Above a blank scroll, black ink pools at the tip of a calligraphy brush. Several scrolls lay crumbled in a waste bin.

Sasuke can't quite come up with the words to delicately describe the events that occurred since Naruto left the village.

How exactly do you tell a man that his wife is on the brink of a mental breakdown, and that you may have been the cause of her attempted abortion?

Before the ink spills onto the unblemished parchment, Sasuke begins writing again for the fifth time.

"As promised, I checked in on your wife. She was fine when I saw her at your home.

Stop worrying. Keep your head in the game and don't blow this opportunity."

Technically he isn't lying. Yes, he is omitting many crucial details, but Naruto doesn't need this burden to overshadow the milestone he is about to achieve.

Sasuke is hopeful he can salvage this wreck, at least to the point where Naruto will never know the full extent of what occurred during his absence.

Perched atop the inn's window ledge, Sasuke's messenger hawk waits patiently. Content with his note, Sasuke tucks the scroll into a harness on the bird's right leg. Then using his index finger, Sasuke caresses her beak. She flutters lush brown feathers with black and white tips, and nuzzles into the crook of his palm. After a few minutes of this gentle exchange between human and bird, she extends her feathers and disappears into the evening sky.

Having ignored two of Naruto's previous letters, Sasuke knew he was running out of time before Naruto himself came looking for answers. Sasuke hopes that the brief letter enroute satiates Naruto's hunger for information.

Slipping into his cloak, he shuts the door and heads toward the reception area of the inn that he and Hinata are currently occupying.

Under the pretense of a concerned husband, he gathers information on Hinata from the naïve innkeeper who is a little too fond of recounting his experiences with the mood swings of a pregnant woman.

Sasuke learns that as per his request, the village's midwife visited Hinata last night and midday today. The innkeeper hands Sasuke a small, sealed envelope.

After leaving a tip for the innkeeper and paying for the services of the midwife, Sasuke retreats to his room to read the letter in privacy. He pauses in the hallway outside of Hinata's room. He is tempted to knock and check in on her himself, but he knows and accepts that his presence is not welcomed.

He continues to his room in silence.

The note informs that Hinata may still be with child, as there were no physical signs of a miscarriage.

Sasuke breathes out a sigh of relief at this. He skims through the rest of the note which includes suggestions for natural remedies to help with nausea and increasing one's appetite.

Early the next morning, he visits the marketplace to procure the items the midwife suggested, and to get a few supplies for himself. Upon returning to the inn and on his way to his room, he notices that Hinata's room door is wide open.

Peering into the room, he sees the innkeeper's wife on her knees humming while scrubbing the wooden floors. Before the woman notices him, he quickly surveys the room, which is now bare, with no signs of its former occupant.

A bit startled by the unexpectedness of Sasuke's presence, the innkeeper's wife clumsily rises to her feet and bows respectfully. She informs Sasuke that his wife left before either she or her husband started their day, but that both their rooms were paid in full. To confirm the latter, she gestures toward a sum of money on the nightstand. She goes on to tell him how generous his wife was to leave such a hefty tip, but he barges out the room before she can finish.

He doesn't bother returning to his room. The sense of urgency to locate her, voids any desire to retrieve his belongings.

In less than an hour, and a few minutes past noon, Sasuke finds Hinata seated on the floor of an old abandoned temple, just a few miles away from the inn. He wrinkles his nose at the musty stench of wood rot.

"You finally found me," Hinata declares with no emotion on her face.

Stooping to her level, he inspects her countenance. She doesn't seem to be in any better condition than when he found her at the inn.

Sasuke reaches out to touch her forehead, but she gently pushes his palm away.

Her hands move to clutch her midsection, "The fever broke. I'm okay now."

"You're sweating and it's freezing outside," Sasuke retorts but doesn't attempt to touch her again. "We should get back to the inn."

Hinata shakes her head, "No. I'm going back to Konoha." Grabbing onto the wall for balance, she uses it to help her get back on her feet, "I decided to wait for you."

Sasuke's visible eyebrow lifts in a questioning manner, "I thought you were running away from me?"

"You and I both know that's not possible. I knew you wouldn't have agreed to me leaving today, but after everything, I decided I wouldn't allow you to make that decision for me," Hinata explains, biting the inside of her left cheek.

Sasuke's lips quiver as he silences what would be a snide response. He deserves her anger. He wants her to be angry, to yell at him, to tell him how much of an awful person he is. But with everything else in life, he rarely gets what he wants.

Reaching into her bag, she retrieves a plastic bag with about a dozen brown, grainy balls. She offers one to him, "They're energy balls. The innkeeper's wife made me some the night before. Thankfully I can stomach it."

His lips snarl at her generosity, he doesn't want this feigned kindness, "What made you decide to wait, if you thought I would protest this trip back to Konoha?"

She places the bag of energy balls back into her knapsack, "I can't outrun Sasuke Uchiha! Also, I have no reason to. I am doing exactly what you want me to do - returning to the village with Naruto's little bundle," Hinata voice is void of sarcasm or insincerity. She is simply stating facts.

Hinata exits the dilapidated temple, and Sasuke follows a few steps behind.

With her back slightly bowed in what he assumes is defeat or submission, Sasuke grapples with guilt. The sense of victory in achieving what he deemed was right is obsolete.

Less than thirty minutes into what would be a long and slow walk towards Konoha, Hinata pauses at a tree. With laboured breath she tells him, "I just need a minute."

Under the revealing light of the midday sun, the dark circles and bags under Hinata's eyes reveal her exhaustion.

Internally he fights with himself about what the right choice of action should be. Should he ensure her physical safety even if it's against her wishes, or allow her freedom to make decisions about her wellbeing.

"Hinata," Her eyes remained peeled to the floor, "I need you to trust me."

A foot away from Hinata, a gust of wind swirls before a large, pitch-black orb with traces of purple on the outer fringes appears out of nowhere.

Hinata laughs softly and lifts her face to meet his gaze, "The lamb has no choice but to trust the shepherd. I'll follow your lead."

"You should probably hold onto my hand," Hinata accepts Sasuke's palm as she walks with him into the portal. As a warning, he tells her, "This will only take a few seconds, but it is going to exhaust the little energy you have left."

In a few seconds, they're outside a building that he once loathed and called home. It's the only place he can think of that can give Hinata what she truly desires.


Naruto is in the dark! Just thought it was important to clear that up. How do you think he'll react, if or when he learns the truth?

As always, thanks for the feedback. Hope you guys enjoyed this super short chapter.