So I keep avoiding my finals that are next week… you're welcome. No, seriously guys. My finals are next week and I'm sitting in the library at 1 in the morning writing this. I am the model for the 'studious student.' Not.

Summary: In everyone's eyes, Hinata has remained the same, even after so many years have gone by. She's still the same innocent, gentle, caring young woman. Even when the news of Naruto and Sakura hitting it off, the village felt incredibly sorry for the girl who had been in love for so long. But to Hinata, that was just what she had wanted everyone to see. Deep down, concealed behind her mask, Hinata is a completely different person. And only one person has been able to see behind the lies… and now he's more than determined to reveal the truth.

Pairing: Sasuke and Hinata

Rating: M to be safe

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the Dream Overseer concept

With Eyes That See the Bigger Picture

Episode 14

The sun had barely crept through the window when Sasuke awoke the following day. He glanced over at the table clock whose hands read 7:05. The space next to him had already become cold. He started to process his thoughts as he tried to remember what had happened a while back. Hinata had awoken some hours ago now and slid out of the warmth of the bed to get ready for her mission. All he could remember was the hand that gently slid down his back, to his boxer shorts and whisper "don't screw up too badly while I'm gone."

Sasuke brought his arms over his face. It wasn't too long ago that the two had returned from the beach with the rest of the crew. And soon after, Hinata had allowed for him to crash at her place from time to time. Normally, it would be assumed that the two would lead better lives. Happier ones. But it still felt like a test to Sasuke. That constant caution and wall that Hinata held between her and everyone else was still present. Maybe in his case she lowered it, just slightly. But there were secrets. Still secrets.

He began to shift to a sitting position. Sasuke looked around the room. The pale green that donned the walls was calming. Across the floor there had been some scattered belongings; a few pairs of socks here and there, a box set of toothbrushes she had bought a while back, a collection of books stacked in a corner. Sasuke bent towards the closest stack of books to the bed to pull up the first one. Examining it through groggy eyes, it read, "Guide to Flower Pressing". He tossed it aside on the bed and stood up to proceed with his day.

Her house was a silent calm.

Every window that was in her tiny apartment had a flowerpot or two. The walls were covered with her various framed flower-pressing projects. The gentle scent of sweet pea filled her bathroom. This sanctuary of hers was something surreal to Sasuke. It almost seemed to fit her fake personality and yet… the genuine work that she gave to maintain it proved that this was still who Hinata was, regardless.

It proved that she was still a gentle person – vulnerable to great pain. Real pain.

Sasuke looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His skewed appearance had to be fixed before should he leave the apartment. Turning on the faucet, Sasuke ran cold water against his face to finally wake up. Chills were sent down his back from the freezing contact. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Sasuke quickly turned off the faucet and concentrated on any sound that the visitor would make.

Another knock, this time a little louder, had echoed through the hallway.

Sasuke turned off the bathroom lights and crept down towards the door. He peeked through the peephole to catch sight of a very pink head. Sighing slightly, Sasuke prompted open the front door.

"Morning, Sakura."

Sakura's face turned pale. "Oh. I wasn't expecting you to… answer. Is Hinata…?"

"No, she's out unfortunately," Sasuke leaned against the door, "Tsunade gave her a mission yesterday. She, Naruto, and Lee left earlier this morning to the Land of Wind."

"How stupid of me… Naruto mentioned it last night." Sakura lowered her head, "I was hoping that she was around. I wanted to ask her about the quiche recipe. I guess I'll have to wait until she get's back. When… when does she get back, by the way?"

Sasuke stiffened. "I don't really know. She wasn't given a lot of information about the mission to begin with. So… I don't think she even knows when she's returning."

Sakura lifted her eyes. Confusion was plastered across her face. "R-really? I thought Naruto didn't know because… well… let's face it; Naruto isn't that great with dates. But I wasn't expecting Hinata not know as well."

"No… it's very odd." Sasuke glanced over his shoulder, "Anyway, I need to start getting ready. Are you heading over to see Tsunade by chance?"

"I-I am!" Sakura beamed, "I could wait while you get ready."

"I'll be quick then," he replied, "Come inside, you can wait in the kitchen. I'm sure Hinata won't mind if it's you."

Sasuke left the doorway to head back to the bedroom, leaving Sakura to walk in on her own. He closed the bedroom door behind him and locked it to get ready. It is very odd. Even Naruto doesn't know how long it would take them to return.

He quickly slid into his clothes and entered the bathroom again to fix his appearance.

And they left so early in the morning. As if they were doing this mission in secrecy.

"Hey, Sasuke! Have you eaten yet?" Sakura's voice rang through the door. Sasuke quickly finished to leave the room.

"Not yet. I was going to buy something at the market stand to snack on." He replied as he stepped out of the bedroom, "I don't typically eat in the morning anymore."

"I see."

Sakura stood up to join Sasuke down the hallway once more. She stopped to look at some of the pressed flower decorations. "She has a very interesting hobby."

Sasuke halted to turn back to Sakura.

"It suits her. She's very… meticulous. Always careful."

Sasuke continued down the hallway towards the front door. "Meticulous" is one word for her. The two continued out Hinata's apartment and down the street that was slowly growing busy. By that point the sun had completely come out and was shining over the remains of yesterday's rain droplets. Sasuke pressed forward with Sakura quickly keeping pace.

"Let's take rest here." Lee announced. Naruto and Hinata stopped momentarily. There was still a ways to go and they hadn't yet left the Land of Fire territory. However, both Hinata and Naruto felt that it was time to at least take some rest before continuing. Naruto descended to the ground from the large tree branches to scout out the area. Meanwhile, Lee took care to setting up camp while Hinata aided him.

"He's still very irritable about the mission, isn't he?" Hinata questioned after a couple moments.

Lee looked up at her with a small smile, "I can't say that I'm too happy about it either. Frankly, I think we're both just confused as to why Konoha needs to exert its strength on such a trivial assignment. Then again… I'm probably not seeing something significant. Naruto isn't as calm to analyze that yet."

Hinata sat on her cover that she laid down. Pulling out a box of food from her backpack, she handed one over to Lee and placed another on Naruto's spot.

"However, you seem to be treating it much better than we are." Lee stated.

"I'm… more open-minded to it." Hinata replied as she began her lunch, "I've read a lot of tales of the Dream Overseer in the past. Maybe it's more of a childish wish to see him exist."

Suddenly she felt a quick breeze behind her as Naruto returned from scouting. He walked past her to sit down at his spot to begin his meal. He gave a quick nod to Hinata before starting to eat.

Somewhere high above them hid a figure behind branches. Another had slid to their side.

"They're moving faster than we've anticipated. We need to report to Holland quickly."

"Naruto!" Hinata suddenly jolted to her feet. Her hand jerked upwards, her index finger pointing up, "There! Someone!"

Both Naruto and Lee quickly sprang to life and set forward in the blink of an eye. The hidden figures took note quickly and shrouded themselves further into the woods before the other two could even reach their location. Hinata clutched her bag in anticipation, knowing fully well she had been too late to inform them of the hidden ninja's presence. The two returned soon after, unable to pick up a trace in time.

"S-sorry about that. I wasn't quick enough to spot them." Hinata lowered her head, "If I had been focusing enough instead of eating…"

Naruto gave Hinata a large pat on the back, "Hey! Don't say stuff like that. I was the one who was supposed to scout out the area, remember? If anyone, I'm the one who screwed up by falsely stating that we were alone and that this area was safe. It's only natural that you let your guard down a little."

"He's right, Hinata," Lee confirmed, "We were all down on our guard. No one blames you."

Hinata raised her eyes at the other two. "We're not very informed on the stakes of this mission. I'll try harder to keep aware of our surroundings in the future. I still want to apologize for my mishap."

Naruto shrugged. "Well, regardless… we won't be able to catch up to whoever was spying on us. Let's just finish the meal, pack up, and continue with the mission as planned before. We'll all be more cautious to our surroundings from here on out. The old lady wouldn't be too pleased if she found out we were ambushed and killed over some lunch."

He let out a hearty laugh. Hinata smiled a little and sat back down on her cover. Lee pulled up next to her, giving her another grin. "You are very similar to Neji, Hinata. The two of you worry a great deal when it comes to missions. You need to let loose a little and trust in your capabilities. We'll pull through in the end."

"Whut Bushee-Brws shaid!" Naruto exclaimed in-between his mouthful of food. Hinata finally let out her own laugh at his strained face. She looked up to see him do another funny expression, this time joined by Lee who started to imitate what looked like a frog.

"Haha, you two are truly the masters of seduction here." She hid her face into her hands.

"Our youth will never fail!" Lee proclaimed with one hand to the air, "Never again shall we be fooled by these sneaky ninja. As members of Konoha, we will outsmart them here forth!"

"Bushy Brows, you speak to my soul." Naruto nodded with folded hands, "Spoken like a true Konoha ninja. I applaud to you."

"Ok, ok, you guys," Hinata cut in, "Thank you for cheering me up, but we really should start heading out soon. We should locate a village in the Land of Lightning to stay at by sunrise today."

"Yes ma'am!"

Sakura opened the giant double-doors only to find Shizune rush past her, nearly knocking her down on the floor. "Sorry about that, Sakura! Emergency!"

Sasuke bent down to help her. Sakura quickly recovered and dashed into the office to see Tsunade who was digging through her books frantically. "Lady Hokage, what's going on?"

Without looking up, Tsunade continued to respond, "There's been another body that has fallen victim to…" Suddenly she stopped and shot her gaze at the two visitors. Horror had spread across her expression.

"Lady Hokage, what is it?" Sakura now panicked.

"N-nothing you need to concern yourself over. I need you to head over to Shizune and see what you can assist her with. I'm too busy right now." Tsunade stumbled on her words. Sasuke took full notice and stepped forward.

"If this is an emergency, why not let us help directly? What kind of ninja abilities do you need for this task? If not us, we can carry out the message to someone who will be able to help." Sasuke held his gaze dead-set to Tsunade.

Closing her book gently, she raised her posture completely straight and began with a stern voice, "I said that this does not concern you or Sakura. I appreciate your offer, but please understand that you are simply in the way right now. You can return to your daily activities and leave us be."

Sakura cut in front of Sasuke before he could respond, "Lady Hokage, please! We can see that something is amiss; we can help."

Tsunade glared at Sakura instantly, "Go to Shizune to see if she needs anything. Now. You two are dismissed, no more questions."

"How long?" Sasuke pushed Sakura aside slightly, "How long will it take for Naruto, Hinata, and Lee to return back to the village?"

"It all depends on how long Gaara needs them there." Tsunade's response was clear-cut. "I've wasted enough time. Leave me to my business now."

"How about cutting the nonsense and telling us the truth? Why have you sent those three to the Land of Wind? Gaara surely gave you a reason, otherwise you wouldn't send them without one." Sasuke reverted, pushing Sakura off his hand that had attempted to pull at it by now. "Kage secrecy and all aside, we deserve to hear some explanation. These aren't just bystanders to me or Sakura."

Sakura suddenly ceased. Her expression was blank as she stared at the floor, still at his side. Her grip still remained strong but this time out of struggle to form her words. "Please, Lady Hokage. He's not the only one who at least wants to know why they were called for this mission. Formalities… formalities of the two nations aren't a good enough reason. We're just… we're just concerned about them."

Tsunade refused to look Sasuke in the eye. Her response was never heard.

Sasuke scowled and finally slid from Sakura's grip before turning the other direction and storming through the office door. Sakura attempted to follow frantically behind, occasionally tripping over her feet in confusion. His pulse was racing. Anger nearly seeped through his chest. This isn't normal. Nothing about this mission was normal from the very beginning. The only way to resolve this is to follow the group to the Land of Wind! Sasuke halted as Sakura nearly crashed into his back.

"Did Naruto give you any other bit of information by chance, Sakura? Anything, even if it's a little detail?" his voice was cold.

"No… Naruto didn't say anything other than that he was leaving early in the morning." Sakura's voice was breaking as she rummaged through her mind, "But… I remember that he returned from his information meeting with a really foul mood. And he kept mumbling something about a 'stupid fairytale', he called it. He wasn't like that before leaving to see the Hokage."

Sasuke froze. Stupid fairytale. Damn her! He suddenly picked up his speed. Again with the secrets; I should have seen it last night! What the hell was she reading again? Some old-ass book she picked up from the library… where the hell did she put it away?

A million thoughts raced across his mind as Sasuke broke distance from Sakura who had given up at that point. She nearly broke down in the hallway before squeezing into a restroom. He, on the other hand, continued to march down the street, heading back towards Hinata's apartment. If she took the book with her, I won't have any luck finding out where she went. Sasuke's panic increased. However, if she didn't, she would still hide it somewhere so that I wouldn't pay attention to it.

He pushed open the door to her apartment once more. The fresh smell of sweet pea hit him again. Her scent. He walked through the hallway and into the living room where she had been reading on the couch. At first glance it didn't look like the book was in sight. Sasuke walked over to the couch and sat down with his head in his hands, bent forward. He needed to calm down before continuing the search. It was pointless to do anything rational when he was this upheaved. Damn her! Damn her stupid secrecy! Just because it's a mission-! Just because she's following orders-! Sasuke's clutch tightened. He buried his forehead further into his knuckles. "Why are you such an idiot?"

A warm breeze brushed over Hinata's cheeks. Her eyes shut at the sensation. The blades of grass didn't bother her at all – the feel of the spring haze was too much of a distraction. It was silent though. All but the occasional gush of sound that the wind would make and the running water of a river somewhere far away. Hinata felt the earth beneath her breathing. The soil was soft. Opening her eyes, Hinata slowly sat up. The sky was filled with countless stars.

"How odd… I could have sworn it was midday." Hinata mumbled. She turned her head to examine her surroundings when out of nowhere she spotted a wooden house far in the horizon to her right. Without giving much thought, Hinata bent forward to rise to her feet. Another breeze of wind pushed her from behind, towards the direction of the house. She frowned. "I got it already."

Instantly, her legs started to move. But Hinata couldn't necessarily register the movement well enough in her head. Everything she felt was… fuzzy. Surreal. Her senses suddenly jerked when she realized someone had held her hand firmly. Hinata's heart dropped. Her head shakily started to rotate towards the source in fear of what she might see.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke asked quietly.

Hinata stood there; completely unsure of what was happening. "I don't know."

Sasuke's grip loosened as his fingers glided upwards, pushing her sleeves along the way to expose the skin of her arm. He drew delicate circles near her elbows. "You don't need to go anywhere. I don't need to go anywhere. I'm here. In full piece."

He paused.

"No mess of limbs."

Hinata's breathing ceased. Her free hand trembled towards Sasuke as she touched his chest. Solid. Aside from the clothes that shifted under her fingers, the rest of him remained intact and solid. She moved forward now. Her other hand broke away from his touch as she roamed the rest of his chest with it too. Hinata pressed her forehead to it finally – the warmth still the same. At this point she couldn't help but draw closer and closer. So close that she started to plant small kisses to his neck. A low grunt emerged from him. Sasuke's hands snaked around her waist in response, stopping only to pull her into him. Closer and closer until Hinata's head lulled to his shoulder as she buried her face into it. His scent filled her senses, blocking anything else that might try to get at her notice. Her heart beat so fast, unable to take control of her excitement and relief.

And then… she couldn't feel it.

She couldn't feel his heartbeat.

What's going on?

Good question, Hinata.