Sasuke folded his clothes and placed them inside his duffle bag. The male was sure he was going to die the minute he entered his home. He hadn't contacted Itachi once this whole weekend. Usually he texted to say what he was doing since Naruto was annoying as hell. But this weekend he was with his girlfriend, no wonder he hadn't even paid attention to his phone.

His onyx eyes glanced at the time and sucked his teeth. Itachi was probably finishing up dinner. The young Uchiha left a note to the petite Hyuuga of his whereabouts. A ghost of a smile rose up on his face as he thought about the young woman. She almost seemed smaller when he wrapped his arms around her. He could clearly remember the blush on her face when he snuggled his face in her neck.

He locked the door behind him and inwardly groaned at how cold it was outside. The shining sun offered little warmth. His thoughts of damned winters were interrupted when he was almost hit by a car. He immediately glared at the driver.

"Watch where you're going brat!" Anko yelled as she stuck her head out the window. Her features softened into a smirk when she realized who it was. "Oh it's my favorite brat!"

He continued walking and was surprised when Anko swiftly parked her car to catch up with him. She didn't speak at first, her eyes held this far away look. Her hair swayed in its ponytail as she walked. Sasuke glanced at her from the side and noticed how upset and lost she looked.

"Fight with Itachi?" he asked as the slowed their pace.

"What? Of course not! Why do you assume that?" Anko asked as she glared at the male.

"No reason," he shrugged and looked up at the darkening sky.

Anko glanced at him from the side and shook her head. "Want a ride home?"

"You're being…nice?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow.

"Tck. You're still just a fucking kid," Anko said with distaste. She placed a hand on her forehead and sighed, shakily.

Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder and gave an encouraging squeeze. "Itachi will probably apologize first."

At this Anko laughed and nodded. The young Uchiha removed his hand and together they walked back to Anko's car. Once inside, the female hugged herself and nodded. Sasuke raised a brow but said nothing as they drove. Anko, however, didn't enter the home with him. She stayed until he was safely inside and then drove away.

He literally had four seconds; he was midway of taking his shoes off, before Itachi appeared in front of him with a glare. Oh boy, he was going to be murdered. Itachi stalked over to him and crossed his arms.

"Where the hell have you been?" The older Uchiha asked.

"I was at Naruto's for the weekend, like I told you," Sasuke lied through his teeth.

"Jiraiya says he didn't see you once," Itachi said and took one dangerous step closer to him.

"Jiraiya is an old drunk," the male challenged.

"I'll ask once more and if you lie to me you'll no longer see daylight," Itachi threatened. "Where were you?"

Sasuke suddenly found the tiles on the floor to be extremely interesting. "…At my girlfriend's house."

"See was that so hard?" Itachi said with a smile as he patted his younger brother's shoulder. Sasuke's head snapped up and confusion was written all over his face. However, Itachi just smiled in response.

"You're not mad?" the male asked with a raised brow.

"Oh make no mistake, I'm furious. You'll be grounded for two weeks with no car. Do you know that if you died, I'd have no idea where you were?" Itachi said as he walked to sit down on the couch. "But I also bring good news."

"Such good news that you smiled while punishing me?" Sasuke said with a small frown on his face as he followed.

"Yes! Anko is a month pregnant! I want her to move in with us," Itachi dropped the bomb with a happy smile on his face. No preparation or anything. Sasuke's eye twitched as he replayed Itachi's words over again in his head.

"That…That woman is going to be living…here?"

"Yes and that woman has a name."

"Every day?"

"For as long as she wishes to, yes," Itachi said with a smile warming his features.

Sasuke thought about living with Anko and his eye twitched once again. A heat rose up on his ears as he realized the total lack of privacy he'd have with Anko around. A pregnant Anko, no less! He fell back onto the couch and he swore he'd never had the urge to cry more than he did at this moment.

0-0-0

Hikari smirked at her husband's obvious discomfort. She longed for the day that she could make him squirm with just a glance in his direction. Her amethyst colored eyes turned to look at Neji and saw how his expression mirrored Hiashi's. He looked up at her for a moment before looking away.

"So let's throw all cards on the table, shall we Hiashi?" Hikari said as she turned her attention back on him. Hanabi, who sat next to her father, visibly stiffened.

"You don't waste any time, Hikari," Hiashi said and put on his game face. If her memory was correct, he only used this expression for tough deals.

"Oh but I did, nine years in fact," Hikari challenged. "I'd like to pick up where I left off but that's not possible anymore."

"Excuse me, but how long has it been since you were…released," Neji interjected suddenly as he turned to look at his aunt.

"Exactly two days dear," Hikari said with a smile causing the male to turn away once again.

"Why wasn't I informed of this?" Hiashi said with a slight glare at her.

"Because I wanted it to be a surprise but that's not important. Let's talk about the future," She said with the same arrogant smile.

"Will you be living in the Hyuuga compound?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"You influenced your daughter to leave her family," Hiashi jabbed and caused Hinata to stiffen.

None of younger Hyuugas said anything. This wasn't their battle at the moment. When things cooled down then they'd place their opinion into the matter.

"She gave up her dream to take care of Hanabi because you couldn't. I thought she needed freedom from the prison," Hikari countered with a glare of her own.

"Will you be moving back in?" Hiashi asked causing Hinata to blush at the sudden attention. Her thoughts raced around and she shook her head.

"No thank you, but I do plan to visit often," Hinata said and felt her heart tug in sadness at the way Hanabi's shoulders fell.

"You'll eat dinner with us three times a week of your choosing," Hikari said with finality in her voice. Hinata nodded and smiled at her sister's happiness.

"I demand marriage counseling," Hiashi said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Ah, so you still want to be married? Fascinating," Hikari said with a smug smile.

"Of course we're married Hikari, you're acting like I sold you," The male Hyuuga said with a sigh.

Before Hikari could say what was on her mind, the waiter appeared before them. His happy voice interrupting whatever tension was in the air. Everyone ordered what they wanted and then silence washed over everyone.

"Hello, how is everyone doing tonight?" Jiraiya asked as he walked over to the table. "I'm the owner of this little joint."

"It's a very lovely restaurant," Neji complemented with an approving nod.

"Why thank you," his eyes landed on Hinata's form. "Have I seen you before child?"

Hinata looked up at the male and her eyes widened with realization. She'd been here before with Sasuke! This man knew Sasuke on a personal level!

"Yeah, my sister and I both came here before. I was the one who kept asking for this delicious bread," Hanabi interjected with a warm smile on her face. Hinata smiled at her sister in relief.

"Ah, yes I remember now! Well it's a pleasure knowing that you came back," Jiraiya said with a giant grin on his face. He nodded at everyone one more time before he walked away.

Hiashi gave his oldest daughter an odd look before he turned his attention back on his wife. Hikari smiled at him and folded her hands together.

"Now that the hard part's over, I'd very much like it if we could go back to being a family," Hikari said with a smile.

Hinata returned the smile and saw her father relax immensely. His white eyes calmed down.

"Now who were you really with Hinata?" Hiashi said with vengeance swimming in his face.

"E-Excuse me?" Hinata stuttered with a blush creeping up on her cheeks. Hinata glanced at her sister for help.

"Sorry Hinata, we have a human lie detector as a father," Hanabi said with an apologetic shrug.

"I also want to know," Hikari said with a teasing smile.

"L-Look the d-drinks are h-here!" Hinata said with the blush on her face darkening. Neji grabbed the bottle of alcohol and poured two shots. He drank one and handed the other to Hinata.

"It's going to be a long night," he explained himself. Hinata took the shot and chugged it down.

0-0-0

Sasuke sat in the living room, watching an annoying movie with Itachi and Anko. It was getting late and he had school in the morning, so he stood from the couch. Itachi smiled up at him with Anko tucked under his arm, fast asleep.

"I'm gonna go to sleep, night," Sasuke informed the male as he walked to his room.

"Sleep well," Itachi quietly called after him.

Once he entered his room he heard his phone screaming music at him. He groaned in annoyance. All he wanted to do was sleep and someone was going to deprive him of this. He saw the familiar number on the screen and sighed as he sat on his bed.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Sasuke?"

"The one and only,"

"Don't be -hic- sarcastic, you bastard,"

"You're drunk out of your mind, aren't you?"

"So fucking what? -hic- I'm an adult,"

"Who's gonna have a killer migraine in the morning,"

"Shut up,"

"With pleasure,"

"…I miss you,"

"Hold on," Sasuke told her and quickly went to change his clothes. He wrapped himself in a blanket and trapped his phone between his ear and his pillow. "I'm back."

"Do you -hic- miss me?"

"Are you home? Go to sleep, you'll need it," Sasuke sighed as he listened to Hinata move around and gulp something down.

"Yes I'm home! -hic- You keep avoiding -hic- the question!"

"I saw you not too long ago. Itachi yelled at me for it,"

"I want whip cream," she mumbled to herself.

"Are you trying to tempt me?"

"No but is it -hic- working?"

"Not at all,"

"Liar, I bet you're -hic- touching yourself -hic- right now,"

"You suck at talking dirty,"

"Mhm, stay with me until I… until I…" her voice trailed off and in return were soft even breaths in his ear.

"I'm going to make fun of you tomorrow. Goodnight," Sasuke said with a small smirk on his face.

0-0-0

Hinata drank the pill down and held her pounding head. She'd never drink again. Alcohol would never enter her system ever again. She woke up in the middle of the living room, on the cold floor, cuddling with a half empty bottle of liquor.

Hinata glanced at the clock and groaned when she realized she had to leave the comfort of her home. The young woman sighed as she put on her hat and gloves. It started to snow late last night and continued into the morning.

The walk was slow and the Advil she drank did nothing to stop the pounding in her head. She looked up and watched the soft snow fall to the ground. A sigh escaped her lips as she watched nature at its best. In her books, winter was the best time of year. Snow fell from the sky; the cold weather caused people to stay inside with loved ones. It was romantic.

"Good morning," Hideki's voice interrupted her thoughts.

His black hair was covered in the white snow and some stuck to his eyelashes. Hinata smiled at him as she lifted his hood and placed it over his head. His dark eyes watched her every movement. They walked together in silence until Hideki spoke first.

"I'm assuming the dinner turned out for the worst?"

"I'm not very sure myself. It's still a bit blurred," Hinata answered with a blush creeping up her neck.

A laugh escaped the male, efficiently surprising the young woman. They stood in the middle of a vacant sidewalk as the male tried to sober up. Her eyes were wide with shock. She didn't say anything funny, so why was he laughing with such joy?

"Excuse me, heh, that was uncalled for. I was just reminded of something else," Hideki exclaimed as he wiped the water from the side of his eye.

Hinata nodded and didn't press it any further even though she wanted to. They fell into step and the young woman tried to piece together what happened when she arrived home. She remembered grabbing the liquor, Karin bought her that she hid in the closet from Hanabi, but before and after that everything turned hazy.

"Do you ever miss it?" Hideki said suddenly as they stood at a crossroad. The school's tall building coming into view. The male said the question but she was almost sure, he hadn't realized that he did.

"I miss the bonds. We all walked down different paths," Hinata said as the train passed by, causing her hair to be pushed back.

"We made it back to each other," The male stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared far away. "We always have."

Hinata smiled and looked up at the brightening sky. Heat spread up from her neck towards her cheeks as they crossed over the tracks. Hideki suddenly clapped a hand onto her back, causing her to lose her balance.

"By the way, you owe me Hyuuga," he said with a smirk on his features.

"I do? Have I asked you for something?" Hinata asked with a tilt to her head.

He thought about it for a moment and shook his head. "Not directly, no."

A pout formed on her face when he refused to give her any more information than that. The young woman racked her brain for any reason of why she owed Hideki anything. They continued to walk together in silence, but she came up with nothing.

She waved at him as he turned to walk in the opposite direction as her. A small smirk rose on his face as he gave a lifted hand in response.

The rest of the walk to the school was peaceful but she couldn't help but wonder what happened last night. This morning she woke up with her phone out of battery so she wasn't able to take it with her. A smile filled her features as she thought of her parents. From what she remembered, they seemed to stand at common ground for now.

A hand gripped her shoulder and she looked up into nearly white, tired eyes. He looked down at her and gave a small nod as a greeting.

"Good morning," Hinata smiled at him and once again received a nod from the male.

"I have a major hangover," Neji informed her as he rubbed his throbbing head.

Hinata dug into her bag and handed him her pack of Advil. Neji gratefully took one and swallowed it dry. The silence around them was deafening and Hinata noticed how tense her cousin was.

"Are you—"

"I shouldn't have given you that drink. I knew you couldn't handle liquor well when you were younger," Neji interrupted her as he looked into her eyes.

"Did something happen?" Hinata asked and worry filled her features.

"You don't remember?!" Neji said with a choked expression.

"Something did happen!" Hinata said and she almost wanted to cry. She'd never drink again! She swore it on her life!

Neji fought an inner battle with himself before answering. "Don't eat at the compound tonight. Not until we discuss your secret."

"My secret?" Hinata said unsure of which he was talking about. She buys a box of butter pecan ice cream every Sunday and hides it from Hanabi. She knows Tenten and her cousin are madly in love even though neither wants to admit it. Or—

"You told us who you were dating last night. The real reason of why you were at the restaurant that night," Neji informed her with a dark scowl. "I never liked him."

Hinata was on the verge of losing her mind. She told her parents who she was dating! She told them she was dating Sasuke Uchiha—her seventeen year old student! The female Hyuuga felt the world spinning around her and patches of black filled her sight. The last thing she heard was Neji growling, in annoyance as he caught her, before she swiftly fainted.

0-0-0

Sasuke entered the school to see his teacher, slash girlfriend, lose consciousness as she fell into Mr. Hyuuga's arms. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed, making himself known. The older male, raised a brow at the Uchiha's reaction but said nothing as he moved Hinata into a more comfortable position.

Sasuke wanted to help but he couldn't without it seeming suspicious. This man was her damn cousin after all, and the male couldn't stand him. He looked at the situation for a moment longer before he sighed again.

"Do you mind Uchiha?" Neji asked with a huff.

Sasuke was surprised for a nanosecond before he moved to carry the male's messenger bag. Hinata's flushed face rolled back, as Neji carried her bridal style. Sasuke silently lead the way to her classroom and could feel the older male's gaze burn into the back of his neck.

Neji sat her down in her chair and furrowed his brows in concentration. Sasuke opened the window and was startled by the sudden bell ringing. Neji looked around in horror as students started to file into the room.

"Good morning Ms—oh my god! What's wrong?" Ino's concerned voice traveled above everyone else's mindless chatter.

She rushed over to the woman's side and felt her neck for a pulse. She sighed in relief when she found a healthy, alive, pulse. Her blue eyes then turned to the two males, face hardened into a glare.

"What happened to her?" Ino demanded with crosses arms.

"She fainted, its normal behavior for her. She usually wakes up within a few minutes," Neji explained to her in a calm, collected voice.

Ino nodded and then moved to close the window but was stopped by Sasuke. "Cold air helps wake her up faster."

"Well if she's fainting, maybe she needs this rest," Ino countered with a glare that rivaled Anko's.

"Wait, how do you know that cold air helps?" Sakura's voice shot through the crowd of students.

Sasuke turned to her with a shrug. "She fainted one time during lunch. The window was open then as well."

Sakura frowned as she turned to look at the unconscious female. Neji fanned her with a paper and sighed when she stirred in her slumber.

Naruto burst into the room with a loud bang. "Listen I can explain," his eyes fell upon the female Hyuuga. "Oh my god! She's dead!"

He ran over to her side as he continued. "Why wasn't it me!? I could have died an awesome death unlike the one where I am killed because someone thought I was a thief!"

Kiba emerged from the group and punched the male on his head. "What the hell are you talking about moron?"

Naruto clutched his head in pain and shot mental daggers at the male. "I've never liked you."

"E-Everyone, please s-sit down," Hinata's shaky voice spoke above everyone else. The classroom was silent for a moment before everyone did as they were told.

Sasuke leaned his head on his palm and ignored the heated stare that Sakura was giving him. He swore he could hear and feel his face burn from the gaze. He shifted uncomfortably and turned his attention back on the female.

Hinata gave a small smile at Neji and stood up on shaky legs. "I'm f-fine."

Ino stalked across the room from her seat and pushed passed Neji, who looked at her in mild shock and curiousness. She then smiled sweetly at her teacher before forcing the woman into her seat. Then she turned her shining determined eyes on the class.

"She obviously lied to our faces about being fine," Ino started. Hinata shrank at the glare she received from the female. "So, everyone books out and start reading the next chapter."

"Why do you get to boss us around?" Sakura questioned with a teasing smile on her face.

"Bitch," Ino muttered under her breath. "C'mon Haruno, hurry up already, nineteen minutes and forty seconds left."

Sasuke noticed the smile that appeared on Hinata's face as she was quietly reprimanded by Ino for having poor health. Sasuke smirked and looked down at his open book.

0-0-0

"Why'd you faint?" Sasuke asked Hinata suddenly when the classroom was empty.

Her heart pounded against her chest as she thought about how to tell him. This whole time she had scolded him about not being careful with their secret and yet she had blurted it out to her family during dinner. A dinner that she, in fact, still hadn't remembered completely!

"I've done something terrible," Hinata whispered mostly to herself.

Sasuke raised a brow and placed a hand on her head. "I'm sure it isn't so bad."

"I got drunk last night—"

"I know, you called me last night,"

"And…Wait what? I called you?"

"You actually asked if I touched myself," a shit-eating smirk rose up on his face as her face turned dangerously red.

"I-I sincerely d-doubt that!"

"You curse a lot when you're drunk and calm down, don't faint again."

"Wait, I called you! How did I sound? Guilty?"

"No but you were drunk out of your mind. What happened?" Sasuke asked, his voice changing from its teasing tone to a more serious one. But he didn't get an answer as a student entered the room with a grin on his face as he greeted Hinata.

Hinata looked at him with the most relieved smile on her face that he has ever seen and in that moment Sasuke forgot why he was worried in the first place.

0-0-0

"You did what!?" Sasuke growled at her during their lunch period. They had huddled inside the old music room for extra privacy in case someone dropped by.

"L-Listen, this may not be so b-bad! I mean they think I'm dating someone and at least I didn't say you," Hinata whispered with a gleeful smile.

"How do you know it wasn't me?" Sasuke glared at her.

"Because Nej—Mr. Hyuuga let you help him with me," Hinata said as if that proved everything.

"Whatever, so who did you say you were dating?" Sasuke asked as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. This woman was so stressful.

"I think it was Hideki," Hinata whispered as she averted her gaze.

Okay, someone is going to die today. Maybe even two people if he has the energy. But that's okay, he doesn't mind going to jail for murder. He'd gladly accept it and become the ring leader. Everyone would bow down to him and never tell their parents that they're dating a guy he hates with every fiber in his being.

"W-Wait where are you going?" Hinata sputtered out as she grabbed his arm.

"To kill Hideki, where else?" Sasuke said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Then I'm killing you next."

Hinata immediately wrapped her arms around his arm and pulled him with all her force. Sasuke allowed himself to be dragged and pinched her flushed cheeks.

"Please don't do anything rash. I'll fix this, I promise!" Hinata said and kissed his nose.

He wouldn't give in. He was stronger than this.

"Please believe in me. I'll handle everything," Hinata whispered and kissed his neck, twice.

Fuck that, he wasn't strong enough. No one was fucking strong enough.

"Fine, but if you don't fix this, he dies." Sasuke threatened and roughly kissed her lips. Hinata laughed as he nibbled on the corner of her lip. They'd be fine. They'd figure it out like they always have.