青い骨の美 - The Beauty of Blue Bones

Chapter 35

Summer
Thursday—3:53AM

The mid summer heat would have been a problem for him if he didn't enjoy it as much as he did. Even at night, when the humidity wasn't as bad as the afternoons, Naruto enjoyed it. He'd always laughed at the fact that he hated winter so much because of the cold, yet no one could stand summer the way he could.

Summer nights meant marvelling at the two individuals who would wrap themselves around him unbeknownst to them. They drew in some of his warmth, muttering complaints whenever he tried to pull away to save some for himself when the air conditioner turned on. He had learned to simply appreciate it.

So he did every night.

He'd be the last to fall asleep, choosing to watch them carefully as they tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. He'd listen as their breaths evened out and smiled to himself when the soft wisps of warm air would tickle his skin whichever place they decided to burrow themselves in.

Naruto liked this a lot.

He, however, did not like it when he opened his eyes at nearly four in the morning to see a kunai being held over his chest. He did not like the way she rocked back and forth, groaning under her breath as her hands shook.

Her eyes moved rapidly from under her lids, her grip on the blade both tight and loose as if she wasn't sure about what she was doing.

"Hinata?" He was completely frozen. It wasn't easy to decipher whether it was anxiety or fear that had him in its clutches. He couldn't move, bounded by the shadows as his chest began to get tighter. "Hinata?" He called out again.

Things have been going so well for the past couple of weeks.

She groaned again, a low hum at the back of her throat as she swayed with the unseeable tides of whatever ocean she swam in. The blade shook some more and lowered at a slower pace, getting closer to his chest.

She had been doing so well; they had gone out to eat a few towns over, walked around the forest, and spent every night on the couch in each other's arms.

Hinata reared her hands back, lifting them up quickly before striking down.

Things had been so normal he forgot that she was still in the clutches of something they couldn't really defeat.

"Hinata!" Naruto lurched forward just as the blade embedded itself into the mattress.

She gasped awake, her eyes snapping open as she made eye contact with the kunai that was hilt deep inside her new mattress. It took her a while to register what happened, she stared at it, and back at him.

The look in his eyes was one of distrust and fear. Of worry and confusion as he looked at her as if he couldn't recognize her.

Hinata looked back at the kunai, then screamed. She didn't realize that another pair of eyes were watching and waiting, holding onto the owner of those sapphire gems to make sure that he was alright. Her hands shook as she covered her mouth, tears welled up in her eyes as she apologized profusely.

She continued to stare at the blade, picturing his punctured and bleeding chest if he hadn't moved in time.

"I'm so sorry."

He would have been dead had he not been a ninja equipped with the ability to sense an immediate threat.

"I'm sorry."

She would have been responsible for the death of Uzumaki Naruto. She would be blamed and ridiculed. Hated.

"I didn't mean..."