I just want to thank every one who has kept with this story until the end. Thank you for every review, favorite, follow, alert; thank you all for everything. I'm very happy you enjoy it. I will post one last chapter after this, but that's only to answer any questions you may have. You can either review your questions or private message me if you like and I will answer all of them to the best of my abilities.

For anyone who do not know: there will be a sequel after this story. It will be a short story, but unlike this it will not be in glimpses, but rather full length chapters which range from 6-12 pages.

Thank you for everything

Enjoy!

LXXII

72

It wasn't like Hinata could go on and do the chores properly. Her mind was riddled with worry over her children. HInata trained as a ninja when she first learned to walk, she knew how harsh training could be. Her father was relentless on her, he went full strength and she had many broken bones or blocked chi. She hoped Sasuke was gentle with them, firm, but gentle.

"Shopping." Hinata reminded herself as she caught herself looking out the window once more. "I need to buy dinner." Hinata picked up her shawl she left draped over there lumpy sofa and wrapped it around her shoulders. She shuffled through the small stand searching for her coin purse and quickly shoved her coin purse into her dress pocket. Slipping on simple sandals, she made her way into the town. She waved cheerily at her neighbors, stopped by to chat with that old lady that Sasuke loathed and waited impatiently for her to croak over. When Hinata made it into the center of town, there was a small market happening. Fresh fish, fresh vegetation, home remedies, and food all around. Hinata picked up a wired basket that Old Man Jeji gave her. She picked some crisp, fresh green onions, and turnips. Tamaki loved turnips. She went to the small area where Hoji raised chickens and pheasants. She bought a plump pheasant for dinner.

"Hyuuga?" Hinata felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck. She ignored the name and pained Hoji. An arm on her shoulder turned her around and Hinata eye's immediately found the ninja head band with the stone. He was a tall man, with a scar that crossed his cheek and through his lips. His skin was dark like wet sand, his jaw strong. He wore a jonin vest underneath a plain tan shirt, dark blue standard ninja pants, and shoes.

"Oh ho!" He grinned in a malicious way. "Cage Hyuga." His eyes peeked at the bright green scar the was hidden behind her indigo bangs. Hinata gave him a demure smile.

"I'm sorry, but my name is Sato Hinata." Hinata eyed her surroundings to see a possible escape.

"You can't lie to me." He moved to grip at her and Hinata used the only thing she had. She smacked the pheasant hard against his face, dropped the basket and fled towards her house and a neck breaking speed.

They weren't safe.

They weren't safe.

She was moving on auto pilot as she fumbled through the house of her old scrolls. She pack her and Sasuke's things away. Her childrens in another scroll.

"Found you!" He was cocky that was for sure. Otherwise he wouldn't announce his presence. He threw an array of ninja stars and kunais. Hinata rolled to the floor, one star digging its way into her calf. She gritted her teeth and darted towards the kitchen, but the ninja pulled her by her arm and threw her to the ground. He straddled her waist and punched once in the face. Hinata fought back, her own fist catching him under his chin. She wrapped her legs around his waist and thrusted her hips up, using his weight to pull him on his back. She kept her legs tightly wrapped, around his waist, grappling until she pulled him into a headlock, wrapping her arm firmly into his throat. She could feel him panicking and pulled at her hair, tried to toss her over him. He slammed her against the wall, but Hinata was relentless. He would kill her. Steal her eyes. Steal her from her family and she refused to allow someone to do that. He sunk to his knees, face purple, eyes bulging and he fell, dead. Hinata removed herself from him, packed the rest of their things and fled from their home.

LXXII

"Good." Sasuke praised his son, Tamaki when his kick held more power in it. It made his palm sting and Sasuke was proud. Tamaki grinned up at his father.

"My turn!" Chiharu side-swept her brother's legs and in sent him sprawling into the dirt. Tamaki released and indigent 'hey!', that Chiharu ignored and sent tiny little kicks at her father. Chiharu's form was perfect, which wasn't a surprise considering how she watched everything with her Sharingan on; soaking her father's teachings like a sponge. Chiharu's muscles were still developing, so while her kicks didn't have as much power to it as Tamaki's,she was still a force to be reckon with.

"Good." Sasuke patted his impassive daughter on the head.

"Of course." She said dryly, almost offended that he expected anything less of her.

"Ichiro, your turn." Sasuke held up his palm for his youngest son to smack. He turned to his father, long hair obscuring his view as he twiddled his thumbs.

"I," He licked his lips nervously. "I can't hit Tou-chan!" He wailed and engulfed his father into a hug sobbing. Sasuke patted his son's head awkwardly. He crouched down to say something comforting when every hair stood on the back of his neck.

"Get behind me now. All of you." He ordered harshly, his children jumped, startled by a tone they never heard their father take. Sasuke stood to his full height, eyes bleeding to red, right when a body fell from the trees, blood spraying the ground. Hinata landed on her feet just after it fell. Blood was on her face, her expression tight.

"We have to go." She said softly.

LXXIV

They argued long and hard after that. They didn't know where to go. Hinata wanted to go back to Konoha. It would offer the family protection from enemies that will hunt for them. They've been discovered, and despite the fact that two of them are there was still a lingering thought of an unknown amount of comrades they had with them and what information was passed. Sasuke refused to go back. He was a wanted nin, Konoha would want to see justice, but also the fact that two his children bore his clan's eyes and they would be used like they used him.

Inevitably, Hinata won. Konoha they set course to. Hinata had been keeping a correspondence with her old teammates. Apparently a war broke out between the nations. They were just far enough that it didn't touch their lands. It ended though, with peace now between countries, and with Naruto as Hokage. Naruto wouldn't cast them out. So, they made way for Konoha.

"Which clan would we be?" Tamaki asked nervously. He didn't like the idea of following stuffy rules.

"None." Sasuke reassured his children. "We are our own clan." That sent a comfort to them. When the landed changed from ocean, to desert, to forest they knew they were near. Hinata held Chiharu in her arms, and Sasuke with Ichiro. Tamaki remained stubbornly independent that he didn't need to be held, but he didn't protest when Sasuke created a clone to hold him either.

"Stay here until someone comes for you. Someone you can trust." Sasuke told her, once they were on the outskirts of Konoha. Hinata would have protested about being left behind, but now she had children to worry about. Children to protect.

"Be safe." Hinata pulled him close and Sasuke curled his fingers at the back of her head. He stared into her pale eyes before kissing her swiftly. She held his hand a little longer and then released him.

"Tou-chan will be fine, right?" Ichiro whimpered. Hinata turned to her son and brought him, Chiharu, and Tamaki in her arms. "Of course he will." Hinata smothered her children in kisses, which Ichiro took bashfully, Tamaki enthusiastically, and Chiharu expressionlessly.

They waited and waited and after a while of waiting and complaints from Tamaki, Hinata busied her children with lunch. It was simple, dried meat, some left over fruit, and water from the canteen. Tamaki and Ichiro ate without complaint, but Chiharu glared at her meal with hate. Chiharu liked her meals warm and she hated anything that hadn't been cooked.

Hinata felt her body tense when a chakra signature entered and just as she was about to use her Byakugan, Sakura emerged from the bushes. Her hair was a bit longer, still the soft pink color it was, a purple gem was on her forehead, but other then that she still looked like the Sakura she grew up with.

"Hinata-chan." She smiled and Hinata returned the smile. "It's good to see you." They hugged each other before pulling away. Sakura's jade eyes turned to look at the three children. "They're so big now." She cooed. Tamaki grinned widely at the complement, Ichiro scrunched his shoulders up to his ears and hid behind his long, dangling hair, and Chiharu narrowed her gaze at her.

"You're forehead is huge." Chiharu announced, pointing a little finger up at Sakura's forehead. Hinata chuckled nervously and gave her daughter a stern glare while Sakura clenched her fist with a crazed smile.

"Cute kid." Sakura said tightly. "Anyways, Sasuke's talking to Naruto and Kakashi. He sent me over to bring you guys." Hinata smiled gratefully and packed their belongings. They chatted over small things, who hooked up with who, they talked about big things like the war and how Neji almost lost his life. They talked about how The Kazekage had a daughter just a year younger then Ichiro and Chiharu and how Ino and Sai were engaged. They talked about Sasuke. How Sakura moved on and was considering a serious relationship with someone.

"It's strange." Sakura commented lightly. "We're all grown up now. It's funny to thin-!" Sakura eyes widen and scanned the area. "Take the kids and go Hinata. Someone is tailing us." Hinata wasted no time and created clones of herself. The three clones swooped up her bewildered children before multiplying and again and again. The clones quickly ran in different directions and Hinata 'poofed' a clone Tamaki in her arms and ran. She couldn't fight. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't fight. She had children to worry about. She had a family to make sure was safe. HInata didn't know how long she was running, worrying about her children, when she came skidding to a stop. One of her clones was fighting someone. Someone with Chiharu. Her clone was losing, Chiharu was injured. Hinata ran faster and faster and she caught the man that was about to pin her daughter to the ground. With the ferociousness only a mother could have, the clone child poofed away from her arms and Hinata struck man at the back of his neck, chakra severing the tendons there, Hinata's veiny eyes furious. Chiharu was bleeding at her waist, and her arm was awkwardly twisted. Her moon eyes were red and teary.

"Kaa-chan." She whimpered and Hinata scooped her child in her arms. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her clones with Ichiro and Tamaki. They made it safely to Konoha, alerting Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi of what was happening.

"Hinata?" Sakura called out. Hinata could see her yards away behind her.

"Chiharu is hurt." Hinata said frantically and Sakura knelt besides them to see Chiharu's injuries.

"I can heal what I can, but she'll need to be at Konoha to reset her arm." Hinata gingerly cradled her daughter and the two women ran towards Konoha. When they were near the gates Sakura took Chiharu and ran ahead when they spotted Sasuke jogging over.

"Hinata," He called out in relief, Hinata could feel the smile warming on her face when Naruto grinned cheerfully near the gates. "Hinata!" Sasuke looked horrified and Hinata was confused, but there was a pain in her chest, warmth running down her shirt, pants, and wet between the crevices of her toes. She felt the pain then, sharp and earth-shattering. It sent her on her knees and when Hinata glanced down she saw the sharp, gleaming red of a blade poking out of her chest. All she could think about was, 'how did that get there?'.

There was the sound of blood hitting the grass and Sasuke was suddenly cradling her, blood on his handsome face. Naruto was screaming for someone. Everything sounded so, muffled. AS if she was underwater. It hurt. Her chest hurt. She tried to say something to Sasuke, but blood came out of her throat like words.

"No," Sasuke's hands flickered green as he tried to heal her, but Hinata knew it was too late. Death sunk her claws too deep. "Hinata." Her name was broken on his lips. His black eyes filled with pain. He pressed her head closer to his chest. "You can't leave me." He whispered. Hinata tried to say something.

I love you the words were just there, but the came up in blood. So she shakily brought a hand up to touch a bloody hand to his face. Sasuke didn't seem to mind though, his hand pressing hers closer to his face.

"Don't go." He pleaded softly. Hinata smiled weakly and her thumb grazed his lip and she knew he knew what she wanted to say. Hinata felt death come over her softly, white spotted her vision and tunnels in; like sea-foam she faded away.

LXXV

She was gone.

She was there and now she's gone. It was hard to grasp, but Sasuke was no stranger to death. It was harder to explain to the children. Tamaki flat out refused to believe his mother was gone, Chiharu seemed to bitterly accept it, but Sasuke saw her head turn anxiously every time the door opened. Ichiro just weeped, weeped every single moment because he knew what his father was saying. Sasuke felt dead inside. As if Hinata took a part of him with her, but he supposed she did. They settled in his old home because he didn't know where else to. Naruto, of course accepted them with open arms and promised to deal with any of the legality that came up. Neji helped him settle in, but Sasuke could see it in those eyes-eyes like Hinata's-that he blamed him.

Why didn't you save her?

Why wasn't it you? They accused and Sasuke wondered the same thing. Her funeral was a quiet affair with Tamaki staring blankly at the wall, Chiharu shoveling food in her mouth, and Ichiro had taken a habit of hiding away under his bed.

Sasuke stared out at the lake that was in his backyard. He could still see the lantern boats they cast in the water with their last words written on a paper and placed inside the boat. It was supposed to carry it to the spirit world for Hinata to read. He could hear footsteps on the wooden pier and Neji stood next to him, silent.

"Did-" Neji paused, his voice grave. "Did you think she would live forever?" Sasuke thought about it. He did. He really did believe that no matter what Hinata would always be by his side.

Yet:

Hinata gasping

Hinata bleeding

Hinata reaching

Hinata dying-no she's dead

"Yes."

In case if any of you were wondering; this is how it was always going to end. I made this decision when the story first came to me. Anyways, the sequel will be called; Read When. Look out for it. It should be out sometime this week.