A cracking sound announced that the teleportation had been successful. The guard leaning on the gate's wall was half asleep, but got scared senseless when two figures ran past him so quickly that he barely saw them. Was that the Hokage?

It had taken them less than ten minutes to get from Kirigakure to Konoha. Naruto ran ahead, headed to the hospital, trying his best to stay rational. Sasuke was a bit ahead of him, and the blond realized that he had never, not even once in his life, seen his friend run so fast and be so frantic.

In a matter of seconds they had reached the medical building. The two men flew in the lobby but quickly froze in their feet.

Ino was standing at the reception, her medical coat was on and she was resting her hands on her swollen belly. She was entering the fifth month of her pregnancy now and she barely had any energy for this.

Her blue eyes fixed on Sasuke for a moment, then moved to Naruto. She parted her lips, but the Uchiha man ran past her before she could speak.

"Wait!" she called, only to watch him run further. Naruto gave her an apologetic look and followed Sasuke.

"Both of you, wait!" she continued. "She isn't here!"

The woman watched as Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks, he had almost reached the end of the hallway. Slowly, he turned to face her, and in a moment was already standing before her. His eyes were crimson, his face was pale.

Naruto reached in and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him away from Ino.

"What do you mean she's not here?" the Uchiha asked. His Sharingan had copied Sakura's letter and had memorized it completely.

Hanabi took Hinata and the children back to Konoha. Hayato is better. Hinata is pregnant. Get back immediately!

Ino took a deep breath, staring straight into his red eyes. "Hinata is not here. She is at the Hyuuga mansion…. But… Sakura is here."

She watched as both men before her were shaken by this information. It appeared that Naruto gained his composure first.

"Sakura-chan… She-"

"There was an attack… She was wounded and-"

She could not really finish, as Sasuke spun and rushed through the door.

Naruto hesitated. He knew he had to follow him, but…

"Naruto," Ino's voice was only a whisper. "Whatever Sasuke's about to do, I doubt that even you can stop him. Sakura's condition is not good at all. She needs you here."

Sasuke reached the western part of Konoha and before he knew it, he was standing at the main entrance to the Hyuuga compound. His crimson eyes were frantic, trying to find any indication that Hinata was there, but he could not feel a thing.

And this was the last drop.

The man took a step back and let all his anger out. His voice roared in the stillness of the night as his Susanoo materialized in the air above him, changing from a skeleton to a full-armored monster. Its purple glow lid the darkness and the man lowered his head, tilting it to the side. The monster took out its weapon, the huge sword of pure energy, right in time when a dozen Hyuuga men jumped out and stood before him. All of them had their hands raised, ready to attack.

"Where is she?" He yelled. The light of the Susanoo was burning. The men did not move. "ANSWER ME!"

"Enough!"

Suddenly, all the guards lowered their arms to turn around. Their clan leader, the young lady Hanabi, was standing behind them. Her arms were folded on her chest.

"You!" Sasuke hissed and took a step forward. The men before him regrouped to protect her.

"I said it's enough. Step aside," she ordered. The guards hesitated for a moment, but slowly backed away. She walked past them, standing a few steps away from Sasuke. The two exchanged gazes for a long moment. "Turn that damn thing off."

"Where. Is. She."

Hanabi raised her eyebrow. The man before her was barely standing on his feet. He was covered in blood. He was unbalanced and was slowly losing his mind right before her eyes. Not that he had ever been sane.

The young woman took a deep breath and exhaled. "Turn your Susanoo off. I will take you to her."

For a moment Sasuke did not move. The giant creature above him continued to tower over them, over the building, and its power buzzed into the air like electricity. His Mangekyou Sharingan was active. His hands were shaking.

And in an instant the skeletal creature disappeared. His eyes remained the same, fixed on her, peering through her.

"Good," the girl spoke. "Now stop wasting time. Come," she explained.

And yet, a young man appeared before them, blocking their way into the compound. He was just a bit younger than Sasuke and was obviously a Hyuuga. His dark-brown hair was long and straight, and the upper part of it was tied in a high ponytail, letting the rest fall freely onto his shoulders. His forehead was well exposed and Sasuke could clearly see the Hyuuga seal on it. His pale eyes fixed on the Uchiha man, then slowly moved to Hanabi.

"Hanabi-sama, I beg you to reconsider."

Sasuke took a step ahead, his eyes fierce, but the girl caught his arm. She walked ahead as well, standing right before the Hyuuga. He was quite taller than her, but she still managed to intimidate him.

"Tao, step aside," she urged.

"But-"

"The circumstances demand that Uchiha Sasuke meets with my sister. I will personally walk him out."

Sasuke had his teeth grit. He would have usually said something, or decapitated the man on the spot, but he could not really think straight. Thankfully, after a moment the Hyuuga man stepped away and they proceeded into the house.

It was a large compound, consisting of many houses, connected to each other by large gardens or great halls. And every room was filled with Hyuuga clan members. They whispered, stared at Sasuke, hissed curses at him, but he couldn't care less. It appeared that Hanabi was not bothered by them as well. She walked with her head held high.

They took a few turns, until they crossed a very large inner garden and walked into a huge, two-story house. Climbing the stairs up, Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat. He could feel her chakra. She was there, just behind the door…

His arm was caught by the girl again. He turned to her, furious, but something in her eyes held him in place.

"My sister," Hanabi started, somewhat hesitant. "She was wounded. She is weak and unstable. I urge you to use that head of yours for a change."

Before he could answer, she opened the door and walked in. He followed, sliding the door close, then moved his eyes into the dark room, looking for her.

There was a bed placed at the far end of the huge room. And in it was Hinata.

Her back rested on a pile of pillows so that she would be in a sitting position. Her head was tilted to the side and long, satin hair covered most of her face.

Slowly, Sasuke walked there. With each step be could feel as if someone had an iron grip on his heart and was squeezing it, digging his claws in it. He finally reached the bed and stood on the right, towering over Hinata, expecting her to look at him.

But she didn't. Her face was directed the other way. He could see that her hair was stuck to her face as if…

As if it was wet.

"Hinata," he tried to speak, but his voice was hoarse and came out like a whisper.

She did not move. Breathing slowly, she remained like that. Was she asleep?

"Hina," he called once more.

She slowly shifted her head his way. Her face and lips were pale, and her eyes were so colorless, they almost appeared translucent. For a moment Sasuke hesitated, then finally sat on the large bed next to her. He did not touch her. There was something wrong with her, she was hurt, injured. Something was very wrong.

He watched as she parted her lips to speak, but no sound came out and she looked away again.

"Hinata," he called for the third time, this time finding himself impatient. He reached in and took her chin, turning her face so he could look into her eyes. They remained like this for a moment, until she finally spoke.

"I lost it."

Her voice was so low that Sasuke was not sure whether he would've understood her, had he not kept his kekkei genkai active. "You lost what?"

"The baby."

The man felt as if electricity passed through his hand, the one that was holding her chin. His head spun. "What?"

So it was true. She was pregnant. She had been…

Her eyes widened. "I wanted to tell you but… Naruto came to us and we headed to Suna, and-"

"Hinata." His voice was low and so serious that Hanabi shivered from the other end of the room. Usually she would have left them in private. But this was no usual situation. She needed to be sure that this maniac would not do something stupid.

"I-"

"If I knew, I would never, never have agreed to come here."

"I know," she whispered. "This is why I didn't tell you."

It was his turn to widen his eyes. "So you deliberately kept this from me?"

"I had to."

"Why? Hinata, don't you understand that I would have gladly watched the whole shinobi world burn to ashes than risk your health? Your life? What were you thinking?"

He was angry and surprisingly unstable. Hinata swallowed, trying to keep herself calm. She had neither strength nor the tears to cry anyway. "I was thinking for Hayato."

"He was getting better. We would have found a way-"

"He was only getting worse. I could keep him stable with my chakra, but I was losing my strength as well. And when Naruto came, I knew that it was our only chance of saving him."

Something flickered in Sasuke's eyes. "Enough about Naruto. I should have killed him right there, on the spot. I should have never listened to you."

Anger filled his eyes as he clenched his fists and stood up, turning his back to her, trying to breathe. Hinata watched him for a while. Her face was too tired. Hanabi wondered whether it was a good idea to kick Sasuke out now. This was taking too much time, and too much of her sister's energy.

"Is this why you came here?" Sasuke suddenly spoke. "To be with him?"

"S-Sasuke-"

"Answer me!" He turned to face her. His crimson eyes were almost glowing in the darkness.

Hinata somehow managed to keep her composure. "How can you say that?"

"Everything was alright. We were together, stable together. And then he came and ripped you out of my arms only to give me promises he could not keep!" The man breathed heavily. "He promised to keep you safe, Hinata. And you believed him. I believed him."

The woman shifted in her bed, trying to sit up better, and Sasuke suddenly rushed to her and held her in place. Both exchanged gazes for a moment, until she raised her palm and carefully placed it on his blood-stained cheek.

Leaning in, she kissed him.

Hanabi tried to look away. She tried to. But something in his face at that exact moment kept her eyes glued to them. Sasuke, the compulsive, obsessively-insane murderer, the one who killed her father and so many innocent people, the one who ravaged the village not more than four years ago, the one with the demon in him. He was a wreck.

And this wreck was now leaning over Hinata, his knee resting on the bed, his hands holding her, securing her. He looked so young all of a sudden. So vulnerable and…

So in love with her.

The girl finally managed to look away and hid in the shadow that the moon outside the window was casting.

Sasuke managed to pull away and carefully sat on the bed. He was tired, exhausted and let his chin rest on his chest for a moment. Feeling Hinata's fingers stroke his hair was something he was not prepared for. That damn someone squeezed his heart again and he finally managed to look up.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

The woman blinked. "What for?"

A moment of silence passed, then he took a deep breath. "After all that you went through during your pregnancy with the twins… I swore. I swore, Hinata, that I will never let you go through this again. I just… I don't understand-"

"Sasuke," she spoke, and her voice was so soft that it melted the hand that was holding his heart and he suddenly felt it racing in his chest. "I love you. And these things… They happen. We spent so much time running, hiding and concealing ourselves that…"

She did not finish. He had leaned in and his face was now buried in her neck, breathing in the scent of her hair, one that he had missed painfully. Silence fell in the room for a few long seconds.

"Your sister told me that you are wounded." His voice was muffled, so he moved back to see her better. "What happened? Who-"

"Neji."

Sasuke blinked. "Edo Tensei."

"Kabuto had sent him here to confuse me, and it worked," she spoke. Her voice was unstable. "He took Hayato and-"

"And you followed him."

"I did."

"I should have been here. How on earth did I ever decide to leave you out of mi sight?" He held his face in his hands and remained like that. "Is Hayato alright? Did you manage to seal Neji?"

"He is fine. And Hanabi did," Hinata explained and hesitantly looked at her sister.

Sasuke let go of his face and also looked at the young woman, who was leaning on a wall, hiding in the shadows. Her arms were folded on her chest and she was looking outside the window. He almost forgot that she was there.

Finally, he exhaled. "I am glad that you were brought back here. The Kazekage would have never been able to protect you properly."

"Don't be mad at Gaara," Hinata smiled. "I am glad that I came back as well, I could not bear the thought of having him go out of his way for me. He has a village to look after. So does Naruto."

"Enough with Naruto," Sasuke hissed and also fixed his gaze outside the window. The moon was full.

"Sasu." The woman reached in and took his face in her hands. "I love you. Only you. And I wanted to come back here so I can help you release this great burden that you carry."

"I am crippled, Hinata. You know that. And I managed to cripple you as well. That demon-"

"That demon is gone. And you are not. You are here and I'm not letting go. I just-"

Sasuke watched her shift, her hair fell into her face and covered her features. He moved it away to see that her cheeks were wet.

"Don't," he spoke.

"I was happy. So happy that we would have another baby. And I would have made it. But I…"

She moved her gentle arm and held her face in her palm. Sasuke watched her for a moment, until he finally gathered himself and took her in his arms. She pressed her face to his shirt, and he cursed himself for the billionth time that night. He always ended up causing her pain.

"Hinata," he spoke, his voice only a murmur. "One day, when this is all over, I promise that we will consider having more children, if this is what you want. But I need you to be strong right now. I will need to leave again for a while, we are getting close with finding Kabuto. But I swear, I will return to you."

He hated himself for lying to her. But he couldn't dare cause her any more pain.

The woman smiled through her tears. "Promise that you will be safe. I know that you can do this."

"I swear," he spoke.

Suddenly, he watched as she looked up at her sister, her expression worried. "Hanabi," she hesitated, "What happened to Sakura? Oh god, is she alright?"

The younger sister kept silent for a moment, then took a step ahead so they can see her in whatever light came from the window. "I don't know. Tao is back, which means that he has done whatever a Hyuuga could do to help her. I know that Shizune and Ino were with her, but have no idea what, or how bad her condition is."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I saw the Yamanaka at the hospital. She seemed to be waiting for Naruto."

"She is not a Yamanaka anymore," Hanabi added. "She married Shikamaru Nara a few years ago."

Hinata couldn't help but smile. And yet, her eyes were still worried. "Will you ask Tao for more information? "

"He is my adviser, not my mailman."

"If Sakura is wounded, then I guess Naruto will stay in Konoha for a while," Sasuke explained, changing the subject. "After all, the deal was for the two of us to handle Kabuto together."

"Just don't get the idea that you could spend this time here, Uchiha." Sasuke stared at Hanabi for a moment, but did not speak, so she continued. "Every single member of my clan, including myself, wants you dead. You are not welcome here in any way. I let you in due to the…"

"The circumstances, I know," he replied. Hinata gave him a worried look, but a flicker in his eyes told her that he had something in mind. She was sure that he'd find a way to see her.

"In fact, you have already overstayed your welcome. It's time to leave."

The man stood up. "Not before I see my children."

Hanabi rolled her eyes. "They are in that room", she explained, pointing at the door to the right of the bed. "You have five minutes."

Note:

I swear, writing this hurts my kokoro. I broke my heart several times.

But better days are to come. I have promised myself that I will write every weekend, at least one new chapter. And look at this, I got a new one out already.

I love how badass Hanabi is turning out to be. Also, if anyone of you amazing artsy people wants to draw Tao for me, I will be soooo happy! He will have quite the role in this sequel. And he is the hottest male Hyuuga since Neji.

I may try writing a chapter during the week as well, but I can't promise anything.

Love ya, let me know of your thoughts.