Oh wow so. I have written so many different endings and honestly I love all of them so I don't know what hell is going to happen. Thanks to shyhinata144 for giving something to do with Sakura.

Chapter 5: Man Down

He felt as if the ground he was walking on was moving and most of his efforts were going into keeping his balance. He had drank way too much and he had forgotten when. When did Sakura let go of his arm, when did he start drinking, when did he get this drunk, and when did he start roaming the dark empty halls. He preferred being in the halls, it wasn't as suffocating and hot as the ball room, but most importantly nobody could see the state he was in. As he kept walking he saw a figure, he was confused if it was just his drunken mind or the actual fucking Hyuga was walking his fucking direction. As he began thinking about the Hyuga he had stopped thinking about his valance. Sasuke tumbled into the ground and his question was answered when he heard her call his name and run towards him. He felt her hands trying to help him up. Who the hell was she to help him? He was Sasuke fucking Uchiha he did not need help.

"Gods! Sasuke can you hear me?" The Uchiha stenched of liquor and she had no idea what to do, she couldn't leave him there after he had seen her but she wondered if he even realized it was her in the state he was in.

"Fuck off Hyuga" She got get her answer in slurs. The man pushed her off him and sat up using the wall to hold his weight.

"Sasuke you can't go around like this" she said trying her best to sound concerned

"Like you fucking care Hyuga" he and rested his head on the wall right after. Hinata found his state utterly pathetic and humorous. He was such a pompous cock that seeing him like this brought her some joy, so much so she giggled. "What the fuck are you laughing at?! You are lucky Hyuga! Lucky I can't get my hands around your fucking neck and strangle you" Hinata's smile faded, that was less funny. She sighed and stood up.

"I see you don't want my help, I'll call somebody else to help you" As soon as Sasuke heard that he glared at her. He would not have others witness the fucking mess he was, he couldn't. The Hyuga was one thing she was so fucking low it was like a dog was watching but if he were to have the Harunos see him like this he would never hear the end of it.

"Don't you fucking dare" he hissed

"I don't see what you want me to do. I can't leave you in the middle of the hall this drunk" she said. First of fucking all she very much could but it was a fucking mystery to him why she didn't. Second of all what he wanted the Hyuga to do was jump off the fucking window and die. Third of all and related to his current situation, he didn't know he was still weighing his options. He hated, no detested the idea of the Hyuga helping him but he also did not want anyone else to find him.

"Let's get one fucking thing straight Hyuga. You are in my fucking house, eat my fucking food and breathe my fucking air. I don't owe you shit" Hinata bit her tongue to stop herself from pointing out that she was there against her own will.

"Of course" she said offering a hand to Sasuke who simply ignored it and struggled to get up using the wall. When he finally stood up she again offered him a hand which he refused with words this time

"Don't fucking touch me. Just make sure I don't fall" he mumbled the last part. She nodded and walked beside him as he tried his best to walk normally. As they walked the hallways Hinata noted how little servants were around, the guards were seen far apart since most were near the ballroom. She probably could throw him down the stairs and make it look like an accident. She wanted to but she couldn't, there were too many unknown variables. Hinata smiled to herself, she never thought the death of someone would bring her joy but here she was.

"Sasuke!" his brother greeted him with a grin, Sasuke groaned in response. "Fun night, wasn't it? Although I got to say I did miss you for the ending, you were nowhere to be found"

"Shut up Itachi" he shot him a glare. Sasuke didn't want to talk about last night, he didn't want to think about how drunk he was or how the fucking Hyuga helped him. He was also feeling the effects of all the liquor he had consumed which bittered his mood more than usual.

"I must admit your disrespect becomes less and less amusing to me, little brother. I will be the future king, you should have some respect" Itachi said with no particular tone in his voice.

"Respect is earned" Sasuke stated

"You are one talk" Itachi snorted, "haven't I done enough to earn it?" he asked with no taunt or jeer present in his voice.

"You've done enough to lose it as well" Sasuke said without thinking

"Oh dear. I sense resentment. I would love to stay and chat about our fractured relationship and what exactly led to it but I have generals to meet with. I will keep this conversation in mind and we shall get to it eventually" Itachi said with a smug yet serious smirk. Sasuke grunted, he didn't want to talk about their relationship like a pair of women. He wanted- he wanted… What did Sasuke want?

"I am terribly sorry Hatake, I am sure you can understand my situation right?" He asked. Although he was asking he had made it clear from his tone he didn't really need his permission.

"Yeah yeah. Don't worry about it, go tend to your little wife" Hatake grinned. Itachi made his way to Hinata's room and knocked on her door.

"Hinata?" The door creaked open, the Hyuga stood in front of him looking up. She was the one who started the game with him and Itachi was a man who liked to be engaged, so he would often play more than one game at once. Right now he felt like merging them for a while.

"Good morning Itachi" She smiled

"Good morning. May I come in?" he smiled back

"Of course" she opened the door fully and led Itachi in her room. Itachi looked around the room, it was a regular Uchiha room, she had done nothing to it, hadn't even moved a thing.

"I hope I am not bothering you" He said

"You are never a bother to me." she answered, he turned to look at her and she met his eyes.

"I am sure my beautiful bride has found me inconvenient at least once" he smirked

"Apart from the whole captured bride ordeal, I find you quite pleasant" she giggled. Hinata examined Itachi, it was his first time visiting her in the morning. She wondered if it meant something or if it was one of his spontaneous actions.

"Well that's a relief" he smiled. He couldn't leave without a cover. "You will be my wife soon Hinata. It means you will join our circle, I know you come from nobility and it is not new to you but I guess you haven't been treated the same here" he paused trying to find the right words to finish his sentence

"Did I do something?" Hinata asked. Itachi looked at and began shaking his head.

"No of course not, I just thought you would like a new dress specially made just for you. My gift to you" he smiled. She looked at him for a while before saying something.

"Are you trying to buy my favor?" she teased. He was trying to buy something from her, now she wondered what it was?

"Do I not have it yet?" He raised his eyebrows. She pouted before smiling

"I guess you do. Perhaps my love then" she raised one brow and sat on her bed

"Can I buy that?" he asked

"Nobody has tried," she laughed. He liked her laugh. It was nice to listen to and she sounded so carefree.

"Perhaps I'll be the first," he said. He sat down next to her before laying on his back surprisingly she laid next to him. She looked up at the ceiling and smiled.

"I'll inform you if it works, although you might have an unfair advantage"

"Oh really? What is it?"

"I already like you" he examined her face, she seemed truthful but she was a very good actress. It didn't matter. Itachi still smiled, she looked back at him and returned the smile. Pity they could have been good friends, maybe even lovers he thought. That's when they heard a knock.

"That's the seamstress. Mind if I wait for you here, I am quite tired of the war meetings" he stretched his arms.

"Aren't they important?" she asked. Itachi had always striked her as a responsible person so she wondered why he would skip meetings.

"Not for now. They have become rather repetitive and end being nothing more than an excuse for them to drink". That sounded like Uchiha behavior she thought. It made sense, the Uchiha castle had been full of important people for a week now and there were only so many new things that could happen in a week.

"Love seems to have blossomed between you and your bride," Izumi said. To say she had felt nothing as he pranced her around would be a lie. How could she not feel anything? The whole night she had clung to him smiling and laughing while he proudly walked with her. She noticed the gentleness in his eyes when he talked to her, when he watched her. She wasn't an unfeeling monster, she felt when she watched the man she loved be with another woman. It hurt to watch Itachi act like that towards someone. They had passionate nights, they had their moments but they were never gentle and romantic, they were never in love. Not him at least, and she knew that she always knew that. But sometimes dreams keep you happy.

"I doubt it. She is a clever woman, my wife. She knows what is expected of her." he felt a bit of shame. He hadn't thought that Izumi would be watching Hinata and him, he had put on a show but it wasn't intended for Izumi.

"Wife" she whispered.

"I guess I'm getting too ahead of myself." He chuckled and her face twitched when she heard him.

"She seems happy"

"What about you? Are you happy?" he asked. She wondered if he even cared.

"Itachi I am getting betrothed to someone" she had gotten the news recently. It hadn't shocked her, truthfully she was getting kind of old. At twenty-five she had passed the age that most women married and if it wasn't for her status she would not be as desired. She didn't know who it was but she did know she would meet him soon. She didn't know why she told Itachi, part of her hoped he would care.

"Hn. Is he good looking?" he asked with a grin. That same old grin he gave. He wasn't remotely bothered by those news and that snapped something in her. All those years.

"Are you still going to kill the Uchiha?" She asked. She would not entertain his teasing and games this night.

"Izumi it will be for the better you'll see" his tone completely shifted and so did his expression. That brought her a small pang of joy. To see his stupid grin disappear, she decided to keep poking the bear.

"I'm sure that's how many mad men excused their atrocities in the past" she said

"are you calling me mad?"

"what else would you call that idea?"

"will you try to stop me? report me perhaps?" he asked and waited, her answer never came. Would she do it? Maybe. She hadn't properly thought about it. "Are you against me Izumi?" he asked another question, his voice now completely stripped of any playfulness.

"I would never be against the head of the Uchiha" she turned to him and stared him in the eyes.

"That doesn't answer my question," he said

"Maybe it just doesn't give you the answer you want." She turned around and headed back to the celebration, she had enough of Itachi for that night.

It was his fault, his and his alone. He was too trusting of her, he made a mistake, a miscalculation. As he made his way to the woods he felt his hands begin to shake, he tried to make it stop but his body would not comply. It had been a while since he lost control of his body, not since his mother died. His steps felt heavier and the knot on his stomach grew so much he felt it would soon twist his whole body. He got to the spot he decided to sit and wait.

"Itachi!" he heard her call. He looked up and smiled "I wasn't sure you were going to make it out of the war meetings," she said getting off the horse. Itachi smiled and grabbed a peach with his left hand, took a bite of it and tossed it to Izumi with his right. She smiled. "I heard they were your favorite" he grinned. She took bite after bite and Itachi felt his chest clench, no going back now.

"Izumi. Your uncle. Were you aware of what he did?" He asked. She stiffened at the mention of her uncle, she looked at him with coldness in her eyes.

"He is one of your most productive generals! Do you know how much territory he has gained" she defended her blood, he would expect nothing less from Izumi.

"He is a coward. He attacks small unprotected villages and rapes their women and kills their children" he said. He needed to buy time for it to settle in, but he didn't have to make their last conversation this, but he thought it would make things easier if it was.

"Those children will become future soldiers" she said

"Those children are children! I thought we were the same, Izumi. I thought we were against this-"

"Don't pretend you know everything, Itachi! We can't hold hands and ask them to surrender peacefully, this is not your imagination Itachi. The world is a horrible place and to get what we want we must do horrible things" she cut him off. She was tired of Itachi, tired of his madness, tired of his pursuit for peace. Peace that would come at the cost of their entire House.

"You oppose killing generals but not children and women"

"They are our generals. They have children and women of their own"

"They are drunk in power and make careers and wealth off the killings of the powerless"

"You are a traitor." her voice was almost a whisper. She wouldn't argue with him anymore. It was clear what he thought, it was clear what he would do.

"A traitor? Because I refuse to kill innocent people, to pretend we are morally righteous" His question offended her.

"Because you refuse to see reality! You refuse to acknowledge that there is no better way, it's either their children or ours!"

"I will make my own reality"

"You are insane"

"Are you going to turn me in?" he asked. She quickly turned around and got in her horse without a word. He looked up at the sky and closed his eyes for a second. He didn't have time to stay and ponder on what he had lost, he had a job to finish. He got up and began walking, he was surprised such a last-minute plan had worked, he hadn't expected Izumi to play such a willingly part in it. He certainly thought her to be smarter than to meet him in the woods alone, especially after their talk last night. He kept walking until he found what he was looking for, there on the ground laid Izumi's body. He walked closer to her and saw the damage she had taken from the fall, the horse seemed to have stomped on her chest, leg, and arm. As he got closer she seemed to notice him. "You can't say I didn't warn you" he said and before he knew it, tears were leaving his eyes. She glared at him as she struggled to breathe.

"Let me know how at least" she said her eyes glued to him.

"The peach" he croaked and looked away from her. He couldn't keep looking at her as she took her final breaths.

"Hn" she said, closing her eyes at the realization of what he had done.

"I-I'm sorry" he said.

"I should have been smarter." She said, "I forgive you" he looked up to see her face and he saw her crying. He felt his legs weaken and for a second he felt regret. He wanted to frantically try to take the poison out of her system but it was impossible what was done was done.

"Izumi. You were my only friend and I will always love you for that" he never loved her like she did him, but he did love her nonetheless.

"Your words wound me more than you think. Leave before I take back my forgiveness and curse you" her voice was bitter almost coming out in a hiss.

"Goodbye Izumi," He said before walking away.

As she took her last breaths she wondered what were the possibilities he would be found out, she hadn't told anyone she would meet Itachi. Nobody knew the nature of their relationship, except maybe Sasuke. Nobody knew the madness going on in Itachi's head, nobody other than her journal. Would he go through with it? Would he be able to successfully do it? Part of her hoped he would do it successfully, then at least she would die for a reason. The other part of her wanted for those pages to fly right into Fugaku's hands.

"Where was my brother?" Sasuke approached Kakashi. He knew Kakashi was temporarily in charge of the meetings since that useless idiot had been fired.

"Tending his marital duties" he answered, his eyes not leaving the book he was reading.

"He's not married yet." Sasuke pointed out

"He might as well be, it is almost time"

"Tending his house duties should come first"

"Marriage is a house duty, how do you think you grow a house? Besides there is no information we haven't gone through at the moment" Kakashi said as he flipped a page.

"I see you allow mediocrity Hatake, it's good that you are here only temporarily" Sasuke sneered. Kakashi didn't seem to be bothered by the comment.

"Has anybody told you, you are far up your own ass?" He asked calmly.

"Get that quite often actually" Sasuke smirked. He did get that often although most times he overheard the comment rather than it being said to his face directly since nobody really dared to. He didn't really care what people had to say about him especially when those people didn't even have the guts to say it to his face.

"What a surprise" Hatake finally looked at Sasuke while he grinned under his mask.

Itachi sunk into the bed. He didn't expect it to bother him so much, but how couldn't it? He had planned to kill so many but never Izumi, she was the closest thing to his right hand. He had killed before but never someone dear to him. He stared at the ceiling as an unfamiliar feeling spread through his body. Was it regret? Fear? Sadness? He couldn't tell.

"Itachi I know you are in there" He heard Sasuke at the door. He reluctantly sat up and put on a smile before going to open the door.

"Oh my I have been caught" he grinned at a frowning Sasuke.

"Is this what you do now, Itachi? Skip on your responsibilities?" he asked ice embedded in his tone. Did he really have to do this today? He loved his little brother but why today?

"I have been responsible for twenty eight fucking years. Don't you think I deserve a break" He sighed. Sasuke blinked, taken back by his brother's unusually harsh words and pessimistic tone.

"A fight with the Hyuga." He stated although he meant it as a question.

"No, Hinata doesn't fight." he said, sitting on the bed.

"Is that why you are hiding in her room?" he scoffed, "so she can trap you in her skirts all behind the mask of solace" his anger quickly rose again.

"I don't seek solace from her, all I seek is to know the woman I'll be marrying in fifteen days. You should do the same with your bride. I would hate to see you stuck in a miserable marriage" Itachi said. Sasuke knew Itachi, he knew when he was teasing, when he was acting tough, when he didn't care, and when he was being genuine. The Itachi who was in front of him was a mixture of tired and genuine.

"You look tired" he stated in no particular tone

"I am fine. Just thinking"

"About?" he asked as a reflex

"The future of our house." Sasuke nodded, was there anything else he thought about? Sasuke disagreed with many of Itachi's approaches but he did acknowledge that the Uchiha House was always in his thoughts. He and Itachi both cared, both showed it in their own ways.

"It's good to hear you have something other than the Hyuga in your mind" He decided to not press him more on the topic or his thoughts, it wasn't like he would understand anyway.

"If you only knew" he chuckled. Sasuke turned to Itachi, he wasn't thinking his regular thoughts. Itachi was thinking on a grander scale for it to affect so much. He decided to let Itachi be, it's not like Sasuke was any good at those types of things.

"Hn." he said heading towards the door, "I trust you" he mumbled before leaving. Itachi smiled at his brother's words, it was nice to hear. Hinata came in a few minutes after Sasuke left, she was accompanied by a servant. They were pretty walking close and Hinata seemed comfortable around her. He took note of the servant's face before she left.

"Thank you Kurenai" she smiled at the servant before turning to Itachi. She cocked her head at him and furrowed her brows.

"What is it?" he asked with a smile

"You look sad". For a split he was dumbfounded. Was that all it took? A look at him for her to see the guilt and regret on his face. He had to hold up better, he was Itachi Uchiha.

"Hn" he nodded

"Do you feel alright?" she asked reaching for his head

"I do feel better having my future wife tend me," he smirked. He watched as her cheeks flushed red and she removed her hand. That was better.

"Your head feels normal," She said

"I am fine Hinata, I thank you for your concern. Did you enjoy the dress?" He decided to switch the topic off him

"Yes. The fabrics were breathtaking and there were so many colors to choose from, I was a bit overwhelmed. The dress is not ready just yet but it will be soon, thank you Itachi it was all beautiful" she hugged him, he patted her head and returned the embrace.

"I'm glad you are happy" he said

"Thank you. I am here if you need an ear Itachi" maybe it was too forward but she needed to start blurring the lines, gaining his trust. She needed to become part of their House, she needed to have access to their foundation. Once the foundation is reached the whole house would fall.

"It's nothing really, I just had a conversation with Sasuke that's all" He didn't lie but he didn't tell the truth either, it was honestly one of Itachi's favorite things to do.

"Oh. I understand relationships with siblings can be difficult at times". She could sympathize when it came to sibling relationships. Her cousin, Neji, who might as well be her brother, did not always have the great relationship they have now. She remembered when they were little when the resentment against her was at an all time high. How he would sneer at her and push her when nobody saw, she remembered how she felt how he was always going to hate her. Now she would die for Neji and he would do the same.

"Hn" he nodded. He would usually take this chance and ask her a personal question, but he didn't. She decided to ask a question instead. A question which admittedly wasn't very important but would help her understand the nuisance that was the younger Uchiha.

"Why does Sasuke hate me?" Itachi looked down at her, he hadn't expected the question but it didn't surprise him.

"He hates everyone" He grinned. It was true Sasuke did not like anyone and he himself was less than liked by many. Most people that saw him preferably were the many young women who worshiped his looks and Naruto, anybody who was not enamoured by his face or missing half a brain (in Naruto's case) would often clash with his headstrong brother.

"You know what I mean Itachi," she said, pouting at Itachi's willful ignorance to her question.

"The Hyuga were involved in our mother's death" he finally said. She stayed quiet for a moment and regretted asking the question.

"I-I'm sorry" she wanted to ask more questions but knew better than to press when he was already bothered by something.

"No need to apologize, you didn't know or played a role in her death" he said giving her the first genuine smile she saw that night.

Sasuke woke up to a ruckus, he saw people weeping. He was confused as to what the commotion was. He looked around and pulled a random servant.

"Why is everyone crying?" He asked

"Izumi Uchiha. S-she is dead, sir" the girl squeaked

"How?" Did he care, no. But he still wanted to be informed.

"Horse riding accident sir" she answered.

"Hn". He didn't know what to think. He didn't know the woman and the little interactions he had with her usually always involved Itachi. He found her annoying but he found women annoying as a whole. He wondered how Itachi was doing, had he heard of the news? She was his current fuck buddy, he wondered how he would take her death.

"Sasuke, I heard about the Uchiha girl dying, I am terribly sorry about that," Sakura said, throwing her arms around him and clinging to him. He fought off the instinct to immediately push her and awkwardly placed his hand on her back as he patted her head with the other.

"Umm… yeah I just heard about her death" he said not knowing how to answer.

"I can't imagine how sad that must be for you" she said, finally letting go of him. She was pouting and her green emerald eyes seemed to sparkle more than usual as tears began to gather.

"We weren't that close" he said hoping she wouldn't cry in front of him

"Still to have somebody die so young in such a horrible way. Sasuke I am here for you if you need anything"

"Hn". He responded. Sakura smiled up at her prince, she thought that he must be putting a brooding act to cover his true feelings. It was okay she understood the need to be perceived as strong but Sakura was now here for Sasuke, she would be his wife, his life partner, who he shows his vulnerable side to. It was okay she knew it would take time for him to warm up to her, that was just how men were.

"Have you heard?" Sasuke asked his brother as soon as he saw him.

"Yes, I was made aware early in the morning. Good morning Sasuke, Lady Sakura" he smiled.

"Good morning Lady Sakura, Lord Uchiha" the short light eyed nuisance beside him greeted them as well.

"Good morning Itachi and Hinata," Sakura said with a smile before surprising the Hyuga with an embrace. Sasuke stared at his bride while Itachi just smiled. Hinata quickly returned the gesture before ending it with a kind smile. "Lady Uchiha's death was such a shock, how are you holding up Itachi?" Sakura asked.

"It certainly was, I was obviously saddened by the news but luckily I have Hinata with me" he smiled pulling Hinata closer making her blush. Sasuke's face frowned while Sakura beamed with excitement as she clasped her hands together. That would be her and Sasuke in a couple of months and she couldn't wait.

"As it should be. A woman's role is to support her husband, I commend you Hinata" she said with a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Lady Sakura, you are too kind" Hinata said, blushing. Sakura certainly was energetic, she was like a beam of light. She always smiled, but you could also tell her constant state of happiness was a blissful incomprehension of everything around her. Hinata felt bad for the woman, she was still so naive and innocent. She unlike many men here did not pray for her downfall, looked at her as the enemy because of the war going on. Sakura simply was happy to marry a beautiful prince.

"Please just call me Sakura, we are part of the same family now" she said, grabbing Hinata's hand with a smile. Hinata glanced at Sasuke for a second and saw the sour expression on his face which Sakura was completely oblivious to.

"Thank you, Sakura". She smiled back. "You know there are beautiful gardens here. Have you seen them?" Sasuke's eye twitched. What the fuck was the Hyuga doing?

"I haven't gotten the chance to" Sakura pouted

"It would be my pleasure to show them to you" she smiled. Sakura instantly smiled and nodded leaving Sasuke's arm and attaching herself to Hinata. Sasuke wanted to sneer. She acted like a child.

"She seems nice," Itachi said as he watched the woman walk away.

"Hn" Sasuke would admit she was pretty and… nice. But nothing that stood out to him.

"You don't look happy". His brother stated

"Do I ever?" He asked

"Oddly, yes whenever your shouting"

"Good to know" Sasuke said with raised brows

"She's stunning and comes from a good family. I thought that's what you wanted"

"Yes" that's all he said. His brother was right, that's what he wanted, but it didn't feel right now that he finally got it.

The stomping and voices grew louder and louder and soon they were filling up the court. Chaos was the only word he could use to describe what saw. The young woman in the middle of it all fueled the ruckus even more. She laughed maniacally as she stood tall and proud with a tied and gagged man under her heel. The woman was dressed uncoventionally in trousers and with her hair so long it passed her hips.

"Gentlemen! Ladies! How should we punish this traitor?!" She shouted garnering booing for the man

"Hang him!" one man shouted

"Burn him!" a woman shouted matching his enthusiasm

"Cock off his cock!" a man laughed

"Feed him his own cock!" Soon they all began to laugh as more depraved ideas of tortured were shouted

He watched the madness his eighteen year old cousin had endowed and sighed. He shut the doors as loudly as he possibly could getting the crowd and his cousin's attention.

"This stops now! Please gentlemen, ladies, take a sit" he said glaring at the crowd. Soon enough the crowd had gone from wild to serene, not one single hint remained of the wildness that had taken place. "Hanabi you are a lady I expect better from you" he whispered through his teeth. She rolled her eyes and kicked the man under her foot.

"This imbecile sold our sister out! He is a traitor, a spy! He deserves torture!" She said glaring at the man "where is father? We need to start this trail and punish this man" she asked

"He is on his way. You should be happy I went before him or he would have the whole court acting like savages while his youngest Instigated everything"

"Hmph." Hanabi crossed her arms and walked to her seat. Neji bent down and took off the man's gag and almost instantly the man began to beg.

"Please! Forgive me! You don't understand m-my family, they were starving, we had no money and they offered me so much. I had to feed my children" he cried

"Off with his head!" Hanabi shouted garnering clapping from the audience.

"Hanabi!" Neji scolded. "Save your excuses for the trial," Neji said before walking to his seat.

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So I don't know if you guys would be interested in me adding more of the Hyuga side in the story. Disclaimer though. I am extremely Neji biased.