawl, as shameful as it was to admit, yes.

But hurt, no.

She wasn’t hurt, she had to acknowledge that reality, to process that undeniable fact despite the sick in her stomach, and the subtle tightening in her chest…

And that was a step in the right direction wasn’t it?

Another milestone in her journey to understand that not all touches were meant to hurt.

She repeated it to herself, desperately planting the seed of cognitive reframing as deep as she could before her mind could reject it.

It didn’t hurt.

You’re not hurt.

You don’t have to be scared…

“That’s Tenten.”

She startled, whipping wide eyes to the teen standing beside her, a teen completely oblivious to the meltdown he’d created as he exhaled exasperation at the retreating back of Tenten.

“She’s a friend of mine,” he continued, swinging his cerulean gaze in her direction as Tenten disappeared, “kinda nosy sometimes, but she’s cool.”

He was smiling at her, piercing through her lingering anxiety and the sluggish drag of benzodiazepine circulating through her blood. There was a different flutter in her chest now, a subtle tickle in her belly that always seemed to activate a dusting of pink to her cheeks.

He had a knack for doing that.

Twisting her emotions in confusing ways with nothing but his sunny radiance, creating new ones she hadn’t yet been able to define.

When she wasn’t teetering on the edge of a psychological break, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

At the current moment, it was one more external stimuli too many.

“Sh-sh-sh,” she stopped, tasting shame at the back of her throat as her brain-to-tongue-coordination lagged.

She was over wrought.

Too much was happening at once today, she realized that. Words were hard enough for her, trying to push them past her lips without completely butchering each one was near impossible with this afternoon’s episode chaining her tongue to the roof of her mouth.

Despite her blunder…

Naruto didn’t blink. Didn’t react. Didn’t respond at all to her cringe worthy stammer.

His friendly smile hadn’t dipped, and his eyes…they reminded her of Kurenai-san when she was having trouble getting the mechanisms that controlled speech to cooperate.

Patient. Non-threatening.

It gave her that funny tummy feeling again, wrapped up in a wave of renewed nervousness.

She tried a second time, shifting her weight as she quietly, slowly enunciated a polite response, “sh-she seems really n-n-nice.”

He leaned down to hear her whispered words, invading her space with the raging whirlpool that was his presence, rousing her drug induced dulled senses with his earthy, sunshine scent. The first time he did this froze her in place, locking her in a strange limbo of terror and helpless fascination, now, more than a week later, his habit of closing the distance between them was starting to feel a lot less threatening.

More personal, like they were sharing a secret.

She could trace this shift directly to the last ten days.

Naruto Uzumaki had made himself a constant fixture throughout her day, consistently interweaving their free time and scheduled school activities.

They met on the roof every time they had a study period to pour over calculus formulas and principles, and he spoke to her in the halls when he saw her now, even when he was surrounded by his friends and fellow classmates. At lunch he took a seat across from her or saved her a seat at an empty table, spending at least half of his lunch period talking with her before going back to his table of friends, and sometimes, not going back at all.

She hadn’t fully acclimatised quite yet but…Naruto’s presence was starting to become more and more routine for her.

Someone she looked forward to seeing…

“She is,” he answered, drawing her back into their conversation, grinning ruefully as he offered a familiar caveat, “just don’t get on her bad side, dattebayo.”

He said that a lot about many of his female friends, and one of his guy friend that stared at her at sometimes, Kiba Inuzuka; in one breath he’d sing their praises and in the next warn her about their tempers. While it wasn’t the main reason she hadn’t acted on his offer to meet his friends, Hinata couldn’t deny the description of their ticking time-bomb tempers was incredibly off putting. Even if they were kind most of the time, a land mine was still a land mine, and she was a notorious trigger for explosions.

Her daily life was already writhe with challenges, she didn’t want to borrow more trouble.

“You t-t-teased her,” she pointed out, “w-w-wouldn’t that put you on her bad s-s-side?”

“Nah,” he chuckled, “I’ve been on her sh*t list for a couple weeks now, she’ll get over it though. Come on, let’s get you out to the track. What’s out there anyway? You just looking to hang?”

“Just…need s-s-some air…”

“Want me to chill with you?” he asked, grimacing as he ruffled the short blonde strands at his nape, “I feel bad for the whole cafeteria thing, dattebayo.”

“That w-w-wasn’t your fault,” and she didn’t hold that against him, it was her own short comings that made her uncomfortable sitting where they had at lunch, not anything he’d done, “p-p-please don’t feel b-b-bad-”

“Kinda hard not to, ya know? It’s not like I don’t know how shy you are, and still… guess I wasn’t really thinking at the time,” he admitted, frowning, “I promise I’m not always an inconsiderate asshole.”

“I-I don’t think that,” she denied, shaking her head, eyes wide on his.

In fact, she though the opposite. Naruto was kind. Spending all this time helping her adjust to the school, even if he wasn’t the child that kept her fed for a night and a morning, to her, his patient efforts with her was proof of his compassionate heart.

“R-r-really,” she affirmed, shuffling her feet, “I don’t think that at all…”

“Good to know.”

He was back to grinning, setting off those flutters in her belly all over again.

“And I don’t…m-m-mind if you want to c-c-come with me to the track…” she lied, hoping the offer would ease the guilt that he shouldn’t feel in the first place.

“Cool, lets go, we can walk the track or I can show you the best hang out spot behind the bleachers,” amusem*nt curled his lips, a chuckle leaving his throat, “Ino used to hide back there to get out of running laps during PE. She’s way into her looks and doesn’t like to get ‘sweaty and gross’ running around on the track. You ever get tired of runnin’ that’s the spot to go, ‘ttebayo.”

They spent fifteen minutes on the track, five identifying the ‘PE hidey hole’ and ten walking the middle rink of the marked circular lane, Naruto chatting the entire time, filling her ears with the rough timbre of his voice.

She didn’t mind his chatter, surprisingly.

In fact, she found it soothing to listen to while she emotionally decompressed in the wide open, relatively quiet field, surrendering the lingering threads of panic to the calming effects of Clonazepam and a cool breeze. By the time the school bell chimed an end to lunch, Hinata felt calm and composed, tired but able to finish out her day despite scraping the bottom of the barrel of her energy tank.

Naruto led them back into the school, and into the steady stream of students funneling into the wide halls of Ouran High.

Hinata trailed after him, grateful for his tall bulk easily parting the crush as they headed to fifth period.

A girl passed them by right before they made the first turn down one of the halls that would take them to their classroom, abruptly cutting them off. Her striking green eyes were narrowed in a piercing glare that leveled on Naruto as she stormed by, soft pink hair flowing like a banner behind as her speedy, agitated gate carted her quickly down the hall.

Hinata didn’t know her but she knew of her.

Sakura Haruno, their homeroom teacher Yamato-sensei called her during attendance; Naruto’s ex-girlfriend their classmates whispered.

Naruto never really mentioned his ex, not to her at least, but Hinata could guess why, given that his friends-group was currently divided between male and female, team Naruto and team Sakura, and though there was regular cross by the members it was never Naruto and Sakura. If that wasn’t enough to catch her notice, there was also the snarky speculation over the details of their breakup that passed through the teen rumor mill around her, rumors that the breakup hadn’t been a very nice one.

She could understand why he didn’t bring up his previous relationship.

A small group of girls followed the quick, aggressively snappish pace of the pinkette, girls Hinata saw everyday among her group of classmates; the friends Naruto told her were ‘cool’ as long as she avoided getting on their ‘bad side’.

Ino Yamanaka, Karui Ando, and Tenten Tanaka shot poignant, lingering looks at her but more so at the blonde walking beside her, whispering to each other as they quickened their steps to catch up with the pink-haired teen. They didn’t look angry, not like Sakura, but their facial expressions and body language didn’t seem all that friendly to her.

She peeked up at Naruto, wondering if he had noticed it too.

If he did, he didn’t appear concerned or bothered by the behavior, instead he grinned after the group a beat then turned pearly whites down to her, throwing a question at her as though he hadn’t seen his ex storm by them with a glare that could surely flay flesh from bone, “think Sarutobi-sensei’s gonna drop another pop quiz today? Hope not, that last one was brutal.”

She wanted to ask him about the situation, if he’d sensed anything out of the ordinary, but…

That would be a bit forward on her part, and it wasn’t really her place to ask those types of questions.

She answered him instead, waiting for him to dip to hear her better before saying, “p-p-possibly, last time s-s-sensei highlighted parts of his lesson and w-w-when he does that, he tests us s-s-soon after.”

His blonde brows rose to his hairline, cerulean eyes wide with realization, “you’re right he does, why didn’t I notice that before?” he muttered, cupping his chin thoughtfully before giving her a left corner lip curl, “damn you’re smart, ‘ttebayo.”

Her stomach tightened but not in a bad way.

It was a familiar sensation now, one that served as a precursor to really aggressive tummy flutters and ripened tomato cheeks.

Hinata wasn’t used to compliments, and Naruto wasn’t shy about giving them.

On their second study session is when he started throwing them out, really gaining traction after his next two calculus homework assignments were returned with really high marks. Now, everything she did seemed to draw his praise, from the simplest observations to the biggest puzzle pieces that eluded him when he opened a calc textbook.

She was starting to believe he actually meant it, even though she knew it wasn’t true.

Someone smart wouldn’t endure abuse in silence, passing up opportunities to run, or call for help.

Someone smart wouldn’t live a life ruled by panic and fear long after being rescued, or pop pills in a school bathroom over something so silly as uncomfortable seating in a crowded cafeteria.

Someone smart wouldn’t stutter and stammer like a tongue-tied idiot the way she did.

She wasn’t smart, certainly not where it really counted, but…

It was nice to pretend she was when he called her that, if only for a little while.

Nearing the door of their destination, the crowd began to thin and people she recognized joined them in the hall, many of which were his friends he’d left at the lunch table. She slowed a bit, staying on the outer rink of the forming group, avoiding the curious glances in her direction, though giving Naruto a little wave to show she didn’t mind being left behind as he caught up with his friends. It seemed like he was going to say something, but Kiba hooked an aggressive, painful looking one-arm hold around his neck, drawing a sympathetic wince from her despite the fact that Naruto didn’t flinch. Whatever the shaggy-haired, feral looking teen whispered to him knocked the annoyed glare from his blue eyes, completely snagged his attention and turned his frown upside down.

“Yeah I saw,” Naruto chuckled in answer as he was swept away by the other boys, “pissed off and bitchy like an angry bull, and no, that doesn’t mean it’s ‘your turn’ now. We’re still a work in progress, ‘ttebayo. And by the way, don’t expect me to be your wingman when it’s over either, even I’m not that big of an asshole to saddle someone else with you .”

Insulted by the comeback, Kiba tightened his grip, jerking the taller man by the neck through the classroom door with a scowl.

“Kiba Inuzuka, stop the horseplay and let go of Uzumaki right now,” Sarutobi-sensei called from inside the room, his tobacco roughened voice booming despite its permanent, gravely hoarseness, “come in and take your seats everyone, there’s work to be done and not much time to do it. You all have an important assignment this week, and the sooner we start the better. ”

That announcement didn’t particularity catch her attention, Hiruzen Sarutobi was always caroling them into class in a bid to utilized every second of their fifty minute learning block to cram in as much of the ‘fundamental science’ called physics into their ripe young minds.

They broke off in separate directions, Naruto pushing off Kiba and continuing on to his desk across the classroom and she to the safety of her desk in the back right corner.

Head down, eyes on to the floor as others brushed by her, Hinata found her chair and sat down, dropping her bag next to her. She fished out her textbook as class A settled around her, then looked up at the board for an outline of today’s agenda.

She froze, staring at the whiteboard as her heart began a painful drumbeat in her chest.

Group Project! was written in big, bold, black marker right in its center.

The day she dreaded had finally come…

At the start of her enrollment, Kurenai, the principal, upper administration and her teachers met and agreed on giving her a few weeks to adjust and become comfortable before she’d need to worry about forced collaborative groups of learning or even speaking in class.

Now it seemed, her grace period was up.

Unexpected news that made her really bad day even worse.

Her panicked eyes whipped back to her teacher, her muted ears picking up the last bits of his words.

“…ten groups of three,” Sarutobi-sensei announced, rolling up the long sleeve of his tanned shirt to look at his watch, “you have exactly five minutes to find your partners, starting now.”

Without hesitation, without fore thought it happened, an unconscious search for an anchor in rapidly approaching, turbulent seas. Her wide eyes sought him out, whipping across the ocean of students separating them, a gap that felt ten times wider in that moment than it had since finding her assigned place in the far back corner on her first day in this class.

Already angled in her direction in his chair, Naruto smiled at her, reassuring and soothing, as though he sensed her turmoil the moment it started and was already prepared to calm it.

Hinata had never, never, had someone she could turn to when the world around her grew scary.

Someone willing to reach out and pull her from the very eye of the storm.

But maybe… maybe she was closer to having someone like that than she had ever dreamed she would…

-

“Oi, Hinata, wanna be partners?” Naruto called across the room, turning heads his way as he’d anticipated, one bubblegum-colored cranium in particular remaining stubbornly angled in the opposite direction.

The fact that she didn’t look wasn’t just satisfying, but extremely telling.

They always partnered for projects, even when they were broken up. Pathetic simp that he was beginning to define his past self as, Naruto always made sure he was in her group so he could spend that forced closeness trying to thaw out the cold shoulder she always gave him a little bit faster. It worked every time, Sakura liked when he was up her ass and begging for attention, so for him to bypass her and team up with another girl, one he’d been trailing after since their breakup, really had to piss her off, even more than she’d let slipped the way she charged down the hallway earlier.

If she thought this was bad, he had more in store for her. By the time he was through, she’d be up his ass and begging him for attention.

His gloating died a quick death as he turned his attention back to his prospective new girlfriend.

sh*t.

He did it again.

Like the lunchroom all over again, she was in the spot light alongside him, but she looked so relieved he was teaming up with her that it left him relived in return.

He hadn’t lied just to manufacture a scene for Sakura to see or hear about through gossip earlier when he insisted on keeping Hinata company on the track, it hadn’t even come to his mind actually, he really did feel bad drawing so much attention to her when he knew how painfully shy she was.

He needed to reign that in better, think before he shouted across the room or picked a display seat at lunch.

Wasn’t nescessary anyway, Sakura couldn’t keep her eyes off them even when he wasn’t being loud and obvious.

Hinata nodded, though she rung her hands together nervously beneath her desk.

He frowned at that, sighing silently.

She really needed to be more confident. Pretty girl like her, with a figure like that should be more arrogant than Ino or Kiba, that’s how it usually worked.

A familiar, and wholly predictable presence moved into the space just over his right shoulder.

‘ Speak of the arrogant prick …’ he thought, rolling his eyes skyward.

“Hey Naruto, let’s team u-”

“Nope,” Naruto shot back, palm to the slobbering mutt’s aggravated face, pushing the perverted Inuzuka right back down in his seat as tapped on the shoulder of the teen in front him, “hey, Shino wanna team up?”

Turning in his seat, pushing his darkened, circular glasses further up his nose, “I cannot. Why? Because Kiba lacks self control around girls and if he is able to partner with a girl in our class, one of us will need to reign him in. Shikamaru is too lazy, Lee is easily mislead, and you are partnered already with Hyuuga-san, that leaves the responsibility to me.”

Shino had a point, someone had to make sure Kiba didn’t get his balls kicked into his stomach by the girls of class A.

Only girl that wouldn’t was already in Naruto’s group.

“f*ck off, Shino, does it look like I need a babysitter?” Kiba growled, leaning over his desk.

Stoic faced Shino turned to his irritated friend, adjusted his glasses as he always did when he was about to piss someone off and answered, “yes.”

“Hey, Uzumaki.”

Naruto’s gaze swiveled in the direction of the call, blonde brow arching as he watched three teens, Shinji Yoshida, Bunta Hayashi and Takao Abe weave through the milling students between them. Three boys that had never tried to be his group partners before, and he knew they weren’t trying to now. They were pretty f*ckin bold to try and horn in on his group in a painfully obvious ploy to get at Hinata, knowing Naruto was the current front runner for her attention, a move that reeked of Kiba Inuzuka.

“You need a third for your group?” Bunta asked, shoving his hands in the pockets of his uniformed pants, shaking his head to uncover his left, gray from the sandy brown strands hanging over his forehead.

“Bunta’s not even top ten in the class,” Takao threw out, ignoring the glare Bunta shot at him, his dark eyes as dark as his short cropped hair, “I’d be a way better pick than him.”

Naruto just barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes.

“You’re barely top ten,” Shinji pointed out, honey brown eyes sharp and contrasting with the deep green of his long, single braided hair, “I’m-”

“Sorry, guys, Shikamaru’s our third,” Naruto told all three teens dismissively, pointing at the drowsy looking teenage genius resting his head on folded arms atop his desk behind them, “can’t get any higher than number one, dattebayo.”

Grumbling and annoyed frowns followed the announcement, but without a leg to stand on, they retreated.

Naruto glanced over at Hinata.

She was surrounded by a few guys that hadn’t gotten the memo, either ignoring or missing the three teens he rejected. Hinata was Hinata, shaking her bowed dark head as the boys attempted to coax a place in her group, her body language a louder rejection than any spoken word ever could be. Naruto stood up and made his way over to disperse the crowd, feeling like Hinata’s own personal bouncer.

He passed by Ino, Karui and Sakura huddled together in the midway point between him and Hinata, forcing himself not to glance in their direction, knowing his indifference would burn worse than a smug glance.

“Group’s full already,” Naruto told the bunch, shooing them like flies, “gonna have to find somebody else guys.”

A chorus of ‘ahhh man’ and one spite-ridden mumble of ‘course Uzumaki’s gets her, been all over her all week’ followed as the teens moved on, searching out the last few students that weren’t currently struggling to make top twenty to partner with.

That settled, Naruto turned his attention to one third of his group.

She looked nervous but thankfully not near tears like earlier.

He grabbed Shota Okamoto’s vacant desk directly left of her, dragged it closer to her desk and took a seat. Leaning towards her, he said, “Shikamaru’s our third, but don’t worry about him. He usually sleeps through group projects. We usually just give him his part and he finishes it on his own. It’s kinda crazy though, because his part always fits perfect with whatever the rest of the group is doing, like he’s got some sorta ESP or something. It’s pretty weird, ‘ttebayo.”

Looking even more relieved, Hinata nodded.

A classmate hovered over them a beat, placing a single piece of paper on both their desks before moving on to their neighbors.

Naruto picked it up, Hinata doing the same in his peripheral.

A list of the projects was printed on the pages, eight in total:

1. Understanding the Solar System

Assignment: Create a scale model of the solar system.

2. The Physics of Sound Waves

Assignment: Analyze the sound wave patterns produced by different musical instruments.

3. Exploring Electromagnetism

Assignment: Construct a simple electric motor or electromagnetic crane.

4. The Magic of Optics

Assignment: Investigate the properties of lenses and build a basic telescope or microscope.

5. Renewable Energy Sources

Assignment: Design and test a small-scale wind turbine or solar panel setup.

6. Thermodynamics in Action

Assignment: Experiment with heat engines or build a model refrigerator.

7. Studying Fluid Dynamics

Assignment: Investigate the principles of aerodynamics through paper aeroplane models or wind tunnel experiments.

8. Gravitational Forces

Assignment: Perform experiments to understand the concept of gravity and gravitational acceleration.

9. Projectile Motion Analysis

Assignment: Study the trajectory of projectiles and factors affecting their path, such as air resistance.

10. Magnetic Levitation

Assignment: Create a magnetic levitation device and understand the principles behind it.

“Hmmm, the first one sounds super easy,” Naruto hummed, turning to Hinata with conspiratorial grin, “our group gets to pick first since Sarutobi-sensei goes by rank for this kinda stuff. Easy A, dattebayo.”

She nodded along with his plan, looking more at ease than he’d seen her all day.

Maybe a little too at ease?

Her eyes were kinda droopy like she was ready for a nap, and her shoulders were tensionless and lax. Probably after lunch food comma kicking in.

It was cute on her though.

“Now that you all have your groups, and have read through the worksheet, we’ll go around the room and have each group choose a project,” Saratobi-sensei announced, “we’ll start with highest rankings first. Shikamaru Nara, your group picks first.”

The classroom turned as one, zeroing in on the top student in the school sleeping at his desk.

Saratobi-sense sighed.

Like some of their teachers, their physics teacher was mostly resigned to Shikamaru’s inability to stay awake, and though it irked him to have a student sleep in class, the old man couldn’t deny Ouran High’s brightest wasn’t missing anything. Everyone knew Shikamaru could teach this class just as well, maybe even better, than most teachers in the school.

Surveying the classroom, the mildly annoyed instructor asked, “is anyone paired with Shikamaru?”

Naruto raised his hand, then pointing to Hinata, “We are.”

“Very well, since Shikamaru is…indisposed, go ahead and pick a project from the whiteboard.

Naruto grinned at the old man, “number one, Jiji-sensei.”

The class broke out in a chorus of discontent, upset that the easiest project was snatched up on the first pick.

“Uzumaki,” their teacher rumbled over the noise, pinning the grinning teen with a glare for the inappropriate address, “I would hate to have another conversation with your parents.”

He would too. Mom would strangle him.

“Sorry Sensei,” Naruto apologized with cheeky smile.

“Now, next group…”

For the next few minutes, Sarutobi-sensei went around the room for each group’s pick, and while his drowning chatter continued on, Naruto felt his pocket vibrate. His blue eyes cut across the room, landing on his teacher.

Sarutobi-sensei had his back turned, writing down group names beside his listening of projects.

Quick as striking snake, with the ease of years of practice, Naruto checked his phone, nearly dissolving into co*cky chuckles as he read the line of text.

BubbleGumGoddes : u’ll get tired of playn this dumb game n i wont take ur sry ass back when u do

He didn’t look in the direction of his ex as he typed out his reply, too annoyed to pretend that he wasn’t.

Naruto : not playing a game im doing my own thing maybe u should try it since u have so much time on ur hands to b worried about who im with

That said, he stuffed his phone back in his pocket and leaned over to plan his project with Hinata.

Ignoring the next buzz that hit his pocket.

¸*´¨`*•.¸｡ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`*•.¸｡¸ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`*•.¸｡¸*

Been a long time I knowwwww, but here you gooooo. Next chapter shouldn’t take long I don’t think, I’ve been working on it alongside this one, but ya know, I’m like an untamed wind blowing this way and that. Hope you all enjoyed and thank you all for your patience in waiting! Don’t forget to drop kudos and comments, love to hear from you all!

Also! I edited the first chapter and change it around, and I pushed back the original dates at the top, so if some details look different, that’s why.

Anyway, I’m done here.

Laters!

Sessakag~

Chapter 8: Lingering Shadows

Chapter Text

Chapter Seven

Lingering Shadows

May 13, 2016

-

“We should make a group,” Naruto suggested, pulling his phone from his pocket as they headed to sixth period,

She was too dulled to panic over this development, though she would have normally considering he’d ditched his friends again to walk beside her

“that way we can link up and work on the project over the weekend. We gotta present on Wednesday, but if we wait until Monday to put it together at study hall, we might not finish. It’s twenty percent of our grade, ya know, if I bomb it, I’ll be in deep sh*t in Saratobi-sense’s class.”

That explanation dragged her from her drug induced haze, though some of it got lost in the slow cogs of her cognition.

“A-another group?” she parroted, wondering what he meant by that.

Sarutobi-sensei had already put them in a group.

“Yeah, on LINE.”

“Online?” she questioned, “like the internet?”

Hinata didn’t really know much about technology or cyberspace, things like that were luxuries she hadn’t been given until she was rescued from her hellish life, in fact, she hadn’t gotten her first smart phone until Kurenai became her guardian. There were so many things about technology she didn’t know or understand, and that point was truly driven home when she was surrounded teenagers, adults even children who typed faster on their miniature devices than Hinata could on a full keyboard.

Embarrassed was too tame a word for what she felt about her inadequacy at her age, like she was a fraud trying to pretend she was normal, a farce that was always shattered when her inability to blend in with her peers was shoved under a spotlight.

Hinata was way behind in many ways, and some of it was her fault.

She was free now.

Free to do whatever she wanted, but…Hinata hadn’t really done anything .

Healing her wounds, physical and mental, took all her time and energy right after rescue, and even when the former was no longer a burden, she’d had no will, no desire, no motivation to anything other than sleep for as close to eternity as she possibly could. Depression had robbed her of any urge to discover all the new and exciting things her hateful family had kept from her, something she continued to have to pay for over and over again.

He glanced at her, holding up his phone for emphasis, “no I mean LINE, the phone app LINE.”

Hinata felt creeping heat touch her cheeks as he stared at her, expecting to find recognition on her face for the app.

Unfortunately…

She had no idea what that was.

He paused and she stopped too, watching his brows crease as he read the blankness on her face, “LINE,” he said again, as if she hadn’t heard him the first time, “seriously? You don’t have LINE?”

Humiliation was a bitter taste on tongue, and she ducked her head, shoulders hanging.

“I-Is that b-bad?” she asked, wringing her fingers a bit, no longer dulled out enough to ignore the subtle tingles of anxiety.

“Not bad but sh*t, I don’t know anybody that doesn’t use LINE,” he explained, “even my mom uses it, dattebayo,” he grinned down at her like a mischievous fox, unfurling a few of the worry knots in her stomach int the process, “I made dad get it too because I was mom’s only contact for a while, and she blew my phone up with stupid stickers and messages and videos and other bullsh*t. Now it’s dad’s problem.”

Hinata fumbled again, that fluttery tummy feeling blooming alongside a new knot of anxiety.

She realized he was sharing something humors with her, that the proper response was to smile along with him but…if Hinata had ever smiled once in her entire life, she couldn’t remember it anymore. She certainly didn’t feel herself capable of it again if she had.

The urge to smile was muted in her, though, for once, she wished she could at that moment.

“S-so it’s a m-m-mesenger app?” she asked instead.

“Yeah, but it does a little bit of everything, video chat, games, my parents even use it to keep track of doctor visits and medical records. We used it to order food sometimes when nobody wants to cook or we’re having a junk food Friday. Dad likes to use it to find local deals around town and I used it last year to find a summer job.”

“It s-s-sounds inc-c-credible,” she murmured, genuinely impressed.

And…so did his family.

Exactly what she imagined the happy looking families she watched from her attic window were like.

Warmth filled her chest.

She recognized it as a happy feeling, not because she had much experience with the emotion, but because she remembered, so vivid, from the day they met as two children wandering the woods for two vastly different reasons, when she felt it for the first time in her life as he fed her and smiled.

It was imprinted on her heart and she couldn’t help but be grateful that it was him, once again, to give that feeling to her, even if it was silly happiness that his life was filled with warmth and love at home.

That he had parents that didn’t hurt him, that didn’t treat him like he was everything wrong in their lives.

“That’s why I’m shocked you’ve never heard of it before,” he told her, though his smile took away any sting the words might have brought her, “its like the one stop shop for everything. You got your phone on you? I can download it for you.”

Hinata exhaled silently, reaching to dig into her bag for the phone she rarely ever used.

Thank goodness he offered to do it, she wouldn’t know how to go about setting that up even if he gave her step by step instructions.

She handed him her device, falling in step with him as he started moving again.

“You don’t have a lot of apps on here…” he murmured absently as he navigated her paltry apps to the app store, “and this looks like the default background wallpaper,” he gave her a curious glance, “this a new phone?”

She had the phone two maybe three months.

She wasn’t sure if that was considered ‘new’ but she nodded anyways.

It was new to her at least.

He accepted that with no question, turning his blue eyes back to her phone, mumbling as he typed on her digital keyboard, “I’m guessing you couldn’t back up your old phone and transfer it to this phone?”

She didn’t know what that meant…

“N-no I c-c-couldn’t.”

He sucked his teeth, the sound oddly sympathetic, “that sucks, having to start all over. New phones are a bitch to set up…want me to add some more apps on here for ya? I know some really good ones that don’t clog your phone up with useless bullsh*t.”

“Yes,” she answered quickly, relief flowing through her, “t-thank you…”

She didn’t care what he put on her phone if it would bring her closer to belonging.

To being normal .

“Don’t sweat it,” he returned, grinning down at her; his pearly whites, coaxing to life that constant flutter that stirred in her belly whenever he smiled his sunny smile.

-

Exhausted couldn’t begin to encompass the bone-deep weariness that slowed her limbs like cinder blocks, sapped her energy to less than nothing and strained the fabric of her mental strength to threadbare thin. School ended ten minutes ago, and the moment she saw her guardian’s little white sedan in the carpool circle, Hinata made a beeline for it, moving as fast as her heavy limbs could carry her.

Hinata wasn’t confident enough to ride the train, yet another weakness setting her apart from her peers.

Too many people. Too much noise. Too many ways to get lost.

For a girl that spent most of her whole life between four corners in a cramped attic, the world around her often felt too big, too fast, too foreign to truly understand.

So, Kurenai dropped her off in the morning and picked her up in the afternoon.

Like a young child that couldn’t be trusted to make their own way home.

Hinata settled in the back seat, strapped in and closed her eyes, whispering a fatigued greeting to her guardian. Kurenai responded in kind, before falling into silence the whole entire ride home as she always was, giving Hinata time to decompress rather than adding to the girl’s overstimulated senses with idle conversation.

Hinata was grateful for the concession.

Though her mind did briefly touch on a comparison of decompressing with Naruto’s ceaseless chatter and Kurenai’s well intentioned questions and non-threatening conversation, she was too tired to try and investigate why she could tolerate the former but not the latter.

There were too many things on her mind already for her to want to add anything new.

“Why don’t you lie down for a bit, honey,” Kurenai encouraged as the entered their two bedroom home, “dinner is a while off and you look tired.”

Grateful, Hinata nodded and headed to her bedroom, knowing over dinner, Kurenai would ask if she’d had an episode at school, how she’d handled it, how she was fairing now. Hinata didn’t want to talk about it, she never truly did, but to ease Kurenai’s mind…to avoid being seen as someone troublesome, she’d talk.

But…

She needed energy to handle that conversation, and right now, she was drained.

She dropped her bag on her bed, only for it to promptly tip over.

Her phone slid from the bag.

She reached for it, curiosity briefly poking through her exhaustion.

She hadn’t gotten a chance to look at the apps Naruto put on her phone, or ask him what any of them were for. Swiping up to remove her screensaver, Hinata looked over the unfamiliar apps, hesitant to touch any of them. The only application she knew how to use was call and text, though she was so slow texting she was better off calling the few people in her contacts.

But…

She should try and learn how to use these right?

She couldn’t be scared of everything, no one was looking over her shoulder, no one would come after her if she made a mistake-

A soft knock on the door startled her.

She jumped, clasping her phone between her hands in desperate bid to keep it from falling to the floor.

“Y-yes,” she called out, heart thudding against her ribcage.

A combination of her irrational fear that someone had come to punish her in advance of an impending mistake, and her very real fear of breaking her phone, something she had been given, was probably very expensive and could land her in a heap of trouble she was convinced she’d one day find herself in since the very day Kurenai took her in, sending her pulse racing…Kurenai said it was okay if she made mistakes, that it wasn’t a big deal, that she didn’t have to walk on eggshells and stress over stepping over some invisible line Kurenai had never drawn.

Despite her best efforts, Hinata wasn’t convinced.

Letting go of nearly two decades of abusive conditioning was far easier said than done.

She just…felt better, safer , keeping her guard up.

At least for now.

“Sorry to disturb you honey, I know you wanted to rest but…” came Kurenai’s response, slight muffled by the door, “can I come in?”

The question was a little less disconcerting than it was months ago, though Hinata couldn’t help but cringe a bit inside. This was Kurenai’s house, not hers and it felt a bit wrong that her guardian had to knock and ask permission to enter a room that essentially, belonged to her.

What right did Hinata have to privacy in someone else’s home?

At least…that’s what father used to say.

The door opened, and Kurenai entered.

Hinata expected her normal, serene guardian, instead, she saw something on the older woman’s face she hadn’t seen in weeks, something she was trying, but failing to hide.

Worry.

Genuine worry.

Like a sponge to water, Hinata soaked up the tension.

Stomach tightening, mouth drying, string of anxiety wrapping themselves around her throat.

“Can you come down stairs for a minute?” Kurenai asked, “we have a visitor.”

She didn’t want to…

Gods truth she didn’t want to.

She knew who was down there even if Kurenai purposely left them unnamed.

Hinata stood and followed her guardian, her movements wooden, nearly robotic, every delicate muscle in her body taunt and stiff. Her mind was a haze of terrified panic wrapped in a flimsy veil of numbness, teetering on the edge of what had to be madness. She quietly prayed Kurenai wouldn’t touch her right now, that she wouldn’t go beyond her current mother hen hovering.

Hinata knew she wouldn’t be able to handle the contact.

Not right now.

Not for hours after this ‘visit’ was over.

Panic bled through the veil, dragging her feet to a halt midway down the staircase. She stood frozen in place, knowing what was to come, that it was inevitable, and yet unable to stop herself from dragging her heels in a desperate bid to slow the arrival of yet another chapter in what seemed to be a never ending nightmare…

Careful not to touch her, but close enough to pierce her surreal bubble, Kurenai urged quietly, soothingly, “come, Hinata, come sit down, sweetheart. Ms. Nomura wants to speak with us.”

Hinata barely heard the words but her body reacted, carrying her down the last few steps.

Autopilot navigating her to the small, cozy living room where a sharply dressed, middle aged woman sat on the couch.

A woman Hinata was so, so grateful for…

A woman she always dreaded seeing the most .

Shizune Nomura.

A representative of the district attorney’s office, assistant district attorney of Tsunade Senju, and current prosecuting attorney representing the state in her father’s impending felony attempted murder criminal trial.

Though, it was only one case in a string of prosecutions.

In the chaotic, hours, days, weeks after Hinata’s near murder, authorities rounded up those responsible for the violence dished out to her that day and every incident of abuse before it.

Hiashi Hyuuga and several members of her family, relatives that participated in the abuse alongside extended family that hadn’t hurt her but knew of the abuse but did nothing to stop it, were facing a wide range of charges from misdemeanor to felony. A truly disturbing list of charges the public hasn’t seen in years, however, it was Hiashi’s final act of violence that overshadowed it all, that last explosion of rage that drew the media’s dogged coverage of the once well respected, obscenely wealthy businessman who came from old money and could trace his lineage back to several generations of obscenely wealthy Hyuugas’, tried and almost succeeded in killing his own daughter.

“Hello again, Miss. Hyuuga,” Shizune greeted her, standing out of courtesy, and giving a respectful bow, “I do apologize for interrupting your evening.”

Hinata swallowed, struggling to pry her lips apart and failing.

She returned the bow instead then sat, dropping a bit heavily, in an nearby armchair.

Hinata watched, heart pounding in her ears as Shizune retook her seat, smoothing lines from her pristine, sharply ironed pantsuit as she did.

Kurenai took a seat on the couch with Shizune, though she slid all the way to the end closer to Hinata, creating a huge gap between both women. Unable to help herself, Hinata’s eyes twitched in her guardian’s direction. Kurenai stared back at her, offering voiceless strength and mute support through the liquid intensity of her carmine eyes.

“I know you’re worried,” Shizune murmured, dragging both women’s attention to her, though the prosecutor only had eyes for the shell shocked teen, “and after our last visit, I’m sure I’m probably the last person you want to see.”

Shizune was being modest in her description of the teen’s reluctance.

In reality, Hinata would rather be anywhere else in the world than where she was now, who she was with now.

Shizune herself wasn’t the source of Hinata’s stress-induced responses, rather, it was the updates Shizune brought with her that coaxed true terror from the emotionally vulnerable girl. Most of them were pretty standard, some even predictable, like her father’s lawyers utilizing every trick in the book to delay the trial, filing appeals and motions to dismiss less than air-tight charges. These update had become somewhat routine with a mild impact to her anxiety, however, the last time Shizune sat in that chair, she’d told her that her father was using his money, connections and sheer tenacity to try and get his ‘no-bond’ status overturned, and subsequently released from jail until the trial.

A bail hearing had been set, though, Hinata hadn’t wanted to be told the date, knowing she’d obsess over the countdown to the day, slowly but surely driving herself insane.

But it lingered in the back of her mind.

The possibility that her father would get out of jail.

What he’d do to her if he did…

“Now,” Shizune sighed, drawing Hinata’s scattered attention, “I’ll warn you, not everything is going to be good news this time, and I know that’s not what you were hoping to hear but its not all bad either. Breathe, honey. Okay? Just breathe through this, and I’ll tell you what your next steps are going forward, okay?”

Hinata nodded again, her vocal cords too tight to force words through.

Her head felt like air on her shoulders, her clammy palms shaking, nearly deaf to to the words Shizune spoke as her heart drummed against her eardrums.

She knew in the back of her mind what these symptoms were.

Telltale signs of an impending fainting episode.

Hinata fought for consciousness, her stomach heaving nausea as she waited breathless for Shizune to speak next.

“Hinata, are you alright?”

Hinata wasn’t sure which woman asked, despite staring directly at the one of them, submerged as she was in that strange place between surreal laced dread and hyper focused expectation she was missing glaringly obvious observations in single minded pursuit of unknown details.

“So, good news first. The bond hearing went exactly the way we wanted, Judge Chiriku denied the motion to lift your father’s ‘no bond’ judgment, not just because your father is a flight risk, but due to the severity of the crimes he’s accused of committing, the extent and length of time the bulk of your abuse occurred…” her lips thinned, onyx eyes lighting with righteous ire, “Judge Chiriku and I understand very well the monster we have behind bars, and I promise you, we will do everything in our power to keep him there until the day he stands to answers for those crimes.”

Relief, overwhelming relief swelled just below the frozen lake of numbness surrounding her, so sharp and potent it hurt. Her spine wilted a bit, sending her melting back into the soft cushions of her armchair, feeling more faint than she had before, Hinata struggled to breathe.

To really absorb the news in all it’s entirely.

Father wasn’t getting out.

He would remain in prison until the trial…

For now, she was safe.

She was trembling she realized distantly, the strength that’d kept her spine stiff threatening to buckle entirely. Her earlier exhaustion was nothing compared to how wrung out and run down she felt now but she forced herself to endure just a bit longer, to push through to see the other side of this coin.

“Thank goodness,” Kurenai whispered at the pale girl sagging in the armchair to her right, her emotional eyes a manifestation of the soothing hug Hinata knew the older woman wanted to give her.

Hinata drew on the compassionate expression, eking out a small second wind from it’s warmth, wrapping it around herself in an unconscious effort to thaw the cold emptiness spreading through her body.

Shizune allowed herself a small smile, happy to impart something good for once.

Then, she took a breath, setting Hinata once more on full alert.

“Now, Hinata, before I we move on to the next bit of information, I need you to listen all the way to the end. Can you do that for me? Just breathe and listen, okay?”

She must have nodded, because Shizune nodded too.

“Unfortunately, your aunt Suzume was able to make bail, this morning” the prosecutor stated, rushing to add as Hinata’s eyes grew wide and panicked, her pale skin taking on a sickly pallor, “she’s been placed under house arrest and released until the trial. If she goes anywhere she’s not’s pre-approved to be the authorities will apprehend her immediately, and she’ll be back in jail with new charges and no chance of a second release.”

Hinata felt reality shift, gravity tilting on its axis even though she was was sitting still.

Shizune was up and around the coffee table, placing her hands on the armchair as she dropped into a squat in front of the stone still girl, catching her moonstone eyes with the fierceness of her dark ones, “breathe, Hinata…breathe honey. You are still covered by the protective order, she can’t get anywhere near you. Trust me. I saw her, that woman was desperate to get out of jail, she doesn’t want to go back, and she knows , the judge warned her in no uncertain terms that if she comes within 1500 feet of you she is done . Bond revoked, back behind bars until trial. No exceptions.”

Hinata felt Kurenai shadow on her left, her presence equal parts comforting, equal parts as suffocating as Shizune’s at her feet.

Her skin felt too tight…

She was surrounded…the walls closing in-

“Listen, listen to me, she won’t get near you. No communication of any kind, verbal, written, third party, nothing , and if you even suspect anything like that is occurring, even if you aren’t completely sure, contact the police and then contact my office immediately after and we’ll take our findings straight to the judge. Judge Chiriku made clear that…”

Hinata wilted for a second time, the conversation around her sailing over her head.

They didn’t know aunt Suzume…

Aunt Suzume adored her brother, would do anything for him, even violate a restraining and return to prison, anything to stop her from, through bribes or threats.

Hinata didn’t want to testify. She didn’t want to get up on that stand and relive her past but…

If she didn’t see this through, if she didn’t stand strong and tell her story beneath the glare of his white eyes and an audience of strangers Hinata knew her father would go free.

He’d throw every dime of his considerable wealth at rigging the scales of justice, call on every high profile official that owed him a favor to place their thumb on levers of power that were supposed to be impartial but weren’t. Hiashi Hyuuga was already engaging in these nefarious endeavors to a lessor extent, but with her testimony, it would be harder for his schemes to work. Nearly impossible to sanitize his image with the evidence of her horrible injuries memorialized in the stark digital cameras of KPD and the first hand testimony of the victim in those photos.

If she didn’t take the stand then…

Then…

He’d get out, and he’d come after her and anything he’d ever done to her in her miserable life would be acts of kindness compared to what he’d do to her once he got her hands on her.

He’d kill her.

She knew that, she’d know it the night she escaped.

But he’d make her suffer first.

He’d destroy her down to the very raw composition of her soul before finishing what he started, what he nearly accomplished that fateful night.

-

She was excused from sitting in on the less earth shattering court updates.

She stood in her room for countless moments, unable to make her body function, her thoughts to restart.

She was empty inside, hallowed painfully that the sudden silence around her hurt.

It hit her all at once.

Fear, panic, hopeless despair, and a festering cauldron of a emotions so dark, so overwhelmingly potent she was propelled to the bathroom at a near sprint, barely getting the lid up before her stomach violently evacuated its contents.

-

Hinata lay staring at the ceiling long after midnight, numb and weary and yet so far out of range of sleep.

She’d taken all her nighttime meds, the ones that were supposed to calm her mind and shut her body down when she couldn’t do it herself. She may as well have skipped them for all their efficacy tonight, and a slightly paranoid piece of her overwrought mind wondered if they had been placebo tablets this entire time.

Maybe she should take another dose of Desyrel, just this once.

Anything to disconnected herself from reality-

Every delicate muscle in her body locked, every inch of her freezing but her wide, frightened eyes drifting slowly to the shadow standing on the right side of her bed.

She barely made out white eyes in the darkness before a hand wrapped around her throat.

She kicked her feet uselessly as she was dragged from her bed, hands instinctively clawing at the hands around her neck, though she didn’t make a sound, disgustingly hardwired to keep quiet when father used her as a punching bag, her pitiful default set to keeping silent until the violence was over and she was left in a pool of agony alone in the attic or wherever her father saw fit to leave her battered body.

The hands at her throat tightened, cutting off her oxygen and shutting down any attempt to speak at all.

She awoke on a silent scream, scrambling for her bedside lamp, damp, shaky fingers missing twice before pulling the short chain and flooding her bedroom with light.

She panted in the brightness, gasping in great heaves in a desperate bid to fill her lungs.

To prove that she could breathe .

That her father hadn’t truly been strangling the life out of her-

A sob left her throat despite herself, fisting her dark hair she pressed her shaking hands to her crown, fighting the urge to scream, to give voice to the crushing weight living life in this world was placed on her slender shoulders.

Emotion hit her in writhing waves, crashing over her with brute force.

She rode out her anguish for what felt like a torturous eternity, rocking forward and back, her shaking hand pressed against her mouth as she wept.

She felt even more run down in the aftermath.

Listing to the side where the wall met her bed, head landing with a thud she didn’t care about nor did she feel.

How long she sat there, staring at nothing, she didn’t know.

Maybe she would have stayed like that all night had birdlike chirp not pierced her zombied state. She glanced at her phone, blink away tears as she did.

Her screen was lit up with a little information bubble.

A notification from that app…LINE.

She reached for her phone, already knowing who it was since she only had one friend on the application.

Swiping away her screensaver, Hinata clicked on the little green icon and opened the message to read.

UzuRuto : hey, I no its late n ur probly sleep so hopefully u read this b4 u try 2 leave 2morrow mornin but can we meet a lil later 4 the project? my dumbass had the wrong time 4 my club n so i cant meet u that early. Only reason i even knew it wus wrong is cuz dad makes a schedule evry month n tapes it to the fridge bc me and ma cant get our sh*t 2gether n remember what time we gotta b where. went 2 get a snack a few minutes ago n saw it. Almost spilled my cup noodles tryna get my phone to text ya. anyway we can meet up at 12 instead? then we can use rest of the day to work on it. bring a lunch wit u.

It was hard to understand the abbreviated words and strange phrasing but…she got the gist of it, or hoped she did. Bringing her knees to her chest, Hinata brought the phone to her knees and carefully type her response in chat box.

HinaHina : Ok.

She hadn’t given herself that name, Naruto had, chuckling at her blank-eyed curiosity with an explanation that he was ‘ass at coming up with cool usernames’, not that she minded. Hinata didn’t know the first thing about creating a username and was probably far worse than he could ever be at it.

She’d barely put the phone down when it chimed with a response.

UzuRuto : o ur up. surprised. u stay up to watch anime on adult swim 2?

Like many thing, Hinata didn’t know what that meant.

Emotions still running high, the lack of knowledge made her feel a bit weepy.

Through watery eyes, she typed back.

HinaHina : Whats adult swim?

UzuRuto : are u kiddin????

HinaHina : no

And for the next few hours, Naruto explained that and more in a series of text imbued with his sunny energy and animated way of speaking.

List after list of his favorite shows and lines. Endless, colorful, vibrant themed stickers and short clips.

Hinata felt…warm as she read his wall of text.

The hallowed corners of her mind held at bay by the radiance of the teen on the other end of her LINE.

¸*´¨`*•.¸｡ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`*•.¸｡¸ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`*•.¸｡¸*

Another one :D Next chapter is like 60% done I think. I’m really in the Butterfly head space ya’ll! Think it’s because I can’t wait to get to all the juicy stuff, lol.

In case you all didn’t know, a few writers and myself did a small DILF Naruto event and put all our works in a collection. You can find that collection on my recent 3 part short fic called f*ck Around And Find Out. Funny title I know, lol.

FYI, Prey is probably going to be updated once I’m over my Butterfly addiction, don’t hold me to it though!

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed!

Sun is up and I’m sleepy! Goodnight!

Laters!

Sessakag~

Chapter 9: Forbidden Fruit

Chapter Text

Chapter Eight

Forbidden Fruit

May 14, 2016

-

Something was up with her today.

Seemed like a redundant, kinda stupid observation for him to make considering there always seemed to be something up with her, or, at the very least, every time he interacted with her there was.

This time though, this was different.

She looked…tired.

Like the worn-down-tired his dad got when he pulled three all-nighters in a row at his home office and had to either drag himself to the coffee pot or dissolve into a puddle of exhaustion and hope mom moped him in the direction of the bed. She looked a bit worse than do though. All slumped, slender shoulders and droopy pale eyes, the slight puffiness highlighted by the faint crescent rings of shadow underneath them, like she didn’t get enough sleep last night or got up too early this morning and was dead on her feet. Moving like she barely had enough energy to put one foot in front of the other.

And she was quiet .

Another observation he’d consider stupid as hell since Hinata Hyuuga was always quiet.

This wasn’t like her normal mousy-shy, wallflower-quiet though.

Everyone had a vibe, at least to him they did, he could feel it like tiny radiating suns, Hinata’s was always dimmer than most people’s but it was there.

Right now, he couldn’t even tell she was there if he didn’t look.

Everything about her was muted, like she’d collapsed in on herself overnight.

Not a single soft pink blush dusted her cheeks when he got close to her today nor did he see any hunched shoulder head ducks whenever he caught her peeking at him when she thought he wasn’t looking, because she hadn’t once looked in his direction. She was completely stoic, behaving like she wasn’t alone in the school science lab with her high school crush.

He could be a part of the wall for all the attention she paid him.

He glanced at her working silently beside him at their metal table that usually seated four people.

She was definitely out of it today.

Her eyes were trained to her task with empty fixation, following the leisurely clips of her scissors as she cut through black construction paper for their background, her movements screaming autopilot. He could probably chalk it up to the mind-numbing simplicity of their tasks, their part of the project wasn’t all that hard and didn’t require much thinking. Their third partner was doing the most complicated part. Shikamaru didn’t even get out of bed today, texting that he’d ‘rig up’ the mechanical part of their orrery, while they put together a starlit background and makeshift planets that they’d plop on the orrery to spin around each other, which Naruto was hoping would net them some extra credit because students usually glued plants on a stick and called it a day.

So yeah.

Make some planets and a background.

Easy peasy on their part, but it shouldn’t have her this disconnected, right?

He wasn’t reading too much into this was he?

He shrugged.

Well, he’d never been one to sit around and speculate.

“Hey, what’s up with you today?” he asked, putting his scissors down and turning his body fully towards her, “you tired or something?”

She startled then turned wide eyes to him, finally giving him a ‘normal’ uniquely-Hinata response, for the first time since they started nearly an hour ago.

That was something at least.

“Did I keep you up too long last night talking about anime?” he asked, which had been his first assumption, “my bad, ‘ttebayo.”

She was shaking her head before he finished, a hint of color touching her cheeks, “n-n-no…I appreciated your texts, they didn’t bother me at all.”

“You sure?” he probed with a curious head tilt, pointing out, “because we were up pretty late last night and you look tired as hell.”

Some of that extra time spent was in part a consequence of waiting on replies from Hinata.

She was a super slow texter.

Like nearly grandma slow, but she did pick up the pace a bit the longer they texted, even adopting abbreviations in his messages and using them in hers. For a little while, conversation flowed back and forth smooth as butter, but ground to a halt when he told her to google something he couldn’t really explain in texts and she texted him back ‘what’s a google?’.

He was convinced she was raised in an extremely strict family that cut out all things fun, banned all teen-normal activities and kept her in a box when she wasn’t at school, because there was no f*ckin way she was this behind the times and not living with aggressively restrictive parents.

No f*ckin way.

Maybe Hinata had a Kyōiku mama on her ass twenty-four-seven, it’d explain why she could keep pace with Shikamaru academically but didn’t know sh*t about the world around her.

He couldn’t say he was bothered by her extreme lack of knowledge of so much teen-normal sh*t

In fact he actually found it fun filling in the blanks for her, there weren’t many people he could go on and on and on about the stuff he liked to, and Hinata seemed like she was really interested in the things he chewed her ear off about night.

Sakura-chan and the other girls would’ve lost interest and told him to shut up or stopped replying after the first five minutes.

The guys already knew all about his favorite shows and movies, they obsessed over them too. In this case, they probably would’ve gotten bored with the conversation or started a heated debate/argument over details and ambiguous plot points both parties were so sure they had the correct interpretation for and f*ck what anyone else was talking about, and Naruto wasn’t about to argue with anybody when he knew was right!

“I…” she trailed off, swallowing as that color faded away, and the dullness he noticed earlier rushed back full force, “I…have t-t-trouble sleeping at night s-s-sometimes and last night w-w-was a bad night for me…” she looked up at him again, looking a bit weepy, “your texts really h-h-helped me…thank you.”

“Yeah, no problem,” he replied, a little thrown off being thanked for blowing her phone with stupid anime sh*t though he shouldn’t be since she thanked for every thing he did no matter how small and insignificant, but he was more so thrown off by the impending waterworks pooling in the waterline of her eyes. He raked his brain for a way to head em’ off, “so…you have like, insomnia or something?”

“S-s-sometimes,” she admitted, fingers fidgeting, “it not as b-bad as it use to be, but…s-s-stress m-makes it worse…”

f*ck.

“What had you stressed out that bad?” he frowned, “was it that sh*t I pulled at lunch or in Sarutobi-sensei class. sh*t. Sorry about all that, I-”

She shook her head again, “it w-w-wasn’t that, I p-p-promise, I just…”

He saw it coming in the wobble of her bottom lip, the crease of her dark brows, the painful look in her milky eyes.

sh*t…

“Just…” her mouth opened and closed, then opened again, her eyes fused to his, saying a lot of things, but none of it he could understand, before she whispered, faintly, “the p-p-project.”

His brows creased.

“The project?” he parroted.

That’s not what he’d been expecting.

Something more along the lines of her dog died or her grandma was in the hospital.

The way she was looking right now, all heartbroken and stressed and so damn scared it made his own chest ache, seemed completely out of proportion to whatever could possibly be bothering her about their school project considering it was literally the easiest assignment of all of them.

“We h-h-have to p-p-present,” she continued as the first tear traced her right cheek, “and I s-s-stutter…I c-c-can’t…s-s-stop…”

That admission was like that stick that broke the camel’s back.

Hitched breaths left her throat a moment before an outpouring of tears flowed down her cheeks.

Dammit…

Him and tears did not mix at all.

But…

He sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes searched the room.

“That’s no reason to cry, dattebayo,” he muttered, leaning over to tear a paper towel off a nearby dispenser, then stooping a bit to mop at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

She always so jumpy and stiff when he touched her, but she didn’t startle at all when he tilted her chin up to soak up the rest of her impromptu fountain, the lack of reaction highlight just how upset she had to be in this moment to stand pliant under his hand.

“You coulda just told me it was stressing you out, ya know,” he told her as he moved the paper lightly over her cheeks.

Maybe this made him a weirdo to notice at a time like this but…Hinata cried really…pretty.

Like he sometimes saw in movies or shows.

Dainty little boohoo sobs, shiny crystalline tears, pouting lower lip and red tipped button nose.

Like a sad little kitten tugging on his heartstrings.

His lingering discomfort with battling tears faded into the background as he rubbed circles on her shoulder the way his mom used to when he fell down at the park and skinned his knee as a kid, murmuring in what he hoped was a soothing tone, “it’s okay, ya know, I already came up with a plan for this, ‘ttebayo.”

In hindsight, he probably should have told her about the plan too.

Probably could have avoided this whole situation.

She took a shuddering breath, wiping at her tears with the back of her hand.

Now he felt bad for not saying anything.

He didn’t fully register the amount of contact he was having with her until after he’d already cupped her small hand in his, and though she did seem to still, she didn’t pull away.

Naruto always felt overgrown among his peers, standing taller than most, martial arts and a healthy appetite adding bulk to his once toothpick skinny, gangly form, but next to Hinata he felt like a giant, and not only because he towered over her and outweighed her soaking weight with cinder blocks tied to her ankles. She was petite, compact and mini everywhere but a few places, and her hand swallowed in his only emphasized their size difference.

His tanned hand dwarfed hers, beneath his fingertips, her delicate bones felt fragile.

He gave her dainty appendage a soft, reassuring squeeze, not too tight, curbing his strength probably more than was necessary.

Real gentle-like…

She seemed to have a knack for pulling a lot of ‘gentle’ out from him lately.

Gentleness he’d never known he had in him to be honest.

He’d never touched any girl so carefully that he could remember, not even Sakura-chan, nor had ever had to extend his usually limited patience to keep himself gentle. He was a little impressed that he’d gotten this far when gentle wasn’t exactly a part of his makeup.

The whole shift was strange to him…but not a bad kinda strange.

Just felt new, maybe a little exciting in a way.

Every relationship he had ever had, friendships included, were always racing a mile a minute, intensity on top of intensity, roughhousing and drag out arguments and even physical fights, but this slow trek with Hinata was the complete opposite.

And…

Kinda nice, even if it meant he had to be a windshield wiper for her tears at times.

“Hey,” he coaxed, tugging softly on her shaking hand in a bid for her attention, “it’s okay…okay?”

Red rimmed lilac found his own sapphire blue.

They sparkled with unshed tears, speaking that silent language he didn’t understand, so intense he felt more like a lifeline than a knucklehead teen awkwardly trying to soothe a crying girl.

“I already gotcha covered,” he reassured her with a bright grin he hoped would get the waterworks to stop, “you’ll be our demonstrator, all you have to do is make the planets spin around. I’ll do all the talking, and Shikamaru’s on clean up duty cuz I’m gonna f*ckin butcher a lot of these nerdy-ass-encyclopedia-long words.”

Her lips parted, those unshed tears finally overflowing, but she seemed more frozen than on the verge of another full on crying session.

He’d take that over the alternative.

“You won’t have to say a word,” he told her, trying to turn his words into a tourniquet against another round of tears, “I promise, and Naruto Uzumaki never goes back on his word, ya know. So calm down, okay? You don’t have to worry about the project anymore. Everything’ll be okay. You won’t be up there alone, I’ll be right there with you, alright?”

She was silent as cemetery and just as still as one, and he wondered if she heard him, if she believed them.

Her eyes slowly dipped down, latching on their still joined hands, her shoulders hitching as a shaky exhalation left her lips.

He prepped himself for a meltdown, already detaching their hands and gearing up to apologize for breaking what was essentially an unspoken ‘no touching’ rule when he felt her little fingers curl around his hand, reclaiming the distance he’d put between them, mimicking his earlier gentle squeeze.

Voiceless confirmation she heard him.

Believed him.

He exhaled amused exasperation with her, the left corner of his lip twitching upwards, “you’re a whole lotta work Hyuuga, ya know that?”

She blinked at him, looking a little taken aback.

“I’m joking,” he clarified, because clearly her family wasn’t a bunch of jokesters like his, “anyway, I was gonna ask you this last study hall but forgot, but if you want, we could work on your stuttering too. We can do half and half. Half calc tutoring, half practicing the words that trip you up.”

She bit her lip, eyes dropping to their hands again, still intertwined, and despite her earlier tolerance for the contact, he waited for her to freak out now that she was calmer, to get all tense and scared and make him feel like a monster kicking a defenseless bunny.

Lucky for his self-esteem, she didn’t.

Instead, she exhaled a shuddering breath, her clammy palm shaking in his, but she met his eyes again, and nodded her head.

Why he felt happy as a damn clam to see what he could only assume was determination in her eyes, he didn’t know.

Maybe because she kept proving she was a lot tougher than he gave her credit for?

If nothing else, Naruto respected guts, in all shapes, forms and sizes.

“Let’s do it then,” he declared quietly.

She shifted her weight, eyes dipping to her toes, but this time, he didn’t mind it so much. Not when the pretty petal pink he was used to seeing when he was around her returned with a vengeance, melding into a rich carmine he hadn’t seen before.

He didn’t have to guess why that made him happy as a calm.

What guy wouldn’t want a hot girl crushin’ on him?

“No more crying,” he cajoled, “let’s go have lunch instead. It’s almost three and I am starving, dattebayo.”

She didn’t protest as he led the way, grabbing his wrapped up lunch from it place beside their unfinished project as he passed their work table.

Nor did she balk at the fact that he kept her hand in his as they made their way outside.

Only when he found them a shady spot under a tree, a little ways from the track team sprinting around the track did he release her hand, though, it was a slow unravel, palms parting, fingers sliding, catching, then reluctant disconnect.

She took her hand back and pressed it to her chest, cupping it with her other hand as her face heated up, eyes drifting to the manicured grass beneath their feet.

He didn’t comment on the action, though he took it as a positive.

He noticed something else though.

“Where’s your lunch?” he asked, looking over her as though it’d pop out of thin air, “did you forget to grab it outta the science lab? I can go get it”

She shook her head, shoulders hunching as she admitted, “I forgot it at h-h-home…”

Considering how distraught she was earlier, he wasn’t surprised.

“Well we can share mine, ma likes to pack my lunch like she’s feeding a whole football team, don’t try and be nice and say no, I really can’t eat all of this food. You’d be doing me a solid, ya know. Ma hates when I waste food, and even if I lie and tell her I ate it all, she can sniff out my bullsh*t a mile away.”

“Oh…um…t-thank you,” she whispered, taking a seat in a shady spot a small distance from the massive tree.

“Don’t sweat it,” he replied, sitting next to her and unwrapping the tangerine furoshiki surrounding his three tiered bento box.

Typical ma.

Bite-size fried chicken with tamagoyaki, broccoli, tomato, sautéed spinach, and onigiri with embarrassing faces in the bottom container. Inside the second level, a ham cheese sandwich cut diagonally, carrots and celery. At the very top of the stack, a liberal helping of strawberries, grapes and apples.

“See what I mean?” he chuckled, “the guys usually fight over who’s gettin’ the extras. I think that’s why mom makes so much, tryna feed the group instead of her little boy.”

He took the squares apart, then held out the one with the sandwich slices to her.

Then she got strange again.

She took out out like she was afraid to drop it, all careful and gentle like she was reaching for a newborn, then she just…stared at it, getting all misty eyed, leaving him struggling to make heads or tails of her behavior.

Hinata Hyuuga was a mystery that never seemed to end.

“Don’t like ham and cheese?” he asked jokingly, even as mind pleaded, ‘please do not start crying again .’

“I-I do…” she whispered, wiping her eyes and sniffling but thankfully no real tears, “just…this s-s-sandwiches reminds me of a boy that s-s-shared his s-s-sandwich with me w-w-when I was a little girl.”

He blinked.

Okay…

Strange to get all sentimental over a little boy sharing a sandwich, but okay.

Maybe she was still feeling sensitive.

He could deal with that.

“That’s nice, kid sharing his lunch with ya.”

She nodded, her eyes soft as she looked at the sandwich in her hand, “he was far k-k-kinder than he realized to s-s-share with me.”

He wondered what she meant by that, but, she’d already taken a bite, and he hadn’t lied, he was starving.

They shared his lunch in companionable silence, another rarity for him, actually shutting the hell up and eating. He found surprising enjoyable, relaxing especially with the nice breeze sweeping across the field. He gave her his chopstick despite her protests and ate his portion with his hands, glad all of it was essentially finger foods.

Their next hick-up was over strawberries of all things.

“You’ve never had strawberries before?” he asked, stunned, “what planet are you from, Hinata?”

She started fiddling with her skirt, thumbs dancing around each other as she ducked his eyes and explained.

“I’m n-n-not allowed to-” she stopped, blinking as though she’d said something unexpected before amending her first statement with, “I w-w-wasn’t allowed to h-h-have them when I was little…”

“Why’s that? Are you allergic or something?”

She shook her head, “my…father w-w-was really s-s-strict…he forbade it…”

That sounded really stupid to him.

What’s wrong with letting a kid have a strawberry if they weren’t allergic to them?

Her dad kinda sounded like a dick.

“Well sh*t, even more reason to scarf em down,” he grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes, “daddy ain’t here to forbid it, and you’re not a little kid anymore.”

He grabbed the container of fruit.

“Here, try one,” he encouraged, holding out his container, wagging his brows, “have your first taste of the forbidden fruit.”

She paused, looking a little weary at the fruit before reaching out.

Her hand shook a bit as she plucked one out, and if that wasn’t strange enough, she hesitated again, staring at the succulent berry as though actually afraid to eat it.

Maybe she thought it’d taste like ass.

Strawberries did look kinda crazy.

“It tastes good, I promise,” he vouched for the red fruit, “give it a try, you’ll like it.”

Another pause, then she popped it in her mouth and chewed, her slowly widening eyes finding his as she munched.

“It’s m-mushy but s-s-sweet like juice,” she told him a bit breathlessly as though he didn’t know what they tasted it like.

Her eyes were surprised.

Wide and bright and…

He’d…never seen anyone’s eyes light up like that, least of all hers, when they weren’t glued to the floor, her pale eyes were usually dull and weary…maybe that’s why he’d found them so creepy.

The way they looked now though…

Shining like those pretty moonstones his mom bought on her crystal fad, completely opposite from the listless dead girl eyes that made him uncomfortable, and with her plump lips glistening from the fruit and her cheeks colored a healthy flush, the combination…

…made him wanna kiss her.

The sudden urge clued him in on something weird he hadn’t noticed until now. Thoughts like the ones he was having now hadn’t really crossed his mind since he took Kiba’s suggestion and hatched this surprisingly effective plan to put Sakura-chan in her place.

It wasn’t like he did find Hinata pretty, because he did.

In fact, he thought she was beautiful in that delicate princess sort of way, and he was more than a little attracted to her curvaceous body, definitely more so than he’d been to any other girl…even Sakura-chan.

His eyes dipped, sliding over her soft purple long-sleeved shirt, lingering on the heavy breasts that tightened the top of the otherwise loose fabric, leaving the hem to dangle even further from her flat stomach, creating that tantalizing gap identical to the one that drew his eyes when she wore her school uniform. Her jean skirt was as boring as boring could be, deep blue, belted above her naval and covering the length of her legs down to her dainty sandaled feet. If he didn’t already know, he’d have learned just by checking her out, that any boring skirt could be made interesting with the right body filling it out.

And Hinata had the right body to make it interesting.

He was sure she’d be embarrassed if she knew her wide hips and plump ass were the main attraction in her modest getup, that the tough jean material only showcasing how round and weighty her rear-end truly was, something even the school uniform skirts hid.

None of this, this simmering attraction had been more than a quiet whisper in his head.

Now that he was on that train of thought, he also realized he hadn’t even tried his usual routine of flirt, flatter and f*ck with her, a combo that always worked out for him when his relationship status with Sakura-chan was set to ‘off-again-for-the-millionth-time’ and he was looking for an in-between to tide him over until his status flipped in the opposite direction. He hadn’t dropped a pick up line, hadn’t tried to charmed her, hadn’t done anything but get caught up in the mystery that was Hinata Hyuuga.

Her shy, skittish nature and hushed mouthed secrets overshadowing nearly everything, her fear and tears functioning like blinders to his ultimate goal.

But now…

With her eyes shinning, her lips parted, her expression the most open he’d ever seen it, that initial attraction was suddenly surging to the forefront, no longer simmering, but on a slow creep to an all out boil.

“Yeah,” he chuckled, jump starting his brain to focus on the conversation, only half succeeding judging by the low huskiness attached to his voice, “that’s why people like ‘em. Gonna guess you come from a really strict family, huh? You never heard of LINE, never had strawberries, never heard of Adult Swim, never watched anime, bet there’s a ton of other normal stuff you’ve never done, right?”

“Strict…” she parroted faintly, lips turning down, “yes…very strict…there’s a lot I w-w-wasn’t allowed to t-t-try.”

“Stick with me then,” Naruto boasted, giving her a confident chin lift and a co*cky grin, “I’ll get ya up to speed in no time, dattebayo.”

Silence greeted his declaration, and he would have taken that as a rejection of his offer if he wasn’t reading her body language.

She was back to her bashful self, twiddling her thumbs in her lap, hiding behind her dark hair even as her eyes played hide-and-seek with his, “o-okay….t-thank you, N-N-Naruto-kun…”

He listed towards her as she spoke, not just to catch her soft words, but because this new way she whispered his name was far sweeter than the strawberries they shared.

“T-t-thank you for always…being k-k-kind to me,” her voice was like music notes, gentle and soothing, but somehow coaxing something heavy and warm in his chest, “from the very beginning…I c-c-couldn’t have gotten this far w-w-without you…you t-truly don't know how m-much it m-means to me…”

He couldn’t say he didn’t feel like the guy that hung the moon for her in that moment, that her gratitude didn’t make him feel ten feet tall, because it did. Naruto knew bullsh*t, he could bullsh*t with the best of them, and that made him particularity good at sniffing it out. He’d never caught a whiff on Hinata. For all her gloom and tears, she was the most sincere girl he’d met in his life, and knowing that she wasn’t just giving him lip service really got under his skin in the best kind of way.

Maybe he did have some kinda hero-complex or whatever the f*ck Ino said in their LINE group chat the other day.

Who the f*ck cared if he did?

A girl actually appreciating him for once made him feel good about himself, and he really didn’t give a sh*t what they wanted to call that, he was gonna soak it up as long as possible, they could laugh at him all they wanted, but right now, he was the smiling.

Besides, he was starting not to mind being the guy that came to her rescue.

Hinata made it easy for a guy to want be her knight in shinning armor.

She held the running title for sweetest girl he’d ever come across, and probably had more patience than dad did because Hinata never once needed to take a break from him during a study session while dad tapped out around the forty-five minute mark.

She was smart as sh*t, and even though she didn’t tell jokes or make wise cracks, she made him laugh in her own way.

And f*ck was she pretty.

Especially when she looked at him like she was now, her eyes all soft, bright and tear free.

He couldn’t help but wanna keep them like that.

-

Hope you all enjoyed! Looks like Naruto might be starting to fall XD He really doesn’t know how much he be keeping her afloat. If only he knew the real reason why she was crying and stressed T_T damn sure wasn’t because of the project! D: Poor cinnabun!

Don’t get too cozy with this chapter though, there’s a lot more to go before Naruto gets with the program, if he ever does, lol.

Liked the chapter? Don’t forget to drop kudos and comment!

Anyway.

Sun is up. I am shutting down.

G’night all!

Laters!

Sessakag~

Chapter 10: The Secret Secret Keeper

Chapter Text

Chapter Nine

The Secret Secret Keeper

May 14, 2016

-

She used their after lunch bathroom break to decompress.

Staring at herself in the fingerprint smeared mirror of the girls bathroom, Hinata poured every ounce of energy had in digesting, processing, and making tentative peace with the lingering swell of emotions lodged in her chest. She filled the echoing bathroom with slow, mindful breaths, inhaling through her nose, exhaling through her lips. She held onto the counter with shaky fingers, feeling more than a little overwhelmed now that she was alone with her own thoughts and the repercussions of tactile sensitivity.

Her puffy eyes shifted to that part of her Naruto had touched, peering hard at her flesh as though her eyes could detect a spectrum of light that would reveal the shape and color of the warmth his hand had left on hers.

Nothing but her own pearly skin…

…and yet she couldn’t dispel the notion that her hand was encased in a new phenomena of sensation.

Perhaps that was the reason she wasn’t completely sure how she felt right now.

There were threads of physiological responses she recognized of course.

Tremors of fading anxiety, directly responsible for her shakiness.

The ever present but, currently muted, weight of depression lying draped around her slender shoulders like a royal mantle.

Those increasingly frequent Naruto-tummy-flutters that usually felt like the soft tickle of butterfly wings, though, today had been amplified and more prominent, as though a swarm of thick feathered birds had overtaken the gentle tickles with stronger brushes lower in her belly.

Others were a mystery to her, she put these in the ‘confusing pile’.

A warm, slightly aching feeling in her chest.

An up-tick in her pulse that strangely didn’t feel like the warning signs of an impending panic attack.

One feeling floating around in the dubbed ‘confusing pile’ Hinata was sure she had a better read.

Feeling ‘safe’.

That’s what her guardian called it.

Hinata wondered if maybe…she had experienced that with Naruto today.

Kurenai described it to her once, saying it felt like being surround by your troubles but somehow knowing they couldn’t get to you.

As though there was a shield between her and the things that hurt.

Naruto’s hand in hers had felt a bit like that, like a vibrant force fending off her hurts, though she hadn’t really grasped the sensation until he started to let go of hers. Panic, a desperate need to hold onto what had to be that safety feeling, just a little longer is what curled her fingers around his retreating hand, something she wouldn’t have dared had she not been pushed so close to a mental breakdown yesterday and still toeing the line of one today.

Naruto had pulled her back from the edge for a time by planting himself firmly in her corner, holding her trauma at bay in the process, despite the fact that he’d only been championing her in regards to their physics presentation.

Her mind had taken his words and applied them to the looming overcast of trial, the persistent bogeyman that was her father and everything in this world that scared her.

She hadn’t had the strength or desire to fight that delusion, to leave that place where worry was absent.

Especially when Naruto hadn’t made her, hadn’t let go of her, indulging her instead, letting her drown contently, pathetically in her delusion as he carted her through the mostly empty hall of Ouran High, out into the sunshine where she could moderately decompress among the nonthreatening peace nature had always offered her.

Locked in a strange place of inner stillness as they moved, her eyes had inexplicably been drawn to his back.

Strength …

That was the word her mind whispered as she traced his broad shoulders filling his washed-out orange hoodie. Like he could hold the weight of the world on them and still have room enough for her burdens without bending, without stumbling or yielding.

She couldn’t help but…admire that image, that idea, even if it was only another product of her frantic need to feel safe.

Her state of relative calm lasted only until they stopped at a shady tree and he finally reclaimed his hand from her greedy clutch. Like a swelling tide, waves of involuntary responses rolled in, surging into the empty void their disconnection left behind.

Pinpricks of discomfort, realization of their prolonged contact arrived first, vibrating across her skin, whispering that his touch was an unknown threat waiting to strike. She spared mere seconds unwillingly feeding that familiar monster before the reason it reared its ugly head sank into the tattered space of her psyche.

Her world had narrowed, tuning into the Naruto-unique-warmth still engulfing her hand. Frantic Naruto-flutters made a home in her tummy, their ticklish brushes mirroring the rapid beat inside her chest; overtaking the thorns of panic nipping at her skin.

She hadn’t been able to look at him, half expecting her heart to explode if she did, though she couldn’t put her finger on why.

Or what this feeling even was.

If it was something bad or not.

She felt sick, but not.

Her stomach churning with a hot, melty sensation but she wouldn’t say she was queasy. Her palms were sweaty and her heart racing but she wasn’t in the grips of a panic attack.

There was something wrong with her…she just didn’t know what, and as he asked her where her lunch was, opening her up to burning embarrassment as she realized she’d left it sitting in the fridge, Hinata didn’t have time to try and figure that out.

The first food item he shared with her catapulted her back in time.

It’d taken everything in her not to cry, surprising her because for once, that urge to sob was attached to that happy feeling. Which was strange and a little frightening because she’d never experienced two potent responses, so far from each other on the emotional spectrum, conflicting, a rare positive and common negative occurring in a single moment.

His joke, thankfully righted her emotional ship, and for a while, she sailed on calmer seas.

His mother was an amazing cook.

Hinata liked to think it was so good mostly because it was made with a mother’s love, though, she didn’t have experience to know if such a thing was possible or if it was merely silly wistful thinking on her part.

Probably the latter.

Turbulent tides returned the moment he offered her one of the strawberries from the only brand his father trusted with one of his favorite fruits, he told her.

She’d sat rooted to the spot.

Paranoia screaming that her father was lurking on school grounds watching her contemplate breaking his rules, waiting to knock her teeth down her throat for daring to touch something forbidden to her let alone consume it. His shadow looming at her back as she held it near her lips, every instinct on high alert for his impending smack for daring to step out of line when she thought him absent, to remind her if she had forgotten, that no matter how much she tried hide her misdeeds, father would always know…

…and even if he was wrong, he’d punish her anyway to ensure he would continue to be wrong the next time he gave into his suspicions, imagined or not.

However…

Naruto’s conspiratorial grin burned away the shadows.

Her first strawberry had felt like her first taste of life and she couldn’t deny a craving for another taste, another chance to experience all the little things that made existing worthwhile.

The Naruto-flutters returned as she remembered his offer to show her those things.

Sucking in a final breath, Hinata straightened from the counter, staring at her image in the mirror once more, noting the pink in her cheeks, the hope struggling through the shadows in her eyes.

For once in her life, she had something to look forward to and she could run away from it or…

…run towards it.

-

They were back in the science lab shortly after, diligently working to get each styrofoam sphere painted, Naruto filling the quiet, studious atmosphere with grumbling about the messy paint and idle conversation about nothing. For the last few minutes he’d been quiet though, narrowing her perception to her part of the assignment.

“Holy sh*t that’s accurate as f*ck,” Naruto declared, leaning towards her end of the table to examine her nearly completed styrofoam earth, his eyes snapping to the text book image, then back again, “and it looks 3D somehow. How the hell did you do that? Didn’t know you were an artist, Hinata.”

She blinked, parting the trance-like haze the cathartic repetition of paint strokes had put her in,“I-I’m not an artist…”

“You should be,” he decided, his words sounding official and final, “you’re a natural. I’m not a artsy type guy but any dummy can see you got some serious raw talent, ‘ttebayo.”

An inferno blazed across her face, slender shoulders reaching for her ears.

“Don’t get all shy on me,” he chuckled, blue eyes taking on that warm twinkle she was coming to associate with him joking, “I’m serious, you’re pretty damn good with a paintbrush. You in any clubs yet?”

She shook her head.

“Well there’s an art club that could help you find your artist legs, one my friends is a member, he could help you get started,” his lips quirked in a frowning pout, “Sai uh….takes some getting used to though, he’s one of the few of my friend that doesn’t have a temper, never even seen him mad before, but he’s always puttin’ his foot in his mouth with the stupid sh*t he say. He’s actually harmless though, annoying as hell but harmless. Anyway, let me know if you’re interested, dattebayo.”

She nodded, knowing she probably wouldn’t have the courage to go, despite the seed of interest newly nestled within her.

Even if she didn’t join the art club, maybe she could find a way to get some paint of her own.

There was something…soothing about paining she’d discovered almost immediately.

Drawing careful, colorful lines with gentle strokes, watching beautiful hues meld or clash, highlighting or dimming their vibrant neighbor; she hadn’t been focused on anxiety or worried about her future, for that span of time she painted planet Earth, her mind had been wrapped up in her craft.

“Good thing I picked Mars,” Naruto complained, examining his own basic faded-red planet dotted with dark splatters with a harshly critical eye, “nobody can really tell how sh*tty a painter I am.”

“I think it’s n-n-nice, Naruto-kun,” she murmured, pointing to his smooth-ish base wrapped around the sphere and the careful, but slightly runny black blemishes of the planet, “all your lines are s-s-smooth, and this c-c-color is very c-close to the textbook image.”

“You’re full of sh*t,” he laughed, “it looks like the runny, sloppy, reject finger-painting of a toddler.”

She shook her head in denial, yet felt…tickled by his self-deprecating description of his work. Smiling wasn’t the only thing she couldn’t remember doing, laughing was another. Naruto was a well of new experiences for her, and the urge to laugh was one of those newfound, slowly developing experiences he was slowly coaxing from her.

“Maybe you should be in charge of the painting,” he hummed, glancing between their planets, “and I could work on the script or something.”

“We’d all fail if you get anywhere near that script.”

Hinata startled, swinging her gaze in the direction of the propped open door of the science lab, instantly recognizing the pineapple-haired teen standing in the doorway.

Their third physic project partner, Shikamaru Nara.

“Shut the f*ck up, I’m like, two ranks away from top ten,” Naruto chuckled, setting his paint brush down, “we’d get a passing grade at least.”

“Doubt it.”

“Whatever. Now that you finally got your ass out of bed, mind putting in some actual work on this thing?”

“Already put in work,” Shikamaru yawned, his spine slightly slouched as he entered, “built the whole orrery frame and mechanics last night.”

Despite her low grade anxiety with this new arrival, Hinata was impressed with his speed.

Something like that probably would have taken her days, maybe even weeks to complete.

She supposed he wasn’t rank one for nothing.

“So why are you here then?” Naruto asked, before pausing as the answer came to him, “oh yeah, you’re in that nerdy Shogi club. I though you guys only met on weekdays.”

“Tournament,” Shikamaru said by way of explanation.

“Not even gonna ask who won,” Naruto shrugged, “unless your dad was in the tournament because he’s the only person that can beat your ass in Shogi.”

Shikamaru shrugged, moving deeper into the room.

Once again, Hinata was silently impressed.

“So what’s the plan?” Shikamaru asked, but strangely, he wasn’t talking to Naruto.

His dark, uninterested eyes shifted to her, tucked behind the blonde like a little shadow.

And then, with all the nonchalance of a friendly stranger discussing the weather, Shikamaru identified himself as a secret third member with knowledge of Hinata’s secret, “gonna guess your stuttering is a non-starter in speaking during oral presentation.”

Hinata felt the world around her still, her ears deaf to everything but the sudden racing of her heart as one of her worst nightmare unfolded.

Naruto was equally shocked, his never ending chattering mouth completely silent.

A pin could drop six miles away and the occupants of the science lab would have been able to hear it.

“How the hell do you know about that?!” Naruto finally burst, piercing the stunned silence, scaring her in the process, though he was too caught up in giving his friend the third degree to notice.

“Heard you talking to her about it on the roof at study hall like a week ago,” Shikamaru yawned, “I usually go up there to take a nap, but since I can’t get any sleep listening your brain flatline over the simplest calc equations, I made the west building roof my new snooze spot.”

Another round of silence, and then…

“What the f*ck Shikamaru?! Why the hell didn’t you say anything instead of lurkin’ and listening in on a private conversation?!” Naruto growled.

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” the teen dismissed, “you left the roof door open, I walked up, heard less than a full sentence and left. Be glad someone that would’ve sat there snooping didn’t walked in on your conversation. Ino’s known to sneak a cigarette up on the roof sometimes.”

“Thought she quit,” Naruto muttered, abruptly sidetracked.

Shikamaru shrugged, “she always finds an excuse as to why she needs just one last smoke.”

A deep frowning-pout slowly molded the blonde’s lips as he glared at his friend, “fine, whatever, we’ll make sure the door is closed from now on, but you still should’ve announced yourself, or at least told me you knew way before now, dattebayo.”

“Why?” the dark haired genius uttered, blinking sluggishly as though this whole conversation was sapping all his strength, “it’s a speech impediment, Naruto, not international breaking news. It’s not a big deal. Pointless to make something outta nothing.”

Hinata blinked, uncertain if she heard right, but unable to deny the words reverberating in her mind.

Not a big deal…

Naruto told her that the day he found out, telling her his friends would feel the same…

Hinata had been more than a little skeptical.

It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Naruto when he told her that, rather, she couldn’t help but see the world tinged in the abusive lens her family created for her, his friends included. Thinking…maybe, he was wrong, even if he believed what he was saying.

Maybe not wrong, but overly optimistic.

Hinata and acceptance were mutually exclusive.

What were the odds that she’d be welcomed by other people?

Perhaps…not as low as she thought.

“Did you tell-”

“I said its not a big deal, doesn’t mean it not a big deal to Hinata. Considering she hasn’t said a peep to anybody but you, gonna go out on a limb and say she didn’t want her business spread around. So no, I didn’t tell anybody,” the slothful teen muttered, punctuating his words with a another yawn that seemed to propel his bottom into the nearest science lab chair, “gossiping’s too much work anyway.”

Naruto’s glare deepened for a beat, only to partially melt away with an exasperated sigh, “whatever, make sure you keep it that way, ‘ttebayo.”

Shikamaru snorted, unimpressed by the underlying threat.

In full annoyed tinged pout, Naruto finally turned to the subject in question,“well, this is ass backwards, and not what I had in mind but, Hinata, this is my annoying, pain-in-the-neck, nosy ass friend Shikamaru,” he introduced sarcastically, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the teen now behind him, “he’s one of the most irritating, laziest, stupidly smart dumbasses you’ll ever meet, but he’s mostly a good guy-”

“Gee, thanks, asshole,” the mostly good guy snarked.

“He won’t tell anybody your secret,” Naruto assured her, his eyes confident, sincere, “you see how well he kept it up till now. Mouth locked down so tight even I didn’t know he knew, dattebayo.”

She wasn’t sure how she felt about any of this.

On one hand, the second person to find out treated her just like Naruto, like she wasn’t a stammering idiot.

That there’s wasn’t anything wrong with her. That it wasn’t a bid deal…

On other hand, she didn’t know Shikamaru Nara, and him being Naruto’s friend didn’t mean she could trust that he wouldn’t use her secret against her.

That he wasn’t planning to strike the moment she let her guard down because…

…that’s how these things worked when it came to her.

If she wasn’t careful, if she left herself vulnerable something bad would happen-

Naruto turned back to his friend, gesturing to her, “and this, you nosy bastard, is Hinata-”

“We have class together, Naruto, I know who she is.”

“Yeah, but this is like, a formal introduction, ya know? You’ve never actually talked to her before.”

“I realize that.”

“Okay then, quit giving me sh*t for introducing you guys then, jeez, grouchy jerk, didn’t you get enough sleep? Twenty-fours not enough?”

Hinata watched as the two boys dissolved into a banter that was half friendly and half insulting.

She assumed…this was normal for the two, they seemed to be enjoy the back and forth.

She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to…be apart of the conversation too?

She’d never been in this situation before, but she saw on TV in the hospital that after introductions, people generally all talked to each other…

Unease swept across her skin.

She didn’t…really want to though…

What if she said something stupid? What if Shikamaru got tired of her stammering and it became a big deal for him too…

She swallowed, ringing her hands a bit, feeling the slow creep of nerves grip her stomach.

Unbidden, her eyes found his back again, noting the self-assured set of his shoulders, the ramrod straightness of his spine as he dealt with this unexpected situation with ease and boldness. Naruto’s confidence was something she admired…something she could only ever dream of manifesting…

Or…maybe…

‘ Maybe…maybe I can be strong too… ’

“N-Nice to meet you, Sh-Shikam-rm-mau…” she whispered at lull in their conversation, already feeling the creeping heat of shame touching her cheeks, cringing inside as she butchered his name.

Regret was a bitter taste in her mouth as she made an absolute fool of herself.

‘S’ was the bane of her stuttering tongue, ‘S’ and ‘H’ together were down right diabolical, but ‘M’s were consistent demons that locked her lips together. Placing the consistent demon at the end of diabolical was a recipe for disaster.

Naruto turned as she sounded out his friend’s name, his smile encouraging.

“Sup,” Shikamaru responded, lazily single-finger saluting in her direction.

Ignoring her stuttering as if it hadn’t even happened.

His casual greeting soothed a measure of her anxiety, but left her feeling horribly exposed as well. Visibility was a dangerous state of being to her, and as harmless as this new visitor in her microscopic social circle appeared, he wasn’t vetted by her standards by any stretch of the imagination.

“He goes by Shika for short,” Naruto offered.

‘Shika’ raised a brow at the blonde, but didn’t refute his claim.

Hinata knew what Naruto was doing.

Essentially applying training wheels to her idiotic stammering by giving his friend a new nickname, one that was easier on her tongue. Hinata tried not to be mortified by the gesture, tried not to feel like a defective, useless waste of space. She couldn’t quite manage it, but…it stung a lot less knowing Naruto’s actions were coming from a place of kindness from a teen that seemed to have it in excess for her.

She played along with the ruse, though her flagging confidence set her eyes drifting to the tile beneath her feet, her clammy palms rubbing together as she repeated, with a small head bow, a second try at a greeting that didn’t leave her feeling lower than dirt, “Sh-Shika…”

“That’s me,” Shikamaru confirmed, just as casual as before, “good ol’ Shika.”

“Since you’re here, Shika ,” Naruto cut in, wiping away the slightly awkward scene of pretend, even as he re-affirmed its validity using the new nickname, “why don’t you get off your ass and help us out here. We still got like six more planets left, ya know.”

“Nah, I’m headed home, only stopped in because I sent you a message and you didn’t answer, but I saw you outside eating lunch after my tournament and decided to ask you in person what we’re doing for the oral part of the presentation so I know how to write the script.”

Naruto frowned thoughtfully, “I was gonna write it since you’re building the orrery thing.”

“Like I’d trust you with something like that,” Shikamaru chuckled, standing, “you only just started becoming academically competent two weeks ago, and that’s only because your mom-”

“Weren’t you leavin’ or something?” Naruto butted in, his annoyed glare accompanied with a trademark lip pout, “we’re busy, ya know.”

Amused but apparently done teasing, Shikamaru crossed the short distance between them.

They bumped fists and Shikamaru headed for the door, his parting “later,” aimed at both of them.

“Well, that wasn’t too bad was it?” Naruto joked, grinning down at her the moment they were alone again, “one down, eleven more to go, dattebayo.”

Hinata hoped he was joking about that part too, but somewhere deep down, she knew he wasn’t.

-

They finished most of the planets before calling it quits.

Saturn needed a little more work to affix its rings properly, Naruto volunteered to handle that.

Neptune and Venus still needed to be painting, Hinata volunteered to work on those at home.

With Kurenai set to pick her up in the next five minutes, Hinata headed for the side entrance leading out to the parking lot. At her side, Naruto, carrying the box of their planets and folded background they’d decided Hinata would take home for safe keeping, minus Saturn. It wasn’t heavy, merely filled with styrofoam, paint and cardboard, but Naruto insisted on carrying it, saying his father would give him the ‘Character of A Man’ lecture again and his mother would ‘swat the back of his head’ if they ever found out he let a girl carry something when his own hands were empty.

Every instinct in her body stood on alert when he mentioned a swat to the head by his mother, worried his life wasn’t as picture perfect as she thought, however, her concern had been banished, for the most part, by the chuckle that left his lips as he said it.

Perhaps it was sensitivity to her own abuse ridden past that wouldn’t let her dismiss that line, wouldn't dislodge those words from the emotionally damaged muck inside her mind.

She’d looked him over discreetly after the comment.

Inspecting the minuscule amount of tanned skin his hood didn’t cover, searching for telltale signs that he was covering up hurts beneath the bleached orange fabric.

Father had done that, when she got older, and an unknown relative tipped off the authorities.

Hitting her in places nobody could see—littering her back in bright red welts, slamming his fist into vulnerable stomach, laying into her bottom until she couldn’t bare to sit; he was meticulously careful not to leave bruises in spots easily visible to a social worker he couldn’t pay to play blind.

Naruto didn’t grimace, or hold his body rigid.

His arms capable of full range of motion, his bottom seemingly unbothered when he sat.

Maybe she was being incredibly foolish.

Naruto was a really big teen, the top of her head barely reached the lower part of his shoulder and from the arm bulges of his slightly form fitting hoodie, he could probably bench press her puny body weight even if she held a brick in each hand. Slightly confrontational and more brash courage in one finger than she had in her own petite stature, Hinata couldn’t imagine a powerhouse like Naruto being at the brutal mercy of anybody, even his own parents.

Though, she didn’t know what his father was like.

Maybe father-Uzumaki was even bigger, mean unlike his son.

“Who’s comin to get you, your mom?” he asked, setting the box down on the pavilion covered concrete walkway, grabbing Saturn and it’s unfinished rings from inside the card board square, “or your dad?”

Hinata didn’t have a mother.

She never had.

She didn’t want to admit that…but, when Kurenai-san pulled up, it’d be plainly obvious that wasn’t her mother, and Hinata wouldn’t try to pass her off as her mother. Kurenai-san, whether paid to be or not, was very kind to her too, just like Naruto, and it felt wrong to be ashamed of her, to lie about her as though she were some dirty secret like her stuttering.

“K-Kurenai-san…” she told him, “my guardian.”

His held tilted, blue eyes curious as he dipped into her space to catch her soft words, setting her stomach to fluttering, “your guardian? What’s that mean?”

“My father is…” she searched for a less…abrasive word to describe the horror that was her father.

There really wasn’t a way to sanitize the word abusive, and she certainly didn’t want to say that.

“Incapable of c-c-caring for me p-properly, so I was appointed a guardian by the c-c-courts,” she explained quietly, a bit mortified by her broken home when the boy next to her, as far is she knew, lived in a healthy household, “K-Kurenai-san was a s-s-social worker on my c-c-case, they appointed her as my guardian.”

“Oh…well sh*t,” he muttered, bottom lip pursing, “here I am giving Shikamaru sh*t for being nosy only to turn around start stickin’ my nose all in your business. Sorry, I shouldnt’ve -”

Hinata shook her head, “n-n-no, it’s okay, I don’t m-m-mind you asking q-q-questions, Naruto-kun.”

Her burning cheeks and hunching shoulders would call her a liar, but it was true.

Naruto was…different, often passing through her defense with ease as though he knew the secret password to gain entrance beyond the walls she locked everyone out of, cutting through her anxiety and paranoia, and all the corrosive negative physiological responses that kept her from functioning, behaving like a normal teenage girl more effectively than her therapist.

Perhaps it was their first meeting all those years ago that gave him this power, or his easy acceptance of her current tattered self now.

Or maybe he was planting something new, something greater than that taste of happiness in the woods.

Whatever magic was at play, Hinata couldn’t deny he was using it effectively, chipping away at that resistant part of her that tried to keep even him at arms length.

“It’s a unique s-s-situation, but it’s n-not a bad one. I’m better off with K-Kurenai-san,” she told him, finding his eyes though it was no easier than it usually was when her tummy was fluttering, “a-and now I can c-catch up on all the things I h-haven’t been allowed to do.”

His smile was slow to form but radiant and conspiratorial like earlier.

“Well, when you put it like that, havin’ a guardian sounds like the sh*t, at least you’re out from under your dad’s thumb,” he concluded then frowning as he continued, “because, no offense, your dad sounds like a dick, dattebayo.”

She ducked her head.

Naruto curse like a sailor and as blunt as a baseball bat to the head, she, however, didn’t think she could ever come remotely close to his bravado and plain speaking, and the idea of allowing someone to speak ill of her father, of agreeing tacitly by not speaking up in his defense was something that would have netted her trouble with her father should he ever learn of it.

However…

As Naruto said…she wasn’t under his thumb anymore.

“N-no offense t-taken,” she whispered even lower, feeling equal parts rebellious and horribly exposed.

His grin widened, “good to know.”

The low hum of a car caught their attention, the both turned as one to watch as a white Toyota Yaris pulled into a parking space and idled.

“That’s K-Kurenai-san.”

Spotting the pair almost immediately, Kurenai was up and out of the car in an instant.

Even from a distance, Hinata could see the concern on her face.

Naruto stooped to pick up the box again, and with Hinata leading the way, they made their way to the car.

“You can set it in the back seat,” Kurenai directed the moment they were hearing distance, moving to open the back door.

“Gotcha,” Naruto said, carting his light weight burden to the open door.

Hinata stood by, wondering if she was supposed to do the introduction thing Naruto did earlier.

“I’m Kurenai,” her guardian introduced herself as Naruto shut the door on the box.

“Naruto Uzumaki,” the blonde teen greeted, “I’m Hinata’s classmate.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Hinata told me she’s been tutoring you.”

His amicable grin was infectious as he laughed a bit, admitting, “I’m a tough case, but she puts up with me with somehow, ‘ttebayo. She’s a great teacher, real smart, ya know, saved my bacon the last two pop quizzes, and if she puts up with me a little longer, I might even ace the next test.”

Hinata’s cheeks warmed under the praise, her hands coming up to fiddle with each other as she subtly shrinking into herself like a turtle attempting to hide in its shell.

“That’s wonderful, I’m glad the tutoring sessions are helping,” Kurenai smiled, “you know, your father tutored me when we were in college.”

“Oh wow, you went to college with my dad?”

She nodded, “I was a bit of a slacker, your father saved my bacon too. Seeing you is like looking into the past, its really uncanny, you look just like him.”

“I get that a lot,” Naruto chuckled.

“I can see why,” she laughed before saying, “well it was very nice to meet you, Naruto, please continue to take care of Hinata.”

“No problem,” Naruto returned, “nice to meet you too, Kurenai-san.”

His blue eyes fixed on Hinata, his smile still in place.

The flutters started up again.

“See you around, Hinata.”

She waved at him, murmuring a shy, “okay.”

With a returning wave, Naruto turned and jogged away. Hinata rounded the rear of the car, opened the door and got in as Kurenai slid behind the wheel.

“How are you feeling today?” her guardian asked, shifting the gear to reverse.

“I’m okay,” Hinata replied, clicking her seatbelt, “h-how are you?”

“I’m doing just fine, sweetheart.”

Kurenai usually left her to the peace of silence, but today, the older woman filled it with conversation. Unusual, but, Hinata didn’t really mind.

“He seems really nice,” Kurenai noted as backed the car out of the parking space.

“N-Naruto-kun is very n-n-nice,” she murmured, blushing though she couldn’t say why.

Kurenai blinked in the rear view mirror, her piercing carmine eyes seemingly searching or…assessing.

Disconcerted by the probing look, Hinata dropped her eyes, turning to them to the box in the seat beside her, gripping a part of her shirt’s hem to channel her sudden anxiety through her fidgeting fingers.

“So,” Kurenai broke into the silence, “tell me about Naruto- kun do you like being his tutor?”

Hinata glanced up again at the deep emphasis her guardian placed on -kun, encountering the brightest smile she could ever remember seeing on the older woman’s face.

Confusion bubbled through the knot in her stomach.

The smile and enunciation meant… something , but for the life of her, Hinata couldn’t piece together what.

“Yes,” she replied, bumping her fingers together, and turning her eyes downward to watch them, “he s-s-struggled a lot w-when we s-started but, he works really h-hard, and n-never gives up no matter how h-hard the p-p-problems get. He’s c-come a long w-way. He always tries his best, no m-m-matter what.”

And she really admire that about him.

He was very-

“Sound like you like him a lot,” her guardian said, though the question felt open, leading, as though she expected Hinata to answer in a certain way.

“Yes.”

The answer came to her instantly.

She did like Naruto.

He was kind and patient and helpful.

He made her tummy feel strange but she could live with that.

She lived with far worse involuntary bodily reactions, after all.

“Really?” Kurenai perked up, as though her admission was unexpected, surprising.

Brows furrowing, Hinata murmured, “yes, he’s h-helped me adjust at school m-more than I w-w-would have on my own…and doesn’t m-mind my st-st-stutter.”

“Ah, I see,” she replied, though a small giggle passed her lips, before asking, “Hinata, do you know what it means to have a crush?”

Bewilderment deepened the furrow in her brows.

She didn’t know anything about that.

“Never mind,” Kurenai breezed quickly, “I’m happy you’re making friends, Hinata. That’s wonderful, honey.”

A new word caught her attention, one Hinata knew but had never had before.

A friend…

Was Naruto her friend?

When was a person supposed to know when they were friends? Was she supposed to ask him if he wanted to be her friend first, or did it just…happen?

What was the standard procedure for entering a friendship?

“Did you finish your project?”

“N-no, I s-still have to p-p-paint.”

Which she really enjoyed and wanted to do more often, but, all she had was the school materials, and they most of the red and blue was gone.

Maybe…

Maybe Kurenai-san wouldn’t mind buying some for her to use when the school paint ran out.

She swallowed, mouth dying as her stomach filled with sick.

Asking for things was and immediate slap to the mouth in the past, and while logic told her Kurenai wouldn’t do that, her anxiety was telling her different.

She had never asked her guardian for anything before. Hinata hadn’t even asked for toiletries the first time she ran out, too afraid her request would see her hurt, though Kurenai, thankfully, restocked it all without a word. Hinata had no experience, no indication of how Kurenai would react to her asking for something as unimportant,

Father thought her spoiled to ask for more when she had food, water and shelter.

Kurenai was providing all three of those as well, what right did she have to ask for more?

She should be grateful, not acting like the spoiled brat demanding more than she needed to survived, more than someone like her deserved…

She stewed for a bit.

Rubbing her sweaty hands together.

Time passed, the sound of traffic and wheels against pavement setting her on edge.

“K-Kurenai-s-san,” she managed to force out.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

Her heart was pounding in her ears, trembling fingers clenching her shirt in a concerted effort not to panic.

“U-um…”she swallowed, hands trembling, heat pounding so hard her chest hurt, “c-can I…w-w-would it be p-possible to…”

Kurenai waited, her crimson eyes stead and kind, Hinata knew they were, but…all she could see was irritated white eyes…a raised hand-

“N-n-nothing…” she whispered, feeling sick, feeling like a spineless coward that could never hope to be anything close to brave.

Nothing at all like the sunny haired teen with the shoulders that could carry the worlds burdens.

Thousands of miles away in a jail cell, and still her father held the power to torment and terrorize her, to place his thumbs on the scale of her life and drive it directly into the mud.

She could feel Kurenai’s questioning eyes in the rear view mirror, but could bring herself to look.

She hadn’t lid to Naruto.

She truly was better off with Kurenai-san, but…better didn’t mean perfect, better didn’t mean cured.

Kurenai-san didn’t have the password.

At least, not yet.

¸*'¨'* • .¸｡ ପଓ +.*¸*'¨'* • .¸｡¸ ପଓ +.*¸*'¨'* • .¸｡¸*

Another chapter!! Hope you enjoyed it! It almost got delayed because I got caught up in NaruHinaSasu love, lol, I was about to take off on a brand new fic for my OT3 :D Luckily I was able to curb the urge, this time.

Shikamaru has entered the arena, who will be next?! Will they be as cool and casual as Shikamaru was or are things about to get ignorant?

We shall see next chapter!

Kurenai has got her work cut out for her, poor Hinbun doesn’t know anything about crushes and romance, that’s bad enough, but, what other important—life skills information is she missing? XD

Poor baby is flying blind!

I have to say that I am ecstatic by the support for this fic! You all have really been going crazy and its’s so energizing and inspiring and makes me wanna keep on writing and writing! So thank you everybody!!

For those that asked about it, Prey is still being worked on, and I might, MIGHT do a three chapter upload for it. We’ll see. I’m working hard to get it done! :D

Thank you all for reading, please keep supporting, kudos, comments, its all good for my writer soul <3

Laters!

Sessakag~

Chapter 11: Bully

Chapter Text

Chapter Ten

Bully

May 18, 2016

-

“Did you hear the latest on the new it couple? Uzumaki-san and Hyuuga-san were holding hands over the weekend,” a girl gossiped several octaves above a polite whisper.

“Holding hands?” another gasped dramatically, “ nooo !”

“ Yes , heard it from Rukia. She’s on the track team, and had a front row seat to the lovey dovey picnic. She said they looked real cozy sitting under a tree sharing Uzumaki-san’s lunch together,” the gossip continued.

“Oh my gosh, really?” drama-teen squealed, “he shared his lunch with her? That’s gotta mean they’re official now, right?”

“No idea,” gossip-girl gloated, voice dripping vitriol as she continued, “but it does look like Uzumaki-san’s moved on to prettier , curvier things. I think the only thing that’s official is that he’s finally kicked Haruno’s arrogant, flat-chested ass to the curb.”

“Serves her right,” a third teen tossed in, “guess its true what they say, what goes around comes around.”

Sakura slammed her gym shoes locker with enough force to rock the whole row of metal cubbies, swung to her left and fixing her wrathful glare on three girls loitering two lockers away. She didn’t even need to look to know who they were, she’d recognized their voice the moment they started talking. They’d done it on purpose, she knew, putting on a whole goddamn skit to get under her skin, rubbing salt in her wound by making sure she was up to speed on the details of Naruto’s latest stunt with that white-eyed weirdo. Sakura hadn’t been able to escape the rumors since they started Monday morning.

It was Wednesday afternoon and she was just about fed up hearing about the ‘new it’ couple.

As much as she tried to ignore the group of girls, to deprive them of the reaction they clearly wanted out of her, Sakura could only take so much bullsh*t in one week, especially from this trio of petty, bitter, empty-headed bitches that had made it their life’s mission to be a constant thorn in her side since their freshmen year.

Short black hair chopped in a sleek, shoulder-length bob, honey brown eyes sly and twinkling with mean spirited amusem*nt, Ayame Nakagawa was one of her class A classmates, a rank twenty-six idiot that would probably have to fall back on her looks to get anywhere in life. The girl was a follower and had never had an independent thought in her entire life. She sat directly behind Kiba, fitting considering his rank was barely any better, all the way in the back left corner of the classroom, thankfully, far out of Sakura’s line of sight.

Ayame was tight with Yukina Hattori, a class B student with piercing icy blue eyes, and sandy brown hair she kept swept up in a messy bun that always looked seconds from unraveling. Three times smarter than her tag along dummy, Yukina was a slick talking, manipulative c*nt Sakura secretly hoped would piss Tayuya off again and get her ass beat a second time. Yuck Face Yukina was nothing compared to her leader, Queen Super Bitch, Koko Adachi.

Pretty girl, average intellect, with long, side-swept hair the shade of deep red wine that sharpened her already striking golden eyes.

If there was any girl in this school that hated Sakura’s guts, and there were quite a few, it was Koko Adachi.

Koko despised her with a passion and focus her test scores would benefit from, and after everything that transpired between the two girls, Sakura could safely say the feeling was mutual.

Once upon a time, Sakura had done the same thing Naruto was doing with the Hyuuga-freak with Koko’s boyfriend, Ichiro, but to be fair to herself, Sakura hadn’t known at the time Ichiro was still dating Koko, he never said anything and she hadn’t though to asked him. Her relationship with Ichiro hadn’t meant anything to her after all, but Koko’s boyfriend hadn’t shared the same sentiment. He’d broken up with Koko after she confronted him about the rumors, publicly giving her the boot in the middle of lunch, rubbing salt in the wound as he chased after the girl he’d cheated on her with.

Sakura could admit, she had a lot of faults, especially as a newly fifteen-year-old girl getting her first taste of high school popularity and simultaneously fuming through another breakup with her long term boyfriend.

She hadn’t handled the situation well…at all.

Thrust into the spotlight, her name on the lips of all her peers, first year Sakura had gotten a little caught up in the hype, leaning into the drama to punish Naruto for a breakup that happened over some stupid argument she couldn’t even remember anymore, compounding her fury when it took place two days before her birthday.

They hadn’t been on speaking terms when the day finally rolled around.

Naruto hadn’t gotten her a gift, nor had he texted her on her special day, petty actions that had only goaded her to keep up the charade with Koko’s boyfriend. She’d flaunted the scandalous relationship, rubbing it in Naruto’s face not realizing she’d been rubbing it in Koko’s too, digging her heels in even deeper when Koko ultimately, angrily, confronted her over it.

Sakura never responded well to shrill screeching and shoulder shoves, as Koko found out.

Their fight had been short but vicious, taking place in the girl’s bathroom just after Sakura’s club wrapped up, leaving both girls with scratches, tangled hair and a festering grudge, though only one had walked away with a bloody nose and it hadn’t been Sakura.

Sakura won that fight, but made a bitter enemy.

Since then, the two had been engrossed in a sort of cold war, posturing around each other, exchanging rapid fire bitchy looks, lobbing snide comments in passing and developing a natural inclination to orbit as far away from each other as the walls of Ouran High would allow.

“f*ck off, Koko,” the pinkette growled, “and take your empty headed lapdogs with you.”

“Who are you calling a lapdog, super forehead bitch?” Ayame snapped, brown eyes narrowed, the ‘empty-headed’ part flying right over her—clearly empty—- head.

Sakura rolled her eyes, “how unoriginal, hate to brake it you, but you’re about six years too late for the forehead insults, they lost their bite a while ago. Feel free to try again though.”

“f*ck you.” Ayame followed up.

“Cut her some slack, Ayame,” Koko defended with false sweetness, slowly closing the distance between them, her lackeys moving with her like dogs on an invisible leash, “can’t you see Haruno’s going through a very difficult time right now. I mean, it’s not every day a girl gets dumped and humiliated by her boyfriend in front of the entire school and then have to watch him panting after a girl ten times hotter than you.”

“You’d know all about that wouldn’t you?” Sakura clapped back, dragging up their ugly past, unable to resist feeding the beef between them.

“Mine came crawling back, yours is wrapped around that freaky eyed mute as we speak. I guess I can understand why he’d go after any girl that wasn’t you. Who can blame him? Poor guys been chained to a raging bitch like you most of his life, and let’s not forget, Hyuuga-san has a few assets ,” her golden eyes dipped to the pinkette’s barely b-cup, then back up, a vicious smile curving her lips, “you’re clearly lacking. Guess he’s finally being honest about what he really likes, and unfortunately for you, it’s not mosquito bite tit*.”

“Ichiro liked these mosquito bite tit*,” Sakura pointed out snidely, refusing to think too hard about Koko making the same ‘observation’ Fuu made about Naruto’s hidden preference for thick girls, “so what’s that say about you?”

“Like that matters, we were around the same cup size back then, the difference between you and me though, is that I was a late bloomer,” Koko preened, swiping her wine colored hair further over her shoulder, away from the c-cup ‘late bloomers’ that showed up at the end of first year, “while you’re forever stuck in training bras.”

Empty skull giggling ensued.

“Now that’s not true Koko-chan, I hear push up bras can do wonders for the mammary challenged,” Yukina put in.

“Who the hell uses the word mammary in an insult?” Sakura snorted over the next round of single-brain cell giggles.

“Oh I’m sorry, did you take that as an insult? It wasn’t meant to be,” Yukina mocked, “I was only trying to give you a little friendly advice, you know, from one ironing board-chest-girl to another fully developed woman.”

“And if you can’t afford push-up bras, I hear tissue paper can give you a nice boost,” Koko added.

“I can see why Ichiro dumped you. You’re a superficial bitch that has nothing but her body to catch a guys attention,” Sakura announced with an exasperated eye roll, “no wonder you can’t keep seem to keep it. The fact that he left your shallow ass in the first place should have clued you in but since you’re too stupid to take a hint, let me spell it out for you, tit* aren’t everything.”

“Hmm, I guess you’re right, ass is nice too but Hyuuga-san has you beat there too,” Koko smirked, wrapping an arm beneath her breasts, cupping her opposing elbow and capturing her chin between her fingers in a classic pose of deep contemplation, “Hyuuga-san doesn’t have much personality, but your is so sh*tty, she’s got you there too. You’re no dummy at least, and that works in your favor, but you’re also fighting Hyuuga-san for the top two spot in Class A and word on the street is she booted your ass to third last week, so that’s out too.”

“So let’s see,” Yukina jumped in with the tally, Ayame’s sh*t eating grin wide as she counted off the points for her irritating friend on her own fingers, “microscopic tit*, a plum instead of a peach in the back, smart but not smart enough and a personality uglier than that mono-brow, fishbowl eyed creep Rock Lee.”

Ayame shuddered, fake gagging behind her hand.

“I think we have a clear winner.”

“Freaky-eyed but still fine Hyuuga-san!” Ayame answered-cheered.

They were talking out of their asses, Sakura knew this objectively, but that didn’t stop the rising anger bubbling in her gut, didn’t loosen the tightness in her jaw or the subtle grinding of her teeth. Sakura wasn’t a weak, insecure bitch to crumble over their petty insults and stupid wisecracks, however, she couldn’t deny, Naruto and his balloon tit sideshow freak was starting to become a sore spot for her and this bullsh*t session wasn’t helping.

“Face it, Haruno, you’re up sh*t creek without a paddle,” Koko gloated, “Uzumaki’s done with you. He’s twisting himself into knots over Hyuuga. I’d be surprised if he even remembers your name in a week, and while we’re on the topic of recognition, let’s not forget how low on the popularity totem you’ve been sitting since Hyuuga showed up.”

“Guys pass her by like an old garbage bin now.” Ayame chimed in, “trampling all over her to get to Hyuuga.”

“Little Miss. Perfect dethroned by a freaky-eyed, big tit, pretty little doll that can’t even open her mouth,” Koko jabbed, her nauseatingly false friendly mask falling away, revealing the ugly mug of a face twisted with hate, “how’s it feel, huh? How’s it feel to lose everything.”

Sakura sucked in a silent breath through her nose.

It took everything in she to loosen her jaw to speak, everything she had to keep her temper in check, every ounce of willpower she possessed to maintain her hardline refusal to show the irritating c*nt she’d struck a nerve.

“If I ever lose everything,” Sakura sassed, fingers air-quoting on ‘everything’, “I promise , you’ll be the first one I run crying to, if it’ll make you happy. It’s the least I could do after stealing your boyfriend, leaving you leaking in the girls bathroom—how’s that skinny nose of yours by the way, looks kinda crooked to me—and effectively turning you into a bitter, envious, spiteful bitch.”

Sakura didn’t know who moved first, but in an instant the two teens were in each other’s face, Koko’s splotchy bright red, her pleasant features twisted into an enraged scowl.

Her two lackeys closed in behind her.

Three on one wasn’t exactly a good position for her, but Sakura was too angry to give a f*ck.

“Ahhh sh*t, we havin’ a brawl?” a new, familiar voice broke through the terse silence, “three on one’s kinda f*cked up though, how bout’ I be your tag team partner, Pink?”

Any other time, Sakura would’ve told the wild girl off for that annoying nickname she came up with a few days ago, but considering Taz had beat the brakes of one of the trio from hell already, she was inclined to let it go if that meant Tayuya would wipe the floor with another one, preferably Koko.

“Oh look, the dyke came to your rescue,” Koko tittered, though she backed the hell up as she did, turning her body to announce her impending retreat, “guess you’re not actually missing Uzumaki anymore, though, I gotta say, I never pegged you as team carpet munch, Haruno.”

The trio backed up a bit more as Tayuya advanced, “why don’t you take a long walk off a short cliff, bitch.”

“You first,” Koko spat, turning as they group moved in the opposite direction, though not before throwing one more nasty insult over her shoulder, “f*ckin dyke.”

A round of empty headed giggles, and then they were gone.

“Why you puttin up with that sh*t?” Tayuya asked, hands on hips, uniform disheveled and wrinkled to hell as it usually was, as though the tomboy slept in it every night, “you shoulda f*cked her nose up again, or at least dragged her ass by the hair down the hallway.”

“As if Koko and her two idiots are worth getting expelled over,” Sakura grumbled, “you can’t solve every problem by whoopin ass, Taz. You gotta be smarter than that.”

Tayuya shrugged, “it’s always worked for me, I’ll be ‘smarter’ when it don’t no more.”

Shaking her head, Sakura headed for the cafeteria with her lunch in hand, taking the long way in an effort to cool her scorching hot temper. Taz fell in step alongside her, quiet for the first flight of stairs they climbed, only to start yappin’ as they headed for the second one.

And as was usual, Taz didn’t have anything good to say.

“You know this is all happening because you won’t put Uzumaki in his place or at least knock that mute bitch on her ass. You’re letting them make a f*ckin fool outta you, Pink.”

“The only person that’s making a fool out of themselves is Naruto,” Sakura snapped, “and he’s gonna look like an even bigger dumbass when I make him beg me to take him back in front of the entire school!”

“That’s if he ever comes back,” Tayuya needled, her grin touched with a hint of malice, “you’ve seen em’, slobbering all over that girl since ya’ll broke up. Paradin’ her around for everybody to see. He ain’t gonna stop unless you make em’ stop.”

To say Tayuya had struck a nerve was like saying fire was only a little hot.

She couldn’t have chosen a worst sequence of words to say to the pink-haired teen.

Rage, unholy and blistering spread in her chest, something vile stewing in the pits of her stomach.

“I’m not going to chase a man!” she shouted, turning a few of heads in the nearly empty stairwell as her voice echoed, “chasing a man that doesn’t want you is the stupidest, most pathetically degrading thing a woman can do and I’m neither stupid nor desperate enough to stoop that low and more importantly I don’t need to do that! Naruto will come crawling back on his own, just like he always does so drop it, Taz!”

She turned again, stomping her way up the stairs and into a hall, seething as Taz’s words buzzed in her head.

Tayuya snickered as she followed, “I don’t know if you’re delusional or in denial, but I hate to break it to ya, he don’t look like he’s gonna come crawlin’ back. Looks really cozy where he’s at.”

Sakura counted to ten, then fifteen, then twenty.

Taz could probably break her in half, the girl fought full grown dudes and won, but Sakura knew she could get a few good hits in before she went down, and with the red haze partially obscuring her better judgment, she was half convinced it was worth the beat down that’d ensue from decking Taz in her annoying ass mouth.

Koko and her two c*nts had nearly worn down what little control she had left over her temper.

She held it in though.

Mouth sealed shut as she walked, taking another pair of stairs.

“Well, whenever you get tired of eatin’ sh*t,” Taz offered as the silence stretched, “and wanna get serious about gettin’ your man back, let me know. I can help ya peel that bitch off him.”

For the love of-

“I’m not going to fight her and neither are you,” Koko wasn’t worth the trouble and neither was Hyuuga, and Sakura was not about to go down over either one of them.

“Yeah, yeah, I know I know, you uppity bitches are so annoying and so f*ckin scary,” Taz huffed as they ascended the stairs, “look, we don’t gotta fight, I’m saying there’s another way to get her out of your way. She wants to play the damsel in distress, we’ll give her a reason to.”

It wasn’t hard to understand what the other girl was proposing, and it was as childish as her advice to catch a felony over a school girl scrap.

Exasperated, Sakura stopped on the last stair, glaring as she asked the bloodthirsty teen,“seriously, do I look like a f*ckin bully to you?”

Taz raised a brow, “you really want me to answer that? Your reputation is barely better than mine, Pink.”

Any other day, Sakura wouldn’t let Taz’s idiotic comments get to her, but after dealing with Naruto and his antics, the gossip mill, Koko and her bullsh*t, Tayuya’s words shot her simmering temper right back up to a raging boil.

“f*ck off, Taz,” Sakura muttered, ignoring Tayuya’s cackle as she started moving again.

Sakura wasn’t a bully, at least, not any more.

She’d put her ‘mean girl’ days mostly behind her last year and she wouldn’t let one of Naruto’s nameless, faceless nobodys make her stoop to that level. Despite her conviction, Sakura felt her jaw re-tighten, tension bringinh her teeth together in a subtle gnashing, felt her hands starting to fist at her sides as her smooth gait grew clipped.

Knowing she was about to snap, Sakura silently repeated to herself what she’d been telling her friends.

Hinata Hyuuga was a nobody , and when Naruto finally dumped that bitch and came crawling back to her, everyone would realize what she’d known all along.

Naruto had been hers all along.

Always had been.

Always would be.

-

It wasn’t enough to tell herself that at lunch.

Not with Naruto sitting beside that bitch of his, smiling and laughing at the table he saved for her and her alone, something he’d never done for Sakura, not once in the entire time they’d known each other.

Not when said bitch set her own lunch to the side as Naruto offered her part of his, handing her his chopsticks to eat with, preparing to eat with his f*ckin hands like a f*ckin animal until Little Miss. Damsel-In-f*ckin-Fake-Distress dug her own chopsticks from her bento and offered them to him to use, complete with a bright tomato paste blush and kindergarten shoulder hunch to her ears.

And he took them, her girly lavender stainless steel chopsticks.

Smiling sickeningly sweet, dipping low to say something to that bitch that cranked the tomato paste smeared on her cadaver-colored cheeks to a neon carmine, her dark head nearly disappearing in her next childish shoulder hunch.

Which only drew a deep throated laugh from the blonde teen.

It was like a scene from a f*ckin teen romance sitcom, complete with it’s own live audience watching on the edge of their goddamn seats.

Around her, teens of all classes and ages whispered and giggled, their eyes ping ponging between the lovey dovey table where the new ‘It Couple’ were sharing chopsticks and lunch, to the ex-girlfriend gripping her own stick tight enough to snap them in half, looking seconds from her legendary temper erupting, no doubt drawing stupid assumptions about sh*t they didn’t have a f*cking clue about!

Waiting with baited breath for the showdown they were convince would breakout any moment.

A scene Sakura wasn’t sure she wouldn’t give the immature, bloodsucking leeches.

“Just chill out,” Karui coached across the table, swirling her little bowl of miso soup, “you go over there and act an ass you’ll be playing right into his hands.”

“I know that,” Sakura snapped, grinding her teeth.

“Then stop letting him bait you,” Ino added beside her, “let him play his stupid little game until he sees you’re not gonna play it with him.”

“Can we talk about something other than NaruSaku drama,” Temari sighed, “like how we’re gonna hatch a plan to see where Miss.Tenten keeps running off to at lunch, you know, the important stuff?”

“Don’t ever say NaruSaku again, Temari,” Ino groaned, “that was so f*ckin cringe.”

Fuu gasped from her place beside Tayuya, “oh look look, Temari! Is Hyuuga stealing your man too? Look! Shikamaru’s sitting with them!”

They looked as one, turning their curious (one spiteful) gaze back to the spotlight couple.

Sure enough, Shikamaru was taking a seat with the pair as they turned to look, sitting opposite of the pair.

“Not f*ckin likely,” Temari answered, rolling her eyes as she went back to her lunch, “Shikamaru’s in a group with Naruto and Hyuuga for their physics presentation, which is next period. He predicted Naruto was gonna bug him about all the big words that aren’t really big words in the script cards he gave him yesterday.”

Naruto started talking first, his golden brows slabs over his glaring blue eyes as he bitched at the bored looking teen, then pouted when his complaining earned him an unconcerned shrug.

Beside him, bitch-face tapped her fingers together just below her chin.

Her plump lips—definitely collagen enhanced!—pressed together like she was going to say something but was too nervous to.

“Here we go again,” Ino complained, rolling her eyes, “classic oh-my-gosh-I’m-so-shy-and-cute routine.”

“Yep,” Karui agreed, taking a sip of green tea.

“And there goes captain save a hoe falling for it, hook, line and sinker,” Ino announced shaking her head.

Naruto reached for one of her fidgeting hands, taking the pasty, probably sweaty, nasty appendage in his own big tanned paw, dipping to say something to the little manipulative actress before gazing down at that spineless cretin with an encouraging smile, his eyes-

“f*ck this,” Sakura growled as she shot up from her seat, snatched her nearly untouched lunch up and stormed from the cafeteria.

A deep sigh and a exasperated, “I’ll go,” followed her abrupt departure.

Sakura didn’t slow, didn’t acknowledge the presence of the blonde teen trailing after her, not until she was up on the roof where she could finally f*ckin breathe .

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this f*cking pissed.

When she could feel the rage clawing beneath her skin, goading her to find a very unproductive way to expend it.

“Gimme a smoke, Ino,” Sakura demanded, tossing her lunch to the ground and gripping the railing surrounding the rooftop, “quick.”

“You know I don’t smoke any-”

“Cut the sh*t, Ino,” she glowered, skewing her friend with an irritated glare, “light me up, not in the mood for games.”

Rolling her eyes, Ino fished inside her cleavage for the cigarette she supposedly didn’t smoke anymore, grumbling as she held the tobacco laced stick out to the pinkette, “I’m not lying by the way, I really don’t smoke anymore, so don’t get the wrong idea. I only keep this one for…emergencies.”

“I’m pretty damn sure this qualifies as an emergency,” Sakura snapped, snagging the cigarette, “because if I don’t find a way to calm the f*ck down right now, I’m gonna take a page outta Tayuya’s book, march back into that cafeteria and drag that bitch across it by the hair, right after I punch that idiot’s lights out!”

Chest heaving, Sakura stared back at her now silent friend, letting her see how f*ckin serious she was.

“Alright,” Ino muttered, digging for the lighter also stashed in her bra, “guess you got a point. We’re gonna have to share this billboard brow, no way am I gonna be able to sit here and watch you smoke without takin’ a couple puffs.”

“Don’t give a sh*t, just hurry up before we get caught.”

Sakura leaned towards her bestie as she liberated the lighter, clamping the cigarette between her lips as Ino pressed her thumb on the guard twice, spinning the spark wheel until a small flame flickered to life.

It was just what she needed.

Nicotine hit her system like a potent shot of dopamine, her first full respire piercing the red haze clouding her mind, the second soothed her frayed nerves, bringing a measure of rationality to her instinctual proclivity to violence.

She indulged one more puff before holding it out towards Ino.

“Keep it,” her bestie insisted.

Reaching up, Ino pulled a bit on the thick black scrunchy gathering her long blonde hair at her crown, then slipped her fingers into the yellow strands closest to her hair band. A quick yank, and Ino dropped her arms, an identical cigarette lodged between her slender digits.

“But you don’t smoke anymore,” Sakura mocked, watching as the blonde lit up and inhaled.

“Oh shut up, it’s a backup emergency stash,” Ino defended, exhaling streams of smoke from her lips and nose, “for times likes these, be thankful I’m letting you have that one all to yourself.”

Sakura snorted, rolling her eyes skyward as she took another drag

“Stop letting him get to you, Sakura. Let him make an ass of himself by himself.”

“I am, it wasn’t even him that really pissed me off today, not completely anyway. Ran into Super Bitch Koko and her twin c*nts.”

“Ugh, no wonder,” Ino sympathized, “I don’t get why that bitch can’t just move on. That sh*t with her boyfriend happened so long ago, its ancient history. Besides, he went back to her after he saw you weren’t giving him the time of day, spineless coward that he is. She wanted him back, she got him, so what’s her f*cking problem?”

That he left in the first place, that Sakura rubbed it in her face, that was her f*cking problem.

“Taz got on my nerves too, right before lunch,” Sakura grumbled not in the mood to rehash the Koko problem her fifteen-year-old self caused, “she thinks I’m delusional to think Naruto’s gonna come back on his own, that I should chase after him because he won’t come back if I don’t.”

“What?”

“Right?! The f*ck am I gonna do that!” Sakura bitched, puffing harder on the stick, “you know I’d never stoop that low. Who the f*ck does she think I am, my mother?”

Sakura wasn’t blind, she did a lot of the stupid sh*t with Naruto that her mom did with her dad.

Same patterns of makeup and breakup every other week, the constant arguing and petty grudges.

The last thing she ever wanted was to become her mother.

She shuddered at the very thought.

Ino winced, her voice soft as she murmured, “Sakura…you know your situation is completely different from hers, stop comparing yourself to her.”

Sakura turned away, not completely convinced the two weren’t mirror images of each other.

Ino was the only person she’d told about her parent’s breakup, the reason for it.

Ino turned as well, though she leaned her back against the railing as she took a drag of her own cigarette, exhaling a gray cloud that was quickly carried off by the wind, “look, I know you and that idiot have been together for a long time, but maybe-”

“Just stop, alright? If I gotta get lectured about ‘keeping a guy that don’t wanna be kept’ I’d rather have mom do it since she knows all about that,” the teen snapped, angry and embarrassed by the statement, the reality behind that childish remark.

‘ Don’t let any man treat you like you’re expendable .’

Her mothers words reverberated in her head like a vicious virus, the one and only conversation they’d had about boys and relationships pushing to the forefront of her mind.

‘ Never chase after a man. Let them go if they wanna go. Save yourself the heartache, Sakura. ’

Sakura swore she could smell the bitter tang of fermented grapes that lingered on her mother’s breath as the memory attached to those words played across her mind’s eye like a bad movie.

She was twelve-years-old again, heartbroken and angry, storming into her parent’s room having seen her father loading suitcase in his car and driving off before she could make it down the long stretch of sidewalk from the bus stop, irate eyes latching onto her mother’s tear-streaked face and the stack of papers strewn across the floor, two damming articles of information threatening to unleash the fury bubbling under her skin.

Divorce…

Kizashi Haruno…

Jaw tightening, rage filled emerald eyes snapped to her parents open closet, noting her father’s side was completely empty. Her narrowed gaze moved around the room, lighting on the nightstand stand on his side of the bed missing his watch and night time medications, their dresser absent of his knick knacks and hair gel.

‘ You can’t keep a man that don’t wanna be kept, ’ her mother had whispered, fresh tears running down her cheeks, ‘ a man that wants someone else. Never chase after a man. Let him go. Save yourself the heartache, Sakura. ’

Glaring into the distance, Sakura took a deeper pull, drawing in smoke until her lungs burned, exhaling shortly, angrily a beat later.

She wasn’t like her mother, and this situation was nothing like her and dad.

Sakura wasn’t chasing a guy that ‘didn’t wanna be kept’ and she sure as sh*t wasn’t gonna end up heartbroken and pathetic at the end of this.

Naruto wanted her.

He always came back and there was no doubt in her mind he would this time too.

That balloon-tit weirdo was just a passing phase, a unimportant part of this stupid ass game he was starting to take way too f*cking far!

-

She felt a lot less homicidal on the walk to fifth period physics, though she credited that with the temper suppressing burst of nicotine and the distracting, somewhat calming activity of reciting her part of the verbal presentation in her head as she headed to class.

Thankfully, Naruto and the freak were already seated in their respective corners, and Ayame hadn’t shown up yet.

She sat down and turned to Ino who’d been following her close behind.

“We got everything for the presentation?” she asked.

“Yeah, Karui’s having Choji bring it in,” Ino replied, before leaning close and whispering, “you good? You know they’re gonna present first.”

Sakura shrugged, “not like I can do anything about it if I wasn’t good.”

“True,” the blonde sighed before heading for her own seat as their teacher called for order, Karui arrived with their project and class began.

Sakura drummed her fingers on her desk as Sarutobi-sensei droned on about this, that and nothing, her senses on high alert for the upcoming bullsh*t, premature angry tension creeping into her limbs as the time for presentations drew closer.

“Group one,” their elderly teacher called out, “Shikamaru Nara, Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga.”

She couldn’t help but scowl as the two people on her sh*t list even had their names called out together, as if the universe couldn’t help but keep throwing their fake-almost-relationship in her face.

This wasn’t as bad as lunch, she knew that considering Sarutobi-sensei wouldn’t allow PDA in his class.

It was the hushed whispers from the brick brained boys and a few of the girls that were really starting to prick her temper.

“Aahhhh, she so cute and small,” Shinji whispered from behind and to the left of her.

“Uzumaki-san’s so lucky, ne?” Ayame poked from the left of Shinji, her voice loud enough to ensure Sakura caught it.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

‘Try harder, brainless bitch.’

“So cute,” Kohaku hummed, resting his chin on his hand as the doll-like teen moved to the front of the class, “and her eyes are really startin’ to grow on me. Wasn’t looking forward to this project, but getting to look at Hyuuga’s pretty face makes it totally worth it.”

“You see her everyday though,” Riku, sitting in front of the pinkette, leaned back and to the left to where Kohaku sat, “you don’t need a group project to look at her.”

“Yeah, but I don’t really get to see her that long. She always runs away or hides in a dark corner or behind Uzumaki’s big bulk, and she sits way in the back of the classroom by the door, nobody can really see her over there except Shota, Bunta and Lee.”

This had to be what hell was like.

Forced to sit in a room full of boys who were usually salivating over her, Ino and Karui now cooing over bitch-face Hyuuga.

“Aw man, get outta the way Uzumaki,” Shinji complained more to himself than anything, “we can barely see her.”

They were just like Naruto.

Acting like the sun rose and set on Hyuuga’s lily white ass.

Gritting her teeth, Sakura tuned them all out.

Her classmates, Naruto’s sunny voice, Shikamaru’s low drone, the whirl of their orbiting orrery and anything else she wasn’t in the mood to deal with at the moment.

-

Fifth and sixth period dragged to a close two hours later.

Sakura was sat in front of the last teacher for the day in homeroom.

Their homeroom sensei, Yamato Tenzō.

She didn’t pay much attention as he spoke, knowing Tenten would fill her in later, until Riku passed a sheet of paper back to her and she read over the words.

“Be sure to get your parents signature if you plan on attending the field trip,” Yamato-sensei was saying, “and please return them by Tuesday of next week.”

A field trip with bitch-face and her stupid not-really-ex-boyfrined.

Great.

¸*´¨`*•.¸｡ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`*•.¸｡¸ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`*•.¸｡¸*

The first field trip is coming!! :O How will this work out, will Hinata attend? Will she have fun if she does? We’ll find out next time maybe :D

Now, I really do love having you guys involved in decision making in my fics, some of you that follow my tumblr (same username, by the way for those that don’t!) probably see my polls where I usually ask you guys to pick between a list of vague options with no added context and based on results, I go one way or another in a story. I recently did this for Prey XD ya’ll will see those results soon!

So, I wanna include you guys again and ask, where would you like their first field trip to be? Keep in mind, this won’t be their only trip, I’ve got others planned so if I don’t pick yours this time, there’s always a chance next time!

Now, for the parameters that must be followed for this first trip:

• Must be local, no out of town travel.
• It’s only one day (overnight trips aren’t gonna happen till later in the fic).
• An environment that’ll promote bonding between classmates & getting to know each other!

That’s it! Just make sure it falls with those rules and you’re good to! I do have my own ideas, and I may go with one of those, but, like I said, I like collab-ing with you guys!

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed, please don’t forget to comment and drop kudos! Thank you so much to those that have done so, and those that always do, you guys are the real MVPs, lmao.

Laters!

Sessakag~

Chapter 12: Deeper Than It Seems

Chapter Text

Chapter Eleven

Deeper Than It Seems

May 18, 2016

-

“…and now she’s talking to you too!” Kiba bitched from the back of boys group, arm slung around a hapless Shikamaru in a semi-tight headlock.

“So what?”

“Whadda ya mean ‘so what?’ how the f*ck do you get to skip the line! What makes you so special? If anybody shoulda been next, it shoulda been me!”

Frowning, Naruto tuned back into the conversation behind him, though his fingers kept typing away on his cellphone keypad as he walked and listened. The teen had been blabbering about Hinata since Shikamaru sat down for lunch with her and Naruto. Kiba going on and on about a hot girl was nothing new, nothing unique or note worth, however, Naruto would be lying if he said Kiba’s tunnel vision lusting after Hinata wasn’t starting to get on his nerves.

“There is no line, dumbass, and even if there was, with the way you’re acting you shouldn’t even be in it,” Shikamaru grumbled, before shrugging the bitching teen off, complaining “and get off me, you smell like wet dog.”

Naruto silently agreed with both statements as he read over Hinata’s latest message, with the way Kiba was mouthing off, it was better to keep him away from her. She could barely deal with Shikamaru in her space, Kiba would slime ball the poor girl to tears.

“No I don’t!” Kiba grouched, though delicately giving his armpit a sniff, becoming more confident when he couldn’t catch a whiff of funk, “I showered after P.E. this time!”

“Well clearly you didn’t dry off good enough, because you still stink,” Shikamaru insisted, “you roll around with dogs so much it’s part of your natural body odor now, and when you don’t dry off good you end up smelling like a bag of wet dog fur.”

“f*ck you! I do not!” he growled back.

“Yeah you do. Chill out, its not a big deal,” Shikamaru sighed for dramatic effect, “just dry off better, get some Axe Body Spray or something and you’re good to go.”

“You f*ckin-”

“I use Axe Spray!” Lee vouched enthusiastically as Shikamaru’s joke flew over his head, his tone innocent and genuine, his ‘encouraging’ words more insulting because of their sincerity, “girls no longer run away from me as often so maybe that will stop so many of them from running away from you too, Kiba-kun!”

The group snickered, Naruto, at the head of the group walking alongside Choji, looked over his shoulder to get a load of his temperamental friend’s face, knowing the arrogant, superficial-Ino-Twin Kiba wouldn’t take Lee’s naive, albeit heartfelt, support very well.

“Girls don’t run away from me because I stink, asshole!” Inuzuka growled, cheeks the shade of a level six Hinata Hyuuga blush, “they just get shy and don’t know what to say. I’m a pretty handsome guy, ya know? I get ten confession letters a day! Girls are lining up to talk to me.”

Another round of guffaws met that proclamation of bullsh*t.

“Don’t get mad at Lee for telling the truth. It’s not his fault your ego’s so goddamn over inflated you can’t see around that big head of yours,” Naruto chuckled, rolling his eyes skyward, “girls run away from you in droves, right after they smack the ever living sh*t outta you for talking like a horny, sex addicted creep.”

The circle of youths nodded agreement, setting off the bad tempered teen all over again.

“And yet my body count is higher than any of you guy’s!” the annoyed adolescent pointed out, glaring at his circle of friends.

“That is because you are…what is it called?” Sai pondered a moment, before smiling that painfully uncomfortable, clearly practice, robotic-like smile that did very little in the way of helping the teen socially blend in, before he recalled, “an cheap lay.”

“Wrong! Try again android!”

Sai frowned thoughtfully, face studious as he no doubt flipped through his mental notes of the book he’d pulled that accurate but insulting phrase from.

Seeming to find the right answer, Sai did indeed try again, “perhaps you are what they call a thot?”

More roaring laughter.

“Wrong again, android,” Kiba growled, throwing him in a headlock next, glaring at the stoic faced teen.

“Nah, you got it right Sai,” Naruto laughingly assured, turning to face forward, pocketing his phone and folding his arms behind his head, eyes closed as he walked and threw out one last retort, “Kiba’s like a door handle, ya know, everybody gets a turn, dattebayo.”

Choji’s piglet-snorting laughter nearly eclipsed the boy group’s combined choir of mirth.

“Shut up!” Kiba growled, pushing through the other teens around him to catch the blonde menace in his third headlock given out in ten minutes, “you’re just jealous that I get more play than you ever could in ten lifetimes!”

“Bleh!” the blonde laughingly complained, “get off me Kiba, Shikamaru’s right, you f*ckin stink!”

He didn’t really, not terribly anyways, there was a faint scent of canine that wasn’t exactly overpowering, but it was too much fun getting on Kiba’s nerves not to exaggerate.

“That’s not me, that’s your upper lip, asshole!”

They wrestled for most of the way to McDonalds, only settling down when they reached a busy sidewalk. They were still in their school clothes, fresh from club activities, and if anyone recognized their uniforms and reported them for horse playing in public they’d be in for an earful tomorrow morning. Wasn’t the first time some disapproving granny turned them in for acting like hooligans in public while wearing their Ouran High colors.

Naruto would like to avoid having his freedom after school restricted just because he could be trusted to ‘act like he had a mother that raised him properly, dattebane!’ when his parents weren’t around.

Losing his parents trust was the one thing he wanted to avoid the most, and not just because it’d get him hemmed up and his car revoked indefinitely, he cared about what his parents thought about him, disappointing either of them was worse than fifty full powered body blows from Sasuke. Sure, he didn’t follow their rules completely, he told them lies every now and again, he snuck out at night, and had snuck Sakura in more than once, he smoked weed every once in a while and did a bunch of other things he knew he shouldn’t be doing, but he made sure to do his dirt in ways that would never get back to them and he didn’t make any really, really stupid decisions, even if he could get away with it.

Despite the way he behaved when they weren’t watching, Naruto did have a mother and father that raised him properly, and he never forgot their core values, even when he actively sat them aside.

They all donned the persona of well behaved teenagers as they lined up at the fast food register.

It took a while to place their orders, even though they all knew what they wanted, there were six of them after all, and Choji ordered enough for three adults combined.

“I thought you said you were going on a diet,” Kiba remarked a few minutes into their meal, his statement laced with curiosity and without malice.

For all his overly aggressive abrasiveness and habit of taking things a bit too far, Kiba was just as loyal and protective of his friends as any of them, and he’d never maliciously set out to hurt any of them, least of all Choji who was one of the kindest among their friend’s group. Choji was sensitive about his weight, always had been since they were kids, it’d only gotten worse when he bagged Karui.

“I am,” the happily chewing chubby teen replied.

“That don’t look like dieting,” Kiba pointed out, eying the stack of burgers, fries and nearly gallon sized fountain drink.

“Let the guy have a cheat day, Kiba,” Naruto cajoled, waving a flabby fry for emphasis, “having to stomach Karui’s salads and low calorie barf the other six days of the week’s gotta be miserable.”

“True,” Inuzuka conceded, going back to his honey mustard coated nuggets, “but he did ask for it, ya know.”

Choji was dieting specifically for Karui, but Karui hadn’t asked him to, she was fine with his weight and told him that herself, unfortunately, Choji, a guy that had never had a girlfriend until Karui looked his way last year, was overly anxious about losing her because he was chunky. As many times as his friends and girlfriend tried to reassure him, Choji refused to let go of that fear, and after running into brick wall after brick wall, it was easier to just let Choji do what he thought he had to do if it made him happy. Wasn’t like it was a bad thing that he was trying to be more healthy.

Everybody just wanted to make sure he was doing if for the right reasons.

“Ya know, Lee and I can still help you workout if you ever change your mind, Choji,” Naruto offered, “shed some extra pounds, that way your meals don’t have to taste like punishment all time.”

“Yes!” Lee piped up, vanilla ice cream hanging precariously from his McFlurry spoon as he held it in his fist pump hand, “join us on our morning jogs and youthful sparring matches!”

Choji grimaced, the burger in his hands contradicting his standard excuse to skip exercise, “I think I’ll stick to the diet guys. I can’t jog as fast of you all and you’d mop the floor with me in a match…”

“You know we’d slow down for you,” Naruto negotiated, “and we don’t have to like spar for real, we could teach you a few moves, or even lift some weights at the gym. Nothing too crazy, ya know.”

Dull heat dusted his rounded cheeks, his bottom list disappearing into his mouth in a familiar sign of acute embarrassment.

Choji had always been very self conscious and it was even worse when he constantly compared himself to his athletic friends, excluding himself from activities and situations where he’d stick out like a sore thumb as the ‘fat, clearly out of place, dead weight pity friend’ leeching off his fit, popular friends for tiny crumbs of relevancy; that was Choji’s messed up assessment of his place with them, not theirs.

Naruto bit back a sigh, but backed off saying, “or ya know, stick with the diet, that’s cool too. It’s been working for you this long, and you’re down what, ten pounds now?”

And just like that, the redhead was all smiles and enthusiasm, saying before taking another big bite of his burger, “fifteen.”

“Ah sh*t, congrats Choji,” Naruto grinned.

He wanted Choji to have more confidence in himself, to not think about himself the way he did, but he wouldn’t let that stop him from celebrating and commending the guy for the hard work he put in. In a way, expressing his genuine happiness for his friend could only help build his confidence.

That’s what dad told him.

“I knew you were lookin kinda skinny this week,” Kiba joined in, already half way through his twenty-piece, “keep that up and there won’t be nothing left of ya.”

“I keep telling him that,” Shikamaru added, a small smile curving his lips.

“Keep going Choji!” Lee hyped, bouncing around in his seat like he was watching some sort of live action sports game, “fifteen pounds, then twenty, then thirty, then-”

“You wanna chill out?” Kiba grouched beside him, glaring as he caught his soda just as the bowl-cut boy nearly toppled it, “you spill my drink you’re gonna be buying me another one!”

On the other side of the excited teen, Sai piped up to add his own measure of encouragement, “it is perhaps imperceptible at the moment, but I am sure your body mass index has decreased thanks to your dietary efforts.”

“Uh, thanks Sai,” Choji replied, a bit bewildered but knowing the strangely worded compliment came from a good place, “thanks guys,” he addressed the group at large, his smile bright, “I’m gonna keep going, and maybe when I’m as fit as you guys we can jog and lift weights.”

They were all hoping to get him to join them sooner than that but, one step at a time.

“Oh yeah, Sai,” Naruto said, wiping ketchup from the corner of his mouth with a napkin, “I was gonna ask you for a maybe-favor. Hinata’s got some sick painting skills, ya know, she painted all our planets on the orrery.”

“Really?” Choji blinked, “they looked like something you could buy at the store.”

“I know right? They’re really good,” Naruto agreed, then addressing Sai, “I told her you’re in the art club, and that if she ever joins, you’d show her the ropes, help her get used to the club and everything,” his lips twitched a frown, an exhale sliding through them, “and you know, try not to insult her by being inappropriately blunt and painfully awkward.”

“That’s a tall order,” Shikamaru chuckled.

“That’s why I said try ,” Naruto laughed, “unfortunately Sai’s the only one I know that’s in the art club and isn’t a dick on purpose.”

Choji snorted, nearly inhaling his soda down the wrong pipe.

Unoffended Sai merely smiled as he said, “for a good friend, I will try not to be an unintentional dick.”

He was being serious and that’s what made them all laugh.

Naruto was really hoping Sai would pull through, Sai was really harmless but his social skills were far worse than Hinata’s. Both of them had social woes, but Hinata could hold a conversation that was organic and human, the social cues she missed were glaringly obvious, but way less extreme than Sai. Maybe the fact that they both had social hang ups would make them click.

Besides, those two, surprisingly, had more in common than he would’ve thought, and not just because of the art thing and the social situation.

Sai’s parents sucked at, well, parenting , and the courts assigned him a guardian, some sour looking grandpa named Danzo that was kinda strict but was nice enough that Sai seemed to like him a whole lot, way more than his biological parents for sure. Though, to be fair, Sai said it was his mom that technically sucked ass. His dad had some mental health issues that kept him in and out of the hospital for extended periods of time, but his mom was just a straight up bitch that left him alone to go party at night, got caught one too many times, and the courts got involved. Sai’s parents didn’t have family that could take care of him, so he got appointed a guardian.

From what Hinata told him last weekend, her parents, or at least her dad, sucked ass too, though her guardian looked a lot more fun than Sai’s did.

He wanted to ask her about what led up to her being taken from her parents, but she had such a sh*t week worrying about the project till she broke down in tears that he hadn’t wanted to take a chance that his question dragged up even more stressful sh*t. Hinata, he was finding out, was a really sensitive girl, and he hadn’t wanted a round two of figuring out how sensitive. One crying Hinata was more than enough for one day. He might be adjusting to dealing with her tears, but that didn’t mean he wanted keep seeing them, and after seeing her a hell of a lot less gloomy than he’d ever seen her, he thought it was better to end their day off on a happy note.

Besides, they didn’t really know each other all that well and his mom used to get on him a lot about asking personal, usually embarrassing questions to people he barely knew.

Though, mom hadn’t done that since he was a pea-sized, snot nosed brat asking random pregnant women how their bellies got so fat, and when one laughingly explained there was a baby in it, his next question was why she ate her baby instead of asking for ramen.

Maybe it was the fact that the ear pinch his mom gave him as she led him away was seared into his brain.

“Surprised you got any work done with the Transfer Hottie in your group,” Kiba pipped up, wagging his brows.

‘ Here we go again .’

Naruto knew whatever his friend was about to say was gonna get on his nerves, and the fact that he already knew this in advanced preheated his fiery temper.

Naruto was over his salivating and sniffing over Hinata.

It was old and annoying.

Tamping down a flare of irritation, Naruto took a bite of the last half of his burger, muttering as he chewed, “lay off, alright?”

“Oh come on,” Kiba huffed, rolling his eyes skyward before fixing the blonde with petulant glare, “you been hoggin’ her this whole time and that’s fine, whatever, but you’re not even droppin’ any juicy details!”

“There ain’t no juicy details to drop,” Naruto glared back.

“I don’t believe that sh*t, she’s way too comfortable with you all up in her space when her default is to sprint like a track star away from anybody that gets within spittin’ distance. Something’s goin on, and I wanna take notes,” the scruffy teen shot back, before leaning across the table, his sh*t eating grin as annoying as the conspiratorial look on his face, “come on, quit being so selfish and share. I’m tryna cut through the red tape and get straight to the goods, if I can bag and tag the Hyuuga Hottie, then-

“How about you eat your f*ckin food and stop talking about her like she’s a goddamn piece of meat.” Naruto snapped, glaring at his friend who’s nose he really wanted to bloody, keeping his voice low even though their booth was among a seat of empty seats, “you been talkin’ sh*t non-stop since lunch. Shut the f*ck up about her already, f*ck, you’re like a irritating, aggravating, sh*tty ass song on repeat.”

Black brow raised, sh*t eating grin widening, Kiba leaned even further across the table, dark eyes probing and mischievous, “ohhh, so that’s how it is huh?”

Silently straining to keep his temper in check, blue eyes narrowed, Naruto took the bait, “that’s how what is?”

“You and the Hyuuga Hottie, sounds to me like somebody’s a little jealous.”

“You’re a f*ckin idiot,” Naruto muttered, the irritation buzzing around him kicking up a notch, “nobody’s jealous.”

“How’s her high beams, huh?” Kiba asked next, blissfully unaware of how close he was to getting punched in the mouth, wagging his stupid ass eyebrows, his smile like an annoying itch Naruto was dying to scratch, “you gotta have seen some nip to be this bent outta shape about her already, ya lucky bastard. If you did, ya know that ¥20,000 bet is double-.”

“Say one more thing about Hinata or that bet and I’ll knock your teeth down your throat,” Naruto snapped, throwing the rest of his burger down on it’s wrapper.

“Now he’s gettin’ defensive,” the teen snickered, holding his hands up in mock surrender, “alright, alright, I’m actually really impressed ya know, two weeks with the Hyuuga Hottie and he’s a changed man. Knew a little change of scenery is all you needed to finally move on from Skaura. You’re welcome.”

“A change of ‘scenery’ didn’t do sh*t, dumbass, I’m still getting back with Sakura-chan,” Naruto shot back impatiently, “stickin’ up for Hinata when someone’s shootin’ off at the mouth about her has f*ck all to do with seeing her f*ckin tit*. Hinata’s a really nice f*cking person, and I’m not gonna sit here and listen to you talk about her like that without knockin’ your f*ckin teeth in for it.”

And that’s all it was.

Kiba was a disgusting prick and Hinata was too nice to be talked about like that. This wasn’t anything new, the group was always trying to reign in Kiba’s nasty mouth no matter who the girls was. Sure, they were dudes, they talked about girls and sex and tit* and stuff, nothing healthy teens with a functioning libido weren’t prone to do, but Kiba took it to far . To the point where it was degrading and sickening to have to listen to for any length of time.

Though…

Maybe not all , because it’s not like Naruto didn’t like Hinata beyond her being ‘a nice girl’.

There was no reason to lie to himself, he liked Hinata as person, and her shy, wall flower personality was definitely growing on him, he was starting to find it really cute to be honest. He had a lot of fun showing her new things that still left him stunned that she had never tried and he liked that she didn’t mind listening to him blabber on and on. She was interesting and patient especially when she was teaching him sh*t he should already know up on the school roof. She was standoffish and reserved, but that only made him wanna unravel every mystery she kept wound tight, to pump his fist in triumph whenever he successfully coaxed her out of her shell.

And maybe this made him sound like a broken record too but, she made him feel genuinely appreciated for once, like the things he did for her was special, noteworthy at the very less.

He liked that.

In fact, he liked that last bit a hell of a lot.

All of that wrapped in a body a p*rnstar would envy didn’t hurt either.

His attraction to Hinata was never in question, not from the very first day she was introduced to their class by Yamato-sensei, and he would readily admit her curvaceous shape made his dick hard, made him think about what it’d be like to have her underneath him, but none of that meant he was giving up Sakura.

Honestly, the thought never even crossed his mind.

Sakura was it for him.

Since they were kids at the sandbox Sakura had always stood out to him.

Headstrong, independent, a bit prickly and rough around the edges, a lot like him, and, loath as he was to admit it now that he was burgeoning adult that prided himself in making his own decision, a lot like the girl his mother had, apparently jokingly now, advised him to find for himself.

A girl just like his fiery mother.

That wasn’t really in his head at the time though, what drew him and what kept him coming back was how difficult it was initially to get close to her.

For an only child used to getting what he wanted, Sakura refusing to fall easily into his hands had captured his attention like nothing else he’d ever experienced before. He could admit, he was a spoiled, selfish little brat when he was a kid, expecting anything and everything he wanted to be handed to him just because he wanted it. Sakura was his wake up call that the world wasn’t his mother, that people wouldn’t just give him sh*t, that sometimes, he’d have to work his ass off what he wanted.

He’d met his match in the spunky pinkette.

She was a never ending challenge he couldn’t quite surmount, a counterpart just as stubborn as him, just as fierce as him, just as hotheaded and pugnacious as him.

Naruto had been dead set on winning the feisty girl that wasn’t afraid to swing her fists, especially at him.

Sakura had been dead set on repelling him, asserting he was the most annoying boy she’d ever met.

Their ‘courtship’ had been contentious and combative, so much so they felt more like rivals than two teens engaged in the relationship dance.

It was the first time he could remember working hard for something.

And he liked it. A lot.

He liked that she was tough, that she could stand her own and didn’t fold when he lost his temper or threw a ‘tantrum’ as she called it, that she didn’t demand softness from him because Naruto wasn’t exactly a gentle type of guy.

Every reluctant smile he coaxed from her, every exasperated laugh he manage to draw, every begrudging inch she gave in his unwavering pursuit was like winning some grand prize after a hard fought battle.

And, he’d quickly learned, he really liked winning.

It wasn’t until her father left that Naruto really made progress, the worst time in her life completely closing the distance between them, and yeah, he knew her dad abandoning her family probably pushed them together quicker than it would have naturally, but, he liked to think his own hard work had laid the ground work for the bullet-train relationship that bloomed between them almost immediately after.

Like flipping a switch, prickly, independent Sakura Haruno finally needed him, wanted him.

It was the first time she’d run to him rather than away, and though she hadn’t cried, not once in front of him, he knew she wasn’t as alright as she pretended to be. They had that in common too, always wanting to be tough, never wanting to break down, and that worked in his favor because he wouldn’t have known what to do with her tears.

Though, if she had, he would’ve at least tried to figure it out.

There wasn’t much else he could do to help her short of dragging her dad back home. Crazy as it was he’d briefly contemplated doing just that, anything to set her world right again.

His lips twitched a frown, Ino’s accusation replaying in his head.

Hero complex …

Looking back, maybe that was where his ‘hero complex’ started because he could remember feeling like some kind of hero swooping in to rescue Miss. Sakura-I-Can-Take-Care-Of-Myself-Haruno who had never needed anyone in her life, and that made him feel kind of…special, made him want to be the pillar for a girl that never seemed to need one.

He didn’t really care what anyone wanted to call it.

He wanted what he had with her back.

All of this, everything he was doing was to get that back, to get her back, and make this the last time they separated, to get her to see that what they had was special and she shouldn’t keep taking him for granted. He hadn’t lost sight of that, not once. Whether they were together or not, Naruto’s heart belonged to Sakura Haruno, and that, more than anything else effectively removed any slim chance of him getting wrapped up in another girl, no matter how sweet or beautiful.

“He’s right dude, chill out,” Shikamaru jumped in, calmly chewing as he continued, “you’re being really annoying. If you can’t talk about Hinata without acting like a disgusting pig then just keep her name out of your mouth.”

“Damn she’s workin’ fast cause it sounds like she got to you too,” Kiba snarked, though real annoyance crept into his voice.

Good, because Naruto shouldn’t be the only one pissed the f*ck off, and it was more fun knocking Kiba on his ass when the annoying prick was pissed off too and fought back.

Shikamaru placed a restraining hand on his tensed arm, sensing the warning signs of an Uzumaki temper eruption. Naruto wasn’t fazed, Shikamaru wasn’t weak, not by a long shot, but neither was he a habitual gym goer or a martial arts hopeful that trained religiously.

He wouldn’t be able to stop him when he-

“I haven’t talked to her once and I don’t think you should talk about her like that either, Kiba-kun,” Lee piped up from the sidelines, his dark eyes earnest beneath his heavy brows.

“I’ll second that,” Choji half-raised his hands, jowls still chewing.

“That makes me number three I guess,” Shikamaru drawled.

Sai also raised his hand.

“Shut the f*ck up, who asked you guys,” he growled, crossing his arms over his chest and dropping back in his seat with a loud thud.

Kiba always liked being the center of attention, except when he was being criticized.

“They don’t need to be asked, they’ve been sitting here listening to this sh*t and they’re just as tired of it as I am,” Naruto cut in, brows pinched as he leaned in towards the pouting Inuzuka, “get it through your thick skull, nobody wants listen to your disgusting mouth, especially while we’re trying to eat, dickhe*d. So why don’t you do us all a favor and put a lid on that dumpster, ‘ttebayo,”

“f*ck off, Naruto,” was the response.

Naruto hadn’t exactly been expecting more than that, Kiba never bowed out with grace, since they were young boys arguing over toys in the sandbox. Butting heads with Kiba was nothing new, and nothing they stewed over even if they came to blows, however, Kiba had taken a left turn when they started high school, the way he talked about girls becoming sleazy and downright disrespectful and Naruto was long since fed up with it.

“What’s your f*ckin problem, Kiba? You’ve been acting like a sex obsessed idiot ever since Tamaki turned you down,” Naruto noted, watching as Kiba’s face grew as dark as a thundercloud, “you keep saying it wasn’t a big deal but now I’m starting to think you actually were hurt over it, that it didn’t just make you hate relationships, but girls in general.”

“That’s the stupidest sh*t I’ve ever heard,” Kiba snapped, jaw tightening, “what the f*ck gave you a stupid idea like that.”

“The fact that you talk about em’ like all they are you is tit*, ass and puss*,” Naruto pointed out, “you never have anything to say about them other than that and-”

“All that matters is tit*, ass and puss*, unlike you all I’m not gonna get all wrapped up in feelings and let some girl make a f*ckin’ fool outta me,” again .

Kiba didn’t say it, but they all heard it.

Tamaki was the first and only girl Kiba had ever gone after.

Flowers, crappy heartfelt poems, cheap jewelry and his heart on his sleeve, watching Kiba purse the girl he’d been crushing on since primary school had been really, really painful. Like a collection of open books, Kiba read their faces, watching the memories roll through, annoyed by what he probably perceived as a humiliating sea of pitying eyes.

“FYI, I don’t give a sh*t about Tamaki rejecting me,” he insisted, hands on the table as he leaned into their space, his eyes burning fiercely, his words unconvincing, “that’s her f*ckin loss, better yet, I dodged a f*ckin’ bullet not gettin’ tied down to some girl, otherwise I’d be a be just another pathetic, groveling simp handing my balls to some emasculating bitch like all of you!”

With that insult delivered, Kiba stood up from his end-seat of their booth, grabbed his bag and stormed off.

They watched his clipped pace as he passed by the big windows in the direction of the bus stop they all planned to catch the bus home from.

“Don’t seem like he doesn’t give a sh*t, and where the hell did he learn a big word like emasculate from,” the sole blonde at the table muttered after a while, “all this makes a hell of a lot more sense now though. Watching him jump through hoops trying to bag Tamaki was painful, dattebayo. Maybe all that f*cked with his self-esteem or something. Dad says a guy’s ego is more fragile than an egg, ya know.”

Kiba’s ‘courtship’ had been more than painful, more along the lines of excruciatingly embarrassing, tortuously sad and grotesquely awkward for all parties involved, even the onlookers. Naruto hadn’t been directly involved, though he had tried to get Kiba to scale back as all their friends had to no avail, and yet he still felt second hand humiliation for his friend like it were his very own two years later .

Kiba didn’t have to say he was desperate to be with Tamaki, everyone could see it clear as day.

There was no way to sugar coat the truth, to down play or distort it.

Kiba Inuzuka had made an absolute fool of himself.

Naruto and his friend’s group spent a lot of first year shutting down the gossips and wannabe bullies that made fun of Kiba and his failed attempt to woo his life long crush. Through it all, Kiba acted like it wasn’t a big deal, that he was more angry at himself for ‘acting like a clown’ over a girl than sad about getting rejected. Telling them Tamaki wasn’t all that great anyways, that he was completely over her a week later, and after he got his dick wet for the first time with some upperclassmen at a party, Kiba’s stance had seemed all the more convincing to not just his friends, but the gossips watching.

His spiral into enthusiastic man-whoring had only reinforce it.

Clearly, all of it had just been a front.

“That’d explain why he’s f*cking his way through the female population of Ouran High,” Shikamaru postulated, his concerned eyes still on the last window they’d seen the angry teen, “probably using them to validate himself after the whole Tamaki thing.”

Naruto inhaled until his lungs hit capacity, then exhaled through his nose, the remnants of his temper expelling alongside his stabilizing breath then asked as he looked at his group of friends, “so, what’s the plan? He’s being a real dick right now but we can’t just leave him like that.”

This whole situation sucked, and everyone at the booth was probably kicking themselves for not putting it all together sooner, he certainly was, but Naruto was also kinda relieved. At least there was a reason for Kiba being a dickhe*d, and now that they knew what the problem was, there was a chance to find a solution for it, and maybe, had a chance to get their annoying, loud mouthed, short-tempered but somehow still lovable buddy back minus the obnoxious, skirt-chasing pig persona he'd been hiding behind while he licked his wounds.

“We’re gonna need to get Shino in on this,” Naruto suggested, then frowned, “hate to put more sh*t on him though, but he said Torune’s responding to treatment and that he’s improving.”

That was the reason he wasn’t here with them now, munching on a salad. His dad worked late and Shino didn’t like for Torune to be alone and not just because his condition had been so dicey the last few months. Torune was isolated and most of the day, leaving him to do nothing but stew in the depression he’d been diagnosed with.

That worried Shino more than Torune’s skin disease.

“Even if Torune was at a downturn Shino would want to know and help out,” Choji reasoned, the rest of his food uneaten, the sudden turn probably ruining his formidable appetite, “ and he’d be pissed we left him out of something again .”

“True,” the table agreed.

“Besides, if anybody can get through to that jerk it’s Shino.” Naruto stated.

They were all good friends of course, but there were distinct bonds between certain members.

Choji and Naruto were closer to Shikamaru, but Kiba was closer to Shino. Lee was closer to Tenten of all people, and Sai, surprisingly, was tight with Fuu, though maybe it wasn’t all that shocking considering they both had faulty mouth filters and zero situational awareness.

“Before we make any plans,” Choji piped up, “gotta hit the bathroom.”

One row of the booth shuffled around to let the teen out, then reclaimed their seats as the redhead headed to the bathroom.

“You guys notice Choji’s been going to the bathroom after like, every time he eats?” Naruto asked as he disappeared into the mens room, “does he have IBS or something? Pervy Grampa has it and he gets diarrhea almost every time he eats.”

“Or maybe he’s lactose intolerant?” Lee put in.

“He’s not lactose,” Shikamaru negated, shrugging as he guessed, “think the diet change is loosening his bowels or something.”

Naruto made a face, but said, “or maybe it’s that sh*t Karui feeds him, all that ‘healthy’ food’s gotta be lethal at some point.”

The group merely shrugged and settled in to wait out the next half hour.

-

His mom called him a block from home right after he parted ways with his friends. Shifting his bag on his shoulder, knowing who it was by the unique ring tone, Naruto dug his phone out and answered.

“Hey ma.”

“Hey, sweetie, you at home?” his mother asked, before saying, “and stop pouting. Unless you have me on speaker phone, nobody heard me call you sweetie.”

“ I heard it,” the currently pouting Naruto replied, “come on mom, we talked about this, dattebayo. Even dad agreed I’m too old for nicknames like that.”

“Well I don’t agree,” his fiery mother responded.

“Mom-”

“Alright, alright, son , are you home? Did you eat anything?”

Knowing this wasn’t gonna be the last time he was called sweetie, Naruto rolled his eyes and shelved the argument for now, “I’m on the way home now, me and the guys stopped for burgers.”

“Alright, your father should be home soon, he’s out with some big wig at a fancy restaurant. I don’t know how that man has the patience to deal with those boring, stuffy snobs for more than a few minutes. I couldn’t take it longer than thirty seconds.”

Naruto snorted a laugh, “I wouldn’t be able to take it either.”

Dad had more patience than the two of them combined and multiplied by ten.

“Make sure you get your homework done, and pick your clothes up off the floor. No I didn’t go in your room but I know you like the back of my hand, it’s Wednesday, you’ve got at least three days worth on the floor.”

Four days actually.

“Uh, yeah, I’ll pick em’ up,” he promised, knowing he didn’t have a leg to stand on.

“Thank you, son ,” his mom emphasized, amusem*nt in her voice.

Naruto indulged another eye roll but couldn’t help but grin at his cheeky mother’s ‘ son ’.

She never really lost a fight with grace, another trait they shared, “okay.”

“I’ll see you tonight, love you.”

“Love you too, bye mom.”

“Bye, sweetie .”

She hung up before he could say anything, leaving him reluctantly amused at her teasing.

He was home in the next ten minutes, pulling his phone out as it buzzed his pocket while he slipped his shoes off at the genkan.

Sakura had sent him another text but it was Hinata’s message notification that caught and held his interest.

He opened it as he crossed the living room, reading as he walked towards the stairs leading to his basem*nt bedroom, grinning wide as he finally got a concrete answer to his question.

He typed back as he headed down to his room.

¸*´¨`*•.¸｡ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`*•.¸｡¸ପଓ +.*¸*´¨`*•.¸｡¸*

Another chapter! Hope you all enjoyed! Thank you to everyone that reviews and engages with this story, I really do love hearing from each and everyone of you! I’m working on the next chapter now, might have it out sooner rather than later, we’ll see!

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Laters!

Sessakag~