Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto, I'm just borrowing some characters for a bit.
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He had followed her cousin and his two former team mates back to the small apartment where his love lived, laying her gently on her bed as they waited in the hall. He was amazed they were willing to leave him alone long enough to tuck her into her bed, but he knew that as soon as he finished they would have questions. None of that mattered now, as her brilliant eyes fluttered open and she pulled him close.
"I'm sorry about all of this…" She apologized, knowing what was in store for him now that they had been discovered. Not only was he wanted for being a missing nin and for running off to join Orochimaru, but once Neji revealed the state in which they were found she knew her father would be after Sasuke's head. "I never meant for things to become so complicated."
He gently kissed her forehead, wiping away the tears that he could see glittering in her eyes. "Hinata, I knew the risks in coming to see you month after month. Do not apologize for the inevitable. I will take whatever they throw at me, as long as I know you are waiting."
A gasp was heard from the doorway, causing both to turn and see Sakura standing there crying openly. The look she shot Hinata was one of pure hatred, while when he eyes brushed over Sasuke's shirtless form they radiated only worry dimmed by linger affection. "I didn't want to believe what we had seen before, but it's true, isn't it? How long have you two been…?"
Her voice broke off as she was pushed aside, a blonde head poking into the room. "Ne Sasuke, long time no see, and to find you with Hinata-chan, well…damn!" He was smiling broadly, the same Naruto that Sasuke remembered, but with a hardness about him that wasn't there when they were teens.
Hinata was blushing hotly, and Sasuke knew that she could not handle the scrutiny right now. "Hai dobe, I'm back, but now is not the time to discuss this. You are here to take me to see the Hokage, are you not?" He stood up, seemingly unfazed by his half naked state, and walked towards the two Hunter Nins. "Let us leave Hinata be, she has had a long night."
He allowed them to take him into custody, his heart breaking when she leapt out of bed and ran towards him with tears running unchecked down her face. He gave her a soft smile, knowing that she would do everything in her power to save him. What she didn't know was that over the past five years he would have been lost if not for her.
He watched as her cousin wrapped his arms around her, comprehension dawning on Neji's face when he saw the looks that passed between his cousin and this traitor to Konoha. He saw the way her heart was reflected in Hinata's eyes, and the tenderness that had briefly flashed in Sasuke's. He looked down at her, his eyes taking in her disheveled appearance and the strange shirt she wore, and he knew that the innocent friendship that had once existed between the Hyuuga's and the Uchiha's had now been changed forever.
Naruto and Sakura were given orders to bring Sasuke to see Tsunade-sama, making certain to avoid letting him be seen. They were all aware of the type of panic that could be caused if it was known that the only surviving Uchiha was once again back in Konoha, and took pains to conceal his return. It was bad enough the way people reacted when he left and could not be brought back, but knowing he was back now would only raise questions.
As the city slowly came alive, two separate meetings were taking place. In the meeting to start earlier, four rather tired looking people in various states of emotion sat staring at each other, nobody speaking. In the second, a family gathered together trying to understand the strange actions of their heiress, questions and accusations flying unanswered through the air.
Neji watched his cousin as she sat stiffly, wondering why she refused to defend herself as various family members verbally assaulted her with scenarios. Her father remained silent, taking a moment to restore order in the household before turning to his eldest daughter. "Hinata, speak. Tell us if what Neji saw is true. Were you indeed found with the Uchiha traitor?"
Hinata spoke quietly, detailing for her father and family a friendship that started when both she and Sasuke were children and over time grew into something more. After the murder of his family he had pushed everybody away, yet they still had that connection. Sometimes, when she felt truly alone, she would go to what was once their favorite spot by the river and wait for him. Inevitably he would show, seeking peace from his fan girls and rivals, and most of all from his nightmares. They would sit in silence, together but so separate, until one of them would reach out to entwine fingers with the other.
She told her father about how one evening, shortly after the Chunnin exams, she had gone to the river to practice and saw him there, waiting for her. He watched her going through her usual training regimen and began offering advice. He told her that fighting an opponent was similar to dancing, an art that all noble children received training in. The concept of fighting being an art form had crossed her mind before, but hearing it from Sasuke made it all so much clearer. From then on, he would help her train, starting off their sessions with a little dance practice.
After Sasuke started to get overwhelmed by the pressures of what he perceived to be failure, she was the one who he went to. They would sit in silence at first, until he would stand, taking her hand and leading her in a dance. They rarely spoke to each other, their eyes and bodies saying everything for them. He had come to her before he left, informing her of his decision and letting her knows that he would be back for her.
Then, after recounting everything leading up to last night, Hinata boldly looked up at her father and said simply. "I love him Father, I will help him rebuild his clan." The Hyuuga family reacted in different ways. Hiashi simply nodded, while Neji felt as if his world had briefly tilted off its' access. She had just revealed that she was concealing the presence of a known traitor, and after all was said and done let it be known that he had taken her virginity and she was in love with him. He had never known Hinata to be a besotted fool, so he had to assume that she knew what she was doing. Still, before anything further occurred between the Uchiha and his cousin, he would make certain to discover if the Uchiha's intentions were pure.
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Blah…for some reason I am just not pleased with this chapter. I hope it was still okay as far as providing background and such. Anyway, next chapter will feature what happens in Sasuke's meeting with the Hokage, and some actual Sasuke/Hinata interaction.
