Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama. "It's Not Over" belongs to Daughtry.
Chapter Two
Taken all I could take,
And I cannot wait.
We're wasting too much time
Being strong, holding on.
Can't let it bring us down.
My life with you means everything,
So I won't give up that easily.
I'll blow it away, blow it away.
Can we make this something good?
'Cause it's all misunderstood.
Well, I'll try to do it right this time around.
Later that night, Hinata lay uncomfortably in her bed, body tense because of the presence of the man lying next to her. She had not shared her bed in ten years and, despite the fact that this man was the father of her child, she felt that he was a stranger. In reality, she could easily reach over and touch him, but emotionally there was a chasm between them. She felt him shift beside her, but did not remove her gaze from the ceiling. Her mind traveled back to the past, back to when she had realized she didn't know the man she was in love with and the events that had snowballed from that realization.
Ten years and two months ago…
Hinata snuggled closer into Sasuke's side, relishing the warmth of his arm around her. He unconsciously rested his chin on the top of her head, idly flipping through television channels. He paused at a news station and Hinata winced upon seeing her father's face. Hiashi Hyuuga stood before the skyscraper which housed his multi-million dollar company, announcing some new product they had developed. The young woman shifted her head to look at her boyfriend as the camera angle moved to pan the crowd.
"Sasuke, can you change the-" the words suddenly froze in her throat.
Sasuke's dark eyes had filled with hatred. His lean body tensed beneath her at the same time his mouth drew down into a snarl. She glanced back at the television, but the camera had returned to her father's face. The screen faded to black as Sasuke viciously punched the 'off' button. He rose suddenly, causing her to nearly fall over. She caught herself, looking at him with wide eyes.
"Sasuke, what's going on?" she asked innocently.
"I'm going out," he said, grabbing his jacket from the back of the couch and stalking from their apartment.
Hinata was left staring after him with no idea as to what could have possibly upset her boyfriend so badly. She waited up for him to return, but fell asleep on the couch around one o'clock.
The morning found her kneeling in front of the toilet, losing what little food she had choked down the night before. This had been a constant ritual the past several months; she attributed it to a lingering stomach virus which had been going around her workplace. When her stomach at last settled down, she rose and made her way back to the couch, picking up a piece of toast she had abandoned and nibbling on it even though she wasn't really hungry.
Sasuke hadn't returned last night.
Out of sheer desperation, she flipped the television on. If something terrible had happened to him, perhaps the news would be running a story on it.
"-a man infamous for the systematic slaughter of his entire family several years ago. Police are currently pursuing the main suspect in his death," the anchorman reported tonelessly.
Hinata was about to mute it when the image switched to an aerial shot of a car being chased by a horde of police cruisers. Her mouth went suddenly dry as the remote clattered onto the coffee table. That was Sasuke's car.
She was suddenly desperate to hear more, but the newsman moved on to a story about a bank robbery. She turned the television off and padded into the study, waking the computer up and bringing up a webpage. She typed in her boyfriend's last name, clicking on the first article the search returned.
'In the most shocking mass murder in history, fifty-two members of the Uchiha family were found murdered in their homes this morning. Police were alerted by concerned neighbors, who had noticed a lack of activity around the houses in the past several days. Preliminary coroner's reports state that each person was killed by a single shot to a vital area. The prime suspect in the case is Itachi Uchiha, a police officer himself. Both he and his gun are missing from his home and coworkers report that he was behaving oddly on the day the murder occurred. The sole survivor of the massacre is eight-year old Sasuke Uchiha, younger brother of the suspected murderer. Sources indicate that the boy has not spoken since he was found and it is unknown at this time whether or not he will be able to testify if or when his brother is found.'
Hinata's hand was covering her mouth by the time she finished the short article, tears glittering in her lavender eyes. She had always wondered about Sasuke's family, but he had been uncooperative at best whenever she asked. All she knew was that his parents were dead and she had never wanted to pry. She wished now that she had.
Hinata refreshed the search page and found a newly posted article. Scanning it, she discovered that Itachi Uchiha had been found dead outside what had once been his parents' home. Witnesses had reported seeing Sasuke fleeing the scene and, as the anchorman had stated, police were currently pursuing him. She closed the window and pushed away from the computer screen, biting a nail in anxiety. She could easily fill in the dots. Sasuke had seen his brother on the television yesterday, which had caused his sudden coldness. He had somehow managed to track Itachi down and had subsequently killed him in repayment for the murder of his family. On some level, she understood his actions…but why hadn't he reported the sighting to the police? She felt her stomach clenching again and barely made it to the bathroom in time.
As she hung listlessly over the toilet bowl, she heard the front door open. Her heart rate skyrocketed despite the fact that she logically knew it couldn't be Sasuke.
"Hinata?" the female voice confirmed her thoughts.
She pushed herself up enough to flush the toilet and called weakly, "In here."
Her younger sister, Hanabi, hustled into the bathroom. At the sight of Hinata's misery, she dropped to the floor beside her with no regard for her expensive clothes. She brushed her sister's long hair back, eyeing her pale face with concern.
"How long have you been ill?" she asked in a no-nonsense tone.
Hinata waved a hand in disregard, her lavender eyes again filling with tears.
"Y-you've heard about Sa-Sasuke then," she stammered.
When she was younger, she had had a horrible speech impediment. It had improved over the years, now only occurring when she was especially upset.
Hanabi's eyes narrowed.
"Neji!" she yelled.
Their cousin stepped through the doorway, his pale eyes filling with worry at the sight of Hinata. He knelt on her other side, all three barely fitting in the tiny bathroom.
"What have you done to yourself?" he demanded.
"It's just a little bug," she protested, embarrassed by their concern.
Neji's jaw tensed, as though he were imagining beating Sasuke to a pulp for neglecting to take care of his cousin. Hinata laid a gentle hand on his muscular arm.
"He's been worried about me too, but we don't have the money to visit the doctor over a simple virus," she said.
Hanabi snorted at the reminder. Their father had cut off all of Hinata's assets when she decided to move in with her boyfriend, hoping his action would bring his eldest daughter to her senses. When she had continued on her course, he had stopped speaking to her and tried to forbid Hanabi from seeing her. Hanabi had of course defied him, though she did not approve of Sasuke any more than their father did.
"Well, you're seeing a doctor now," Neji stated, scooping her into his arms and exiting the bathroom.
Hinata struggled against him.
"But Sasuke-" she protested.
"Is an idiot," Hinabi finished, "You aren't going to do him any good sitting in front of the television and biting off all of your nails. You are going to see a doctor and that is final."
Hinata knew when an argument would do her no good and subsided, though her mind remained fixed on Sasuke during the silent drive to the hospital.
.oOo.oOo.
An hour later, Hinata perched on the edge of an examination table, sister and cousin on either side of her. The three of them watched the blonde doctor scribble on a notepad, making occasional noises to herself. Hinata elbowed Neji in the side and he flinched, jerking his gaze up from the doctor's impressively-sized chest. A faint blush stained his cheeks and he refused to look at his cousin. Despite her worry over her boyfriend's safety, Hinata smiled. Boys will be boys, she guessed. The doctor at last looked up, her brown eyes drilling into Hinata's.
"How long has it been since your last period?" she asked bluntly.
What little color remained in Hinata's pale cheeks drained away and she swayed on the table. Her family members quickly wrapped their arms around her in support.
"It was just…" she trailed off, not able to recall her last one. She stammered, "B-but we-we've always be-been caref-ful. I'm o-on the pi-pill a-and."
The doctor interrupted her pathetic attempt to speak.
"I'll have to take a few tests, but you seem to have all the symptoms of being pregnant," she said.
Hinata nodded numbly, doing as she was directed. At last, the doctor smiled kindly at her and told her that she could leave. Hinata slid silently off the bed, supported by Neji's strong arm.
"Thank you, Doctor Tsunade," Hanabi stated when it became apparent that Hinata was intent on simply getting out of the hospital.
They made it as far as the lobby before the young woman froze, attention riveted on the television screen. An aerial shot showed the scene of a several car pileup on the interstate. What made the scene unusual was that the majority of the cars were police cruisers. The camera suddenly angled in as a single figure slid from the window of one of the crashed vehicles and took off toward the side of the road. Within moments, he was swarmed by a horde of officers. He fought them tooth and nail, but before long they had him pinned on the ground as one of their number handcuffed him. He was pulled upright and the camera angled in even closer. The shot of his face was blurry, but clear enough to confirm what Hinata already knew.
It was Sasuke.
The world went black and the last thing she knew was Neji's arms closing around her.
.oOo.oOo.
A few weeks later, a car pulled up in front of the courthouse.
"It's a circus out there," Naruto muttered, reaching over to grip Hinata's hand in a show of support.
She showed no sign of even feeling the gesture, her eyes remaining fixed on the reporters gathered outside the stone building. After the call from the hospital that morning, which had confirmed Doctor Tsunade's suspicions, she felt numb. As usual, Naruto had done his best to cheer her up since he had arrived at her apartment to drive her to the courthouse, but his efforts had done little good. After an awkward moment, Naruto withdrew his hand and parked the car.
"Let's get this over with then," he said to himself,
He climbed from the car and went around to open Hinata's door, helping her out like a gentleman and supporting her as they moved toward the throng. As soon as the vultures spotted Hinata, the noise level increased. Microphones were shoved in her face along with a multitude of prying questions.
"Ms. Hyuuga, is it true that Sasuke beat you?"
"Hinata, have you spoken with Sasuke during his imprisonment?"
"Is it true that Sasuke threatened to kill your father when he tried to separate the two of you?"
"Hinata, can you confirm the rumors that you are pregnant?"
Naruto snarled at the reporters, shoving the microphones away.
"Leave her alone!" he shouted, pulling the frail young woman behind him into the relative safety of the courthouse.
Once the doors shut behind them, he pulled her into his arms and forced her to look at him. His sapphire eyes were filled with concern for her. A tiny part of Hinata's mind stirred to life long enough to ironically note that, just a few years ago, she would have been swooning to have Naruto's undivided attention. How quickly things had changed, for now all she could think about was Sasuke.
"Are you going to be all right?" he asked.
"I just want to get this over with," she responded faintly, breaking free of his grip and walking toward the courtroom.
As it was the final day of Sasuke's much-publicized trial, the verdict was handed down and Hinata revealed her own news. Heartbroken and exhausted, she allowed Naruto to take her home and hold her until she fell asleep.
.oOo.oOo.
A month passed and Hinata could no longer hide the fact that she was pregnant. Her boss fired her, not wanting an unwed mother as an employee. She didn't know where else to go, so she went to see Naruto. He tugged her into his apartment and embraced her, then pulled back, eyes wide. His gaze fastened on her stomach then rose to her tear-stained face.
"I-I was f-fi-fired," she stammered.
His arms went around her again as he swallowed his own questions, simply holding her as she cried. When it became apparent that she wouldn't be stopping anytime soon, he pulled her pliant form toward the couch and settled her there while he grabbed a box of tissues. Not knowing what else he could do, he just sat there and whispered soothing phrases into her ear. At long last, the flow of tears halted. She pulled back and glanced up to find her boyfriend's best friend looking supremely uncomfortable. He lifted a hand to scratch the back of his head, not meeting her gaze.
"You know, Hinata, I could, um, maybe help you. Financially and stuff," he held up a hand to stop her protest, "I know you wouldn't want charity, so I…uh…I thought that maybe. Well, you know…we could get married." He rushed on then, obviously embarrassed yet determined to lay out his plan, "We're friends, you know, and you need someone to take care of you. I know we don't, um, love each other or anything, but maybe that will come in time. I want to take care of you, Hinata."
She knew it would hurt him, but she said it anyway, "I can't betray Sasuke."
He flinched, running a hand through his unruly blond hair.
"Ten years is a long time to wait, Hinata. I think he would understand that you couldn't wait for him what with," he gestured uncomfortably toward her swelling stomach.
Hinata smiled fondly at the blushing man, again thinking how different things would be if he had only said these words a few years ago. Admittedly, it was probably the clumsiest proposal she had ever heard…but it might very well be the only proposal she ever heard directed toward her. Sasuke had never hinted toward taking their relationship to the next level and she had no guarantee that he would even care about her after ten years in jail. And very few other men would be willing to marry a woman already saddled with another man's child. Still, she shook her head.
"I can't, Naruto. It wouldn't be fair to marry you when I'm in love with Sasuke. I have to wait for him," she said.
Naruto nodded, quickly hiding the flash of rejection in his eyes. He really did care about Hinata, though his obliviousness had made him blind to her for just a few years too long.
"All right. Well, I'm here to help if you ever need me, ok?" he asked.
The young woman nodded, a small smile curving her lips.
"Thank you, Naruto," she said.
.oOo.oOo.
Present day…
Naruto opened his door at a loud knock, only to stumble backwards as a fist connected solidly with his jaw. He swore, glaring at his guest as he raised a hand to touch the already-swelling flesh.
"What was that about, teme?" he demanded.
The dark-haired Uchiha stalked into his apartment, going to the freezer and retrieving an icepack for each of them. He handed one to Naruto before collapsing onto the couch and pressing his own to his throbbing hand.
"That was for proposing to Hinata, dobe," he stated.
Naruto grinned sheepishly, then winced as the action pulled at his jaw. He tenderly pressed the ice to the sore spot.
"Eh, I was hoping she wouldn't mention that. Darn it, Sasuke, I was just trying to help her. You didn't have to hit me that hard!" he said.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, eyes roaming the apartment. His gaze paused at a particular photograph, smirk curving his lips. He asked, "Going after the younger sister since Hinata rejected you?"
Naruto followed his gaze, blushing at the sight of the picture of him grinning stupidly with an arm around Hanabi's shoulders.
"We're just friends," he denied, quickly changing the subject, "So what are you planning on doing now?"
"Finding a job…catching up on lost time," Sasuke said.
Naruto sobered studying his best friend carefully. His expression was oddly protective.
"You had better propose to her, teme. She's waited ten years for you," he said.
Sasuke sank back into the plush couch, dark eyes narrowing. He didn't respond to his best friend's near-threat.
So, don't expect another quick update. This is final exam week for me and I really am swamped. I just had some spare time this weekend to write and I decided to go ahead and post a new chapter of this. The third and final chapter should come out next week, or maybe end of this week if I have enough time to write it after my last exam.
Bookworm007: As I do not have younger siblings and try hard to avoid little kids, it is quite possible that Hinome doesn't act like a typical ten-year old. However in my defense, I point out that Hinata is quite sweet and innocent despite her age and profession in canonverse Naruto, so it is quite possible their daughter took after her. As for the length of the sentence...I'll ask my dad (who is a police officer) if I am being unrealistic and get back to you on that.
Thanks to Dark Aura 132, Diablo's Heir, SmallButPowerful, Loveslavender, UnbeatableHinata, Ryan-sensei, Jester of Fools, Toni, and Akai-sora for your wonderful reviews. Glad you are enjoying the story thus far.
If you are continuing to enjoy the story/see areas for improvement, please take a few seconds and leave me a review. It will inspire me to get the last chapter up this week instead of leaving you hanging. n.n
