I see that there are a lot of people who are starting to get mad with me
over the last chapter. I apologize. I thought I made myself clear in
chapter 47 that this story always has been and always will be a NaruSasu.
It may seem like Naruto and Hinata are hitting it off, but did no one pay
attention when Naruto was telling Sasuke that he didn't like Hinata the way
he thought he should.
I'm one of the most loyal NaruSasuNaru fans, and I'm pretty sure I always will be, so I'm going to level with you guys on Naruto's psyche. Naruto is starting to fall in love with Sasuke, but these things take time, especially when you take into account the fact that Naruto hasn't really had much love to begin with. (Take his relationship with Sakura for example). Right now, he's only with Hinata because she not only feels normal to him, but she shows him constant attention. Sasuke's definitely in love with Naruto... has been for some time now, but he's not going to make a move on his best friend until he knows he won't lose. When Naruto starts screwing Sasuke, cause yeah, that's how it's going to be at first, he's going to take his time realising his feelings.
I'm sorry to those of you who read this story, hoping to see some PWP lemon or something, or just to see Sasuke and Naruto all lovey-dovey with each other, because it will be a long time before that ever happens. Unlike a lot of people out there, I'm doing my best to keep these guys in character, so unless you want a piece of shit, you're going to have to be patient. It's Kishimoto-sempai's fault for making his characters so complex. They take a while to bend to my will.
And thus ends my little rant. To sum up: THIS STORY WILL ALWAYS BE NARUSASU. These things just take a bit of time because I'm trying my hardest to remain true to the series. Thank you and happy reading.
(Please don't yell at me when a story isn't going your way, I'll just ignore you. It's my story... deal with it.)
Chapter Title: 49. Happy Birthday to Me
"Why can't he just leave me alone sometimes?" Naruto huffed, a feeling of déjà vu coming over him as he stirred around the noodles in his ramen bowl.
"I thought you and Sasuke were friends." Hinata said quietly. He shrugged and rolled his eyes.
"We are. It's just so degrading when he insults me like that. I mean, I've gotten used to him calling me 'dobe' all the time, and now it doesn't seem as insulting when he says it, but he acts like everything I do is beneath him." Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder across the table and patted it comfortingly.
"Don't let it bother you too much, Naruto-kun." He looked up at her and smiled.
"But his opinion is so important to me. We're best friends, but he's still an asshole for being rude to me like that."
"Do you think maybe he doesn't know how to show his affection for you?"
"Affection?!" Naruto practically screeched before stopping to think about it. "I guess he just doesn't like to show the world that we're friends. But it can't be the other way. He's straight." Hinata giggled. "Plus, why would he like someone like me?"
"I like you, Naruto-kun." He shrugged.
"I know that, but he's just... elite." She nodded and they went back to their dinner.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
When Sasuke heard the knock at the door, he found the last person he'd expected, waiting.
"Hyuuga." He nodded curtly to the petite girl on his doorstep. She nodded in return and followed him inside. "What can I help you with?" He led her to his small living room and they sat down on one of the couches.
"Is there... ano... is there something... I sh-should know about... your relationship with Naruto?" She stammered. He gave her a surprised expression, showing his confusion in his eyes.
"What do you mean? What brought up this question?" He wondered. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, staring adamantly at her hands.
"Naruto talks about you all the time."
"We're friends. Rivals."
"It's not just that." She shook her head, refusing to look up into Sasuke's eyes. "Aside from a couple of other instances, you're all he talks about and he doesn't even realise what he's doing." They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment as Sasuke let the information sink in.
"We're nothing more than friends." He said, almost forcibly. "Don't worry; I'll talk to him about it." She looked up at him and smiled.
"I don't wish to cause you two any problems, I was just wondering." She studied Sasuke for a moment, until he looked away from her. "You two are the greatest friends, from what I've heard, and I would hate to be the one thing that comes between you two." He nodded and stood up, signalling the end of their little chat.
"I'll talk to him about it." He repeated and showed her out.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
The next afternoon, Sasuke went up to the top of the Hokage tower, only to learn there had been an attempt on the Hokage's life. She was throwing books at the Anbu squad when he arrived.
"I don't want to just sit here and do nothing!!!" She yelled angrily, picking up a solid paperweight from her desk, contemplating its fate. "I want to stop defending and start attacking. We can't defend Konoha forever. We look weak. Protecting the village is doing nothing to stop this war." One of the squad stepped forward cautiously.
"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but what can we do at the moment?" She looked to Sasuke, in the doorway, and smiled welcomingly.
"We're going to up the training of the lower ranks. Come in, Sasuke." He stepped in and realised that there were more than just Anbu in the room. Jounin, chuunin and genin alike were gathered in her office. "I think I would like for the jounin and Anbu teams to start working with the chuunin and genin to improve their skills. Neji, Shikamaru, Sakura and Shino, please stay back to discuss some strategies with the jounin and Anbu. The rest of you are dismissed. Training will star when we have it organised." She nodded her head dismissively and began talking to the gathered men and women before everyone else had left.
Sasuke managed to grab a hold of Naruto's arm, before he ran off to find Hinata, and drag him off to a corner to talk.
"Hinata came to me last night." He said quietly. Naruto looked surprised for a second.
"Why?"
"She is concerned that you're talking a little too much about me." The blonde scoffed.
"What an ego booster, ne?" He frowned. "I don't talk about you all the time and I'm not obsessed with you."
"Nobody said you were, dobe. Hinata was just concerned about you talking about me so much. Hell, just don't bring me up in your conversations."
"Fine, I'll take your word for it." Naruto sighed. "I didn't know she was having such a problem with it. How come she didn't talk to me about it?" Sasuke shrugged noncommittally.
"Maybe she didn't want you to feel offended or embarrassed. From how much I've heard you talk about me, she probably figured I could tell you without hurting you as much." Naruto chuckled to himself.
"More like, she knew you'd be blunt and to the point." Sasuke nodded and let Naruto go off to his girlfriend who was waiting for him. She shot Sasuke a quick, questioning glance which he returned with a curt nod before taking Naruto's arm and heading off for the rest of the day.
Sasuke was about to walk off to his patrol shift when Sakura caught up with him, apparently finished with her conference with the Hokage. She had Lee following her closely, keeping a watch over her battered arm.
"Where are you going, Sasuke-kun?"
"I have a patrol." He exclaimed glumly. Her expression brightened, and she was joined by Ino and Shikamaru, who looked like he would rather be doing aerobics than following the hyperactive blonde.
"Actually, you don't!" Ino exclaimed happily. "Sakura-chan talked to Tsunade inside and she got the old woman to give you a day off."
"Why would I want a day off?" Ino suddenly looked doubtful and turned her accusing glare to her best friend.
"I thought you said it was today!"
"It is, baka." Sakura retorted, returning the glare. "You're just too busy with Shikamaru to remember!"
"Excuse me, but I'm never busy." Shikamaru interjected, looking slightly offended.
"What the hell are you two talking about?" Sasuke asked, getting annoyed.
"We're taking you out for dinner to celebrate your birthday!" Sasuke groaned softly to himself and allowed the girls to drag him along. "You didn't have plans, did you?" He shook his head.
"I made a bet with someone a while back. The loser had to buy me dinner, but it was so long ago I guess he forgot." Sakura and Ino laughed together.
"Well, we'll take you out!" They continued to pull him along, not hearing Sasuke's muttered reply.
"Yay. Happy Birthday to me."
(Star)(Star)(Star)
They sat down and ordered from the small menu, Hinata doing most of the talking for once. Naruto stayed in silence, trying to find topics to talk to his girlfriend about that didn't involve Sasuke.
"Naruto, daijoubi?" She asked, waving a hand in front of his vacant eyes. He shook his head and gave her a smile.
"Daijoubu." He exclaimed.
"Tell me something about what happened after the fighting broke out during the chuunin exam. I was passed out for most of it."
"Well, I ended up chasing Gaara of the Sand and... he was fighting someone in the forest. When that person ended up out of commission, I had to stand up for my friends. He was starting to transform into the demon that lived inside of him, the Shukaku, and had Sakura-chan pinned to a tree, the sand slowly sucking the life out of her. Well... with that other person unable to fight, I had to do it. He's a lot like myself, you know." She nodded her head to show she was paying attention. "We were matched in strength, and I might have destroyed him if I hadn't been stopped. His siblings took him away."
"I don't see you as someone who would take away a life."
"You must not know me very well then, Hinata-chan." He replied grimly. She nodded slowly before switching the topic from Gaara to Tsunade.
"How did you first meet up with Tsunade-hime? You two always seemed to be so friendly, even when she first showed up as Hokage." Naruto laughed.
"Actually, Ero-sennin was asked to be the Hokage and he refused so we had to go all over the world o find that hag." He laughed sulkily. "I think the only reason I was taken with him is because... this S-class missing nin was after me."
"Really?! Who?"
"Er... Uchiha Itachi."
"Uchiha?" She asked, softly.
"Yeah, but that doesn't matter!" Naruto exclaimed loudly changing the topic. "Tsunade-baba insulted the Hokage position so I had to teach her a lesson. In the end she realised what the position meant to so many people and returned with us. I of course had personal reasons for getting her to return, but in the end everything worked out."
"What were your personal reasons?"
"They're not important anymore!" Naruto said with false cheerfulness, shoving a piece of sushi into his cheek, eyes watering at the whiff of wasabi that hit his nose.
"Was it Sasuke?" She asked, watching for his reaction. He stopped chewing and looked down at his lap guiltily.
"He was really sick." He whispered through his food. Hinata nodded sadly and continued eating, changing the subject once again.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
After dinner, Naruto offered to walk Hinata home, but she declined his kindness, heading in a different direction than that of her family home. He waited until his retreating back disappeared from view before heading out. It pained her to see Naruto looking so... forced that evening. She knew how hard it was to avoid every conversation topic that involved his best friend.
She stopped when she arrived at the door and knocked twice. The door slid open revealing just the man she'd wanted to see.
"Hyuuga, you seem to be making a habit of visiting me. Does your boyfriend know?" She blushed and shook her head.
"Sasuke, may I come in to talk to you about Naruto again?" She asked. He nodded politely and opened the door further for her.
"What's he done this time?" He asked, closing the door behind him.
"He wasn't doing anything wrong, really." She started. "I think he did what you asked him to. He didn't say a word about you without trying really hard not to. He avoided you wherever he could, and..." She trailed off sadly.
"If he did what you wanted, then what is there for us to talk about?"
"He wasn't the Naruto I knew." She exclaimed. "He didn't seem as happy when he was trying to control his topics. He acted weird."
"And what is it you think I can do for you then?" Sasuke asked. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Maybe if you could tell him not to act so uptight around me." She would have said more but Sasuke's frown stopped her.
"I'm not going to keep trying to change him for your sake. If he seemed any different it was because of your request. You can't expect him to just take out a piece of who he is to suit your needs. Either you accept him for who he is or you don't, but please don't ask me to change him. I like him the way he is." Hinata nodded in sudden realisation. "You also need to trust him. Talk to him about these concerns, not me. I don't want to be involved."
"I was being selfish, wasn't I?" She asked rhetorically. He nodded anyways. "I'm sorry to have been such a bother to you, but you're right. I only hope Naruto can forgive me for trying to mould him for myself."
"He has this amazing ability to bounce back from just about everything, no matter how mentally scarring it is."
"It was your birthday today, wasn't it?" Hinata asked. Sasuke nodded. "Omedetou tanjoubi, Sasuke-kun. I hope you got everything you wanted."
"Not even close, but thanks." He muttered sullenly, showing her to the door once more.
(End of Chapter)
I know it's a little bit shorter than previous chapters, but consider that I only finished typing the last chapter this morning.
To Tiinka: I hope that ending helped a little in explaining what was happening between Hinata and Naruto. For sure this is a NaruSasu fic, and I'm sure that the next chapter should prove it without a doubt.
To Ryouseiteki: How's this for a roll?
To RiNuN: This story still has a ways to go before I can bring about the bittersweet ending that is planned, and nothing worth having is ever easy to come by.
To Moon Klutz: Hahaha... but aren't you so happy you read it? Especially now that you know what happens with the whole Sasuke following Orochimaru.
To Psycho Rooster: I apologise if the rant in the beginning seems... angry. I just thought that I'd made it clear before that this was a SasuNaruSasu fic. If you had looked closer at all the SasuNaru interaction, you might have noticed that. I'm glad you reviewed though because it helped me focus my head a little bit more.
To DaisukeDavisMM02: Not yet.
To holycow: I haven't been able to post on aff.n as I think the site is down. I've been trying to get to it for a while, but I suppose they're just doing maintenance or something.
To the La/=/er: I don't mind the pervertedness. I actually like it (pervert author at your service). The thing about his dresser is that not only does he not like revisiting the memories of when he left, he also doesn't stay in his house much. He tended to be around Naruto a lot for a couple of years and only used the room for sleeping and clothes. Naruto's just talking about the fact that Sasuke has every girl and a few guys at his feet and he just shoves em away like they're dirt. . About what Sasuke said at the end... I honestly thought I had wrote it in, but when I checked it wasn't there... and it was one of those spur of the moment things that I can't remember at all... it will come to me eventually... it was something about that last comment and insulting.
To Aka: Now I understand... I never thought of it that way... I always saw it as Orochimaru just punishing Naruto by threatening all of that stuff. As you can see, Sasuke was rude because he's... slightly miffed at being 'stood up' for Hinata. And nobody filled Sasuke in, he was too busy fighting Gaara... and then there was the whole going off to Orochimaru... and then it was just forgotten. Mmm... I love that song!!! (Curses cause it's now stuck in her head). No it's not the police building. Actually... that building was just thrown in after I read chapter 220 of the manga. Sasuke's daddy was a police officer... . No, Naruto's not going to sleep with Sasuke and get caught by Hinata... close, but no. Sasuke kind of does want everything to fall apart, but he doesn't want to force anything. Naruto was happy because it meant Sasuke would be happy... and he's quite adamant about Sasuke being straight. He loves Sasuke (like a brother) and he's happy if Sasuke's happy. Plus... Sasuke hasn't had a girlfriend yet... Naruto thought they were making progress... lol.
.Who's seen chapter 220? Sasuke's daddy was a police officer!!! And I swear on my life Itachi loves his little brother.
LIME!!
I'm one of the most loyal NaruSasuNaru fans, and I'm pretty sure I always will be, so I'm going to level with you guys on Naruto's psyche. Naruto is starting to fall in love with Sasuke, but these things take time, especially when you take into account the fact that Naruto hasn't really had much love to begin with. (Take his relationship with Sakura for example). Right now, he's only with Hinata because she not only feels normal to him, but she shows him constant attention. Sasuke's definitely in love with Naruto... has been for some time now, but he's not going to make a move on his best friend until he knows he won't lose. When Naruto starts screwing Sasuke, cause yeah, that's how it's going to be at first, he's going to take his time realising his feelings.
I'm sorry to those of you who read this story, hoping to see some PWP lemon or something, or just to see Sasuke and Naruto all lovey-dovey with each other, because it will be a long time before that ever happens. Unlike a lot of people out there, I'm doing my best to keep these guys in character, so unless you want a piece of shit, you're going to have to be patient. It's Kishimoto-sempai's fault for making his characters so complex. They take a while to bend to my will.
And thus ends my little rant. To sum up: THIS STORY WILL ALWAYS BE NARUSASU. These things just take a bit of time because I'm trying my hardest to remain true to the series. Thank you and happy reading.
(Please don't yell at me when a story isn't going your way, I'll just ignore you. It's my story... deal with it.)
Chapter Title: 49. Happy Birthday to Me
"Why can't he just leave me alone sometimes?" Naruto huffed, a feeling of déjà vu coming over him as he stirred around the noodles in his ramen bowl.
"I thought you and Sasuke were friends." Hinata said quietly. He shrugged and rolled his eyes.
"We are. It's just so degrading when he insults me like that. I mean, I've gotten used to him calling me 'dobe' all the time, and now it doesn't seem as insulting when he says it, but he acts like everything I do is beneath him." Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder across the table and patted it comfortingly.
"Don't let it bother you too much, Naruto-kun." He looked up at her and smiled.
"But his opinion is so important to me. We're best friends, but he's still an asshole for being rude to me like that."
"Do you think maybe he doesn't know how to show his affection for you?"
"Affection?!" Naruto practically screeched before stopping to think about it. "I guess he just doesn't like to show the world that we're friends. But it can't be the other way. He's straight." Hinata giggled. "Plus, why would he like someone like me?"
"I like you, Naruto-kun." He shrugged.
"I know that, but he's just... elite." She nodded and they went back to their dinner.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
When Sasuke heard the knock at the door, he found the last person he'd expected, waiting.
"Hyuuga." He nodded curtly to the petite girl on his doorstep. She nodded in return and followed him inside. "What can I help you with?" He led her to his small living room and they sat down on one of the couches.
"Is there... ano... is there something... I sh-should know about... your relationship with Naruto?" She stammered. He gave her a surprised expression, showing his confusion in his eyes.
"What do you mean? What brought up this question?" He wondered. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, staring adamantly at her hands.
"Naruto talks about you all the time."
"We're friends. Rivals."
"It's not just that." She shook her head, refusing to look up into Sasuke's eyes. "Aside from a couple of other instances, you're all he talks about and he doesn't even realise what he's doing." They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment as Sasuke let the information sink in.
"We're nothing more than friends." He said, almost forcibly. "Don't worry; I'll talk to him about it." She looked up at him and smiled.
"I don't wish to cause you two any problems, I was just wondering." She studied Sasuke for a moment, until he looked away from her. "You two are the greatest friends, from what I've heard, and I would hate to be the one thing that comes between you two." He nodded and stood up, signalling the end of their little chat.
"I'll talk to him about it." He repeated and showed her out.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
The next afternoon, Sasuke went up to the top of the Hokage tower, only to learn there had been an attempt on the Hokage's life. She was throwing books at the Anbu squad when he arrived.
"I don't want to just sit here and do nothing!!!" She yelled angrily, picking up a solid paperweight from her desk, contemplating its fate. "I want to stop defending and start attacking. We can't defend Konoha forever. We look weak. Protecting the village is doing nothing to stop this war." One of the squad stepped forward cautiously.
"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but what can we do at the moment?" She looked to Sasuke, in the doorway, and smiled welcomingly.
"We're going to up the training of the lower ranks. Come in, Sasuke." He stepped in and realised that there were more than just Anbu in the room. Jounin, chuunin and genin alike were gathered in her office. "I think I would like for the jounin and Anbu teams to start working with the chuunin and genin to improve their skills. Neji, Shikamaru, Sakura and Shino, please stay back to discuss some strategies with the jounin and Anbu. The rest of you are dismissed. Training will star when we have it organised." She nodded her head dismissively and began talking to the gathered men and women before everyone else had left.
Sasuke managed to grab a hold of Naruto's arm, before he ran off to find Hinata, and drag him off to a corner to talk.
"Hinata came to me last night." He said quietly. Naruto looked surprised for a second.
"Why?"
"She is concerned that you're talking a little too much about me." The blonde scoffed.
"What an ego booster, ne?" He frowned. "I don't talk about you all the time and I'm not obsessed with you."
"Nobody said you were, dobe. Hinata was just concerned about you talking about me so much. Hell, just don't bring me up in your conversations."
"Fine, I'll take your word for it." Naruto sighed. "I didn't know she was having such a problem with it. How come she didn't talk to me about it?" Sasuke shrugged noncommittally.
"Maybe she didn't want you to feel offended or embarrassed. From how much I've heard you talk about me, she probably figured I could tell you without hurting you as much." Naruto chuckled to himself.
"More like, she knew you'd be blunt and to the point." Sasuke nodded and let Naruto go off to his girlfriend who was waiting for him. She shot Sasuke a quick, questioning glance which he returned with a curt nod before taking Naruto's arm and heading off for the rest of the day.
Sasuke was about to walk off to his patrol shift when Sakura caught up with him, apparently finished with her conference with the Hokage. She had Lee following her closely, keeping a watch over her battered arm.
"Where are you going, Sasuke-kun?"
"I have a patrol." He exclaimed glumly. Her expression brightened, and she was joined by Ino and Shikamaru, who looked like he would rather be doing aerobics than following the hyperactive blonde.
"Actually, you don't!" Ino exclaimed happily. "Sakura-chan talked to Tsunade inside and she got the old woman to give you a day off."
"Why would I want a day off?" Ino suddenly looked doubtful and turned her accusing glare to her best friend.
"I thought you said it was today!"
"It is, baka." Sakura retorted, returning the glare. "You're just too busy with Shikamaru to remember!"
"Excuse me, but I'm never busy." Shikamaru interjected, looking slightly offended.
"What the hell are you two talking about?" Sasuke asked, getting annoyed.
"We're taking you out for dinner to celebrate your birthday!" Sasuke groaned softly to himself and allowed the girls to drag him along. "You didn't have plans, did you?" He shook his head.
"I made a bet with someone a while back. The loser had to buy me dinner, but it was so long ago I guess he forgot." Sakura and Ino laughed together.
"Well, we'll take you out!" They continued to pull him along, not hearing Sasuke's muttered reply.
"Yay. Happy Birthday to me."
(Star)(Star)(Star)
They sat down and ordered from the small menu, Hinata doing most of the talking for once. Naruto stayed in silence, trying to find topics to talk to his girlfriend about that didn't involve Sasuke.
"Naruto, daijoubi?" She asked, waving a hand in front of his vacant eyes. He shook his head and gave her a smile.
"Daijoubu." He exclaimed.
"Tell me something about what happened after the fighting broke out during the chuunin exam. I was passed out for most of it."
"Well, I ended up chasing Gaara of the Sand and... he was fighting someone in the forest. When that person ended up out of commission, I had to stand up for my friends. He was starting to transform into the demon that lived inside of him, the Shukaku, and had Sakura-chan pinned to a tree, the sand slowly sucking the life out of her. Well... with that other person unable to fight, I had to do it. He's a lot like myself, you know." She nodded her head to show she was paying attention. "We were matched in strength, and I might have destroyed him if I hadn't been stopped. His siblings took him away."
"I don't see you as someone who would take away a life."
"You must not know me very well then, Hinata-chan." He replied grimly. She nodded slowly before switching the topic from Gaara to Tsunade.
"How did you first meet up with Tsunade-hime? You two always seemed to be so friendly, even when she first showed up as Hokage." Naruto laughed.
"Actually, Ero-sennin was asked to be the Hokage and he refused so we had to go all over the world o find that hag." He laughed sulkily. "I think the only reason I was taken with him is because... this S-class missing nin was after me."
"Really?! Who?"
"Er... Uchiha Itachi."
"Uchiha?" She asked, softly.
"Yeah, but that doesn't matter!" Naruto exclaimed loudly changing the topic. "Tsunade-baba insulted the Hokage position so I had to teach her a lesson. In the end she realised what the position meant to so many people and returned with us. I of course had personal reasons for getting her to return, but in the end everything worked out."
"What were your personal reasons?"
"They're not important anymore!" Naruto said with false cheerfulness, shoving a piece of sushi into his cheek, eyes watering at the whiff of wasabi that hit his nose.
"Was it Sasuke?" She asked, watching for his reaction. He stopped chewing and looked down at his lap guiltily.
"He was really sick." He whispered through his food. Hinata nodded sadly and continued eating, changing the subject once again.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
After dinner, Naruto offered to walk Hinata home, but she declined his kindness, heading in a different direction than that of her family home. He waited until his retreating back disappeared from view before heading out. It pained her to see Naruto looking so... forced that evening. She knew how hard it was to avoid every conversation topic that involved his best friend.
She stopped when she arrived at the door and knocked twice. The door slid open revealing just the man she'd wanted to see.
"Hyuuga, you seem to be making a habit of visiting me. Does your boyfriend know?" She blushed and shook her head.
"Sasuke, may I come in to talk to you about Naruto again?" She asked. He nodded politely and opened the door further for her.
"What's he done this time?" He asked, closing the door behind him.
"He wasn't doing anything wrong, really." She started. "I think he did what you asked him to. He didn't say a word about you without trying really hard not to. He avoided you wherever he could, and..." She trailed off sadly.
"If he did what you wanted, then what is there for us to talk about?"
"He wasn't the Naruto I knew." She exclaimed. "He didn't seem as happy when he was trying to control his topics. He acted weird."
"And what is it you think I can do for you then?" Sasuke asked. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Maybe if you could tell him not to act so uptight around me." She would have said more but Sasuke's frown stopped her.
"I'm not going to keep trying to change him for your sake. If he seemed any different it was because of your request. You can't expect him to just take out a piece of who he is to suit your needs. Either you accept him for who he is or you don't, but please don't ask me to change him. I like him the way he is." Hinata nodded in sudden realisation. "You also need to trust him. Talk to him about these concerns, not me. I don't want to be involved."
"I was being selfish, wasn't I?" She asked rhetorically. He nodded anyways. "I'm sorry to have been such a bother to you, but you're right. I only hope Naruto can forgive me for trying to mould him for myself."
"He has this amazing ability to bounce back from just about everything, no matter how mentally scarring it is."
"It was your birthday today, wasn't it?" Hinata asked. Sasuke nodded. "Omedetou tanjoubi, Sasuke-kun. I hope you got everything you wanted."
"Not even close, but thanks." He muttered sullenly, showing her to the door once more.
(End of Chapter)
I know it's a little bit shorter than previous chapters, but consider that I only finished typing the last chapter this morning.
To Tiinka: I hope that ending helped a little in explaining what was happening between Hinata and Naruto. For sure this is a NaruSasu fic, and I'm sure that the next chapter should prove it without a doubt.
To Ryouseiteki: How's this for a roll?
To RiNuN: This story still has a ways to go before I can bring about the bittersweet ending that is planned, and nothing worth having is ever easy to come by.
To Moon Klutz: Hahaha... but aren't you so happy you read it? Especially now that you know what happens with the whole Sasuke following Orochimaru.
To Psycho Rooster: I apologise if the rant in the beginning seems... angry. I just thought that I'd made it clear before that this was a SasuNaruSasu fic. If you had looked closer at all the SasuNaru interaction, you might have noticed that. I'm glad you reviewed though because it helped me focus my head a little bit more.
To DaisukeDavisMM02: Not yet.
To holycow: I haven't been able to post on aff.n as I think the site is down. I've been trying to get to it for a while, but I suppose they're just doing maintenance or something.
To the La/=/er: I don't mind the pervertedness. I actually like it (pervert author at your service). The thing about his dresser is that not only does he not like revisiting the memories of when he left, he also doesn't stay in his house much. He tended to be around Naruto a lot for a couple of years and only used the room for sleeping and clothes. Naruto's just talking about the fact that Sasuke has every girl and a few guys at his feet and he just shoves em away like they're dirt. . About what Sasuke said at the end... I honestly thought I had wrote it in, but when I checked it wasn't there... and it was one of those spur of the moment things that I can't remember at all... it will come to me eventually... it was something about that last comment and insulting.
To Aka: Now I understand... I never thought of it that way... I always saw it as Orochimaru just punishing Naruto by threatening all of that stuff. As you can see, Sasuke was rude because he's... slightly miffed at being 'stood up' for Hinata. And nobody filled Sasuke in, he was too busy fighting Gaara... and then there was the whole going off to Orochimaru... and then it was just forgotten. Mmm... I love that song!!! (Curses cause it's now stuck in her head). No it's not the police building. Actually... that building was just thrown in after I read chapter 220 of the manga. Sasuke's daddy was a police officer... . No, Naruto's not going to sleep with Sasuke and get caught by Hinata... close, but no. Sasuke kind of does want everything to fall apart, but he doesn't want to force anything. Naruto was happy because it meant Sasuke would be happy... and he's quite adamant about Sasuke being straight. He loves Sasuke (like a brother) and he's happy if Sasuke's happy. Plus... Sasuke hasn't had a girlfriend yet... Naruto thought they were making progress... lol.
.Who's seen chapter 220? Sasuke's daddy was a police officer!!! And I swear on my life Itachi loves his little brother.
LIME!!