Hey everyone! Thanks for the welcome backs and reviews. Just a couple of notes, for those of you who still care, I have started and will be finishing the last chapter of Affair of the Heart. Also, updates with all my stories are going to be slow. I am a student and those responsibilities come first. I will try to drop an update at least once every two weeks though.

And I don't own Naruto.

Thanks!

Chapter 2: The Unforgiveable

Without another warning, Sasuke lunged at her, striking her shoulder where his kunai had previously pierced her skin. Hinata let out a pained gasp as she rolled out of Sasuke's line of attack. She cast a quick glance at the kunai in her left shoulder and pulled it out quickly, discarding it upon the ground. The twinge of pain in her shoulder was an afterthought.

"Sasuke," she bellowed desperately, casting away all dignity with the shrillness of her voice. "You have to believe me. I—"

Sasuke interrupted her pleas with a fist to her gut. His movements were sharp and fast. Hinata hadn't even seen him move. He was just there all of a sudden, mercilessly barreling through her small frame, cold eyes watching her keel over in pain.

He loomed over her as she gripped her stomach. Dark strands of hair falling to her sides, blood seeping from her shoulder, tears budding in the corner of her eyes—she gathered the strength to look upward and catch his gaze, but there was nothing there. The Sasuke she knew, he was gone, replaced by some callous apparition.

Hinata's dull, lavender eyes pleaded with him. She pressed her hands together as if she were praying and murmured softly:

"I didn't kill him. Please be—"

"Shut the fuck up," Sasuke's deep voice snapped.

"Baby please, you must listen to me," Hinata bellowed. "I—"

Another blow crashed into Hinata's side.

She spat up blood as she staggered backwards. Recoiling, she came to terms with the fact that this fight would be unavoidable. He wouldn't stop.

He was relentless, unforgiving.

Reluctantly engaging her Byakuugan, Hinata caught the Uchiha on the move again. His left arm was now coming at her from behind. She knew that she would be unable to stop the blow. She knew what he was aiming for. He was aiming to hit her already injured left shoulder from behind, adding insult to injury and rendering her arm completely lame. She knew that he would succeed in his endeavor, but she was determined to get in a hit of her own.

'He's coming with his left. Right anterial tenatic chakra point exposed.'

Her thoughts interrupted, she felt Sasuke grasp her forearm and jerk it back forcefully.

The pain in her shoulder was sharp. The sound of bone splintering filled the air and she screamed in pain. Her right arm flailed about behind her as if she was seeking to distance herself from his body and coming into contact briefly with his upper right arm.

'Got it,' she thought to herself, focusing despite the intense pain coursing through her arm.

'Pathetic,' Sasuke pushed her down into the ground, disgusted by her flailing. Dust from the ground surrounded her body upon impact. She coughed as the particles filled her nostrils. He backed away, looking at her menacingly.

"Get up," he stated blandly. "Fight or I will kill you."

Gingerly, Hinata pulled herself off the ground, her left arm dangled flatly at her side. She lapped up air like a fish on land. She looked up into Sasuke's face thinking to herself what the point in fighting was, either way, he was going to kill her.

Recklessly, she lunged at him, hand barely grazing his right wrist before he rammed her entire body against a nearby tree. It splintered against the force and Hinata coughed up blood.

'That's two,' Hinata noted mentally as Sasuke pressed her body forcefully into the tree.

His face lingered over hers, eyes filled with emptiness. His lips were mouthing something that Hinata could not comprehend and his right hand was grasping hers forcefully, sliding the diamond ring off her index finger.

Hinata gasped.

The tear that she had been holding back finally fell.

And before she could further appreciate any emotional discomfort from his actions, the intense physical discomfort of her head being slammed into the thick bark of the tree shattered her ability to think about anything discerningly.

She felt her body drop limply to the ground, blood now dripping from her nose and ears.

Sasuke kneeled beside her body, pushing back her matted hair and whispering to her softly.

"You must not understand. Fight. Fight your hardest. If you don't, if you hold back, I will kill you. I will enjoy killing you. Fight me Hyuuga, your life depends on it."

Hinata reached up, feigning delirium, grasping Sasuke's right arm with her own.

"I didn't kill him," she whispered desperately. Sasuke scowled before standing to his feet.

"Get up," he yelled. "Fight."

Hinata rolled to her right side. Slowly, she pushed herself off the ground, mind still spinning from the blunt trauma to her head. A small smirk formed on her lips, it looked unnatural on her, but she had achieved a small victory and a small victory against the Uchiha was reason to rejoice. That was three hits to the chakra points controlling his right arm. She had done it and he hadn't even noticed. Now, it was time to cash in.

Again, she lunged at him, aiming for his left side. Sasuke blocked her with his left arm and attempted to swing at her with his unengaged right arm, but found it damningly limp. Realization coursed through his brain, but it was too late.

'Hyuuga bitch,' he muttered as he felt her swing around and come into contact with his head with her left foot, throwing his body to the ground. Fiercely, she attempted to strike as many chakra points as she could. She managed to get in a few good hits, but was thrown back violently by a surge of chidori pulsing through his entire body.

Sasuke picked himself off the ground, scowling, chidori surging in his left hand. Hinata tried to pick herself up, pushing her body back against a tree for support. It was no use. He was too much and all this without the use of his Sharingan.

He approached her menacingly, ego bruised.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he tore through her flesh with his electrified hand. His hand pierced through her stomach, blood spewing from the open wound.

And before losing consciousness, she could hear Sasuke mutter.

"Pathetic."

Ino tapped softly on the mahogany door. A worried look etched onto her face as she waited patiently for any sign of life from the other side. But nothing came.

She tapped again and murmured softly, "Sakura honey, it's me Ino. Can I come in?"

Still nothing.

She sighed inwardly and took the knob in her hand, twisting it firmly. Darkness met her as she entered the bedroom. Eyes adjusting, she found a human sized lump sprawled out onto the bed. She could only surmise that the lump was Sakura.

"You can't do this," Ino called out as she pulled the shades open and let sunlight spill into the room. Sakura let out a loud wail as she hid her head in the covers.

"Sweetie," Ino pushed wet tissues off the bed and sat beside her longtime friend. "Tsunade-shishou sent me. She's worried about you…I'm worried about you."

Silence.

"Sasuke hasn't come back yet," Ino continued. "It's been three days."

"…."

"I guess he's dealing with this as well as you are." Ino's head fell as she pondered the sad situation. "Sakura, Naruto wouldn't want this. Not for you or for Sasuke. For all we know, he's killed the poor girl."

"The bitch would deserve it!" Sakura spat out suddenly, puffy eyes glaring at Ino fervently. "She killed my husband in cold blood."

"You don't know that."

"I saw her!" Sakura almost sprang out of the bed.

"You saw her kill Naruto?" Ino questioned with raised eyebrows.

"She was there Ino. His blood was all over her and she ran. She ran like a coward. How could she? How could she betray his trust, the trust of the village?"

Ino scoffed. "So you didn't actually see her kill Naruto. Come on Sakura, this is Hinata we're talking about. You don't think Hinata really did this do you."

A smack filled the air as Sakura's hand came into contact with Ino's face. "Don't you dare defend her. You know as well as I do that her little innocent act is just that…an act."

"Sakura—"

"She's a whore," Sakura interrupted, tears streaming down her face. "She threw herself at my husband and when she couldn't have him to herself, she made sure that no one else could have him. I hate her and she deserves whatever Sasuke is doing to her."

"Sakura," Ino tried to calm her friend, placing a comforting hand on her back. "You can't talk like that. Even if you feel that way, you can't go around saying stuff like this. Everyone knows you've disliked Hinata for a while now. It makes you look…like you have a grudge against her…"

"What are you saying Ino?"

Ino sighed. "You know what I'm saying. You know I don't think you had anything to do with this, but I'm not the one performing an investigation…Shikamaru is, and you know how thorough he is. Don't open yourself up to speculation. Don't play the bitter spouse, especially since Shikamaru knows that you and Naruto were having problems."

Sakura plopped back down on the bed, defeated.

Silence passed as the two girls sat, peering out of the window at the sparse clouds drifting by. It was a disturbingly sunny day, the day of Naruto's funeral. The brightness seemed appropriate despite the gloomy occasion. He was, after all, the warmest shinobi in Konoha history.

"I miss him Ino." Sakura murmured softly, slowly breaking down into tears. "I miss his smile. I miss his laugh. I miss my husband. We had our problems…but…I never imagined…. it'd feel like this…"

"I know," Ino petted Sakura's hair with a sad smile. "I know."

Hinata awoke, feverish, confused…and alone.

She shot up erect, tremors violently shaking her body.

She ached. Her body throbbed from head to toe and a strange foreboding that something terrible happened, or was happening, washed over her senses.

Shinobi senses kicking in, she looked frantically around to take in her surroundings. Despite her obvious delirium, she could make a few important observations.

She was in an old, hollowed out cave. Her body was sore, bandadged, and in a fresh set of clothing. A blanket had been flung about her body haphazardly, as if it had been placed there as an afterthought. Her bag had been opened, contents strewn about the floor. Her old clothing was hanging upon the jagged cave wall, clean and dry. Another large white shirt was hanging beside her clothing…

…a symbol of a fan sewn onto its back…

Panic flooded Hinata's already obscured mind.

'Sasuke,' her mind screamed his name, the thought of his brutality sent sharp pains through her skull. She looked frantically to see if he was watching from some dark corner of the cave, but could find him nowhere. The Uchiha wasn't anywhere to be found.

Hinata gasped, beads of sweat flowing profusely from her brow. Her mind was spinning, a sickening hysteria obscuring her thoughts and judgment. She vaguely remembered the fight, his cold, menacing eyes, and his heartless pursuit. She was so sure he was going to kill her, snuff out her life without a second thought.

But she was still alive. Whats more, he was keeping her alive.

'Why?'

Hinata's eyes welled with tears. An unnatural fear compelled her to action.

She stumbled to her feet, body submerged in pain. She was not fully healed, but the pain couldn't overcome her feverish mind. It would be in control, she was at its mercy.

"I have to run, run, before he gets back…"

She hobbled out of the cave, still inexplicably clinging onto the blanket she had awoken with and leaving all other rations behind.

Upon exiting the cave, the bright light of the sun hit here like a brick, sending a sharp pain through her mind. The world spun and she fell to the ground. Writhing on the ground in pain, she couldn't tell up from down. The world had no balance, no order. The leaves in the trees seemed to be an extension of her body, unattached to each other, but forming one never-ending blob. That's the way her mind felt. Scattered into a million separate, disjointed thoughts, but somehow still connected in the small confines of her mind.

Despite her delirium, one thought was ever-present: her intense desire to escape.

Responding to that fear, she dragged her body upon the dry, dusty ground. Twigs and rocks scratched and pierced her skin as she pulled herself along, reopening many of her wounds. Blood smeared along the dirt behind her as she continued to pull herself fiercely and relentlessly, tears streamed down her face.

She couldn't stop.

She had to escape.

So pronounced was her delirium, so pronounced was her desire to escape, that she didn't sense the oncoming presence of two men.

"Easiest bounty ever," a masculine voice exclaimed from above.

Hinata crooked her neck, following a pair of boots upward and finding a man towering over her, his comrade not far behind.

Hinata trembled. "Kill me," she gasped breathlessly as she clung to his leg in desperation.

The bearded man smirked. He pushed her shoulder with his foot and flipped her onto her back. His friend sheathed his machete, realizing that Hinata would be no physical threat to them despite tales of Hyuuga prowess.

"Kill you? Ha, honey, you're worth more alive than dead. I'm going to take your ass back to—"

"Kill me," Hinata pleaded, now wailing between gasps. "Please."

The bearded man knelt down, unnervingly close to her face.

"Is that how you got those injuries sweetie—trying to kill yourself?" His breath was harsh, his sneer was sickening. Had Hinata been in her typical frame of mind, she would surely wretch at the very thought of the man.

"Don't worry, you won't be among the living long. You killed yourself a Hokage. The penalty for that…well, it ain't gonna be pretty sweetheart."

He traced a finger suggestively along Hinata's jawline.

"But I can make you feel real good," he snickered, "before turning your murdering ass back to the authorities and collecting my sizeable bounty. You're—"

"Tsuomi," his partner interrupted. "We've got company."

The bearded man looked up, mildly surprised at the young man standing at the edge of the clearing. Three fish dangled from a line thrown over his broad, bare shoulder. His sandals hung over his other shoulder. His pants were rolled up to his ankle, his feet wet and slightly muddy. His dark hair was wet and tussled. His gaze was passive, indifferent.

The bearded man thought him to be a fisherman from the small village nearby.

"Don't be concerned," the bearded man called out. "She's a wanted murderer. We're just taking her in. I can show you the wanted poster if you don't believe me."

"Leave the girl and get lost," Sasuke muttered.

"Look kid," the bounty hunter scolded. "I don't have time—"

"You'll get one warning," Sasuke interrupted. "Ignore it and you'll be dead."

"Beat it ki—"

The curdled sound of blood filled the air. Hinata screamed as the bearded man fell to the ground beside her, motionless. She turned herself over and tried to wriggle away on the ground. Sasuke placed his foot upon her back forcefully, stopping her. He looked up at the other bounty hunter, eyes bored. He had no interest in killing bounty hunters. It would only be troublesome for him in the end.

"Leave," Sasuke warned darkly.

The bounty hunter turned, horrified, and fleed into the forest.

Sasuke looked down at Hinata. She was still attempting to claw herself away, despite being pinned beneath his foot. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, a scowl forming on his lips. She had reopened her wounds. He would have to go through the trouble of redressing them.

"Kill me," he heard her murmur softly. He lifted his foot off her back.

"Get up and let's go," Sasuke turned to leave.

"You cruel, heartless bastard," Hinata yelled into the ground, dirt billowing back up into her face. "Kill me. Just fucking kill me."

Sasuke turned back to her, eyebrow quirked. He returned to kneel beside her, turning her slightly and feeling her head. She was hot, still feverish.

"You're delirious," he stated matter-of-factly, reaching down with his good arm to pick her up while still balancing the fish and sandals upon his muscular shoulders.

"Don't touch me," Hinata swatted at his hand, screaming and tossing about like a child. "You're an evil bastard. Kill me. Just kill me."

Sasuke frowned, slapping her firmly.

"Shut up bitch."

She continued to flail about, but he was able to grasp her by her waist with his left arm and carry her back to the cave, arms and legs skimming the ground along the way.

Sasuke dampened a wet cloth and placed it onto the girl's feverish head. Beads of sweat budded from her warm skin and she tossed violently in her sleep. He couldn't discern whether it was from pain or nightmares, but he didn't care. He swore to himself that he didn't care.

Smell of cooked fish filling the cave, Sasuke sat for the first time in hours, basking in the cave's familiar darkness. It was one of Orochimaru's old hideouts, an archaic cave near the Leaf's outer boundaries. Not much, but he figured it would do for the time being. It would do until Hinata's fever broke and he could question her properly.

Sitting in silence, his mind drifted to Naruto, the idiot.

Another brother lost and for what.

He had to know.

He thought back to the blond's inauguration day as Hokage, stupid smile smeared across his face, clinging to Sakura's hand happily. Naruto had few words to say that day surprisingly. His speech to the villagers was short. He spoke of the will of fire, of comrades lost in battle, and of the greatness of Konoha. His last words were directed to Sasuke though.

'I never could have done this without you.'

Sasuke doubted his words then. He still doubted them. His heart heavy, he felt his eyelids rise and fall at the threat of sleep. It wasn't long before he drifted into unconsciousness.

-flashback-

Konoha main courtroom – four years earlier - closing arguments

"I, like all Inuzuka, had a canine companion named Taiki," the advocate addressed the tribunal. "I was there when he was born. He was the strongest, most vibrant pup of the litter. And my father placed him in my hands and I felt like the luckiest boy in the world, to have such an amazing companion. I knew from that day on, we'd be inseparable."

"And we were. We played together, we learned together, and we became shinobi…together. We fought side by side in battle, taking down vicious enemies and tending to each other's wounds. I can't count the number of times he saved my life."

"I loved Taiki, with all my heart."

"But one unfortunate day, Taiki contracted rabies. He fought it for as long as he could, but he was no match for the disease. He began to foam from the mouth and to lash out violently at everyone…including me. He became dangerous, a menace to society. And though I loved Taiki, I knew I had to put him down…for the greater good."

"Uchiha Sasuke is a rabid dog."

The advocate turned to point at Sasuke, looking dead in the Uchiha avenger's eyes with malice. He wasn't the only one. The jurors, the audience, the judges—they all regarded Sasuke with contempt.

"And he needs to be put down. He might have been good once. He may have fought side by side with some of you once. He may have been the strongest and most vibrant young shinobi once. He may have had a promising future once…but not anymore…"

"Now he's a menace to society. He's dangerous, lashing out against friend and foe alike. Even Orochimaru delineated between his comrades and his enemies, but Uchiha…Uchiha hasn't even displayed that level of humanity. He's no longer fit to walk among us…not as a shinobi and not even as a man."

"For those reasons…I recommend the death penalty for Uchiha Sasuke."

There was uproarious applause in the courtroom.

Sasuke was unmoved by the display. He sat, slouched casually in his seat. He didn't care about their jeering. He didn't care about their insults and threats.

He wanted to die.

He wanted the punishment.

He had nothing else to live for.

And he figured he was going to be found guilty no matter what he did. The trial was anything but fair. The judge had allowed a mountain of inadmissible evidence including hearsay from people claiming Sasuke committed x, y, and z. Most of these people were lying, the rest were exaggerating. His appointed advocate was useless, not bothering to put up much of a defense. And anyone who would speak for him couldn't because they had been conveniently assigned a mission during the course of the trial. On top of that, the jury was all male. He'd be getting no pity votes from bleeding heart females.

But even if it were a fair trial, Sasuke was guilty. He knew it. Everyone knew it. He abandoned Konoha, did terrible things for Orochimaru, and, after killing him, did terrible things for himself. He was a murderer, a thief, a fraud, and a turncoat. What more could be done?

The judge beat his gavel to bring the courtroom to order. As the voices died down, he motioned for the Inuzuka to take his seat.

"Well Uchiha," the judge spat out harshly. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Sasuke just stared back at him. How easy would it be to slit that pathetic little man's throat? How easy would it be to just fight his way to freedom? It would be so easy, but he lacked the motivation.

"Then I'm ready to rule."

"Wait—"

A voice rang out from the galley.

Everyone knew that voice, it was the voice of Konoha's savior, Konoha's bright shining light.

"Uzumaki," the judge scrunched his thick eyebrows. "I thought you were away on a mission."

"I was." Naruto was visibly angry as he made his way into the courtroom. "A friend told me what was going on here. The trial wasn't supposed to be for another two weeks."

"It got moved up." The judge replied shortly, knowing full well that Naruto would be a problem. He was Konoha's hero…the future Hokage.

"I want to speak in Sasuke's favor," Naruto cleared his throat.

"It's too late. The argument portion of the trial is over. We've moved to closing arguments."

"Like hell," Naruto spat back. "If Sasuke's guilty, then so is everyone in this room."

Murmurs filled the courtroom.

"Uzumaki, don't make me have you taken out by force," the judge beat his gavel furiously.

Naruto laughed. "While you're looking for a shinobi strong enough to do that, I may as well use the time to finish speaking."

The judge scoffed.

"We're responsible," Naruto continued. "We're just as responsible for Sasuke's actions as he is. We are. We killed his family. We failed to take care of him when he was alone. We failed to retrieve him when he was lost. We failed him."

Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"You're my brother, the closest thing I have to family. I should have been there for you, but I failed you. So your crimes are my crimes. Your mistakes are my mistakes. Punishing you and not accepting any punishment myself would be wrong."

Naruto turned to the tribunal.

"It would be wrong!"

"If he is guilty of any crime, then so are we…so am I. So whatever punishment you inflict on Sasuke, you'll have to do the exact same thing to me. If you give him the death penalty, you'll have to kill me too. I am making a vow. I pledge to serve the very same sentence that you give Sasuke."

The courtroom broke out into hysteria.

"So keep that in mind when you make your decision."

Naruto turned to look at Sasuke again, small smile playing on his lips.

Sasuke just stared back at him as if he had lost his mind.

"I'll never abandon you Sasuke, never again."

-end flashback-

Kurenai clutched her son's tiny hand.

From a distance, they both gazed upon Shikamaru, dressed in all black, standing before the fallen shinobi memorial. He ran his hand across the smooth marble, transfixed in thought.

"Shikamaru-oniisan," the little boy broke free, running to greet him.

Shikamaru turned, forcing a smile upon his lips.

"Akira," Shikamaru reached out his arms and lifted the boy into the air. "The wise old owl sat in an oak…."

The little boy smiled and replied.

"…the more he heard, the less he spoke…"

"…the less he spoke, the more he heard…"

"…why aren't we all like that wise old bird," the last line was came out in a flood of the little boy's laughter. Shikamaru's father had taught him the little rhyme when he was a boy. He taught it to Akira. It was a message that had always served him well.

"How are you, Shikamaru," Kurenai approached him, sad smile gracing her lips.

Shikamaru's smile fell as he turned to the memorial.

"How many more names will I see added to this old headstone, wishing it were my own instead—Asuma, Chojii…and now Naruto…"

He trailed off, Akira in his arms tugging on his earring.

Over the years, Kurenai had come to regard Shikamaru as a younger brother. They spoke often, bonded together by their love for Asuma…and for Akira. Now, he and Akira were almost inseparable. He came over often to play with the little boy, teaching him basic shinobi techniques and serving as a male role model in the absence of his father.

"You should just come out and say it," Shikamaru spoke matter-of-factly. "Kiba, Shino…they've both explained all the reasons Hinata couldn't have done this. Isn't that why you're here?"

Kurenai's gaze fell.

"I'm here for the funeral," she murmured sadly.

"The investigation is still ongoing," Shikamaru ignored her words. "I don't want to believe she did it either, but…"

"….but what…"

"There was no struggle Kurenai. There was no fight. Nothing. Whatever happened, he let himself be killed."

Kurenai's eyes widened. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know," Shikamaru replied. "Not yet anyway…."

"…but I think he was facing someone he didn't want to fight…"

Meh, a slow chapter, but I'm laying groundwork. Please review and let me know what you think.

Love, Leyla10.