Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. THANK YOU FOR GETTING ME OVER 1000 REVIEWS!

Divinity

Chapter XXIV

Escalation

"When one's character begins to fall under suspicion and disfavor, how swift, then, is the work of disintegration and destruction."

-Mark Twain

"…it's often the places we feel safest that put us at the greatest risk…"

-Caroline Flint

Hinata's prediction had been correct. As soon as she had eaten, Neji rushed her off to bed with the order to make up for the sleep that she had lost the previous night. And she did.

She just wasn't able to sleep any more than that, because by the time that the afternoon rolled around, Temari barged into her bedroom to wake her up, telling her to hurry and get ready. "We don't get a day off very often, Hinata. Let's not spoil it by sleeping."

Without complaint, Hinata did just as she was ordered, and soon found herself walking side-by-side with Temari down the corridor, heading somewhere she didn't know about. Frankly, she was too sleepy-eyed to care. She just walked while rubbing her eyes at regular intervals, during which time, Temari talked about…Well, Hinata wasn't quite sure.

"Hey, Hina," Temari began, her mood suddenly serious.

Hinata looked over at her friend, while inwardly forcing herself to wake up. "Yes?"

"What really happened last night? I heard that you were the only one of us girls to witness it."

Hinata furrowed her brows in confusion and surprise. "No one told you what happened?"

Temari snorted and rolled her eyes. "All I was told was that Sasuke and Naruto got in a fight and Gaara went to go mediate. I was assured that everyone was fine, and no one was injured badly. If you ask me, that sounds like a bullshit excuse."

"Were you awake?"

"Of course I was! I heard all the guys trampling down the hallway and got up to go see what was going on, but Shikamaru was right outside my door and wouldn't let me leave. Apparently, Kankuro was keeping Tenten locked up, too, and Choji was guarding Ino and Sakura's bedrooms, even though those two lazy-asses were still asleep." She paused, sighing in frustration. "I haven't seen the guys this morning, so I haven't had a chance to ask anyone about it. In fact, everyone who would know is apparently gone."

"Gone? What do you mean?" Hinata asked. "Where did everyone go?"

Temari shrugged. "As far as I know, Lord Jiraiya is with Lord Sarutobi, Master Kakashi and Master Asuma are still out on that mission, Lady Tsunade and Shizune are working in the pavilion with Master Gai and Miss Kurenai,"

"Did any of the security force go to the pavilion, too?" Hinata interjected, inwardly praying that Sasuke was not on the premises. The last thing she needed was to be cornered or ambushed at random intervals, and interrogated on the origin of her pendant.

Temari didn't answer right away, as she seemed to be recalling where everyone really was. "I think…all of them went except for Shikamaru."

Hinata released a tangible breath of relief. She was safe from Sasuke's tormenting at least for a few hours. "Good…"

"Good?" Temari turned to her with a raised brow.

Hinata nearly fumbled with her words. "Uh, yes, I mean…it's good that the pavilion hasn't been closed down, since we won't be there today…and, um…" she gulped, searching for an explanation. "I'm sure it'll be good training for the security force…"

Temari shook her head and chuckled. "Okay, Hina. But, speaking of training, in case you were wondering, Shikamaru and our guardians are training with Anko in the courtyard, which leaves us deities all to ourselves."

"Oh, so…" Hinata was definitely waking up now. "What are we doing?"

"Uh-uh," Temari shook her head in defiance. "I'm not telling you until you tell me about last night's details."

"Oh…well," Hinata stopped in the middle of the hallway, causing for Temari to stop as well, understanding the need for privacy and time to explain. "From what I know, Sasuke and Naruto really did get in a fight. Lady Tsunade told me that Sasuke said something to Naruto that made him…snap, I guess."

Temari frowned. "His demon blood took over?"

"I'm afraid so. When I got up to the rooftop, Naruto…he didn't look like himself, and he wasn't acting like himself. He was acting like…"

"A demon." Temari answered for her, expressly showing her concern over the whole situation. "What else?"

"Gaara was trying to restrain Naruto, and Sasuke was trying to fend him off. It was too dangerous for anyone else to get involved."

"Was Gaara hurt?" Temari asked, showing the true worry of an older sister.

"No, but Naruto and Sasuke were." Seeing the anxiety whelming up inside Temari, Hinata continued quickly with assurances. "But Naruto's okay! I saw him this morning, and he's completely healthy."

Relief showed on Temari's features at the same time that a smile began to tilt her lips. "That's good. So…how'd they get him to calm down?"

Hinata blushed and looked down at the ground in apparent shame. "I guess that was my fault…When Naruto was like that…he saw me and tried to attack me, but Sasuke…" she remembered vividly seeing Sasuke sprint to her aid, suddenly reappearing in front of her, using himself as a shield against Naruto's attack. Honestly, Sasuke was the last person that she expected to protect her. It made her wonder why he even bothered if he was so mean to her all the time.

"Hina?" Temari questioned, laughter hiding behind her very amused face. "You were saying before you completely zoned out?"

"Oh," Hinata shook herself, remembering where she left off. "Um, Sasuke stopped Naruto in time before he could reach me. He must have done something to stop him, but whatever it was, it made Naruto pass out and return back to normal. After that, Lady Tsunade, Shizune, and I spent the whole night healing everyone's injuries."

"I knew it!" Temari shouted in anger. "I knew they were injured! Son of a bitch…"

"They're fine now, Temari." Hinata tried to reassure her before her very furious friend did anything she might regret.

Taking a deep breath to relax herself, Temari laughed silently before throwing her arm around her younger friend's shoulders. "All thanks to you, I'm sure. It's a good thing you were there, Hina."

"Thank you…"

There was a brief moment of silence before Temari laughed under her breath and began leading Hinata down the hallway again. "So, you want to know what we've got planned today?"

Hinata just smiled in waiting.

"We're going to rehearse and practice our asses off." Temari announced as if she was revealing her plot to take over the world.

"But, you said that Miss Kurenai's not here, so…?"

"Well, yeah. We're doing this completely on our own." Temari explained energetically. "It's about damn time that we actually came up with one of our own songs. I mean, we're all good enough now to do it, and I think that we can come up with something that's going to kick ass!"

"Like what…?" Hinata asked cautiously.

Temari shrugged. "Not completely sure yet. Sakura's idea was that we all do solos, but somehow combine those solos into one flowing song. What do ya think?"

Hinata just nodded. "I wouldn't mind."

"But, here's the tricky part." The blonde rolled her eyes. "All of your guys' solos have to share some type of beat that matches the song so that it all matches up, and doesn't sound like we just tried to mix a bunch of random parts together—know what I mean?"

"Yeah…" Just as Hinata finished speaking, they had finally arrived at the music room, and entered through the doors, only to see the other three deities already there and practicing.

Temari spoke before the others had a chance to greet them. "I already filled Hinata in on what we're doing."

"You did?" Tenten asked with an amused raised brow. "Cause I didn't think we even figured that out yet."

"We're going with Sakura's idea." Temari stated as if it was a fact.

Sakura seemed pleasantly surprised—giddy even. "We are? Really?"

Ino smirked. "It would be a good way to show off how bad-ass we are. Only solos can do that."

"Wait," Tenten interrupted, turning her question to Temari. "We don't play instruments, we dance." She looked confused. "Solo dancing?"

"Well, why not?" Temari countered. "How often do we get to come up with a dance that's completely our own?"

Instead of replying to the rhetorical question, Tenten thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright, let's do it."

"So, we each come up with our own solos, but…" Ino began. "We need to tie them together somehow. We need to come up with some type of correlation…the same basic harmony, I guess."

"Nothing slow." The older brunette supplied. "And definitely nothing depressing."

"So…" Sakura thought about it. "Something upbeat,"

Temari nodded. "Something that Tenten and I are going to want to dance to."

Hinata thought of something, and turned to Temari for an answer. "When you two dance, are you going to want all of us to play or just one of us?"

"Like only use a specific instrument?" Temari clarified before thinking to herself about it, and then turning to Tenten. "What do you think?"

"I won't be needing any instrumentals."

"What? Why not?"

"Well," Tenten smiled with internal happiness. "I've actually had this one idea for a dance that I've always wanted to do. And, in a way, I'd be making my own music." Seeing their confusion, she quickly added, "I'll just have to show you sometime."

"Hm," Temari thought about it again. "I'm thinking that I want to do something wind-related, so…in that case, I'll probably only need Ino's flute for my part. You mind?" She asked the young blonde, who merely shrugged, not really caring.

"Just let me know the kind of beat you're wanting."

"I will when I think of it. For now, I have to work on my choreography."

"Same here." Tenten added.

"So," Sakura caught the attention of her two fellow instrument players. "I think we should work on some type of harmony and then build our solos off of that."

"Okay, well, let's get to it." Ino smiled in excitement. "Especially since we're not going to have a lot of time after today to work on it."

"Agreed."

By the time dinner rolled around, the deities were satisfied with their progress and the completion of a common harmony. All that was left to work on was their solos, which could be easily accomplished on their own time.

Ino stretched happily. "We did good today, guys."

The music room door opened, allowing the guardians to flow inside to escort their deities to dinner. Naruto frowned upon seeing them, even though it looked more like a pout. "Have you all been in here the whole day?"

Ino frowned right back. "Have you all been outside the whole day?"

Naruto just smiled mischievously before approaching his blonde lover and throwing an arm around her shoulders.

Shikamaru entered as well, and found his way to Temari, the two still keeping enough distance between them so as to hide what was really between them. Lee was the opposite, however. He ran passed Kankuro to pick up Sakura into his arms and twirl her around, exclaiming his joy at seeing his "beautiful blossom". While Kankuro and Tenten's relationship was subdued compared to Lee's and Sakura's, the connection they shared was tangible enough for everyone to notice, though most of them were occupied with their own significant others.

Gaara leaned against a wall off to the side, offering a nod of greeting to Hinata before resuming his relaxed pose. As it turned out, it was only Neji who came up to Hinata while assuming a somewhat tensed and awkward casualness to his walk. Shikamaru and Temari seemed to dance around each other, but with Neji and Hinata, it was more like walking on eggshells or testing the waters before trying to melt into a carefree relationship that did not exist anymore.

Outsiders would wonder why there was so much effort being put into keeping up needless pretenses.

Amidst the typical occurrences of the temple family, there was a hidden agenda mixed within, and it originated from Naruto and directed to Hinata.

While Ino chatted to Sakura, Naruto became curious as he glanced over at the dark-haired deity, who occupied herself by exchanging pleasantries with Neji. The blonde's eyes drifted to her neckline, expecting to see a necklace out in the open, but he saw nothing, only perhaps an outline of it beneath her gown, and only because he was looking for it.

"It's the pendant, Naruto. I think only those with demon blood can sense it and get affected by it. Next time you see her, touch her and you'll know what I'm talking about."

Sasuke was his best friend, as much as he hated to admit it, so he had to show his support by investigating his theory. In order to do that, all he had to do was touch her.

Neji was smiling in a small way, his loving gaze directed to his deity. "Did you make up for the sleep you lost?"

"Yes," Hinata smiled back. "For the most part."

He raised a brow. "Who woke you up?"

"Temari…" Her smile became more of a pout at which he chuckled.

Inching closer to her, he moved his mouth next to her ear, laughter still tainting his voice. "The world is out to get you, it would seem."

She blushed at the proximity. "Just when I want to sleep."

"Hey!" Naruto jumped next to them with a huge smile on his face.

Disappointedly, Neji stepped back, while Hinata relaxed with relief before offering Naruto a not-as-exuberant smile.

Ino came over to stand next to Naruto, arms crossed over her chest.

"What, Naruto?" Neji questioned sternly.

"Just sayin' hi."

"Naruto, are you—?"

Understanding her question before she could finish it, he interrupted. "I'm good. How are you?"

"…okay…" She replied, realizing internally that he hadn't filled Ino in on exactly what happened the previous night. It made her wonder if she even knew that he and Sasuke got in a fight.

"Let's go eat." Ino declared, trying to put Naruto into action.

"Yeah! Come on, you guys!" Naruto put his arm back around Ino and his other hand against Hinata's back in a way to push her along.

His hand had only touched her skin for a split second before he released it just as quickly, his wide eyes staring in shock after Hinata who was being led away by Neji. It had burned…a lot, as if he had just stuck his hand into fire itself.

He had sensed it, too. The danger. The warning to stay away from her or he'd get hurt.

Holy shit, Sasuke was right.

But what did that mean? He sensed a demon presence from her—true—but a demon presence on Hinata just didn't make sense. He could see the evidence that Sasuke told him about, but that wasn't enough for Naruto. Sasuke was convinced that Hinata had done or was doing something unforgiveable, but seriously, Hinata? Of all people? That didn't add up whatsoever, no matter what Sasuke said.

"I seriously don't understand them." Ino interrupted his train of thought.

The couple were following behind everyone else, giving them a good point of view to analyze their friends.

"Don't understand who?" Naruto asked.

"Temari and Shikamaru."

"What's not to understand?"

"It's so obvious that they're in love with each other—they know it, we know it, but how do they not know that we know? It's so obvious! Seriously, they should just stop the act since it's not working anymore."

"Tem and the lazy-ass? Really? They like each other?"

Ino laughed. "Duh, where have you been for the past couple years?"

Naruto only shrugged.

Ino continued. "But they're not as bad as Hinata and Neji. Now, that relationship is just a headache."

"Oh," Naruto understood what she meant. "Yeah, because Neji's in love with her but she doesn't have a clue about it."

"No."

"No?"

"I know she knows about his feelings. My theory is that she doesn't love him like that, but she won't say anything 'cause it'll hurt his feelings. But," she paused dramatically before whispering conspiratorially to him. "I think it's also because she might have feelings for somebody else."

Naruto looked shocked and intrigued by the juicy gossip. "How do you know that? Who do you think it is?"

"Dunno. My best guess would be Gaara, but that doesn't seem right. They just seem like friends. After that, I would say Sasuke, but let's face it—she's really just terrified of the guy."

"Huh." Well, why wouldn't she be? He's obviously out to get her with his obsession that she's hiding something.

"Nobody else would make sense since she doesn't really eye anyone the way that Shikamaru and Temari eye each other." She laughed then. "Who knows? For all we know, it could be someone we've never met before."

Naruto narrowed his gaze, feeling inward sympathy for Neji. "Neji wouldn't like that."

Ino snorted. "That ice-cold jerk wouldn't like her being in love with anyone else but him. He tries to act like he's her best friend, too, but she'll never escape his clutches." Another pause and she was glaring at Naruto with a warning. "If you ever get that territorial with me, I will bash your head in, do ya hear?"

Naruto laughed nervously while waving his hands frantically. "Come on, Ino! I would never do that to you."

"Good. Now, let's eat cause I'm hungry."

He laughed naturally that time. "You said it."

Dinner that night had never been more uncomfortable in her entire life, and it was all because of Sasuke Uchiha. For the most part, Hinata didn't even have to look up to know that he was staring, or glaring, at her. Amidst all of the talking and conversation, it seemed that she was the only one to sense his gaze on her. Everyone else seemed completely oblivious, which didn't make her feel any better.

Neji remarked on her behavior by simply asking if she was alright, and Temari did the same. Other than that, she didn't think that anyone noticed why she was so tense, or the fact that she was tense at all.

However, Gaara noticed, and of course, Gaara knew why, though not exactly. He noticed almost right away that Hinata had been acting particularly nervous, and a quick glance to his right showed that it was Sasuke's endless stare that was making her uncomfortable. While Gaara didn't exactly know why Sasuke was glaring at her in such a way, he couldn't help but feel as though it wasn't anything good. He suspected that something might have happened between the two, something Hinata might have done to set the young Uchiha off on a tantrum.

Gaara became even more confused about the situation when he saw that even Naruto was acting suspiciously. While the blonde would occasionally include himself in a conversation, being exuberant as usual, he would also zone out for a moment, his blue eyes glazing over in deep thought. What worried Gaara the most, though, was seeing that his blonde friend would also glance at Hinata at random intervals.

The real question should have been something more along the lines of what exactly happened between the three of them?

Hinata eventually caught his gaze, and while nothing verbal was said between them, the two seemed to have had an entire conversation through their eyes. Gaara saw her being nervous at first before the emotion changed to something more helpless and fatigued, like she wanted to ask for his help and understanding. He tried to express to her at that moment in the way that his eyes narrowed that all she had to do was tell him what she needed, something that she should've already known when it came to their friendship. But then, the emotions in her eyes changed to a feeling of shame, the kind of look that she always adopted when she felt that a certain situation was her fault, her way of saying that she had gotten into trouble again.

At that, Gaara could hardly refrain from rolling his eyes, as if it came as no surprise to him that she would be in trouble yet again. Sometimes, he wondered if he would've been better off not knowing her secret at all, seeing as it only managed to involve him every time she failed to cover her tracks. However, that feeling was always overridden by the fact that it made him feel included, like a friend, whenever she needed him. He liked that part the best—being needed by someone. If that someone happened to be Hinata, he didn't mind in the least. After all, it looked as if she was the one who needed it the most.

He knew that she would eventually approach him with whatever she needed, but he also knew that it would have to be on her own time when she actually mustered up the courage to admit her mistake to him—if it was a mistake, that is.

Either way, he was a patient man; or, at least, he was when it came to that timid creature of a friend that he had. His only worry rested in the way that Sasuke kept looking at said timid creature. It wasn't just a glare that said "I'm watching you", but it was definitely something more obsessive, one that more accurately stated "you won't be able to hide or run from me, because I will catch you…each and every time."

What has she done now?

As per usual, Neji escorted Hinata back to her bedroom after dinner with the obvious intention that it was time to end their rarely given free day. Not to mention, Neji was still adamant about Hinata getting as much rest as possible. While he did not know exactly what it was like, he was always able to notice how much Hinata's goddess-given ability took a toll on her energy, her more so than any of the other deities. An hour of straight healing for her drained as much energy as it would for him if he were to train nonstop for one whole day. He didn't understand why her ability drained so much energy, but it occurred nonetheless.

Another, more important, reason why he enjoyed being the last to see her before she slept was because it gave him the privacy he wanted in order to talk to her in order to ensure for himself that he was still her number one person, though he did have his doubts from time to time, especially recently.

After the whole Sasuke incident, Neji couldn't stop thinking about the childhood friend that she said she had before coming to the temple. All those times in their years of knowing each other, he had always had the feeling that she was keeping a certain distance between them, putting boundaries so he couldn't get too close to her. It always made him wonder why. He sometimes suspected that it might be because she had already given her heart to someone else, which was why he always kept an eye on Gaara, thinking that the redhead was the receiver of her affections.

Then Hinata confessed to Neji about having some childhood friend, who gave her that necklace that she always wore, never taking it off for any reason. She said that she didn't love her friend as anything more than a friend, but he was starting to doubt that the more he thought about it.

Either way, though, what did he have to worry about anymore? She said that she hadn't seen her friend in years, basically stating that he wasn't going to return anytime soon. That meant that Neji still had a chance, but after he had declared his feelings to her, it seemed that she was unintentionally putting even more distance between them, probably due to her confusion on the matter.

It made him wonder if by him giving her somewhat of an ultimatum to reply to his feelings as soon as possible that he might have been pushing her a little too hard, pressing her too much. Would he end up losing her forever that way?

By constantly pushing her for an answer, was he unintentionally pushing her away?

He would rather remain friends with her with no hope of it turning into anything more if it meant that he would never lose her.

At the rate he was going, how much longer before she would leave him completely and turn her back on him?

For years, he had always hoped that their relationship would gradually evolve from friendship into love—that was always his plan. But, he had become impatient, and now he could possibly be ruining the very relationship that he treasured most of all.

He had to put an end to his irrationality.

"Um, goodnight, Neji."

Her departing words awoke him from his deep thoughts, making him realize that they had already arrived at her bedroom door. He watched as she smiled at him and began to enter her room, her hand wrapped around the doorknob.

In slight panic, he reached out to grasp onto her wrist, halting her in place. "Hinata, wait."

She faced him, her smile replaced with surprise and concern. "What is it, Neji?"

His expression morphed into nothing more than seriousness. "I need to talk to you."

Her eyes widened in worry and slight fear, thinking that he was going to demand an answer from her now, an answer that she didn't have yet, or at least, an answer that she wasn't ready to give. "I-I don't know, Neji. Now's not a good time, since it's late, and—"

"It's important." He stated simply before following her into her bedroom and closing the door behind him to allow for privacy.

It was dark in her bedroom, the torches not being lit and only certain beams of moonlight shining through. She stood before him, her fingers wringing together in front of her stomach as she stared at him beneath her lashes in a nervous nature.

Brows furrowed, Neji stood directly in front of her, hands at his sides, and gaze focused intently on her anxious form. For what felt like awhile, neither spoke and only tense silence reigned supreme.

Neji finally broke the silence, and only after many failed attempts at trying to start the conversation. It wasn't until his eyes hardened with determination and a sigh escaped his lips that he finally released anything verbal. "Hinata…" He waited until she met his gaze before continuing. "I don't…" he trailed off, trying to figure out the best way to word it. "You don't have to feel pressured to answer me anymore…about what your feelings for me are…"

Her eyes were slightly widened as she stared at Neji with obvious surprise, since she certainly wasn't expecting to hear that from him.

He glanced away with a frown. "I realize that I was pressuring you to give me an answer, and in doing so, I was making it harder on you…and causing unwanted tension in our relationship. So…I'm not going to expect an answer from you anymore." He shrugged. "I figure that if you ever do return my feelings, you'd let me know. And if you don't…"

A crease formed between her brows as she gazed at him in sympathy with the pain that he must be feeling. "Neji…" She whispered, stepping closer to him.

He turned back to her before finding the floor more interesting to look at. "If you don't return my feelings, then that's fine. No matter what, I don't want to end up losing our friendship, which…is more important to me."

It was at that moment that Hinata realized that either way, she was going to end up hurting her beloved guardian. Whether she answered him or not, he would end up getting hurt, unless she were to tell him that she did return his feelings, but she knew that it was impossible. She knew in the deepest recesses of her heart that she would never be able to love Neji the way that he wanted her to. She wanted to make him happy, but the price was too high for the both of them.

If Temari was there, then the older blonde would reprimand Hinata and tell her to tell Neji the truth and stop prolonging the inevitable, because it would only hurt Neji even more. Temari always seemed to be right about these things, and at the moment, Hinata hated that, but she had to listen.

Mustering up whatever courage she possessed, Hinata approached Neji and didn't stop until she was barely an inch away from him. Without hesitation, she slowly moved to grasp onto both of his hands, alerting his attention to her. "Can I be honest with you?"

He looked at her, already feeling trepidation for what he knew was coming, which was why he smiled slightly and gazed upon her with tender care. "Have I ever made you think that you couldn't?"

She didn't smile at that; in fact, it only seemed to depress her more. "I want to see you happy…but…"

Seeing her struggle, Neji sighed while repressing the urge to chuckle at her antics. "Just say it, Hinata."

"I love you, Neji." She watched as he looked at her with something akin to pleasant surprise. "I always have and I always will…" She paused to gulp. "But…I don't think that I can ever be in love with you."

It definitely hurt to hear that—he knew it would, but it was also somewhat of a relief to hear her finally give him an answer.

Panicking at seeing his expression mimic rejection, she moved even closer and rested one palm against his cheek. "You will always be one of my very best friends. I trust you with my life, and my greatest wish is for you to find happiness one day." She bit her lip, feeling her eyes moisten. "I can't give you the happiness that you deserve…I'm so sorry."

"Hey," Neji released his hand from her grip to wipe away at the tears that began to trek down her cheeks. "Don't do that." He ended up releasing a breathy laugh at seeing her cry in a situation where, if anything, he should be the one crying. He was the one getting rejected, after all. But, go figure that Hinata would cry over someone else's pain, and the fact that she believed that she was the one who caused it. "You're such a baby. You cry more than anyone I've ever known."

"I'm sorry," she sniffled, feeling just as confused as to why she was getting so emotional.

"If this is your way of trying to let me down easy…well, it's kind of working." He smirked at seeing her smile through her tears, her way of showing that she appreciated his humor. Even so, he continued to clear away the tearstains that marred the skin he loved so much.

"You're not mad at me?" she whimpered, keeping her eyes sheltered from his gaze.

"No," he answered honestly. After all, he was kind of expecting to hear that answer from her anyway, despite all his hopes. "However, I have to ask…"

She looked up expectantly.

"Why are you crying?" he was smiling with humor.

She laughed softly, her tears no longer forthcoming. "I hurt you, because I couldn't give you the right answer."

He shook his head, his wintry eyes dancing with hidden laughter, and he did this while pulling her against him, wrapping his arms around her in an embrace. His chin settled on top of her head, relishing in the feel of her arms coming to wrap around him as well. "You're always so sensitive."

"I know." She buried her face into his chest, her hands clenching loosely onto his shirt.

Neji decided then and there that if she was going to want to remain just friends, then he would not hesitate in doing so. However, that didn't mean that he wasn't going to still try to get her to one day reciprocate his feelings. One day…

During the night when it seemed that all had gone to sleep, a figure silently appeared on Hinata's balcony. He lay crouched on the railing, searching the room distractedly before settling his gaze on the obvious form of the sleeping Hinata, who was perfectly concealed by her bed covers.

Still remaining silent, he lowered his feet to the floor and began to stalk toward the bedside with predatory instinct. His plan for being there was simple. He simply wanted to talk to her, and only apply force if necessary.

By the goddess, he needed answers, and something pulled at him, telling him that she had those answers. Why her, he still had no idea, but he wouldn't stop persisting until she gave him the information that he knew she had.

He crept closer to the bedside, his eyes staying focused on her still form and the slight movements that her torso made from breathing.

He suddenly stopped, however, at sensing that he wasn't alone in this room, besides Hinata's presence, of course. Straightening his body to a supreme calmness, he waited for the other person to make themselves known.

The "other person" did just that as he moved from his position in the shadows to stand with the moonlight illuminating his wild red hair and voluminous aquamarine eyes, which held a threatening intensity. "What are you doing in here, Uchiha." Gaara's gravelly voice muttered with a warning laced within.

Smirking, Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and raised a brow at the other half-demon. "I could ask the same of you." He paused abruptly, glancing over at the sleeping deity, smirk gone.

As if being able to read his thoughts, Gaara answered the unasked question. "You don't have to whisper. She's a heavy sleeper, so I doubt that she would be able to hear us unless we were shouting."

"Hn," Sasuke narrowed his eyes contemptuously at the redhead. "Spend a lot of time in here, do you?"

Gaara seemed calm and unruffled by the Uchiha's remarks. "Only when there's an intruder."

Even though the two men remained silent for that moment, merely staring at each other, it wouldn't be hard to miss the way that their eyes seemed to assess each other, sizing up the threat and opponent.

Finally, Sasuke visibly relaxed into his usual arrogant stance. Another smug smirk graced his lips as he stared at the redhead with black, abysmal eyes. "Let me guess. Neji is her daytime guardian and you must be her nighttime guardian. That doesn't sound too interesting, unless you get some type of perverse pleasure at watching her sleep."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Even if that were true," he began slowly. "That doesn't explain why you're here."

It was Sasuke's turn to narrow his eyes in challenge. "I need to speak with her. Alone. But every time I try, one of her guardians always finds a way to interrupt." His words and tone were clipped with an edge, making his words sound tainted with disgust.

"I suspect that's because she has nothing to profit by your conversation." Gaara paused, taking pleasure in the hardened scowl that became Sasuke's expression. "Though I am curious as to what business you have with her."

"I'm surprised you haven't already figured it out." With that, Sasuke turned on his heel and departed for the balcony. When he was once again crouched on the railing, he paused to give a side-glance to Gaara. "You won't always be there to protect her, and when that time comes…" Sasuke trailed off with a smirk before leaving the bedroom entirely.

Gaara simply glared after him, while his sand began to stream from the bed, underneath the sheets and covers before touching to the floor and returning to its master. Gradually, Hinata's bed returned to being empty, the sand having been a façade of the person that was supposed to be occupying the bed but wasn't.

Gaara had acted quickly upon sensing that someone was intending to enter Hinata's room, and the last thing she needed was that someone to discover that she wasn't actually there. It was Gaara's intention to safeguard her room until she returned, and on this night, that meant that he had to make Sasuke believe that Hinata was nowhere else but sleeping peacefully in her bed.

And Gaara wasn't a fool. He had questioned himself earlier as to why Sasuke had been following Hinata so intensely, but now he had a fairly good idea as to the reason behind it all.

If Gaara's suspicions were correct, then Sasuke either knew or highly suspected that Hinata had some connection with his murderous brother. If that was the case, then…Hinata could be in more trouble than he first thought.

Glancing back at the bed, he recalled to himself that Hinata had actually left about an hour ago, which meant that in another few hours, she would be returning. He would let her rest, of course, but first thing in the morning or whenever he had the chance, he would talk to her about the Sasuke issue, reminding himself to bring up Naruto as well.

Until then and even afterwards, he would have to keep an eye on her, since her guardian probably didn't have a clue, and he really didn't want Sasuke to get anywhere with Hinata, no matter how harmless the conversation might be.

He released a string of curses into the night air, realizing that the further involvement he had in Hinata's life, the more trouble it meant for him as her confidant and friend.

It's getting worse.

Training with Itachi was relentless as always, she trying her hardest to improve and please him, and he persisting to push her beyond her limits. While outwardly the same, this night's training was different on a more internal level.

For starters, Hinata had been plagued by so many issues concerning Itachi, not including her own emotional feelings regarding him that she had yet to sort through.

Itachi, for his part, seemed calm and composed as always, but the slight edge to his tone and the way his eyes would glint with some unnamable emotion when directed at her was all it took for him to feel anything but calm and composed.

It seemed that they were both fighting against some type of confounding wall in their relationship, trying to break it down and yet afraid to at the same time. Confounding, indeed.

After her encounter with Sasuke, she suddenly had so many questions for Itachi, but she feared asking him since she knew that he probably wouldn't answer. That thought made her angry in a way. She sympathized and tried to understand that it wasn't her business and it might be a sensitive subject for him, but at the same time, she reminded herself that she had told him many personal things about her that were sensitive subjects. Even when she had been reluctant to tell him anything, he had always pushed her into telling him eventually. Why couldn't she do the same?

In that case, the only reason she could think of as to why he wouldn't tell her anything was because he didn't trust her with the information. He didn't trust her.

While she could understand that because they were in fact supposed to be enemies, it also hurt because she cared for him greatly, and assumed that the feelings were mutual.

Maybe she was wrong about that, and the thought only hurt more.

Despite all the urges and emotions that Itachi felt in regards to Hinata, he had to remind himself, first and foremost, that he still needed to discuss something with her. He had questions that needed answering.

His palm flew up to block one of her punches, his other hand moving just as fast to push away a kick. Their sparring continued on, neither one of them really paying much attention to it. Itachi's eyes were narrowed, as were Hinata's, except hers were done so with determination.

When another punch flew at him, instead of blocking, he grasped onto her wrist and held it, his other hand moving to redirect her second hit. "Explain to me what happened last night."

Hinata was momentarily derailed by his sudden question, especially since they hadn't spoken much since he picked her up from her room that night. In fact, all that had been said were a few pleasantries from her and training orders from him. It seemed that as soon as they had reached the meadow, Itachi didn't let her talk and only told her to begin training. Even during their training, he hadn't said a word, not even a reprimand for her mistakes.

Every time that she messed up, he didn't remark and only waited for her to continue, which she did. It seemed strange to her, but she didn't comment, only assuming that he had other things on his mind. She inwardly hoped that his deep thinking had nothing to do with her; she rather hoped that his thoughts were focused on his race's activities.

Normally, if she thought that he had been thinking about her, it usually sent an excited wave of fluttering throughout her stomach. However, seeing that his expression of deep thought didn't look the least bit pleasant—in fact, it looked as though he were frustrated or angry—it really did make her hope that it wasn't about her.

No matter the circumstances, the thought of Itachi being displeased with her always sent a chill down her spine, because it always led to the thought that someday soon, he would leave her for good, as soon as he realized that she wasn't good enough for him—err…his attention and time. Yes, his attention and time.

She repressed a sigh, inwardly wondering where her headache was. With all the emotional and mental stress that she had been going through (in just the past day, no less), she expected to have some type of headache, much like the ones that Gaara would get from time to time. However, there was no headache, just utter and complete exhaustion, along with the temptation to just sleep through the next five or ten years.

She loved Itachi. She loved being around him—so much so, that at the most basic part of her core, she knew that she would sacrifice everything for him. If he asked it of her, she would do anything. She may hesitate or it may hurt her in the end, but she couldn't deny her devotion to this demon. That, more than anything, scared her.

For a little more than ten years, they knew each other, with ten of those years being apart from each other, but somehow…it made her feel closer to him, even though at times, he seemed different than she remembered. Either way, somewhere along the way of their relationship, he had become her entire world.

It was terrifying. He made her feel so many things, and vulnerable was definitely one those things. She knew that whenever he wanted, he could crush her, and it would be too easy, and she didn't mean that in the literal sense.

She couldn't understand what was wrong with her.

Itachi watched with a small measure of patience as she seemed to ignore his question and drift into her own trail of thoughts. The emotions that transferred from the pendant to him were vast and quick-moving, skipping from one end of the spectrum to the other in a matter of seconds. What disconcerted him, however, was that the main emotion she felt was somewhat new to him, so he couldn't quite identify it, but it was the identifiable emotion that troubled him.

It was trepidation and anxiety and a deep-rooted fear all mixed in one—a combination that seemed out of place on her usual cheerful demeanor. He could only guess at the reasoning, and the one he ended up sticking to was the answer that she was supposed to give him.

At some point, her finger came up to curl against her lip as her gaze drifted away in an unfocused manner. With her lips slightly parted, she proved to be quite adorable to gaze upon. For Itachi, however, as soon as his eyes fell to her lips, his eyes glazed over and became half-lidded. She would occasionally bite onto her lower lip, obviously not realizing the effect that it served on her demon companion.

In fact, he could feel his muscles tense at the sight and heat rush through his body, along with a familiar urge pounding in his blood.

Night by night, it was becoming harder to ignore his bodily reactions to her. There were certain moments like this where his brain seemed to shut down, and all that would run through his mind were not-so-innocent images of her that teased him into wanting to corrupt her in the most pleasurable way he could…and would, if given the chance.

After all, she was an arousing sight to behold, and damn it, she didn't even know it.

He supposed that it was too late to deny how much he wanted her…how much he wanted to claim her as his own.

All that kept him in check were the memories of her as an innocent little girl…the days when she wasn't so temptingly voluptuous and entirely corruptible. Goddess, how he wished that she had stayed a little girl. Why did she have to mature and distort their once friendly and innocent relationship?

It took almost every effort on his part to put himself back in control and force his mind back into the present to the question he had asked her. He closed his eyes, gulped unnoticeably, and breathed deeply—a simple way to bury his urges and desires.

Seeing that she was still in her own little world of thoughts and concerns, he lithely moved forward, and much against his better judgment, his fingers reached forward to grasp her chin delicately, alerting her attention back to him. "Hinata," Was it just him, or did his voice sound husky?

Her eyes brightened as she returned to the present, and widened upon looking at him, and realizing that she had drifted off. "Itachi, I…" she paused seeing his eyes glint with heated intensity.

He hated how his body tensed with yearning just at hearing her say his name.

"I'm sorry, I, um…What was it that you asked me again?"

Still struggling to keep his irritating desires at bay, he kept trying to focus on the conversation at hand, and speaking of hand, he still hadn't moved his from under her chin. He wasn't going to yet, either. "Tell me what happened to you last night." Seeing her confusion, he elaborated, his voice carrying an unusual sensual lilt. "You were in danger."

"Oh…" she murmured in recollection. "Um, well…" she gulped and licked her lips, noticing that his eyes followed the movement and it made her stomach flip with inexperienced excitement. "One of the half-demons at the temple lost control, and…" I can't think when he's staring at me like that. "I accidentally got involved to where, um…he noticed me and tried to attack me, but…I was saved and I wasn't injured."

When he spoke, his voice seemed distant, even to his own ears. "Your protector actually did his job."

"Not my guardian…it was Sasuke who saved me."

Suddenly, Itachi's face turned cold in expression as the previous intense heat disappeared from his blood-red eyes. His hand also returned to his side with stiff formality.

Seeing this, Hinata stopped with confusion at his sudden distance, and mentally backtracked to what she had just said, realizing that she had mentioned his half-brother's name, which was proving to be very taboo in Itachi's presence. An apology was ready and waiting on her lips, but was never released since she really had nothing to apologize for.

"Tell me the reason why you felt fear the second time. It was early this morning." He continued his questioning as if the previous occurrence never happened.

She hesitated, feeling dejected at his sudden closed-off expression. Before she answered, she tried to mimic his cool reserve, or whatever it took to slow her thudding heartbeat. "That…That was because of Sasuke…" she murmured quietly, glancing away since she was afraid to see his reaction. If she knew anything at all about her demon friend, she knew that he would not take kindly to the next explanation.

He felt a sense of shame radiating from the pendant, which was not a good sign for what was to come, as if her saying Sasuke's name wasn't bad enough. He tried to keep the threatening venom out of his words, but it still leaked through. "What did he do?"

Seeing the promise of pain in his eyes, she spoke quickly with panic. "He didn't hurt me." She paused, relaxing at seeing the threat in his eyes disappear with relief. "He just…Well," this was the part she was dreading the most. "He saw this." She motioned to the necklace, holding the pendant with her thumb and forefinger.

"And?" he pressed.

"I think he recognized it as being yours, because…he asked me about you, if I knew where you were, telling me that you were dangerous, and…"

He saw her gaze move downward in contemplation, which made her completely miss the way his eyes glittered with vengeance and his hands fist at his sides. What she said next, however, made him pause in his plan to terminate his brother.

"He said that you killed his family and destroyed his village, his home. He was only a child." Her brows lowered, creating a delicate crease between them. "Is that true?"

"Yes," he didn't hesitate in his reply, feeling no need to be ashamed of what he was. "I killed his mother and our father and then burned his village to the ground. My half-brother is fortunate to have been spared."

She shook her head mutely. Despite that she knew that he was a demon and it was in his nature to kill and destroy, it still bothered her to think that her beloved demon friend would do such a thing, and to his own relations no less. "Why did you do it?"

And just like that, his guard was up…same as the last time. "Get back in your position. We'll start your training from the beginning."

Hinata felt irritated and…angry. It made her stay unmovable. Quietly, she murmured. "How is it that you can know everything about me, but you only allow me to know certain things about you?" Seeing that he just stared at her, she continued. "Is it because you don't want to talk about it, or because you don't trust me enough to tell me?"

He could easily see and sense the sincerity and honest inquiry in her question, the way that she was obviously misunderstanding his reasons. She was slightly angry with him, too, which both surprised and amused him to no end. He was tempted to smirk or laugh, but did neither, knowing that it would probably only make matters worse. Then again…he did wonder what she was like when really angry, possibly furious. What an arousing thought. A tempting one, too.

At his prolonged silence, Hinata felt even more irritation boil inside of her. She didn't get angry often, but recently, it was becoming easier to do so, and she assumed that it was because of her lack of sleep and the endless stress. Whatever the case, she felt it, and she didn't have the slightest bit of experience in knowing how to deal with it or control it. Despite all that, her tone of voice still remained soft. "Do you trust me, Itachi?"

With clear amusement, he replied. "Not in the least."

She frowned, though it came out looking like a pout. Then, her expression cooled into a frosty calm. "I see." She turned around, masking her inner hurt, and began to slowly trudge toward the part of the forest that would lead her back to the Konoha wall.

His amusement died a quick death at seeing her unexpected coldness. "Where are you going?"

"It's late. I should probably go home now."

Considering she had only been out there with him for barely two hours, her statement obviously made him bristle with equal irritation.

One step into the dense forestry was as far as she managed to go before he appeared in front of her, his expression showing his dislike of her idea of leaving so soon. Of all the things he could've said to her at that moment, all that came out was a statement that they both knew to be true. "You were being serious."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. Of course she was being serious! Did he think she was joking? She didn't think he even knew what a joke was, much less expect one from her! "I was." She replied, her frowning pout returning full force.

For one strange second, he was highly tempted to either laugh or pull her against him and— "The past that I have with that half-demon brother of mine is not something that I like to discuss with anyone."

Gradually, her gaze softened with a twinge of shame at her behavior. "I'm sorry," Feeling chastised, she continued in a more muted tone. "It really wasn't my business to ask, so I shouldn't have…demanded an answer…" her head lowered in embarrassment. "It was stupid of me…"

It was silent as she waited for some type of response, and when one still wasn't forthcoming, she dared to look up at him and was pleasantly surprised to finally take notice of the gentle amusement in his eyes, which was made more prominent by his barely noticeable smirk. Seeing it made her smile softly at him, while her heart swelled with comfortable happiness.

Watching with careful focus, he saw her slowly come closer to him until her arms wrapped around him, her hands at his back, their bodies touching, and her cheek pressed against his chest, her smile remaining on her mouth.

She wanted to tell him that she loved him, like she did as a child, but chose to remain silent and enjoy the embrace instead, since it happened so rarely.

At the same time, one of his hands fell to rest against her back, feeling the contours beneath her gown, the touch urging him to feel more of her. "Do you still wish to return to the temple?" he refused to call it her home.

When he felt her head shake as a response, he couldn't help feeling pleased about it, knowing that she preferred to stay with him instead.

That brought to mind his continual thoughts of having her stay with him permanently, and it made him wonder if she would. Staying with him for longer periods of time at night was one thing, but would she actually be willing to leave her home entirely?

"You don't have to return if you don't wish for it." He murmured quietly.

Furrowing her brows, she looked up at him questioningly. "I don't wish for that."

As if debating how to next word his response, he hesitated before speaking again. "I can give you the opportunity to never have to return to the temple, or your village for that matter. The next time I leave, you don't have to stay behind."

"You would let me come with you?" It made her feel giddy at seeing his nod, knowing that he was offering her the chance to stay with him forever. At the same time, however, she knew that it would mean that she would never be able to return to her home, to her temple family. But then, something else occurred to her. He said the next he left, which meant that…he was going to leave again? "You're going to leave?"

"I will have to, yes."

"Another campaign?"

"No," he paused. "I will have to relocate now that the humans are scouting the area. I can't stay in this place for long without them discovering my presence, or the fact that more of their comrades are disappearing because of me. It'll raise suspicion if I stay too long."

She understood. She really did. But, that didn't detract from the terrible feeling she had of him leaving her once again. She didn't want to be left behind…not again. "I would like very much to go with you, but…" she glanced away, her arms still remaining around him in an embrace. "I don't know if I could live without seeing my friends ever again."

And there was the problem, the same one that he knew would be there when he asked. "My leaving is inevitable, so at some point, you will have to make the choice to stay or leave with me."

Gaara was right. One day, she would have to make a choice between the two worlds that she loved. But how could she possibly make that kind of choice? It wasn't as simple as choosing between the human world and the demon world. The real choice was choosing between her temple family and the demon friend that she had loved for most of her life. At this point, she didn't think she could live without either. As selfish as it sounded, she wanted both.

Seeing her painful indecision, he decided to give her a temporary reprieve. "It is not something that should be decided now. I don't have to leave for awhile, so you have time to think about your decision." He saw her nod solemnly before he grasped onto her chin again, redirecting her gaze to his face. "Until then, we will continue your training."

That made her smile in relief. "I would like that."

He didn't nod or make a reply to that. Instead, his eyes focused more on the feel of her skin against his. His thumb had found its way to caressing her jawline, while his other fingers tasted the delicate skin on her throat. The desire-filled urges came back with a vengeance, knowing that he internally wanted to feel her skin in more ways than one.

"Itachi…" Hinata whispered, his touches making her heart race with need, and her eyes glaze over. Please… Whether he would or not, she couldn't ignore how much she wanted him to at least kiss her. She never wanted that from Neji, but from Itachi…? She definitely wanted that.

Itachi refused to move, despite how much he wanted to, and how much he felt he needed to. It was so incredibly difficult, though. He thought killing his father had been difficult—this was so much worse.

It would be so easy to take and claim her, but he had to fight against it. The slightest error on his part could potentially ruin what they had been building together for ten years. She would not mind it, of course, when it was happening. But afterward, she could very well come to hate him or resent him for taking advantage of her. As a demon, he shouldn't have cared, but he did, because it wasn't just any human—it was her, and that changed everything.

With more willpower than he thought he possessed, he removed his hand from her jaw, and made her release her arms from around him. Distance was what they needed. Of course, when they were no longer touching, he didn't miss the surprise in her face and the way it morphed into a type of lost expression, as if she didn't know where she was. There was obvious disappointment there, too, which made him feel a twinge of pride at knowing that she wanted him almost nearly as much as he wanted her.

What a predicament. Perhaps he should've never returned to her. At least then, his brain wouldn't be shutting down so often.

With that, he grunted before telling her to continue training since they didn't have much time left before she would have to return.

Not knowing what else to say, Hinata obeyed and they continued the training.

Meanwhile, Itachi had to remind himself to not touch her more than he needed to, and Hinata had to stop thinking about what could've happened just a moment ago, and how much she wished that it did happen.

It was going to be hell from this point forward, and they both knew it.

I kind of had this whole chapter planned out, but for some reason, it took a different turn since I pretty much let the characters plan it for me. It's fine by me, of course. They have better ideas than I do.

Anyway, I apologize for the very late update. I'm seriously writing every chance I get, but those chances do not come as often as I would like (unfortunately).

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you have time, leave me some love :)

Another huge thanks to my reviewers! Love you guys!

See ya next chapter!

-Tranquilwriter