(DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.)

Chapter 8

"Baby, we both know that the nights were mainly made

For sayin' things that you can't say tomorrow day"

Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys

The days dragged on, and the frustration brewing between the pair of directionless Leaf shinobi dragged right along with them.

To any passerby, it seemed obvious that they despised each other. Every word was spat with venom, any noise or shift met with hostility - they could hardly even go five minutes without starting a new argument. No longer was there even any substance to their constant bickering; in fact, they were very near arguing over the color of the sky itself.

Yes, they were both miserable because of the other - and yet, they had no desire to part ways.

They had countless opportunities to abandon the shaky duo, and had certainly entertained the idea more than once. Still, they remained by each other's side. No matter how much they argued or how annoyed they became, neither could bring themselves to leave.

And they certainly didn't want to think about why.

Hinata, for her part, was careful to avoid thinking about her feelings toward the rogue for any length of time. She was not one to lie to herself, so she didn't deny that her anger toward Sasuke was simply the easiest outlet for her more complex feelings. However, she would not allow herself to dwell on those deeper thoughts - for her own sake.

She was well-aware of what lay at the end of that particular path, and she was not ready to go through that again.

As far as she had come since leaving home, Hinata was still delicate. Whoever held her heart after she had finally rebuilt it from scratch must have a gentle grasp - and if there was anything the Uchiha was not, it was gentle.

So, despite her racing pulse and thrumming heartbeat whenever she thought of him holding her to his chest, Hinata would not allow herself to fall any deeper. Instead, she just picked another fight. This time, about their latest pit-stop.

"All I'm saying is, you didn't have to make the little boy cry."

Sasuke, feeling another headache coming on, rolled his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day, "He wasn't crying."

"He was basically sobbing when we left," Hinata pointed out.

The Uchiha sighed in annoyance - he was getting tired of this particular conversation.

They had visited yet another town that morning, per Hinata's request, and Sasuke took the opportunity to get some fresh breakfast. He had spotted a small fruit stand, and was making his way toward a particularly good-looking tomato when a young boy grabbed it.

Sasuke, being Sasuke, simply demanded that the sniveling child give him the tomato if he wanted to grow up to live a long and healthy life.

In the end, he got his breakfast - but at the cost of one terrified kid and one very annoying heiress in his ear.

"You could have picked anything else on that stand, but you just had to scare an innocent child to near-death," she continued her scolding, though she knew it fell on deaf ears. "Such a jerk."

"It's moments like this that I miss that annoying stutter of yours," Sasuke muttered sarcastically.

Hinata's head snapped to the side at the comment, eyes wide, "Annoying!"

The Uchiha smirked to himself at the outburst; he did love hitting a nerve.

"Well, I'm so sorry the speech impediment that I have struggled with since childhood annoys you," she stated indignantly, crossing her arms and holding her head high as she demonstrated her most heiress-y demeanor.

"You don't seem to be struggling right now," he pointed out plainly.

Her face flushed, which she hated even more than usual when he was the one causing it, "J-Jerk."

"Wow, that's a new one."

Hinata was about to continue their childish antics, but was distracted by a sudden change in scenery.

"Wait, w-where are we?" she asked, looking around as she finally noticed the distinct difference in their surroundings. As they continued on the worn-down trail, the foliage was slowly being replaced by moss and rocks. Rivers criss-crossed along the path they took, and Hinata could feel the moisture thicken the air around them.

"Just outside the Land of Rivers."

Ah, she thought, that makes sense.

Hinata had been wondering when she would finally stumble out of the Land of Fire; she had spent months running around the wilderness, and was beginning to think she actually had been going in circles. "Did you know we were heading this way?"

Sasuke gave her a flat look, "Not all of us enjoy running around in circles for weeks, Hyuuga."

That caused a blush to burn her cheeks once again; so she had been doing that. How embarrassing.

Still, she refused to let Sasuke have the upper hand for long, "What were you doing all those months we were running into each other, then?"

He didn't answer, which she took as a win.

Their bickering took a backseat to sight-seeing as the couple entered the Land of Rivers.

It wasn't a jarring difference from the roaming wilderness she had grown accustomed to, but it was enough to have Hinata ooh-ing and ahh-ing as they continued on their new path.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had visited the area many times, so he wasn't quite so entertained by the passing views. He was, however, a bit enamored by his counterpart's reactions.

They had been so busy fighting these past few days, he hadn't had the chance to enjoy the view. Not that he was enjoying it. He simply knew an attractive woman when he saw one, that was all.

His eyes roamed her form as she continued to watch the rivers flow around them. He still couldn't understand what the appeal was, especially when she was so tattered from her months in the wilderness.

Her clothes, which he could only assume had once been pristine, were covered in holes and rips. A layer of dirt had formed on everything she wore, despite her constant washing whenever they found a stream nearby. He didn't even want to think about the state of her nails.

Her hair must have suffered the most. Sasuke remembered Hinata's hair being quite shiny and luscious the last time he had seen her, but now it was dull and matted from sleeping on the ground night after night.

She was quite a sight - maybe that was why he couldn't stop staring.

Sasuke shook himself, scowling as he tore his eyes away from the heiress.

Opposed to Hinata, who was quick to admit to herself that she was beginning to form some feelings for the shinobi - despite desperately ignoring them - Sasuke was not handling his own quite so gracefully.

He refused to acknowledge the emotions that had been suffocating him for weeks, even when it was achingly obvious. Instead, he was just consistently angry. Which he resented, considering he had come a long way with his anger issues since striking out on his own.

As a kid, he was admittedly...troubled. Though he stuck by his reasons, Sasuke was aware that he had not handled his feelings well - and tended to steer toward more violent outlets. As time went on, during which he had a few crucial lessons beaten into him, the lone Uchiha had calmed down quite a bit. Sure, he still didn't like to dwell on his emotions - or think about them at all, at times - but he no longer relied on his anger to get those feelings out.

These days, though - he was feeling a relapse coming on.

Every interaction between them had morphed into an argument since the night they ran into Taisho, and Sasuke was starting to miss the squirrely man. Really, he missed the distraction he had served for Hinata and her need for conversation at all hours of the day.

Sasuke could have sworn the woman was mute when they were children, but apparently he could not have been more wrong.

Barely five minutes would pass before she was making some passing comment or, more likely, a not-so-thinly-veiled insult. Any other time, he would surely be amused at the difference between the Hinata beside him, and the Hinata he grew up with - but he was not amused. He was angry.

Angry that every word she said rang in his mind for hours - angry that no matter how much he tried to bite his tongue, he could not stop from goading her on. That every time he made a point, she had a better one; and every time he won an argument, she won three afterward.

Above all, he was angry that no matter how angry he was, that smug look on her face just made him want to let her win even more.

His eyes found her again, and he wondered how long it would be before their next tryst. What would she point out to him this time? What past conversation would she recall? And what snide remark would throw her over the edge?

Smirking to himself, Sasuke relented that maybe she wasn't so much to blame for their recent behavior.

In his defense, it was simply too much fun to rile her up - and far too easy.

Memories of her yelling at him after he caused Taisho to run off filled his mind, with his myriad of complex feelings in tow. He could still feel her finger, like a dagger through his chest with each strike - or, poke.

It was just like when she slapped him, and…"booped" his nose that night - which felt like a thousand years ago at this point. Her touch had lingered like static then, too; it took days for him to rid himself of the phantom sensations.

Just as it was then, her touch had plagued him incessantly ever since that particular argument. It didn't help that he had, due to some odd knee-jerk reaction, pulled her even closer in an effort to stop the shocking jabs.

The memory itself was enough to send a chill down his spine, which soured his mood even more.

Unwilling, or unable, to entertain such thoughts for any longer, Sasuke set his eyes forward with a hard crease in his brow. Damn hormones.

Next to the moody man, Hinata was feeling her spirits lift - if only for a short while.

No longer would she underestimate the effects of a change of scenery! She hadn't realized how dreary it had been, walking by tree after tree - with no real way of knowing how far she had gone, or which way she was going. Even her all-seeing vision wasn't much help when all there was to see were trees, trees, and more trees.

Now, as she took in the rolling rivers and weeping willows, Hinata could finally see how far she had come.

That realization hit harder than she expected, and suddenly all she could see was the large distance between then and now. She tried not to get too emotional, well-aware of the company she was keeping - but despite her will, the Hyuuga felt her eyes water.

If she could only tell her past self what was waiting for her, if she could only have her sister by her side to see how much she had changed, if only Neji were still here to see how she had grown.

The thought of her late cousin only caused the tears to flow even more. It had been quite some time since his death, but there were moments when his absence was just as daunting as it had been that very day. Especially moments like this, when she could see with her own eyes how far she had come - in every sense of the phrase - she couldn't help but wish he was there to witness it.

He would be proud, she was sure of that.

"You're crying."

Hinata startled out of her musings, and was promptly red-faced as she processed Sasuke's words.

"A-Ah, yes…" she admitted, doing her best to dry her tears now that she was caught.

The Uchiha wasn't sure what to say; he wished he hadn't said anything at all - but he was surprised to look over and see the tears streaming down her face, so the words just sort of came out.

Just a moment before, she seemed as happy as he had seen her since the bakery, but now she looked as if her dog just died.

Not one to console a crying woman, or anyone, Sasuke simply kept walking.

Hinata was silently grateful for it, since she wasn't one to confide in anyone about, well, anything.

They walked on in silence for the rest of the day, but eventually the sun made its way below the horizon and they were forced to set up camp for the night. Though the darkness was not a complete hindrance to their superior senses, the unfamiliar terrain surely was. Even without sharing a word about it, they both knew it was better to just get an early start at dawn.

Their nightly routine had changed at some point over the past few days. Though they spent the majority of each day arguing over nothing, Sasuke had stopped sleeping in the trees. Instead, he took residence on the opposite side of the fire - still ignoring her to the best of his ability, but present, nonetheless.

Hinata, for one, almost missed when he avoided her like the plague. At least then she was able to eat in peace.

"For a princess, you don't really eat like a princess," Sasuke pointed out from across the campfire, smirk in place as she glared at him.

"How many times must I tell you that I am not a princess?" she asked with an annoyed sigh, and pointedly ignored his comment on her eating habits as she tried to enjoy her meal.

The Uchiha's smirk deepened, knowing that he had hit another nerve. "Ah, my mistake, Princess."

He met her next glare with a mocking bow of his head, and had to hold back a laugh when she rolled her eyes at him.

Still, something was off. Usually she would have kept that one going; the princess thing was always a sure-fire way to set her off - but tonight, she just kept her eyes trained on her food.

Sasuke crossed his arms as he stared at her.

What was her deal? Not that he was complaining about the lack of her petty arguments - but it was quite strange. It must have something to do with whatever she was crying about, he surmised.

Images of blonde hair and whiskered cheeks flashed in his mind, and he scowled. Probably missing the idiot.

The thought pissed him off, so he decided to stop thinking about it.

Not feeling particularly hungry, Sasuke wasted no time getting comfortable on his side of the fire.

Hinata glanced up as he shifted in his place, he sure is going to bed early.

Sighing quietly to herself, the kunoichi looked at the rest of her meal. She barely even tasted it, as consumed in her thoughts as she had been. Though she missed her friends and family, Hinata hadn't had much time to really dwell on the distance up until now.

She had been so distracted by dealing with a certain shinobi that the realization of how far she had strayed from her home hadn't been very real in her mind. Now, though, as she sat in silence in a land that was not so far, but far enough, from where she had grown up - where she had made so many precious memories - it was weighing heavily on her heart.

Deciding she wasn't hungry anymore, and not wanting to stew in her emotions any longer, Hinata followed her counterpart's lead and got ready for bed.

As hours passed, Sasuke and Hinata's eyes remained on the stars above them.

Neither could sleep; both heads filled with thoughts and emotions that they could only manage to distract themselves from when the sun was above their heads. Once the moon took over, however, there was nothing to keep them from swimming in their own complex feelings.

Sasuke knew she was awake - she was too still to be sleeping yet. Hinata had a feeling he was awake, as well, but didn't want to risk turning her head in his direction.

So, mirroring their night back at the cabin, the two stared ahead in the darkness as their minds drifted to the other.

"Why were you crying?"

Much to his own surprise, Sasuke broke the silence. He hadn't planned on voicing his question out loud, and was quite annoyed that he did - he blamed the lack of sleep. It had been bouncing around in his head all day, though, so he supposed he might as well get an answer.

"W-What?" she asked, even though she heard him clearly. She simply wasn't sure if she wanted to answer. Hinata had been emotional all day, and knew that talking openly about what was on her mind would only lead to even more tears. She was sure that Sasuke didn't want to deal with that.

Still, she reasoned to herself, it might feel good to get it off my chest…

"Earlier," Sasuke clarified, even more annoyed now that he had to repeat the question he didn't even want to ask, but still wanted to know. "You were crying. Why?"

Hinata sighed. "I…" she tried to start, but wasn't even sure where to begin. "It's...a lot. I-I don't want to bother you with it."

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know, Hyuuga."

Whether Sasuke or Hinata was more shocked by his honesty, neither could say.

It was enough to give the kunoichi a bit of courage, nonetheless. "I'm just m-missing someone, that's all."

Ah, Sasuke thought bitterly. So it was about the idiot.

He now thoroughly regretted asking, "I see."

"I guess..." she continued, much to his dismay, "I just wish he was here to see how much I've grown."

Sasuke rolled his eyes in the darkness, Like Naruto - King of Immaturity - would ever be able to tell when someone has "grown."

She truly didn't know the dolt at all, did she? He had to hold back a mocking laugh.

Unaware of Sasuke's train of thought, Hinata continued on with her own - trying her best to hold back the river of tears threatening to fall. "It's just...he was more than just f-family; he was my friend, my mentor, my reason to keep fighting, m-my...e-everything."

The Uchiha's brows knit in confusion. Family? Mentor? His head whipped to face her, and his brow quickly softened at the sight of her silent tears.

So, she wasn't talking about Naruto.

What an idiot, Sasuke scolded himself. She was talking about her cousin, the one who had died just a few short years ago. She wasn't pining, she was mourning. Idiot.

If there was anything Sasuke could understand, it was the loss of a loved one. Or, loved ones.

His chest tightened at the reminder, but he expertly pushed those memories to the back of his mind. "He would be proud."

The words left his mouth of their own accord once again, but he didn't regret it this time.

Hinata's wide, tear-filled eyes met his own across the flames dancing between them. She had almost forgotten he was listening, having gotten caught up in her bittersweet musings once again.

And though she already knew what he said to be true, had even told herself that very thing not long before - she was grateful to hear it come from Sasuke.

His own tragic past was well-known, and she almost felt bad for complaining to someone who had lost so much. She knew he understood, though; and she knew, as well as he did, that there was nothing he could say to make her situation any better. But above all, he knew how much it meant to hear those words - and know them to be true.

She briefly wondered if anyone had ever said such words to him.

"Yes," she agreed, feeling a genuine smile form on her tear-stained face, "he would."

Sasuke stared back at her, unable to breathe properly when she looked at him like that. Her glares, he could handle. That flat, mocking look was fine, too. Even the outraged, bulging expression she often showed when he said something particularly rude, he would welcome at this moment.

This was new, though. There was a grateful glint in her eyes, an understanding, an appreciation. And that smile - she had never smiled at him before, not like that.

He gulped, tearing his eyes away and setting them back to the sky above.

Hinata followed suit, feeling a small weight lift from her fractured heart as she looked back to the stars shining in the night sky.

They stayed silent from then on, and Hinata eventually succumbed to her heavy eyelids. Despite the worries and stress that still lingered in her mind, the ex-heiress was able to fall asleep a bit easier after sharing her sorrows with someone.

Sasuke, however, did not sleep a wink.

For the rest of the night, he was plagued by the image burnt into his brain. Her glittering eyes, complimented by a gentle smile. All aimed directly at him. All because of something he had said.

He shouldn't think anything of it. He should have moved on immediately, should have been grateful for finally satisfying his annoying curiosity.

And yet, all he felt was dread.

Dread, and that sickeningly sweet warmth that had settled in his chest the moment she locked eyes with him.

Yes, it was sure, he would not be getting any sleep that night.

Hinata woke up in the best mood she could recall being in for weeks.

Not only did she lighten her emotional load the night before, but she was still revelling in her new surroundings - no matter how mucky and humid they were.

Sasuke was gone when she woke up, assumedly off to relieve himself or train or whatever it was the rogue did with his mornings. Hinata, on the other hand, decided to take advantage of the natural terrain.

After breakfast, she took a short walk before stumbling upon the perfect place for a much-needed bath. The current was slow, and there was an ample amount of boulders to shield her from any possible snoops lurking around.

There were several suitable bodies of water in the Land of Fire for a quick dip, but Hinata rarely felt comfortable stripping in the middle of the woods. Too much darkness and too many dense trees to hide Peeking Toms; it was too much for the poor girl's nerves. Consequently, she hadn't been able to have a real bath since the last time they spent the night in town - and Sasuke was not one for spending the night often.

Here, however, with the looming rock formations and draping trees, Hinata was finally ready to relax. For a few moments, at least.

She stripped carefully - cautious of her surroundings, though not feeling the need to activate her Byakugan for once - and toed the water before making her plunge. She shivered a bit at the temperature, but it was hardly unbearable.

Keeping her clothes to her chest - since she needed to wash them anyway - along with her bathing supplies, Hinata waded into the cool river. After finding a spot to sit against the rocks, the kunoichi got to work.

Months of wear and tear made getting her clothes to look even a little bit presentable an impossible feat, but she scrubbed her hardest anyway. With a sigh, she relented once her arm grew sore. As she laid her clothes out to dry, Hinata made a mental note to invest in a new set the next time she had the chance.

But for now, she reminded herself with a sigh, leaning back against the slick rocks, time to relax.

It was no hot spring, but the kunoichi was more than grateful for the water flowing through her hair. She closed her eyes, and decided she deserved a nice, long soak.

As Hinata relieved her stress with a peaceful bath, Sasuke took his feelings out on nature itself.

He had eventually given up on sleeping as the sun started to rise, and decided to do some training away from camp. Though he told himself it was out of boredom, his gut clenched at the thought of looking into a certain pair of eyes that morning.

To distract himself from the swirling in his stomach, he formed a rather unnecessary Chidori and promptly split his target - a tree - in half.

Stepping back from the wreckage with a huff, Sasuke finally had to relent. No matter how much he trained, or ran, or fought - the unwanted feelings wouldn't budge.

He looked around, hardly registering the array of broken tree trunks at his feet as he headed back to camp.

A sharp feeling of panic ran through him suddenly, stopping him in his tracks. There was no threat, no reason to be intimidated - yet he couldn't move forward. Sasuke swallowed hard, feeling the most pathetic he had ever felt in his life; which was saying something.

As usual, this feeling was soon followed by anger as he made a hard turn to his right.

He wasn't running away. Definitely not. He was just tired, and hungry, and sweaty; and he didn't want to see her just yet.

Making a beeline for the water ahead of him, Sasuke wasted no time stripping his clothes as he waded into the slightly chilled water.

Sasuke, unlike his travelling partner, didn't care much about his surroundings as he swam out into the water. He flipped onto his back and allowed the water to carry his weight, faintly hoping it would carry his frustrations downstream as well.

As he drifted down the river, his mind soon followed.

Though he had tried all night and into the morning, Hinata's smile remained etched into his brain. He was sure he had never seen that smile in his life, from anyone. Not that he tended to garner a smile from many - other than those that wanted something from him; and those were never genuine.

It was possible he had become a bit bitter toward smiles, or maybe they had all simply paled in comparison to the brightness of Naruto's constant grin. The thought made Sasuke scoff.

The idiot always did favor the sun, and burned just as badly.

Still, his smiles always seemed genuine enough to keep the resentment at bay. The others were always fake, scheming, wanting.

Then there was Hinata's.

It wasn't bright like the sun; it was shining like a gemstone. It didn't blind, it awed.

Sasuke wondered, despite himself, how he could get her to smile like that again.

He could only allow himself to dream for so long, however, and soon he snapped himself out of it. Guess I better swim back upstream.

Flipping back onto his stomach and making his way back up the river, he was nearly back to where he had left his clothes when something caught his eye. Or rather, someone.

Leaning against a rock formation, completely asleep - and completely naked - was Hinata.

Sasuke nearly drowned when his brain finally caught up to his eyes. He quickly splashed his way behind the rocks, praying to whoever was listening that he hadn't woken her up as he pressed himself against the back of a boulder.

After a silent moment, he dared to peak behind the rocks.

He allowed himself a brief moment of relief when he saw that she was still dozing - but as his eyes began to roam, he quickly retreated once again.

It was suddenly difficult to swallow, and to think. He looked down and reminded himself of one very important fact: he was still naked.

Which led to an important question: where did he leave his clothes?

He felt his blood turn cold as he gathered his surroundings, recalling where he had thrown his clothes haphazardly before bothering to look around for napping Hinatas.

Making sure to keep his eyes off the naked woman this time, Sasuke scanned the area until he spotted his pants hanging from a tree branch. Just ahead of him, and Hinata. Of course.

He briefly considered going around the rock formation that he was currently perched on, but after a glance at the sheer size of the natural structure - and his lack of any sort of physical protection - he quickly decided against it.

Which meant the only way to his clothes would be right in front of Hinata. Of. Course.

Sasuke had learned many lessons in his life, some harder than others; but this lesson, he was sure he would never forget. Always make sure you're alone before throwing your clothes off in the middle of the woods…

With an inward groan, the Uchiha made his move.

Trying his best not to splash too loudly, Sasuke slowly waded across the water. As much as he tried to keep looking forward, his eyes kept shifting to the girl dozing just a few feet from himself.

Between thoughts of wow and holy shit, he faintly wondered why she was so tired in the first place. He was the one running on no sleep, after all.

Halfway to shore, Sasuke's eyes widened at the sound of a splash coming from where the woman sat. He slowly looked over, prepared to fight for his life when she caught him red-handed, but let out another sigh of relief at her still-closed eyes. Another splash drew his attention a bit to the left, where a fish was splashing around - apparently uncaring toward Sasuke's current predicament.

He had to talk himself out of taking his anger out on the stupid creature as he continued his mission.

Finally, he reached land and made a beeline for the trees. He wasted no time pulling on his pants, ignoring how they clung to his wet legs as he searched for the rest of his clothes.

Dressed, and just a bit damp, Sasuke let out a sigh of relief as he headed back to camp - ready to pretend the past twenty minutes had ever happened.

He stopped short, though, when another thought crossed his mind.

Glancing back where Hinata lay sleeping, Sasuke smirked and tip-toed back to the water.

As he neared the sleeping kunoichi, the Uchiha climbed up the rock formation that she used as a pillow - again, how she was even sleeping, he couldn't understand. Once he reached a high enough perch, Sasuke picked up a stone and sized up the distance. Smirking so hard it was nearing an evil grin, the shinobi held the stone above the water as he took aim.

Nap time's over, Hyuuga, he thought wickedly as he released the stone and watched it drop right next to her.

Though he wanted nothing more than to see her reaction, he knew better than to stick around a Byakugan-wielder if he wanted to get away with his little prank.

So, smiling at the resounding splash! behind him, Sasuke bound off to camp - feeling like he was able to relax a bit after all.