Chapter 18:

I'm Sorry

There was a long silence between us but he didn't hang up. I could feel him on the other end, quiet, yet I could sense his anxiousness.

I had forgotten how to speak and my mind was empty except for the memories of the last moment I saw him; his blond hair, blue eyes sparkling even on a cloudy day, and the look on his face that I couldn't decipher. Without effort, I had realized the reason why I ran off the day of the accident, and the feelings of jealousy that sprung up deep in my core. Maybe I was wrong to think he still loved Sakura, but I wouldn't know unless I was open to him for once.

Taking a deep breath, I fiddled with my hair and choked out the words that were stuck in my throat. "Yes, it's me," I whispered.

He seemed to struggle with his words as well, probably still embarrassed by his outburst when he came to see me in my hospital room. His desperate screams for me were still engraved in my memory.

"You're okay." He whispered, sighing into the phone.

"Yeah…" I trailed off, not wanting to bring up the issue of my vision yet. I didn't want to break him down after building him up with the good news.

"How are you feeling? Is everything okay?" Naruto spoke softly and slowly, and the way his rough voice was just as tender as I remembered washed through me like an ocean wave of affection.

"I'm okay, just slowly starting to get back up."

"Ah, you must be very weak." His tone lowered to a more saddened one, so I immediately spoke up again.

"It's no big deal. My family came to see me today and I spent all day with them."

"That's great. I'll try to visit you as soon as I can. I want to know what happened the day of the accident, since no one wanted to give me any details."

My brows came together in deep thought, wondering if he spoke to my parents or called Kiba about the accident. "How did you find out I was in an accident?"

"...you wouldn't answer your phone so I went to your house and your parents told me what happened. That's when I ran to the hospital and looked for you." He cleared his throat and for a second I thought he was holding back tears.

"I see...it's a long story. It's better if we talk about it in person." I pursed my lips and waited for him to say something in return, but he was speechless.

"Naruto?" I asked in the most delicate voice I could muster up.

"Am I allowed to visit you tomorrow?"

"Y-Yes."

He was pensive, out of character for his usually loud and clear personality.

"I'll go visit tomorrow, then. I want you to get your rest."

I blinked a couple of times at his statement, did he not want to speak to me? "O-Okay. Thanks, I guess. Goodnight."

"Hinata."

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

I couldn't close my eyes all night, and as minutes turned into hours, I found myself going through old memories on a sleepless night. Was Naruto thinking of me as much as I was thinking of him? When I heard him say he loved me, I swore that something inside me lit up, and the stillness of my heart was gone. I felt shaken up from the inside out, and I felt my body tremble in anticipation. Naruto was coming to see me, and I had to look presentable even if I was hospitalized, so I got out of my bed and tried to shower; it was a task while being hooked up to an IV, but I took pride in finishing such a seemingly difficult task.

However, when I looked into the mirror, I gasped and touched my pale face tenderly. As if I was fragile china, cracked, scratched and bruised. It surprised me that my family managed to look at me and still smile, as if I was the same old Hinata that left the house the other day.

"Hinata?" The nurse called my name from outside the bathroom, making me jump.

"Shit…" I whispered under my breath, "Yeah?!" I yelled back.

"Your parents left you some clothes yesterday if you want to change for your visit later!"

I sighed in relief, what a life saver. I finished combing my hair and walked out with my IV in tow, finding a bag full of clothes on my bed. After rummaging for a couple of minutes, the only decent looking thing I could find was my purple pajama gown, not an ideal dress to wear for a romantic reunion, but it was infinitely better than the hospital gown.

I sat down, ready to see him, but afraid at the same time.

Was I right for doubting him and thinking he still had feelings for Sakura? I probably sounded annoying, constantly bringing it up.

Suddenly, the nurse knocked on the door again and poked her head in with a wide grin.

"Your visitor is here."

"Thank you." I returned the smile, running my hands through my gown, trying to straighten myself out.

While I was looking around to make sure everything was in order, Naruto walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Hey." He said, and my head snapped up in his direction.

Although he was a blur, his blond hair was still as electrifying as ever, and I dreaded not seeing his blue orbs.

I wasn't ready, I couldn't contain the tears that welled up and streamed down my cheeks.

"Hey." I stammered, sniffling. I felt him move around, but wasn't sure in which direction so I simply looked ahead, hoping he wouldn't notice that I was blind.

His hand, like a blanket, was placed on mine. Its warmth was soothing and full of kindness, and as it stayed there, my heart was fueled and pumped faster than ever.

"Don't cry, Hina…" He said gingerly, wiping the tears away with his thumb, "you're still as beautiful as ever."

I took it as a chance to touch his hand, and followed it all the way up to his face. Still struggling to find him, I looked over the blur that sat before me.

"Hinata...can't you see me?" Naruto's voice came out just as calm as before, but I knew he must be confused.

"Y-Yeah, why do you say that?" I chuckled, trying to hide my lie.

"You usually stare so intensely at me...are you in pain? Is something the matter?" The hand that was once placed over mine switched to my cheek, and with his thumb he caressed the bruise under my eye.

Gently, I closed my eyes and rejoiced in his warm touch, "I missed you so much…"

"I missed you too, Hina."

"I missed talking to you like we used to." My eyes tried to find him amongst the shadows of the room and brightness coming from the window, but I couldn't pinpoint his tantalizing eyes.

"I'm sorry, I should've been there but I couldn't, there are just too many things going on at home."

Naruto inched closer to me and I felt the weight of the bed shift in his direction. As a pair of arms enclosed me in his embrace, I took a deep breath and relished his scent; after long cold nights in my hospital room, I finally felt his chest pressed against my face, warm and soft.

"I wish you would've told me. You know I'll always be there." I whispered.

"It's all a long story for another time. Right now, I just want you to recover."

I pulled away from his hug, and looked down, trying to hide my eyes, "I don't know how long that will take."

"It shouldn't be too long, why are you so worried?" He tried stealing a peek at my face, but I kept hiding it. I didn't want him to look at my tears, or to ask me to look into his eyes.

"It's nothing, I just don't know how long it'll take…"

"Hinata, look at me."

I was silent, panicking on the inside. There was no way to hide that I couldn't see him.

"I can't." I responded, then was quickly startled when I felt his hands gripping my wrists tightly, forcing me to face him.

"Please, tell me what's wrong." He pleaded, desperate much like the last time he showed up with an erratic behavior.

"Let me go," I groaned and squirmed, trying to force my wrists away, but he wouldn't budge, "I'm blind, Naruto! I'm blind!"

I was immediately released, scaring me as I wondered what was going on in Naruto's head. But I didn't settle for just sitting there and leaving it all in the open without a clear explanation.

"I'm temporarily blind because of the accident. I can't see you."

"Hinata…" I felt Naruto's face come closer to mine, his hands cupping my cheeks, keeping my face in place.

Although blurry, his orbs sparkled and reflected bits of light, enhancing the blotches of blue I yearned to see clear and in full definition.

"You're going to get better, you won't be blind forever." He whispered, kissing my forehead. "I'm here, just be honest with me, Hina."

"I am always honest with you…" I replied, looking away.

"Kiba told me you were looking for me the day of the accident."

"And?"

"There's nothing to worry about. Sakura was there to see Sasuke."

I scoffed, laying back on my bed. "It sure looked like you wanted to talk to her…"

"Come on, Hinata, just get it into your head that I have nothing to do with Sakura." His tone was starting to heighten and sound irritated, making me coil away from him and frown.

"I'm sorry, but you wouldn't talk to me for weeks before that. How do you think I'm suppose to react?"

"I told you, I was having some trouble at home with my parents and I had school work on top of that. I was just too busy."

"I understand that, I just feel like we're drifting apart..."

It was quiet. Not knowing where he was, I touched around on my bed and felt his leg near the edge. I got up and crawled to his side, knowing well that I didn't mean what I said, but I missed him so much, that I was beginning to feel irritable and upset towards him..

"I feel like this was all my fault…" He whispered, so I followed his voice up to his face and felt around to make sure I was right.

"It's not your fault. Trust me." My hands touched his hair, his cheeks, and softly grazed his lips.

Naruto leaned in and led me in a waltz between our lips, softly touching each other with care and pure, innocent love. His hands held me close to him, tightly, and his breath filled my lungs with air like only he could.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered against my lips, sincere and with a heavy heart.