More than 7 months had come and gone since they left Sunagakure. With each passing day she grew, her belly swelling with life, her body growing stronger and stronger while he grew softer and softer. The love in his eyes as he looked upon the once near dead woman was enough to take the breath from his lungs, he'd known love like this once. All those years ago, a love with no end, one that asks for nothing, expects nothing.

He walked through the days, unsure at first, so unused to the frequent contact of another, the years of solitude had left a permanent handicap on his social skills. She in return understood, she herself had fumbled when it came to being intimate and blushed madly at the smallest of gestures.

Odd was the word of choice when it came to them. She was bashful and frail like a young fawn. Afraid of her own shadow at times, infinitely curious and sweet and others. He, as terrifying and unpredictable as a lion. Angry, unruly and untamed.

Together they built a home, camping in the beginning as they gathered the materials, laid the foundation and slowly their humble home emerged from the ground up. It took them 2 months to build the one bedroom home, it wasn't grand by any means after months of sleeping on the ground to them it was perfect.

Their love wasn't filled with passion or drama, it was a softer, unlike the fire or storms described in all the great love stories, it was simpler. Like a cool wind coming in bringing relief on a sweltering day. It was there never the less.

It was in the small glances she'd catch him casting her way. The way she'd leave the light on for him, softly glowing in the dark of night when he'd stay out to late in order for him to find his way back home, back to her in case he got lost.

"Hinata." He said reaching out across their bed in the darkness, his hand finding the curve of her waist. She had pleasantly filled out in the months giving birth to a curvaceous figure he'd never thought to look at when they were in school together.

She knew what he wanted, lacing her fingers with his he pulled her towards him.

He pulled her until she lay under him, his arms on either side of her head holding his weight so as not to harm their child. Her legs pliantly opening for him, her arms wrapping themselves around him, her mouth seeking and finding the apple on his neck.

His hands tangled themselves into her hair as he brought himself down on his elbows and kissed her.

Pushing his underwear down his hips she fumbled with his clothes, trying to free him as he pulled her night shirt over her head quickly doing the same with her panties.

He rolled away and finished what she had been trying to do, finally nude he turned back to her and stopped.

Moonlight had crept in past their sheer curtains exposing her heavily pregnant body to him. He could see his child kicking softly against her belly making her wince. Her breasts were heavy, the nipples darker than the first time he'd touched them. A queer warmth crept within him as he stared at the spot the infant had struck. It rolled over the anger that had consumed him for so many years and calmed it. Slowly he felt as though the energy was being pulled from him, leaving something softer in its wake. Foreign to being so vulnerable he laid back down instead of continuing.

Rolling on her side and pushing herself up, Hinata sat on her legs and peered at him. "Sasuke? What's wrong?" She asked touching his arm. It had taken months for her to stop blushing when she touched him, even longer for her to initiate any contact herself.

"Nothing." He answered. "Go to sleep." He said closing his eyes.

He felt her shift and felt her hands as they traced the muscles on his stomach, his nipples, his collarbone and finally they made their way up his neck to his face.

Leaning down she kissed him, her lips moving softly on his silently asking for that which he denied.

It wasn't sex that made it intimate, it wasn't that they were naked or even the setting. It was that he allowed her to touch him, openly, it was something unseen, something within. It was her, unabashedly reaching out for him, knowing he would not deny her, not fearing his rejection, knowing he wanted her.

He was for once vulnerable and she was strong.