2. Our separated ways

Hinata pulled all of her hair into a ponytail and slicked her bangs back. Her bangs had always played as a barrier for her, always hiding her from the world. But that's from the past. Now, she was much harder and the world needed to see it all when they'd come to face.

To be a widow at such a young age was bound to stir sympathy or pity in hearts. Some would say it's just fatality, other would say bad events happened from time to time, or that it was written. What she would say was that life was just a succession of events, born from choices -fatality, karma or whatever they called had nothing to do with anything. Life was a succession of events, and empty of sense.

For all she cared about her husband death, she discovered black was the best color to represent her soul and new identity. It was perfect for her new image of the 'sad widow'.

With her pale eyes and the thin line her red-painted lips made, she had a blank and confident expression that would make her win every battle, an expression that differentiated her from that fool she had been. That 'little fool Hinata' wasting time writing poetry had definitely been slaughtered. The process hadn't been a joyful journey, but it'd opened her eyes that had been closed for a short span of time. She hated her 'old self' so much for being that stupid, clumsy and useless. But, now no trace of her existed.

What her journey made her realized was that being timid, feeling worthless or waiting for people's approval was just a matter of ignorance -you either were a victim or a predator. And her time being the victim was in past.

She smoothed her long black dress and went down to the imposing and sober office of her late husband. There was an important meeting waiting for her to begin there.

"Hinata-San" a deep voice dully called out for her.

"… Obito-san" she greeted.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine," she answered with a strange glint in the eye. "And you? I hope that my silence didn't do you any prejudice."

"No, I am fine. However, you do need to take care of certain things as soon as possible… especially legally."

"I know, I know. Plan the meeting with the lawyers for tomorrow, and another one with our associates at the end of the week."

"You can count on me Hinata-San."

"I always could…" she nodded. "I am sure you'll do great as my right-hand."

"Of course."

Their arrival at the big leather-covered door put an end to the conversation. When there're nothing else to say, one needed to shut up. Not that they ever got involved in long conversations anyway. The man was so mysterious about everything about him, and she had her own share of troubles. The angst and their reserved personalities did play a role though.

With time and events however, they got closer. In their few shared words, looks or silence, they found allies in each other. She trusted him, and he did so in his own way. Well, her trust was to some extend because she needed someone to trust around there or else, she wouldn't last long –too much sharks in the ocean. Luckily for her, they were on the same page as far as their goals went.

"Good morning, everyone." Hinata greeted them with a blank voice and a kind of a condescending air.

Her greetings met no response.

In addition to Obito standing next to her in his usual dark suits and black gloves, there were six men dressed in t-shirts and leather jackets. They formed a pack, an intimidating and dark one at that. They had always been there, playing bodyguards or running errands for her late husband. Now, they belonged to her no matter the past.

As she leaned in, she stared at each one of them, letting the silence impose her new strength. Of course, they looked back without blinking, their imposing statures and hard faces intimidating as ever. They looked ready to pounce at her; they could always try and even easily succeed in doing but they couldn't. Not yet. Not with Obito at her side.

She finally sat down in the new chair she bought for the other one was too big for her.

"Your boss died five days ago. Being his wife, I am the only heiress to all of his possessions. Everything that was his is now mine.

You worked for my husband, so I expect you to do the same for me. Of course, you might think about leaving the boat but think carefully. Don't forget about all of the advantages you'd gotten from staying by his side… and the enemies you've garnered for the same reason." She gave them again a look that dared them to say otherwise. "All I want from you is your devotion. If you're loyal everything'll remain the same. Otherwise, I'll be cruel. If my husband asked you to kneel down, I will beat you. If he beat you with wire, I will beat you with hot iron. Whatever he did to you when he wasn't happy will be twice as worse with me. I'll be stricter in every aspect.

Long story short, I will be involved in everything my husband was and I expect entire respect and commitment to me. That's all.

If you have something to say, it's now or never."

Silence met her words.

"Good. You can leave now."

The soft and thick carpet muffled the men's footsteps as they cleared out. They didn't refute her nor did they enthusiastically greet the novelty. Maybe they didn't take her seriously, maybe they had other schemes but it didn't matter. She wasn't scared.

Once the room cleared out, she got up. Obito was right. She needed to plan out her next moves and as soon as possible; she needed to know every single detail of what awaited her and how her life was going to be.

There was something in particular she wanted to take care of as soon as possible –that was why this meeting was important.

"I see I'm not the only one to be strict about loyalty."

It was one of those rare moments when Obito dared to share some of his soul with her. She smirked at him, unfazed by the scars adorning half of his face. He never felt like talking about those and she never pushed him to do so. His past was still blurry to her. Doing such a great job at hiding one's identity was definitely a plus. Surely, it'd come in handy one day.

All that matter now was who was with her or against her.

"There was a time when I had been everyone's doormat. Things are different now. I've learned."

"We always learn; sometimes in the hard way. I've been betrayed once but couldn't do anything about it" he confessed

"I've been betrayed too, but I'm going to do something about it."

::::::::::::::::

Her heart was in her throat for what she had done. Her step-father would kill her, her mother too probably but she didn't care. One day they'd learn about it but it's okay. It was about her life anyway.

Sure, it was less radical as the matching tattoo she got behind Sasuke's back, but it was definitely worse. To be honest though, the gravity of the situation depended on who one would ask. As for her, the excitement probably came from the fact that it was the first time she'd ever took a decision on her own rather than on the fear of her mother looking into her bank's account.

There's also the fact that it looked like a child running away, not caring about her 'loving' parents getting divorced. The situation at home was catastrophic, but Sasuke came first on her list of priorities. That's all.

She bit her lower lip as she looked around.

"Hey there."

Sasuke kissed her ear. She almost screamed.

"Heavens! You know how to scare me Sasuke-kun." She breathed heavily, her heart thundering in her chest.

"Sorry."

"It's okay even though you don't really look that sorry. Anyway," Hinata said, her small pout morphing into a large smile. "You're here and that's the only thing that matters."

"What did you do with the real Hinata?" Sasuke asked with a smirk, yet troubled eyes.

"Nothing. She's right in front of you."

"My 'Hinata' is usually sad and gets me so stressed about her wellbeing." He said with a lopsided smile.

"This 'Hinata' has been a bad girl and she's about to make you happy."

"Oh, really? Are you wearing that sexy underwear with black lace?"

"S-s-Sasuke-kun!"

"I like your hair too. It'll be wonderful." He kissed her neck. She moaned, lost for a few seconds. However, she remembered what she wanted to tell him in the first place and put both her hands on his mouth.

"If you don't stay still, I'll go back to school." She said with an expression that made Sasuke smile a bit before faking being serious.

"Okay, okay. I suppose it's important if you, the most righteous one of all, missed school today."

Hinata smiled as she put a brown envelope on the table. It was strangely bulged. Sasuke noticed the thing and didn't like the look of it. He narrowed his eyes.

"There. It's for you!"

"What's that?"

"Money to start your dojo."

"Where did you get it?"

"Is it important?"

"Yes –no, not all since you are taking it back."

"It's my money Sasuke-kun."

"I'm fine Hinata, I'm more than fine. I've got two jobs and I earn enough to save."

"But not enough to open your dojo anytime soon."

"Because you've got enough for that?"

"No… No, but it's still a large amount which will bring her you closer-."

"You said you would wait."

"Of course, I will! But-"

"I do not need your generosity. I can make it, okay? And-"

"Heavens, Sasuke-kun! Stop being so proud and stubborn!" She rose her voice shocking both him and her in the process. She breathed deep, closing her eyes, and when she opened them up again, her eyes were pleading. "We're two in this. If you care that much, you can always pay me back later. Please…"

"Why are you insisting on this so much?" He asked, his frown still in place.

"After my mother's divorce… Well, her first one anyway, we have been hungry. We've even slept on the streets once because the landlord expulsed us. I've got… assaulted because I worked too late one day to get food on our plate."

"I know about all that," he whispered tenderly as he squeezed her shoulders "but it has nothing to do with this."

"I'm afraid -I'm afraid you'd hate me if… if we have to go through it." She felt her eyes get watery as he stared at her.

"Do you hate your mother?"

"No, of course not… but poverty is not an option. You've said plenty of times that we should be independent financially because we never know… but I want to help you because I love you."

Sometimes when misery entered by the window, happiness flew by the door. What if it became a source of tension? There was now an air on her mother's face these days that she'd hate to see on Sasuke's.

Never would she bear it if their relation was to become like that of her mother and hers.

"Poverty? What about us? We're struggling… does it upset you?"

"I know we are, and that's why the quicker we get out of it the better it'd be. I don't want to wake up one day and realize you are sick but we can't go to the hospital because there's no money. I don't want to hear that somebody assaulted you because you were in a bad neighborhood at night because of work. If anything happens to you, I'd die!"

"Don't be-"

"I'm serious." They stared each other down. He sighed.

"Hinata… I refuse your money because I'm sure it comes from your parents who really dislike me. If it ever comes down to it, I don't want you to have to choose."

"It's my savings, I'm an adult and I want you to take it." She pushed it toward him. "Sasuke-kun… the money is nothing compared to what you'll be able to do once you'll get that dojo. You'll even give the money back with interest, I promise."

"Shouldn't I be the one to make that promise?" He smiled a bit, even though Hinata could see his hesitation, his worry.

She caressed his hand. They were in a public place and Sasuke hated PDA. An encouraging kiss wouldn't be well received. Their eyes met for an intense moment, his trying to make her back down. Those eyes, which were a dark tone of gray, gleamed coolly and made her resolution falter a bit. He sure was intimidating but she wouldn't back down for she knew she's right.

They had so many projects: their marriage they had to delay, their moving in together, their saving, their professional projects, her schooling. He didn't have to bear the world on his shoulders or have her like a burden around his neck. In the middle of the chaos where their lives were, all that mattered was their future, which had nothing to do with her step father's problem.

"Don't sacrifice your school's year for that."

She just decided to drop out of school, and give Sasuke a hand. Her restaurant could wait while she gained experience here and there. "Sacrificing" herself a bit for him brought her more joy than doing otherwise. It was her last year anyway, and that was something she could do the following one.

She squeezed his hand tighter.

"Sacrifice is not one when it's done for our own wellbeing."

"You aren't giving up."

She smiled. He grumpily put the money in his bag pack. She had won for the first time since she knew him. The thought put a bittersweet smile on her lips because it wasn't much about winning. It was about striving toward a future and seeing his smile.

Something caught his eyes behind her. She followed his stare.

At that moment, Hinata saw Sasuke wave at two girls. They were the perfect archetype of her nightmares: fair hair, tanned, thin, and fashionable.

She remembered seeing the pink haired one at Sasuke's house once. The beautiful green-eyed girl never stopped looking at Sasuke…

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Man, it's break time. Stop overdoin' yourself"

"For once I agree with fish-face. Come on Sasuke-kun! I've got you tomatoes salad!"

"Stop callin' me that Karin!"

"Or what?"

"Karin, Suigetsu calm down. It's hot outside."

They both closed their mouths. Juugo was so tall, with so many muscles and tattoos that he scared everyone, including his co-workers. He was calm though and never raised his voice on anyone, which made him the only person Sasuke could really tolerate. As for the others, it was another thing.

Karin left the two men at the picnic table, and approached Sasuke who was boxing a punchbag.

"Karin, just go away."

"Why are you so mean? You are always so cold to me yet you let that bitch-"

"Don't insult her."

"Orochimaru-San sold you the thing. You're the owner! Why do you keep working so much?" the redhead changed the subject.

"I have to train. You'd better back off Karin."

"Sasuke-kun!"

They turned around to see Sakura coming toward them. Her pink hair, which reached her collarbones, was free and she wore a black short skirt and a red sleeveless top. Her bag indicated that she just came back from university, despite the basket of food in her hands. Either she bought it on her way there, or she directly cooked at home right after school. Whatever effort she put into it; it didn't show on her face.

She didn't look once at the angry red-haired girl at Sasuke's side and went straight to him. Without another word, Sasuke took Sakura's hand and went to the other side of what served as 'cafeteria'. The little scene made workers and clients who were close enough to look their way, but when no fight broke out, they went back to their business. At this point, they weren't surprised anymore about the dark-haired instructor's success.

"Don't you have class?"

"Oh, yes but it's break time."

"Your med school is far from here." He sternly said, the implications clear in his deep voice.

"Don't worry about me Sasuke-kun." She quickly said with a blush, happy to see worry for her on his gorgeous face. "I was at a restaurant with Ino and the others and we were on our way back. We weren't far from here so I decided to come by and greet you."

"Nice"

He smirked at her and a wave of happiness filled her to the brim. He was growing more and more on her. She couldn't believe she used to fervidly daydream about him while being unable to get any closer because he loved someone else but now everything was fine.

"It's so strange."

"What?"

"Us being here…" She trailed off, and then went on. "You'd always been so mysterious and unattainable. I couldn't figure out how to get closer to you. But now here we are."

"Ah…"

"Yeah."

Their relationship was steadily growing and he was little by little warming up to her. Before, they were just strangers but now he'd smile at her more, and protect her against that crazy red haired jealous girl –just like earlier.

Now, she had to know more about him. He was so mysterious! That made up some of his charm, but she wanted more. She wanted to feel closer, thus she needed to know more about him, his past and his future. After all, she was now part of his future.

"So, hum, you own the place? Wow." She said after chewing on her lettuce.

"Don't listen to Karin."

"Ah, so you only work here then?"

"Yeah." He blankly answered, looking strangely down at her.

"O-of c-course it doesn't matter to m-me" Sakura stuttered after understanding his look –so she thought-. "It's just, I wanted to know more about you."

"… What do you want to know?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Your projects. Do you have any? I mean you are so clever I'm sure you can actually own your personal dojo, while still doing what you like... you understand?"

"I'm not that dumb."

"S-sorry." She blushed again.

He chuckled at her.

Her mind blew away.

"I don't have any particular project… What about you?"

"Other than having our kid? Ha, ha! Well, it's… it depends on… what I want to say is-" she abruptly stopped talking but her shy emeralds eyes said it all for her. "It depends on someone I know." She peered up.

Sasuke gave her a crooked smirk. She bit down on her lips. Bold with the subtle air moving between them and all the hints she perceived from him, she quickly leaned in and pecked his lips. His smirk didn't leave his lips, and his troubled eyes made her core melt. He was one of those you could never get used to the magnificence.

Cat calls and wolves' whistles got her back to earth. She blushed, and her inner goddess made a happy dance. She was so happy she mentally screamed and danced. She also gave a good trashing to all of the onlookers that ruined their personal bubble. Mentally of course.

Happy and enamored like never before, she told him anecdotes about fetus and babies, and giggled whenever he chuckled. She didn't hide how much she wanted the kid to take more after him than her but he reassured her gently, making her heart burst with glee.

In that glowing future they now shared, there was no cloud in the sky… so she thought as she caressed her swelled belly.