Hi guys! It's been four years! Haha. I sincerely apologize for the delay. I was a junior in college when I started this fic, and it got really hectic since we were starting our baby thesis at that time. I planned to continue this after graduation, but then I decided to pursue medicine so things got even busier, and I kind of forgot along the way. I'm a second year med student right now, and we're in quarantine. This pandemic really shook the world, and I am praying for everyone's health and safety, and that hopefully, all these challenges would end. Anyway, while on quarantine, I had lots of free time to catch up on readings, and animes, kdramas, american tv series, Netflix, etc. Once I caught up with them, I was bored as heck, and remembered I wrote this fanfiction. I tried to give it a shot again, and I'm hoping that I could somehow finish this fic before classes would presume since once I get back to med school again, I will be having a hard time finishing this (I'm not making any promises tho). Anyway, without further ado, here is chapter 4 of dubium, and I don't own Naruto huhu.

Hinata woke up with high spirits. She just can't wait to travel again, especially on a train. At first she wondered why, and then realized that she simply just liked how train rides always make her feel giddy, see the scenery, and randomly observe people inside. Sometimes, she purposely makes random trips like this to spark her imagination for a piece she's working on, and today, she's hoping she could finally make the rusty cogs in her creative mind work. But even if she can't find an inspiration while in the train, she is sure to have one once she arrives in Juken. Hinata believed in the therapeutic powers of the inn her cousin and best friend built. There's something about the place that always left the customers satisfied and coming back for more; 'Magical', as what Hanabi told her. Plus, she's gonna see her cousin and dear friend that she missed so much.

After gathering her excited thoughts, she proceeded to take a bath, eat a light breakfast of a leftover croissant, and gathered her already packed things from last night. She planned to organize her stuff this morning but she can't help it, she was really excited for this to the point that she had a hard time sleeping the previous night. And so, she decided to tire herself out by packing all the things she needed to bring, the most important ones being her holy trinity of supplies: her sketch book, charcoal pencil, and her eraser. As for her clothes, she mostly packed decent undies, sweaters, leggings, and her favorite purple coat; It's near the end of fall, she's has to stay warm and cozy. Actually, she's not gonna need a lot since she'll be wearing a yukata for most of her stay there, and so she decided to pack very lightly. Once she was done sorting her things out, she felt her eyelids becoming heavy by the second, prompting her to retire in her bedroom that night and sleep undisturbed with nightmares for the first time in a long while.

Holy shit, Holy shit, Holy shit, Naruto thought as he was weaving through the streets that wednesday morning. If he's not gonna pick up his pace, he's sure to miss the train for Odawara station. He wouldn't want that. He had always been late for things like this, a trait he got from his Kakashi senpai. For once, he wants to be on time, and to do that, he had been walk speeding through the hustle and bustle of the busy streets. There were a few bumps and apologies muttered while on the way, and finally, he arrived at the station. His urgency paid off since he barely boarded the train.

Most of the seats had already been occupied but he saw an empty one, seven rows from where he was standing. He was kind of disappointed of the seat being in the aisle since he was a window seat kind of guy. But hey, he can't really complain. Nearing the space, his eyes were drawn to the tuft of raven hair sitting beside his targeted spot, but he paid it no mind, he just wants to get settled in already. As he was about to excuse himself from his 'seatmate', his eyes widened in surprise to see the mysterious girl he was having a crush on. What the- oh my gosh, oh my gosh, what a time to be alive! he excitedly thought. He must have looked weird since the girl looked up at him with white curious and cautious eyes, and he reminded himself that he was a grown and mature man. He finally excused himself and nervously took his seat while observing the girl from his periphery since it would be rude to openly stare at her. He then realized that she actually didn't recognize him, and he was relieved by that since he wouldn't want her to remember him as that pervert who gawked at her body clad only with a towel. His mind was really frantic thinking about ways to strike a conversation but heck, he's chickening out again. What the hell is fucking wrong with me?!. You see, Naruto is THE guy that gets along with everyone and anyone everywhere. Striking conversations with people are a piece of cake for him, and yet he's a bundle mess of nerves with this girl. What if she thinks I'm a creep striking a conversation, I wouldn't want her to think that! What if.. what if.. So many what ifs came to his mind, and in the end, he decided that the best thing to do is wait for the right timing and mood to strike a conversation with her, he just needs to be patient. While being preoccupied with his thoughts, he didn't notice the movement beside him. He only came to his senses when the smell of food wafted through his olfactory organ. He glanced to where the delicious smell came from and stared at the woman that was the subject of his thoughts, then towards the onigiri she was holding up to eat. As she was about to take her first bite, suddenly out of nowhere, the sound of his stomach growling resounded through the limited space they were sharing, and the girl instinctively moved her head towards the unusual sound she heard. Naruto, at that moment, turned various shades of red, while at the same time, thanked kami for the opportunity presented to him. BUT SERIOUSLY KAMI, WHY AM I ALWAYS IN EMBARASSING SITUATIONS LIKE THIS?!, Naruto tearfully thought as he was thinking of ways to save his face.

that was it for chapter 4. It's kind of short I guess since I'm still kind of rusty. My vocabulary lately had all been medical terms and formal way of writing haha, but I really had fun writing again. Some review won't hurt eh? I really need an advice for my writing skills hahahuhu