A/N: To all those who left a review on the first chapter, I really appreciate it! I was nervous at how this would be taken, but seeing that this got a really good response, and that I just enjoy these two in this setting, I'm going to try and take this as far as it'll go.

I don't quite know where that is yet. I'm basically winging it, and writing as ideas come to me. I'll try to update weekly, but try not to hold me to that.

Anyway, once again, thanks for the click and enjoy the story!

Home x Alone

Hinata ran all the way to the front doors of the school before her mind caught up with her and she quickly turned on her heel and ran to one of the bathrooms instead. After peeking her head inside and nervously confirming that she'd be alone in there, she stepped within and went up to the sinks, laying her hands on the counter and letting out a quiet sigh before she looked up at herself in the mirror.

A bit of redness still clouded her face, a bit of sweat still beaded on her brow, and while she was otherwise more or less clean and presentable, she carried herself improperly. She could see it in her reflection, the way she stood, the way she breathed, the light in her eyes, the satisfaction in her expression. She'd just had sex, and it showed. At the very least, it showed that she wasn't just 'cleaning the clubroom'. The danger of Neji being able to tell - or worse, her father - was too great for her to just leave yet. But she still had to hurry.

The jitters in her legs would wear away with a bit of time, but she fixed her face, softening her expression and dimming the emotion still brimming in her eyes. She reached frantically into her bag and pulled out a few tissues to dab away a bit of sweat, and a small can of lavender body spray to spritz her neck and lightly mask the lingering telltale scent of togetherness that clung to her, until she could get home and take a proper long bath. Finally, she took a few deep breaths to steady her mind as best she could. Feeling a lot more normal now, she stepped out of the bathroom and returned to the school's front doors, hoping that it would be enough.

As Hinata exited the building, sure enough, Neji was still at the gate with his arms behind his back, clearly waiting for her. Sasuke was right to send her out ahead of him. With a shaky sigh, she shook off the rest of her nerves and ran up to approach him.

"We can probably still make it home at a good time if we hurry, Neji," she said as she ran past him and turned the corner to head up the street.

"You're telling me this? That should be my line to you," Neji scoffed as he turned as well to catch up with Hinata and run a step ahead of her as they left the campus behind them.

"Why didn't you just go ahead? You didn't need to wait for me and risk making us both late getting home," Hinata wondered with a light furrow of her brows.

"Don't be ridiculous," Neji countered, shaking his head. "What do you think Uncle would say to me, having willfully left you behind to walk home by yourself, just because you told me not to get in trouble on your behalf?"

Hinata blinked and frowned at Neji. "But… Neji, it's just going home. I can do that on my own. I can take care of myself."

"I believe you," Neji sighed, glancing back at Hinata for a moment. "But Uncle does not."

A punch in the gut would've hurt less. Hinata cringed at the blow that Neji's words delivered, and fell silent as they ran, knowing they were true and there was no rebuttal.

"Staying behind like this would cause less trouble for both of us than if I'd just gone ahead like you told me to," Neji continued. "Regardless of how either of us feels about any matter like this, what Lord Hiashi thinks trumps all. Remain mindful of that, Hinata."

"I-I will…"

A bittersweet feeling prickled in Hinata's chest as they ran the rest of the way home in silence. She was worried that her satisfaction with what happened in the clubroom just a few minutes ago might potentially raise suspicions with her cousin and father. Fortunately for Hinata, it was remarkably easy to squash her back down to her usual diffident self. No one would be the wiser…

The Hyuga Family's estate wasn't too far from school, and the sun was still setting by the time Neji and Hinata arrived at the front gates of the district property, hurrying down the main path toward the traditionally luxurious abode at the center of the property where the head of the family and his immediate relatives resided.

"We're not too much later than usual," Neji sighed as they stepped into the front entrance and removed their shoes. "Uncle shouldn't make too much of a fuss about it."

"A fuss, you call it."

Both Neji and Hinata froze and turned tensely to look just past the house's entrance hall, watching as Hiashi stepped into view, his expression as harsh and unapproving as it typically was. Following just behind him was Hanabi, who looked curiously past her father at her older sister and cousin, offering a light wave to welcome them home.

Hinata gave her sister a fragile smile and a wave in return, before her eyes returned to the floor, unable to meet her father's intense expression, even though it wasn't aimed at her at the moment.

"Am I unreasonable in being concerned about where you are when you're not home at the usual hour?" Hiashi asked.

"No, sir," Neji responded.

"Or about why my clear instructions on when you should be home might be being disregarded?"

"No, sir."

"I didn't think so. Explain yourselves." Hiashi crossed his arms, eyes moving between his daughter and nephew, waiting for either to speak. Neji glanced over at Hinata, giving her the floor.

"I-I…" she began, doing her best to gather her nerve. "I had to stay a little later than usual after school. T-To, um… clean the student council clubroom. It took a little longer than anticipated. I-I'm sorry we're a little late, Father."

"I waited for her," Neji added. "I wasn't about to just leave her to walk home by herself."

"Mm. Nor should you have," Hiashi affirmed with a nod, another dull and aching blow to Hinata's spirit. "Try to make sure she manages her time a bit better in the future, Neji. And you mind your candor. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Neji bowed his head lightly as Hiashi turned away to continue down the hall, with Hanabi in tow.

As soon as Hiashi was out of sight, it felt as though weight was lifted from both Neji and Hinata's shoulders. They sighed quietly and continued their own way further into the house.

Hinata wanted nothing more than to shut herself away in her room for a while to be alone with her thoughts before dinner, but as she approached her bedroom, Neji reached out for her arm before she could go in.

Hinata's brows rose and she turned around to regard her cousin and his serious expression with curious concern.

"Why did Sasuke and the rest of the council leave you to clean up the clubroom all by yourself?" he asked.

Suddenly, the weight returned.

"I offered..." she lied, rubbing her elbow. "Organizing and filing away all that stuff is mostly my job anyway. It wasn't a big deal..."

"I don't buy that."

Neji's words sent a jolt of fear up Hinata's back. Anxiety pooling in her eyes as she blinked slowly and tilted her head. "...Wh-What?"

His sharp and critical gaze met her own, and it daunted Hinata how much his eyes reminded her of her father's. She didn't expect that she'd need to keep her nerve again such a short time after coming home.

"That they would just leave you there like that. I know what's going on, Hinata. You didn't offer to stay behind, he told you to, and I'm willing to bet you folded without a word of protest." Neji squinted. "You're being taken advantage of."

Hinata wasn't sure how to feel. Several different parts of her were relieved that he didn't seem to suspect the actual truth, concerned that some of his assumptions were correct, even though his ultimate conclusion from them wasn't, and uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was going. "N-Neji, please, it's not like that at all..."

"And you're covering for him, like you're afraid of what he'll do if you step out of line," he continued to press.

Hinata's brows furrowed with increasing frustration. Hearing him paint Sasuke in this bad light rubbed her the wrong way. But she couldn't speak out in his defense the way she wished she could. Not for lack of confidence; Neji was one of the few people she had little difficulty talking with. Nowadays, anyway. But if she insisted his convenient misconception was wrong, and he believed her, he'd just question what the actual truth was. But if she didn't object, or objected unconvincingly, he'd just take his own word for it, which didn't sit well with her either.

"I really think you're overreacting and jumping to too many conclusions, Neji," she told him softly. "I don't... mind cleaning the clubroom. I do it best. It's not as if he would ask me to do anything... unseemly or unreasonable. If he did, I'd know how to tell him no. You told me that you believed I could take care of myself, didn't you? Well… do so."

Neji didn't seem to have any more to say to that. He continued to stare at Hinata for a few moments more, before taking a short breath out and turning away to continue down the hall toward his own room. Hinata was relieved that he seemed to leave it at that for now, but still a bit concerned that she might have left the seed in his mind that Sasuke was just forcing her to bend to his whims.

That's not true... Not in the slightest.

As Hinata thought with all the silent passion that she couldn't put into words, she turned and finally retreated into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Shortly after Hinata and Neji had left, and once he was sure they had, Sasuke left Konoha High's school building as well, his hands in his pockets and his expression neutral. His home was in the opposite direction from the Hyuga estate, a short walk and a train ride across town. The journey was quiet, and Sasuke, with no one to say anything to, said nothing.

Unlike Hinata and Neji, he was in no rush to get home, and didn't hurry to. The glow of the evening had begun to die beneath the night by the time Sasuke casually strolled up the driveway of the Uchiha family's lavish estate, noting that there was only one car in the driveway, Itachi's.

Sasuke curled a brow and approached the door, but as he rummaged around for his keys to let himself in, the front door opened, and Sasuke looked up, meeting eyes with his older brother.

Itachi always looked tired nowadays. Even when he was wide awake and active, his face had a certain tilt to it that made it seem like he was forever done with the world and everything in it. At this point, maybe he was. Uchiha men are born with a chip on their shoulder, he remembered their mother joking once...

"Where are you going?" the younger Uchiha asked, stepping aside as Itachi came out of the house and made his way toward his car.

"Work. Where have you been?" Itachi returned.

"School." Sasuke crossed his arms. "I assume Dad's gonna be home late again?"

"He's on his way to America on business. He won't be home until Sunday. I'd say that's pretty late, yes"

Itachi's calm way of speaking and dry sense of humor was almost enough for Sasuke to just nod and accept what he'd heard without question. He caught himself after a moment, though, and blinked in surprise.

"What? When did he leave?"

"Around noon, while you were in school." Itachi seemed to have run out of time to simply stand and talk to Sasuke; he turned back toward his car to get in.

Sasuke didn't get any messages at that time, or at any point afterwards. "When was he going to tell me?"

"He assumed, correctly, that I'd let you know whenever you decided to get back."

"Well, why didn't you tell me when he left?"

Itachi started his car and rolled his window down, furrowing his brow as Sasuke's annoyed expression glaring back at him. "Telling you while you were in school would've only distracted you. And besides, what would it have changed, Sasuke? Would you have come back any quicker knowing that he wouldn't be home, instead of just assuming that he wouldn't be, like you clearly did? I somehow doubt that you'd have been any less irritated learning this a few hours ago."

"I might have been less irritated with you, at least, Itachi," Sasuke shot back.

"Oh." Itachi's flat tone and nonplussed reaction showed just how effective of a jab that was against him. He rolled his window back up. "Sorry, Sasuke."

Itachi pulled out of the drive, heading off to wherever his 'work' was, leaving Sasuke alone on the front step. After a few moments of glaring after his modest black car as it disappeared down the street, Sasuke tsked his tongue and shook his head, turning to let himself into the house.

Whatever. I'm used to it.

He dropped his school things by the door and moved right toward the living room couch, ignoring the tv and the lights for now and leaving the house quiet and dark as he leaned across the couch's arm and scrolled through his contacts...

"So… what did Sasuke keep you to talk to you about, huh?"

Hinata knew when she called Sakura that it wouldn't take long for the conversation to lean in this direction. Even immersed in the relaxing heat of her bath, she still felt warmed by the thought.

The young woman reclined in the house bathtub with her phone in hand and her long hair tied up to keep out of the water, relieved beyond measure to finally have the opportunity to shower herself clean and enjoy a long soak afterward. Having remembered that Sakura asked her to call when she was free, now seemed like a nice and ideal time to.

"Nothing too important," Hinata responded softly to the question. "You know I don't, um… usually participate all that much in stuff for the school festival coming up soon. But since I'm on the student council this year, and the council has to participate… he just wanted to remind me to think early about what I might want to contribute."

It wasn't exactly a lie. It was something Sasuke mentioned in passing to her yesterday, not this evening. But of course, Hinata couldn't say a word about what really happened.

"True… Any ideas about what you're doing yet? You know we're not letting you get away with just putting up decorations or handing out flyers and stuff, right?" Sakura chuckled teasingly.

"I figured…" Hinata tilted her head back thoughtfully, gazing into the night from the window beside the bath as she gave it an honest thought. "Of course, I haven't come up with anything for certain yet, but… maybe the council could all just do something together?"

"Sure, of course, but… it's our last year of high school and our last chance to do something at the festival as students. Wouldn't you want to do something there that you can sort of call your own? Maybe that's more what Sasuke meant when he told you to think about what you're contributing. We've still got a bit of time, so just give it a little more thought. Maybe we can help you think something through?" Sakura mused.

"Yeah…" Hinata hummed. "Maybe that could be a little topic of discussion the next time the council meets up."

"Sure thing; I won't forget. Anyway, enjoy your bath, Hinata. This health project isn't going to do itself, so I'd better get back to it!"

"Talk to you tomorrow." Hinata smiled as she ended her call, setting her phone on the windowsill before leaning back again.

Relaxing in the tub for a half an hour before getting ready for bed was often Hinata's favorite part of the day. Even her room wasn't quite as private, as anyone could knock and make her compelled to answer, whether it was her family or one of the house caretakers. She was very rarely disturbed in the bathroom, though, making it the perfect place for her to get lost in her thoughts, alone and uninterrupted.

I want you right here. And I want you right now…

I dislike just about every one of my schoolmates. But not you, Hinata…

Good girl...

Her brows furrowed as her thoughts naturally drifted toward her time with Sasuke in the clubroom after everyone had left, and she mustered up the self-restraint to stop herself before her thoughts could get too heated… She did, however, finally allow herself to be pleased with the encounter. With having to hurry home as quickly as possible once they were done, as well as having to deal with keeping the satisfaction of her tryst hidden from both Neji and her father, Hinata had almost no time to truly be happy about what occurred.

Hinata closed her eyes and brought to mind the utter satisfaction he wore on his face in his moment of weakness just after reaching his peak, and she allowed the image of that expression to whisk away the prickling thoughts that came with the image of her cousin and her father's decidedly less approving expressions, becoming truly comfortable where she sat.

The buzz of her cellphone and that certain ringtone brought all her thoughts to a sudden halt, however. Hinata opened her eyes and lifted her brows in surprise, grabbing her phone from the windowsill and gazing at the name of the incoming caller.

With a suddenly nervous touch, she swiped to accept the call and held her phone to her ear. "Sasuke…?"

"You sound surprised," his voice answered, that touch of mirth to his tone again.

"I just wasn't expecting to hear from you again so... soon." Hinata spoke a little bit lower than she had when she spoke with Sakura. While she was more or less certain of her privacy, fresh thoughts still inspired a level of caution when talking with him. "I didn't... forget anything in the clubroom, did I?"

"No, you're fine," Sasuke assured her. "You get home alright?"

"I did, thankfully," she sighed. "It wasn't too late in the day, and Father... he wasn't that upset."

"Mm."

"W-What about you, Sasuke? You got home fine, didn't you?"

"...Yeah."

Hinata tilted her head and furrowed her brows. Sasuke didn't wear many of his feelings openly in his face or voice, but annoyance was one that he had no trouble at all putting on display for any and all who earned it, and often enough for those who didn't. Hinata could tell from the subtle cadence of that simple grunt that he was definitely annoyed by something, but what confused her was the subtle cadence. It must have been something personal, if Sasuke was unwilling to be open about this grievance, and so Hinata did not press further.

"What are you up to right now?" he followed up, all but confirming his lack of interest in extending that line of conversation.

"I'm, uh... u-um..." she mumbled, already feeling her face grow warmer.

"Speak up."

"I'm in... I'm taking a bath right... now," she finally got out, gulping warmly.

There was silence on the line for a moment, before Hinata's phone buzzed in her hand. She pulled it away from her ear to look, and pursed her lips nervously at the message across her screen.

Sasuke Uchiha would like to begin a video call.

Warm tingles of nervous excitement raced up and down Hinata's back. After the evening she'd had, she'd been totally ready to settle herself into a relaxing night before school tomorrow. She definitely wasn't prepared for this. All the same, she couldn't even think of refusing him. With cheeks bright red and anxious eyes, she accepted the video call, filling her screen with Sasuke's uniformed upper body, and filling his with her naked one.

He liked what he saw, she could tell. Even through the phone screen, she could tell from the small curl of his lips, and she could feel the covetous yearning in his gaze; it sent her heart racing. On the other end, Sasuke relished in what he could see, her bashful expression, the rare glimpse of her tied-back hair, her shimmering flesh... A match struck in Sasuke's chest, burning away his other thoughts and cares for the moment.

"What a lucky time to call..." he huffed, shifting slightly on the couch. "Stand up and hold your phone out a little farther."

Hinata bit her lip and nodded, shifting around a bit as she prepared to get up. "I-I shouldn't stay in the bath too much longer..." she told him. "I'm not the only one who has to use this water tonight."

As Hinata spoke softly, she rose from the tub and extended the arm which held her phone, giving Sasuke a much fuller view of her buxom, dripping wet form as she raised her other hand to coyly run across her hair.

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm not going to keep you long. I've had my fill tonight, and there's not much I'm interested in doing over the phone right now anyway... Just let me see you put your foot up on the rim of the tub for me, and I'll let you go."

"Like... this?" Hinata raised her left foot and set it daintily upon the edge of the tub, biting her lip with ever-growing embarrassment as she all but spread her legs for him to enjoy the view of.

"Right there... but with the other foot," Sasuke corrected as he eyed her over intently.

Hinata gave a curious tilt of her head, but obeyed, setting her foot down and raising her right foot across herself instead to set it right where her other foot once was. The tilt of her hip toward the camera created an alluring, provocative pose from Sasuke's perspective, an image he held highly in the forefront of his thoughts, tracing his wanting gaze over and across her every shapely, shimmering curve...

"Saturday. I want you over here the earliest you're able," he spoke lowly, sending another warm shock shivering up Hinata's spine. She bit her lip and nodded her head.

"O-Of course..."

With that, Sasuke ended the call, and Hinata let out a quiet, trembling sigh, before almost dropping her phone in the bathwater from fright as a gentle fist knocked lightly on the bathroom door.

"Sis? It's usually my turn by now."

"S-Sorry, Hanabi! I'm, uh...! I'm getting out right now, sorry! You can have the bath in a minute!"

Hinata stepped fully out of the tub and hastily toweled herself off as quickly as she could, throwing on her bathrobe and slippers and vacating the bathroom as quickly as she could, rushing past Hanabi too quickly for her to see her vibrant blush.

"Uh-" the younger Hyuga uttered in surprise, watching with wide eyes as Hinata scampered back into her bedroom and slammed the door. She squinted an eye in confusion, before shrugging and heading in for her own bath.

A while after, six minutes to midnight, Hinata laid restlessly in bed, staring at the ceiling with her head still spinning with thoughts keeping her from falling asleep. Unbeknownst to her, a long way across town, Sasuke was doing the same.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think with a review. Felt iffy a couple times writing out the last quarter of the chapter, but I ended up satisfied with it, and I hope you did too.

Till next time!