Trapped. Hyuuga Hinata was trapped in a large web that had been weaved by the one and only destiny. Her cousin, Hyuuga Neji, had escaped and weaved his own path. He had done it with the help of the great Uzumaki Naruto, the boy who one day would become the sixth Hokage of Konoha. There was no doubt about that.

Ever since she had met him, Naruto had been helping people escape their destiny and create their own path. That was why she looked up to him. She had mistaken the way she felt about Naruto; she mistook her admiration for love. However, her admiration was nothing more than that. She hoped she could gain strength and escape; otherwise, she hoped that Naruto, or anyone else, would come and save her.

Hinata was now nineteen years old, and she would soon be disinherited by her father and put into the lower branch of the Hyuuga clan. She was sure of that, but she didn't mind. Her younger sister, Hanabi, would take her place as the heir. However, the truth was not what it seemed. Hinata had trained strenuously over the last few years with her cousin and was now on the same level as him. She knew that she could easily beat her sister, but she didn't because she did not want Hanabi to suffer that terrible fate.

As a child, all she wanted was recognition from her father. However, she had grown up and gotten rid of her silly dream. She stopped wishing for the impossible a long time ago. Her goal now was to leave the Hyuuga clan and create a reputation for herself as a medic-nin. The only problem was that her father had forbidden her to waste time with such a "dishonorable and useless" activity. However, this dream was one that Hyuuga Hinata would not give up on. She would weave her own path and live out her life the way she wanted… with happiness. Maybe… just maybe… she could find someone special along the way.

Trapped. Uchiha Sasuke was trapped in a large web that had been weaved by the one and only destiny. He, for as long as he could remember, had been consumed by a sense of revenge. Ever since the death of his parents and the rest of the Uchiha clan, he did what his father would have expected him to do… take revenge. To achieve that goal, he had left behind his teammates and his home. He left Naruto, who was like his brother, Sakura, and Kakashi, his sensei.

He didn't think of any alternatives. If he had, perhaps he would not have left Konoha and joined that snake, Orochimaru. If he had done what he really wanted to do, perhaps he would have grown stronger with the help of his team in Konoha. He did want to avenge his clan, but not by giving up everything important to him. He thought he could have grown stronger by training with his team and fighting Itachi after that. Alas, he listened to destiny and did what his father would have wanted.

Now, he was back in Konoha due to the fact that Naruto had kept his promise to Sakura; he had come back just a few weeks ago. Of course, they first fought Orochimaru together and brought him down. Maybe… just maybe… he could avenge his family with the help of Naruto. He would do things his own way from now on; he would not let his dead father guide him anymore. Just like Naruto did, Sasuke, no twenty years old, would protect his precious people at the cost of his own life.

However, there was one thing missing. He was glad he was back in Konoha, but, for some reason, he felt… hollow. This feeling was strange. He never really felt it so much before. However, now that he was back, it felt like it had grown. Maybe it was because he was alone. Naruto had Sakura… Ino had Chouji… Shikamaru had that girl from the sand, Temari… It seemed like everyone had someone. Could he really be feeling alone because he lacked a companion? Sasuke chuckled at the thought. That couldn't be it. Could it?

"HEY!!!" shouted the number one hyperactive, knuckle-head ninja. "TEME!!! Wait up!"

Sasuke stopped to wait for the blond to catch up. "What do you want dobe?"

"Want to go get some ramen? I've got a coupon," he said waving the coupon in front of Sasuke's face.

"No," he said walking off.

"Why not?" asked Naruto, unwilling to take no for an answer.

"I have to go see Tsunade-sama."

"The old hag? What for?"

"Hn. None of your business."

"AW! Come on… Tell me!"

Sasuke's vein throbbed. "I don't know why. A messenger came and told me to go there. Now leave me alone."

"Fine," Naruto said. "But you're going to miss out on some great ramen! See you later, teme." He ran off in the direction of his favorite place in the world.

"Hn. Dobe." Sasuke smiled. It felt nice to be back in Konoha. He continued walking to the Hokage's office at a faster pace. His encounter with Naruto had him running late, and he didn't want to make excuses like his perverted sensei.

He, of course, got there on time. He had to wait though because someone was the Hokage at this time. He just hoped he wouldn't have to wait so long though. It was troublesome. He smirked. He sounded so much like Shikamaru at that time.

He was pulled out of his world when Shizune came out of the Hokage's office. "You can come in now, Sasuke."

He walked in and was surprised to see the Hyuuga there. What was her name? A few seconds later, her name popped up in his mind. Hinata… she was the girl who had the crush on the dobe for so long. He heard from Sakura and Ino that she had outgrown that crush a long time ago.

He sat down on the chair next to her and was content by the fact that she was surprised that he was here. At least, he wasn't the only one who didn't know what was going on.

"You're probably wondering why you're both here together, right?" asked Tsunade, one of the legendary sannin. They both nodded. "Sasuke. As you probably know by now, you've been watched by a chunin ever since you came back."

He nodded. He knew why they were doing that, but it was annoying at times because it made him feel like a child.

"I've decided to release the chunin of his duty, but you will be watched by someone else for just two more weeks. That will be the end of that."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Who would be watching him now? Was it important for him to know who it was? At least it was only for two more weeks.

Tsunade continued with what she was saying. "Hinata will be keeping an eye on you." Sasuke and Hinata's eyes widened in shock. Tsunade smirked at the look on their faces. "The only difference is that she will be staying with you at the Uchiha compound for the next two weeks." She laughed inside. The look on their faces was priceless! "That's all I wanted to let you know Sasuke. She'll move in tonight so have a room ready for her. Understood?"

He just nodded his head.

"You can go. You stay a few minutes more Hinata. I have to talk to you about something else."

Sasuke walked out of the room and closed the door. This would be a long two weeks.

"Why me, Tsunade-sama?" Hinata asked quietly.

"You remember how you came to me two weeks ago?" Hinata nodded. "Well, I've found a solution. You can remove yourself from your clan but you have to be careful as to not give away any of your family's secrets. You don't have to get your father's permission since you're of age now. All you have to do is sign this form. But… the reason I chose you to watch Sasuke was so that you would have a place to stay for the next two weeks in which you would get paid. I know that Hiashi is in charge of your account and he'll definitely be angry when he finds out what you're going to do. You'll have no financial support, so by watching Sasuke, you'll get paid for a mission. That should help you earn enough money to get a small apartment. Then, you can start working at the hospital as a medic-nin. I trained Sakura, and so she is going to train you as much as she can after that. Is that okay?"

"Yes," she said signing the form that would officially remove her from the clan. You've down so much for me, Tsunade-sama. Thank you. I appreciate everything you have done."

Tsunade gave her a motherly hug which shocked the young girl. "It is fine, Hinata. You've had a hard life. You're a strong and smart woman who would make a wonderful medic. It's about time you escaped from the shadow of your clan."

Hinata let one tear fall from her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered one last time before exiting the office.

This was her first step towards freedom. She would achieve her dreams. But, before that, she had to get her stuff from the Hyuuga compound.

"Hinata! Wait!" She turned around to see Shizune. "Tsunada-sama forgot to tell you something. She said just go to the Uchiha compound after you pack any clothes or anything you might need. She also said that you shouldn't tell your father about you removing yourself from the clan just yet. Wait until after the two weeks are over."

Hinata furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"

"I don't know. She didn't say why. She just said to do it."

"Okay. Thank you for letting me know."

When she got to her house, she quickly packed a suitcase with all the things she would need for the next two weeks. However, she was startled when her door opened all of a sudden to reveal her cousin, Neji. She smiled in relief; it was not her father.

"Where are you going?" he asked noticing her suitcase.

She told him everything that happened with Sasuke and the Hokage. By the end of it, he had no expression on his face. He had known from the start that Hinata was trying to remove herself from the clan. Therefore, he startled her by giving her a hug. They had gotten close over the years, but this was the first hug she received from her cousin, whom she considered a brother.

She was more shocked when Hanabi, who had been listening to everything, came into the room with a smile on her face and jumped on Hinata. "I'm so happy for you, big sister."

Hinata smiled. She was glad that her sister and cousin supported her decision.

"You should be glad that your father isn't at home," said Neji.

"What?"

Hanabi answered before Neji. "Yep. He had to go somewhere for diplomatic reasons. He left all of a sudden, but that's a good thing because he won't be back for like two weeks."

Hinata was indeed happy to know that her father was out on business. She quickly packed when she noticed that the sun was about to set. She said bye to both her cousin and sister.

"Bye," they said in unison.

"Just be on your guard around the Uchiha," said Neji. "I don't like him. He could do anything."

Hinata smiled. She liked having Neji being caring and kind towards her. She waved bye and left. When she was almost there, a twinge of worry came out. She hoped these two weeks would go by fast. She had absolutely no idea what to expect with Sasuke. She had a feeling it would be a long two weeks.

"You'll be staying in this room," Sasuke said to her. "My room's right next to yours if you need anything. Just knock first."

She went in and took out all of her stuff. The room looked like it hadn't been used in years. She couldn't understand how Sasuke could live in such a big place all alone; it was so quiet here.

She left her room to see the rest of the house. She stopped when she reached the kitchen because of the sight that met her eyes. Sasuke was holding a recipe book in one hand and stirring something in a pot. Whatever was in the pot looked like it was burning. She watched as Sasuke slouched and threw the book in the corner in anger. There was fire now coming out of the pot. Worried, Hinata took a jug of water and threw it on the pot. However, most of the water landed on Sasuke.

Sasuke, now wet, turned around. He took the pot and put it in the sink and put water in it so that the rest of the fire would go away. Sasuke acted as if nothing was wrong, but on the inside he was embarrassed. He turned around when he heard giggling coming from Hinata.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked harshly.

She tried to answer but was unable to because her giggling had turned into a loud laugh. Her laughter, in Sasuke's opinion, was angelic and soft… just like her. Sasuke's eyes widened. He couldn't believe he thought that, but, grudgingly, he admitted it was true. Hinata was beautiful with her midnight blue hair flowing halfway down her back. Her pale, lavender eyes dancing around in mirth. Her glowing, pale skin. She wasn't like Sakura and Ino he had to admit. She was, in his eyes however, prettier than the two combined. For one, she didn't try to look so good; it was natural beauty and he liked that. She, of course, did have a nice body as well. It would go well standing next to him. He was almost a foot taller than her, so he could snuggle into her quite easily. Sasuke shook his head. What was he thinking?

As he watched her continue to laugh, he couldn't help but still be drawn to her. It seemed that her laugh was contagious as well because he began to laugh softly along with her. After a few minutes, they both stopped laughing. He hadn't laughed like this since… his mother had been alive. How could this girl that he barely talked to make him laugh and feel nice? How?

"You have a nice laugh," he said. His eyes widened in shock when he realized the words that had come out of his mouth. He couldn't believe he had actually said that!

Hinata blushed. No one had ever said anything like that to her, and to hear it from the young, handsome Uchiha was a shock. But, she had to admit that he had a nice laugh as well. She couldn't remember ever hearing him laugh at the academy so she had been surprised when he started to laugh with her. "T-Thank you," she said softly.

"Um, you didn't eat dinner before coming, did you?" he asked. He could go the night without eating, but he thought it would be rude to not feed her. After all, she pretty much was his guest.

She shook her head. "I could cook something if you want."

"You can cook?"

He was surprised that the beautiful Hyuuga could cook. He assumed that since she came from the Hyuuga clan, she would think all of those things were beneath her. However, she had proved him wrong.

"Yes. May I see all the things you have so I can decide what to make?"

He gave a gesture to say it was fine. A minute later, she took out some vegetables and other stuff. "Are you okay with salad, tomato soup, and sushi?"

He quickly nodded. Sushi was his favorite along with tomato soup, mainly because he was a lover of tomatoes. He couldn't cook so he mostly just ate out; the only reason he tried cooking food today was so that Hinata would have something to eat. He hadn't felt like getting food from the restaurant because he was tired.

Half an hour later, he and Hinata were seated at the table. Sasuke finished eating faster than he had ever eaten before. The food was delicious. He hadn't tasted food like this for a long time. He slowed down when he realized that the last time he ate food like this was when his mother used to cook.

Hinata noticed that Sasuke looked troubled. She didn't want to impose, but it seemed like he might feel better if he talked about it. "A-Are you okay? Is s-something wrong?"

He looked up, surprised. He didn't know if he should tell her. He wanted to, but he barely knew her. He couldn't understand why he would want to talk to someone he barely knew about all of this. However, he knew she was different from everybody else.

As if she could sense his conflict, she said, "It's fine if you don't want to talk about it."

He surprised himself when he said, "I do. I just don't know where to start." So, he began his story. He told her about how he felt when his brother killed everyone, about why he left the village, and everything else. He let himself finally be free of the burdens that had put great weight on his shoulders.

Being around her made him feel like he had never felt before. He felt as if… that hollow area… that empty space in his heart… was slowly filling up. She made him want to smile, laugh, and… love. What was happening to him? Was this a good thing or was it bad?

He shut his eyes tightly to stop the sharp stinging in the back of his eyes. However, try as hard as he could, he was unable to stop the tears from escaping his black, obsidian eyes. This beautiful girl would now find him to be a weak… useless… human, who cried.

Hinata listened quietly as the young man next to her told his story of pain and hurt. How could a single person go through all of that by himself? She watched his expressions carefully. She watched as he struggled to keep his tears inside himself. She wished he would release them. He would feel better by doing that.

Her eyes widened as the tears finally broke free, and the valiant Uchiha Sasuke finally freed himself of his burdens. She felt a strong urge to comfort him… to get rid of his pain and replace it with happiness and love. Love? Could she possibly feel something for the young Uchiha? Was it even possible?

She sat next to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him to let him know that he wasn't alone. He didn't have to battle everything by himself. She would stand by his side if no one else would. He burrowed his face into her and cried. She pressed her face against his soft, silky hair. She was shocked to find that tears had begun to roll down her own cheeks as well.

Hyuuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke sat there for what seemed like hours. Sasuke had finally cleansed his soul and freed himself of his great burdens. He stared into the lavender eyes that shed tears for him… her pure eyes glistening in the dim light. He looked deeper and saw her pain… her sorrows. He wanted her to free herself and escape just as he had. He would help her just as she had helped him.

Together, they would escape from the web of paths that had decided their destinies. Together, they would create one path for the both of them to travel on. Together, they would achieve their respective dreams… and find happiness and love with each other. They would no longer be trapped by destiny… but free to do whatever they wanted.

HEY………. SO WHAT DID YOU ALL THINK OF THIS? EXCUSE ME FOR ANY SPELLING OR GRAMMAR ERRORS I MAY HAVE MADE! I CHECKED THEM ONCE AGAIN… BUT I MAY HAVE SKIPPED SOMETHING….. SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG… I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE.

Also, I know it was a bit rushed... but I didn't want to make it too long... so tell me what you thought... should I fix it or leave it the way it is?

DON'T FORGET TO READ AND REVIEW! CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS MUCH APPRECIATED!