The More Things Change

AN: So I'm going to start by saying that this was supposed to be my first fan real fan fiction, and in a lot of way it was. I started writing out and finished the plot, basically how this story began all the way to how it would end, on September 21, 2007.

Most of my other stories, I just write as I go, but this was is precious to me as the Naruto fandom is what inspired me to write in the first place. I didn't want to take any chance and disappoint anyone with a brain fart that would render the rest of the story unwriteable.

Okay so to the important info:

PLEAE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE BEGINNING THE STORY! IT MATTERS!

I knew I wanted to do a SasuHina story, and I knew I wanted it to be different from any other story out there, but at the same time fit the mold. So I sat back and I brain stormed, and storm it did! I wish I could show you the pages upon pages of ideas I came up with. I was left with the conclusion that most stories that are SasuHina are either:

A) The Arranged Marriage.

Ex. The Hyuuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan decided that they should join the two power houses. Sometimes Sasuke and Hinata know of this arrangement, sometimes they don't.

B) The Unrequited Love. (Most often used to create triangles and other odd shapes)

Ex. Hinata loves Naruto, who loves Sakura, who loves Sasuke, who loves Hinata.

C) The Payback.

Most often used in conjunction with "The Unrequited Love" Usually involving someone falling in love with the person who loves them, and the rejected person turning to someone else to get back at them, only to fall in love themselves.

Now of course these are only the first three I thought of, and I barely touched the crust of all the ways in which those three little ideas have been written, not to mention the handful of other choices in plot direction. But for all intents and purposes of understanding where I was when beginning this story, those will suffice.

Okay now where was I?

Oh right, brainstorming. So I'm brainstorming and I decided might as well go with my first instinct and take the arranged marriage route.

Now it was only a matter of making it "POP" if you will… So I decided to take the typical character traits and toss them out the window. I wanted Sasuke to be the Sasuke I imagined he'd be if he'd never had to endure the grief of losing his entire clan, and the only way to do that was to change Itachi's character. So "snap" Itachi's no longer the character the show has encouraged us to believe he is. (edit: for the weekly Jap. Manga readers, I know things have changed, but I started writing this in 2007 so we're going to ignore that significant change.) Now Sasuke gets to be a regular teenager dealing with regular teen issues, and not stuck on the revenge tip. He'd still be Sasuke, still brooding and sarcastic, but it's all good natured now, he doesn't have that horrible hate in him.

Now Hinata's character was a little different. I knew right off the bat I refused to have her stutter. I can't stand when other people write it, so I knew I wasn't going to join that bandwagon. But I didn't want her to be too self assertive right away either, just your everyday teenage girl with a lot of room to grow. By making those two simple but necessary changes, I was able to expand the dynamic between Sasuke and Hinata's characters. In terms of how they are with each other, from the way they talk, to the comfort levels between them.

So after all of that I was left with two characters that are going to face and endure through a whole mess of things that no one will see coming. Plus let us not forget our everyday side characters, some of whom will be lucky enough to entertain you with a few of their own side stories. This story will take so many twists and turns that will hopefully keep you on the edge of your seat. There will be ups, there will be downs, but most of all there will be misunderstandings. Because, you see the time they will take to grow, and understand the things around them won't help at all, given that "The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same."

Chapter One

Why was it suddenly so hard to breathe? Sasuke turned to his mother to ask her if she was having trouble breathing too, had to know that it wasn't just him. Only, she looked like she was having the same problem, she was so ridged sitting there next to him. He turned back to Tsuande and saw her mouth moving but he wasn't catching the full sentences, it was frustrating him.

He closed his eyes and tried to force out any thoughts but hearing the rest of what Tsuande was saying, only to hear "I've been informed that he passed instantly… I thought you might care to know."

He suddenly wished he hadn't tried to understand her, he remembered now why he was having trouble in the first place… his dad was gone.

Forever…

He wouldn't ever see his father again… something started bubbling in the pit of his stomach, something painful and he knew he had to get out of there…

Tsuande couldn't believe she'd had to tell that family more horrible news, it had only been a few years ago that she was breaking the news that Itachi had died in action. She understood the pain of losing someone you love unexpectedly.

She set her head down on her desk and closed her eyes, trying as hard as she could to get the look Sasuke had on his face out of her head. She silently hoped he'd have the same support now that he'd had when Itachi passed.

The city was unusually quiet today; she had hoped that there would be people running to and from different places to distract her. Mikoto Uchiha couldn't believe she'd just found out her husband was dead. I didn't seem real; he'd just been here earlier that week…

"…and tell Sasuke that I'm sorry I didn't get to see him before I left," Fugaku said, as he kissed her forehead. She smiled up at him. "I'll let him know, I'm sure he'll understand." She followed him out of the house and decided she didn't want to say good bye yet. "I think I'll walk with you to the gate."

As they walked hand in hand through Konoha she watched the other couples and the other families and wondered if they ever dealt with the same things she did. Did they fall in love and marry, or were they forced together by their families. She could never tell and that's how she knew no one could tell when they looked at her.

Mikoto glanced up at Fugaku out of the corner of her eye. She did love him, he was a great friend, he made her laugh, and was always putting her first. Suddenly she felt that nagging guilt in her stomach again, over twenty years later and she still couldn't get it to subside. She leaned on his shoulder a little and begged herself to love him more than she loved anyone else.

She was just getting the feeling to go down a little when he kissed the top of her head and said "I love you so much, Mikoto." She closed her eyes a little tighter trying to block out 'that' memory and smiled up at him as brightly as she could and said "I love you, too."

Mikoto stopped walking, and looked around. She hadn't remembered walking here, but then again she couldn't really remember much after she'd sat down at Tsuande's desk. She sighed aloud to herself and walked to sit down at the bank of the small stream.

"Liar" she muttered to herself, she kept reliving that moment when she'd said "I love you, too".

The tears just started pouring, it was as if they had a mind of their own, she felt as if every tear that slide down her face was taking a little more and more of the last of her energy. She pulled her legs up to her chest, and then resting her head on her knees she looked out at the landscape around her.

'This was our place' she thought to herself. She felt a sad smile creep to her face as she stared at the Forget-Me-Not's she'd planted years ago. She reached out to grab the closest one to her.

"Mikoto…" she froze, her hand dropped to her side. Her heart started to race, almost swallowing her up, she'd truly missed the sound of his voice saying her name. That thought sobered her up; she took a deep breath trying to calm down, because now the guilt was back. She was reminded of why Fugaku never stood a chance at owning her heart; it had always belonged to someone else. By the time she'd met Fugaku her heart wasn't in her hands to give any longer.

Mikoto just sat there, she didn't turn around but she did sit up slightly trying to compose herself the best she could for him. She almost didn't want to believe he was here, but she knew he always would be.

"Hiashi… what are you doing here" Even as she asked, she knew the answer. But, knowing only made more tears come to her eyes.

"You know why I'm here," He replied softly.

Mikoto turned to look up at him, a small smile on her face. "Funny, the last time we were here together, I was crying then too."

It had been a beautiful day in Konoha; the weather had been the nicest of the summer. The air was warm but not smoldering, the breeze just enough to cool you without noticing it was there. It was a perfect day for everyone in Konoha, everyone expect Mikoto.

She was sitting at the edge of a small stream in an empty clearing. She was crying so deeply that she almost wasn't making a sound, it was a painful cry. She felt it deep in her gut and it was stuck in her throat, she could hardly breathe. She heard a twig snap to her right but she was too exhausted right now to react.

"Mikoto", Hiashi asked a little hesitantly, "what's wrong?" He thought that would be the right thing to ask, but quickly regretted it when he saw her start crying harder.

Hiashi knelt down beside her and pulled her into his arms, he didn't know what else to say so he just held her. He felt completely helpless as he watched body wracking with sobs. They sat there for a long time, and he just continued to hold her as tightly as possible. He felt her breathing slow, and watched as she calmed herself down.

He asked her again what was wrong but she didn't reply, she just sat there holding on to him. He kissed the top of her head, and holding on a little tighter, he said "I love you so much, Mikoto." Her grip on his shirt tightened, and she looked up at him and he saw fear in her eyes, it shocked him but he realized it wasn't fear of him, but of something else.

"I love you too" she replied. "I love you so much! I feel it in my every breath, you mean the world to me…" she looked down but continued "I will always love you, and I don't want you to ever doubt that, okay? I want you to know that you will always have my heart in your hands and I'm incapable to taking it back…"

He interrupted her "Take it back? Mikoto what are you talking about? It almost sounds…" he trailed off "it almost sounds like your staying good bye."

"That's because I am, It has to be goodbye" she hated to say it, hated to believe it was true but she knew it was. "I just found out that I've been arranged to marry someone else. My parents have signed a contract with the Uchiha. I'm to marry a gentleman named Fugaku; we're getting married in a month…"

She felt how tense he was as she talked, but when he didn't say anything she continued "I was going to tell them that I was in love with you, that I'd already found someone I wanted to marry. But before I got the chance I was being shown the contract already signed and agreed upon. I was already engaged." She stopped; she didn't want to keep talking about it.

Hiashi sighed to himself, "Mikoto" he began "I just found out yesterday that the elders in my clan have arranged a marriage for me too," she turned to look at him then but said nothing as he continued "I spent all day in the study searching for any loop hole, any way out, but I've come up with nothing, this contract is made iron clad."

Hiashi gave a sigh his hold on her loosening a bit. "I couldn't handle looking at it any longer, so I came here to try to clear my head" He stopped talking when she threw her arms around his neck and snuggled closer to him.

She lifted her mouth to his ear whispering, "I could stay this way forever, just you and me…" he tightened his hold on her waist realizing he wanted hold on to this feeling as long as he could but knew he had to let her go.

He was just about to pull away when she whispered, "Even if we have to part ways with the sunrise, even if tomorrow we have to acknowledge that we're marrying other people, even if all of that is true, tonight I'm yours."

Hiashi wrapped his arms all the way around her, pulling her as close as possible, he had to burn this feeling into his brain, hold onto this last night they had together. He closed his eyes to imagine life as if they were together, as if she truly was his. He was smiling to himself imagining the impossible future.

Mikoto realized a few minutes later when he just continued to sit there holding her that he didn't understand what she had meant. She turned her head and kissed his neck lightly, he still didn't react. So she nibbled on his shoulder and that was when she felt him tense in her arms. She pulled back and looked him straight in the eye. "Tonight, I want you to truly make me yours!"

"How do you like the flowers?" She asked finally picking the one she'd been reaching for earlier. She twirled it in her fingers watching the light blue and yellow swirled together. She watched as a tear dropped into one of the petals, she couldn't believe she was still crying.

"I find them fitting" he said slowly walking toward her "I would never forget you." He watched her pull her knee's closer to her chest, and he couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around her, there was like a magnetic force that pulled him to her, something he'd been fighting for over twenty years.

It felt to right to be in his arms again, she leaned back into him closing her eyes slightly, just enjoying the closeness, the rightness of this moment.

She could have probably stayed there longer if he hadn't kissed the top of her head. Suddenly she was reminded of Fugaku doing that, and that reminded her of how every time that Fugaku would do it, how she would think of Hiashi doing it.

The guilt was back, she pulled herself out of his arms. It wasn't right for her to be here with him, not after she'd only just learned Fugaku was gone.

"I have to leave." She got up and started to walk away, but he grabbed her hand. He didn't pull her back; he just waited… hoping he wouldn't have to.

She was still facing away from him, when he heard her say "I can't do this. Not yet." She pulled her hand slowly out of his and continued walking.

"I'll be here" Hiashi called after her. "I'll wait, take as much time as you need, just know that I'll always love you" She nodded her head but didn't say anything as she continued walking. She didn't think she knew where she was going, until she noticed she was back where she started.

"Hello again."

Sasuke rushed out of Tsuande's office moving as quickly as possible. He had to get away. Between Tsuande's worried expression and his mother's apparent shock; he didn't know what to do.

So he left.

He knew exactly where he was going without even thinking about it, he needed to be somewhere that he could have some form of control over the things around him. Which is why he felt a little calmer as he walked onto the training grounds, happy to see no one was there. He walked over to one of the sparring poles deciding he'd just go through some routine moves to help clear his mind.

Only, things didn't go that way. Minutes later he was beating the post with all his energy, try to get this horrible feeling out of the pit in his stomach. He stopped paying attention to everything around him, just feeling fortunate to have somewhere to channel all his emotions. It didn't matter to him that his knuckles were bleeding, or that his muscles were aching.

Hinata was a bit surprised to find her father waiting at the front door for her when she got home. He was usually training with Hanabi or dealing with matters concerning the clan, so she knew something must have happened for him to be standing there waiting for her.

"Is there something wrong? Has something happened? Is it Hanabi?" Hinata asked quickly and waited for him to reply, she saw his shoulders tense before he sighed and said, "It's not Hanabi..."

Hinata sighed with relief, but immediately tensed again when he added "…It's Sasuke" starred at him hanging on his every word waiting for him to continue. "I just received word that Sasuke's father was killed in…" She never heard the rest of what he was going to say, she was already on her way to Sasuke.

Hinata knew that there was only one place to find Sasuke right now. Because of that, she didn't have to think she just ran, as fast as she could to get to him. When she arrived at the training grounds she saw him furiously pounding his fist into a training post, she froze for a moment feeling like she'd stepped back in time.

Hinata was heading home after a long day of training, it was about an hour or two before sunset and she was enjoying the feeling of exhaustion that comes from hard work. She stopped for a second to stretch, and that was when she heard the cry of pain from somewhere to her left.

She started walking in the direction, not entirely sure of what she'd see only to find Sasuke beating the life out of a training post. His face was hard and angry and she found herself hoping she was never on the receiving end of that look.

She was debating with herself whether she should do anything, when she saw him slowing down. It was like watching a balloon that had been blown up, begin to deflate. He was clearly exhausted and she wondered how long he'd been out here doing this.

He didn't seem like he had any intention to stop until he passed out, and that thought is what moved Hinata to action. "Sasuke," she called out walking toward him. She watched his arm stop mid punch, only to keep going.

When she got closer she called to him again, "Sasuke, please stop." This time he didn't pause he just started punching a little harder. She yelled out, "PLEASE JUST STOP!" only to be ignored some more. Hinata couldn't stand the helpless feeling that was taking over her. She could feel it starting to tingle under her skin. Still she just stared at him not sure what to do next.

She knew that she was exhausted from her workout, so she could on imagine the pain his body was in. She walked the last few feet toward him and threw her arms around him from behind. His body stiffened and she tightened her hold on him, her hands grabbing the front of his shirt in fist.

"Please Sasuke, please stop." She was mumbling into his back but she knew he heard her. "I'm begging you to stop. Your hurting yourself, and seeing you hurt, hurts me. I don't know what's wrong, and I don't know if I'll be able to help, or if you even want my help" She paused, feeling as though she was rambling but continued. "I just know that whatever you need, I'm here! I'll always be here!"

Sasuke stood there rigid, his muscles tight from suddenly stopping. He wanted to push her away, wanted to go back to that place he'd been a minute ago, where he didn't feel anything, but he felt himself calming down, it had started when he'd first heard her call his name, and he'd tried to ignore it but with her here now he knew that was impossible, she'd always been his voice of reason, his calm.

He took a deep breath and as he exhaled he almost wished he hadn't. With that breathe went the last of his adrenaline. He felt his knee's begin to give, and was thankful that Hinata was holding on to him, as they slid to the ground. She didn't let go of her hold on him, until she felt his breathing return to normal.

Taking his hand in hers, Hinata moved to sit down in front of him. "What happened?" she asked, and he squeezed her hand but didn't answer right away, and she knew not to ask again. He had heard her and would answer when he was ready.

He looked up at her, seeing the concern in her eyes, seeing how much she wanted to be there for him. He closed his eyes as he said, "Itachi's gone." As soon as he said it he started to pull his hand from hers.

Something in Hinata's gut told her that she couldn't let him distance himself now, that if he did she might not be able to get through again. She sat up on her knees and moved forward holding him in a hug against her. She rested her head on his and refused to let go.

She didn't get an immediate reaction from him but a few minutes later she felt her shirt begin to soak and she knew he was crying, which only made her hold him tighter. His breathing picked up and he finally wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. They stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other.

Hinata was thinking about what Sasuke had said and wondering what had happened when she felt him lean back away from her a bit. She leaned back a bit to look down at him, and something in his eyes made her heart skipped a beat.

He looked happier, and then Sasuke smiled at her and said "Thank You" which left her momentarily at a loss for words. After a moment Hinata smiled back at him "Any time, what are friends for anyway?"

Hinata started walking toward him, she didn't stop to think, and she didn't try to examine the situation she just walked as fast as she could to get to him. She decided without a moment's hesitation to throw her arms around him in a hug.

She felt him tense up, and she realized he probably hadn't even heard her coming. That thought scared her a little. Sasuke had been the best in their class when they'd gone to the academy; it wasn't like him not to be aware of his own surroundings.

Sasuke was momentarily thrown off guard by the arms around him. How had he not heard anyone coming? How had he not felt another presence? He only allowed a few seconds for those thoughts to flicker through his brain before twisting around to face who had interrupted him. Not that he even needed to turn around, because the instant she touched him, he knew who it was.

Hinata could see the anger in his face; she could feel it dripping from his skin. Without a word she just knew this was so much different from the last time, this was bigger. She had this sudden urge to be closer to him; something in her telling her that what he needed right that moment was closeness. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her head as close as she could. She tried to make her grip as tight as possible, anything to keep him this close, only he pushed her off of him and turned back toward the post.

She knew she couldn't leave him like this; she couldn't bear the thought of that pain staying inside of him eating him up, so she reached for his arm again. Only he was obviously able to sense her again, because right before her hand could touch him, he grabbed her and roughly pushed her against the post, holding her there by her shoulders.

She kept breathing as steadily as she could because she knew he wouldn't hurt her, and this was the time to stay calm. She kept looking at him, starring straight back into those dark eyes trying to see her Sasuke through the pain that was consuming him.

Just when she was getting herself prepared to keep this starring contest up, he broke eye contact and before she could think about why, his lips were on hers. She gasped from the surprise and the next thing she knew his tongue was touching hers. She felt his hands slide from her shoulders to rest on the post behind her and his body step closer. She closed her eyes and slid her hands up into his hair pulling him closer too.

That was all the encouragement he needed because he started kissing her harder, sliding one hand down to her lower backside and pulling her closer to him. Hinata wrapped her legs around his waist and his hands moved up almost hesitantly toward her chest, he moved from kissing her lips to sucking and nibbling on her throat.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking all of this in, there was so much passion coming from him right now, she wanted to take all of him in. Only she started thinking about how it was all tainted by what happened today, by what happened to his dad and that's when she realized this wasn't not about them, and she tensed up.

Sasuke felt her body grow tense and he mentally slapped himself for being so stupid. He knew that she didn't want him this way and he still took advantage of the situation. He pulled back a little, not sure if he could look at her right now.

How was he going to explain what just came over him, how was he going to tell her that he's been wanting to do this for months now? He didn't know if he could tell her that he thought of her as so much more than a friend. She slowly untangled herself from him but instead of walking away like he feared she'd do she pulled him into a hug.

Hinata leaned her head against his chest and hugged him as tightly as she could, she didn't want what just happened to make him pull away again, and she was surprised when he hugged her back. They just stood there that way holding on to each other in a comfortable silence.

Hinata was always amazed at how close she felt to him. Without speaking a word they were always able to say so much to each other. That was why she had to be so careful around him. For the last two years she'd been working nonstop to make sure Sasuke never knew how she felt about him. At first it was just because she didn't understand the feelings herself.

Ever sense that time when he trusted her with his feelings about Itachi's death, she'd felt she was connected to him on such a deeper level. The butterflies always attacked when he was in her space, and she couldn't let him see that. She didn't want him to feel awkward around her, so she hid her feelings every chance she got.

Sasuke couldn't even express how thankful he was that she didn't walk away from him. He wasn't the best when it came to expressing his feelings. So he wouldn't have stopped her from walking away, as much as he would have wanted to. Only Hinata was amazing because she knew that he didn't want her to go. It really was a wonder she hadn't realized how he was feeling about her lately.

He still couldn't believe he'd kissed her… it just… it wasn't supposed to happen like this. Not after what he'd just found out about his dad. He just knew he wouldn't be able to talk to her about this, and he decided right then and there that he would pretend it didn't happen. If he acted like things were the way they always were maybe she wouldn't start avoiding him. He could deal with her just wanting to be friends, but he wasn't sure how he'd handle her not wanting to be friends at all.

Hinata knew they were going to have to discuss this at some point, but she knew it wouldn't be today. Today she just had to make sure he was going to be okay about what happened to his dad. "Sasuke?" she spoke finally breaking the silence between them. "I want to help anyway that I can, so just tell me what to do."

He was quiet for a while, she wasn't sure what was running through his head and then he said "You already have," and started to pull away. Hinata gripped his shirt a little tightly not wanting him to pull away if he wasn't serious.

He laughed a little under his breath and said "Seriously, Hinata you already helped me calm down. You're my calm remember? We figured that out a long time ago." Hinata nodded her head and they stepped away from each other. She watched Sasuke look up to the sky in thought. She was curious to see what would happen next.

Hinata decided to wait and follow his lead, maybe he'd suggest they talk about this tomorrow. She knew she was going to have some explaining to do. While Sasuke had been expressing his grief in the form of a kiss, she knew that she was going to have to explain her reaction.

She was starting to get anxious about what he was going to say next, when he looked at her and give her his smile. The one he only gave to her, and said "So, let's go get some shade, and I'll tell you how I found out about my dad." Hinata was quiet for a minute; she'd been working herself up, and completely forgetting that today was about his dad. She nodded and he turned to walk toward the closest tree for some shade.

As she followed him, she realized maybe he wanted to pretend this whole thing never happened. Maybe it was his way of making sure she understood they would only ever be friends. She touched her hand to her lips. Still feeling that kiss, still feeling what it felt like to be that close to him. She finally got what she'd been wanting only now she wished she hadn't.

Because now she couldn't help wanting to kiss him again, and again. It had become hard enough to resist him as it was. Especially this year! What with Sasuke having grown up so much, he was taller and more toned.

All the guys were.

Before, she had always been able to clearly stay on the right side of the friendship line, but it was getting harder and harder.

Sasuke was amazed at how easy it had been to pretend what just happened never happened. Not that he wasn't going over it again, and again in his head. He couldn't stop thinking about how perfect it felt to be holding her. He shook the thought from his head when they got to the tree. He plopped down and leaned back against the bark.

He watched Hinata sit down in front of him and cross her legs. "So" she started, "Tell me what happened." He told her all about the telegram asking for him and his mother to report to Tsuande. He told her how the thought that it was going to be about his dad hadn't even crossed his mind. He figured it had to do with something clan related. They talked for a long time, eventually moving so they were both lying side by side starring up at the sky. At some point the conversation just faded into a peaceful silence.

Hinata closed her eyes and started imagining what it would have been like if she was bold enough to rollover and kiss Sasuke with all her might and show him how much she cared about him. She opened her eyes again when she realized she couldn't do it, couldn't risk it, especially if he wanted to pretend the last kiss never happened.

She rolled over slightly toward him supporting her head in her hand. He rolled toward her mimicking her. "I don't know how I'm going to do this." He said, looking down at the ground.

"Do what?" Hinata asked, not sure what he was talking about.

"How I'm going to be stronger." He said, and Hinata just looked at him waiting to see what else he had to say. "It's hard," he continued, rolling back on his back and starring up at the sky. "It's hard because I have no idea how I'm going to be there for my mom. How am I supposed to help her through this?" he paused.

"When Itachi died my dad was there for her. Now it's up to me, now I have to be the man. It's scary; I don't want to fail her." Hinata couldn't believe he was this worried, something clenched in her heart watching him look so unsure.

"You'll do exactly what your mom needs, because I know your heart is strong enough for both of you!" She said with as much conviction as she could muster.

Sasuke didn't know what he would do without Hinata; she always said exactly what he wanted to hear. Well almost, he had a feeling if he were to kiss her right now she wouldn't say what he wanted to hear. He got away with the kiss earlier because she felt bad for him, but she would probably stop talking to him if he did it again. Even though that was all he could think about doing for the last hour when they weren't talking.

He figured talking about his dad was a good way to keep him from doing anything stupid. He closed his eyes trying to imagine kissing her when the next thing he knew he was feeling her lips on his. His eye's snapped open and he was suddenly sitting up starring at her.

She looked surprised herself, and the next thing he knew she was running away. He didn't know how to explain why he couldn't react right away; his heart was pounding with the prospect of her feeling the same way he did. He got up to run after her, he had to know.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!" he heard his voice being called from behind him and stopped with a sigh, Hinata would have to wait.

Chp1/End

AN: Please review, and let me know your thoughts. I am hoping this is still a great story despite the three year time gap in publishing it.