Hi everyone! I'm back. It only took me a month to update and for me that's pretty good. I totally loved everyone's reactions to the last chapter. You guys know I love a good cliffhanger. Anywhore. I'm sure no one is even reading this so I'll stop here.

Cover My Eyes

by, Rampantt

Chapter Thirteen: Gossip

"What the fuck are you doing?!" the pinkette demanded to know at once.

It was like everything that happened in the last few months had been leading up to this moment. Hinata breathed slowly from her nose and it felt like it was the first time she had done it in God knows how long. It was weird how calm she felt when her opal gaze locked on to Sakura's emerald one. A sense of relief like none other had washed over her and boy did it feel good. All at once, the guilt that kept her shoulders tense disappeared and all she was left with was serenity.

So this is what coming clean would feel like.

Sakura, on the other hand was livid. Her pink brows crumpled themselves until she was frowning, wrinkles creasing her forehead. She had cut her trip early so she could make it back on time for her best friend's birthday party. She knew with Naruto out of the picture, Hinata was bound to be lonely, even though she wouldn't show it. The pinkette knew how absolutely horrible she would feel in Hinata's place having to spend her birthday alone in room full of sharks ready to tear her apart and so finished her work as quickly as she could. When she arrived at the hotel, she immediately inquired Hinata's whereabouts. A waiter told her he had seen her enter the garden just a few minutes before she arrived. Sakura planned on surprising her best friend but Hinata had surprised her instead.

"Don't just sit there," Sakura screamed.

The pinkette found herself tugging at Hinata's arm, pulling her out of Sasuke's grasp and forcing her to stand on her feet.

"How could you do this to me Hinata?" Sakura asked her, tugging on her arm and forcing her to look at her. "Tell me, what have I done to you?"

"Don't take it out on her," Sasuke cut in, standing up to break the two of them apart.

"You stay out of this asshole" Sakura cursed him, shoving his hands away from her. "Don't even think about touching me or interfering."

"It's not her fault, Sakura, I –"

Unable to control herself, she slapped him across his face, leaving his skin tingling in the aftermath. "Don't fucking speak to me," she warned him. "This is between Hinata and me."

Sasuke decided to stay quiet as Sakura had insisted. Not once in their relationship, no matter how ugly things had gotten during their arguments did Sakura ever raise her hand to him. Nothing he had ever done made her as mad as this. While the moral part of him felt sorry for what he had done to Sakura he felt more concern for Hinata who was unusually quiet.

"Say something!" Sakura demanded again, pulling on the heiress's arm.

Hinata still didn't speak however, she was still caught up in how good she finally felt. She should have been mortified that Sakura had caught her in the act – an act she had resisted for so long. It was actually a little funny, when she thought about it. Of course, just when she decided to give herself a little taste of what she had wanted for so long, Sakura pops up and it's all ruined. Which other way would it have happened? Hinata begun to laugh.

Sakura released her, disgusted by the laughter she heard. "Hinata... this is funny to you?" she asked, amazed by the reaction she got from the heiress. "Why?"

"What do you want me to say, Sakura?" Hinata asked her once she stopped laughing.

"I want you to admit that what you did was wrong," Sakura said. "And god, how long has this been going on for? Since we were together? A year? Two years?"

"No, Sakura, never while we were together, I would have never betrayed you like that and neither would Hinata," Sasuke chimed at last.

Sakura could feel the anger bubbling in her gut. "And this isn't betrayal? The two of you sneaking around in some rose garden while the rest of us are in there celebrating how great she is?"

"Sakura, you have to understand," Sasuke said gently.

"What's to understand? What? You two love each other now?" Sakura bit sarcastically.

Sasuke swallowed. "She might not love me, but I love her," he said honestly.

Her emerald eyes widened and she couldn't help but stare nor could she ignore the tearing in her heart. Sakura had convinced herself that Sasuke was simply incapable of love. He hadn't received much of it from his family so it only made sense that he didn't know how love worked. But to hear him tell her that he loved someone else tore her up inside. She had loved him all her life it seemed and now he was telling her that he loved her best friend instead. "You've got to be kidding me.

I can't even look at you two right now. How could you even do this to me Hinata? You know exactly how I feel about Sasuke. You know everything so how could you stab me in the back like this?"

Hinata was quiet again. Only now was the gravity of her predicament settling in on her mind. Sakura had caught her doing exactly what she told herself she would never allow to happen again. She had broken a promise to herself and betrayed the only person who understood her. Throughout her life, Hinata had always known that she could count on Sakura. There might have been times where their friendship had led Hinata into some crazy situations but the heiress couldn't say that she hadn't been having fun the entire time. Being perfect was difficult but Sakura always reminded her that it was okay for her to enjoy the perks that came with their lifestyle. If she wanted to splurge on a pair of shoes then Sakura was there to tell her to get them. If she waned to disappear for a while and take a vacation to the tropics, Sakura already had her bag packed. And when Naruto had been deployed, every lonely night since, Sakura was there. Sasuke breaking up with Sakura was the worst thing that happened to her since her mother died and what did Hinata do to make her feel better?

"Sakura... I.." the heiress started but her voice trailed off. Tears began to swell the corners of her eyes and her heart began hammering in her chest. "I'm s-sorry, you don't know h-how t-t-terrible I feel," she stuttered out, one tear after the other rolling down her cheeks.

Sakura could feel the tears stinging the backs of her eyes but she held it in as best as she could. "You're unbelievable. You can't be serious with the tears right now. What right do you have to be crying over anything?"

The heiress licked her lips nervously, unable to control the tears now. "You have to believe me Sakura, y-you have to. I never wanted things to turn out like this," Hinata told her, inching closer.

The pinkette took a step back so that she couldn't touch her. "I don't believe you Hinata," Sakura said. "You wanna know what I do believe though? I believe you wanted to hurt me."

Hinata shook her head frantically. "I would n-never want to hurt you Sakura," Hinata begged. "Never. I just... I don't know what happened or how it even started but p-please, you have to know that it's been eating me a-alive."

Sakura stared at the heiress for a long while before shaking her head. "I never in a million years would have thought you would do this to me Hinata. I'd expect it from any girl in that room over there but never from you."

Hinata sobbed once. "Sakura I –"

The pinkette held up her hand for Hinata stop. "You don't have to say any more than that."

"S-Sakura..." Hinata breathed.

"I don't want to see you ever again, Hinata," the pinkette said, holding back her tears. She refused to let either one of them see how hurt she was by their actions. "Have a good birthday and a great life."

Sakura turned then and began to walk away, all the while holding her tears back. She wouldn't let anyone in there see her cry even though she wanted nothing more than to break down with every step she took. The light was blinding inside the ballroom and forced her to look down at her feet. She studied her cream peep-toe heels as she walked. She had picked them out specifically for this event. She figured she'd need something comfortable for the night ahead. She had a pair of black pumps in her car that she had planned to wear to the after-party.

"Sakura! Wait!" the heiress's voice called, ripping her from her thoughts.

Sakura froze in the middle of the dance floor, tears finally sliding down her cheeks. She couldn't bring herself to look at Hinata. One look and she knew she'd have to forgive her. She'd have to hear her out and let her explain and no matter what she said she'd have to take her back. But she didn't want that. Hinata didn't deserve that from her. Her back tensed.

"Sakura... please don't leave like this," Hinata said once she was close enough. "Please don't say you don't want to see me anymore."

"What else can I do Hinata?" the pinkette asked, her back to her still. "You hurt me in a way that I can't forgive you for."

"Just hear me out Sakura, please," the heiress begged, grabbing her hand. "If you'll just let me explain I promise I won't come near you again."

Sakura swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat. Everyone was watching them now, curious eyes wondering what was going on.

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say," Sakura whispered now that they were close enough to one another. "Let go of my hand."

Hinata released her as she asked. "Sakura... don't leave like this..."

It was only by sheer willpower that Sakura didn't turn around like she wanted to. As much as it hurt Sakura wanted to forgive her best friend but she just couldn't – her pride as a woman wouldn't allow her to do it. "I have to Hinata," Sakura said after a while.

"Sakura..." Hinata sobbed, unable to control the tears that ran down her cheeks, effectively ruining her make-up.

The pinkette didn't stay to listen however. She began walking away the moment she heard Hinata's voice crack. She couldn't bare to be around her any longer. In fact, she couldn't bare to be around anyone in that moment. Sakura could think of nothing better than to disappear into herself for a while.

The heiress watched as her best friend walked out of the ballroom and quite possibly out of her life too. Her heart ached and she found herself clutching at her chest. Never mind all the watchful eyes around her, the only person who mattered hated her and there was nothing she could do about it. She deserved Sakura's hate, she told herself then, watching the pinkette until she disappeared from her view.

A warm hand closed around hers, tugging her away from the growing whispers of the crowd around her. "Don't just stand there like an idiot," Sasuke said, pulling her away from everyone.

"S-Sasuke don't l-let her leave like that," Hinata begged him as he pulled her out of the ballroom and back into the garden. "Go b-beg for her forgiveness. T-tell her it's y-your fault."

Sasuke ignored the crying princess – she was sprouting nonsense and he knew it was only because she was terribly sad and for that he we allow her a few moments to feel sorry for herself. He sat her down on the bench they had just occupied a few minutes ago and allowed her to cry all she wanted as he held her against his chest.

"Wh-what are you doing S-sasuke?" she asked after a while. "You h-have to make her forgive m-meee."

"I will, Hinata, but not yet," he told her. "Sakura needs time and so do you."

"Wh-what if she doesn't forgive me?" she asked softly, rubbing her cheek against his chest.

"Fuck her then."

Hinata slapped at his chest and pulled away from him, pissed that he would even say such a thing. "You are such a jerk, Sasuke."

"Hn. But you don't like me because I'm nice, do you?" he teased, smoothing his hand over her head, returning her hair to order the best he could.

Hinata licked her lips and ignored him. She pretended not to remember what he said earlier about loving her too. She didn't want to have to think about that just yet. There was still Sakura to consider and she hadn't even truly discovered her own feelings for him. She laced her fingers between his, surprising him, but he allowed it.

"Can we just, stay like this for a while?" she whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Hn."

Hinata breathed slowly from her nose and allowed herself to relax. Sakura was pissed at her and would probably never forgive her. But then there was Sasuke who was willing to let her cry all over his designer suit and forgive her for all the times she had been mean to him. He was there with her and even admitted to Sakura that he loved her. In a time like this, she needed him more than she would have ever suspected.

"You did what?!"

Hinata swallowed past the thick lump in her throat. She had just got done explaining to her sister the situation with Sakura and Sasuke. The heiress had no intentions of telling her sister the truth but when weeks had gone by without seeing the two of them together and the tabloids were convinced she had stolen Uchiha Sasuke, Hanabi knew something was up.

"How could you do that to her, Hinata?" Hanabi asked. "I can barely look at you."

Hinata sighed. "Yes, that's exactly what I need right now Hanabi, someone else dumping on me."

"Well you kind of deserve it, homewrecker," Hanabi commented.

The heiress sucked at her teeth, ignoring her sister for the time being. She knew full well that the situation was not at all like that. She had never set out to ruin her best friend's relationship. Besides, the relationship was already in the shitter before anything begun between herself and Sasuke.

"I thought all that crap in the gossip mags was just that, crap, but now I'm starting to wonder if there's a bit of truth to everything those magazines say," said the young Hyuuga.

Hinata rolled her eyes. "The gossip mags are crap, Hanabi. I didn't break up their relationship."

"You didn't try to keep it together either," her sister quipped.

Hinata shoved at her little sister, forcing her off of her bed.

Hanabi smiled. "Don't be mad at me, I'm not the one who is in the wrong here. For the first time, instead of me causing trouble, it's you."

Hinata took a deep breath, doing her best to concentrate on the toe nail she had been painting instead of her sister's little jabs. "Don't you have anything better to than annoy me? Literally anything?"

"Nope," she answered, plopping back down on the plush king-sized bed. "So how are you going to fix it?"

"Fix what?" Hinata asked, fanning her toe nail with her hand.

"Your friendship with Sakura."

Hinata smiled bitterly. "It's not that simple, Hanabi. What I did was very wrong and I wouldn't be surprised if Sakura never forgives me for it."

Hanabi bobbed her head a few times. "Yeah, me neither actually. You remember what she did to that one girl a few years ago for stealing her 'look'. I'm surprised your still alive."

Hinata began to focus on another toe nail, carefully covering it in pink nail-polish. "Yeah. I'm pretty certain me and Sakura are over."

"Maybe not," Hanabi offered.

"How do you figure?"

"You could dump Sasuke and see if Sakura would take you back."

Hinata shrugged. "I doubt that would work, especially since Sasuke isn't my boyfriend."

"Oh yeah? Then why's he calling you?" Hanabi asked, holding up her sister's cell-phone for her to see.

Hinata snatched the device away from her quickly and stuffed it into her pocket. "I don't know."

"Maybe if you answered you could find out."

"What good would answering do? It won't change the fact that my best friend isn't speaking to me. Answering his calls will only make the situation worse."

Hanabi laid back in her sister's bed. "Well then I'm all out of ideas. Have you considered groveling?"

The heiress scoffed. "Hyuuga do not grovel Hanabi. I apologized to her already. I won't go begging for her friendship."

Hanabi smiled at her sister, her white teeth sparkling. "Well look at you finally acting like you're somebody."

Hinata ignored her sister and continued to paint her toes. It was true, Hinata had no intentions of begging Sakura again. However, she did plan to get her friend back. She figured the first thing she had to do was allow her friend the time and space to think over what she had done. Then, she would have to give up Sasuke all together. She couldn't afford for another picture of them together, like the one of them in the rose garden, to appear again. Sakura would never forgive her.

Just then, the front door bell rang and Hinata sat up. "Could you get that for me, Nana?"

"Okay," she said, scooting off the bed and rushing out of the room.

Hinata stood up as well, carefully sliding her feet into a pair of house slippers in the process. She checked her hair in the mirror to be sure that she was presentable. Deciding her hair was okay and her house clothes were good enough for company, she saw herself out to her bedroom and down the hall to the stairs.

"Hinata! You're not going to believe who's here," Hanabi called from the first floor.

Hinata's brow arched in speculation as she made her way down the stairs. And then she froze.

"Sasuke..." she breathed.

"Looks like you and I are famous," he said, grinning at her in a way that only that bastard could.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, descending the remaining stairs.

"Well, it's only right that I check up on my girlfriend when she's been ignoring my calls for about two weeks," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets.

He looked good, she noted. He was dressed in a blue and white checkered button down which he tucked neatly into navy blue jeans. He wore a brown leather watch and matching oxfords. Dark hairs dusted his chin and jaw, making him look more rugged than she remembered him being. His dark hair had grown out too. Suddenly, she was very self conscious of her appearance. She cursed herself for not having had finished her toes sooner.

"I thought you weren't his girlfriend," Hanabi asked.

"I'm not," Hinata said with a frown, folding her arms across her chest.

He smirked. "According to In Touch Konoha you are," he said to her showing her the magazine he had with him. "We're the cover story Hinata, they even got a picture of us kissing. The story doesn't do us any favors but oddly enough we have a fanbase."

Hinata frowned at him and snatched the magazine from his hand and tossed it into the trash. "It's all crap anyway."

"Nah, I don't think so. They pretty much got the story right. You did steal me from Sakura, naughty girl," he teased, winking at her playfully.

Hinata rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up. We both know it didn't happen that way."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe not, but you've got to admit, the magazines are doing a great job of painting us out to be villains and Sakura as some tragic heroine."

"We are the villains, Sasuke," said Hinata.

"Maybe me, but definitely not you," he said to her, smiling.

Ordinarily Hanabi would have excused herself but she was far more interested in this exchange between her sister and the Uchiha rebel.

"Father is going to freak if he thinks you're dating him," Hanabi said at last.

Hinata's eyes widened. She hadn't even considered what her father might think. "You know he doesn't read up on the town's gossip so there's a good chance he doesn't even know this is going on."

Hanabi scoffed. "Don't kid yourself, Hinata. Just because he didn't read it doesn't mean someone else didn't. You know someone is bound to tell him."

The heiress ran her hand through his black tresses. Everything was falling apart because she couldn't control her emotions for one night.

"Relax," Sasuke said to her, wrapping her in a hug at last. "The story has been out for at least two weeks. I'm sure he knows by now and if he hasn't said anything yet then he probably won't."

Hinata allowed herself to melt into him. Truthfully she had been missing him like crazy the last fourteen days. It was becoming harder and harder for her not to take his calls. Had Hanabi not been there she probably would have answered it earlier.

Hanabi.

Hinata wiggled herself out of his hold at once. She had completely forgotten that her sister was in the room. It was incredible the effect Uchiha Sasuke had on her once he came around. Her stomach began bubbling with butterflies and her heart did everything it could to bonce out her chest and into his lap. Hyuuga Hinata had it bad.

"Relax, I don't care if you're into Sasuke," Hanabi said. "I like him much better than Naruto, actually."

Sasuke smiled and pumped fists with the youngest Hyuuga. "See that Hinata, we have your sister's blessing to start dating."

Hinata rolled her eyes at him. "As if Hanabi's blessing means anything," she said. "No offense, sis."

"None taken. She's right though loverboy, the person you ought to be worried about is our father," said Hanabi.

Sasuke took her word for it. If their father was anything like his then it wouldn't be easy getting himt o allow him to court his daughter. Men in their father's positions didn't like for their children – especially their daughters – to waste time on frivolous affairs. Any man who was interested in their daughters had to be serious about her and of course he had to be able to take care of her. Sasuke wondered how much his leaving his family would hurt his chances of getting her father's approval.

"Father will never go for it," Hanabi said after a while. "I mean, I think it's pretty badass that you ditched the family and made a name for yourself but our dad is all about loyalty to the clan."

Hinata nodded her head in silence. Hanabi was right. Even if she were to consider a relationship with Sasuke, he'd never get her father's approval. Hiashi wasn't going to let his first born daughter be with a man who had left his family.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "We'll worry about Hiashi later," he said. "Right now I just want to take you on a real date."

Hinata smiled a tiny bit. "Sasuke... I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Maybe it's not but I don't have any intentions of letting anyone's opinion of us stop me from being with you."

Hinata flushed, her cheeks darkening with embarrassment. "Sasuke..."

"C'mon Hinata," he urged. "How many times are you going to make me ask? If I were a different man I'd get on my knees. If it helps, know that I've considered it."

The heiress continued to blush. While her heart wanted nothing more than to spend time with him, she knew that it was a terrible idea. The gossip mags would love to catch the two of them together again so they can make up more stories and add fuel to the fire that was burning down her friendship with Sakura.

"I know what you're thinking Hinata, I do, but fuck Sakura right now," Sasuke said to her. "Choose yourself. What do you want to do?"

Hinata swallowed.

"I think he's right, Hinata," Hanabi said.

Hinata looked to her sister. "You do?"

"Yeah. I mean, sure what you did to Sakura was fucked up and she has every right to hate you, but not giving into your heart won't make Sakura forgive you if she's already decided not to," the youngest said. "You might as well grab onto your happiness, you never know when it will come around again."

Sasuke bobbed his head in agreement. He was coming to like Hinata's sister very much. She had a gift coming her way, he decided.

Hinata shook her head after considering what the two of them said. "I can't do that. Sakura is who is most important to me right now."

Sasuke was silent for a while as he studied her. She looked incredibly sad and all he wanted to do was make her happy. Even though they bickered when they were together, Sasuke knew that with him she was happy even if she didn't want to admit it. Right then and there he decided he was going to have her even if it meant begging Sakura for her approval.

"I understand," he said, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'm going to get out of here."

"What?! That's it?" Hanabi asked in disbelief, watching as he walked himself to the door. "I thought you were really into my sister. You're going to give up just like that?"

Sasuke smirked, letting himself out. Who said he was giving up?

I wanted to keep this chapter light and fun and I hope I captured that. Let me know what you think!

Review Review Review!

Much Love,

Rampantt