Love Never Dies

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I know that in particular this chapter is the one a lot of people have been waiting for. So I didn't want to make you wait too long. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Notation: As I've said before, I'm going to be altering the timeline a fair bit. So with that in mind, this chapter takes place several months after the last one and it's obviously winter. There is a reason for that though. Oh and apparently, the original ending paragraph was a little unclear. So I went back and clarified. Happy reading.

Chapter 21

Frustrating. It was already December and Sasuke was no closer to finding Itachi than he had been before. Every time he thought he was close, he just vanished like smoke.

"Master Sasuke, it's cold outside." A familiar hiss reaches his ear. "I will do as you ask, but I am cold-blooded."

Right. He knew that. His frustrating was starting to cloud his common sense. Of course, Aoda wasn't suited for this kind of weather.

He smiles at the snake and pats the serpent's cheek. "It's alright, Aoda." It wasn't the Summons' fault that his biology was working against him. "You can go. I'm sure I can handle waiting out a snowstorm."

"Do you wish for me to notify your teammates?" The reptile looks at him curiously. "I can, if you like. Though I'm afraid that may appearance would scare the villagers'."

Taka was residing in a nearby village, but Aoda was right. Most people wouldn't take kindly to the sight of a snake the size of a two story building, especially civilians.

"No, that's not necessary." Sasuke smiles at him. "I told them that if the storm hit, I'd take cover and be back as soon as I could." He had wanted to go on ahead in case Itachi happened to be nearby and the weather had bitten him in the ass.

Aoda nods and pauses for a moment. "That was very wise of you, Master Sasuke." Of course, it was. "Though there is something you should know."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at that. There were times when it was difficult to tell when his Summon was going to make an amusing observation or state something important. This was just one of those times.

"What is it?" Which meant Sasuke should urge the snake to get to the point. "What's going on? Do you sense Itachi?"

The surprisingly mellow serpent shakes his head. "No, I sense your female though." Hinata?! "She's coming this way. So I believe she must have seen you with her special eyes."

Special eyes was just a generic term that his Summon tended to use for the Sharingan and Byakugan alike. Sasuke couldn't really argue with the accuracy of the terms, though it did amuse him to see the two bloodlines lumped together like that.

"Damn it." What was he supposed to do now?

Sasuke had never had the willpower to send her away even at the best of times, but it was winter. The snow was coming down fast and furious and he couldn't send her out in this without getting her sick.

"You can go now, Aoda." Sasuke sighs and shakes his head. "You did amazing work today and I'm fortunate to have you as my Summon."

The praise works wonders because the snake disappears in a puff of smoke, just as Sasuke sees a blue in the distance. Hinata was coming and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Itachi Uchiha was not pleased. Konan had absolutely no right to do what she did. He knew it was her because she wouldn't meet his gaze.

"You told Hinata Hyuga the truth." His foolish little brother's girlfriend. "You betrayed me."

He shouldn't have been surprised at that. They were both criminal ninjas and to some extent, it was expected. Still, Itachi had foolishly thought the woman understood him.

She shoves him against a tree. "I didn't betray you." The sudden aggression blind sighted him and perhaps, that's why he didn't protest the show of force. "I'm trying to save you, that boy, and that girl a lot of unnecessary heartache."

She might very well believe that. Despite what many people might think, Itachi Uchiha was not actually a mind reader. He couldn't tell, but the woman sounded so sincere.

"If I had wanted your assistance, I would have asked for it." Itachi sighs.

He could have shoved her off of him. Itachi was weak, but not as weak as he had been before the operation. He could have managed that, but for some reason…well, he didn't really want to.

Konan kisses his forehead and looks at him with sorrowful eyes. "You didn't want my assistance, but you did need it." At the end of the day, he was as much a slave to primal instincts as anyone else. "You're just too damn proud to ask for it."

Her body was soft and warm, even underneath that damn cloak. It was a comfort thing and the scent of jasmine surrounded him. For a few minutes, he'd just allow the woman her delusions.

"That may be accurate, but a handful of lives does not outweigh tens of thousands." A war. That's what he had prevented. "You're not so far gone that you don't realize that."

Like him, she had been a victim of circumstances. Born into a world filled with war, Konan had done what she needed to survive and protect those she cared about. She wasn't like most of the Akatsuki.

"Who says that you have to choose?" A silent tear streams down her face. "You don't deserve this and Sasuke deserves to know the truth."

She might be right about that. Well at least some of that, but that didn't change what was going to happen.

"What someone 'deserves' and what happens to them rarely overlap." Against his better judgment, he allows himself to kiss her. "Though I am grateful to have met you and for your concern, even if it was misplaced."

One moment and then he would get going. Itachi needed to find Sasuke. Kisame was back at the Akatsuki Headquarters and sleeping. This was his chance.

Konan smiles sadly at that after returning the kiss. "That's true." He would have liked to stay with her, but it wasn't possible and they both knew it. "Do you think that we could have been happy together, had circumstances been different?"

Fate had a sadistic sense of humor. This wasn't the first time, Itachi had to answer that question.

"I like to think that we would have been." He forces himself to smile at her. "Don't mourn me. I made my choice." He caresses her cheek. "Be happy for me when I'm gone because it's what I want."

Konan kisses him again and smiles. "Alright." Really? "I won't mourn you and I will be happy, but not because you're gone." That didn't make any sense. "But because you lived. You're still far too proud to ask for help."

Itachi would have protested that, but he never got the chance too. There was a sharp pain to the back of his neck and everything went black.

"He actually thought I was going to let him play the part of a martyr." Konan sighs as she scoops him up and carries him back to the hideout. "He clearly doesn't understand women very well."

It had taken months, but Hinata finally done it. She'd finally found Sasuke. She could feel his chakra nearby.

"I have to make him listen." The bluenette sighs as she continues barreling towards the cave.

The cave which would be their shelter from the storm. Both that was sending snow crashing down onto everything and the storm that she knew was raging inside Sasuke's very soul.

"I thought you knew better than to come after me." A slight breeze and the feeling of his chakra surrounding her was the only warning Hinata got before Sasuke wraps his arms around her. "You really should know better, but let's get you inside."

He must have Flickered to her and now, they were Flickering back into the cave. Well, that was a start. There was a chance that he might actually be reasonable about this, it seemed.

Sasuke was still so warm. "We both should know better." Even in this horrific cold, he was like her own fireplace. "Sasuke, there's so much that you should know."

He didn't seem in a hurry to let her go. The letter that she still carried with her had been right. Sasuke couldn't hide from her anymore than she could hide from him.

"I know." He kisses her cheek and holds flush against him. "I've missed you too. More than you'll ever know, but you really shouldn't be here."

The blizzard might actually work to her advantage though. "I k-know, but I had to see you and it's dangerous to travel now." He'd always been so protective of her. Sasuke wouldn't want her to risk frostbite.

Sasuke snorts at that and kisses the top of her head. He knew exactly what she was doing, but it didn't look like he was going to protest.

"Your father would kill me if I allowed you to freeze your cute, little ass off." Sasuke shakes his head. "So you can stay until the storm clears."

Suddenly, it didn't feel cold in that cave at all. "M-My what?" She was never going to stop blushing now.

Hinata couldn't believe he had actually said that. Sasuke had always been rather gentlemanly when he talked to her.

"You're right." Sasuke shakes his head as mischief dances in his eyes and he squeezes her backside. "That wasn't accurate. It's gorgeous like the rest of you and it definitely isn't little."

Hinata wasn't sure how to take the fact that he said she had a big posterior, but he seemed to like it. "Oh." So she wasn't going to argue. Not when he was this warm.

Sasuke has the audacity to laugh at her as he leads her towards the fire he had made and the sleeping bag, he'd set out. She would have scolded him for laughing, but that fire did look inviting.

"You know the best way to stay warm in a situation like this is body heat." He gets under the sleeping bag and gestures for her to join him. "I promise not to do anything he wouldn't kill me for though."

Warning Lemon

She bites her lower lip as her cheeks burn crimson red. "What if I don't want you to make that promise though?" Hinata could do this. She had loved him since she was a small child.

Sasuke tilts his head at that. It was hard to tell what was going on in his mind at the moment. Maybe, he was wondering just how many ways Hiashi would try to kill him for saying yes. Maybe, he was wondering if Hinata would change her mind at the last minute. Maybe, he was thinking of all there reasons why them becoming lovers right now was a bad idea. Who knew?

"I'd say that I know what I'm supposed to say." His eyes bleed crimson red. "That we should wait. That I should be a gentleman and not be with you that way until after we're married." Was he saying no?

Hinata winces at that. What had she been thinking? Of course, he wouldn't want to be with her until Itachi was dead.

"That we should wait until we're back in the Leaf or at least have a real bed." Sasuke shakes his head as he gestures for her to come closer. "That I want our first time to be special with each other, but Itachi was right about one thing. I am foolish and I can't say no to you."

The bluenette lets out a sigh of relief upon hearing those words. He wanted to be with her, after all. She didn't know what to do other than to scurry right over to him.

"I know that you're right." She playfully pins him to the sleeping bag. "We really should wait." That would be the smarter thing to do. "But I don't know how long it will be before I see you again and I want to make the most of tonight." She kisses him. "Besides, it is my birthday."

Sasuke smirks at that. "That's true." He kisses Hinata. "In that case, we can do anything you want."

Hintaa tilts her head. "Anything?" She blushes at that thought and Sasuke nods in confirmation. "Well, I still have those ribbons." She reaches into her pocket. "But first, you'll need to get out of those c-clothes."

She was adorable. Hinata was actually stuttering before they made love. "I can do that." Sasuke smirks as she slides out of his shirt slowly. He'd seen the way Hinata's eyes had followed him at the waterfall. "I can also do anything else you want." She was clearly just as fascinated by his chest as he was hers.

Sasuke didn't waste any further time as he slinks out of his pants and boxers with equal ease. Hinata seemed to be having a bit more trouble though. Well more like she was bashful.

"G-Good." Hinata blushes as her eyes roam all over his body.

Sasuke felt like a bit of a peacock, but he was more than content to strut for her. Even if he was laying down, it still counted as strutting in his mind as he tugs off her jacket and shirt.

"Very good." Sasuke smirks as he admires the way the red silk contrasted against her creamy breasts. "The red flatters you, but I still want it off." He tugs on the bra lightly with his teeth over one of her nipples to make his point.

Hinata gasps and blushes, the exact same red as her bra as she quickly discards it. It didn't take her pants and panties to long to follow suit. She really was glorious.

"Is t-this better?" She kisses him shyly.

Sasuke wasn't feeling shy though. "Much better." He hungrily reacquaints himself with her mouth. "Perfect, actually."

He groans into the kiss as Hinata matches him. Their earlier kisses had been so damn innocent compared to this one, but now Sasuke was feeling far bolder.

He was delighted to explore her every curve with his hands. Soft and warm. It didn't even matter to him that they were in the middle of a freaking cave during a snowstorm. This was perfect.

"Almost perfect." Hinata grabs the ribbons and quickly pins Sasuke's hands over his stomach and ties them up. "T-That's better. It's my b-birthday so I should be in charge."

Sasuke blinks. He hadn't expected that, but he nods dumbly. Like he was going to argue with a damn thing the goddess straddling him said.

"Yeah." He nods again. "That works."

Hinata smiles at that as her hands glide over his chest appreciatively. She remembered the waterfall incident vividly, but the past few years had only sculpted him even more.

It was like warm ivory marble. "I'm beginning to really despise shirts." The heiress giggles as she kisses his neck and Sasuke sighs in contentment. "You should wear them less often."

"I was going to say the same thing to you." Sasuke smirks.

Hinata laughs softly as she kisses, licks, and sucks on his collarbone, reveling in her newfound ability to make him moan. Sasuke was with her for once and she was the one making him breathless for a change. It was exciting.

"H-Hinata, that's not fair." He groans and arches against her.

What really wasn't fair was feeling him against her core like that. "Ah!" This was new. So Hinata moves down and starts kissing and nipping at his chest as her hands grow bolder and drift towards his erection.

The moan emboldens Sasuke as he brushes his arousal against hers. She was positioned just a little too low for him to reach those mouthwatering breasts of hers. The creamy white mounds with the nipples that reminded him of rosebuds, but he could touch her still even with his hands bound and it felt so damn good.

"You're an evil tease sometimes." Sasuke pants slightly.

That's when Hinata shyly grasps his arousal in her hand and begins stroking him. "T-Tell me if I'm doing this right." She might have ignored his question, but that was alright.

Sasuke swore this his eyes were lulling to the back of his head in pleasure. She was fucking perfect. It was all he could do to buck into her wonderfully soft hands that were driving him crazy.

"You're doing it very right, but I want to touch you too." His Sharingan was activated and Sasuke knew it, but it was impossible not to stare at this woman through ruby red eyes. "This isn't very fair."

Hinata actually giggles at that. "Where do you want to touch me?" More like where didn't he want to touch her?

Everywhere looked so inviting from those silky blue tresses to the curve of her hips and everything between. It was actually hard to choose.

"Everywhere." Sasuke whispers. "I want to kiss, lick, and touch every inch of your body."

Hinata smiles at that and moves up. "That's really good. Do you want to start with my b-breasts?" Fuck yes, he did.

"Yeah." He captures a nipple in his mouth and lavishes it with his tongue. "I do." The sound she made was enough to make his arousal throb in an almost painfully good way.

Hot. His mouth feels so hot against her breasts and the way he'd switch between them was driving her crazy. She was getting wet just from his hot mouth, talented tongue, and wicked teeth.

He never bit, but Sasuke would tug. "Nhh!" Which was more than enough to get her wet. "S-Sasuke, I need more. D-Do you want to try something new?"

"Whatever you want." His voice was thick with an emotion that she recognizes instantly. "It is your birthday." Lust.

Hinata blushes and nods as she repositions herself so that her center was by his head and her mouth was by his arousal. She had heard some of the other women of her Clan giggling about this once or twice. It was supposed to be immensely enjoyable, but Hinata had never thought that she would have the courage to try something like this.

"Y-Yes, it is." She takes a shy lick and then the tip into her mouth.

Sasuke groans and returns the favor a hundred fold. Soon, it was all Hinata could do not to scream in pleasure. Who knew that feeling someone's tongue there could feel that good?

She tasted so sweet and the way she writhed against him was driving him half insane. Not to mention the fact she was shyly making love to him with her mouth. He wouldn't last long like this.

"F-Fuck!" Sasuke hisses in ecstasy. "Feels so good." He bucks lightly against her mouth as he licks her faster and harder, focusing on her clit.

He wanted her to reach her peek first. That way he could stop her and maybe, gain some control over himself. He wanted them to be together when he completely lost control.

"Ah!" Hinata whimpers and squirms against him wildly. "S-Sasuke!" If it wasn't for these damn ribbons, he probably would have flipped them and just drove into her when she said his name like that!

Fortunately, it didn't take long to watch the most ethereal sight that Sasuke had ever seen in his life. "Beautiful." Hinata releases him from her mouth as she screams his name and orgasms.

"H-Hinata, you can untie me now." He watches as his lover's glorious breasts bounce as Hinata tries to catch her breath.

She shakes her head as she pants. "No, it's my birthday." She wiggles away from his mouth and then kisses him. "You c-can be in control next time."

This new bossy streak was as sexy as it was frustrating. Sasuke was thinking about trying to rip his way out of the stubborn ribbons. They were just ribbons. It shouldn't be that hard.

"Alright." Sasuke smiles at her. "Whatever you like." He wouldn't argue. Just as long as he got to be inside her.

"Good." Hinata smiles shyly at him and kisses him. "Because I like the thought of us being together in every way possible." She wasn't a natural seductress, but her innocent words were having the desired effect, Sasuke notes as she slides onto him and they both groan.

Hot, tight, and wet. This was heavenly. It took his every ounce of self-control not to just slam into her.

Hinata makes a quiet whimper into the kiss that they were sharing, but Sasuke waits until she begins rolling her hips. He wanted to touch her to help her through the stealing of her innocence, but Hinata was too stubborn for that. So their tongues battle for dominance.

He was so big. She could feel every inch of him inside her and at first, there was a tearing sensation. Hinata had expected that though.

"It's alright." She whispers between heated kisses. "We can be together now." There was nothing that could come between them anymore. Not even her 'flower.'

"Yes." Sasuke breaks the kiss in favor of nibbling on her ear and thrusting into her. "You feel so fucking good." She could feel the power in the body underneath her. It was better than even her most elaborate daydream had been.

The pain was gone and had been replaced by only him. The sounds Sasuke was making. The feeling of him buried inside her. His scent. Everything. There was nothing separating them anymore and every thrust made her want him more.

How was it possible for them to fight together like this? She was soft, where he was hard. She was small and curvaceous where, he definitely wasn't. Clearly, someone up there had decided to have some mercy on him to make them fit together like this.

"Hinata, I won't last much longer." He wanted to warn her, but apparently it wasn't necessary.

Hinata couldn't have held back her release, even if she tried. "T-Together!" She didn't want them to be apart anymore and apparently neither did Sasuke because he soon joined her surrendering to the sensation of them being together.

End of Lemon

The rest of the night was spent in a whirlwind of passion and sensual exploration. At some point, Sasuke had burned the ribbons and decided to have his turn in control. Not that Hinata minded.

It didn't matter how they were together. Just that they were. Though by the time the morning came, she was a bit sore. Hinata didn't care though. It was just nice to be together.

"Hinata, I'm sorry." Sasuke sighs as he holds her tightly. "For leaving you alone all the time and being so careless."

The bluenette looks at him in confusion. "I understand the first part, but not the second?" He had been very gentle with her, considering how much she had teased him.

Sasuke looks at her with an almost panicked expression. What could possibly be scaring him this much?

"We didn't use the Jutsu." Oh. That. "I should have asked you to and now, you might be pregnant and that bastard is still out there."

The odds seemed incredibly low to Hinata that she'd gotten pregnant, but she couldn't lie. That was a possibility.

"Sasuke, it's not your fault." She smiles and kisses him. "I was the one who seduced you. Remember?" Kinda. "I love you and I know you love me and I'm not scared of Itachi."

Sasuke looks at her as though she had lost her mind. Perhaps to him, she had. Hinata would explain though.

"Hinata, he butchered an entire Clan." Yes, but not for the reasons Sasuke thought. "I'm should have made you use the Jutsu." He just looks so guilty that Hinata winces. "I want us to have children together. More than anything, but it's just not safe now."

It was a little late for that. They'd already made love several times. If she was pregnant, there was no going back.

"I want us to have a family together, Sasuke." She kisses his forehead. "I always have, but there's something that you need to know about Itachi."

How could she explain this to him? Hinata was going to have to try. She could only hope that her lover would actually listen.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "I promise you that he's as good as dead, Hinata." He probably wouldn't though.

"That's the thing." She bites her lower lip and tries not to stutter. "I still need to find the proof, but I will. I'm working on it in the Leaf Village."

The raven haired ninja's gaze was growing increasingly concerned and Hinata couldn't blame him. She most likely sounded half mad to him.

"Proof about what?" Sasuke stares at her unblinkingly.

This had to be done though. "That Itachi didn't kill your family because he wanted to." If anything, he had been forced to do it. "I've spoken with Tsunade about it and she's going to have me deliver messages to Danzo. I think that I can prove he made Itachi do it."

Sasuke goes silent for a few seconds. Those painful seconds bleed into agonizing minutes. Those minutes were enough to make Hinata wonder if her entire world was about to collapse right in front of her, but finally he spoke.

"Who told you this?" Sasuke clenches his fists and teeth. "I know that you didn't think this up out of the blue."

Hinata bites her lower lip. "Konan." She couldn't lie to Sasuke. "She's another Akatsuki Member. Apparently, tensions were brewing between the Uchihas and the rest of the Leaf for awhile."

The bluenette tries her best not to cry. This was perhaps the hardest thing that she had ever done, but she needed to do it.

"What are you saying?" Sasuke's eyes were like a wounded animal's at this point.

She couldn't stop now though. "Your family was plotting a coup to overthrow the Leaf." Hinata lets out a shaky breath. "Even if they had been successful, the Leaf would have been greatly weakened and other Ninja Nations would have taken advantage of it and it would have triggered another Great Ninja War."

Sasuke pales at that. It was clear that he was considering what she told him and Hinata didn't know how he'd react.

"There's a possibility that she was just lying to you." Sasuke snorts. "An Akatsuki member is hardly a trustworthy source, but I can see that you really believe that happened."

It seemed too elaborate to make it up. "Sasuke, I can get the proof." She caresses his cheek. "Just don't kill him until we know for sure. You can come back with me."

She could see that Sasuke was at war with himself. He wanted to kill Itachi, but he loved her and knew that Hinata would lie to him. There was also the chance she was pregnant.

"The storm hasn't let up yet." Sasuke sighs as he kisses her. "I love you, Hinata. I'm always going to love you and I will be there for our child, if you are pregnant." There was a but. "It's just a lot to take in. She might be lying to you."

She might be, but she also might not be. That was the terrifying thing. Hianta had no idea who to believe anymore. All she knew was that she loved the man who was currently laying next to her.

"If she's lying, Konan will die slowly and painfully." Hinata wouldn't show the woman any mercy. "But what if she's not lying?"

She'd never seen Sasuke look so pale before. "If she's telling the truth, I don't know what I'll do." That was fair, but not particularly comforting.

Of course, he didn't know what he'd do. If Konan was telling the truth, Sasuke's entire world had been built on a foundation of lies. Anyone would be confused after that.

"You'll always have me though." Hinata sighs as she kisses him. "I love you, Sasuke. I just need some time to figure out, if she was lying or not." The Hyuga Heiress had no real reason to believe her, but something was telling her that the female Akatsuki member hadn't been lying.

Sasuke returns her kiss and Hinata sighs in relief. He was still Sasuke. Confused, but nothing had changed between them.

He smiles at her and caresses her cheek. "I don't know what I'll do, if I find out that Itachi was forced to kill our Clan." He frowns at that thought. "I do know one thing though. I'll always love you." Good because she would always love him too.