บท 48: Hinata 2
A week later, Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, sat at her desk and rushed through her inbox, barely glancing at each document before signing at the bottom. Though she was still the Chief of the Medical Corps, she was so busy with governing the village, assigning missions, and grooming Naruto for leadership that she barely had time get the hospital paperwork done, let alone see actual patients
When her inbox was empty, she stood up with a groan. The dull ache in her shoulders flared up as she threw on her lab coat, making her grimace. She turned to her office mirror, hoping she didn't look as ragged as she felt.
Her blond hair still didn't show a trace of grey and her skin was as smooth and vibrant as someone decades younger; in fact, foreign visitors were still making the pleasant mistake of assuming that she and Shizune, the elder of her two apprentices, were sisters. But the chakra required to maintain the facade was becoming too much to bear.
I'm not getting any younger, am I? None of us are.
When she emerged from her office, she saw Sakura, her younger apprentice, standing in the middle of the busy hallway and barking orders. It was only a drill, but Tsunade couldn't tell that by watching Sakura in her battle gear, directing the scurrying nurses like an officer commanding troops in battle.
A few moments later, all of the nurses had gone off to carry out their assigned tasks. The hallway was quiet. Then she saw it. Sakura stared blankly into her clipboard, even as the pen fell from her fingers and clattered against the polished tile.
Ah. A bit of the old Sakura emerges.
Tsunade smiled as she approached her student. "Daydreaming about boys again?"
Immediately, Sakura stiffened. She stared straight ahead. Her cheeks began to turn red. "Sorry, Lady Tsunade. I have no excuse." She looked left and right, and then went into Tsunade's office. She went to the middle of the room and stood at attention, her hands by her sides, her eyes wide open. "I will accept my punishment now, ma'am."
Tsunade entered and shut the door behind her. She strolled around Sakura, making a circle.
I remember this. Feels like a thousand years ago. She was thirteen. And I was so much angrier then. I used to catch her daydreaming about Sasuke. Then I'd make her stand like this while I walked around her.
Choosing my spot.
Aiming my fist at the point where she was the most vulnerable. The place that I caught her flinching the most.
But nothing on her flinches now. Not that I can see. She's scared but she doesn't let it show. She's a tough kunoichi now. Like I was. After Dan.
Tsunade put her warm hand on Sakura's shoulder. "I think you've earned the right to daydream a little. After all the things you've been through. I know that I was a little rough with you back then. Too rough, maybe. If I could do it all over again, then I'd-"
"No, ma'am," said Sakura. "You weren't too rough on me. I needed that. It woke me up. It made me the person I am today."
Tsunade examined the young woman in front of her: the combat uniform and tactical vest, the erect posture and steely gaze, the messed-up hair and finely-polished boots, the eyes darkened from too little sleep, the rough fingers which had never been graced with a lover's ring.
She sighed.
Tsunade sat at her desk. "Who's the boy?" she demanded. Immediately after, she waved her hand. "Never mind. I shouldn't ask. It's not my business." She grinned. "As long as it's not Naruto."
Sakura's eyebrows rose. "Naruto?"
"Sorry. Just thinking out loud." Tsunade leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "Naruto's a very compassionate man. Maybe too compassionate."
She picked up one of the framed photos on her desk, that belonging to a young, light-haired man with soft eyes and a firm jaw. She stared into it. "Dan was very compassionate, too. I loved that part of him. So much." She laid the picture face-down. "But sometimes a man of great compassion is not the best person to take as a lover. Not when the woman has...a bit of a temper."
She leaned back in her chair. "At least I don't have to worry about him and Hinata anymore. That relationship would have been a nightmare."
"Ma'am?"
"Well, one part of it is her little 'problem.' I assume you know about that by now. I don't think Naruto would have been able to see his way past that little obstacle. The other is the family dynamics of the Hyuuga Clan. Let's just say that if they ever got together, it would be the worst possible thing for Hiashi."
Tsunade noticed that Sakura was smiling and arched a brow.
"Sorry, ma'am," said Sakura. "Just thinking about tonight. I think I'm going to have a lot of fun. Thanks for letting me have it off."
That night, at seven o'clock, Sakura watched Ko escort Hinata through the gate.
She didn't see Hiashi.
Like last week, Hinata's face was again a lifeless mask, but this time there was no pleasant smile. Her expression seemed hard and sad and a little scared.
They stayed silent until they could no longer see walls of the Hyuuga compound behind them. Then Sakura turned her head back towards Hinata, a soft look on her normally stoic face. "Are you okay? Did your father do something to you?"
Hinata looked down at the ground. "He..." She took a breath. "He finally told me about my mother. What they had to do to her. Before she got married to my father."
Sakura felt her fingernails bite into her palm. "What? What did they do to her?"
Hinata was silent for a while. "Would you do it for me? When the time comes?"
"Do what?"
"The surgery. To...to make me look like a woman...for my husband."
Sakura blood started to boil as she stared down at the pavement, her fist clenching habitually. "Yes. Of course I will."
A hundred meters later, Sakura snapped her head up. "Wait a minute. How would that work? When I examined you, I didn't see any clitoral structure. None. If I eviscerate the penile structure, do a complete orchiectomy, and then perform a vaginoplasty on the remaining tissue, then you won't have any way to-"
"Yes," Hinata interrupted, ramming her cold hands into the pockets of her jacket. "I know that already. I won't be able to have any more orgasms. For the rest of my life." She gave a jittery sigh. "Just like my mother."
Her eyes stared ahead, in the direction of Naruto's apartment. "That's why tonight is so important. This may be my last chance to show Naruto how I feel about him."
When they arrived at the stairs that led up to Naruto's penthouse, Hinata paused, turning to Sakura. Her expression was tense and pleading. "I'm sorry. I need to be alone with him for a little while."
Sakura smiled and put her hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll be fine down here. Just remember not to be too long, or I'll have to come up and get you."
Hinata's heart pounded as she climbed the endless stairs. When she finally reached the top of the third flight, her fear overwhelmed her. She froze. She opened her mouth to take in more air, but it was useless. Her throat felt like it was clamped shut. She turned around and focused her gaping eyes on the steps below her.
This can't work. It's ridiculous. This can't work. It's stupid to try. This can't-
She gripped the rail and squeezed it. Her eyes narrowed. "No. I won't give up. I won't run away. I won't go back on my word." She looked up at the next flight of steps, looming above her like the peak of a high mountain. She inhaled, exhaled, and then turned back around. "Because that's who I am, Naruto. That's my nindo. My ninja way."
At the top, she spent a minute staring at the penthouse door. Her hands here clasped in front of her heart. Through the door, she heard a radio playing. She summoned her courage and knocked.
She heard the radio stop. Her heart skipped a beat. Then she heard Naruto's voice. "Aw, gimme a break. I know the rent's a little late. Can't you give me a couple of days to-?"
The door swung open. Naruto stood in the doorway, wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of white boxer shorts with green frogs printed on it. When he saw her face, his eyes opened wide.
His surprised expression melted into a grin. "Oh my, God! Hinata-chan! It's been so long. Where have you been?"
She smiled back. "My family's kept me...a little tied up this past year. May I come in?"
"Sure. My place is yours." He stepped aside and watched her enter. "Wow, I haven't seen you since, uh..."
"Pein. It was the day Pein attacked." She turned and looked into his eyes. "The day I told you that I love you."
He looked down at the floor. "Yeah. About that, uh-"
She held her hand up. "You don't have to say it, Naruto. I know I'm being stupid. I know that you're a hero, and you could have any girl you want, and there's nothing that someone like me can offer to someone like you, and that I'm not the best-looking girl in the village, or the strongest fighter, but I just wanted to come here tonight and tell you how I really feel about you, and that I don't expect you to-"
"I love you too," he said. "I think I always kind of did."
Her mouth hung open. For the second time that night, she struggled for breath. She wobbled slightly, her eyes slightly glassy as his words replayed through her head.
"Hinata! You okay? You need to lie down?"
She smiled. "Sure. And maybe some...mouth-to-mouth...would be nice." When he gave her a confused look, she stepped toward him. She put her hand on his chest and felt the beating of his heart. Slowly, the rhythm of her breathing came to match his.
She stared into his chest. "I should have done this a long time ago. I've always been afraid, and I've wasted too much of my life on that." She looked up, into his eyes. "When I'm with you, the fear goes away." She moved her hand down, sliding it down to his waist. "And I want to finally show you..." She moved her hand back and down to caress his muscular backside. "...how I really feel about you."
He took a step back. "I-I like you, too. But shouldn't we slow this down a little? I mean, we haven't even-"
She moved forward, closing the gap between them. "I don't have time for that, Naruto. My life's pretty complicated right now, and it's not going to get any simpler. This may be the last night we can ever have together. Please don't make me explain that."
"O-Okay. But just to let you know, I'm just a little, uh..."
She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest. "I know. I'm a little nervous too. ...Actually, I'm very nervous. I need to tell you a secret, Naruto. A big secret. And before I do that, and before you get mad at me, I need you to do something." She looked up at his face again. "Kiss me."
He swallowed. He struggled to find the right response, but nothing came out of his mouth but stammers. Finally, he simply leaned his head forward and kissed her.
At first, his puckered lips were hard and unyielding. Then, as he let himself relax, his kiss softened and became warm and wet.
She pressed forward, letting his strong arms encircle her. She kept her eyes closed, afraid that if she opened them, the spell would be broken and she would find herself locked in her room again.
When she felt herself getting hard, she pulled away. She dared to open her eyes again, and she saw that he was grinning.
"Wow," he said. "That was great. If you're going to kiss me like that, you can tell me all the secrets you want."
She gave him a jittery laugh, taking a step back and immediately regretting it; undoubtedly, it would give him a better view of her straining crotch.
"I guess it's time I got this over with..."
She pressed the tips of her index fingers together, something she often did when she was nervous.
"You see, in this world, there are men and there are women and there are also some people who don't really fit either... S-some of the women in my family have everything that a woman's supposed to have, but they also have... I-it's kind of hard to explain, but..."
"Hinata, are you trying to tell me that you have a dick?"
Once again, her mouth hung open. Her belly started doing somersaults, partly from the shock of what he just said, partly from the fear of what he might say next, and partly from the relief that her unspeakable shame had finally been brought to light.
He closed the distance between them. "I mean, if that's it, I know already. Since the war. When I plug into the Nine Tails' chakra, I can sense everybody around me. Including you. I mean, yeah, it kinda creeped me out at first, but the more I thought about, the more it seemed kind of...sexy."
Her mouth closed. She tilted her head back, a rosy blush tinting her cheeks.
So that's it. That's why he makes one of the clones have a penis. Because of me.
Because he's...fantasizing about me.
She smiled, barely restraining herself from giggling.
I knew it. We're perfect for each other.
She unzipped her jacket and let it fall to the floor. "Forgive me, Naruto." She stripped off her shirt, revealing her lacy, white bra. "I don't have much time." She unhooked the bra, letting it slip from her smooth, pale shoulders. "And what we do tonight is going to have to last us the rest of our lives."
[This scene has been asked to be censored in regulations with this website's rules. To view the full scene, please check the link in my profile page. Leave a review there or here.]
She felt him rise from the bed, then lay beside her. She smiled when his strong arms held her.
Exhausted, she rested her head on his arm. "I love you, Naruto."
A moment later, she was asleep.
Four stories below, Sakura checked her watch and frowned. Though it was only a quarter past nine o'clock, an overwhelming desire to rush upstairs and fetch Hinata was burning in her gut. She stood up straight and forced herself to relax. A few moments later, she caught herself glancing at her watch again, and she groaned in disgust.
"Alright, Sakura," she said aloud to herself as she thrust her hands into the pockets of her trousers. "Shape it up. You waited five long years for Sasuke. Can't you muster up enough discipline to wait a few more minutes while they-"
She froze. An icy chill jabbed her abdomen. She forced her mind to blank out the image of Naruto and Hinata.
Together.
Laying with each other.
Her body against his. Strong and sexy. Driving into her. Making her-
She slapped her thigh. Hard. "You should be ashamed of yourself, thinking about that. What kind of a shinobi are you? You're pathetic. Truly pathetic. You've gone from daydreaming about Sasuke to daydreaming about-"
The chill stabbed her belly with renewed vigor. She lowered her head.
Pathetic.
A few minutes later, she frowned as she stepped onto the wooden deck outside of the penthouse. She tip-toed to the window. It was still open at the bottom. She stared down at it. Through the opening she could smell the scents of his apartment. The spices from Styrofoam cups of instant noodles. His stinky boots. The scent of his sweat. And hers. The smell of sex.
She made a fist and prepared to rap on the window frame to alert Hinata.
But she didn't. Her desire to peek was too much to bear.
She squatted down, lowering herself cautiously, as though a tiger would come bursting through the wall at the slightest disturbance. When she was low enough, she ducked her head down and peered through the opening.
When she saw them together, sleeping on the bed, locked in a naked embrace, her frown intensified. The chill in her gut became a raging fire. The knuckles of her hand turned white.
What's the matter, Sakura? Isn't this what you wanted? To see Hinata get a last moment of freedom? To know that Naruto finally got laid? To piss off the Hyuuga Clan? So why are you getting mad, girl? Could it possibly be that you're just a little bit-
Her eyes opened wide, a drop of sweat ran down her face.
That's impossible. There's no way.
She stared at them again. Her eyes opened even wider.
That can't be. There's no just way. How could I possibly be-?
Inside her chest, she felt a pain erupt. A pain she had never felt before.
Jealousy? Is this what jealously feels like?
She stood up. When she did, her foot hit a pebble and it went clattering across the deck. Afraid, Sakura leapt into the air. She landed on the street four stories below, not far from the spot where Hinata had left her.
Hinata woke with a start. She thought she heard someone outside. After rubbing her sleepy eyes, she formed her Byakugan and scanned the area around her. There was no one around. Then she looked down and saw Sakura's distinctive chakra.
The Byakugan disappeared. She whipped her head around and stared at the clock. It was time to go.
She leapt out of bed and began rounding up her clothes. The first to go on was her underwear. She pulled it up to her thighs and then stopped. She stared at the hard panel inside the front.
Very soon now...I won't need you ever again.
That thought didn't make her happy. Instead, it almost made her cry.
As she finished snapping her bra, she heard Naruto's voice. "Going already?"
She kept her back to him. "Sorry. I have to go. My father's expecting me." She stepped into her pants.
"Will I see you again?"
She paused for a moment to compose herself. Then she buttoned her pants and reached for her shirt. "I don't know." She paused again. "I want to. I mean, I'll try to, but..." She started to put on her shirt.
"I don't understand."
She struggled to get her arms through the holes. "Maybe it's better that you don't. Maybe..." Maybe I shouldn't have come. Maybe I shouldn't have started something I knew I couldn't finish. Maybe I've done more harm than good. She shoved her feet into her shoes as she fought the impulse to break down.
She grabbed her jacket and then reached for the doorknob. "I'm sorry, Naruto." She felt a tear run down her face. "But I have to go."
She opened the door and threw herself through it. As she closed it, she heard him say, in a sad voice, "Good night, Hinata-chan."
She froze for a second. "Good night, Naruto."
Then she shut the door.
She didn't bother with the stairs. She leapt off the deck and landed on the street below, beside Sakura.
They walked back in silence. As they approached the gate of the Hyuuga compound, Hinata said, "Thank you. For giving me the opportunity to show him how I feel."
Sakura was silent for a long moment. Then she said, in a small voice, "You're welcome."
Hinata turned to wish Sakura a good night, but before she could, she saw a tear run down Sakura's cheek. It fell from her chin and made a wet splotch on her combat vest. There were several more splotches just like it.
Hinata grabbed Sakura's hand. "Don't cry. It will all work out. Somehow."
Sakura sniffled. "How?"
Hinata gave her a weak smile. "I don't know yet. I'm still working on it." When she saw another tear roll down Sakura's cheek, she leaned forward and kissed the tear away. "So don't cry for me. Okay?"
Sakura gave her a very intense look. The tears had stopped. "Okay. You got it. I won't shed any more tears for you."
Hinata heard the gate open. It was Ko, her bodyguard. She turned back to Sakura. "Good night, Sakura-chan," she said before she walked to the gate.
When the gate closed behind her, Hinata turned and looked back at Sakura. Her friend was still in the same spot, bathed in the yellow glow of the streetlamp. Just as Hinata was about to wish her a good night again, she heard Sakura say, "Goodbye, Hinata."
Then she turned and walked into the darkness.
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