Sasuke stood in front of the Uchiha compound. The Pain assault had left most of the village destroyed, parts of the compound had been demolished as well. Karin and Suigetsu flanked the leader of team Taka, taking in the carnage of Sasuke's childhood home. The walls held so much devastation. Jugo had gone with Hinata to lend a hand in the reconstruction of the main village. Sasuke had not received the warmest of welcomes when he returned to the village with Hinata, his band of misfits in tow.
Naruto and Sakura stood at the front of the crowd outside the demolished village. Shikamaru and the rest of his team standing close behind. Kakashi stood with Yamato and Sai to the left of Naruto. Eyes were skeptical as they watched the rogue ninja approached. Hinata subconsciously moved away from Sasuke as her gaze met with Neji's. Her cousin was positioned near her little sister and father.
"Sasuke." Naruto spoke, his voice clearing the distance with ease, the blond took several steps forward. Sakura stayed still, her green eyes filled with hurt as she watched her best friend and first love stand together.
"Naruto." Sasuke called back.
"Oh Sasuke." Karin whispered, reaching out to rest her hand on his shoulder. The dark haired boy moved just out of her reach, uninterested in her comfort. It had been a week since he'd returned to the fold and things were unnaturally tense. Trust was not yet earned, understandably.
"We will stay here." Sasuke announced. "We can help with the reconstruction and we can prepare for the coming war, but we are not accepted here."
"Then why are we?" Karin asked, frustrated and offended by his rejection. "You followed this girl here, put us all at risk, and for what? To once again be outcasts?"
"Give it a rest Karin." Suigetsu grumbled. "Sasuke made the choice to return to Konoha, but we made the choice to accompany him. You're going to have to live with it."
"For how much longer?" Karin demanded. "The masked man will come for us."
"Enough!" Sasuke snapped, turning on the redheaded girl. It wasn't like him to lose his temper, but then again he wasn't exactly acting like himself; not since he started sleeping with the Hyuga Princess. "When he comes I will handle it."
"How?" Karin hissed. "You couldn't even handle the eight tails. Ever since you fucked that stupid girl you've lost sight of the goal."
"There was no goal." Sasuke growled. "I killed Itachi. There was no plan!" Suigetsu stepped up between the two. Normally he would sit back and let things fizzle out on its own but this confrontation was growing more and more heated by the day.
"Guys." Suigetsu spoke up. "Take a second." He instructed. "Karin, maybe go pick a room, setup, take a load off."
"Whatever." Karin huffed, moving past the two men and deeper into the abandoned compound.
"What's going on with you man?" Suigetsu asked once they were alone. "This isn't like you at all."
"I know." The Uchiha admitted. "I'm frustrated. Being back here is more difficult than I expected."
"Should I fetch Hinata?" The snaggle-toothed boy asked, worried about the wellbeing of his friend. "She usually helps…even you out."
"I don't need her." Sasuke frowned, turning away from his comrade. "Besides, she is busy."
…
Hinata walked slowly down the path that would lead her to the abandoned Uchiha compound. It had been a week since she'd brought Sasuke home, as expected only a select few were proud of her accomplishment. Their time together had been scarce, it seemed her family was hell bent on separating her from him. Preparing for the promised threat of the masked man and reconstructing the leaf took up a majority of everyone's time, which made interacting with her friends easier.
"Hinata." Sakura's voice called out from behind the dark haired girl. The Hyuga turned to look at her estranged best friend.
"Sakura." She acknowledged.
"Are you going to see him?" The pink haired girl inquired. Hinata nodded, not trusting her voice. She stood silently as Sakura closed the gap between them, standing an arms length away. It was difficult for Hinata to gauge her friend's expression; Sakura was guarded, reserved.
"Would you like to join me?" The Hyuga offered when she could no longer bear the silence.
"Are you with him?" Sakura asked, ignoring the invitation. "Are you a couple?"
"I don't know how to answer that." Hinata admitted, her heart aching as she watched Sakura's beautiful face fall.
"Do you have feelings for him?" The pink-haired kunoichi questioned, not accepting the answer provided.
"It's complicated." Hinata offered. "I care for you so deeply Sakura. I want us to be okay."
"Did you have sex with Sasuke while you were his captive?"
"I wasn't his captive, not after the first month." Hinata explained, unsure if she was really ever his captive. Sasuke had never restrained her, never tortured her, and never deprived her of neccesary things. He had been almost kind to her since the very start. "At some point I became more like a travel companion than a captive."
"Did you fuck him?" Sakura demanded.
"No." Hinata defended. "It wasn't like that." She couldn't accept the crass description. It felt like so much more than that with Sasuke, but how could she explain that to her friend?
"You shared his bed, right?" The pink-haired girl clarified, understanding the hesitation. Hinata nodded, tears stinging their eyes as each girl fought to maintain control. "I have loved him since I was a child." Sakura declared, no longer able to contain her tears. "You knew that."
"Sakura…I'm-I-" Hinata choked on her words, unsure how to apologize. She didn't want to hurt her friend, but at the same time she couldn't apologize for the feelings she harbored for Sasuke. They were genuine, like nothing she'd felt before. The control he had over her, the pull, was greater than anything she'd felt before. Hinata had spent months of her life in close quarters with him…getting to know him. The connection was deeper than physical attraction or fruitless admiration. Hinata felt as if she knew Sasuke, as if he had bore his soul to her, the very essence of his being.
"Just once."
"Please Sakura." Hinata pleaded, begging her to stop the interrogation.
"So more than once." The heartbroken girl nodded. Hinata reached out for her friend, wanting nothing more than to comfort her. Sakura moved back, avoiding contact. "I have something important to do." Sakura shook herself before turning away from the Hyuga. Without another word Sakura headed back towards the village center.