A/n: Thanks for the reviews, you guys! Even though I didn't receive that many, I still appreciate them greatly. And a shout-out goes to Kaori no Tenshi who gave the longest reviews I've ever gotten! Lol, thanks! Hopefully I get some more reviews, huh guys? (hint hint) Haha, just kidding!

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto. If I did, I have a few ideas of what I'd do with a few certain ninjas.

The Heir
Chapter Two
A Dog-Gone Shame

An exceptional beauty smiled at him as she handed him a tall glass of champagne. Sasuke took it somewhat gratefully in his hands and drank from it, letting it slowly slide down his throat. It was another social party and once again, the Uchiha that wasn't too elusive was invited.

The girl threw her head back as she gave a laugh, which showed her own pearly whites. Why couldn't Sasuke be happy? He didn't even know himself. He was a rich bachelor with countless young women falling at his feet. Why wouldn't they want the blood of the great Uchiha's flowing through their children? Even so, he wouldn't grant any of the gold-diggers the real honor–the young man was always, always, careful.

None of these socialites meant anything to him though, and neither did any functions. The public appearances were starting to grate on his nerves and he was beginning to understand why Itachi had eluded the public. Off-handedly, Sasuke wondered what really did matter to him. He lost all of what was important a long time ago.

The heir leaned back on the bed and watched as the girl crawled her way up to him. His eyes were indifferent though, as she planted a kiss on his lips.

"Uchiha?" she asked sweetly, smiling against his ear. Said youth 'humph'-ed in response.

His last name was only said once but it echoed in his mind, it grew deeper though. It soon turned demanding and into the baritone of a man.

Sasuke's vision darkened from the pretty blonde and morphed into complete darkness.

The young man snapped back to his black reality as his memory came back to him. Oh yeah, he was in a huge mansion of a rich family and the guy who had burst in was probably the evil, sadistic bastard of the house.

On the inside, Hinata winced. She had thought Neji would be gone for at least a half-hour more but she was wrong. Obviously, the white-eyed shinobi was unhappy about the commotion that took place in the front hall. "Neji-nii, please don't be mad at–."

"Hinata, maybe you should wait outside." Neji's voice was clipped and he didn't even use the attachment. The girl was teetering, unsure of what to do.

Sasuke was silent as Hinata started to sway the beast. So, this must be the famous Hyuga Neji. He's supposed to be a genius within the SHINOBI. Too bad Sasuke wasn't in the best shape. He would have liked to have a friendly spar with the enigmatic guy.

Suddenly, Sasuke was lifted up off the bed by a strong fist gripping his collar. Pain coursed through the Uchiha's body but he ignored it to put up a strong facade. There was no way he was going to get pity from the maniac holding him up.

From Neji's body heat and the breath he felt on his face, Sasuke could tell that the other man's face was right up against his. Hinata grabbed her cousin's shoulder. "Neji-nii, he's–!"

"Blind," the older Hyuga stated. As Hinata poked her fingers, she nodded meekly. Sasuke wondered what reaction he would get. "Are you really blind?"

"Don't be stupid. Why the hell would I pretend I'm blind?" Sasuke shot back. Neji snorted and looked the guy over again.

"If you ever try anything that idiotic in my house again, I will personally terminate you," Neji said lowly. "I'll give you leeway just once since it's obviously your first time being blind and being in this house. And for some reason, Hinata-sama seems to want to take care or protect you."

While Neji was professing these words, he wasn't looking at the young man in front of him. His gaze lay on Hinata, who was shifting a little uncomfortably. She caught the concise look aimed at her perfectly.

The Hyuga male dropped the Uchiha unceremoniously onto the bed. Sasuke's bones creaked under the pressure of the fall but the man just grit his teeth–which brought some more pain. He heard Hinata squeak quietly in protest and shuffle over to him. There was no sound from Hyuga Neji, as he seemed to walk out.

Before Neji exited however, he threw a stern look Hinata's way. The girl looked down at Sasuke though, because she knew that her cousin would talk with her later. As the door closed, she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Sasuke lay stiff on the mattress with his eyelids shut. Hinata sat on the bed and turned to look at her patient. Her gaze was soft as she observed his placid state. "I'm sorry, Uchiha-san. Neji-nii isn't normally so...vicious."

Sasuke smirked slightly, though the action hurt his cut and bruised lips. "That's not what I heard from those who have fought him."

Hinata's countenance changed from mellow to surprised. It was the first inference Sasuke had made about his own past. The girl smiled sweetly, but this time it didn't even falter.

"Well, I think that's just when he's fighting. That's something he's very passionate about," the girl said, looking at her hands which rested on her lap.

Sasuke sighed, letting out a stubborn breath. He was feeling very floaty all of a sudden–he was indifferent and nonchalant to everything around him. Maybe he was at the point where he didn't really care anymore. What was next anyway?

Hinata noted his odd countenance and shifted slightly. Finally, she saw his reopened wounds and gasped.

"Uchiha-san! Please, wait here! I have to get Sakura-san!" And with that, the girl dashed from the room.

Sasuke coughed as he began to feel light-headed. Great, he was losing more blood. He groaned and attempted to sit up but couldn't lift his body anymore. As he cursed being weak, the young man drifted in and out of consciousness.

"His injuries haven't gotten worse, luckily. And he hasn't sustained any new ones from his most recent brawl," Haruno Sakura said, resting the stethoscope around her neck. Hinata let out a breath of relief as she out a hand to her chest.

"Oh, that's good," she said breathlessly. Sakura smiled at the shy girl as the assistant nurse put away the tools.

"He should stay in bed for a while, at least until he's not hurting too bad with every step he attempts. I also recommend therapy when he's a little more healed and used to being blind." Sakura handed Hinata a piece of paper that had words scrawled over it.

"Yamanaka's Pet Paradise?" Hinata questioned. The young doctor laughed a little sheepishly.

"The name sounds funny, I know, but animal therapy can be good for people," Sakura explained reasonably.

"Oh, yeah? I know a few female dogs that I could introduce him to," the doctor's assistant remarked, looking pointedly at his superior. Hinata's eyes widened at the suggestive remark while Sakura full on glared.

"Naruto, shut up! I'll shove a bone up yours!" she shouted, throwing a scalpel at the blonde-haired nurse.

"If I didn't know better I'd think you were a part of SHINOBI in disguise!" Naruto yelled, dodging the sharp object as it imbedded itself in the wall. An amused grin adorned his face before he stuck his tongue out at her. "But that big forehead of yours would just get in the way!"

"You jerk!"

Hinata laughed as she watched the two exchange verbal kunai. Her eyes traveled to the bed where Sasuke lay in a drug-induced sleep. She still wasn't so sure why she decided to take him off of the streets. Sure, she could have gave him money or called the police but she TOOK HIM OFF THE STREETS.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan! We'll leave now," Naruto said, a small cut on his cheek. Hinata smiled at him as he grinned and waved good-bye. Even down the hall, the girl could still hear the doctor and nurse bickering.

The pale-eyed girl blushed prettily as she realized who had just been in her house. Uzumaki Naruto was in her presence once again. She always tried to hide her blush around the blonde-haired, blue-eyed masterpiece but most of the time she failed miserably.

Hinata sighed and roamed her gaze over to Sasuke. The young man really looked pathetic, and she wondered what the criminals that did this were doing now.

"Orochimaru-sama, the Uchiha is now out of commission. Which clan is the next target?" A calm voice asked. A cloaked man sat in front of the four assassins, which crouched on the floor in reverence. Serpentine eyes regarded them with a bored gaze.

"The next clan will be harder. There are much more members than the two of the Uchiha," Orochimaru said. Though his body language was noble, his voice betrayed that fact.

"The Hyuga?" a cool voice questioned. Orochimaru nodded his head, a small smile sadistically placed on his lips.

"It'll be fun to play with the little ants," another one stated, flexing his many arms. A woman scoffed.

"Shut the hell up, you overeager bastard."

"A young woman should be saying things like that, you know?" a man said, shifting his gaze to a certain flute wielder.

"I'll shove this flute up your ass if you don't–!"

"Quiet," Orochimaru suddenly ordered. He put a bandaged hand to his forehead. "I have a headache so go and prepare your conquest of the powerful clans."

The four looked at each other before springing up and out of sight. Where they went, no one could see, since the room was so dimly lit they could only tell their whereabouts from chakra. Orochimaru chuckled manically though. In no time, all power would be his again.

Sasuke winced as the hot liquid trailed down his throat. Damn, that soup was hot but he wasn't going to complain. A girl he didn't even know was taking care of him. That's more than he could've said about his own brother.

Another two days had passed and he had been in another comatose state. Sasuke's body was feeling better and he was glad–he was hoping to leave soon enough. He nodded, indicating he was ready to take another slurp.

Hinata held out the, hopefully, cool soup to Sasuke. She held her hand steady as Sasuke's mouth encircled the metal. She dipped the spoon in the bowl and started to blow on the surface again. She hoped it wasn't too hot.

"Hinata-chan!" A feral voice called throughout the mansion. The girl smiled though–it was her good friend, Kiba, coming to visit.

Sasuke's door burst open, revealing the Inuzuka youth. Well, he wasn't really a youth per say–more like a young man. His mahogany eyes naturally lit up when he saw her, and he grinned, revealing his 'harmless' canines.

"Hello, Kiba-kun. It's nice of you to visit." Truth be told, the two had known each other forever but Dog-boy had developed more advanced feelings towards the pale-eyed girl. And even though the guy she was taking care of was blind, Kiba wouldn't take any chances.

"Uchiha-san, Kiba-kun is here. He's one of my best friends."

Sasuke grunted a response to her. Truth be told, he didn't really care what that Kaiba-guy was doing here. But to show his gratitude to Hinata, he muttered a greeting.

"I guess his personality got messed up when he got jumped, too, huh?" Kiba grumbled. Hinata tried to calm the dog-user down.

"Please, Kiba-kun, allow him some leeway." The Inuzuka sighed. If Hinata wanted, she could make him jump off a bridge. Of course, only Kiba knew this fact.

A canine bounded over the Hyuga and barked cheerfully. Hinata smiled and fed Sasuke another bite, before setting the bowl down to have the dog settle onto her lap. "Hi, Akamaru! Nice to see you too!"

Kiba watched silently. Sometimes he wished he was the dog and Akamaru was the master. If it meant being able to do that, he was more than willing to trade places.

"Kiba-kun, did you already talk to Akamaru about the thing I requested?" Hinata asked, looking at the guy sweetly. The Inuzuka sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, yeah. I told him about it...and he agreed," he mumbled. The Hyuga smiled brightly at him and Kiba thought he'd die.

"Oh, thank you so much, Kiba-kun!" the girl exclaimed jovially. Akamaru barked at her eagerly.

Sasuke's bruised eyebrow twitched slightly. What in the hell are they babbling about? Little did he know, his question was about to be answered.

"Uchiha-san, since you're going to be walking soon, I took some safety precautions," Hinata started. She set Akamaru on the foot of the bed that Sasuke was resting on. "I may not be with you at all times, so when you're good enough to go off on your own, Akamaru will go with you."

Sasuke sighed and turned his head to where he heard the happy dog. The young man sneered inside slightly. Suddenly the dog energetically jumped in Sasuke's lap, hurting more places than just his thighs. And Akamaru didn't weigh as little as he did when they were twelve. The young man let out a sound of slight pain–though in actuality, he imagined this pain was worse than a thousand years of death.

Hinata gasped in surprise while Kiba burst out laughing. He didn't have to much against Sasuke personally, except for the fact he was moving in on Hinata, but the predicament was too funny.

"That little piece of shit. When I get better I'm gonna–," Sasuke growled threateningly. Hinata put the snickering Akamaru on the floor who scampered over to Kiba proudly. The girl tried to calm the former Sharingan-wielder down.

"I'm so sorry, Uchiha-san! Please forgive Akamaru, he doesn't know what he's doing," she pleaded, touching the injured man on the shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sure he knows what he's doing. I bet that Inuzuka-mutt told him to do everything," Sasuke accused darkly. "Yeah, I know about the Inuzuka clan and their dogs."

Hinata quickly glanced at Kiba who in turn, shrugged innocently. The girl sighed helplessly but couldn't blame Kiba for anything. Even Akamaru seemed innocent, but she couldn't be one hundred percent sure. She didn't have anything against it, but she knew that those two were a pair of troublemakers.

"No way in hell am I going to use that damn dog to help me around the house," Sasuke swore. And when an Uchiha swears, he sticks by it.

But little did he know, another two weeks had passed and Hinata was no where to be found. Sasuke cursed, but sense got knocked into him. If he used the dog, he wouldn't have to use the girl. If he didn't use the girl, he wouldn't be in such a big debt to her.

The young man blew out a breath and turned to the dog he could hear panting beside him. Man. All the slobber, and the fur, and the stupid piss tricks of this damn dog will really be the end of me.

"Come on, Akamaru. Hyuga-san obviously left you here for a reason." Sasuke shifted so that his toes touched the hard floor. He heard the dog back and jump off of the mattress. Akamaru landed next to Sasuke's feet to wait for his temporary patient.

"Take me to the kitchen. I'm hungry," Sasuke ordered. Akamaru barked once again, trotting ahead of the young man.

Sasuke followed shakily but knew he could do it. He needed to stop depending on Hinata. Who ever heard of a man, especially an Uchiha, depending on a woman? It's absolutely insane.

Of course, he was getting used to walking around his room and through some halls, but that was when Hinata was with him. She'd hum a small tune that he couldn't quite name and Sasuke would obediently follow her. Who would've thought he'd be reduced to such a state.

Sasuke had his doubts about the little hell hound in front of him. He could sense that Kiba was a little less than welcoming to the idea of Hinata taking care of him. He and his dog were really a conniving pair, if Sasuke had ever saw one.

As the Uchiha snapped back to reality, he found that he couldn't hear the clicks of Akamaru's claws anymore. Sasuke cursed himself–he had been spacing out a lot lately. And now it cost him some great food.

But then he heard the distant clicking and followed that. The young man stumbled as he made his way down a hall. He was beginning to lose hope, when he caught the waft of cuisine. Sasuke thought he was going to break into joyful tears.

He could feel the double-doors right under fingertips. Being too overeager for a change, he pushed them open. He did it! He proved that he was able to get somewhere on his own! He proved that he was–!

"You damn idiot."

Sasuke's triumphant thoughts were brutally chopped up and interrupted by the same husky baritone that had come from that one blonde in his dream. From the dripping sound he heard coming from the linoleum, Sasuke deduced that something had spilled.

"You better watch where the hell you're going Uchiha. Hinata-sama can only protect you for so long," the voice identified as Hyuga Neji threatened.

The long-haired man spat the noodles from the corners of his mouth. His maid, which was also the head maid of the house, wasn't anywhere to be found either. So of course, being the good guy he was, Neji had made himself some ramen, courtesy of Naruto. That guy had been visiting a lot with Sakura lately and had deposited a few of his goodies.

Dammit, Ten Ten. When you get back here, I'm going to have a word with you about disappearing...

"Sorry about that," Sasuke muttered half-heartedly. "I didn't see you there."

"Of course you didn't." Both men payed no attention the unintentional pun mentioned. If Sasuke still had his vision, he and Neji would both be dead from the death-glares given off.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to be going," Neji stated, roughly brushing past him. The Hyuga didn't know why he acted so...mean. Normally, he was actually polite. Neji snorted. Maybe it was because of the mutt and the foreboding feeling he got from him.

Sasuke was left to stare into nothingness. He took a step forward though, happy mood regained, and promptly slipped on the soup. His whole body, except for his vocal chords, whimpered at the fall. He was dazed and lying in soup–what else could happen?

The clicking of claws danced into his ears once again. Sasuke groaned at the message. Akamaru jovially hopped onto Sasuke's newly healed chest, panting down at him. The youth shook his head.

"Whatever you do, do not–." He was cut off as the dog licked some of the food off of his face. "Lick me."

Sasuke wanted to cry like a girl who was PMS-ing. He wanted to go to his mommy and sit on her lap so she could rock him to sleep. There was really nothing left for him in the world but to shrivel up and die. He felt pathetically depressed at the moment and he didn't know why.

No, wait, actually I do, Sasuke thought.

Maybe that nurse who Hinata liked had it in for him. Oh, she didn't tell him–even a blind man could tell. Or maybe that annoying doctor that had the hots for him was trying to make him fall in love with her. Whatever the real cause, he needed to lay off the pills.

The double-doors opened and Sasuke was bonked in the head. Once again, he wanted to cry. Damn those pills!

He heard a gasp that could have only come from Hinata. She had someone with her hair up in buns with her. Hinata bent down next to her emotionally unstable patient.

"I'm so sorry, Uchiha-san!" she apologized, on the brink of tears. How could she hurt her own patient! And what was he doing on the floor! "Are you all right!"

Hinata helped the young man sit up, who grunted in pain. The other lady came to help. "Ten Ten-nee, I'm sorry about this."

"Don't worry about it," the maid replied with a smile. Though she was of lower status in the house, Hinata grew up with her and respected her like a sibling. "I have a weird feeling Neji-sama had something to do with this."

The two helped Sasuke up to his bed, but he sat on a chair since he didn't want the sheets wet. Hinata hesitated but nodded, and sat on the mattress. Ten Ten left the two alone to have a talk with Neji.

"I'm sorry I was gone, this wouldn't have happened," Hinata flustered. She felt so bad about it, she couldn't even put it into words. Sasuke shook his head in a dismissive manner.

"Don't apologize. It's all right, really," he said. He didn't want the girl to keep worrying about him since the noises she made when worried brought him a headache. "Just tell me where you were."

"Oh! I went to go set up your therapy," Hinata finally said. Sasuke's eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Therapy? What kind of therapy?" he asked her. The girl poked her fingers together at his demanding tone.

"Um, it'll be, um, animal therapy," she stammered. That little problem had gotten better over the years, but it was something that she supposed would always be there.

"Oh, damn." Sasuke groaned inwardly as Hinata started to apologize. I think I've had my share of animals for the rest of my life.

Author's Note:

Hey, thanks for reading! After spring break, I don't know how often I'll be able to update. I'm really busy during the week and weekends are spent with family or doing homework. So please don't hate me or flame me for late updates. I've warned you beforehand so...yeah.

Sorry to sound so mean, but it's not intentional. Don't let that little lecture bother you from reviewing though! Please forgive any spelling or grammatical errors! On a side note, can anyone guess who the assassins are? Haha, real hard, I know.

Next chapter: Sasuke takes a trip to paradise. More like PET paradise. There he meets up with another would-be groupie and a mail-man who's just too damn lazy to deliver the mail.

See ya guys next time! Don't forget to review!