Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Special Thanks: goes out to DivineGlory, Tamani, revelatum, mangetsu no hime, mimimi, Danish78, Sachiko Heiwajima, FireGladiator, SahelTheWaltzingDinosaur, Melanieciel, NeverInUrWildestDreams, War Flower, Break Blade, rao hyuga 18, and Serenity Moonstone for all your lovely reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and follows lists!

Author's Note: This chapter was very - interesting to write, for several reasons. And we're only a couple of chapters away from the start of the New York trip. So exciting! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for reading!


*~Chapter XXIX~*

~Dynamite~


Hinata kept singing quietly to herself in an effort to keep from chickening out of going to see her father. She packed the Hyuuga heirlooms into her car, then got behind the wheel and turned it towards her childhood home, perched on a hill on the opposite side of town from Sasuke's.

The guard buzzed her through at the front gate, and Hinata parked behind the limo. Mirroring the last time she'd come to the estate, Kakashi was busy washing it. He looked up, saw her, and waved.

"It's been a while," Kakashi said dryly as he opened the door. He held it open while she climbed out, then closed it behind her after she stepped out of the way. "You came to see me, didn't you?" He winked his good eye.

"While I'm always happy to see you, Kakashi, I'm afraid I came to talk to my father." Hinata motioned to the back seat of her car, where the two boxes with the heirlooms sat - buckled in, of course. "And I brought these back."

"Here, let me help you carry those in." Kakashi picked up the bigger of the two, and they ascended the steps. The butler opened the door for them, and Hinata set her box next to Kakashi's next to the staircase. "One of the servants will take them back up to the attic," he told her. "Promise you'll stop by to see me before you leave?"

Hinata looked around surreptitiously, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed the chauffeur on the cheek. "Of course," she agreed warmly. As Kakashi headed back outside, she added in a mutter, "That is, of course, if there's anything left of me when I'm done."

As expected, Hinata found her father in his home office on the second floor. She poked her head through the open door while simultaneously knocking on the doorframe, still fighting the urge to turn tail and run while she still could.

Hiashi looked up, caught sight of his elder daughter, and motioned her in. "What do you need?" he asked. Apparently he didn't think Hinata would come just to see him. (He was right, but that was beside the point.)

"I brought back the heirlooms." Hinata fully entered the room and sat down in one of the two chairs across the desk from her father's.

"Excellent." Hiashi leaned back in his chair and swiveled away from his computer just as the screen saver came on. "Was there anything else?"

"I'm going to New York." She blurted out the words without thinking, then had to sit on her hands to keep from clapping one of them over her traitorous mouth.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed. "New York? Why?"

Hinata swallowed hard. "Vacation," she said. "I haven't had one since back around Christmas and New Year's. I figured it was about time for one." Which was the truth, just not the whole one.

"You're not going by yourself." It wasn't a question.

"No, I'm not," Hinata admitted.

Eyebrows lowering thunderously, Hiashi stated, "You're not taking your sister."

"No, I'm not." Hinata cleared her throat and smiled thinly. "That's part of the reason why I wanted to talk to you. Hanabi can't stay by herself in the condo while I'm gone. So I wanted to talk to you about letting her move back in here for a couple of weeks."

"A couple of weeks?" Hiashi leaned back in his chair and picked up a pen, which he idly tapped against the top of his desk. "I'm glad to hear you're finally using some of the money I gave you. While I admire your not going out and spending it all in one place, you know I haven't liked the fact you've been disinclined to touch it, let alone spend it."

Hinata rolled her lips together and sucked in a deep breath through her nose. "Well," she hedged, "I'm not really touching that money, even now." She might have to, of course, for some reason or another during the trip. But she was hoping her own savings would be enough.

Hiashi's eyebrows slammed down again. "How are you going, then?" he demanded.

"The person I'm going with is paying for most of the trip." Hinata wasn't deliberately trying to be difficult by avoiding Sasuke's name; she just had a deeply-rooted sense of self-preservation.

"None of your friends have that much money." Hiashi's eyes narrowed. "Who is this person?"

Staring down at her hands, clasped so tightly in her lap her knuckles glowed white, she whispered, "Uchiha Sasuke." She hurried to explain. "You see, his movie premieres in New York next month, and he invited me to come along with him. I've never been to New York, and always thought it would be fun to attend a red carpet premiere, so-"

"You are not going to New York not only with a man you're not married to, but especially not with Uchiha Sasuke!" Hiashi roared the words so loudly Hinata feared the object of his ire could hear him clear across town.

"Just because he's a thriller author-" Hinata began.

"That is not why I'm opposed to him," Hiashi informed her icily. "Though, now that you mention it, I am surprised you would socialize with such a disreputable excuse for a writer."

Did I sound like that when I first met Sasuke? Hinata certainly hoped not. "He's not a disreputable excuse for a writer. His work is actually quite thought-provoking and deeply intelligent."

"You've read his books?" Hiashi's face was so brightly red, Hinata feared he was only a few seconds away from a heart attack, or a stroke.

"No," Hinata said honestly. "But I've seen one of his movies, and I saw nothing in it to support such a harsh assessment of him or his material."

"Whether his books are mind-numbing drivel or not isn't the point." Hiashi angrily hammered the tip of his pen against the desktop so hard and fast Hinata was halfway afraid he'd drill right through it. "The point is, his mother is the reason yours is dead!" He punctuated his shocking declaration by slamming his fist down on the satiny finished wood.

Hinata felt the blood drain from her face. Gripping the edges of her seat to ground herself, she whispered, "What?"

Hiashi threw down his pen with a derisive snort. "I see he's never told you," he said scornfully. "You see, his mother and yours were friends. They tried to keep it a secret from us - her husband and me - but we knew. They liked to sneak around to meet each other for lunch or tea, and talk about our ancestors and our Japanese heritage. I knew socializing with those Uchiha would be trouble, but she wouldn't listen to me!" His voice had risen nearly to a shout.

Swallowing hard, Hinata shook her head. "I don't-"

"Believe me?" Hiashi's voice cut across hers like a knife. "Whether you do or not, it's the truth. Who do you think your mother was meeting across town for lunch the day of the tornado? Of all her friends, that Uchiha woman was the only one who didn't have a job, thus could meet her in the middle of the day. She knew I disapproved, but she didn't listen!"

"They couldn't have known there would be a-a tornado," Hinata protested softly. Even as she voiced the denial, her mind spun. Did Sasuke know about this? And if he did, why didn't he tell me? Surely he would have - if he'd known. "The storm spun up so fast, it surprised even meteorologists."

"A tornado, a car accident, it all ended in the same result! That Uchiha woman might as well have picked up a knife and stabbed your mother herself!" Hiashi pounded the surface of his desk again. "Those dogs took your mother away from me, and I won't let them take you, too!"

Hinata knew her father could feel strongly about certain subjects, but she'd never seen this side of him before. He was so angry, she could see the veins standing out in his forehead and neck; his face glowed florid red; and his nearly white eyes bulged alarmingly. In that moment, she could almost believe his claims herself, he was so passionate about it.

But she'd spent time with Sasuke. She'd met his brother, and she'd heard stories about Uchiha Mikoto. She could hardly believe the same sweet woman who pulled her younger son out of public school to educate him at home to keep him from being bullied would deliberately put someone else in danger. "It was an accident," she whispered past her tight throat. She still missed her mother, so much it stole her breath sometimes, but she knew it wasn't Sasuke's mother's fault she'd died. Or Sasuke's, or his brother's, or even his father's.

"Your mother's dead, and you're willingly running off with the man whose mother was responsible?" Hiashi stared at her with obvious shock, betrayal - anger. "You are my daughter, Hinata, and I forbid-"

Hinata shot to her feet. "I am twenty-seven years old!" She trembled at the sudden fury pulsing through her, fueling her ability to stand up against her father, and stand up for herself and Sasuke. "I am of age, and have been for several years. I can make my own decisions, my own friends, and decide who is worthy of my time and who is not. I have met Sasuke, and spent time with him. I cannot believe he would ever hurt me - or that anyone related to him could have hurt my mother. I love you, Father, but I am an adult, and my own person. I'm sorry if my decision hurts you, but I am going to New York with Sasuke." A tremulous smile touched her lips. "As a matter of fact, knowing his mother and mine were friends makes me feel even closer to him." Turning, she stalked toward the door.

Behind her, she heard her father leap to his feet. "Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you, Hyuuga Hinata!"

Stopping in the doorway, she turned and met his eyes. "I love you, Father, but I won't stand here quietly and listen while you malign a good man."

Hiashi's face went from red to purple. "You would choose him over your own family?"

Clenching her trembling hands into fists and hoping her father wouldn't notice her shaking, Hinata lifted her head and shook it once, twice, very slowly and decisively. "I am not choosing him over my family," she said. "That is not the only option, Father. I want to choose both. But if you cut me off and disown me as you did Neji..." She trailed off and turned her face away. "At least I know I did the right thing by not speaking ill of a good and gentle man."

Hiashi said nothing. Knowing this was her answer, she turned away and shut the office door behind her quietly. She would leave her father alone to think, and hope to goodness he would listen to what she said - and heed it.

It was time to find out what she really meant to her cold, calculating father.


Sasuke parked his car at the curb behind Hinata's purple four-door in front of Neji and Tenten's attractive, modest two-story house on Saturday night. As he pulled his keys out of the ignition, the driver's door on Hinata's car opened and she stepped out. Smiling, she came toward him, her long hair flying free around her shoulders, long colorful skirt swirling about her ankles. She looked like a fae creature out of Sasuke's favorite fantasy series.

"Hello," she greeted him as he got out of his own car. "I'm glad to see you found the place all right."

"Have you been waiting long?" Sasuke pocketed his keys and battled back the urge to kiss her (on the cheek, of course, just in case eyes were watching from inside the house). Instead, he reached out to take one of her hands in his, feeling an intense pleasure at the way their fingers naturally nested together.

"No. I just got here a minute ago, and decided to wait for you so we could go in together." Hinata led the way up the cobblestone walk to the front porch. She took an extra half-step forward to ring the doorbell, then stepped back even with Sasuke to wait.

It only took a few seconds for the door to open. A woman - presumably Hinata's cousin-in-law Tenten - looked from Hinata to Sasuke with warm brown eyes. She had her hair, just a few shades darker, pulled up in twin buns which vaguely reminded Sasuke of a panda's ears, and wore lounge pants and a Mandarin style top with embroidered gold dragons which echoed the style of the wind chimes lining the front porch. "Hello!" Grinning widely, Tenten stepped back and motioned for the pair on the porch to come inside. "Come in, come in, please! Make yourselves at home."

Sasuke followed Hinata into the cozy foyer, with subtly gleaming hardwood floors, its walls painted a sophisticated cream color. A small faux crystal chandelier cast warm golden light on the pictures lining the walls, mostly of Tenten and a man whom Sasuke presumed to be Neji with each other, with some photos of Hinata and a younger girl interspersed here and there.

"Tenten, this is Sasuke," Hinata said in introduction, her hand in his drawing him back to the conversation at hand. "Sasuke, this is Tenten, my best friend and cousin-in-law."

"Pleasure to meet you." Sasuke shook the woman's strong, firm hand, relaxing in the face of her friendly smile and shining eyes. "I've heard quite a bit about you from Hinata."

"All good things, I hope." Tenten turned and motioned for them to follow her down a short hall and through a doorway into the sitting room. As soon as he stepped inside, Sasuke felt his eyebrows lift sharply. Weapons - all sharp and pointy, of varying styles and size - hung on the walls, sat on tables and the mantle in display cases. Several star-shaped shuriken had been arranged in a clever star pattern behind framed glass, holding pride of place between the picture windows on the wall opposite the door.

Hinata's cousin, recognizable from his pictures on the wall and by his opalescent eyes, obviously a trait of the Hyuuga family, stood next to the mantle with his arms crossed, back ramrod straight. Standing the way he was, with a remote expression on his face, surrounded by scores of very sharp, very dangerous weaponry, made Sasuke briefly feel threatened. From the way Hinata had talked about her cousin in the past, Sasuke knew she viewed Neji as an older brother. He supposed it was natural for the man to view any date (official or otherwise) of Hinata's in a cautious way, but the man's vibes were downright hostile.

Tenten crossed the room to stand beside her husband. Hinata said, "Sasuke, this is my cousin Neji." She shot her relative a narrow-eyed, almost warning look, then went on, "Neji, this is Sasuke."

The two men nodded at each other, slowly and calculatingly, neither offering to shake the other's hand, until Tenten jostled her spouse's elbow. Unfolding his arms, he took a couple of steps forward, hand reluctantly extended. Sasuke just as reluctantly moved forward to accept it, exchanging a hard, brief grip with Hinata's cousin. They stepped back from each other more quickly than they had approached.

Tenten caught Sasuke eyeing the weaponry and smiled. "Those are mine," she said, including everything in the room with an expansive gesture. "I collect all manner of weapons, and since I work at an antique store, I get an amazing employee discount that allows me to feed my hobby."

"Tenten knows how to use every single one of them," Neji said, his first words since Sasuke and Hinata entered the room. Pride resounded in his voice, and hints of it softened his stony expression and icy eyes. "I don't think we'll ever have to worry about anyone breaking into the house."

Laughing with a mix of shy pleasure and modest embarassment, Tenten waved off her husband's praise. "It's just a hobby." Clearing her throat, the brunette changed the subject. "How did the book signing go on Wednesday?"

Sasuke tucked his hands into his pockets, glad he'd woken up this morning with only a mild residual soreness in his hand from where it had cramped so badly Wednesday night. "It was - crazy," he admitted. "I had no idea so many people lived in Konoha and the surrounding towns."

"Sasuke was kind enough to stay a little past the two-hour mark to make sure everyone got their books signed." Hinata smiled up at him, the warm admiration in her eyes more than making up for the cool caution in her cousin's. "It was extremely kind of him."

Feeling heat creeping into his face from her praise, Sasuke shook his head and shrugged. "I kind of lost track of time, to be honest," he said modestly. "I didn't even realize it was past the original cut-off point until Tsunade closed the door behind the last few people."

Awkward silence reigned for a few moments, then Tenten cleared her throat and smiled. "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour. Do you want something to drink until then? We've got water, several different kinds of tea, soda, lemonade...?" She trailed off.

"Nothing for me, thanks." The tightening feeling of discomfort in his stomach made him wonder if he could even make it through the meal. Especially if Hinata's cousin kept watching him, as if expecting Sasuke to pick up something (Hinata?) and cart her off like he was a thief and she a Ming vase or something.

Hinata had just opened her mouth when a loud rumbling sound, like growing thunder, cut her off. For a moment the four people stood staring at each other, puzzled, as the rumble grew to a roar right outside the door.

"What in the world-?" Tenten turned and hurried back out into the hall, the other three occupants of the room right behind her. She was already reaching for the knob before she even got to the door; when she opened it, she took a step back with what sounded like a half-gasp, half-snort.

Sasuke stepped forward, Hinata at his side, so he could see past Tenten's shoulder. In the house's short driveway sat a motorcycle, all gleaming chrome, black leather, and snarling power, going abruptly quiet when the engine shut off. A petite, lithe figure climbed off the back and pulled off her helmet, revealing a chestnut-haired, pale-eyed girl who bore a remarkable resemblance to Hinata: her sister Hanabi, no doubt.

When the man who had been seated in front of her swung his leg over the motorcycle and pulled off his helmet, Sasuke was surprised to recognize the former mayor's grandson. The young man tucked his helmet under one arm and slung the other over Hanabi's shoulder as the pair of them walked toward the front door, as calmly as if they hadn't just driven up on one of the most dangerous vehicles on the roadway.

A quick glance at Tenten's and Hinata's faces showed expressions slack with shock. Neji's was full of thunderous fury.

The only thing Sasuke could think about was how grateful he was the attention was off him. No longer was he the major threat of the evening. As a matter of fact, things looked much more interesting now.

Perhaps he might actually enjoy this dinner, after all.

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Ending Notes: So many things happened in this chapter, but it was very interesting to write. And Hanabi just showed up on a motorcycle... I don't know why, but it's kind of easy for me to picture her on one. It's just this image I've had in my head for a long time, and I finally got to put it to good use in this fic. And poor Sasuke. I think he just kind of wants to cut and run, but I think this time socializing with Hinata's family will be good for him. Especially since the attention is off him now. Thank you all so much for reading this chapter, I really hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!