A small crack in perfection

A small crack in perfection
By eternalshiva

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters portrayed by Masashi Kishimoto, nor do I make any monies off this fanfiction.

AN- Ok, I’m almost done with chapter 14 of Twice Shy but this chapter needed out of my head. lawl hope no one kills me on my oodles of puns in this, cookies to those who finds them all! Sorry Jolly, you can’t participate ‘cause you beta.

AN Edit – New sub plot added, please re-read the chapter D:

BN- B-b-but... Aww... I love puns. Phooey! ^_^

Thank you Jolly Green for the beta, I appreciate the hard work you do.

Chapter 4
The all seeing lies

This was quite unusual for the genius of the Hyuuga; he had lied, thoroughly and without shame. Although he’d told Hinata that the boy was committed to spend the next few days here, he’d yet to actually confirm… or ask him. He had to act fast before his plan backfired. He quickly walked away from his cousin’s bedroom and sought out the nearest phone.

It wasn’t a complete untruth, he reminded himself. Hanabi had requested he find out when Hinata would want to set aside time to meet with the man, but once he looked inside that room and opened his mouth, he had been hard press to resist his teasing after she had frozen up. Somehow he’d gotten carried away and it ended up with him making the ridiculous statement that her old crush was spending the rest of the contracted allotted time with her in this home.

“A momentary lapse in judgement,” he told himself. He ignored the slight echo from the large hallway as he continued his search for the phone. He wondered momentarily why he had foolishly let his near non-existent teasing side have a say in his usually flawless logic.

Of course, if this worked, he’d take full credit and instil the self proclaimed lapse of sanity into pure genius. It was his idea, after all, regardless of how it turned out.

He turned right in escape of the darkened hallway. His bare feet soundlessly gripped the wooden planks of the hardwood in the kitchen and locked onto his target with knowing victory. He reached out for the waiting receiver and pressed the familiar numbers that once belonged to his ill uncle. Preparing himself, he took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to word his request to his younger cousin so that she would willingly provide him with vital information.

“Good afternoon,” the female voice chimed at the other end. He quickly calculated the highest probability for this mission’s fail rate. There was a slim chance he could remain ambiguous enough and keep the younger sibling out of the loop. It was a very low percentage; she was nearly as brilliant as he was.

“Hanabi, I would require you to provide me with Mr. Uzumaki’s contact information.”

“For what purpose, cousin?” Her voice sounded metallic at the end of the line. The hair on the back of his neck rose with a warning row of goose bump. Her voice was laced with a curious, calculating tone; which meant he was failing the mission to keep her out of it.

“I have a suggestion that could appeal to the completion of the contract.” He tried to keep his voice uninterested.

“He’s still here, eating with Sakura.” He could hear the mouth piece sliding across the younger woman’s chin as she leaned sideways on her chair, trying to catch a glimpse of the two targets outside. “Would you like me to get him?” She didn’t really give him an option to answer since she’d already pressed the hold button, causing dreadful elevator music to play a tuneless song on the phone. He held back a groan; she had already figured out his plan and was more than willing to participate in it.

She dropped the receiver into its holding area and let a slow smirk cross her lips. She had an inkling of an idea what her cousin wanted to do and she was in complete agreement. She crossed her office door and silently made her way to the two friends.

Sakura was in the middle of explaining to her ex how slugs were known for medicinal healing purposes, thoroughly grossing out the blonde with her descriptive imagery use. The last thing he wanted to do was put the large forkful of spaghetti in his mouth while picturing slugs slithering around using their “healing” powers of divinity.

Who came up with that shit? It sounded like it came straight out of some Japanese manga Gaara would force him to read back in high school. He opted for a swig of his cooled water instead and tried to push the mental images as far away as possible.

“Naruto,” the small voice popped out of nowhere and startled the two. She ignored their looks of alarm and continued. “My cousin Neji would like a word with you on my phone.” The blond coughed lightly as his sip of water tried to work its way down properly.

“Neji?” he glanced over to Sakura, she shrugged and begun to peel her orange, the scent tickled Naruto’s nose and he had to suppress the urge to sneeze.

Her silent stare spoke 'don’t look at me' to him; she hadn’t heard from Neji since they were kids. He shrugged in response and nodded to Hanabi. Picking himself up off the modest chair, he followed the mini-Hinata into the mouth of her temporary office.

She put her hand on the metal of the knob and pointed to the phone on her desk. He was a bit confused as to why Neji would want to speak with him, but he wasn’t one to ignore an old acquaintance. Picking up the receiver, he pressed the hold button and his voice smoothly greeted Neji.

“It’s been a long time, Naruto,” the much deeper sound surprised him. Naruto smiled as he recognised the voice, somewhat.

“Neji! Yeah, it has been a while. What’s going on?” he gently passed a hand through his yellow tresses and tried to sound somewhat uninterested. He failed horrendously. He was quite happy to hear from him.

“I understand you are seeking a meeting with Hinata in regards to her personal landscape design.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure when she’d be able to make the time with her being sick.” He paused for a moment, thinking on the time left to complete the drafts. “I need to have all the plans completed before next Friday.” He scratched behind his right ear sheepishly; a small laugh laced his response.

‘Perfect,’ Neji thought as his plan continued to unfurl. He could almost hear Hinata’s long list of reasons as to why Naruto had to go. Hopefully one of them was because he was instigating too many memories.

“I have a proposal.” Naruto raised his brow, interest piqued. Anything at this point would be an improvement on his plan to stalk Hinata. He wasn’t getting anywhere with it considering he’d yet to even find her. Good thing his lifelong dream had never been to become a detective; he would have been sorely disappointed.

“Oh? What sort of proposal?” He glanced over at Hanabi, who was listening intently as she stared at him. He felt his face warm a little as a blush creeped on his face. It wasn’t that he thought Hanabi to be particularly attractive, he just wasn’t used to being watched so closely. She had the same pale eyes as her sister and he was suddenly very self-conscious. She was analysing him, trying to see exactly what it was that caused her sister to become so flustered the last few days after meeting him.

“I propose that you spend several days here at Hinata’s home; not only to complete the landscape drafts, but also to fulfill your own requirements to meet and learn about my cousin.”

“Uh...” Naruto started, his logical side agreed with Neji. Yes, this would be a great opportunity to learn about the mysterious heiress, but his other side was telling him to turn tail and run. Their last encounter screamed that this was a bad idea in every sense of the word. He also briefly considered that the last time this sceptical side screamed at him to run, to lay low and accept defeat, was when Sakura challenged him to enter the contest that led him to his current success.

Who was he to listen to reason? There was no time like the present!

“Ok. I’ll accept your proposal.” Unknowingly, he smiled and let out another small laugh. His nerves were tingling with anticipation at seeing Hinata again. This was complete, total luck on his part. Things were looking up.

He didn’t hear the small sigh of relief coming out of the other side of the receiver. He had avoided looking like an ass in front of his infuriated cousin.

“Please be ready for seven this evening, I will send a limo to pick you up.”

“Ah, no thank you,” Naruto politely declined. “Just tell me the address; I’ll take my own car there.” He felt more comfortable with his own mode of transportation. “Let me make arrangements with my partner. He’ll have to handle the workload while I concentrate on the last bit of this project.” Hanabi tilted her head slightly and turned away, grabbing a pen off the desk and a piece of paper. She wrote the directions and handed it to him while he kept patting his chest, trying to find the pen he’d put there that morning. It had conveniently disappeared.

“Ah never mind, Miss Hanabi here already provided it,” he gave her a disarming grin as he mouthed 'thank you' to her. She nodded and paused unwillingly. Unable to resist the spreading pleasant mood, she smiled back. There, right there, she finally saw what flustered her sister so much. He was the embodiment of the sun and radiated a much needed light in her sister’s darkness.

She hoped her cousin’s lackluster plan worked or Hinata would fall deeper into the spiraling hell created by their father.

* * *

Sakura watched him walk back to her, mischief lacing his steps. She grinned at him.

“What happened?” She popped in a cherry in her mouth, digging the pit out with her tongue. He returned the grin ten-fold and neatly hopped over the chair he’d been using earlier.

“I’m going to pay the robot a personal visit for a few days,” he chimed, sitting down to join her again.

“Oh yeah? How’d you manage to pull that off?” She popped another fruit in her mouth, closing her eyes while sucking the juice out of the flesh. He watched her chew with slight fascination.

“Are you swallowing the pits?” he ignored her question; she slit one eye open to watch him curiously.

“Why?”

“Ever see that movie ‘The Witches of Eastwick’?” She slowly shook her head. He grinned mischievously.

“The three witches in that movie eat a shit load of cherry pits one evening and they curse this couple,” Sakura tilted her head slightly in interest , “by transferring all the pits from their stomach to the couple’s. This forces them to projectile vomit all the pits they ate. It’s super nasty.” He laughed when she scrunched up her face in disgust.

She glared at him, huffed and spat out two pits on the table. “You asshole, I was keeping them up in my cheek.” He laughed, shaking his head lightly; he knew how to gross her out perfectly. This was revenge for the damned slug info from the library of the Sakurawiki.

“Answer my question,” she prompted as she continued to eat the cherries in her little container. She had maybe half a dozen left to eat and she would enjoy every minute of them.

“Neji suggested I stay there until my end of the bargain is complete.” He looked away a minute, back in Hanabi’s general direction. He felt a little nervous about the extended stay. There was something about Hinata that intrigued him and he wasn’t sure what kind of intrigue it was.

She was a little weird... a little dark, but there was something about the way she carried herself that made him curious.

“You’re going to sleep there?” she asked, surprised. She would have never imagined Hinata agreeing to something so... suggestive.

“Yeah, should be interesting.” He didn’t notice the small smile that fluttered on his lips. Sakura’s eyes dropped at his subconscious reaction while he was looking up to the ceiling with his arms behind his head.

She knew that look and the meaning hit her like a ton of bricks.

“Do you like her?” she asked casually. Naruto hummed, his thoughts still lingering on the pale eyes.

“I don’t know; she’s intriguing me for sure.”

“Intriguing you?” A slow smile formed on her lips, this was juicy.

“Yeah, I’m not sure how yet though.” He looked over to his friend, eyes twinkling with mischief. He leaned forward on the desk, his fingers laced together in front of him and he teased with a low octave, “Are you jealous, Sakura-chan?”

“Sakura-chan?” she laughed. “Damn, that’s so old. Gaara used to call me that.”

“Yeah, I miss that coot.” He leaned back again, his question forgotten. “I’m not sure yet if I like her that way. I’m curious to know more about her. She’s so different from back then.”

“That whole memory thing,” she started, her fingers peeled back the top of her cherry yogurt and she licked the lid clean. He frowned at her implication. “It’s hard not to wonder how far you can jog her memory.” She licked her lips before dipping her spoon inside the plastic container.

“Well, I’m not there to make her remember,” he tried to argue, but he knew that was a little part as to why he wanted to be there for that long. “Well ok, maybe that would be a bonus.” He recalled her blushes from back then.

“Man, I wish you never told me she had been crushing on me back then,” he grumbled, his own cheeks flushed a little at the memories of the obvious signs he’d been too stupid to notice. Sakura puzzled a minute before laughing.

“Oh, I see. I’ve made you curious about her even more.” She giggled. He rolled his eyes and grabbed at the one slice of tomato that had dropped out of her club sandwich.

“Seven layers for a club sandwich? That seems a bit extreme.” That tomato looked lonely, so he plucked it out of her sandwich bag and saved it from the garbage can.

“Club sandwiches work in layered teams,” she announced. “I name them all by how many layers I use.” He snorted and popped the one loner tomato in his mouth.

“Let me guess, this one’s called Team Seven?” He stared at the monstrous heap of food and she nodded. She could feel her mouth watering in anticipation.

“Why all the tomatoes?” he puzzled. She shrugged and the silent glance she gave him clearly stated she had no intention of telling him why she was obsessed with the fruit.

“Well, I have to go tell Kiba he’s the boss for a week or two.” He turned his cell back on and checked the few text messages waiting for his attention. He gave Sakura a small wave and headed towards the elevator.

“Ok. Call me when you’re settled in.” She waved him off, her lips pursed in thought as considered which section of her Team Seven she’d break apart and eat first.

* * *

There was a deep sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. He was coming here. Not only invading her personal space, but staying here. Sleeping here. Eating here. She couldn’t settle down.

She'd never had anyone, besides her family, stay for an extended period of time and she didn’t like the idea. A small knock to her bedroom door snapped her out of her temporary battle.

“Yes?” she invited her caretaker to enter. Neji pushed the door open part way and looked at his bed-ridden cousin.

“I have to leave, Hinata. Your father has requested I help him with documentation.”

She blinked. This meant she would have no chaperon with the man who constantly pecked at her walls.

“No,” she replied. Her cousin rolled his eyes visibly.

“I apologize for the inconvenience considering we will have a guest, but your father left no room for arguments.” He was lying through his teeth. He wanted to return home to his wife while Naruto was here. He had made the blonde the unofficial caretaker without either of them knowing or their consent.

Her lips thinned as she pressed them together. He casually said his good-byes and hid his face quickly as he closed the door. A smirk was threatening to break his calm demeanour. He heard the soft thump of a pillow hitting the closed mouth of her bedroom and he let out the quiet laugh.

He could get used to this, very quickly.

* * *

“So, I get your office?” Kiba eyed his chair, his hands were rubbing together.

“Only if you stay off the porn,” the blonde answered between clenched teeth. He didn’t like the thought of Kiba pawing through all of his affairs, but he needed access to the files and his computer to run the business while he focused on this contract.

“I’m not promising anything. That way you can’t be disappointed.” He marched over to the leather chair and sat down, his feet plopped crossed on the top of the desk.

Naruto blinked. He opened his mouth to counter, but he just stared at the other man. Kiba grinned and mentally gave himself another point on the imaginary score board of ‘moments he’s made Naruto speechless’.

Naruto couldn’t argue with that logic, no matter how he tried. He ended up just shrugging and continued to pack his briefcase with the few items he knew he needed. He was going to take his portable graph table and most of his materials with him since he’d be working on her garden.

“Well, just make sure to scan the computer every night, I don’t want our network compromised.” He leaned over and opened a drawer under his desk, taking out a few pencils, an eraser and some spare sheets of draft paper. Kiba rolled his eyes.

“Oh, for fuck's sake, you’re such a prude. I don’t look up that shit in here.” Naruto looked up from his task and narrowed his eyes, mistrusting the other man. Kiba ignored him and continued. "Besides, if you were really worried about that sort of thing, you'd hire a computer guy and get rid of that crappy IT company that set the damn thing up."

It wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation and Kiba didn't think it would be their last. However, Naruto looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before speaking.

"Almost sounds like you have someone in mind," he said, looking at Kiba.

Kiba was so stunned by the comment that his feet slid off the desk and his mouth hung open. Naruto mentally gave himself another point on the imaginary score board of ‘moments he’s made Kiba speechless’.

Kiba looked up at the ceiling, as if to offer thanks to some deity, he looked over to his friend with a smile. "You're right. I do. But our contract with Yakushi Technologies specifically states that we aren't allowed to hire any other technical advisors." Kiba admired many things about his friend, one of which being his trusting nature. However, the man could be too trusting sometimes. Specifically when it came to his company.

Naruto frowned. That clause in the contract had irked him, but the lawyers had been insistent that it remain. Now it was coming back to bite him in the ass. He noticed Kiba still had that 'plotting' look he got from time to time and decided to press the issue.

"You think you can get us some 'advice' without me having to 'hire' the guy on the spot?" he asked, choosing his words carefully. Kiba only grinned in response, causing Naruto to smile back. "You have my network secure by the time this contract is finished and next time I'll grab the buns."

Kiba leaned back in the comfortable chair, pleased with how this day was turning out.

“So, how long am I in the big chair for?” he asked as he twirled around in it to make a point. Naruto sighed. The damned thing was going to be all out of whack when he got back, he just knew it.

“Stop doing that,” he warned. Ignoring him and the question in kind, Kiba pushed off again. The chair tilted and Naruto growled.

“How are you going to crack that nut?” Kiba slowed down the spin and watched his friend. Naruto glanced at the other man and smiled sheepishly. That was a hard question to answer.

“Well, I’m not really planning to do anything really.” He set his brief case down and sat on the stool in front of his graph table. “I pissed her off pretty badly.” He looked down at his hands in thought. Kiba watched him closely.

“She needs a good lay, in my opinion.”

Naruto blinked. A what now?

“That’s so crass.” Naruto shook his head.

“Well it’s true.” He shrugged. “Plus you like her anyways, might as well try to get in her pants after the contract is done.” Naruto couldn’t believe that garbage had fallen out of his close friends’ mouth.

“Do you actually hear the shit that comes out of your mouth?”

“Sometimes,” Kiba chirped, spinning around again to Naruto’s chagrin.

“Why do you, and Sakura, think I want to get into her pants?”

Kiba stopped his spin and looked over his shoulder; his eyebrows were raised so high Naruto thought the man was going to break some world record.

“Are you fucking with me?” He looked around the room as though Naruto had hidden some cameras for some stupid reality prank show. Naruto looked puzzled.

“No, I’m not.”

Kiba shook his head and had to repress the urge to throw his hands up in the air.

“Jesus. You’re intrigued, Naruto. Intrigued.” Kiba drawled out the last syllables like a favoured liquor. Naruto still didn’t get the point.

“For you, to be even remotely interested, speaks volume.” He snorted. “You even stopped looking at Sakura with that fore-longed look.” Kiba looked up to the ceiling.

“Hell, you’re throwing yourself in this project at such a personal level that you’re actually sleeping at her home.” He pointed at the blonde. “Sleeping there. In her personal space. For several days.” His tone ended with a ‘need I say more’ type of conclusive sound.

“And you gave me the reins to Rasengan Landscape, unsupervised, for an undetermined amount of time.” He grinned. Naruto rolled his eyes.

“Oh my god! You’re right, I’ve gone insane!” he mocked. Kiba ignored him and spun in the chair.

“Deny it all you want, Naruto. I’m sure you’re getting into her pants by the end of this.” Naruto didn’t believe a word of it. He was positive Hinata hated him after their last encounter. He felt his heart squeeze awkwardly at the memory of her retreating form.

“Sai should be done the drafts by the end of this week,” Naruto quickly added. “Once you pick them up, write up the proposal. I’ll try to get done at the same time.”

His partner nodded and twirled once more in the chair before getting up. He knew he was annoying the other man, but he enjoyed it. As Kiba walked out of his office, waving him off, he failed to notice the dark look on Naruto’s face. His grin turned into that old familiar mask that protected him from showing what he was truly feeling.

* * *

‘It’s getting late,’ he thought as dusk settled over the town. He suppressed the chill that passed through him as the wind picked up. The stars had begun to peek out, greeting the faded moon in the orange-purple sky. Naruto took in a deep breath, locked the door to his home and walked towards his car. He dropped his two bags in the back, dug out the keys from his pocket and gave them a twirl once on his index before silencing the jingle with the rest of his fingers.

He hoped over the edge of his 1964 Half Ford Mustang and pushed in the key, bringing the motor to purr. He loved this car. He had asked Gaara to draw him a picture of the Kyuubi in his own interpretation a few years ago when he bought this old beat up piece of junk. He had it redone and painted it a kind of copper orange, one of his favourite colours. The Kyuubi was on the hood, only outlined in black.

The damned thing was scary as hell and he loved it.

The convertible rolled out from his driveway and he considered putting up the roof. As the wind ruffled his hair and cooled his nerves, he decided against it; he was feeling a bit apprehensive as to his destination. The last time he saw Hinata, she’d slammed her inner door in his face and it screamed to be left alone.

He pushed in the mix CD and smiled as Magic Carpet Ride strummed out of his speakers. His fingers tapped along as the light turned from yellow to red. His thoughts wandered over the project. He’d seen a few pictures of where she wanted the garden done; it would be a lot of work. The space was well lighted, considering it was a room made of panels of glass. The issues he had to consider were creating privacy and dealing with the drafts winter would cause.

The light shifted to green and he pressed on the gas. He hummed along with ‘Every Breath You Take’ as he merged up onto the highway and made his way to Hinata’s home. He wondered if he’d be able to befriend the woman at least. Their relationship had started on the wrong foot for sure.

He decided to let go of the friendship he had with her in the past and treat this Hinata like an entirely different person; a complete stranger. She really was since she’d forgotten all about him. That fact originally depressed him a little, but the challenge of breaking through the walls she had put up was hard to refuse.

His decision on getting to know her was influenced a little on the fact she was a very attractive woman, but until the contract was finished he would have to stay very professional.

He hoped he would anyways... he wasn’t known for his patience.

* * *

A pale eye stared at him from the entry; he fidgeted a little while shifting his weight from one foot to the next. Her gaze almost burned him. He removed his sun glasses, passed a hand through his messy blond hair and grinned at her.

“Hi Hinata.”

She blinked, her breath caught in her throat as the man waited to be let in. The sun was setting behind him and it made his skin look even more golden than usual. His hair was tussled and his eyes twinkled with amusement. The swelling was gone and she was devastated.

He was terribly handsome.

“You’re late,” she cut in before he could ask her if anything was the matter. A yellow eyebrow rose in curiosity.

“I didn’t know I had to be here at a specific time,” he teased. She wasn’t amused and narrowed her eyes at him, calculating his intentions.

“Can... I come in?” As much as he enjoyed her watching him this intently, it was cold out here.

“Oh!” She moved aside quickly and looked away, embarrassed. She didn’t notice how her cheeks tinted a pale pink. Naruto pretended he didn’t notice her slip up in humanity and stepped inside. He was surprised at the simplicity of her home. It exuded femininity, a hint of warmth and comfort. Her garden was already a challenge as it was. Now, from what he could see, it would be even more complicated with the mixed meanings. Her flowers picked screamed melancholy while her home felt bitter-sweet.

He heard the entry close behind him and he looked over his shoulder, the petite woman was in a dark lilac silk pyjama. She met his gaze with a challenge, causing him to smirk.

“Where am I supposed to stay?” he asked as he turned towards her. His eyes tried very hard to stay on her face, but they had a mind of their own and they wandered down. The pyjama was loose, but it rested on some of her more protruding curves. It was a little bit too pleasant to look at. He cleared his throat when she crossed her arms. She could feel his stare on her and it was uncomfortable.

“This way.” She pointed forward down the hall, expecting him to lead the way. She wasn’t about to strut in front of him after that look he’d given her.

“I’m in the lead, eh?” a slow smile stretched his lips, she frowned. “Didn’t know you wanted to keep me in your sight so much, Hinata.”

‘Smooth. Real smooth Uzumaki. That’s exactly how you compliment someone,’ he mentally kicked himself. His mouth had operated on its own without his consent. He heard her small gasp behind him. He decided to not turn around to see her reaction; play it safe since he’d already placed his foot carefully inside of his large mouth.

“Uh... Sorry, that came out of nowhere. I’m used to being with Sakura and we tease like that.” He nervously laughed as he searched for his room; he couldn’t get there fast enough.

He sounded apologetic, she decided. Her cheeks were burning and she tried to avoid looking at him, but his charisma was hard to ignore. Her eyes wandered over his back and she could see the muscles moving sensually under the snug shirt. The blood was starting to heat her cheeks and it made her a little light headed. She glanced quickly away and wondered how he’d managed to confuse her in the span of thirty seconds.

“Ah, well... apology accepted,” she nearly whispered. He peeked over his shoulder and smiled, glad she’d finally spoken to him in a tone that expressed friendliness. She caught his gaze and held it a few seconds before looking away, blushing lightly and smiling slightly despite herself. His good mood was catching.

“Are... you and Sakura very close?” she asked softly. From what she’d observed they were not quite lovers, but something similar. She couldn’t quite put her finger on the feeling it caused her.

“Ah, yeah we’re quite close.” He slowed his step, subtly telling her that she could continue asking her questions. He was in no hurry.

“I see.” She slowed as well.

“She’s my ex,” he added. He wasn’t sure why he needed to emphasise that, but there was something about the way she asked it that demanded it.

“Ah.” She felt a little relieved for some reason. “Do... you still love her?”

He stopped in his tracks and turned around, his expression was hard to read. His eyes caught hers, searching her own. She felt a little exposed. Maybe her question was too personal.

“Do I still love her?” He wasn’t sure he heard her right. Hinata broke away from his stare and watched a spot on the wall. Maybe it was too personal, crossing a line. She opened her mouth to apologise, but he bent down and put his luggage at his feet, crossed his arms across his chest and curled his index and thumb around his chin in thought.

“That’s a pretty loaded question.” He closed his eyes. She felt really nervous. She leaned in subconsciously, watching his mouth as though his answer would set the course to something she wanted to explore against her logic.

“Hmm. Well that depends. Sakura and I have a strange relationship. We dated out of convenience I think. I was deeply in love with her and she was chasing memories.” He opened his eyes and narrowed them slightly, he was struggling on answering her question properly.

“She’s the first girl I loved... my first partner, my first relationship.” Hinata’s lowered her gaze; her fingers had managed to knit themselves together. She frowned at her old habit resurfacing. She felt warmth on her shoulder and she quickly looked up, meeting his deep blue gaze. She could feel her cheeks heating as his hand tightened around the sensitive flesh.

“She was also my first heart-break when I finally realised that she would never be able to love me like she loves another.” His eyes were almost sad. She felt her heart squeeze.

“So, yes. I still love her, but not as a lover. She’s someone I can’t stop loving because we understand each other, but this love has changed from a lover’s affection to a brotherly affection.” There was a pause between them. He released her shoulder and gave her a small smile, but there was something off about it. She noticed how his eyes reflected a loneliness she was all too familiar with and it clashed with his happy expression.

“Do...” she struggled with her next question, her gaze swallowing every inch of his face. “Do you think you’ll find someone again?” Her questions were a little odd, very personal, but he didn’t feel uncomfortable. He shifted his weight onto his other foot and looked up towards the ceiling, thinking on her question. He felt like she was testing him, checking his worth.

“Anything is possible, I’m certainly not giving up on the idea that there’s someone out there that’s willing to put up with me.” He winked at her before leaning over and picking up his bags. He turned around before she could see his face turn an unsightly pink. He’d opened the door for her with his answer, now he just had to convince her to keep digging around so he could open up the door to her own heart.

“Where’s that room?” he finally perked up. She tried to gather her wits together; his answer had shocked her a little bit. The dynamics of their conversation held so many what-if's and subtle invitations she wasn’t sure of how to tackle the subjects. She was brought out of her train of thought when she bumped into Naruto. He had stopped walking waiting for her to answer, but she had been so deep in thought she hadn’t heard him and had stopped paying attention.

The girl nearly fell over. Naruto dropped one bag and caught her before she completely lost her balance. She was taken a little aback by the feel of his hand on her arm. His warmth had sent a jolt through her skin; he was in her space again, invading her senses.

“Whoa, careful!” He pulled her close to him and she went into panic mode. His body heat was soaked up by her own, his proximity was too much. Her nose was assaulted by his male scent and on a whim she pushed him away. Her heart was wildly beating in her chest and she felt annoyed with herself. Her face reflected the anger she felt and he knit his brow in a slight frown before turning away.

“Sorry,” he said before walking away.

“The first door to the right is my room.” She tried to get her heart under control. “Yours is straight across from mine.” He didn’t turn to look at her. He was still thinking about her reaction to being pulled close to him.

“Ok.” He hurried his step and struggled a moment to open the door to his room. He gave her a curt nod before closing the door. She was alone in the hallway and for some reason felt like she’d done something wrong.

He leaned his back against the door of his room and observed his prison cell for the next several days. It was modest and very male. He assumed that this is where her male siblings stayed when she was in need of company. It entirely lacked any feminine touch. He had a large king size bed set on a low frame that was maybe a foot off the floor. It was made with dark wood base and the side tables matched in design. It reminded him of a Japanese bed set.

'This girl seems a little obsessed with the culture,' he remarked to himself. The walls were painted a light grey. There was one lamp next to the bed and a large patio door that led out to a balcony. He also noticed a small desk on the opposite side of the bed.

He sighed. Somehow everything had gone wrong. He was supposed to be charming and professional. Not show her he was perverted and carried a huge load of emotional baggage he was still trying to sort out. He dropped his bags on the floor unceremoniously and considered where he could set up his graph table and make the room a little less... stale.

He pushed away his current worries on his attempt at fixing his budding relationship with the heiress and tackled his current task to Narutofy his new living quarters.

* * *

Hinata was laying in her bed, her television on with no sound, too busy being lost in thought over her new roommate to really watch the show playing. He had answered all of her questions quite truthfully and she couldn’t help but feel a little bit more curious about the man. He was from a period in her past she did not remember, nor did she want to remember.

She had decided a long time ago that her past should remain buried, but the more she learned about him, the more she wanted to dig inside her head and remember him. She felt it was a great injustice to forget him.

A soft knock brought her back. She heard him say something from the other side of the door, but it was mumbled. She threw her blankets aside and walked to his voice. She tried to prepare herself; his presence unsettled her. He knocked again, this time a little harder. She pulled the door wide enough to peek through the crack, as though she was trying to keep his sunlight out of her darkness.

“Yes?” she whispered. Her eyes were hard to read, her hair disheveled from tossing around in her bed. He blinked against the assault of the television light in the darkness; it hurt his eyes. It had been several hours since he’d last seen her and, nearing midnight, he had hoped he wasn’t waking her. By the looks of things, she was also affected by sleeplessness.

She tried not to react to the fact he was wearing boxers and a black T-shirt with the city’s whirlpool design on it. He looked exhausted.

“Is it ok if I go grab something to eat in the kitchen?” His voice was rough as he peered around her shield to meet her gaze. She tilted her head slightly, confused at the request.

“You don’t need to ask my permission, Naruto. You can go get whatever you want.” He shrugged.

“I don’t know where the kitchen is. All I know is where the exit’s located.” He let out a small, nervous laugh. She berated herself quietly.

“Oh. I’m terribly sorry!” she exclaimed with a hint of embarrassment. She pulled the rest of the door open and stepped out, leading the way. He smiled at her.

“You want to eat with me? I make a pretty mean ramen,” he offered her. She looked back over her shoulder and considered what he was asking.

“I’m afraid I don’t know much about that particular dish.” She heard him gasp in disbelief.

“What! Oh you poor soul.” He clutched his chest in a dramatised fashion. She turned around curiously; his behaviour seemed a bit strange.

“Are you ok?”

“No!” he nearly shouted, still clutching his chest. She was suddenly alarmed, moving towards him. He noted the slight look of worry on her delicate face.

“What’s the matter?” she reached out to him, her hands meeting the top of his. He leaned against the wall and let out a groan, milking out her worry for his own selfish needs.

“I can’t believe you’ve never had ramen!” he whispered in exasperation, she suddenly caught on and pulled her hands off his. She put them on her hips and glared at him.

“You had me seriously worried,” she cut in while he snickered quietly.

“Well, I’m sorry, I was truly shocked. Ramen is my favourite meal.” She continued to glare at him and he cracked up laughing at her serious expression. He’d forgotten how easy it was to tease some people since Sakura was entirely immune to most of his easier pranks. He had found a new victim.

“Let me introduce you to the art of noodle and soup.” He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her along towards the general direction of the kitchen. She was dumbfounded by the simple action and let herself be pulled along not only by his arm, but by his laughter, his smile and the twinkle in his eye.

Maybe ramen wasn’t such a bad idea.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this! R&R if you want :P

Beta’d June 30, 2009 by Jolly Green.