This Christmas
Click
In just one flick upon the switch, the light illuminated the room, revealing the pictures, notes ranging from small to big and the cards pasted against the wall. The wall seemed to be something near a work of art because of the wonderful colors that the notes had given it. Not only that, the pictures pasted with it would give off a warm feeling to anyone who would stare at it.
And a warm feeling was what he, the one who just entered the room, felt when his blue eyes fell upon it. With a heavy sigh escaping his lips, he closed the door. Yet another click was heard; after that click, however, other sounds came rushing into his head. The sounds, at first, seemed chaotic in his ears with their mechanical rattles and computer-like beeps. However, as seconds passed by, his ears started to get accustomed to its sound. The beeping continued while he stared at the floor which was so shiny that he could almost clearly see his reflection.
Beep
His gaze fell upon his reflection, and immediately he felt pity for himself because he looked like he was neglecting his body. He could see dark lines forming at the sides of his eyes. Furthermore, his face was thinner; it looked nearly hollow.
However, his blue eyes were what stood out the most. It was sad and it seemed to be longing for something.
Beep
The beep echoed inside his skull, reminding him of something that he came for. He shut his eyes for a second as if he was praying for something he had been longing for so long. With eyes slowly fluttering open, he raised his head. Now, his gaze fell upon a woman that seemed to be peacefully sleeping in the white bed. He told himself that she would be a perfect candidate for an angel if the tubes connected to her body were missing.
Sighing heavily again, he inched closer. Once he had reached her, he deigned a bit and reached out his hand. He felt an almost silky texture once he pressed his fingers against her blue hair which had grown long. A small smile appeared in his face depicting his amazement. He wondered how she could be like this even if she had been sleeping for more than a year. Slowly, he withdrew his hands from her hair and he reached out and pulled the chair closer.
Sitting down, he never removed his gaze from her. He stared at her like he always did, with those eyes that are full of love…and longing for her. He observed her and watched her as her chest went up and down. Next, his gaze fell upon her skin which was still smooth yet pale, paler than before. His eyes became downcast as he slowly took her smaller hands into his bigger ones. Her hands were cold, he could feel. Then he asked himself, "How long has it been since I felt her warm hands upon mine?" Then, as his eyes closed again, he could hear a voice in the back of his head answering him, "One Year."
As the beeping of those machines which monitored her health filled the room, he felt a warm drop of tear trickle down his cheeks. The drop was accompanied with an explosion in his heart. It was an explosion he could hardly fathom. He could feel the weight of those emotions sink inside him when he pressed her hand against his face.
"Caress me." He commanded her gently, sweetly, not wanting to sound like he was forcing her to. "Hold me." He pressed her hand closer against her skin. He swore he could almost feel her veins throb, and he was thankful for that because that would mean that her body was still alive. "Wake up for me, Hinata."
As she remained unmoved, more tears fell from his eyes. He then pressed his head against the bed. With hands still holding onto hers, he looked at the pictures and felt the burden in his heart get heavier. There, notes, all signed by him and a certain girl, pasted there.
"Happy Valentines Day, Honey. Wake up soon so I can show you my gift, okay?"
"Happy Mother's Day, Mommy. Daddy said you'll wake up soon, and I'll hug you tight and kiss you much when you do." (The one looked like it was only scribbled)
"Honey, it's my birthday today. I hope you wake up soon because that would be the greatest gift you could give me."
Wiping a tear, he ended his moment of reading them. Besides, he had read those notes hundreds of times. His eyes then rested upon the pictures which reminded him how perfect his life had been a year ago. One picture was taken during their honeymoon. She had a shy smile on her face and he was grinning widely. He smiled while staring at it as if he could taste that moment like it was only yesterday.
"Yesterday? It's been six years since that picture was taken." He whispered while lightly chuckling. His eyes then fell upon one which was taken at the hospital, just after she gave birth to their first born, the only child she had given to him for now. Grinning, he turned and faced her, "You should give me more, Hinata." He joked, expecting her to suddenly open her eyes and tell him he's being naughty. Then her pale cheeks would turn pink and she'd stare at him shyly. Like always.
Oh, how he'd love to see her like that again.
For a year, he had been staring at her lying motionless in that bed. He squeezed her hands, "Hinata, please wake up soon." He waited for a while, hoping that she'd squeeze it back. When he thought he had waited for her enough for today, he let go of her hand slowly. Standing up, he shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small crumpled paper. The room was filled with the sound of him opening it again.
Then, as the beeping and the rattling continued, he walked out silently.
The aroma of his favorite ramen rose up to his nostrils as he entered the shop. One would think that he'd already have a grin pasted upon his face once he had set foot inside that shop; however, that was not the case. He had this cold expression on his face like he was some ice cold killer in the street as he looked at the man in front of him. The crumpled paper was crumpled more in his clenched hand. He inched closer as he heard the man he was about to talk to separate his chopsticks. Removing his gloves, he said, "Neji."
The man just nodded to acknowledge his presence. He didn't turn, but just started to eat his ramen. Naruto sat down and ordered his own bowl.
"I received the note…obviously. What…did they do know?" He asked while waiting for his ramen to be served.
Neji paused from eating his ramen. He opened his mouth and said in a slightly hushed voice, "I want you to eat first."
Naruto raised his eyebrows, curious about the way Neji is handling things today. He tapped the table for a few times then looked at the chef who was very familiar to him. After a moment of silence, he decided to speak, "Why do you want me to eat first? Do you want me to choke on my food? Pity, the ramen would end up being wasted." Clunking, the ramen bowl was set before him; however, he didn't start eating yet. "Neji, get straight to the point." It was after saying that that he reached out for a pair of chopsticks.
Neji remained silent, seeming that he wanted to finish his food first. Naruto's ears were filled with the sound of the cook readying his ingredients and the wok sizzling. Never looking at Neji, Naruto ate his ramen without ever muttering a word. When he was nearly finished with his bowl, he heard Neji put down his chopsticks.
"Naruto, they want to pull the plug."
Naruto's hand which was holding the chopsticks stopped in mid-air. Slowly, he lowered his hand. He could feel his appetite leaving his body. He bit his lower lip. He could feel a storm brewing inside of him. His relationship with his father-in-law was pretty stable for the past few years, before his wife got in that accident, that time when Hinata was pushed off a cliff in her mission with Naruto (and Naruto regretted that moment deeply). Naruto could also say that Hiashi was happy for them because he never did try to break them up. Hiashi was even there when Hinata gave birth to their daughter, Natsume. He could not resist drawing his eyebrows together and pondering in the corner on why Hiashi would meddle with their own affairs. This wasn't the first time he tried to tell the patriarch of the Uzumaki family to pull the plug.
Naruto rubbed his forehead. "When did he say that?"
"This morning." Neji paused to get a couple of ryous from his pocket. Upon putting it atop the table, he spoke again, "I think he has been thinking about it for months. He's been locking himself up."
Naruto sighed. He took out a couple of ryous himself. "I miss Hinata's cooking." Neji looked at him for saying something very off topic. "I've been finding myself frequently going out to buy some fast food. And I always have this nagging voice in my head telling me I should stop and learn to cook because those types of food aren't that nutritious and now I'm feeding it to my daughter. You think she'll be happy when she finds out? I think no."
"Naruto, don't try to change the topic."
Naruto then raised his hand. "I'm not trying to change the topic, Neji." He then faced Neji. "As I've said, I miss Hinata's cooking. You think I would just give up and spend the rest of my life eating fast food? Of course not."
"Naruto…"
The blonde haired man narrowed his eyes almost comically. "You think my reasoning is low?" He then laughed. "That's not my only reason Neji. You of all people should know how much I love your cousin." His narrowed eyes became downcast as he pulled his gaze away from Neji. "I've gone through twelve months of waiting for her. Twelve long months Neji… There was even a part of my life that I turned down every single mission they assigned to me because I didn't want to leave her and Natsume as well." Closing his eyes, Naruto pressed both palm against his face. He heaved yet another heavy sigh. "God….I've sacrificed too much for her to let it go just like that… I've sacrificed so much because I love her. I don't want to… Neji, I can't…" Naruto removed his hands from his face. He looked at the table as if in a trance. "What would I tell Natsume? She's just six years old…" He then felt a palm atop his shoulder.
Turning, he saw Neji. "Naruto, I understand how you feel. It's not like Hiashi has the power to get past you. I mean, even though you've given up a heck lot of mission for the past months, almost everybody in Konoha respects you."
"What are you trying to tell me, Neji? That they'll kill Hiashi for me if he tries to pull the plug?"
Neji shook his head. "No. The doctors in the hospital, especially that person in charge of treating Hinata, respect you a lot. They won't listen to Hiashi that easily."
"It's still your choice whether to pull the plug or not."
He shook off the snow flakes lying atop his shoulders. Taking off his huge jacket, his eyes wandered around his house. In the darkness, only the lights from the Christmas tree could be seen. He tapped the wall, searching for the switch. Once the light was turned on, his gaze fell upon the sofa, for a small girl was sleeping on it. He inched closer and bent down to wake his daughter.
"Natsu, wake up. Daddy is home." He smiled as Natsu's eyes fluttered open, revealing white orbs. The girl blinked a few times more before grinning like her father.
"Welcome home, Daddy." She jumped off the sofa and hugged her father.
Naruto closed his eyes and smiled. Hugging her back, he could feel more sadness envelope his heart. He tightened his embrace and cherished every single moment his daughter hugged her. He thought of how much his daughter might be missing her mother. He told himself that he wouldn't pull the plug.
Never.
Breaking the embrace, Naruto smiled at Natsume. He then waved a plastic bag in front of her. "I bought food for our Christmas Eve Dinner. Come on. Help me set the table."
Natsume nodded enthusiastically.
Naruto laughed as his daughter told him funny stories while they ate. He was glad that even for a few minutes he could take his mind off Hinata who was up there still…sleeping. Once he had remembered her, however, he felt his appetite abandon his body again. He set his spoon and fork down, thinking that he'd clean up after this quickly so he could spend more time with her.
"Daddy…"
He suddenly snapped off from the things he'd been thinking about when Natsume called him. He blinked a few times and then asked, "Yes, Natsu?"
Natsu looked at him with big round eyes as if pleading for something. But, Naruto thought wrong. "You always give me good gifts Daddy. I was thinking of what to give to you. And…I realized that what I could give is not even half what you give to me…" She wasn't asking for some good gift; she was asking for what he wanted.
Chuckling softly, he stood up. "Well sweetie, Daddy just wants to spend time with you…and…" He paused. Natsu looked at him as if she was urging him to continue. "And…I want to see…your mother walking again…"
Once he said that, Natsu stood up. Slowly, she ran to him and embraced him again. Naruto bent down.
"I just…I wish…" Naruto pressed his forehead against his daughter's. "You miss her too, ne?"
Natsu nodded. "I miss Mommy very much, Daddy. I wish she would wake up soon." She then paused. "Daddy, if you kiss her on the lips, would she wake up?"
Naruto laughed. He pinched his daughter's cheeks. "I swear that your mother is more beautiful than Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, but she won't wake up because I kissed her. Besides, there's no apple in her lips. She didn't prick her fingers upon a spindle too." He smiled at her sweetly.
"Then how would Mommy wake up if she doesn't need to be kissed?"
Naruto straightened up and patted the girl in the head. "I don't know, Natsu. I don't know…"
Suddenly, the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Naruto, hello!" Naruto smiled when he heard that voice. He surely knew who it was.
"Sakura, you're back from your mission? You arrived exactly before Christmas!" He looked at the clock and saw that there was still about five hours before Christmas.
"Yeah, I know."
"How was the mission?"
"Hmmm, it was fairly boring. I had nothing to heal."
"Hah, you're sad? You should be happy for having no casualties."
"No, no. You got me wrong. I was just saying that nothing exciting happened there!"
"Oh I see. Is Sasuke back too?"
"Yeah he is. He got home before me. So, how are you?"
"Well, nothing much has changed with me Sakura."
"How is Natsu-chan?"
"Well she's at Hinata's room now…"
"She hasn't woken up yet, right?"
"Sadly, no…"
There was silence after Naruto spoke. It took minutes before it was broken. "Naruto, I should come by there tomorrow. You know…I haven't visited for a while. I'd do some checking up on her too…"
"Hmm, okay. I'd appreciate that, Sakura."
"Merry Christmas, Naruto. Take care of yourself, okay? Say hi to Natsu for me too."
"Sure. I'd say hi for you. Me—"
The conversation was then filled with the sound of Natsu calling her father. "Daddy, Mommy!" The phone fell from Naruto's hand.
Naruto's mouth fell agape when he saw what was happening in the room. He could feel tears rolling down his cheeks that had been cold because of the climate. There was a tornado of emotions inside him as he slowly saw her stir in the bed with eyes wide open. She saw him standing by the door and she mouthed his name.
Naruto blinked a few times, "Hinata…" He cried more when he saw Hinata weakly pull her daughter closer. Slowly, Naruto walked towards the bed. With a smile upon his face, he took Hinata's hand upon his big ones again. He was filled with happiness when Hinata squeezed his hand back although weakly. He would no longer spend nights holding her almost lifeless hand. He would no longer spend nights looking at her motionless. He would no longer spend nights alone in that big bed.
Now, she would be able to caress him, hold him because she was now awake.
Naruto brought her hands closer to his face and then kissed it. "Hinata…"
Almost magically, her voice came back, "Naruto…" Her eyes then fell upon her daughter. "Natsume…" Naruto saw tears roll down her cheeks.
Natsume hopped continuously. "Daddy! Daddy! Mommy is awake!"
Naruto nodded, and kissed Hinata's hand again. "Yes. She's awake…"
"Naruto…how long…have I…"
Naruto deigned and hushed her. "You've been…sleeping…for a year." He smiled to comfort her.
Hinata pressed her palm against her forehead. "A year…it means…it's the…"
"Twenty-forth…" Naruto sat down at her bedside. He took Natsume up and sat her on his lap. With one hand, he stroked Hinata's face. The other was upon his daughter's shoulder.
Hinata then traced the tubes connected to her body. "Naruto…I want to…for Christmas. I should get some food ready for the both of you. I should…decorate the house…I should…"
"Shhh…" Naruto smiled at her. "The fact that you are awake is enough, Hinata…" Natsu got of his lap and crawled next to her mother. Hinata pulled her closer, cuddling her in her arms weakly.
"Mommy, I missed you…" The girl whispered at her mother's ears.
As she caught sight of the pictures and notes pasted upon the wall, Hinata started to cry more. Naruto then crawled towards his wife, laying and squeezing himself down at the other side of the bed. He kissed Hinata in the cheeks then at the lips.
He said to himself, this would be the best gift he got that year.
This is my secret santa present to HFB! I was supposed to upload this earlier but I wasn't so sure of it... I hope you enjoyed it like HFB did. o.o
Note: I wrote some angst because I know that HFB loves angst XD