A/N: Lizz: Ahhh Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I shall now answer said reviews...

Shy-Princess... Yes! Shikamaru has a different side at night! Their relationship is going to get more complex very soon.

Skinny... Ah, yeah, I don't even know where the shika/hina came from, it just kinda, vomited out there! XD;

Anime Girl987... Naruto and Hinata's relationship will continue to be the main one in the fic, although Shikamaru... well, I don't want to give away plot points, sorry.

Cookie aka Lala... Ah! thank you for your kind words! I'm addicted to this story, so I will update whenever I can!

meme... Awe your nice! Please stick with the story then, because it gets even better!

Naughty Sensei... Yesh yesh, there will be a little something for you in later chapters. XDD!

And now, onto chaptah 3! By the way, character death!

Lee: grip... loosening... maybe i can slip out... almost...


Last Time...

Naruto had been on the edge of his seat for twenty minutes waiting for the pair to come back. When he saw Hinata, he grabbed a bowl of ramen and jetted over to her. "Hinata-chan! Here! Have some ramen!"

Hinata was a little suprised to see Naruto so up in her face. Nevertheless, she took the bowl and followed Naruto back to where he was sitting. She sat down on a boulder next to him, and began eating her breakfast. She noticed Shikamaru was hanging his clothes to dry, along with... wait... Who told him he could wash her pajamas!

-Chapter Three-

Uchiha Sasuke- Cold Hearted Bastard? Or Devoted Guardian?

Naruto saw Hinata's screwed up expression, so he followed it over to Shikamaru, hanging laundry. He noticed Hinata's pajamas and underpants were there, which made him instantly mad. "Shikamaru!" he screamed, "What are you doing with Hinata's laundry?"

Shikamaru turned around, and laughed, "Well I don't think Hinata wants to sleep in dirty clothes, do you, Naruto?"

Naruto fumed at his leader's calmness about the subject, "You could have let her wash her own, you know!"

"Whatever..." Shikamaru replied, continuing to hang his own soaked clothes up.

Hinata put her hand on Naruto's shoulder, "It's fine, Naruto-kun."

Naruto calmed down, and settled for staring into the fire thinking of ways to kill Shikamaru. He felt stupid, felt like Hinata didn't like him anymore. But he was in love with Hinata, and could tell that Shikamaru was just using Hinata to get some sympathy for being the mastermind behind many bloody murders and government downfalls.

Shikamaru sat down on the boulder across from Naruto, and next to Hinata. He scooped himself a bowl of ramen and started eating it. The group sat in silence. Finally Sasuke spoke up, "So where are we getting Hyuuga's contacts?'

Shikamaru slurped a noodle and replied, "I know an underground guy who can get her fitted for cheap."

Hinata worried about this, thinking it wasn't too safe to be dealing with underground guys for medical needs, but she didn't speak up.

Shikamaru finished his ramen and announced he was taking Hinata to the doctor now, and for Sasuke and Naruto to stay behind and guard the camp. Besides, the clothes weren't finished drying.

So Hinata and Shikamaru got on their horses and set off through the forest. They weren't going very fast, so Hinata tried to start a conversation. Or was it an arguement? Either way, she said, "Shikamaru-san, I wish you wouldn't wash my laundry without asking me first."

He considered this a moment, and finally answered, "Sure, Hinata."

Hinata started to say, "Thanks-" but was cut off by Shikamaru's wild laughing.

"I can't imagine how angry you would've been if you'd known how many other times I've seen your underpants though!"

Hinata's face turned beet red, and she started screaming at him, "AH! You pervert! Don't go looking at my underwear!"

"How else was I supposed to know what size to buy you!" Shikamaru retaliated.

Hinata growled, and set her eyes forward. 'Filthy man...' she thought.

They arrived at the doctor's about twenty minutes later, Hinata still fuming. They got off their horses, tied them to the fence post, and walked over to a cellar door.

Shikamaru knocked on it. Soon a man emerged from underneath, looking dirty, and said, "Ah! Shikamaru! Please, come in."

The rebel leader took Hinata's hand and pulled her in behind him. The room they entered was sparkling clean, a suprise to the Hyuuga's ex-princess. Shikamaru lead her over to a chair and had Hinata sit in it. The doctor washed his hands, and put on some latex gloves. On his way over to Hinata, he grabbed a plastic tray of utensils and a stool.

The doctor set the tray on a counter near the chair and sat on the stool. He picked up a small bottle of eye drops and held Hinata's eye lids apart.

If there was one thing that Hinata hated, it was people doing anything to her eyes. So this was harder for her to do than most people. As the first drop hit her eye, she squeeled and pressed back against the chair.

Shikamaru could tell that she was going to be a baby about this, so he pulled a chair over beside Hinata, and held her hand. "Squeeze my hand if you feel uncomfortable at anytime," he instructed her.

Hinata nodded, and the doctor moved to the next eye. He held the lids apart, and squeezed the bottle. At the same time, Hinata tightened her grip on Shikamaru's hand. She must've gotten carried away, because she dug her nails into his soft palm. Shikamaru winced, but laughed a little, knowing he deserved it.

- - -

The pair walked out of the cellar an hour later. Hinata's eyes were sensitive to the sun since the point of the eye drops was to dilate them. Shikamaru helped her onto her horse and untied them from the fence. He then got on his own and they set off back to the camp. It was only about noon, but Hinata felt tired. Fatigued from the stress of the journey since day one, she felt herself slipping in and out of sleep. It was a 40 minute ride back to camp, and she couldn't stay awake that long. Shikamaru saw her head bobbing up and down. He stopped the horses, and turned to Hinata. "Hinata, do you want to sleep the rest of the way?" Shikamaru asked.

Hinata nodded, "But I'll fall off if I do."

"Switch to my horse, and hold on to me, then you can sleep," Shikamaru part suggested, part commanded her.

He moved the horses together, and Hinata clumsily moved over to his horse. She grunted, trying to get comfortable. Hinata wrapped her arms around Shikamaru's stomach, and rested her head on his shoulder blade, letting sleep overtake her.

- - -

When they arrived at camp, Naruto saw Hinata latched onto Shikamaru, and became jealous. Shikamaru instructed Naruto to help her down, causing her to wake up. Naruto complied, and Shikamaru got off soon after.

Hinata yawned, but she didn't have anymore time to be lazy, because Shikamaru announced that they were going to pack up and leave. Everyone started collecting pans, rolling up sleeping bags, and taking down the tents. Once everything was loaded onto the horses, Naruto took the lead, and left.

Sasuke was assigned that day to ride beside Hinata. Hinata never really much cared for Sasuke, he never seemed to like her, and if he did, he never made an effort to talk to her more than necessary. When they first met, she was scared shitless of him, the way he looked her up and down like a fresh piece of meat. His eyes could bore holes in steel, she remembered, he had such an intense and penetrating glare. But Sasuke had reversed, and taken to not saying a single word to her. But her view on Sasuke was about to change very soon.

They'd only been riding for a couple hours when Shikamaru commanded them all to freeze. A light swishing could be heard among the trees, a sound similar to the first time Sasuke had appeared. Suddenly, a blur of a man mid-air tackled Naruto off his horse.

The shinobi had brown hair, and byakugan eyes. He held a kunai to Naruto's throat, and screamed, "Release Princess Hinata or the Kyuubi dies!"

"Neji!" Hinata screamed back.

But Sasuke had already gotten off his horse and was trying to help Hinata down. She complied, and tears started forming at the edges of her eyes. She looked at Sasuke for any sign of what to do. But strangely, when she expected to see his emotionless face, she saw a soft smile across his thin lips. He patted her shoulder and gave her a little shove toward her cousin, Neji.

Hinata took a fighting stance, pulling a kunai out of a pouch on the horse had been riding. Neji loosened his grip on the blond hostage, leaving him slouch over, panting heavily. "Hinata-chan, what are you-"

Sasuke stopped him mid sentence by pinning him to the tree behind him with shuriken.

Neji screamed out, but again, was stopped by Sasuke, pushing his chest back and holding a kunai against his windpipe. "Get her out of here!" Sasuke commanded the other boys. Naruto scooped Hinata up onto a horse with him, holding her side-saddle as he took off out of the forest. Shikamaru followed, holding the tied reins of the two other horses.

"Now you'll stay the hell away from her, won't you Neji?" Sasuke breathed into his ear.

Neji let out a scream, and the Uchiha ripped the kunai across his throat, destroying an artery and squirting blood everywhere.

The shrill sound met Hinata's ears, and she started screaming too. Naruto clutched her tighter, and stopped his horse. Shikamaru slowed his to a halt as well. Naruto jumped from his horse and plopped down in the grass. Hinata gripped his shirt, soaking it with her tears. Naruto rubbed her back comfortingly, and kissed her head.

Sasuke emerged from the forest, his shirt rolled up in his arms. He tossed the shirt into the prairie grasses surrouding them. He ran over to Hinata, and knelt beside her.

"Hinata," he said, petting her hair.

Hinata looked up, her face was tear-stained and puffy. She sniffed, "Why did you kill him!" she screamed at him.

Sasuke pulled Hinata near him and hugged her. Naruto looked at Sasuke somewhat confused. "Hinata, I'm sorry," Sasuke whispered.

Hinata didn't hug him back. Sasuke explained why he killed him. There was no way Neji could continue to live as long as the rebel troops were in Konoha. Neji was skilled, he could take back the kingdom easily. After that he would send Anbu to find Hinata, and kill Shikamaru, Naruto, and himself, forcing her to become his queen and retake rule over Konoha.

Hinata was still mad, even if Sasuke was just trying to protect her in the long run.

Sasuke sighed, and handed her back over to Naruto. He rose to his feet, and got on his horse. Naruto helped Hinata back onto the one next to Sasuke, and then got on his.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru called to him, "Change of plans. We're heading north until I say different. We don't know if Neji brought any other shinobi with him."

- - -

The team rode until dark, when they stopped to set up campin the middle of a field with tall grasses. They didn't start a fire that night, instead they ate dry ramen and some of the food Kiba gave them. (A/N: Dry ramen is delicious! Just take the brick of ramen and put the seasoning on it, and it fills you up fast! Try it, and tell me what you think.)

Hinata wanted to share a tent with Sasuke that night. Shikamaru said it was fine, he understood she probably had some questions for him.

So when it was time for bed, Hinata crawled in with Sasuke. Neither of them got in the sleeping bag, though. Hinata pulled her legs up to her chest and looked at Sasuke, letting her eyes adjust to the dark. "Sasuke," she whispered.

"Hm?" he answered.

"You lost you're family too, huh?"

Sasuke paused, and finally answered, "My brother, Itachi, killed my entire family when I was little."

"Oh."

"He told me about this sharingan that he had, and I could develop it, but..."

Sasuke paused again, and sighed, "he said I had to kill my best friend to get it."

Hinata gasped a little, "Isn't Naruto-kun,"

"Yeah."

They stared at each other for a moment. Sasuke continued, "And I want to be the best, but Naruto is so important to me, so I'm stuck."

"Please don't, Sasuke," Hinata pleaded with him.

"Don't worry, when this is all over, I'm leaving. You'll never see me, and Naruto will be safe. I'm starting over after this." Sasuke picked at a thread in the sleeping bag, and stared at the ground.

Hinata reached up to touch Sasuke, and stroked his cheek, "Sasuke.."

Sasuke pulled away, "I'm going to sleep now," he said, crawling under the cover, facing away from where Hinata would sleep.

Hinata got in the sleeping bag as well, and faced away from Sasuke. She didn't let herself cry, remembering her promise to grow up.


A/N: Oh how I wish more people would read this, though I understand the odds are against me. I mean come on, T-rated Romance/Adventure with NaruHina? not a lot of business there. Oh well! Please review!

--Lizz--