A/N: Hey! This is my first SasuHina fanfic, I wanted to try writing about this pairing because there are a lot of great SasuHina fanfics out there which have inspired me…This first chapter is kind of dramatic but I will try and lighten it up as the story proceeds. It takes place just after the Fourth Great Shinobi War…well basically my idea of what would happen.

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto

Chapter One – Comatose

Paralyzed with remorse

Suffocated with guilt

Betrayal was in my blood

Power the only release from pain

Revenge was the only thing to gain

Forgetting friendship

Relinquishing love

It was never enough

Vengeance was the key

Knowing that I would never be free

Lying finally broken

The pain is still there

No words can be spoken

The guilt cannot be eased

Remorse will not cease

This suffering I have earned

My bridges have all been burned

His consciousness was slowly ebbing away as he lay there in the midst of people who were crying; some were tears of sorrow and some were of joy. He watched through heavy lidded eyes the blonde hero being embraced by everyone...his friend, his former comrade, a boy he shared a reluctant brotherly bond with. Madara Uchiha may have finally been overpowered, Sasuke Uchiha may have finally been freed from the clutches of evil and his eyes opened from the darkness but too much damage had already been done in more ways than just one. He felt something heavy strewn across him, she was crying. She always cried for him, he never deserved her tears. "Sasuke-kun, thank you..." she whispered near his ear, "Even though you were his...in the end you helped Konoha. Thank you." He wished she would stop saying thank you, what was there to be thankful for? One act of penitence towards the bitter end could not make up for causing years of hurt and suffering? Someone else knelt down beside him. "Hang in there Sasuke! We're taking you to Konoha hospital!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke glanced up at Naruto, his rival that never gave up hope on him yet he had always looked down on Naruto. He wanted to ask him why. Why had he not given up hope despite all Sasuke had done? Bitter thoughts of the past flooded Sasuke's mind; his brother's betrayal, the truth behind it all, Sasuke's own hatred and anger driving him into the clutches of an evil mastermind who sparked it all and was the primary cause of all the suffering Sasuke went through. Suddenly, he was yanked out of his thoughts and put onto a stretcher. He could still hear Naruto's voice and Sakura crying. The fourth great shinobi war had ended, but would the last Uchiha finally get peace?

-X-

The stars shone brightly tonight, the moon omnipresent in the night sky, and the sounds of the night infiltrated the air like the orchestra of nature. Hinata Hyuga mused to herself while lying under a tree with her teammate and best friend Kiba Inuzuka. They had become accustomed to this routine; after a hard days training, they would collapse with fatigue under the tree, always the same one, and discuss many things that were on their mind. Sometimes, it was just better to lie silently in each other's company, in silent contemplation. On this particular night it was the first time after a while that they could have this moment because of the war. Kiba's battle wounds were still healing and Hinata had been stationed as a medic in Konoha during this war.

As she played with Akamaru, she wondered when the war would end; she worried for Naruto's safety as well as the rest of the Konoha shinobi. So far she had seen many horrific injuries and even casualties. As a medic, she lived for helping people but the job also caused her to suffer many sleepless nights because of the nightmares that plagued her.

"Hinata..."

"Kiba-kun?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow. I've got a mission in the Rain Country, I don't know for how long I'll be gone."

Life still had to go on, missions still had to be taken.

"O – okay, good luck Kiba-kun, but will you be okay? Y-your injuries..."

"I'll be fine! But I'll miss you."

Hinata's good mood had evaporated, how was she going to cope on her own without the company of her best friend? Who would she confide in now? Without Kiba, there was no one else she really spoke to; Shino was much too quiet, since she was so in love with Naruto, she could barely speak to him without tripping over all over her words, she wasn't that close to any of the other girls like Sakura, Ino and Tenten. More importantly, everyone was involved in the war which was far more important than her loneliness or insecurities. Life would be pretty lonely without Kiba, he had become more than just her teammate and best friend – he was like her brother. "I-I'll m-miss you too Kiba-kun..."

"Hahaha, I'm sure it won't be too long, Tsunade-sama said it may take at least a month."

A Month! Hinata thought frantically. She knew it was silly of her to be so dependent on Kiba, but he was her anchor, like her pillar of strength, he was always on her side. "What k-kind of mission is it?"

"They need a tracker to find something, I'm not too sure of the details yet."

"O-okay."

"I need to tell you something."

"Yes, Kiba-kun?"

Kiba looked up at the sky and then back at her, he looked at her for a while, noticing that she was looking at the ground and fidgeting a lot which meant she was upset or nervous. Kiba guessed that she was upset. "But you can't interrupt me."

With this, Hinata looked up from the ground and looked at him with those white pearly eyes.

"Hinata...you know I really care about you and all I want is to see you happy..." Kiba trailed on, as if he was weighing his words carefully, deciding what to say, "I know you have your heart set on Naruto but...he can't exactly see what's in front of him...but I do."

Hinata was staring at Kiba, her heart starting to thud in her chest, what was he trying to say? That Naruto would never love her? "He's a nice guy, I get what you see in him – he's all heroic and stuff, like some kind of knight in shining armour that all girls want...I can't compete with that, but I'm better than him in a way because I see you, I notice you...how incredible you are Hinata."

Hinata's fidgeting had gotten worse and her cheeks were flushed, she was so confused at what Kiba was saying but she didn't want to interrupt him. She had never heard him sound this intense before, he was always playful and funny, but she was now seeing a somewhat new side to him.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is...could you consider me? Could you ever see yourself with me instead of Naruto? Can you learn to love me the way that I love you?"

Her head was spinning, this was too much for her to take right now, where was all this coming from suddenly? Kiba had never ever shown any romantic interest in her as far as she knew. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me now. I'll give you time to think and decide...and when I return, well, hopefully you will give me an answer, haha," Kiba said, scratching his head and reddening slightly.

"A-all right," Hinata managed to choke out. Neither knew what to say next. "Let's g-go home."

"Okay, let me walk you."

They walked in silence, side-by-side, with Akamaru occasionally barking. Hinata looked at the ground as she walked, trying to keep her mind off her current confusing situation but she was interrupted by Kiba's voice. "What's going on there?"

Hinata looked up, they were in front of Konoha hospital and commotion was ensuing. "N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata first said in horror, but upon closer inspection, she saw a familiar dark haired ninja lying on a stretcher being carried into the hospital. He was followed by Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Yamato and Kakashi. Team 10 was also present; Shikamaru was holding a crying Ino in his arms while Choji was also trying to comfort her. "Pull yourself together Ino! We need capable medic's here!" Tsunade thundered, and then she spotted Hinata. "Hyuga! Get in here!" Hinata quickly obliged and followed Tsunade into the hospital, Shino appeared beside her. "Sh-Shino-kun! What h-happened?"

"It seems like Madara Uchiha has been defeated by Naruto-kun and it appears that Sasuke-kun actually helped but is critically injured."

"T-the war is over then?"

Shino couldn't answer her because Tsunade had pulled Hinata into the hospital room and shut the door violently. Shizune was already administering the necessary medical treatment for Sasuke's injuries while Naruto had his arms around a crying Sakura to comfort her. Hinata bit her lip to keep from crying, she had to be strong, this was her job. She watched Sasuke lie there, unmoving, and just watching through eyes that were half-shut. Shizune went over to Tsunade and whispered something, Tsunade's expression was grave as she went forward to examine Sasuke. "Tsunade no-baachan! Is he going to be okay?" Naruto demanded.

Hinata watched in horror as Sasuke's onyx eyes slowly closed, he was so still as if he was – no, Hinata didn't want to think about it. Sakura screamed and tears were falling from Naruto's eyes. "Do something!" he yelled. Tsunade was an amazing medical ninja and everyone had great faith in her healing abilities. She held a palm over Sasuke's head and it was surrounded by green chakra. It was a long time before Tsunade spoke again and all faces in the room were hopeful. "He is not coming out."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked loudly, panic evident in his voice.

"Sasuke slipped into a coma."

"But – but you helped him before! You made him wake up when Itachi put him in a coma!"

"Naruto, this time it's different."

"How is it different, how?" Naruto asked, disbelief etched all over his face. He had his own injuries but refused to let anyone tend to him until he knew Sasuke was going to be okay.

"He has suffered terrible injuries that aren't just physical. He's undergone severe mental trauma. This is not a medical problem, it's psychological and only he will be able to wake up from it if he wants to," Tsunade said calmly. Sakura let go of Naruto and took Sasuke's hand in hers and said a silent prayer. Naruto was not speaking, he was just staring at his broken friend whom he had fought so hard to bring back. Hinata wanted so badly to reach out to Naruto but she remained frozen until Tsunade's voice broke her out of her reverie. "Hinata, I am assigning you as Sasuke's medic –"

"But Tsunade-sama," Sakura interrupted, still crying, "Let me-"

"Sakura, you are in no condition to handle this. You will not have a clear head," Tsunade said firmly, "Hinata will be more than capable to take care of Sasuke if – until he wakes up..."

Hinata gulped, she couldn't do this, so many things could go wrong, what if Sasuke dies while on her watch? "Thank you, Hinata," Naruto said softly. Hinata looked up wide-eyed at her crush, his beautiful blue eyes were soft as they looked at her, "I know you will do a good job."

Hinata nodded mutely, she was terrified but also full of new resolve because Naruto believed in her. This could also help her take her mind off all her other worries. She looked at Sasuke who lay as though he was simply asleep.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this! This is my first attempt at writing a romantic drama. It seems really gloomy right now, but there will be some humour and romance included. Thanks for reading and please review, it really is a pleasure to read your thoughts and opinions.