Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.

Last Time

Neji tensed in alarm. Lightning Country? The Hidden Village of Cloud was in Lightning Country. It can't be… "How long ago was this?" The panic in his voice made the old couple rear back in surprise.
…
An uncomfortable silence washed over them. "My mother loved when it rained," she said softly, suddenly. Her gaze was transfixed outside the window, seeing something only she could, "And she died when it rained…"
…
"I-if so…then c-can I help i-in any w-way?"
"Do whatever you want, Hinata." He said her name as if it was an insult. "But know this," he shifted and watched her at the corner of his eyes, "you're here because I have need of you, otherwise you would already be dead."

Pathways
Chapter 10
A New Friend

He wasn't happy, she could tell from the way he was looking at her

The reason for this escaped Hinata, although she had a feeling it had something to do with the conversation they had two days ago. Even then, she didn't see anything wrong with it. He had told her she could do whatever she wanted. Besides, what she was doing was for him as well.

When he had said that they would be staying in this village, she had thought that he meant they would stay for a short time only. Now, it was nearly a weak and Sasuke still didn't seem to be making much headway into whatever it is he was looking for.

Hinata had been raised in a well to-do family and had never experienced being without, this does not mean however that she was unfamiliar with the way things were usually run. She knew that in order to avail of the basic necessities like food and shelter, one must have money.

And to have money, one must work to earn it. Hinata was aware that Sasuke had been stretching his funds thin. The dingy, almost dilapidated apartment they were staying at was testament of that. He had mentioned that he had chosen the place because they were not there for a vacation. That may be true but Hinata also knew that he had rented the place because it was the only place cheap enough to afford.

She also knew for a fact that he hated the sound the rusty hinges of the door made every time he opened it. A tick would start on his left jaw and his lips would purse every time he heard the door creak. If it had been up to him, Hinata was sure he would choose a slightly less dingy apartment, preferably with a creak-free door.

The food they ate every night for the past week must have cost him money too. Hinata wasn't underestimating his capacity to provide for them (Hinata blushed because this sounded as if they were married) but she wanted to earn her keep. She didn't want to be a burden to him. True, she was scared – terrified – to even go outside the four corners of the apartment. It was an unreasonable fear since she could defend herself, she was a ninja after all, but these people were the ones who caused her uncle's death, the same ones who wanted her eyes. It was hard not to be afraid.

Sasuke knew she was scared, she told him so even before they entered this village. Maybe this was the reason he hadn't pressured her into going outside. He even provided her with a set of black contact lenses to hide her pearl white eyes.

And this cost him money too.

Really, the only thing aside from her fishnet shirt and pants that he hadn't bought for her was her jacket. She had her doubts as to how he had procured it but he told her he hadn't bought it so she believed him. Even the fresh set of undergarments she was wearing came from him. Hinata blushed harder.

He came to the apartment one day on an unusual time, briskly handed her a package, and left just as quickly. She had wondered what was going on and it wasn't until she had opened the package he had given her that she understood what his strange behavior was all about. Needless to say, when he got home that night, neither of them could look at each other. Hinata had never felt more embarrassed, her blush only died the next day when he went out again.

And that was another concern. Hinata didn't know what he does or where he goes to the whole day but she was becoming restless. She wanted to have something to do to at least be able to help. He had said that she would be fraternizing with him, the enemy, if she did this. But she wouldn't be fraternizing, not really.

It was correct that he's a traitor to Konoha and a missing-nin which translated as 'enemy' in a Konoha ninja's terms. And while it was also correct that she was still a Konoha kunoichi, her intentions to help him couldn't be called fraternizing because he wasn't an enemy…at least in her own terms.

The time she had spent in his company, no matter how sullen he was most of the time, made Hinata see a whole new side of him. A kind side that he didn't want to acknowledge himself… a side where he also hid his sadness.

And a person who felt sadness couldn't be all that bad. He was like her father, in some ways. The Hyuuga patriarch was always stoic and unfeeling, to the point of ruthlessness but Hinata knew it was a façade to hide his sadness in losing his wife, Hinata's mother.

That's why she knew that Sasuke wasn't as bad as he wanted to appear for he felt sadness. She hoped that she could somehow replace this with happiness, if only for short moments, something she failed to do with her father.

This was the reason why she decided to remain by his side, for as long as he wanted her to stay. Sure, she could escape if she tried but she had not wanted to leave him. So for the past week, she had stayed put, dutifully waiting for him to return home and in her small ways, helping him by preparing him hot tea and food.

But she soon found out that this wasn't enough. She had to work as well.

And so she had asked him if she could help in any way. He had been angry at first but then relented; even going so far as to tell her that she could do whatever she wanted. So thinking, she had set out to find a means to earn money. She was aware that she couldn't work as a ninja, or as an instructor in an academy, as this would completely blow her cover. The point was to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

It was luck that she found a job as a cleaner in the jounin headquarters. She knew this was a risky move but she had no other choice. It was either that or apply as a cloud ninja. Hinata convinced herself that she wouldn't be doing anything more than to sweep floor and dust furniture. It wasn't as if she would be using any ninja skills to do that.

What she hadn't been counting on, however, was Sasuke's presence. He never talked about his activities during the day but really, she shouldn't have been shocked to find out that he had managed to recruit himself as a Cloud ninja. But she was stunned speechless all the same when she looked up from her floor sweeping to find Sasuke, wearing a standard issue Cloud jounin vest and glaring daggers at her.

She should have given him a heads-up on where she would be working but thought it wouldn't matter. Certainly, she hadn't expected him to even be here in Cloud HQ. But she supposed that he being a missing-nin made things easier.

Thinking back, she recalled a meeting Tsunade-sama had had with all of her active ninjas. She had ordered the secrecy of Sasuke's defection as an S-Class mission to be done by all ninjas until he would be retrieved and confined for punishment. It would make sense that Kumogakure was unaware of this and she much doubted that they even knew what Sasuke looked like.

But what if they knew Sasuke was in fact an Uchiha, and a missing-nin at that? Impossible as it may be, what if…

What if it was the whole point? What if they knew it was him and hired him because they knew it was him?

Hinata frowned. This would mean that the Cloud was going behind Konoha's back, which would also explain why they were still after her Byakugan eyes.

Suddenly, Hinata didn't feel as confident with her decision to work here. Maybe she could resign? Hinata mentally shook herself. But she couldn't. She must help Sasuke in any way she could and this was the only thing she could think of. She would just need to be extra careful to not reveal her identity.

"Hinata." Sasuke's irritated voice cut through her reverie. "What are you doing here?"

This reminded her of her original dilemma. "Sa-sa-sasu…" The intensity of his glare unnerved her greatly. "I-I-I w-was…"

"You know each other?" The person beside Sasuke asked.

Hinata felt relieved when Sasuke's glare left her a moment to stare at his companion. "Yes," he answered tersely, "she's my sister." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Huh, well you don't look much alike. She's prettier than you, I should say, eh Takashi-san?" Takashi-san? Hinata wondered vaguely as she gasped at the person's audacity (and stupidity) to speak with such cheeky familiarity with Sasuke. She looked at said Uchiha and noticed the usual tick on his left jaw that usually meant he was annoyed and wanted to kill something.

It was a miracle nothing was still happening.

"We are… half-siblings." Sasuke clarified stiffly. "She had… a different mother."

Hinata blinked. There was a word to describe his explanation; and it's… lame. Although she couldn't say that it was not believable, she could still think of at least ten different explanations that would be better. But his account ruled out any possibility of his identity as an Uchiha being discovered. It also explained the false family name he was using.

So it was really just her eyes Kumogakure were after.

"Hmm, her mother must have had a prettier face then." This person either had a death wish or extremely dumb, Hinata thought.

Now it was clear that Sasuke was getting pissed out of his mind; she could swear she heard him grinding his teeth in aggravation. "And yours didn't have enough." Sasuke retorted.

The person shrugged, easily brushing aside Sasuke's insult. He beamed at her instead. "Hi!" he turned to Sasuke. "So, introduce us!"

Hinata watched in morbid fascination as Sasuke mechanically introduced the stranger. All the while, she saw irritation clearly burning behind his eyes. His words came out between clenched teeth. He must be really surprised to see her here if he was letting this much emotion get past his usual pokerfaced exterior.

When the introductions were finished, Sasuke and his companion, who Hinata learned was called Toshio, abruptly left supposedly for a mission that the two of them were setting out to do before Sasuke saw her along the halls. With an internal sigh of relief, Hinata watched them walk away but before Sasuke disappeared completely, he gave one last look at her that told Hinata she was in real trouble later.

This time, when he was finally gone from her view, Hinata sagged against the wall. Why did these things happen to her? She was only trying to help…

Hinata resumed sweeping and dusting the halls, occasionally sighing in resignation whenever she thought of what's waiting for her at the apartment. Sasuke was really mad…

"Excuse me," a decidedly feminine voice interrupted her dismal musings. Hinata gave a slight start and turned around to find a female jounin looking on at her with concern. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I startle you? I didn't mean to." She smiled apologetically.

Hinata shook her head. "N-no, it's alright. I-I wasn't paying attention…"

The woman grinned. "I'll say, it must be something tough. You probably sighed about twenty times already."

"Oh!" Hinata blushed in embarrassment. "W-was I t-that l-loud?"

A pleasant laugh escaped the woman. "No. I only noticed because I was observing you." Her laughter slowly died and she looked at Hinata in curiosity. "You're new here?"

"Y-yes." Hinata didn't quite know what to feel about being observed by a complete stranger. She tried to smile at the woman nonetheless. "I-I came h-here with my b-brother…" she explained, stringing on to Sasuke's made up story.

"Your brother?" The female repeated.

"W-we are new h-here…"

"Ah, so that newcomer, Sasuke Takashi, is your brother?" At Hinata's nod, the woman gave a thoughtful look at her. "Hmm, you don't look very much alike, except for the same shade of hair and eyes."

"He's my h-half-brother." Hinata continued, feeling uncomfortable at lying.

"That would explain it then." The woman grinned again. "I hope you don't mind my nosiness but it's quite rare to have another female here in HQ. It's refreshing to be able to speak to a fellow girl." She smiled at Hinata. "So, your name?"

Hinata couldn't explain but she was finding that talking to this woman, this stranger, was really easy. Her friendly attitude was so completely different to the other ninjas Hinata had met so far inside the Cloud HQ that she couldn't help but start to like this stranger. "It's Hinata."

The female's smile grew wider. "My name's Nii Yugito." She extended her hand for a shake, something Hinata found to be a rather quirky behavior for a ninja. "But you can call me Yugito. It's a pleasure Hinata-chan."

"Tsunade-sama, a messenger bird just came from Neji-kun."

Tsunade looked up from the mission reports she had been reading. Her assistant handed her a piece of paper. The message was in cipher.

"This is the decoded message." Shizune handed her another piece of paper. A single sentence was written in Shizune's thin characters.

I'm in Lightning Country.

Tsunade's eyebrows shot up. "It seems he found Hinata."

"And I'm guessing this isn't good news." Shizune said worriedly.

Tsunade blinked at her, bemused. "Oh that's right; you weren't here yet when all that mess happened."

"Mess?" Shizune asked, blinking back, "What mess?"

"It's a long story," Tsunade sighed. She massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming. "Let's just say that if ever the Hyuuga Clan found out that Hinata is in Lightning Country, I'll be in big trouble."

"It's that bad, huh?" Shizune frowned thoughtfully.

"A good thing though, we managed to make them believe that Hinata's on a mission."

Shizune nodded in agreement. There was a moment of silence as both contemplated the consequences if the clan didn't believe. That would be a disaster, no doubt.

"But Neji-kun following Hinata-chan to Lightning Country just begs the question; why is she there?"

"I'm not quite certain either. It doesn't make sense." Tsunade held up the mission reports she was reading earlier. "Orochimaru isn't in Lightning Country, that's for sure."

"Then… Maybe Hinata-chan escaped!" Shizune said hopefully.

"So why would she go there of all places?" Tsunade shook her head, "No, I don't think that's the case here." She stared at the mission scrolls, lost in thought for a while. There was someone the reports failed to mention. "It's that Uchiha…"

"Sasuke-kun? Isn't he supposed to be with Orochimaru?" Shizune asked. "More importantly, why would he drag Hinata-chan all the way to Lightning Country?"

The Godaime Hokage didn't know why he wasn't with Orochimaru but… "It's got something to do with Itachi. I'm sure of it."

"Why do you think Itachi would be in a place like that?"

"Hmm, I don't know Itachi's reasons but I'm willing to bet my bottles of sake that the Akatsuki's there."

"The Akatsuki… what business could they have in Lightning Country, I wonder?" Shizune said.

Tsunade could only think of one reason. The Akatsuki was a very reclusive organization. They can't be seen if they didn't want to be seen. In the past, the only reason they even let themselves be seen by Konoha ninja was because they were after Naruto. And in this case, that would mean… "The only thing I could link with this is that they found another jinchuuriki in that area."

Shizune snapped her fingers. "If I'm not mistaken, there is one in…"

"Kumogakure." Tsunade muttered darkly. Hinata in Kumogakure…

She frowned in worry.

This is not good. Not good at all.

"So how do you find Kumogakure?" Yugito asked, munching on a piece of tempura. "It's cool, isn't it? I mean, literally of course." She said, eyeing Hinata's jacket.

"Yes, it r-rains a lot. I-it's also quite c-cold." Hinata agreed.

"Hmm, I guess it takes a bit of getting used to." Yugito amended. "But I like the cold weather so I'm a little biased." She grinned and heaped takoyaki on Hinata's plate. "Well, eat up! It's my treat."

Hinata smiled in return. For some reason, she found that she could talk freely with Yugito. That's why when the Cloud kunoichi invited her to the cafeteria, Hinata didn't hesitate to come. It's as if the two of them had been friends for a long time even if Yugito was slightly older than her. But Hinata had to wonder at Yugito's kindness to her. Did Yugito feel at ease around her too?

"Umm…Y-yugito-san?"

Yugito paused, chopsticks in mid-air. "Hmm?"

"W-why are you so nice to m-me?" Hinata asked shyly. At Yugito's silence, Hinata hurried to add, "I-if you do n-not mind my a-asking –"

"It's because you're cute and I love cute girls," came the serious reply.

Hinata stared at her. That was unexpected. "Oh…! I-I-I…" she stammered.

Yugito slapped her hands on the table and laughed. "Just joking! Hinata-chan, you should have seen your face!" Yugito managed to stop laughing for a moment to imitate Hinata's expression and started cackling again.

Did I look that funny just now? Hinata couldn't help it, she started giggling too.

They kept at it for a while. Hinata couldn't remember when she had last felt this free. She knew she should be wary of Cloud ninjas but she really couldn't bring herself to distrust Yugito.

All their laughing (especially Yugito's loud guffaws) made the heads of other ninjas turn to them in bemusement. When Hinata noticed this, she flushed in embarrassment. Her abrupt silence made Yugito stop laughing too.

"You looked like you needed a friend, that's why."

At this, Hinata glanced up. Yugito had a thoughtful expression on her face. "You know? You remind me of myself…once upon a time." She gave a wistful smile. "When I saw how depressed you were back there, I just had this impulsive urge to be your friend."

It was a simple explanation, so simple in fact that Hinata found that she believed it absolutely. Her heart warmed. Indeed, back there, she had felt really down, dreading her upcoming confrontation with Sasuke. Now, however, she felt reenergized as if she could take on anything.

The older woman beamed, "So, can I?"

Hinata stared stupidly. What had she missed?

"Can I be your friend?" Yugito clarified for her.

Hinata blinked and then she smiled. "We are friends."

Yugito smiled back. And just like that, Hinata gained an ally in this strange and cold place.

Later that day, Hinata returned to a cold and empty apartment. Sasuke still haven't returned from the mission he and Toshio had left for earlier. She sighed in relief. While she was still with Yugito, Hinata hadn't worried much about what Sasuke's reaction would be. But on her way back from work, doubts started to swim around her head and it wasn't long before she got herself into a tizzy of worry.

So now she was thankful that Sasuke wasn't here. Hurriedly, Hinata prepared Sasuke's food, placing it on the only table they had when it was done. Just as quickly, she prepared herself for bed and in ten minutes flat, she was already dozing on her futon.

She didn't want to be awake when he came back. Maybe tomorrow, he would have had already forgotten his earlier anger. Even then, he was usually gone when she woke up in the mornings (that's why she prepared his breakfast at night before she went to sleep) so perhaps the confrontation she very much dreaded wouldn't take place in another 24 hours.

Hinata hoped so. She counted on this as she drifted off to sleep.

What she didn't count on however, was Sasuke staying and waiting up for her the next morning.

Naturally, Hinata very nearly had a heart attack when she woke up and found Sasuke sitting rigidly in front of the table, his food from the night before untouched, and a stormy expression on his face.

His eyebrows met in a severe frown. "We need to talk." He gritted out through clenched teeth.

It was obvious he had been brewing and stewing over this the whole night, judging from the faint bluish circles under each of his eyes. Hinata gulped nervously and slowly seated herself in front of him. "S-s-sasuke… I –" she began.

"How could you be so stupid?" Sasuke cut her off. "You said they were after your eyes."

"T-they a-are –"

"Then why?" he growled sharply, Hinata flinched. "Why did you go there? How could you be anymore foolish? That place is filled with Cloud ninjas Hinata!" Sasuke's voice didn't rise in volume but for all the intensity it held, it might as well have.

Hinata flinched again for the sharp rebuke. She felt ashamed and guilty for making him worry so much but at the same time, resolved by her decision to work there. It's what she needed to do to be of any help to him. She would have been a burden if she just stayed here in the apartment, doing nothing. And she wouldn't have met a great person like Yugito if she'd done otherwise.

Now, more than ever, she felt like she'd made the right thing. Sasuke just can't see it yet.

"What if they somehow discovered your secret?" He continued in his low but sharp voice. "The ninjas in that HQ could over power you in a flash. Then what, damnit! I can't believe how incredibly stupid you are!"

Still, all this resoluteness didn't take away the sting of Sasuke's words. Hinata felt her eyes begin to burn with the familiar feeling of tears. She bowed her head, her vision blurring as she tried to suppress her tears from flowing. She knew that if a single drop managed to escape, the rest would follow and then she would be hard-pressed to stop from crying.

She didn't want to do that in front of Sasuke. He already believed her to be stupid and weak. Crying would only add to the list of faults he attributed to her. Hinata bit her lip to try to stop it from trembling.

"Wouldn't you even try to explain yourself?" Sasuke asked harshly.

Hinata stifled the sob bubbling from her throat. Gosh, she felt like such a martyr at that moment. No one was asking her and yet, here she was, making herself endure in silence. In truth, she was the one terrorizing herself by not even trying to defend her actions. Wasn't that even more shameful?

Yes. Yes it was.

And perhaps Sasuke saw her as a weakling because she can't stand up for herself. But… if she tried to speak now he'd know she was on the verge of tears…

Although, what's wrong in crying? It's a natural human reaction, there's no shame in it. Even she saw the most amazing person she knew cry once or twice. If he was here right now, he'd probably even encourage her to cry her eyes out in front of Sasuke.

This made Hinata smile weakly. Just as before, the thought of Naruto managed to bring her confidence back. Naruto, who always did what he felt was the right thing, even if others thought otherwise.

And wasn't defending her actions right? Hinata knew it was. Slowly, she lifted her face to look at Sasuke.

Her eyes were shiny and brimming with tears; her chin trembled with the sob she was trying to suppress. And her lips…Her lips held a tremulous smile of confidence.

Hinata was breathtaking to behold in that instant.

She didn't know it, but this sight made Sasuke's heart sputter to a stop for a moment.

But she did saw his eyes widen briefly and he looked taken aback. She sniffled. "I-I'm s-sorry Sasuke-san… I wanted to be h-helpful that is why I t-tried to get a j-job. P-Please don't w-worry for me, I can d-defend myself." She stuttered all the way but that was fine, Hinata felt vindicated.

Sasuke gaped at her like it was the first time he had seen her clearly. He blinked once and seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in. "Who said I was worried?" he snapped, a faint blush on his cheeks. "I'm mad because you're stupid, not because I'm worried about you."

Hinata smiled at him for perhaps the second time since they traveled together, seeing through his bluster. It was strange that she hadn't seen it earlier through his anger and harsh words. He had tried to deny it but it was clear that he really was just worried about her. She felt foolish now for almost crying over his scolding of her.

Her smile made him stop short again. "Why didn't you tell me you'll be working in that place?" he floundered, trying to take control of the conversation again.

She was relieved that he wasn't angry at her anymore. "I didn't t-think it w-would be i-important."

"You didn't think…" he deadpanned. "And what if something happened to you there? I suppose you didn't think of that too?"

"Umm…" Hinata faltered. "I'm s-sorry Sasuke-san…"

"Just…" He gave a long suffering sigh. "Just remember that if you're discovered, I wouldn't be able to help you." He appeared to think this through for a moment and then, "I'm talking about helping your eyes, of course."

Of course. Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she remembered his promise to protect her eyes. Deep down, she knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her, even if it wasn't only about her eyes. She was certain of it. But she wouldn't abuse this promise of his.

She would treasure it. "Th-thank you, Sasuke-san."

He appeared to be flustered for a moment but quickly hid it that Hinata wasn't sure if it had been there at all. "You have to call me with no honorifics if we're going to pretend to be siblings." Sasuke said in his usual blank manner.

"Y-yes. Sa-Sasuke…" Hinata sniffed. "D-does this mean y-you f-forgive me?"

Sasuke's lips twitched. "You're an idiot." He said. "I'll forget it."

That was as close as he would get to admitting that he accepted her apology, Hinata knew. But that was alright with her, he wouldn't be Sasuke if he did otherwise.

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…to be continued

Author's Notes:

To all who reviewed the last chapter, thank you very much! I appreciate it!

Review please!