Restoration Book 3/3: Hinata's Fate

Chapter 5

After restocking our backpacks with supplies for the road and saying our goodbyes, Tenten, Neji, Naruto, and I hit the road at the break of dawn. Every fiber of my being was telling me to turn back around, grab Hanabi, and escape somewhere that we'd be safe because I've spent the last six months trying to protect her just to leave her with some people that I barely know.

Of course I trust Tenten, but I've known her parents for less than twenty four hours and I just left the most important person in my life in their care. I don't even want to think about how wrong it is that my mother was also with her. "I would've slapped the living daylights out of her if I were you!" That's what Hanabi said when we first spoke after the big confrontation in Yua's kitchen and she wasn't wrong to feel that way.

I was being torn in three different directions: maturity, hurt, and rage. For my brother's sake, I chose the road that led to maturity so the chance of him having to choose between me and his mother would be slim to none and luckily it worked.

There was a fiery rage inside me, too, though. I was angry. I was appalled by her audacity to carry on living a normal life after what she's done. More than I was angry at her, I was fed up with myself.

My expectations on her reaction to seeing me for the first time in over a decade weren't high, but I thought she'd at least cry or tell me she still loves me. Neither was the case. Sure, she said she loved me the moment she gave birth, but that was the extent of vocalizing her emotions toward me. Not a single tear had fallen from her silver eyes, either, which leads me to the final weight bearing down on my shoulders: hurt.

The explanation she gave for why she'd done what she did wasn't the worst thing that could've happened. According to her, at least, she carefully considered what my quality of life would be before making her decision.

The sad self-hatred that always seems to lurk just below the surface of my heart was hammering away at the walls of my composure and it started the moment I found out Yua Hyuuga was alive. The only part of me that was excited to leave was that one because focusing on our task in Suna helped keep my mind off of our tense family situation.

The trip from Inaka Village to the center of Sunagakure will take between ten and eleven days completely on foot because Neji and Tenten's homes are located at the most eastern part of Konoha. Luckily, the four of us found a car almost immediately.

Neji and Tenten sat up front to start off the trip, the latter bringing along a big folder of CDs she'd found in the van they took from Oto to Konoha. She and Naruto immediately began singing loudly to the maxed out speakers and I joined in albeit much more quietly. Neji just looked comically irritated by us all, especially since it's so early in the morning.

Tenten, ever immune to his constant pouting, leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, lifting her hand as though serenading him when he looked over at her with a glare. I stifled a laugh, turning to check if Naruto had witnessed the cute moment as well, only for him to kiss me deeply without warning. My eyebrows rose, but I accepted the affection without resistance. That is, until he tried to add tongue into the mix and I pulled back with a blush steadily rising to my face.

After glancing to make sure the two up front hadn't noticed, I spoke just loud enough that he could hear me, "What's gotten into you? They'll see us!"

He reached over under the blanket we were sitting beneath to interlace our fingers, "I don't care." Then he was kissing me once more, this time with more vigor. A squeak slid from my mouth to his, but I couldn't bring myself to push him away again.

As each moment passed, the less uncomfortable I felt. Kissing Naruto in itself brought me pleasure and happiness. After wanting to for so long and not having the ability to do so, each press of his lips to mine was like a reassurance that all of this has been and will continue to be worth it. The man's touch, his scent, his taste, it all filled me to the brim whenever we're close like this. It's no wonder I've fallen for him so completely.