Naruto walked home, alone.

He'd offered to take Hinata home, but she refused. He didn't push her decision either – he needed some time alone.

The blonde walked into his apartment, closed the door, and slid to the floor.

He ran his fingers through his golden hair, grimacing as tears started to slide down his cheeks.

She doesn't love me.

He didn't realize just how much it would hurt. To love someone, but have them not reciprocate your feelings. It wasn't like how he felt with Sakura back in the day. The pink-haired kunoichi rejected him every five minutes, but he kept on smiling like nothing happened. This time, it was different.

But, I will still support Hinata.

That's what he told himself, but at the same time, he didn't know exactly what his motives were. Was he trying to make her fall in love with him by "supporting" her? Or did he genuinely want to help her?

He frowned. All he knew for certain was that he loved Hinata. More than anything.

If Sasuke died...would she fall in love with me instead?

Naruto's tear-stricken eyes widened at the thought that entered his mind. He shook his head angrily, in horror for thinking something so selfish.

He climbed into his bed, prepared for another sleepless night. Even though Hinata didn't love him, he still took comfort in thinking of her - her image strangely warmed him.


Hinata had trouble sleeping that night.

She couldn't stop thinking about her kiss with Sasuke, Sasuke's predicament, and even what Naruto had said. She...loved Sasuke. She did. She had never felt that way with anyone before, not even Naruto. But Naruto was so familiar to her - the one she loved for so long. She had almost felt tempted to accept his love.

The heiress felt selfish, wanting to keep both Naruto and Sasuke. But thankfully, she had properly told Naruto her feelings...and he supported her. That warmed her heart. She had someone to confide in now.

Early in the morning, the Hyuuga was pulled from her thoughts when an urgent knocking came from the door. Almost never did anyone disturb her in such a way, so she quickly climbed out of bed and ran towards the door, sensing an emergency.

Opening the door, she was surprised to see Naruto. The girl felt a bit awkward. She stared into his dull blue eyes, obviously sleepless, and felt her breath catch in her throat.

"...Naruto-kun? I...Let me go get dressed."

She turned to move, but Naruto grabbed her wrist.

"Hinata."

The serious, dry quality of the blonde's voice made her turn back and look into his eyes.

"Tsunade-sama has called for us."


Sasuke continued to watch as elders and Konoha officials poured into the courtroom. He spotted Kakashi, Shikaku, and a few other experienced jonin as well.

The next two shinobi to enter, however, made his eyes widen ever so slightly.

Naruto and Hinata walked into the room. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the clear distress in the girl's lavender eyes. He wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay, but chains held him to his seat.

Naruto sat close to Hinata, whispering something into her ear. She nodded, and her eyes drifted to Sasuke.

Sasuke gulped as their eyes met. Obsidian and lavender, just as it had been when they kissed.

Hinata smiled. A terribly fake, weak smile. The Uchiha frowned at her attempt to reassure him.

Idiot. I'm okay...I don't care what happens to me. You don't need to make me feel better.

The black-haired shinobi's eyes were drawn to the front when Tsunade called for attention in the room.

Tsunade looked around, catching the eyes of her worried pupils. She wasn't sure if it was right to bring Naruto and Hinata in the courtroom, but they did have the ability to testify about Sasuke's changed attitude. She sighed, clasped her hands together, and began.

"Everyone, we are here today to determine the fate of Uchiha Sasuke, a former shinobi of Konoha. He left the village four years ago, presumably to pursue Uchiha Itachi, also a former shinobi of Konoha, and the man who slew the Uchiha clan. Sasuke killed Itachi, efficiently neutralizing a threat to the village."

Sasuke clenched his teeth at the disrespectful mention of his brother, but kept silent.

"In the Fourth Shinobi World War, Uchiha Sasuke joined with the Shinobi Alliance to fight against Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito. Despite his abandonment of the village, and eventual alliance with Akatsuki, Uchiha Sasuke still fought with Konoha."

Tsunade sighed. She looked towards Sasuke, his face emotionless, before beginning again.

"There are four jonin to testify today. They are Hatake Kakashi, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Choza. Please, let us begin our session."


The trial was long and difficult – Hinata was emotionally exhausted by the end of the day. In Konoha, trials were determined by both the elders and a randomly selected jury of citizens within the village. If they both chose to vote Not Guilty, Sasuke would be free. If they had conflicting decisions, it would be a mistrial. And then, the possibility that imbued fear in Hinata's heart – if they both chose Guilty, Sasuke would be executed for his crimes. There was no doubt about it – the vitriolic trial made that exceedingly clear.

The elders clearly hated Sasuke with a passion. It was excessive; their cross-examinations mostly consisted of hurling insult after insult at Sasuke. Tsunade intervened every now and then, trying to parse out the accusations that were uncalled for, but they only continued with their assault. Hinata couldn't help but notice the reciprocated hate in Sasuke's eyes. She had never seen such fire burn deep in his obsidian orbs. He kept quiet, but Hinata could almost hear him shouting back at them.

Lost in her thoughts, she found her feet land at the bottom of the stairs of the courthouse. She had stared longingly at Sasuke before she stepped out of the door, their eyes meeting tenderly. His facial expression seemed like a weak attempt to reassure her, but Hinata knew the truth behind his eyes. It wasn't likely that he'd make it out of this trial alive. How could he? With the elders yelling and almost spitting at him, the jury would surely be swayed by their exaggerated accusations. Kakashi and the other jonin tried to pull out the good in Sasuke, questioning him instead about his beneficial intentions to help Konoha in the war, but those attempts were completely trounced by the theatrical antics of the elders.

Her mind filled with unpleasant thoughts, Hinata jumped when she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. Naruto smiled sadly at her.

"It isn't looking too good for Sasuke-teme," Naruto sighed. "Still, we'll find a way. Don't worry."

Hinata didn't know why, but she began to feel anger growing within her chest. The elders had completely disrespected Sasuke, his clan, and everything he eventually did for Konoha. And now, because of them, her Sasuke might end up dead. He'll die like a dog in the prisons of Konoha, supposedly the most fair of the ninja villages. It was unfair, and Naruto's wishy-washy "we'll find a way" upset her immensely. She'd never felt this way in her life before.

"How will we find a way, Naruto-kun? How? Tell me!" Hinata asked with a sudden outburst, her voice raised and her face flushed. "Those elders are unfair – they have some kind of personal vendetta against my Sasuke. They don't even treat him like he's human!"

Naruto was taken aback by Hinata's passion. He couldn't help but notice that she referred to Sasuke as 'her Sasuke.'

"Hinata… I know. It took all I could to just sit there and listen to that," Naruto said, attempting to calm her down. "It's not right and we have to fight against that."

Hinata deflated, her anger dissolving and turning into deep sadness. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she replied. "But how, Naruto? How?"

Naruto led Hinata to a bench and sat her down, letting her cry. His own emotions were at the end of the line as well. "I don't know, Hinata. I don't… know." They sat like that for awhile, quiet with Hinata silently crying.

The blue-eyed boy noticed a flash of pink hair in the corner of his eyes and turned to see Sakura walking towards them. Hinata sat with her head in her hands and didn't look up when Sakura stood before them. Naruto didn't even try to manage a smile at the kunoichi. Her eyes were tired, clearly working long hours at the emergency room, but it was clear to her that the trial hadn't gone well.

She sat down next to Hinata, rubbing the lavender-eyed girl's back and trying not to cry herself. After a few minutes, Naruto signaled to Sakura that he wanted to talk to her without disturbing Hinata. They walked a little bit away before stopping at a nearby tree.

Naruto caught Sakura up to speed on all that had occurred at the trial, from the elder's hatred to the unlikelihood that Sasuke would walk away alive. Sakura's breath caught in her throat, but she held her emotions back till she heard the rest of what Naruto had to say.

"I have a favor to ask, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, his eyes on the ground. "Can you please take care of Hinata and keep her company before she gets home? I don't want her to be alone right now."

Sakura smiled, just a little bit. Naruto was a sweet guy. "I don't mind, but what are you going to do, Naruto?"

"I want to talk to Tsunade-baa-chan," he said slowly. "I don't know what good it will do, but I want to find out if there's anything at all we can help with. It's too hard to sit here quietly while Sasuke goes through that by himself." Naruto clenched his teeth, his fist against the bark of the tree.

"Good idea," Sakura said, nodding slightly. She wished she could go with him, but Hinata wasn't in her right mind to be left by herself. Her emerald eyes hesitated before continuing to speak. "Um… Naruto? I have a question."

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, slightly confused.

"I… heard the two of you talking earlier. Hinata was really upset - I mean, I don't even think I've ever seen her like that before. I know she's been treating Sasuke, but she's not even a part of Team 7… Why is she so upset?"

Naruto paused, unsure of how to respond. After a moment, he spoke up. "She's the same as you, Sakura-chan," he laughed drily. "Sasuke-teme just loves stealing the hearts of the girls I love, I guess."

Sakura looked as if she were in shock, but Naruto simply patted her on the shoulder. "I'm going to head out now, so please take care of her." He looked back at Hinata, his gaze lingering on her long, dark hair. "She's my everything."

With a quiet pulse, Naruto was out of sight. He's not the fastest shinobi in the world for nothing.


Author's Note: It's literally been years since I've posted anything. I started writing in a more professional sense these past few years, and along with college, I haven't had time for fanfics. Or, at least fanfics serious enough for me to post. A friend of mine read this story and encouraged me to keep writing, and we brainstormed ideas together, so I decided to keep at it. I've got some really fun things planned, so please keep reading. Thanks for all the favorites/follows/reviews while I was gone - it was always a joy to see in my e-mail inbox. If you're still interested in the story, I'd love if you could keep reading! :)