A/N:

Uchikina Shojo translates roughly to "shy girl" in English.

Does anyone else see the weird coincidence here?! Uchikina…. Uchiha? I sure hope it's not just a coincidence!

August 24th

Pack in hand, Sasuke walked the dimly lit streets of Konoha. He was in deep contemplation the mission he was about to embark on.

Firstly, he decided that going to Nyan Nyan had been a crappy idea. He should have just avoided the Dobe. Kicking at the dirt below his feet, he sighed lightly. This will be one hell of a trip.

As he was leaving the club to get his bags, Naruto had stopped him, suggesting that the two teams travel together for the first part of the trip. Hinata and Sasuke could then take the Southern Pass to the Rain, cutting their trip off by half a day. The road was a lot rockier and less taken care of than the main highway, but it would be "so much faster." Naruto had reasoned. Sasuke reluctantly agreed. He desperately wanted to minimize the amount of time he spent with that girl.

That girl… Sasuke thought as he closed his eyes in memory of the morning spent with the bashful kunoichi.

FLASHBACK

"What are you?" The Uchiha muttered through clenched teeth. Knuckles white around the door handle, Sasuke sucked in a breath as he prepared himself to see the woman who haunted his dreams. Opening the door ajar just slightly, he peered into his room.

There she was, a less elegant version of the figure in his dream. Hair, a mess amongst the pillows, her mouth fell slightly open. Her leg was wrapped around the edge of his comforters and one of her arms held a throw pillow in a tight embrace.

Feeling less threatened by this odd little thing, Sasuke stalked over to the bed to further investigate the girl. Well, she was a less of a girl and more of a woman, the Uchiha noted as his eyes moved to the breasts that had been so exposed to him in the dream. He cocked a brow as he moved his head a little closer.

"Mmmm." The Hyuga mumbled in her sleep as she wiggled deeper into the bed. A small smile grew on her face as she slept.

Sasuke reeled back and crouched on the floor, if he was caught staring, who knew what the Dobe might say… Carefully peering back up at the bed, he scrunched his nose. "Hn. Still asleep huh?" He said as he approached the bed… with a little more caution this time.

Sitting beside her, he examined the features of the woman before him. Her skin seemed to glow whiter under the morning light that was streaming through his window. He tilted his head, examining her Azalea smile; a warm rosé stretched out and dusted the pale outskirts of her lip. Her cheeks swelled with the warmth of her blissful slumber. She moaned a little, the creases of her smile deepening as she moved her hands to hold onto another.

Sasuke pursed his lips in confusion. Looking down, he slowly mimicked her movement, fingers curling around either palm. Something twinged inside of him, a small firework of heat sprang out from somewhere inside his stomach. He savoured the feeling for a second. His lips pressed together a little. Like Mom used to, he thought.

Realizing what he was doing, he ripped his hands apart, out of their intimate embrace. He glared at Hinata who was still smiling at nothing. "How dare she make me… remember," Sasuke hissed inwardly.He sat down on the floor, feeling drained for the first time since his parents died. Looking into his lap he didn't see the kunoichi begin to stir.

Hinata's eyes fluttered half open as she attempted to fight off the drumming in her head. "MMMMFFF" she sighed out, trying to regain any semblance of stillness in the room. Sasuke shot up like a bullet and towered over the girl who was just beginning to sit up.

Hinata was spatially dysfunctional.

Sasuke was overwrought with impatience.

The two collided head-first like a set of freight trains.

"Ach!" Hinata squeaked. She rubbed her head in pain, eyes clenched together. Sasuke was shaking. He looked up at her, hatred clouding his sharingan eyes. "WHAT ARE YOU!?" He yelled into her face.

Hinata recoiled from Sasuke's malice. "I… I- I… I'M SORRY UCHIHA SAN!" She cried, bowing her head in embarrassment. "Please forgive me." Her eyes widened as nausea spun her brain like a dreidel.

Pushing past the hot-blooded Uchiha she threw her head inside the trashcan next to the bed. It wreaked. She wretched until she had emptied her stomach.

Then it dawned on her.

Why was she nauseous? Was the puke festering inside of the garbage can hers? Sasuke seemed fine… Her eyes widened. She was in Sasuke Uchiha's room… and she had no idea why. Nor did she have any recollection of the previous night.

She ripped her head from the garbage can and stared, horrified at the Uchiha.

"What happened?!" She asked herself.

Looking down just to check, Hinata was relieved to find herself still in the dress from last night. Feeling a little more confident now that she knew she was still capable of saving herself for Naruto, Hinata grabbed a waterglass of unknown origin from the bedside table. After taking a large gulp, she turned to face the Uchiha, determination glinting in her eyes.

Sasuke was surprised to see resolve overcome the initial horror that plagued Hinata's face. He didn't like that she was no longer afraid of him. He would do something to rectify that. No one was allowed to tamper with his head and come out unscathed. "That wretch, what's with the sudden confidence?" He asked himself inwardly, narrowing his gaze at her. She would fear him. She would.

"You look pretty confident for someone who just spent the night in my bed… Pft. You didn't handle yourself well with me... or Naruto last night. You're obnoxious. Better watch yourself when you're drinking around him, you never know what might happen if you're not careful. You might do worse than telling him how gorgeous you think he is… but apparently not quite as handsome as me…"

That did it.

She was bright red and her hands were fists in her lap.

"Y-you know?" She stammered out.

"The whole town knows Hinata. You don't have to be a nin to tell that you're totally infatuated with him."

She looked up abruptly, the blush only a hint on her cheeks. She furrowed her brow at him.

"Infatuated? I love him, Sasuke-san."

"Tch." He cocked a brow at her. "You're infatuated. You're like me."

Her eyes supernovaed. She thought herself a lot of things, but never did she ever compare herself to Sasuke. The traitor of Konoha. "How?" she asked herself inwardly. As though he had heard her thoughts he responded to her look of surprise.

"You are using someone else as motivation to become stronger. They are your goal and you are obsessed with that person. You chase that person with every last drop of blood in your body."

His stare was unwavering.

"You're searching for something you can't truly get. That makes you more obsessed."

Her fingers curled into her palms and her knuckles whitened.

"You devote yourself to something that won't acknowledge you the way you want it to. Its all you can think about, night and day, it is your every third thought. You taste your lust in the food you eat, the water you drink and the air you breathe. They must acknowledge you. You want to possess that person, you want them to think of you the amount that you think of them. The person I was chasing wasn't so very different from Naruto. Only, you chase in blind desire, I chased in blood lust..."

He paused remembering his dream, looking at her she was so different from then she was so much more sullen now. Her brow was creasing with worry. He was getting under her skin. He reveled in it.

She wouldn't make him face his guilt. All of the sudden rage burst through him. He would not face it.

He could pretend to though.

"What would the Hokage say, explaining this to such a pathetic woman?" He began to cackle inwardly. Something had snapped inside him again. He would ruin her.

Lie. Manipulate.

He maintained his stare. He would be unreadable and state.

"My blood-lust was blind too." He moved in closer to her, positioning himself in front of her on the bed.

"It wasn't a real motivation." Closer.

"You have to make yourself better by being your own motivation. It can't come from someone else. That's when you become truly strong." Closer.

He was a breath away from her face. "Have you ever done anything not thinking of Naruto? For Naruto?" His voice lowered.

She looked up at him in awe. She opened and closed her mouth several times. She couldn't breathe. He was right.

"Who's life are you really living, Hinata-sama? Do you even know anymore? Who are you without Naruto? You've made yourself nothing. You're pathetic." He snarled at her.

All of the sudden they heard voices from the room next door.

Naruto's.

"How are you feeling, Sakura-chan?" His voice rasped out from the wall. He sounded so caring.

Any colour that had returned to Hinata's face since puking had now left it again.

"No," Hinata's voice faltered with the one syllable word.

"She's done for." Sasuke congratulated himself. He would make her miserable. He would confuse her. He would completely annihilate the life she had known and she was already so well set-up for it. He would never be blamed. He could still assume the Hokage's seat.

"I'm going to go make breakfast," an eerie smile upturned the corners of his lips. "Pancakes are okay right?

She remained silent.

He left the room and shut the door behind him. His pseudo-smile turned into a maniacal grin, malice staining every drop of his sadistic glee.

Round, saltine tears, dalmatianed her little nest on the bed.

"Naruto-kun…" she addressed the wall. "N-" she almost shouted but was stopped by another bout of nausea.

"He never answered when I… When Pein…" her thoughts darted around the many times she had been dismissed, Naruto had done it so many times. "Never once to Sakura..."

She collapsed into her bucket once more spitting bile and stomach acid. She was totally empty. The tears and the heaves left her deaf to all around her. All she could feel was pain. All she could hear were her sobs and the dry heaves. She hadn't noticed when Naruto peaked his head in. She wasn't even retching anymore. She was merely sobbing into the bucket. Exhaustion overwhelmed her and her muscles seemed to atrophy, she had no strength to move anymore. Or to do anything.

What was the point? What was her purpose other than to love Naruto?

It felt like she had been there for hours when all of the sudden, she felt something hard and cold pressed against her forehead.

"Time to grow up Hyuga. Eat something. You need it." Sasuke's voice slithered through her barraging sobs.

She stayed where she was.

A hand fell on her shoulder. She was being pulled upwards. The room moved and suddenly she was met with a sharingan stare.

"Get a grip Hinata." He stated flatly.

The kunoichi's eyes were blank, her breaths; short hitches.

They heard a moan and something thudded against the wall next to them. Hinata looked at the wall then back to Sasuke. Her inhalations became increasingly sharp and quick. Tears seemed to downpour from her clouded eyes.

She began to hyperventilate.

"Stop it." Sasuke said, to no avail.

"Stop." He repeated.

Nothing was working. She had begun to sweat profusely and her breaths became rapid wheezes. She was gasping for air.

All the previous malice Sasuke had felt melted instantaneously at the sight of this helpless girl. Something foreign sparked within him.

"Help her, Sasuke." A soft voice cooed gently in his head.

It was the trigger to his bullet. Sasuke launched at the shaking girl, pulling her against his lips. She froze as he ventilated a long-winded breath into her mouth. Her body greedily inhaled, welcoming the much-needed air. She exhaled; and he parted his lower lip from hers, allowing the air to escape. When her exhalation could no more, his lower lip caught hers and air filled her lungs once again

Lightheaded. Air. Breathing. Their kiss was breath. Parting lips, meeting again, breathing in, breathing out, Sasuke was the moon to their tide.

The air stilled. The rich taste of lips melting into one another had bled into their senses. Lavender wafted in Sasuke's nostrils. Heat sweltered between the two bodies.

Then something happened. If for only a moment, the Uchiha felt warm azalea honey melt deeper into lips. The sugary warmth retracted a little as though it was unsure, but then returned into the depth of his the icy desert lips.

Then it was simply gone.

Cold air in front of him was all he could feel now.

Empty, cold air in front of him.

He slowly opened his eyes. Hinata looked like she was about to shriek or pass out. She did that, he thought to himself smugly. He shoved the plate of pancakes into her lap.

"Eat up," he said, a boyish grin played on the corners of his mouth.

He got up to leave the room once more, "you may not act like you're hungry but your lips say otherwise. Tch." He stifled the laughter at his own joke. "I'm going to go train. You can let yourself out, can't you?" He paused as his grin grew wider. His last words to her dripped with sarcasm as he pronounced the first word; "Uchikina Shojo*?" He left the room chuckling to himself.

Red as a firetruck, Hinata very nearly started hyperventilating again. She wolfed down her breakfast, put her plate in the sink, and then dashed all the way home in bear feet, nearly colliding with the Messenger at her door.

"Are you Hyuga-Hinata of 79A?" The Messenger motioned at the door.

"Ah… yes that's me" she said breathlessly.

"I have a Hokage mission notice for you. You are to report to the Hokage at 1PM." With that, the man handed her a slip of paper, he bowed and left her.

Looking down at the note, Hinata thought to herself… "What this could be about…?"

END FLASHBACK

"HEY SASUKE! OVER HERE!" Naruto was waving vigorously, as though the orange and black suit wasn't noticeable enough…

Approaching his loud friend, Sasuke hissed into his face "shut up Naruto, you're going to wake up the entire town." The blonde fidgeted, scratching his head and pulling at his collar.

"My bad, you're right. Heh heh…"

It went silent for a moment. The Uchiha, realizing the necessity of "normalcy," piped up. He had to keep up appearances, for more than just one reason. "So um…" Sasuke rubbed his chest with his fingers, "our first over night stop is in…"

Naruto gladly took the cue, "in Joryu Momonomura."

Sasuke cocked a brow, "that should be interesting. Where are we staying?"

"It's called Momo no Wainsupa. It's supposed to be pretty nice. They have onsens, a free breakfast buffet and homemade Peach Wine… I dunno what that is but it sure sounds good to me!" Naruto grinned at the pleasant prospect of their first mission altogether.

"Sounds a little fancy…" Sasuke crinkled his nose in distaste.

"Baa-chan said that she would cover the extra expenses, so it shouldn't be a problem. Oh, but she wanted me to remind you to stay on-task with your mission… whatever that means…"

A mischievous grin sprouted on Naruto's face. He put on his most sultry voice; "could it be that you and Hinata…?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Sasuke hardened. "Tch. With the Hyuga? You've gotta be joking."

"Ah come on Sasuke, she's pretty cute!" Naruto attempted to reason.

"If you think she is so cute, Dobe, why don't you go out with her?" Sasuke began scheming inwardly. "I wonder what would happen if…"

Naruto was looking at his friend nervously.

"I, um… well Sasuke, I can't. I… I have feelings for someone else… I can't just…"

"Sakura." Sasuke said flatly.

The Blonde Shinobi stared blankly at the lofty Uchiha. "How did you know" were the lines on Naruto's features.

"Dobe, I would have to be the stupidest man ever to not know." Sasuke could read him like a book. He sweat-dropped a little. "What a moron."

The Uchiha's statement chiseled Naruto's stone face with embarrassment and confusion. Before Naruto could yell out his protests, the Teme continued.

"But I need you to do something for me, I need… a favour" he said carefully "I need you to set Hinata straight. Tomorrow night. After dinner. Respond to her confession. I don't want travelling with you to spoil our mission."

The Jinchuriki's skin contorted. He looked deeply uncomfortable.

"I guess you are right… Okay, Sasuke." He said quietly.

Just then the two heard footsteps walking briskly toward them. The Kunoichi had arrived. It was time to leave. Grabbing their belongings, each with a small sized pack, they piled into the carriage and sped off into the night.

In the carriage no one seemed to want to talk. Sasuke's eyes were red-rimmed and it seemed to age him several years. "Stupid Teme thinking MY alcohol would make HIM sleep. Moron," Naruto had thought angrily to himself. Shifting his gaze, the blonde looked at the two women seated in front of him. They were seated with their faces to the moon. Light reflected from their angelic faces, but was starkly contrasted by the bloodshot and sleepdeprived eyes that the two shared with the Uchiha. Naruto felt a swell of responsibility when he finally puffed out the demand that all of them ought to sleep.

"Hn." One grunted, turning away from the noisy speaker.

"Mm," the two sleepy cherubs nodded in unison and fell asleep against the walls of the carriage. Only Naruto noticed how after some time, the pair had fallen together, black hair on a padded shoulder, pink hair on black.

Smiling the young boy thought to himself, "I'll take care of them! Believe it." And with that, he too pressed his head against the carriage walls and fell into a sweltering dream of pink hair, black hair, liquor and beaches. A smile drifted onto his sleeping face.

The carriage had lurched to a stop when they all awoke around 5PM. Naruto flew face-first into Sakura's lap and Sasuke had to catch hold of his seat to prevent such a fate for himself.

Naruto howled as Sakura smacked him across the head with her pack. A large welt sprouted from the top of his head. The Uchiha snorted at his unfortunate friend. The Hyuga, it seemed, had no reaction to the banter of her travel companions. She merely collected her belongings and walked dazedly to the Inn.

Momo no Wainsupa, as they all saw, it was quite the Inn indeed. An oversized entranceway showed them the way inside the grounds. It was gaited by a large red-painted arch, behind which one could see a beautifully situated garden.

Trimmed hedges formed small walls of green; Sakura, Willow and Peach trees dappled the landscape. A myriad of stone bridges and walkways delicately divided and proportioned the scenery. A stream that collected into small koi ponds danced sporadically throughout the garden. It divided itself into two larger streams; colouring the main walkway with the crimons, the corals, and the black and white pearls of the Koi.

"Wow." Sakura breathed as she met with Hinata at the main arch. She grabbed her friend's hand and smiled down at her; excitement was blossoming. "Let's go!" She shouted; sunshine seemed to be bursting through her expression.

Hinata's eyes widened in amazement and she let herself be dragged toward the inn by this wondrous new being. Something about this place made them… different, perhaps even a little radiant.

"Hi, um, for the Hidden Leaf nin, please? It should be under the reservation of the Godiame Hokage, Tsunade." Sakura said as she peered eagerly at the bespectacled secretary.

"Ah, yes, just one moment please." The woman said, turning from her, as she began typing something into her computer. "Ah yes," she continued, adjusting her glasses slightly, "you must be Sasuke, Hinata, Naruto and Sakura? Can I see a piece of ID please?" The foursome each produced a small document from assorted places on their person.

For Sakura, it was her breast pocket, the picture aged her despite her looks and her attempted photogenic smile. Sasuke's was a distinct scowl, his receeding Sharingan only slightly captured by the camera, causing his eyes to look as though they were a deep maroon. He produced this from the pocket of his pack. Naruto grinned widely on his own, and produced the ID from his pant pocket. Hinata's face was blank on her photo. This came from the pocket of her oversized sweater.

Sasuke's brow twitched slightly at the emotionless face on his counterpart's ID.

Looking at each slip carefully, the woman seemed satisfied. She returned the slips and graciously explained where their rooms were located. The boys would be staying in the west wing, next to the shared baths. The women would be staying in the Northeast wing, with a large, panoramic view of the peach orchard.

Handing each of the four a set of keys, she continued, "I know your stay here will not be long, but we here at Momo no Wainsupa hope that you can rest peacefully here. Since you are staying with us for only an evening, complimentary and unlimited peach wine will be available in your room's wine cabinet. Dinner will be served in the main hall in one hour. Please eat well at our unlimited buffet. Enjoy your stay!" And with that she bowed to them and returned to her work.

The rest of the evening passed blithely. All of the nin ate remarkably well, even Hinata, Sakura noted, a motherly look passed over her face. Only Naruto seemed to notice. His stomach lurched from more than a full stomach.

"She'd make a good mother our children, lets take her." he heard one of the Juubi say.

Sakura licked some lime off her finger.

"She will lick us like that. I bet you she'd be good at…"

Turning bright red, the poor Jinchuriki had to excuse himself in want of a hot bath.

Not long after, the others returned to their respective rooms.

Sasuke walked in to see Naruto white as a sheet and sprawled over his futon. His robes were disheveled and it looked like the dobe had waged a war with himself.

"What's up with you, Foxy-boy?" Sasuke said contemptuously.

"MMMMMF," the blonde mumbled into his pillow, "Sakura," he stammered, "want." He stammered again, "need."

Sasuke cocked a brow, knowing the exact antidote to his friend's predicament. It only took two words. "Hinata, reject."

Naruto sprang up like a frightened cat. "WHAH!" His eyes were wide and clear. "You're right! I gotta do that!" He paused, his face scrunching in confusion.

"How do I do that?"

Sasuke palmed his forehead. "Dobe." He sighed. The boy was hopeless. "Take this," he said, grabbing a bottle of pear wine from the extensive rack. "Ask her to have a drink with you at the onsen. Grab your bathingsuit. Make it date-like at first. Trust me, there will be realizations. Make sure she's a little tipsy when you tell her. Tell her. Keep drinking, and be happy friends. I'll come in with Sakura to save your sorry ass about half an hour after you go to tell her." He finished, staring blankly at his ignorant, Jinchuriki friend.

Slowly, the blonde wrapped his fingers around the bottle-neck. Giving his friend a sideways glance as if to ask how he was so knowledgeable, Naruto nodded slightly and said a cautious, "okay Sasuke… Believe it?" He sounded very unsure of himself.

Sasuke snickered as the boy exited the room. "What a moron." He thought to inwardly. Grabbing his own bottle, the Uchiha fixed his robe and laid down on his futon, counting down the fifteen and sipping for every passing minute. "15 minutes and I'll go get Sakura. This should be a very interesting night…" He took a large swig between the minutes. "Very interesting."