A/N: Now that I have actually finished the chapter, it's time to do a little dance of joy! (gets up and does a dorky little dance) Ah, now that I've gotten that out of my system...I want to apologize for the late update. Also, I should warn you about a couple of things. There's just one thing that I dont' have a code for that's in this chapter...Sasuke gets kind of...(wracks brain for a polite way to say it...comes up dry...okay, fine. blunt is the best way...)...horny. God, I hate that word. But that's exactly what happens. Sorry if it's offensive to anybody.

AL--Well, I don't plan ANY actual lemons for this fic, but there's a bit of strange genjutsu use in this chapter, as well as a lime-ish part toward the end. (ALalmost lemon)

C--We'll still be referring to the "other Sasuke" as "the Uchiha" for the most part, though Hinata does call him "other Sasuke", and Naruto calls him "evil bastard".

FL--Slight language warning, for Naruto's name for the Uchiha.

Legal Stuffiness: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor, and he owns my soul.

In This World of Make-Believe

Chapter 5: Spy vs. Spy

--Margin For Error--

Sasuke sat on a filthy pile of rags and sacks, nursing his wounds. He did not understand why the Sandaime would have sent them to this hell-hole. In the heart of the warehouse district, the dirty storehouse was home to nothing but rats, and the largest cockroaches that he had ever seen. Hinata sat on the floor, brave soul that she was, and was being harassed at the moment by two particularly large cockroaches. Naruto paced between the two seated shinobi, talking silently to himself. The look on the boy's face was something like nervousness mixed with anger. Sasuke understood. He felt the same way. Both he and Naruto wanted a crack at the "evil bastard Sasuke", as Naruto had dubbed him.

Sasuke preferred to think of his double as "Uchiha", since that's what he was. It was difficult to think of someone who looked like you as an "evil bastard", even if it was true. Sasuke looked over at where Hinata cringed away from the insects hissing at her. He picked up a small pebble, and tossed it to her, and she gratefully used it to chase away her six-legged tormentors. The three of them were to remain silent, and mask their chakra until someone came for them with further instructions.

By now, the light was beginning to wane. Not long from now, Kabuto would arrive at the designated area of the Forest of Death. If Itachi and Kakashi did not extract the information needed, the jig would be up, so to speak. They needed all the information they could get on Orochimaru's plan, and Sasuke was running out of time.

A rhythmic knock rang through the dirty room, and Hinata rose from her seat on the floor, Naruto backing her up. She opened the door, and standing in the light of dusk was Itachi, with Nara Shikaku. His brother was covered in blood. Hinata nearly fainted. Itachi held up a hand for silence as he and the Nara stepped into the storehouse. Once he had done that, he formed the anti-eavesdropping jutsu, but had it fill the entire room. Sasuke was just a tiny bit jealous of that. Finally, the maddening silence was broken when Itachi said, "He told us everything we needed to know." Then, he tossed a bundle to Sasuke. "Put those on."

When he opened the bundle, he found a fresh uniform, sandals, and a packet of notes, with dribbles of fresh blood on them. After scanning them, he raised an eyebrow. "Is all of this true?" Itachi nodded. Sasuke's mouth set in a firm, grim line. "Then there's no margin for error. Is he secure?"

"Never mind that. Just remember everything in that packet and you should be fine. Shikaku?" Itachi motioned the man forward, and he went to look at Sasuke's wounds. He nodded slightly, then began rummaging in his pocket. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. What had his brother being so evasive?

"Hyuuga-san." Shikaku said, and Hinata looked up from where she had been staring at the floor. He threw a jar at her, and she caught it deftly. "Put this on his wounds, and apply a slight amount of chakra to it. That should heal them without any scarring." With that, the man left. For a long moment, Hinata stared at Sasuke, then did as Shikaku had asked. When the wounds were healed, Sasuke thanked her.

Not long after this, he was dressed and armed with the knowledge of Orochimaru's plan so far. It was evil in the extreme, up to par with what he expected from the Snake Sannin. "Itachi." His brother looked at him. "Take care of Hinata for me." Itachi grunted non-committally. Sasuke turned to leave, handing the papers back to Itachi. His brother was then nowhere to be seen, leaving behind only a puff of smoke. So much for taking care of Hinata. He looked to Naruto, who was no longer pacing, but stood stock still in the middle of the floor, staring at him. "Can you watch out for her, then, if my brother won't?"

"Sure. Now get the hell out of here, idiot!" Naruto said, voice showing his irritation. Sasuke was out the door and in the alley when he was suddenly tackled from behind. He found himself on his back, with Hinata on top of him. She once again looked angry.

"You weren't going to just assign someone to take care of me and then leave without saying goodbye, were you?" He smiled sheepishly. "Sasuke, you're going to have to stop treating me like a porcelain doll. I won't break, you know." She took hold of his face with both hands, and kissed him. Sasuke would never be able to explain the feeling he had when Hinata kissed him, but he would be able to say, if asked, that his toes curled in his sandals, and he had an extremely idiotic smile on his face for nearly five whole minutes. After a long, and delightfully lingering kiss, she pulled away from him, with a similar grin on her own lips.

"I love you, Hinata." He didn't realize he said this, but Hinata did, and she had difficulty releasing him when he finally did leave.

The puppet now controls the strings. Will he be able to manipulate his own movements, or will the threads of fate catch him up once again? Our young man has only to wait and see, and go about his business. How long will the test last? How many lives will he affect? Those great cosmic powers are quite happy with the way their plaything is performing, even though he is not doing as they would like. And so, they continue to laugh, and watch in fascination as they allow free will to rule over fate.

Running toward destiny, laughing at fate, Uchiha Sasuke is now truely his own master. And he pulls those he loves along with him.

--False Pretenses--

The forest was, as always, dark. Sasuke found the meeting spot completely empty. It was near the entrance for the Chuunin selection exams, and he remembered it all too well. He sat there, on a tree root, watching the surrounding trees warily, waiting for any sign of Kabuto. After what seemed like an hour, Orochimaru's silver-haired minion appeared on the leaf-strewn ground in front of him. He stood casually, a challenging smirk on his lips. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "How's Sakura?"

"She's fine. Training's going well, as I told you before. How are things progressing with Hinata?" Kabuto began walking toward him, and he watched Sasuke with shrewd dark eyes as he did.

"Not bad. I'm sure you heard about the incident with Shikamaru?" Sasuke watched him adjusting his glasses, moving hair from his eyes, then nodding to answer his question. "Well, you're the one who has direct contact with Orochimaru-sama. How do you think he'd view the fact that Hiashi still won't let me marry her?" The look in Kabuto's eyes changed suddenly, which he had been afraid of.

He pushed black hair from Sasuke's eyes. "Always straight to business." Sasuke looked impassively at him, remembering the tender way that the other version of himself had held the head of the Kabuto henge in his lap, hands shaking. Perhaps a different approach than was planned? Scarred fingers brushed over his cheek, and he let the impassive mask slip just for a moment, and feigned a look of surprise and mortification before covering it up.

Sasuke slapped Kabuto's hand aside. "I don't have time for this," he growled. "Did you ask me here to accomplish anything other than trying to get me to sleep with you?" Kabuto looked hurt.

"Sasuke-kun, why would you say something like that? You know I have only the utmost respect for you." Sasuke snorted at that. "But, just to answer your question, I have not really heard anything from Orochimaru-sama in weeks. The plan stands exactly as it has." He started leaning toward Sasuke. "Your heartbeat is speeding up, Sasuke."

"So?" Sasuke asked, adding a defensive note to his voice.

"So, why do you fight it? You can feel it, can't you?" Kabuto took the final step toward him, and Sasuke found himself pressed against the tree, and he realized that yes, he could feel something. Against his leg. Aw, crap. He looked away from the other boy, not wanting to see his face. He knew what he would find there, anyway. That didn't last long, since his face was grabbed roughly and turned to face eyes as black as tar. "Sasuke, I'm going to kiss you now."

"You think so?" Sasuke asked defiantly, and got only a nod in return before he found breathing to be difficult, what with a set of lips crushed against his. After a moment, Kabuto pulled away from him. "Are you satisfied? You had your kiss. Now, I'm going home since you don't seem to have anything new." He pushed away from the other boy, and started to walk away.

"Sasuke, please." He turned back to see a pleading look in Kabuto's eyes. Sasuke smirked. I love it when a plan comes together. He was not going to enjoy what he had to do, but if he thought of it as a mission, then he could get through it. Sasuke stood there for a few seconds, taking in the pouting expression Kabuto had. In a way, it was a little satisfying that he seemed to have some kind of power over the older boy, since he was so used to Kabuto treating him like a child. He crooked a finger at the boy, and watched him bite his lip as he walked slowly over to him.

When Kabuto came to a stop, Sasuke leaned forward and whispered to him, "Be careful what you wish for," which made the taller of the two shiver and clutch at Sasuke's shirt. Chuckling slightly, he pulled Kabuto's hands from his shirt, and said, "Oh, no. You keep your hands to your self." Sasuke pushed him against the same tree he'd been smashed against a few moments earlier, and said, "Let's just call this an exercise in self-control." He removed the boy's glasses, tucking them into Kabuto's pants pocket. He then shoved his forehead protector down over his eyes and laughed quietly. "Here's the rules, Kabuto. You can't touch me, no matter what I do to you. Your hands stay where they are, or I'll pin you to the tree with kunai. Got it?"

Genjutsu is a wonderful thing. It can make you see things, hear things, and in some cases, even feel them. And they took so little chakra…Sasuke distracted Kabuto for a split second by biting his neck, hard. After that, he just sat on the ground while he let the genjutsu he'd used do its work. Twenty minutes later, Kabuto was a quivering mass of post-coital goop, and Sasuke was disturbed by the things that the older boy had said when in the grip of his genjutsu. He rumpled his own clothing, and positioned himself as he knew he was in the genjutsu before he pulled the cloth away from Kabuto's eyes, which were unfocused.

"Didn't I tell you? Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it." With a cocky smile that he thought he must have picked up from Naruto, he said, "Next time, don't contact me unless you actually have something to tell me." Once he pushed the forehead protector back down, he turned and walked away.

"S-Sasuke…wait."

"What?" He looked back over his shoulder, waiting for a response.

"Sakura told me about you training with Uzumaki. Why are you?" Kabuto's voice had a note of suspicion floating through that euphoric haze, which Sasuke was surprised he could manage.

"I get bored. And he's…adorable." Sasuke nearly laughed at his words. He was only repeating in part what his other self had said, but he still had a hard time saying that Naruto was 'adorable' while keeping a straight face. Kabuto flinched and looked hurt. "Jealous?" The shinobi against the tree turned a vague shade of pink. Sasuke laughed and walked away.

---Propriety---

Sasuke threw himself onto his bed. He still felt like twitching at the thought of Kabuto writhing against a tree, screaming his name, and begging him to do things to him that Sasuke had never even heard of. A knock came at his door, and he grunted, "It's open," then watched Itachi slip into his room.

"How did it go?"

"I got nothing new. He wanted to talk to me, but only to try seducing me. Ugh." Sasuke stuck out his tongue, and Itachi laughed. "What's so funny?" His brother shook his head, but laughed harder. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke got up from his bed and took off his vest. "Anyway, I'm really grateful for all of the genjutsu I know. He now thinks that we've had sex."

Itachi stopped laughing, and eyed him. "You're going to have to tell me all of the things you learned from Orochimaru. He's legendary." Sasuke knew that tone. He looked warily at his brother.

"Careful, Itachi. There are some things no one should know. We call Orochimaru an abomination for a reason." Sasuke hung the vest up in his closet, and padded back over to the bed. "How is your brother?" At that, Itachi frowned. Sasuke didn't like the evasive tack the man was taking. "Itachi? Did something happen? You didn't kill him, did you?"

Shaking his head, Itachi said, "No. He's far from dead. But he told us everything. From his plans for Hinata, to Orochimaru's plans, to his plans for Naruto, and Kabuto." At that, the elder Uchiha shivered. "My brother is a true deviant. I don't know when I've met anyone worse. He's sick." Sasuke chuckled at that. He had no idea how right he was.

"Try having him in your head." Honestly, it was a surprise to him that the other's thoughts had been hidden from him for so long. "Oh. That reminds me." He got up again and padded over to the desk, and pulled the journals he'd read from the cupboard. "Here." Itachi seemed confused. "You may want to get the cryptographers to go through it for hidden code and other such bullshit. He's a devious bastard, but he's just like most people, he does want to keep things for posterity." Itachi took them and nodded.

"Sasuke," his brother said, holding the books to his chest, "I'm sorry for what I said before. As far as I'm concerned, he isn't my brother anymore." Wonder of wonders…Itachi's eyes faltered for a moment, betraying an unsteady emotion. "And…I wouldn't be opposed to you staying with us, even after this ordeal is over." Sasuke was surprised by this. Even here, Itachi was stoic, so any sentiment that was evident was staggering. But far beyond the look on his brother's face was the fact that he put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and said quietly, "You're a good man, Sasuke." With that, Itachi turned to leave the room.

"Itachi…" Sasuke breathed, a lump forming in his throat. The elder turned back to him, the tiniest of smiles gracing his lips. Long after the door had closed behind his brother, Sasuke stared at the wooden planks. "I'm glad to have met you…Aniki."

Not long after Itachi left the room, there was a quiet knock at the door, just as he was unbuttoning his shirt. He had grown accustomed to that knock. "Come in, Mother," He said this as he pulled the shirt off and threw it into the hamper. "What's going—" Sasuke's words died in his throat when he saw that it was not his mother, but Hinata, standing in the doorway. She closed the door behind her, and he blinked in surprise. "Hinata? Are you sure it's a good idea to come here?"

"I don't care." She certainly looked like she didn't care. Her entire body seemed to be trembling, as if from the cold. "They told me, Sasuke. Kakashi-san told me everything. Why didn't you tell me why the other Sasuke wanted me?" She started walking toward him, that familiar anger in her eyes. "Did you think I couldn't handle it? That I would break so easily? Do you think I'm made of glass, Sasuke?" She had stopped just in front of him, staring up at him. Her hands were on her hips, and she was not happy. "Well?"

Sasuke swallowed hard. She was completely right. And there was no one to hold her back now. He had been very thankful to have someone to do so earlier. Now, he could end up with some serious internal injuries if he said the wrong thing. "Um…well…" he said sheepishly, which seemed to answer her question well enough, because she hit him hard on the head.

"There. That's proof enough that I won't break." Hinata smirked, "If my hand didn't shatter on your hard head, then I think I'll be all right." He rubbed the sore spot on his head, wincing. Hinata rolled her eyes. "Why do you have to be such a baby? I didn't hit you that hard." It was true, really. She hadn't hit him that hard. His brain hadn't been jarred at all.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? For treating me like some fragile thing that needs to be put in a glass case? Or for being a ninny? Oh. Or maybe it's for making Naruto take care of me! That must be it. I've never felt so babied in all my life!" She threw her hands up in the air and continued to rant, until Sasuke did the only thing he could think of. He kissed her.

It wasn't long and lingering like the last kiss they had shared, or even passionate like the first one. It was simple, chaste, and heartfelt. After he pulled his lips away from hers, he said, "All of the above. I'm sorry for everything, Hinata. It won't happen again." That made her happy enough to jump onto him and hug him until he couldn't breathe, which in turn made him happy until he actually reached the point of oxygen depletion. When that happened, he couldn't see straight, and couldn't tell her he couldn't breathe. So he just sort of collapsed to the floor.

Hinata's eyes were wide as she leaned over him, asking if he was all right. "Fine," he croaked. "Just try not to strangle me, okay?" She nodded. After a moment, she straightened herself and walked to the door. He thought she was going to leave, and sat up to ask why. Sasuke found that it was quite the contrary. Hinata was locking the door. "What are you…" Three strides took her back to him, and she sat on the floor in front of him.

"Sasuke, do you remember in the alley, earlier?"

He smiled a lopsided smile. "You, um, tackled me."

"Yes, and do you remember what you said to me just before you left?" He shook his head. "You said you love me." He stopped breathing, and after a moment, he felt dizzy. Had he? Had he really said that? Why couldn't he remember saying it? There wasn't still something of that other Uchiha in his head, was there? Then he realized that he was being an idiot. There was no one but him in his head now. So why had he said that he loved her?

"I…I did?" He felt some kind of tension in the air, very similar to what he'd felt in the alley with Naruto. It got thicker as she leaned toward him, a small smile on her lips. Where coy little Hinata had gone, he did not know, but his fifteen-year-old hormones were going completely insane when she crawled over him, straddling his hips.

"Yes, Sasuke, you did. And you meant it." Her voice was throaty, and he was scared out of his wits at what that might mean. "I know that it's a little soon to be saying that sort of thing, and it's a shock for you. But, for me, the timing doesn't matter." Her face was getting closer to his, and he half-jumped with he felt her hands on him, running over his chest and down to his stomach…

"H-Hinata? What –are—you doing?" His voice rose an octave at the word 'are,' since she had settled herself quite firmly against his hips, and a frighteningly pleasant feeling spread through him at that.

She eyed him teasingly and said, "I didn't think you were a prude, Sasuke." That was not what he wanted to hear, certainly. He was panicking as his body went completely mad, and he actually was becoming quite uncomfortable. Why were his pants so tight? She started to laugh lowly, and then said, "Oh, that is so cute. You're blushing."

"A-am no-ot…hn…" Hinata had leaned down and started to trail wet kisses down his neck. "I am not b-blushing, Hina-ahhh." His natural desire for being right and his drive for competition were completely forgotten as he felt something warm and wet slide over his left nipple. Uncomfortable? Hell yes. On the edge of losing control? Most definitely. Sasuke was in a transported state of mind. So much so that he did not notice in the least when his pants were undone. He did notice, however, when a small but firm hand slid into his boxer shorts. "For crying out loud!" He snapped out of his stupor immediately, nearly throwing her off of him, but she hung on well enough, but removed her hand from his underpants.

Hinata chuckled. "Is this the part where you say that you didn't think I was that kind of girl?" Well, she had a sense of humor about this that Sasuke could not, for the life of him seem to duplicate. "I understand if it's a little too soon for you. I'll stop." Wait a minute. Wasn't that supposed to be something he said to her? And was he mistaken, or did he hear a note of challenge in her voice? Oh, a more perfect bait could never have been dangled before the young Uchiha. When presented with a challenge, our young man simply (and I heartily hope you'll pardon the pun) rises to the occasion.

"Did I say for you to stop?" Hinata smiled as he took the bait. Her weight settled onto his lap again. Sasuke reached for her face, intent on kissing her, when his window was suddenly kicked in.

"Hyuuga Hinata, get off of him this instant." The low and forbidding tones of the youngest Hyuuga male seemed to seep into Sasuke's heart, freezing it. Hinata was glaring up at her cousin, but she was not moving. "Hinata-sama," the honorific was said through clenched teeth, "please remove yourself from Sasuke-kun. This is not the way the heir should be acting." That made her stand up. She stood to her full height (all five feet four inches) and glared white fire up at Neji. Sasuke could only watch helplessly, trying to fix his pants, and calm himself down.

"Neji-niisan, why don't you go…take a flying leap? I'm tired of your uptight attitude! When are you going to get it through your thick skull that I love him? If you would just understand that, then I would ask your help with my father. And with the clan." Neji's anger melted at her words, only to be replaced by confusion.

"What?"

Hinata hauled Sasuke up from the floor, and stood in front of Neji, holding Sasuke's hand. "Sasuke's idea. I told him the clan has to change. He said that the two of us…you and I…could do it together. I don't hate you, Neji. Please, just listen to me." He seemed unwillingly curious now. "If we went before the elders, one from the Main House, one from the Branch House, the eldest children of each, then they may listen to us. It would gain support for me in the Branch House. The last thing the clan needs is Hanabi as the heir…"

Neji snorted. "She's a puppet."

Hinata smiled. "Well, at least we agree on that." Sasuke watched them in rapt fascination. She took Neji's hand with her free one, and the boy only shied away a little. "I need your help, Neji. I think that I'll need help with many things. Do you think you'll be up to it? There are so many changes that need to be made, and I don't know that I'll be able to pull this off on my own."

Neji's pale eyes were searching his cousin's face, trying to find any trace of guile, any hint of a lie. Sasuke didn't need to look at her face to know that he would find none. Then, the elder Hyuuga pulled a kunai from his holster. Sasuke was unarmed…He made ready to attack Neji with his bare hands if necessary. The kunai glinted in the light of the room as Neji dragged the point across the palm of his hand. What in the world? Hinata willingly presented her hand to her cousin, allowing him to slice open her own palm. Blood welled up in the hollow of both hands, and they clasped them tightly. Hinata's hand glowed green, and when they pulled their hands apart, there was nothing but a thin scar across the center of each of their hands.

Suddenly, Sasuke understood. A silent blood pact. Well, the Hyuuga clan was just as serious as the Uchiha, but a blood pact?

"Hinata-sama," Neji bowed low, with the utmost respect, and his tone was almost reverent. "I am very pleased that you have chosen this path, wherever it may lead. However, for the time being, may I respectfully request that you come back to the clan residence with me? Sasuke-kun must also realize the danger you put yourself in. If you two were to conceive a child out of wedlock, it would devastate any chances you may have of becoming heir. And as you are the only real hope for the changes the clan has, I cannot allow it." He looked from Hinata to Sasuke. "Uchiha, may I have your word that you will not do anything inappropriate with her until I can see the two of you safely and legally married?"

Sasuke wanted to laugh. It was like having a conference with the Elders. He finally nodded after Hinata gave him a pointed look. "I swear, on the graves of my ancestors, that I will not touch her in a lustful way until it is completely legal for me to do so." His answer made Neji's eyes widen, and Hinata squeezed his hand, a very pleased smile on her lips. He was a little surprised by his own words, as well. It really was more than he had been intending to say, but before Neji had interrupted, Sasuke's thoughts had been quite lustful, so he supposed it was accurate. He let go of Hinata's hand, and looked Neji in the eyes again. "So am I to understand that we have your support?"

Neji smiled slightly, holding out his hand to Sasuke. "Anything to piss off Hiashi-sama."

Taking the offered hand of friendship, Sasuke smiled broadly. "Arigato, Neji. Now, you two please go. I don't want to think of what my father will say if he finds both of you in here. He'll think you're plotting something." Sasuke suddenly realized that he really did think of the other people in the house as his family. It was a good feeling.

"Neji-niisan?" Hinata said quietly.

"Yes, Hinata-sama?"

"Close your eyes. I don't want you to see this." The boy did as he was told, and then she smiled up at Sasuke before grabbing a handful of dark hair and pulling his face down so that she could kiss him. And suddenly, he had a sensation of falling, like the dream where you fall forever and never really hit the ground. If he hadn't just promised to do nothing of the sort, he would shove Neji out of the window and try to conceive a child out of wedlock. As it was, he had to try very hard not to touch her. If he did, he was sure it would not be in any way that was appropriate. When she pulled away from him, he felt that goofy grin on his face again. It was definitely not an expression his face was used to. The contortion of the muscles actually felt foreign.

Neji's tone was slightly exasperated when he said, "Can I open my eyes yet? Are you finished molesting him?" Both Hinata and Sasuke laughed at that, and Hinata said that he could look. "For goodness sake, Hinata-sama. I hope you don't do anything like that in public."

She raised an eyebrow, and then reached up and took hold of his ear, pulling him toward the window. "No peeking, Mister Nosy. Next time, I'll make it so that you get an eyeful." That had the elder of the two sputtering protests of propriety and premarital sex, which made her laugh all the harder. Before they walked down the side of the house, Hinata popped her head back into the room, and smiled broadly. "I love you, Sasuke." And then she was gone.

The entire situation left him stunned, amused, and disturbingly aroused. None of that really should have surprised him. This reality's Hinata was quite different from the one he knew, and he was certain that if they did eventually get married, it would be a very interesting life. He looked down, the bulge in his trousers glaringly obvious. "Shower…" he growled to himself, and then wished that he hadn't had to make that promise.

A/N: Oops. I guess maybe me making Sasuke all excited may have been a little scary.

Sasuke: Oh, it's okay. Does that mean I get to have private time with Hinata later?

antilogicgirl: Um, no. You swore. No naughy stuff until you're married.

Hinata: He swore. I didn't.

antilogicgirl: Hey, who died and made you queen of OOC?

Neji: That would be you.

antilogicgirl: (frowns) I'm not dead yet.

Hinata: No, but I dont' think that you're being fair.

antilogicgirl: Just because you guys didn't get to have 'private time' doesn't mean I don't love you. Now, be good and help me with the next chapter. And Sasuke?

Sasuke: Hai?

antilogicgirl: Keep your hands off the girl.