So, I took a step back and plotted out exactly where I was going to go with this. I have decided that it is going to be a three-shot (though it might expand into four). This story is going to be more action-oriented, with only dashes of romance. I apologize to the SasuHina fans who are looking for fluff. If you want fluff, look for another one-shot of mine that will hopefully be coming out in the next two weeks. It will be titled It's not Over. Anyway, now that the shameless plug is over, please enjoy the continuation of my story. This section is rather short, but the next part should more than make up for it in length.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Part Two
Weeks, then months passed, with each day seeing Hinata and Sasuke grow closer. Despite his profession of love, Sasuke did not pressure Hinata again, willing to give her time to get to know him. The two trained together and, under Sasuke's tutelage, Hinata advanced in leaps and bounds. She grew more confident in herself and her skills, slowly losing her stutter. One day, the two of them sat in the shade of a tree after a hard morning of training. Hinata had removed her jacket and was sprawled in the grass wearing only her light pants and a sleeveless black shirt. Sasuke was reclined on his side, head propped up in one hand as he watched his companion. She opened one lavender eye to frown at him.
"S-stop staring at me. It's your fault I'm so exhausted," she said.
A slight smile quirked his lips and he reached out to gently brush her hair away from her face.
"You're beautiful," he murmured.
Her face went instantly red and Sasuke jerked his hand away. He rolled onto his back, imprisoning both hands behind his head. When Hinata glanced over at him, she discovered that his cheeks were also tinted pink. She smiled and sat up, leaning toward him in an attempt to catch his eye. He studiously avoided looking in her direction.
"Sasuke-" she started.
He sat up quickly. His eyes met hers for a moment before fixing on a point over her shoulder.
"I'm really sorry. I told myself I wouldn't push you toward anything and then I make that stupid statement. I-" it was Hinata's turn to interrupt him by laying her fingers over his mouth.
His eyes jerked back to her in surprise.
"Did you really mean what you said?" Hinata asked, removing her fingers only when she was done speaking.
The Uchiha's blush darkened and he ducked his head as he whispered, "Yes."
Hinata leaned over and kissed his cheek, quite enjoying the sight of the stoic Sasuke blushing nearly as red as she once had around Naruto. A goofy grin spread across his face as he met her gaze.
"Hinata," he began softly.
Just then, Itachi landed beside them, causing the young lovebirds to jump away from each other. He turned the eyes of his ANBU mask toward his younger brother.
"The Hokage has summoned you," he said.
Sasuke instantly became serious, standing to his feet.
"A mission?" he asked.
Itachi nodded and Sasuke looked at Hinata.
"I'll see you later," he said.
"Be careful," she warned softly.
He gave her a slight smile, then darted off toward the Hokage's office. Hinata glanced at the masked Uchiha, her eyes worried.
"I-is it a dangerous m-mission?" she asked.
"Not especially so," Itachi said. She couldn't see his expression, but gained the sense that he was smiling as he continued, "Are you in love with my brother?"
She blushed, looking away from him. Though Hinata suspected that she was, she wasn't ready to admit it to herself, let alone anyone else. Itachi merely nodded again and left her alone.
.oOo.oOo.
Sasuke's mission went more easily than expected and he was actually running a day ahead of schedule on his way back to Konoha. As he was passing through a village, he recalled what his brother had told him at the gate as he was leaving. 'You might want to get a ring while you're gone.' Itachi was an excellent judge of people and the younger Uchiha had no doubt that, if Itachi thought Hinata was ready for a proposal, then she was. With that thought in mind, he entered the first jewelry store he saw, scanning the shelves of rings for one that would fit Hinata. At last, he found the perfect ring, though…He motioned the proprietor of the store over to him.
"Could you make a few modifications to this one?" he asked.
The man listened to what he had in mind before nodding.
"Certainly, but it will take a few hours," he said.
Sasuke smiled, "I'll wait."
A short while later, he reentered the store and paid for his purchase, slipping it into his backpack. Then, he turned his steps homeward, mind moving ahead to what he would say to Hinata. His mind was so fixed on her that he didn't notice his surroundings until it was too late. A hand touched the back of his neck and instantly his body went numb. He fell to the ground and a silver-haired man stepped into his line of sight.
"How good to see you again, Sasuke-kun," he said.
The Uchiha frowned at him. How did this man know him? He tried to make his body move as the man came closer, but his muscles refused to respond. The man picked up his backpack and started to rummage through it.
"What shall we leave for your friend the Jinchuuriki to find?" he said.
Sasuke's throat went dry. He was after Naruto! His eyes narrowed when the man pulled put the tiny jewelry box, opening it and chuckling at the ring inside.
"How priceless, Sasuke-kun was going to propose. Was it to the little Hyuuga girl? I do hope she comes after you. Orochimaru-sama would quite enjoy gaining someone of the Hyuuga bloodline to experiment on," he said.
The man dropped the ring to the ground, then pulled off Sasuke's headband and dropped it as well.
"There. Your friends should come running to rescue you," he stated, lips twisted in a mirthless smile as he reached up to adjust his glasses.
His face was the last thing Sasuke saw as the man bent down and knocked him unconscious.
.oOo.oOo.
Hinata glanced away from the path which led into the village as Naruto joined her at the gate.
"Hey, Hinata-chan! No sign of the teme yet?" he greeted.
She shook her head, wringing her hands.
"H-he should b-be back by n-now," she answered, worry make her stutter more than she had been.
Naruto sobered instantly at the distress in her lavender eyes. He laid a friendly hand on her shoulder.
"All right then. Let's go find him, he decided.
Too concerned about Sasuke to worry about the rules of the village, Hinata nodded and followed her blond-haired idol out the gates. The duo traveled in silence. Though Naruto's confident personality hid it well, she could tell that he too was worried. Sasuke was never late in returning from a mission. If anything, he was early. Hinata activated her Byakugan to scan the path before them. Her gaze caught on something and she stopped suddenly, reaching out a hand to grab Naruto's arm.
"There's a headband on the path in front of us," she said, voice choked.
The Jinchuuriki's eyes narrowed and he darted off before she could stop him. By the time she caught up, he already held the headband.
"It might not be Sasuke's," he said in an attempt to reassure her.
Hinata's eyes, however, had caught on something else that glittered in the dust of the path. She picked it up and her heart stopped beating for a moment.
"It is," she confirmed softly.
Naruto leaned over to look at what she held in her hand. He looked shocked for a moment at the sight of the silver engagement ring. There was no denying it belonged to Sasuke, for it was set with a single diamond and several rubies in the distinctive shape of the Uchiha crest. His blue eyes turned to the dazed Hinata, then his expression softened in pity as he realized for whom the ring was meant.
"Let's get back to Konoha and get the Hokage to organize a team to send after him," he suggested.
.oOo.oOo.
In no time at all, a group of four shinobi gathered at the front gates of Konoha. They consisted of Kakashi (the tracker and strategist), Naruto (the power), Sakura (the healer), and Hinata (the scout). The silver-haired joinin summoned his nin dogs and the group set off. They had only gone a short distance from Konoha when a fifth ninja joined their group. It was Itachi in normal jounin attire, his expression grim. Kakashi shook his head at the Uchiha.
"The Hokage forbade you coming on this mission," he stated.
"He is my brother," Itachi responded as though that ended the argument.
And it did.
Now, to answer reviews...
P'tfami: Yay, you have given me a chance to get on my soapbox! n.n Anyway, from my limited understanding of the Narutoverse, Orochimaru left the Akatsuki because of a failed attempt to use Itachi as his next vessel. That was when he decided to go after Sasuke. Thus, in this AU world I have created, Itachi never joined the Akatsuki, Orochimaru never left the organization, and also never attacked Konoha. As a result, the Third is still alive and is the Hokage. Tsunade never returned, so Sakura is just an ordinary medic nin (since she also never had reason to have to mature like she did in the regular storyline). Though I am saying that Jiraiya still trained Naruto, because Konoha was still aware that Akatsuki was after him. Make sense? And, yes, Naruto has been accepted as the Jinchuuriki, mainly through the backing of the two Uchiha prodigies. Whew, moving on to the next question.
Mac2: Yeah, she was being a little selfish...but she's become a better ninja now! We'll see just how good she has gotten in the next part. n.n As you can see, Sasuke didn't really have a choice in joining Orochimaru. Shame on him for being so caught up in thoughts of Hinata.
One far too lazy to log-in ...: I portrayed Hinata as being so weak because I decided that, in this version, she didn't really have anyone to encourage her. In Miru Hoshi, she has Neji and Sakura and Naruto to encourage her, but in this realm they are all too busy with their own lives. Now that Sasuke is there for her, she is becoming more confident. I hope maybe this kinda helped to answer your questions about her. As for Itachi, well, I like seeing the older brother side of him. In my mind, at least, in this realm he chose his brother over turning to evil. Although...-gags self- well, you'll see in the next part.
That's it for now. Please leave me reviews!!