:: Confrontation 1- I Will Never Accept You With Her. ::

"Sasuke." Hinata placed her fingertips over the wolf's attempt, eyeing him like he couldn't be serious. "What did I just say?"

"I wasn't going to do anything." Here he presumed they were having a moment. Still, he'd never been shut down so fast in his life because… he didn't have that many partners. Like the tan man down below he was yet to notice, his spree of lovers was short. His reason is because he believed he could luck up like his parent's one day. And thus his approach to women he did like, use to be much worse than this. He held out a bent elbow anyway and said, "I swear."

"Liar." Hinata accepted that arm in arm walk along down the steps, calling him out further, "Were you always so gung-ho with women?"

Sasuke hit a roadblock and paused to think about it, unsure of what response he should give. How about the embarrassing truth to how his first attraction ended in a complete bust? He played hardball for too long and she moved on to his other friend who'd actually warned him to lighten up. He had many years to change his approach and… not get any better. The exact opposite of what he used to do, became another problem. If he liked someone, he'd flirt openly with the subtlety of a mic drop. Since there were very few people he's ever had interest for, the room for error and development hasn't gone over so well. "I think the word you're looking for is confident."

"Confidence, huh? I bet you had many girlfriends then." She teased him, expecting such and so all the more confused at that lift of his shoulders. The dull glance down her way, encouraged her to question it, "Were you… confused?"

"Hinata."

"I'm j-just joking." Oh how she bit back from grinning, unable to give that glare of his any attention. "You're the one who's not explaining himself fully."

Sasuke half smiled at her high interest on the way down the steps. He stayed silent and merely shared a vaguely oblivious expression to her every time she made an assumption. The real purpose to his sudden case of muteness was explainable. He just wanted to hear her talk for the time that he had. Also, he was avoiding the answer temporarily because he found her pestering to be quite a hint.

"-and you aren't defending yourself so I must be right," Hinata mumbled, holding onto his arm just a little tighter. The inkling of a harsh outcome sprouted in her mind. The wolf's closed lips could really mean he did move through women as she'd suspected. What number would she be?

He saw her thinking too hard and chuckled audibly enough, turning to the parking lot with his sights on her for this one quip. "And how many ex-boyfriends of yours do I have to fight? My limit is about five before I get suspicious."

"I-I don't have that many…" Hinata gave rein to a fluffy nervous pink at her cheeks, shaking her head. She was not the promiscuous type. Being clever was a gift of hers so she knew he was just playing around, and she also sensed he'd actually brawl for her if need be.

Well, there's no time like the present.

Or is there somewhere better?

Because she was so flustered at that moment, she only noticed the situation when the wolf stopped suddenly. His actions drew her ongoing movements to a barely noticeable snag like when your headphones get caught on a door handle or the end rail of the stairs. Here she was backing up because the wolf was snared on the old college mate at the helm so to speak. She found her own world coming to stand still as well. Her husband had this tilt to his head and a disgusted expression that teetered on wanting to be shocked more than hurt.

Naruto succumbed to a sickening, temporarily unnamed sensation that was far worse than his outward image. With a hand towards his ex-best friend to make an emphasis, he said calmly and spitefully, "Is this... what you meant by, 'I want a divorce'?"

"N-No- I mean I.. He-" At a loss for words from having thought he just didn't care, she tried to give some excuse anyway, "He's just helping me!"

Sasuke had an instant scolding contest with a pair of azure as if to challenge her claim via eye contact. "Is there a problem?"

"You know what,... how stupid do you guys think I am?" Naruto waited for a response in an unreasonably short time, temper rising while a stone approach stayed on his face and posture. He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back on her car, propping a heel. "This has been going on since when?"

"It's not like that!" Hinata wanted to convince him to not push her into that class of people. By being the only one raising her voice, she defeated that purpose. "We're just friends. He's only helping me!"

"Is that so? Sasuke doesn't seem to agree." Naruto nodded towards the conflicted raven who hid such right away. "What say you, bastard? Are you fucking my wife? Or are you trying to and not succeeding?"

A smirk did not suit a whiskered face. It possessed a callousness and smugness that irked Sasuke to hell and back. He held his tongue and shrugged, knowing he'd make this situation worse and give the blond the fight he wanted. Which wouldn't help the frantic woman next to him who didn't look so grateful for his silence.

Naruto leaned in with palm up behind his ear. "I'm sorry. Did you say something? No? That's what I thought. Oh well, it doesn't really matter." He pushed up off the car and scooped up his skateboard. To add to the high school drama as he walked off, he tossed the gift in the nearby trash can. "You two make sure to wrap it up and at least tell Sakura. I am not taking that hit for you guys."

"Naruto, w-wait- It's not like that!" Stuck on repeat, she ignored guilt's sing-song of otherwise there on it's hammock.

"I don't care if it is." He stopped to turn back halfway towards her approaching form that was halted by the wolf, which agitated him inside greatly. "Or if it isn't," he said dryly enough with a roll of his eyes, "Will you please stop acting like you and I ever had something. This is what we've always wanted…. Well, at least it's what I wished." He scanned her taken aback form up and down with an emptiness she didn't know he could have. "Thanks for once though, Sasuke. See you at the party." The salute he added on was his own tactless way to cover an old wound reopened dangerously to soon. "She's all yours."

Discarded twice with no heart, stunned Hinata for a second. His monotone insults, damaged the that little bridge she'd made to rehabilitation. It rocked her back and forth inside till she toppled over into a welcoming void that embraced her like it hadn't seen her for centuries.

The wolf had a million things in his mind in that moment to do or say. The angel who'd just fallen from grace and jerked out of his grip, drove his urge to do so more. "Hinata!"

Naruto felt a tap on his shoulder seconds later. He turned to snap on the raven for trying to play the hero where he wasn't needed. There was an instant flash of a single pale fist and then he met the dark himself for a split second. He stumbled back to a trip on the ground, dazed with a throbbing coursing square in the center of his face. His index and middle digits touched the crease of his top lip to his nose, feeling a liquid warmth there. After blinking away the blur that made him see double, he squinted to spot that red. He chuckled up with a dark grin. "Did you really just fucking hit me for once?!"

Hinata's chest rose and fell while that fist used, stayed raised and pulled back. Crystals of clear turmoil, dotted her lashes on down her rosy cheeks. A strong pair of hands came down behind her and pulled her shocked form back from her aggro-ed husband.

Naruto rose to his feet fast and had to deal with the raven's palm on his chest first thing. "Move. It. Uchiha."

"You've said your bullshit now go." Sasuke kept that ticked blond away from the shaking woman.

"Or what?"

The trained guard simply arched a brow and commented back wisely, "Do you really want to find out?"

Naruto held out his arms like he welcomed the challenge. "It's something I've been waiting for years so I'm thinking yeah, Sasuke!"

"Don't..." Hinata already regretted striking out at years of mental abuse, refusing to have someone else try and do it for her more thoroughly. They could be better than the aggressor. She pulled him back, uncaring how close she clung onto his arm. "Please don't. L-Let's just go…"

"You heard her, Uchiha. You need to g-g-go. I got somewhere else worth being at anyway." Naruto's mocking of her stutter, went unnoticed by the wife mimicked. As for her wolf, he got a sharp glare from him. They stayed eyeing each other in loathing for what one had, and for what the other didn't appreciate. Who was who, stayed obvious enough. This Uzumaki that happened to be fighting an obscured, startling jealousy, backed up with a boiling energy about himself. He wiped his nose furiously and stormed off.

Sasuke waited till that pissed off man was long gone before catering to the surely distraught woman. He found her withdrawing the skateboard all teary eyed. He then coaxed himself to help her out by trying to put it back. "You need to let go."

"I am… but I bought this." Hinata pulled at it in more ways than one. "Just because he doesn't see its value, doesn't mean I can't."

After a minute, he sighed and released the board, rubbing the back of his neck. "Have it your way then… You okay?"

"My husband just told me he's always wanted to leave me-"

"You're right. I apologize," Sasuke replied quick thanks to that dead stare he got from the gorgeous woman that was quite scary when upset. "You stole my hit by the way."

"No, I-... I shouldn't have hit him," Hinata sounded hopeless as if her win streak had run dry for the rest of her life. "He just pushes me like he… wants me too," she hugged the board close at a slant, pouting and sniffling. "I h-hate how I let him get to me even after all he's said... Am I really that pathetic?"

'No, not by a long shot.' Instead of saying this, Sasuke opted to just help her see what he's already seen. There's only one place to go where the mind can be cleared. "You like walking?"

:: What Do You Want? ::

Sasuke didn't partake in the sugary delights of life often. When the woman he vied for had sold that skateboard for money and bought them some beverages for the trail, he didn't dare refuse the substitute. In a hand rested a warm cup of Joe that was blacker than his irises unlike the styrofoam cup it was held in. As for his company, she got herself a hot chocolate with a hint of spice. It put a color on her face that he found adorable enough to frame. "Feeling better?"

She cupped her delight of sweetness close, snug in his jacket still. They'd been walking a while in a silence that she found comforting. Her husband was usually so loud, not that it wasn't cute at times to her. She never thought that having someone beside her in the quiet, was better than the solitude itself. "I'm… doing okay."

"Just okay? You nearly finished it all within seconds."

"I did?" Hinata mumbled softly and peaked over the cup, pouting and looking to the wolf who sighed.

"I'll buy you another one."

She beamed and leaned against him, sipping away the rest of it. She relaxed in that arm that came around her securely. "T-Thank you."

I'll accept that," Sasuke said with a curt glance her way, "as long as you're actually happy."

"I am? I feel a lot better at least."

"Enough to talk about his tantrum?"

"There's nothing to talk about." Hinata shifted her gaze anywhere except to him. She took sights to the lake a clutter with an array of leaves. She wanted to suppress the incident more than anything.

Sasuke nodded, trying out a different approach. "You know I was a very popular kid. Everyone either hated or was falsely in love with me. They knew my background before they got to know me personally. I didn't make friends till my middle school years."

At a loss as to why he was talking of such now, she listened in. "By choice or because of your family?"

"A mix of the two. My parent's status screamed wealth so what did I know about struggles. We moved to a broken place in hopes of fixing it. Here some of them act like it means nothing if you've never experienced it. Naruto and I had that in common off the bat. We both didn't get this town that preferred to fight against us than with us."

"Why did you stay then?"

Sasuke greeted her curiosity openly. "I didn't know there was anywhere else to go… or anything worth going to."

"Hmph. I thought you just liked getting shot at."

"That too. Huge bonus." He indulged in her giggles, smiling partly. "Not to mention if I did move with her, we'd have never met."

Hinata felt a little cloud form over her at the unfortunate possibility. "Then… this is good?"

"I guess. There's always the possibility of Naruto and Sakura somehow working out and then I moved to Helian instead." Sasuke sipped coffee of the heavenly bitter nature, sensing her eyes on him. "Hm?"

"Nothing." She shook her head and kept that smile to herself. Her ending college days would have definitely been different. "I don't think you would of liked me then."

Sasuke hit his mark and played it off with a shrug. "Try me. What were you like besides all quiet and helpful?"

Had she changed much to answer that? The soon to be unmarried woman, pondered on her old bench life days that she enjoyed. Her supportive nature knew no bounds. "I think that's it. I'm… I can be a bit of a nerd sometimes I guess." Oh how she feared of turning him off from her entirely but she wanted him to know. "I'm pretty simple."

"The way you punched him was not simple. Who taught you to do that?"

She blushed and uttered, "Kakashi…"

"The one-eyed detective whose only blindside is his watch? You can't be serious. Did you like sparing?" Sasuke would never consider another play fight with his current wife who'd go to far at times. He could barely go for a simple walk with her like this without a real brawl commencing.

"I-I did, actually. He wanted me to try out for boxing at one point because my footwork isn't bad. I just need more arm strength." Hinata did not desire such. She chose speed and endurance over too much muscle. Here she was free to express it aloud. "But I prefer to walk or jog. Yoga's nice too."

"So then every off day you'll come out here with me?" Sasuke asked on a whim, ready to be denied.

"I don't see any harm in that if you behave." That grunt of his put a chuckle on her lips. "What? That's fair."

"It's not that. I'm more bothered by how typical you think you are. Do you know how hard it is to want to do something and choose not to when you know you can? My impulse resistance has increased alone just from being around you." He spoke bluntly without a thought, "You could literally be anywhere right now but you choose to live how you want to live from the beginning. I'm not even sure what the hell my dream would of been if my parents were gone…. Maybe a personal trainer… or cop."

Hinata lit up at how awakened he sounded when thinking of new things he'd not processed before. 'He definitely wants to stay busy.' While attractive, that was a major problem in her last relationship. She sulked a little and said, "You get out a lot, huh?"

He picked up on the nervous tone of hers. "I like to stay active when I can. Social gatherings are another thing entirely. I've faked many colds to avoid them."

His nonchalant attitude about it, damn near tickled her. "Seriously?"

Sasuke looked her way with frankness. "Do I look like a people person?"

"Hmm," she hummed and studied him, considering how he acted instead of what his expression screamed. "You like sports but you dislike being around a lot of people? Or are you just not good with them?"

He gave her a pet for a job well done. "The latter."

"Really? But you're so open."

"That tends to rub people the wrong way and I don't force them to stick around to deal with it."

She nodded in agreement, wishing she had his blunt-ness more often. One problem still troubled her greatly. "You're still very outgoing though. You don't go on hikes often?"

"When I had friends to do that with. They'd come down once a year or so and...as time goes on...they stopped coming by. It's for the best anyway. I have to save my strength for when I'm chasing a younger me around town." Sasuke wasn't lying. He did enjoy a good run, but there were long term goals in plan too. He noticed she understood what he meant a minute too late because of the flush of warmth on her face.

"You want kids?"

"I want a family." Sasuke dove further into his end game for life. "It doesn't necessarily have to involve kids though I'd like to- It's just… I want a decent home like my parents gave us. The only difference is, I'll be around more often and I'd do things more practically."

"Ah, you mean like letting them stay out past midnight?" She was glad to see his incredulous look to that question. "No?"

"Of course not. I meant giving them trust until they break it and after to earn it back. I'll be on their side till then."

The wolf failed to give her eye contact and his voice kind dropped to an audible level, leading her to speculation. "Did something happen with you and your parents?"

Sasuke stopped their lengthy walk to think about if he really wanted to tell her this. He'd hate for someone else to think he was crazy, especially her. He gave it a chance and guided her off the path to a broad tree facing out to the steadily flowing lake of red, yellow, and brown. "Let's sit down for a bit."

"Okay." Hinata followed suit and sat beside him with her empty cup in her lap. She leaned back against the tree and looked to him when he joined her. "Are you tired?"

"Hardly at the moment." He sat his cup beside him and then raised a knee, back supported against the tree. "Anxious probably."

"This is you being anxious?" She expected a shrug and she got one, pulling another chuckle out of her. "You're so strange."

"Well I was a weird kid," he admitted like a fact, loving the mirth she shared with him again. "I'm serious, Hinata. I had straight A's that no one cared to notice because of my major behavioral problem. It wasn't like I was a bad kid or anything." He raked his fingers down his back tresses and exhaled. "I just got into things I shouldn't have because I liked the rush and the constant new experiences."

"I bet you gave your parents a scare often then." She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them, head turned his way.

"Honestly, that was never my goal. I know they think I did it for attention but… Maybe? I don't know. My brother was always crowned prince at everything so he could do no wrong. I don't think they've ever ridiculed him or disciplined him at all."

"Has he ever did anything wrong to deserve that?" Hinata smiled at that clear jealousy of his that showed without restraint.

Sasuke struggled at the start, "Not really- I mean he-... Look, my brother is a giant stuffed bear. He has all the parts to look menacing and he can do some damage when he applies himself. The fact remains that he's not stone underneath. He's always secretly regretting something and lecturing me. He'll cry over the most ridiculous things sometimes too like this one time I was trying to do a trick on my bike and I crashed off down a hill… towards a car..."

Hinata waited because he sounded like he had more to add over those pauses.

In which case, he did. "... it also happened to be backing up when I landed and- It was nothing. He was already there to snatch me up and whatever but… he and my parents never trusted me by myself ever again after that. He was the worse. He'd get these brother panic attacks and… I don't know. He's weird too. My whole family is."

"They sound rightfully caring and worried for you."

Sasuke shook his head in disagreement. "More like over protective when they don't need to be. The one time I needed them to be there for me, they did the exact opposite." He emphasized with a hand to the sky like who'd of thunk. "They're just hypocrites. If it was my brother, they'd have believed him."

"What exactly happened to make you feel this way?" Hinata frowned at that small one replicating on his lips.

It took him a minute but he started with, "You already know I like to court danger sometimes so one day… a long time ago when I was like twelve I think… I went out after school per usual with the few friends I had and we biked up this same trail," he said as he pointed down the walkway they were previously crossing, "The only thing is, we didn't stop. We never stayed course on anything because what fun is there in that. I lead us straight with no idea where I was going. Karin, this girl I- um… had as a second in command kind of thing- Anyway, she was our map because she has an amazing memory. She could always guide us back home if we ever got lost. I was good, but not like that so I took us into the forest blindly with only the thought of new terrain on my mind."

Hinata didn't dismiss his hesitation when speaking about that so called, 'second in command.' She put it on the back burner for a while. "They sound like good friends for your lifestyle."

"You've no idea. We got into so many illegal places like... this abandoned railway station up north that way. Imagine a graveyard for trains and crates. There was metal for days for us to jump off of." Sasuke's high of reliving the golden days, died down quick when he thought about why it all slowed down in the first place. "That's all we were hoping to do there like any other exclusive site we found. We play, run around and get our fill. If it was cool enough, we'd mark it off as a return spot. I've never been back there since then."

"What did you find?" She shuffled closer, intrigue rising while he looked reluctant.

"A tank," he stated in an unsure way with his hands outlining the sides of the rectangle, "A giant aquarium…"

:Sixth Grade Nightmares- Exhibit A :

Decrepit and chilling places were fun if you have a burning adventure for such.

Four preteens possessed that drive.

As they ran in a relay to get ahead of one another down the dimly lit halls to the maintenance building, one young raven stopped when something pretty shiny caught his eye. They'd passed many dark and locked off rooms. This one was neither. It seemed lived in almost from the two mattresses and the single one off to the side where it looked to be apart of a weird...shrine of sorts? He planned to look closely at it later. For now, he wanted to know what the glowing baby blue was under a large pearl poly tarp. He squinted and scanned, breathing only slightly heavy from the run. "Hey guys, hold up a second!"

His team was already far on down, but his voice echoed enough to alert them of his absence. They came back for him and followed his index inside the room. "The fuck is that?" Even at this age, he had no filter.

"I don't know. Why don't we ask it?" Suigetsu, a young lad of the snowy hair that drooped down softly enough, held a sarcastic tone.

"Fuck off." Sasuke returned a middle finger and a chuckle to his buddy.

"I believe we should be doing that ourselves. Someone clearly lives here." There tallest friend tipping on the carrot top side, was a gentle soul with a thirst for excitement when safe.

"It does feel weird in here." Karin rubbed her bare arms, purple striped tank top unable to provide her warmth in this dead zone. Heat did come but in the form of a jacket from the raven leader.

"I want that back later." He was terrible, sounding more annoyed than anything though he was a red mess inside from how she smiled at him.

Suigetsu didn't help. "You heard him, Karin. He's totally going to cuddle it later," he hugged onto them both, pissing off the raven who pushed away first.

"That's disgusting." Sometimes he could be to dismissive.

"Ouch, Sasuke." The purple eyed male under the bed of white, wasn't the only one who misinterpreted him.

"What? I didn't mean she was- I…" The damage was done and his crush looked disheartened. He could of fixed it then but he pushed it off and assumed she understood. "Will you guys be useful for once and come help me remove this please?"

Jugo shook his head and looked to the darkness behind the only covered light source in the room. "Why should we? It must be hidden for a reason."

"For a big dude, you sure are scared a lot." Sasuke grabbed one of the tarp ends. "I bet it's nothing. I think there's water underneath or something."

"Oh cool! Like an aquarium thing?" After helping Karin put on the coat, Suigetsu assisted in pulling on the left side.

"That explains the smell at least." The lass of short crimson locks and prescription glasses, zipped up and took hold of the middle with their taller friend.

"Let's find out then. One," he started the countdown with a smirk. Each little heart beat faster from the thrill. His worked over time because his affection was right beside him. "Two…. Three!"

They pulled together in perfect unison, all wide eyed and eager as the other side flaps came over and off down to their feet. Everyone's lungs stopped working all at once as young pupils dilated to a harrowing sight.

Three bodies floated about the tank like they were swimming in embodiment fluid. Illuminated in all it's rotting glory, the fatal wounds continued to leak out into the tank from two men and one woman. Desolate eyes stayed forever stuck wide open to the unfortunate souls who knew not of the history here.

They'd not know for a long time because within seconds, screams filled the air and those young bodies were put to work getting the hell out of there. They ran back to their bikes, called the authorities, and then their parents frantically.

:End Of Sixth Grade Nightmares- Exhibit A :

"What did they say?" Hinata was given a near replicated explanation to that memory. The only thing she didn't know was how it ended. "Who were those poor people?"

Sasuke tortured his hair in frustration. "My parents didn't believe us and the cops thought we were prank calling."

"You're kidding? Did you show them the-"

"We did- or tried.. It… It disappeared." He dragged that busy palm down his face and to the nape of his neck. "It just fucking vanished out of nowhere. The matts, the shrine thing… everything in that room was gone by the time they got there."

"Someone must of moved it then." Hinata had Kakashi to thank for being able to see the other side of things to every criminal situation.

"They searched and found nothing. We ended up looking like liars and trespassers who'd gotten lost and needed an alibi to get back home." He exhaled some of that old tension. "My family never believed a word I said after that. Even my friends started to doubt what they saw to help them sleep better at night… so we don't talk about it."

"Is that the only thing that bothered you about that day?"

He knew what she was getting at. "Yeah, why?"

"Nothing." She didn't pressure it if he wasn't ready to talk about her.

"...Do you really want to know about Karin?"

Hinata stole that lift of his shoulders move. "I want to understand what made you who you are now. That event sounds like it had a lasting impact."

"You mean how I'm forward and impatient because I missed my chance the first time? Or why I'm cross with my family to the point where I continue to lie when I've no need to sometimes?" Sasuke apologized for that little agitated outburst within seconds, "I'm sorr-"

"It's okay. I know… and I'm happy you told me." Hinata touched his shoulder gently. "Considering how you're yet to lie to me hopefully, I believe you. I'm also so sorry you had to see that."

"Thanks..." He had to mess with her for the one thing she forgot to mention. "I guess you're okay with how it turned out between me and Karin then."

"Oh my- Shut up." She tinted a loving hue of pink and looked away from him, tucking strands behind her ear. "I'm sorry you missed out with her too."

"Sure you are." He crossed his arms and smirked at nothing in particular, wishing to have this day go on a little bit longer. "Want to go back to the hotel?"

"Sasuke."

"Worth a shot." He relaxed and closed eyes, peeking one open when he felt a weight shift on his shoulder.

"Swing and a miss." Hinata yawned softly and nuzzled against him. "Try again later."

"You mean I actually have a chance?" Sasuke could mess with her all day and she'd return it with equal playfulness.

"Depends if you work on your swing and I work on my catch." A loving peck graced the top of her head. "Our ex-partners won't be happy about it."

"When were they ever content like this?" Sasuke gave them something to think about in that silence their together with each other, both settled with each other's heat versus the antarctic back at home with their spouses. "There's no way I'm going back to deal with her another night."

"I don't think I want to see Naruto for a while either…. Has Sakura called you at all?" Hinata took immense solace in the wolf's fingers roaming about in her hair.

"I told her I had a ride and she said it was okay. Other than that, nothing since."

"Do you think Naruto would... start something?"

"Not likely." Sasuke held the assumption that the blond wasn't stupid enough to stand in Sakura's line of fire when she's pissed off. "He may not like me but I doubt he's that crazy."

A/N: I do hope this turned out a little different than you imagined. I am saving moments.

~ Hiii! Thank you for the favs, follows, and reviews no matter the context. Voice your concerns, spite, theories, advice, and ect to your heart's content at your will. Have a lovely day and a hopefully satisfying read. I've loved every single comment no matter the degree. Each of you deserve a page worth of responses to start a conversation on how this made you feel and what you wish to see. I hope it satisfies you all in the end. To those I've lost, I apologize. Thank you for hanging on though! XoXoXo ~