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.

It may have been two minutes or it may have been ten, but the music suddenly paused and then Tenten was yelling at us, "Get a room, you two!"

I tore my lips from Naruto's and felt a wild heat erupt on my face, burying it in his chest, humiliated. The blonde man wrapped his arms around me to hold me there, laughing as he lightheartedly argued with the girl up front, "Don't think I didn't notice Neji sneaking off to meet you last night! Just keep your eyes on the road up there and mind your business."

Tenten cackled loudly rather than get embarrassed like I would have, "Whatever, just keep it PG-13 back there!" I sensed her turn back around to face the front and soon the music was playing again, still loud but not quite maxed out like before.

Naruto leaned back with his head on the window, pulling his leg up to slide behind me so I could rest against his chest in between his legs. The warm chest beneath my hands shook slightly as he chuckled. Still feeling quite mortified, I turned in his arms so my back was against his front and he casually kissed the top of my head as he slid his hands down my arms to interlock our fingers on both hands.

Goosebumps rose on my skin when he suddenly whispered in my ear, "Last night was amazing." It took me off guard, not only because I wasn't expecting him to do that, but because the way he said it was more adoring and warm rather than flirty and sexual.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I nodded, pulling one of his hands up to kiss the back of it. Being physically intimate with him was something I'm still learning the ropes for. That being said, last night was indeed amazing. Forget the physical sensations, even if they were incredible. What I liked even more than that was how connected we were.

Those dark blue eyes barely left mine for the entire experience, attuned to every miniscule reaction I made as though I was the most interesting thing in the world. Somehow, his unrelenting stare didn't make me the slightest bit uncomfortable, rather it made me feel reassured and safe.

There's a very specific expression he gets when we're in that type of situation and once I realized that, I began trying to pick it apart to identify the exact emotions he was portraying. Adoration? Arousal? Love? It was all of those things and more and it quickly became a treat to witness. When I was blessed to see him looking so focused and expressive, I was in heaven, and when I wasn't actively seeing it, I was often thinking about when I'd get the chance to next.

Now, the facial expression aside, there was the physical aspect to consider and I'm still not talking about the sexual pleasure that's gained from the act. I'm talking about the tenderness, the intimacy.

There's not a single other man on this planet that I'd trust to touch me like he does and the way he treats it as a privilege rather than a right told me he knew it. Every brush of his fingers on my bare skin was like a compliment. Each time his lips would press against me, it was like he was trying to thank me for trusting him.

A warm sound rumbled through his chest against the back of my shoulders as he felt my overwhelming emotions flooding through him and I felt his happiness respond accordingly.

Ever since last night, an odd nostalgic feeling had started to rise within me. The way it was so easy just to be with him was what I'd desperately hoped for and thought I'd never achieve when I realized my feelings for him during The Program. I kept thinking about how happy past-me would've been if she'd gotten a glimpse into our future with Naruto.

Then I'd start to think about what we're going to experience from here on out, the future that even I don't know, and get equally as excited as I do nervous. The blonde man wears his loyalty to me on his sleeve for all to see and I couldn't possibly be more appreciative of his devotion, but it also made me scared.

I'm terrified he's going to spend all of his time focused on me and may miss some wonderful opportunities as a result. The thought of him turning down something he really wants or needs for my sake, and I knew he'd do something of that nature without a second thought, made me feel so guilty even if it hasn't happened yet.

Glancing at the front seat to verify the two up there were still paying us no mind, I tilted my head back slightly to signal that I wanted to say something. So he could hear over the music, he leaned his head forward so my lips were closer to his ear, "What do you want to do after all of this is over? Do you have a dream job or anything like that?"

He pulled back slightly so his lips were near mine and I glimpsed a grin on them, "I don't know. Maybe something with a uniform. That'd be cool, huh?" A small laugh left my lips and I nodded, feeling a bit reassured by his response. So, even if we do remain together, he won't be forced to give up anything in that aspect of life.

"What about you? Do you still want to be a scientist like your dad?"

The warm aura in my being quickly faded and my brows furrowed. Is that still what I want? My entire life, I've been set on being exactly like my father. I've always wanted to end up in the exact scientific field, work at the same college, and have the same passions. Making him proud has always been so important to me, but now I'm not sure if I'd been trying so hard to follow in his footsteps because of that and not because I actually liked all of those things. If I don't want to study cancer immunology and immunotherapy, then what do I want?

"It's okay if you don't know, Hina. Don't get upset, you have the rest of your life to figure it out." My eyes widened and I just barely prevented my body from jolting in shock as he snapped me out of my deep thought process. Feeling a bit off kilter, I nodded and decided not to vocally respond.

The music clicked off suddenly and was replaced with a strange recording of a woman speaking. "If you're out there and are looking for food or shelter, wait inside the house located at the coordinates at the end of this broadcast. This message will repeat. Humanity still has a chance."

Naruto and I both sat up straight and looked at Tenten, only to see a small piece of paper in her hands. Then I remembered the coordinates Matsuri and Gaara had given everyone after hearing a radio message about humans gathering.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked for both of us.

Neji glanced back at us before focusing back on the road, "The coordinates are nearby. Do you guys want to check it out?"

I glanced at Tenten, who met my eye and shrugged, "If we do, we can't spend much time there. Everyone else will be waiting for us." My brother silently accepted the response as a go-ahead.

Not even ten minutes later, the car pulled over to the curb behind dozens of other vehicles and we all got out with weapons on our persons. Neji was the only one without a gun, but still had a pocket knife.

"It said to wait inside. This is the house then?"

We all followed Tenten's lead as she climbed the stairs onto the porch of the only residential building on the block. It wasn't necessarily the busiest type of neighborhood, but it definitely leaned more towards a business district. When she tried the door, it opened with ease despite the home looking completely deserted. The door didn't even squeak.

We entered cautiously, listening and watching for the slightest of movements. Naruto shut the front door behind us and then we slowly made our way through the building. It looked just as abandoned inside as it did outside and after exploring the entire place, we deduced that we were the only people present.

Tenten sat down at the dusty dining table and leaned down to tighten the laces on her combat boots, "Well, what now?"

Neji and I met eyes and his jaw flexed, telling me he didn't want to be the one to make a decision. Naruto then said, "How about we give it an hour. If nothing happens, then we'll leave." No one argued, so that became our plan.

"If you come sit in front of me, I'll give you a shoulder rub, Neji." Tenten turned the chair she was in so he'd be able to do so more easily if he decided, "I noticed a bit of tension last night." The brunette gave my brother a wink and the slightest hint of pink rose to his face along with his annoyed glare, but he still wordlessly crossed the room to sit cross-legged in front of her.

Naruto snickered before grabbing my hand and mocking Tenten's words from earlier in the car, "Keep it PG-13 in here."

Tenten yelled at us as he pulled me upstairs so we could give them some space to flirt, "Mind your own business!"

Naruto gently pressed me against the wall in the hallway at the top of the stairs, grinning down at me with a playful glint in his eye, "I think your brother's in love with her."

I couldn't help but mirror his excited smile, "Yeah, I think so, too." Things have always been extremely casual and comfortable between those two, since day one. Sakura and Ino even told me in Oto that Tenten confessed to having been in love with Neji for years now.

Blue eyes bore into mine and I suddenly felt like I was drowning in them, reminding me of my thoughts in the car. Blush rose to my face a bit, but I pressed against Naruto until he moved across the hall so his back was against the wall, then I pulled his head down so I could kiss him. His hands came up to cup my face and I did the same to him.

After a moment, we parted and he lightly rested his forehead against mine, but I spoke before he could, "About what you asked me before, about living together after this…"

His eyes widened and he pulled back slightly as though he'd expected me to have forgotten about the topic. I searched his face, the soft and warm feelings from earlier rising to my chest and likely my expression, "I-If that's still something you want, then I do too." Since the day he first brought it up, I've spent hours thinking about it and now that I know Hanabi likes him, too, all of my concerns have been eased.

"What do you mean "if" that's something I still want? Of course I do!" He kissed me again, more firmly than before, and then pulled back to give me a warm expression, "I'm so excited I'll get to see you everyday."

I smiled, happy that he was happy, "Now we just need to somehow come clean to Hanabi."

He snickered, "I think she already knows, but yeah."

The familiar sound of a pistol being cocked met our ears and then we were frozen, wide-eyed. "Hands on top of your heads, kids. Do it now." My handgun was tucked into the back of my jeans and I'm pretty sure Naruto's was, too, so we had no choice but to obey.

"Wonderful, now slowly turn and start coming down the stairs. Make any sudden moves and I'll blow your brains out here and now."

We did as told and I studied the woman that'd obviously been talking as we steadily followed her downstairs, her walking backward so she could keep her gun on us. She had short black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. If I had to guess, I'd say she was in her thirties.

Another woman was behind her, also pointing a gun at us, with brown hair and brown eyes. She seemed a bit younger than her friend, but still seemed to at least be in her mid to late twenties.

Well, if anything, at least we knew these people were uninhabited because none of those alien things have spoken like that.