#21. AfflictionIt was coming out in

#21. Affliction

It was coming out in chunks.

Thick, soaking, tufts of darkness that were being carried helplessly by the powerful stream of water and seeping uselessly into the open drain.

Washed away.

She sifted her hand through the tresses, feeling them break and pull away, even underneath her hesitant, gentle grasp.

She could feel her throat tighten uncomfortably at the sight, the sensation, the sheer evidence of her affliction surfacing before her very eyes, as the water continued to pound relentlessly against her naked, vulnerable flesh.

Reaching out for the tap, her free hand, wrinkled from the prolonged immersion in the liquid, scraped against the tiled wall blindly. Her eyes refused to look away from the stray hairs that were caught within her clenched right first, captivated in utter disbelief.

Finally reaching the porcelain handle, she turned it back, almost cautiously, allowing the stream to die down slowly.

She padded out of the bland cubicle, her feet squelching audibly against the sopping mat beneath them, retrieving a towel to wrap around herself.

The view of her reflection was obstructed, the mirror had almost completely clouded over from the steam, as her shaking hands fumbled through the array of toiletries littering the sink's rim and surrounding counter-tip anxiously, before finally locating the device she had been looking for.

She gripped the clippers firmly, her knuckles white and sweeping back the thick, raven bangs lining her forehead, as she raised the edge of the blade up to her hairline.

As the device whirred stridently into life, she shuddered, her eyes clenching shut, as she felt her resolve falter momentarily. The young woman exhaled deeply, silent willing herself to proceed.

Her actions were halted however, and the young woman broken out of her stupor, by the firm, distinct rapping of knuckles against the door.

"Hinata?"

Her heart lurched painfully in her chest at the concern etched clearly in that all too familiar voice.

"Are you okay?"

She didn't want to face him. Not now.

"...You've been in there for awhile now."

She couldn't let him see her in this state.

Of weakness.

Of fraility.

"I'm coming in, okay?"

She wanted to protest, but remained silent, allowing the man to enter.

Her teeth scrapped lightly at her lip apprehensively, as her lavender eyes glanced down at her feet, not wanting to meet his gaze.

She felt completely exposed, vulnerable and self-conscious, and not because she was standing half-naked before the man she harbored deep, emotional feelings for. Sure, a few years ago, such a notion would have truly mortified her, most likely to the point that she would have lost consciousness, yet right now, that was not the case...

It was because she had been broken.

Broken by something stronger than she had ever faced ever before.

Something stronger than her cousin, her father, the entire combined forces of the Leaf nation. Something more challenging than the hardest, most excruciating mission.

Something that transcended hours of rigorous physical training and chakra manipulation. Something that she wasn't entirely sure she would be able to defeat.

It was because she was scared.

He had always loved her hair.

She could remember his lips caressing it, his nose burying itself amongst the tresses and inhaling its scent, his face being obscured by the dark mass as it cascaded around him. She could still feel his lean fingers sifting through it.

Naruto sighed deeply, his hand reaching up own to brush through his own unruly blond mop. A typical nervous tick of his, yet one that, upon reflection, he realised was inappropriate. He grimaced at his carelessness, his hand suddenly shooting away as if it had been burnt.

He hated this.

There was nothing he could do to help her, and no matter how much he tried to sympathise with her, no real way he could relate to the condition she was currently in.

He had never been good with words, but at this point, he realised that probably didn't make a difference. He imagined that even the most literate, intelligent person would have difficulty bringing comfort to the woman before him, and finding a way to relieve her of the burden she currently carried.

His hand reached out to stroke hers reassuringly, before gradually moving to take the device from her own. He was acting purely on impulse, not really thinking his actions through. Taken aback, Hinata's eyes widened as he moved away from her and stood before the mirror. Naruto studied his reflection momentarily, the clippers still in hand.

"What are you doing?"

Her voice was barely audible, and almost immediately drowned by the monotonous drone of the blades whirring into life when he clicked the power button. He slowly raised the device to his head, an action followed by the sharp, unmistakable sound of serrated steel slicing through hair follicles.

A distinct gasp tore from her lips, as she watched a bright clump of blond hair droop from the man's head, a stark contrast to the dull tiles beneath them.

"You don't have to do this alone." He spoke decidedly, his eyes not straying from the task.

"But, Naruto-kun! I-"

"I know I can't understand exactly what you're going through right now, Hinata, but that doesn't mean I can't be here for you... Let me help you through this, let me carry the burden with you."

Hinata pressed her fingers together subconsciously, a light blush crossing her features, as she watched him continue to remove his hair.

"Oh, by the way," Naruto spoke through the reflection of the mirror, a playful smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. "When I'm done here, I'm moving over to you next."

In spite of herself, and the gravity of the situation that had presented itself, Hinata smiled.

For it was in that moment, when she realised that she wasn't alone in this.

It was in that moment that she no longer felt scared.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 2:

# 21. Penderitaan itu keluar dalam potongan. Tebal, perendaman, jumbai kegelapan yang sedang dilakukan tak berdaya oleh aliran kuat air dan merembes sia-sia ke saluran terbuka. Hanyut. Dia diayak tangannya melalui rambutnya, merasa mereka istirahat dan tarik jauh, bahkan di bawah ragu, pegang lembut. Dia bisa merasakan tenggorokannya mengencangkan nyaman saat melihat, sensasi, bukti semata-mata penderitaannya permukaan depan mata dia, karena air terus pon tanpa henti terhadap telanjang, daging rentan nya. Menjangkau untuk keran, tangannya yang bebas, keriput dari perendaman berkepanjangan dalam cairan, tergores dinding ubin membabi buta. Matanya menolak untuk berpaling dari rambut liar yang tertangkap dalam dirinya mengepal tepat pertama, terpikat dengan ketidakpercayaan. Akhirnya mencapai menangani porselen, dia berbalik kembali, hampir hati-hati, sehingga sungai mati pelan-pelan. Dia melangkah keluar dari bilik hambar, kakinya squelching terdengar terhadap tikar kuyup di bawah mereka, mengambil handuk untuk membungkus dirinya. Pandangan bayangannya terhalang, cermin telah hampir sepenuhnya mendung dari uap, seperti gemetar tangan meraba-raba melalui array mandi mengotori pelek wastafel dan sekitarnya kontra-tip cemas, sebelum akhirnya menemukan perangkat ia telah mencari. Dia mencengkeram gunting tegas, buku-buku jarinya putih dan menyapu kembali tebal, poni gagak lapisan dahinya, saat ia mengangkat tepi pisau hingga garis rambutnya. Sebagai perangkat mendesir melengkingkan ke dalam hidup, ia bergidik, matanya mengepalkan tertutup, saat merasakan ketetapan hatinya goyah sesaat. Wanita muda dihembuskan dalam, diam bersedia dirinya untuk melanjutkan. Tindakannya dihentikan bagaimanapun, dan wanita muda pecah dari pingsan nya, oleh perusahaan, rap berbeda buku-buku jari terhadap pintu. "Hinata?" Hatinya meluncur menyakitkan dalam dirinya dada di keprihatinan terukir jelas dalam suara terlalu akrab. "Apakah Anda baik-baik saja?" Dia tidak mau menghadapinya. Tidak sekarang. "... Kau sudah di sana untuk sementara sekarang." Dia tidak bisa membiarkan dia melihat dia di negara ini. Dari kelemahan. Dari fraility. "Aku datang, oke?" Dia ingin protes , tapi tetap diam, membiarkan pria itu masuk. Giginya dihapus ringan di bibirnya gelisah, mata lavender-nya melirik kakinya, tidak ingin bertemu tatapannya. Dia merasa benar-benar terbuka, rentan dan sadar diri, dan tidak karena dia berdiri setengah telanjang di depan pria dia memendam, perasaan emosional yang dalam untuk. Tentu, beberapa tahun yang lalu, gagasan semacam itu akan benar-benar malu dia, kemungkinan besar ke titik bahwa ia akan kehilangan kesadaran, namun sekarang, itu tidak terjadi ... Itu karena dia telah rusak. Broken sesuatu yang lebih kuat daripada yang pernah dihadapi sebelumnya. Sesuatu kuat dari sepupunya, ayahnya, seluruh pasukan gabungan bangsa Leaf. Sesuatu yang lebih menantang daripada yang paling sulit, misi yang paling menyiksa. Sesuatu yang melampaui jam pelatihan fisik yang ketat dan manipulasi chakra. Sesuatu yang dia tidak sepenuhnya yakin ia akan mampu mengalahkan. Itu karena dia takut. Dia selalu menyukai rambutnya. Dia bisa mengingat bibirnya membelai itu, hidungnya mengubur dirinya di antara tresses dan menghirup aroma, nya wajah yang dikaburkan oleh massa gelap seperti itu mengalir di sekelilingnya. Dia masih bisa merasakan jari-jari ramping memilah-milah itu. Naruto menghela napas dalam-dalam, tangannya menggapai sendiri untuk menyikat melalui pel pirang nakal sendiri. Sebuah centang saraf khas nya, namun satu yang, setelah refleksi, ia menyadari itu tidak pantas. Dia meringis di kecerobohan, tangannya tiba-tiba menembak pergi seolah-olah itu telah dibakar. Dia membenci ini. Tidak ada yang bisa ia lakukan untuk membantunya, dan tidak peduli berapa banyak ia mencoba untuk bersimpati dengan dia, tidak ada cara nyata dia bisa berhubungan dengan kondisi dia saat ini. Dia tidak pernah baik dengan kata-kata, tapi pada saat ini, ia menyadari bahwa mungkin tidak membuat perbedaan. Ia membayangkan bahwa bahkan yang paling melek, orang yang cerdas akan mengalami kesulitan membawa kenyamanan bagi wanita di depannya, dan menemukan cara untuk meringankan dirinya dari beban saat dia dibawa. Tangannya mengulurkan tangan untuk miliknya tak meyakinkan, sebelum secara bertahap pindah ke mengambil perangkat dari sendiri. Dia bertindak murni pada dorongan, tidak benar-benar berpikir tindakannya melalui. Terkejut, mata Hinata melebar saat ia pindah menjauh darinya dan berdiri di depan cermin. Naruto mempelajari bayangannya sejenak, gunting masih di tangan. "Apa yang kau lakukan?" Suaranya nyaris tak terdengar, dan segera tenggelam oleh pesawat tak berawak monoton pisau berputar ke dalam hidup ketika ia mengklik tombol power. Dia perlahan-lahan mengangkat perangkat ke kepalanya, suatu tindakan yang diikuti oleh tajam, suara jelas dari mengiris baja bergerigi melalui folikel rambut. Sebuah terkesiap berbeda merobek dari bibirnya, saat dia melihat gumpalan terang pirang droop rambut dari kepala orang itu, sebuah kontras dengan ubin kusam di bawah mereka. "Kau tidak perlu melakukan ini sendirian." Dia berbicara jelas, matanya tidak menyimpang dari tugas. "Tapi, Naruto-kun! aku-" "Aku tahu aku tidak bisa mengerti apa yang Anda alami sekarang, Hinata, tapi itu tidak berarti aku bisa 't berada di sini untuk Anda ... Biarkan saya membantu Anda melalui ini, izinkan saya membawa beban dengan Anda. " Hinata menekan jari-jarinya bersama-sama sadar, blush cahaya melintasi wajahnya, saat ia melihat dia terus menghapus rambutnya. " Oh, by the way, "Naruto berbicara melalui pantulan cermin, seringai lucu menarik di sudut bibirnya. "Ketika saya sudah selesai di sini, saya akan pindah ke Anda berikutnya." Meskipun dirinya, dan gravitasi dari situasi yang muncul dengan sendirinya, Hinata tersenyum. Karena itu pada saat itu, ketika ia menyadari bahwa ia wasn 't sendirian dalam hal ini. Itu pada saat itu bahwa ia tidak lagi merasa takut.