Hi.

Thanks for the reviews. I've started to write this story simply because I needed a break from day-to-day life and didn't imagine anybody would even read it so this is new to me. I'm so grateful for the words of encouragement to write more. Answering a question posted by Awesome Sauce - no, English isn't my first language so mistakes happened and probably will happen in the future and I'm sorry for them :)

Another thing is the „..." in my story. Somehow my laptop can't accept that I'm writing something in english and wants nothing to do with '...'. Sorry bout that too.

I'll try and post as often as possible but life happens, as all of you know.

The next day Hinata had to go and knock on Sasukes doors because he didn't show for breakfast. She just hoped he didn't feel offended by her words or actions from yesterday. When he finally opened the door he looked tired.

„Are you okay?" She asked

„Yeah, just couldn't sleep" he answered.

„I brought you breakfast" she gave him a plate with scrambled eggs and two sandwiches. He was once again surprised. He didn't expect her to care if he ate.

„Thanks" he smiled. „If you want you can come in while I eat" he opened the door wider. She stepped in and closed the door but stood next to them and didn't move. „Come and sit, you don't have to stand there" she sat in a chair next to a bed. It was awkward for her. In her family home it was a huge no no to go into a mans bedroom. Sasuke sat at the bed and watched her while chewing. He knew she was uncomfortable but he was getting some satisfaction from it. She made him stay up so late he barely slept. „I need to shower, you can stay here" she stood up in seconds.

„No no I can wait outside" what a pure soul he smiled. When the doors closed he grinned.

They decided to spend the day on hiking in the mountains which was tiresome. The weather was unbearable to Sasuke and he couldn't believe his female companion didn't mind the sweat that caused every inch of the clothing to stick to the body, but it wasn't the worst thing here. Because of the weather the insects were everywhere. He supposed he was now covered in mosquito bites. Sasuke had the urge to be as grumpy as possible about everything.

„Don't you mind the mosquitoes?" He asked and started looking for any bites at her skin but to his surprise he couldn't find any.

„I was in a team with the insect master. I have my ways of avoiding being bitten by them" she took out a bottle of something he discovered smelled like lavender and eucalyptus. Lavender was truly her smell and it seemed to be useful as well. „Sorry I didn't give it to you earlier. I forgot to" He smeared the substance all over him. Eucalyptus in it seemed to have another useful trait, it cooled his skin down. This explained her lack of care for the things that drove him crazy. He suspected he would be bitter about that but he wasn't. After another hour of walking they heard a waterfall. Hinata activated her Byakugan and lead the way towards it. The place there came to was beautiful. It was a small space surrounded by trees. Waterfall was not so big either but looked powerful non the less. They both had the same thought - it would be amazing to jump into the water right now. Hinata took of her boots and went in just to her knees. Sasuke sat at he rock near the stream and closed his eyes. He was tired. It didn't help that he had not came to any conclusion regarding his newly found emotions about the woman he was traveling with. It was hard for him to forget who he was, what his past was like and get lost in the feeling but he couldn't leave it either.

Hinata took a look at Sasuke and saw he was not looking. She wanted to swim so she decided to do so. She took off only her t-shirt and tossed it on the ground. The next second she was under the water. Water was her second nature. She remembered when in childhood she would find any chance to go and swim. She also created her own jutsu around this element. It all just seemed natural.

When he opened his eyes he couldn't see where she was. But he sensed her chakra just behind him. So he turned around. And there she was. Under the waterfall, her hair wet. She was stunning. She was standing back to him so he didn't see her face, he didn't see it was empty once again. A year wasn't enough to get rid of her most haunting thoughts. She still was weak, she still didn't deserve. Neji was still dead because of her. She has been traveling for a year, beautiful sights took her mind off of the terrible things and times but only for some time. She still had nightmares in the night. She felt that Sasuke was looking at her but she wasn't ready to come back from her thoughts. But then he moved, she had her eyes activated at once, unconsciously. He was undressing and going into the water. She hoped he wouldn't come towards her, but that's exactly what he did. He hesitated for a moment when she didn't move. Surely she sensed him by now, maybe he was crossing a line. When he was near she turned around. They looked at each other and felt that this time it was different. He saw this emptiness again, something that bothered him for a long time and she saw insecurity in his face, something she hasn't seen before in him. What could he be insecure about? Wasn't he the reason the war ended the way it did? He took her hand out of the water and looked at it. She had such small hands which he knew to be powerful, but looked so gentle.

„What is wrong Hinata?" He asked her looking deep into her eyes still lifeless. „Why do you hide it?" She couldn't answer him. What was she gonna tell him? That she felt useless and not deserving? She would feel even wore after that. She would feel as if she was 13 year old girl with a diary to write all her „problems" in. So she just smiled.

„Everything's alright" she answered. Dishonesty didn't suit her. She had the ability to lie, she was a ninja after all. But he got to know her, she got to know him and it Feld wrong to lie.

„You know how I know it's not?" He let go of her hand. „Your eyes. They are more telling than any eyes I've ever seen. Right now they are empty and I know this emptiness hides pain. And pain, I know pain" he looked at her again. There was a hint of sadness in her face. Not his favorite emotion in her but at least it was an emotion.

„Sasuke. I may have known you for a long time but we talked for the first time a week ago. Don't expect me to open up to someone I truly, barely know" this hurt him and he didn't know why. After all it was true. They did barely knew each other. But it felt as if they were connected in some way, at least to him.

„I understand" he walked away. She wanted him to come back. She wanted to tell him but couldn't. She wasn't ready. They both got out of water and dressed. He felt that it wasn't the time for another talk for them, even if this time it was about the weather or something similarly meaningless. They came back to the hotel in silence. If the other ate that day none knew.

The next day Sasuke was siting alone at the table eating breakfast when she came in. Hair pulled in a messy bun. He was happy to see her. She came to the table only with orange juice and drank it in silence.

„You know Sasuke, I think we should spend today easy" she said. What she meant was that she wanted to be left alone that day. And he understood it. She went back to her room where she spent the whole day. He went out and sat in a park on the ground. He needed to clear his mind. He wanted to help her get through any problem she had and he didn't know how. She wouldn't talk to him so he had to find some other way. He sat with his eyes closed for a few hours. Then an idea came to his mind. He went into the shop and bought every sweet he thought looked eatable. She liked sweets. He came back to the hotel and knocked on her door. After half a minute she opened it. She looked at him, at the sweets in his arms.

„Can I come in?" He asked, hoping she would say yes. All she did was open her doors more and went inside. She sat on the bed in which she spent the whole time. „I've been thinking about what you said. We really don't know anything about each other. But there is no other way than to get to know each other." He sat at the floor and set out the things he had bought. „We both have some assumptions so maybe we can tell them and the other can say what is true and what is not" he searched for anything in her face. She seemed amused by the idea and after a while of consideration joined him on the floor.

„Okay, but you go first" she said and took a cinnamon roll out of the bag.

„Sure." He looked at her and cleared his throat. God he was nervous. „You are Hinata Hyuga. Heiress to he Hyuga Clan. You have a sister, younger sister. There were some troubles between you and your father." He paused pondering how open he should be. „You loved Naruto from day one. You always wanted him to see you. You are lost since the war which took a toll on you." She looked at him. So he knew most, but not all.

„Not a lot of assumptions here. Mostly facts." She said. „I'm no longer a heiress. I stepped down after the war." He nodded. That's something he couldn't have known. „I didn't want only Naruto to see me but also my father, my family. And yes" she paused „the war destroyed me" he was taken aback by that statement but accepted it.

„Your turn"

„Your past is well known but I feel like there is something secret about it." And off she went he thought. „You don't care about the attention you receive from girls, you probably never did. You sometimes look like you think you are better than anybody else and other times I think you have a lot of insecurities." She looked at his never changing eyes. „I thing we have that in common and both of us prefer to hide from the world what we really feel. Why you do it?" She pondered. „Maybe you don't want to look as if you care, which I think you do." He wanted to oppose something.

„I do care but not about everything" he said seriously. „But you do"

„I care too much probably." She smiled.

„About what people think of you"

„That too"

„Why?" He wanted to know. That might help him with helping her.

„Why do you wanna know?" She raised one brow in question

„I care abut very few people Hinata. And somehow, even though we don't know each other for long, you are now on that list" He concluded that being semi-open would help him reach her.

„Oh" she looked at the floor. „Well. I've always been weak. Not only physically but also mentally." She said and paused. He gave her time to elaborate. „Ever since academy I wanted to prove myself, you know?" She laughed. It sounded funny to her now. „But I'm never going to be good enough."

„That's bullshit" he said. He didn't want to undermine her feelings but that's what it was - bullshit. „Sorry. But I don't see anything not good enough when I look at you"

„And what exactly do you see?"

„Somebody who is tormented but strong within. And I am sure you can beat asses" he smiled at her hoping she would smile as well but she didn't.

„You know, you are the last person I would expect to try and bring me up" she wanted to run. The same feeling she's felt before leaving Konoha. „But it's easy for you to say. You were always stronger than anybody. There is nothing weak about you so how could you possibly understand how it's like to be weak?"

„If I were strong I would have never left in the first place. I would accept the help I was offered over and over again." This was true and both of them knew it.

„Do you have regrets?" She asked. Of course she wouldn't let this conversation be all about her.

„A lot" this was his answer. He didn't feel like talking about it but she did talk about herself so maybe he should do the same. „I will not talk about all of them now because we would be here for next couple of days but one of them is leaving. Well I do and don't regret that" he regretted it more that time cause maybe he would have met her earlier in his life. Maybe they would be different, more open. She saw sadness in him and moved toward him. Hinata sat next to him and put her head on his shoulder. She's done that the second time now and this tie he felt comfortable enough to place his head on hers. Her smell got to him instantly. Lavender. She didn't have to worry about mosquitoes ever.

„You think we would have been friends if we met in academy?" She asked and he wondered if she was a psychic.

„Maybe" he wanted to think so but he was such an awful brat back then.

„Thank you for trying to get to me. I am not ready to open about everything this time. Maybe we will be able to get back to this conversation later on." She whispered. Hinata was really grateful for meeting him in that snowy road. He took her hand in his and ran a finger across her knuckles. It bothered him how much comfort her presence brought him. What would have happened if she had left? Could he let her go if she wanted to? After a few minutes he discovered she was fast asleep, her head still on his shoulder. He smiled. Not many people in this world would feel safe enough to fall asleep in his presence but she did. He scooped her up and put her on bed, he then cleaned the sweets from the floor and placed them on the table. He took one last glance at her and left the room. She was a sweet person he didn't want to corrupt but couldn't help himself. He had his mind set on trying to help her and get her. There was nobody else who would bring him this comfort.