I have no regrets. Life tore us apart, but I am glad I had the chance to call you my friend.

-Unknown.


Sasuke took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm himself down. There were many questions-- How? Why? What?-- but the most important was 'Who?'

How could this be?

He was the only alive, and as far as he could remember, he hadn't impregnated anyone. The child looked to be three to four, meaning the numbers were reduced to a specific group. He mentally counted off all the Uchihas that had been alive in the last decade, not including himself. There were only a handful, and each was a known criminal.

What if it's Obito's?

He couldn't help but wonder what would be done to the child.

And what if...

But, Sasuke dared not finish that sentence, sick dread pooling in his stomach as he realized what this might mean for him.

In a flash, he was infront of the boy, gut twisting as the boy flinched. He kneeled infront of the kid, unaware that his own Sharingan had activated. Now, he could see them clearly. Those red eyes that mirrored his own, the two tomoe pattern indicating an incomplete Sharingan.

Both Sharingan began spinning, recognizing the other.

Like calls to like.

Sasuke swallowed, extending his trembling hand towards the boy's hood, intent on spotting any resemblance.

Kazue, on the other hand, was rooted on the spot, every fiber of his being swallowed by fear. Just who was this man? And why was he attacking them?

Mama, he thought, tearfully, as he stared at the distant body of his mother.

Is she okay?

There was no use running, Kazue knew that much. He's seen how fast the man was. Besides, Kazue didn't think he'd be able to do so: his legs refused to move. They were frozen, as his whole body trembled, the very picture of terror.

And then, he snapped out of it.

"Mama!" He screamed, heart pounding as he stared at her still form, his eyes letting lose a few tears.

"What did you do to her?!" He shouted again, this time at Sasuke.

"Mama! Wake up!"

Please, he thought helplessly, I need you.

Hearing his screams, Sasuke froze, hand still mid-air, just a second away from uncovering his face. His vision went red.

"Brother, stop it! Why are you doing this?!"

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a gust of wind and someone clutched his wrist. His eyes widened, as he took in the woman infront of him. Her head was bowed, her indigo locks falling infront of her face. He heard her exhale raggedly, as her hold on his wrist tightened. A single drop of blood fell on the ground.

"Stay," she began, her voice shaky, but firm at the same time, "away!"

She growled out the last part, as she whipped up her head to glare at the Uchiha. There were more than a few gasps, the whispers increasing, as they all now pointed at the woman.

For a good second, Sasuke stared, eyes wide, disbelief reflected in them. Then, they narrowed.

"Hyuga." He hissed, as he stared at the intense glare of her activated Byakugan.

"Who?" He began, his voice cold, biting, bitter; his face now masked by blankness.

"Who is this child's father?"

Before she could reply, another voice cut through them.

"Hinata?"

She froze, her heart pounding as her breath hitched. She dare not turn to her right, from where the voice had come. How long had it been since she'd last heard it?

It suddenly occured to her that she couldn't run away anymore. The day she'd always feared was here. She could already feel those stares on her-- disappointed, disbelieving, disgusted. And Kazue...god Kazue, she didn't even want to think how he would be treated.

She heard the footsteps coming closer to her, until through the curtain of her hair, she saw two ninja sandles stop beside her. From her peripheral vision, she saw a hand coming for her, no doubt, intent on confirming her identity.

Before she could stop herself, Hinata turned towards the man who was now crouching next to her, his orange jumpsuit coming in view, and smacked his hand away from her. She looked up, taking in the sun-kissed skin, the whiskers and the bright blue eyes she had once thought herself to have fallen in love with.

Quite without her permission, a few tears escaped from her eyes. But, she had no time to concern herself with them.

The quick turning had sent her head spinning. She barely took notice of the half-shocked, half-worried expression that flashed in those blue eyes, as she clutched her head, trying to will the pain to go away. She seemed to have hit that table harder than she'd thought, her suspicions soon confirmed when she began to sway.

Naruto didn't understand what had happened. He felt as if everything was happening too fast.

He, along with the others, had been waiting for Sasuke at a restaurant. They'd decided to celebrate, as this was the first time in a long time that Konoha 12--not including Hinata--had been together.

But, Sasuke had been late, and he and Sai had decided to go look for him. They'd walked only a few minutes, when they'd noticed the crowd. When he'd made his way to the center of the crowd, he'd seen Sasuke. He'd seen him standing infront of a woman.

Naruto saw those midnight locks and pale skin. After that, he didn't think. Her name left his lips.

Now, as he stared at Hinata, he felt indescribable joy bubbling in his chest-- she's back! Kami, she's back!-- until he had to trample it down so that he could stop Sasuke and be the hero he was always meant to be.

But, now, as he stared at the woman who'd stolen his heart and ran away with it, he felt something stir in his gut. Something bad was about to happen.

But, for now, he needed answers.

He slowly turned towards his best friend, suddenly noticing the blood on Hinata's face.

"Sasuke-teme, what the hell?!"

The man in question regarded him wordlessly. Clearly, he knew this woman. Not only that, but she was also someone important to him.

"Why'd you attack Hinata?!"

Before Sasuke could say anything, they heard sobbing. Both turned to see a boy clutching Hinata's semi-conscious body. Sasuke suddenly noticed that Kazue's hood had come off and he clenched his fists as he found himself staring at his raven head, the black strands barely brushing his shoulders.

"Mama?!"

Naruto froze.

What?

"Wake up! Please!"

Sasuke eyes were fixated on Naruto.

Did you know about this?

The look on his face clearly gave Sasuke his answer. Looking back at Kazue, Sasuke inaudibly sighed.

"Kazue." He called, coldly.

The boy froze, slowly turning to the one who called him, his hands wiping away his tears. When his face right infront of his, Naruto felt his heart stop. He could feel the colour draining from his face, as he immediately understood why Sasuke was fighting them.

His face was hiding behind his mother's shoulder, but he had a clear view of his eyes.

The Sharingan? But how?

Before Naruto could jump to any conclusions, Sasuke placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's wasn't me."

Naruto heard Sasuke say softly, and unintentionally, he felt himself relax slightly, as his heart continued its pounding.

Without a word, Naruto stepped forward, gathering Hinata in his arms and hauled her up.

"Where are you taking her?!"

Kazue clutched at Naruto, panic evident in his words. However, he slightly calmed down, when Naruto gave a small, sad smile.

"Don't worry." Another voice said.

Kazue turned to see a other man with pale skin and a weird but comforting smile. He extended his arms towards Kazue, who hesitantly climbed into them.

Then, Sai stood up.

"Don't worry." He repeated to the child in his arms, "You're home."


YEAH!!! OUR FAVOURITE BLONDE KNUCKLEHEAD HAS FINIALLY SHOWED UP!!

Things are finially firing up, aren't they??

...

Amazing, aren't I?

Pssst.. I don't even know why I'm asking. I mean of course I am.

Anyway, tell me what you think about this chapter.

*Conspicuous whispering* Kireina is actually Hinata, that much we know, but who exactly is Kazue?

*That 'reporter from Despicable Me' voice* And, what do you think would happen next?

Hehehe..

-Author-chan.