Mirai : A Time Travel Tale

Chapter 6

Mirai

Chapter 6

Disclaimer : Don't own Naruto.

Hinata knew something was off the moment she stepped into the village.

Not that the swarm of concerned women that attacked her wasn't a complete give away.

Tearing through the small crowd and pushing her way past the stacks of gifts, homemade remedies and get well cards by Naruto's door step; Hinata slipped inside his appartment, thanking Kami for making Naruto a simpleton and hiding his keys in the most predictable place possible - under the door mat. Dropping her weapon holster on the living room couch, she scurried to his bedroom to find out what had the entire female population in a frenzy.

She found him under a mountain of sheets, shivering and sweating at the same time. The room was too cold for her liking, the air too pungent for it to be healthy to breathe. He twisted and turned in his sleep, spewing non-sense, coughing dry coughs. Now she knew what all the commotion was about - Naruto was sick and hence missing, worrying the entire neighborhood.

No wonder konoha felt so gloomy, so... incomplete. It was missing its second sun, the guy who added to the vibrance of the village with his smiles and light heartedness. The guy who summoned smiles on everyone's faces with his pranks that had been annoying once upon a time but not so much at present because it was no longer the nine-tailed demon executing them but the village hero who was on his way to become their leader. Now she understood why his fangirls were in such a panic and why there was a mountain of visible 'affection' outside his appartment.

It saddened Hinata, knowing that he had probably been like this for some time now with no one to care for him. How did he manage it as a kid? She remembered being pampered and looked after whenever she got sick as a child. The realization hurt her that the guy who gave away so much, the guy who looked after everyone had no one to return him the favour.

Him mumbling her name in his sleep was what plucked the blunette out of her thoughts. That's right, he had her. There was no reason for her to feel sorry for him. She would take care of him as best as she could. "Naruto-kun."

With much effort, he cracked an eye open. "Hina, " he called in a hoarse voice, "you're here."

"Yes I'm here. I'm sorry for being late."

He took her small hand in his bigger, warmer one. "Don't leave me." Something akin to a sob escaped his dry throat. "Please don't leave me."

Even with her limited knowledge in the field of medicine, Hinata knew illness made people a bit delusional to the point where their fear were intensified and they spilled things they normally burried deep witin themselves and never intend to share to the world. Medic nins are taught to not take them up on their words in this state of mind because sometimes they didn't mean what they said. And yet, his plea had effected her like nothing else, made her heart swell and constrict at the same time. It made her happy and sad to know that he wanted and needed her this much, in sickness and in health, she was the first thought that his mind conjured.

Curling her fingers around his, she squeezed reassuringly, "I'm here Naruto-kun and I'm not going to leave. Ever."

...

Shuu was a handful, especially when you refused him his favourite treat. "For the last time kid we ran out. There is no tomato in the fridge. Now stop being a brat and take your bottle."

The frown on the child's face was a bit weird. Sasuke didn't even know one year olds could even frown. But one thing was clear: he inherited that from him.