Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: I'm not really satisfied with this chapter, but well, here is chapter 3. Enjoy!

Thank you for the reviews, favs and follows. They truly motivate me a lot.

3

"Return to Konoha or I'll kill myself."

For the first time in his life, Sasuke faltered. He had been in lots of dangerous situations and sometimes he had even prepared to die, not that he had many things to live for. He guessed it's not because he was afraid of dying but of dying like this. He might not mind dying in a battle with a tough opponent, but dying because he couldn't kiss a girl? It's ridiculous. His brother must be rolling in his grave right now.

Although he said it himself that he would force her if she didn't want to help him, the truth was he couldn't. With half of her chakra gone, he, of course, could always use genjutsu to control her, but he didn't think that would be a good ideal. In fact, it would be very troublesome. She would rebel against him the moment she was released from the genjutsu and he couldn't put her under a genjutsu 24/7 because not only would it be very exhausting for her but also him. Besides, he couldn't hurt her. Her health condition would affect him directly. Therefore, the only way for him was to somehow get her to help him willingly. He had thought convincing her to go with him would be quite easy because he heard that she was a very nice and kind girl, she certainly wouldn't let him die, but it looked like he was wrong.

She was serious, he could tell that by the look in her pale eyes. Her hands squeezed the glass so tightly it cut through her skin. Blood oozed from her palm but she paid it no mind. Right now, all she cared about was getting him back to Konoha so that she wouldn't have to endure 4 months of kissing him and also get Naruto to notice her. For a moment, Sasuke considered just go along with her and return to Konoha, but also at that moment, memories of the Uchiha Massacre came flooding back. The hopeless cries, the blood splashing in the walls and the sound of his brother's blade slice through throats of hundreds of Uchiha members… all in just one night, they made him realize he couldn't and wouldn't return to Konoha, even if it meant he would die.

She said Naruto had never stopped searching for him in these past 2 years, but he didn't care. Naruto didn't have the right to tell him how to live his life. It's his own life and it's his right to do whatever he wanted to. This girl didn't know a thing about him. She was just as oblivious as the civilians of Konoha. They took peace for granted, didn't know or care that that peace had cost his clan their lives.

She thought by pressing the glass against her neck she could get him back to Konoha, but actually, it only strengthened his determination to not come back. No one could force him into doing something he didn't want to and she was not going to be an exception.

"Go ahead." He said calmly. He could tell she was surprised by the way her pale eyes widened slightly. She looked at him like he had gone insane. "Go ahead." He repeated as if to assure her that she didn't hear him incorrectly. He really would rather die than return to Konoha.

"I-I…" She began, but again, words died in her throat. It took her a few minutes to finally get some words out. "You really hate Konoha that much?"

He didn't reply, because he didn't think it's necessary. She already knew, but it didn't mean she understood. After all, it's him who lost his entire family and clan in just one night, not her. Those who didn't go through it wouldn't understand no matter how hard they tried.

"Naruto-kun," She continued. "He cares for you…"

"I don't fucking care what Naruto wants." He snapped at her. "You're such a selfish girl, Hinata." Unknowing to him, when he said her name like that, it really sent a shiver down her spine. Maybe it's because she wasn't used to hearing him say her name. After all, there wasn't much communication between them before. "Naruto wants this, Naruto wants that, all you care about is Naruto, but have you ever considered what I want?" She opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to it. "Konoha ordered my bother to kill our family, they made him a traitor and live a miserable life, and you expect me to return to that village and pretend like nothing happen just because it'll make Naruto happy?"

She was trembling. She thought about Naruto, about how he always said that someday he would bring his teammate back and team 7 would be completed again. She remembered sometimes Sakura's eyes would grow sad whenever she walked by their old training ground and although she said she was fine, Hinata knew she missed her teammate terribly. From what she had seen, it became very clear to her how desperately they wanted him back and she could almost imagine Naruto's bright smile and Sakura's happy tears if their teammate's really back someday. But did Sasuke want any of that? Of course, he didn't. And that's when she realized nothing could be the same anymore. Naruto couldn't bring back their old days, because everything had changed.

Although she did hear Sasuke's story and she really felt sorry for him, she was never close to him enough to actually hear it from him. She only knew him through Naruto. The way Naruto talked so passionately about his wish of bringing his teammate back made her believe returning to Konoha would be the best for him, but now being with him right at this moment had proved how wrong she was.

He had lost too much, and now she was taking away his right to live his life the way he wanted. He was right. She was selfish, and that disgusted her. She was disgusted with herself. Naruto had the entire village to support him, he didn't need her, but Sasuke only had her. She was the only one who could save him. Hinata knew if she agreed to go with him to the Lighting Country, their journey wouldn't be an easy one, but she was ready to throw away her comfort to help him and maybe, get to know him. She would help him, and he would protect her.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she put away the glass and looked at him with determine. "I'll help you. We'll go to the Lighting Country." She could tell he was surprised and couldn't help a proud feeling blooming in her chest. Not many people could make him surprise.

"Why?" He asked.

"I-I…" She found it hard to explain. "I want you to be free." Her answer was short, but she believed he could understand her just fine. As children of the clan leaders, they never had the privilege of living freely. There were always at least one or two rules for everything. Hinata could never escape her clan's grasp because she had a family in Konoha and lots of responsibilities to take on, but he could. He could be free and live his life the way he wanted, and she was happy to help him.

"What about Naruto?" He still couldn't believe she had given up her chance of getting her crush to notice her in order to help him. This girl was full of surprise.

"He'll be very happy if you're back, but…" She bit her lip, suddenly felt very shy. "I think he'll be even happier if you're happy. And clearly being forced to return to Konoha won't make you happy."

He was still staring at her, trying to detect any lies and that really made her fluster. She felt her face redden and she unconsciously looked away in embarrassment. After all, he had kissed her just a few minutes ago. She wondered if Uchiha could use fire jutsu by their eyes because her cheeks were heating up. God, talking about his happiness, she sounded like one of his fangirls!

She suddenly felt like she was 12 again standing in front of Naruto and offering him a jar of ointment. Her bad habit of touching her two fingers came back, but she fought it by holding the hem of her jacket tightly. He was very intimidated and even scary, but she tried to remain calm by reminding herself that he wouldn't hurt her and would even protect her. After all, how was she supposed to help him if she couldn't even stand still in his presence?

Still, it's hard to not get uncomfortable and when she was uncomfortable, she bit her lip. It's a bad move though because in bink of an eye he was in front of her with his hand holding her chin. She didn't even know humans could be that fast. She gasped in surprise and took a step back instinctively, but couldn't because he didn't let her. "W-What…?" She said nervously.

"Don't bite your lip." Was all he said before letting her chin go. As she looked at him expecting an explanation, he just shrugged. "I'll be kissing these lips for 4 months and I don't want them to be in bad shape."

Her mouth formed an O and he had to admit she looked like a kid with that expression on her face. How could this girl be a kunoichi and even eldest daughter of Hiashi he would never know.

"R-Right…" She said weakly. Her cheeks were still red and with their 4-months journey upcoming she was sure they would be red for a long time.

She concealed a sigh of relief as he walked away towards the door. Opening it, he looked at her over his shoulder and said. "Get some rest. I'll get us something to eat."

"E-Eh…?" She shuffled toward him until she was relatively close to him. "But you have to stay close to me to maintain your energy level, right?"

"I'm not that weak. Not too far is fine."

"So why did you sleep with me earlier?" She exclaimed, her face if possible was even redder.

He didn't answer her, only shrugged like it's not a big deal. The truth was, he didn't really know why. She had been unconscious when he brought her here and although he could sleep on the ground just fine, seeing her sleep so fitfully made him uncomfortable. She was tired and exhausted. Her face was pinched and lips pursed as if even in her sleep she wanted to slap at his face and yell at him.

His mind had no control over his body as he lifted the cover and slipped under it next to her. She was warm, but he was warmer and apparently she could feel that. She snuggled into him, her pinched face relaxed into a peaceful one. He hated physical contact, especially to girls, but he thought he owned her something, so he at least should offer her some of his warmness. It sounded quite lame though, but he shrugged it off and just laid there next to her.

It's a relief as she didn't try to cuddle him. He could tolerant her snuggling into him, but not cuddling. He noticed she didn't move much while sleeping. In fact, if it wasn't for her chest rising and falling he would have thought she was dead. Her long indigo hair draped over her shoulder and he had a sudden urge of running his fingers through it. He suppressed that urge, assuming it was an effect of the potion.

She had a lavender scent that he found very soothing. Though he wasn't sure if it was her perfume or natural scent, he inclined towards the latter. His dark eyes roamed over her face and stopped at her lips. They were still red and swollen and he wondered if it hurt her kissing him that hard. He remembered the moment their lips touched and the surge of chakra rushed through his body. The moment he knew he's fucked up and this girl hold his life in her hand. It was his first kiss to a girl and he guessed it was her first too, though with no solid evidence. He admitted he had been a little too aggressive toward her, but he didn't regret it. It was matter of life or death for him after all. He told himself to be gentler the next time, only if she co-operated.

It wasn't long before his eyelids began to feel heavy. It's strange though because it usually took him at least 1 hour before he could fall asleep. Not only did he had fallen asleep fast but he also had slept well, so he was quite angry being wakened by a kick to his abdomen. This was a quite memorable moment for both of them. He couldn't believe the first girl he had ever slept with would kick him out of their bed. He was about to lash out at her for daring to wake him but seeing her so fluster made him pause. The way she clutched the cover to her body told him she was thinking that he was a pervert, that he could understand. Waking up on the same bed with the man who had kidnapped you certainly was a terrible experience. What he didn't understand was why the hell he had his arms around her waist and her face buried on his chest. Even now he still didn't understand.

"We'll talk later." What he meant was, they would talk later, but not about this. She looked like she wanted to protest, but he quickly closed the door to her face. She tried to open it, but it's already locked.

"Open the door." She shouted, but no answer. "I won't try to escape." Still no answer.

Hinata gave a sigh and shuffled to the bed and plopped on it. The mattress was hard, but what more could she ask for. For now, she would put her comfort aside and try her best to help Sasuke. For the first time in her life, Hinata didn't feel like a burden but actually helpful, even just by kissing him, and that put a smile on her face.

"You're early," Sakura said in surprise that her blonde teammate actually showed up on time. Though he wasn't as late as Kakashi, Naruto was never early.

"Of course I'm early. It's Sasuke we're going to search for." He exclaimed.

"And Hinata." Shino reminded him.

"Right." Naruto nodded and Sakura couldn't help but be worried. Although he was never as cheerful and energetic as before Sasuke's disappearance, he just got worse since he's informed about Sasuke kidnapping Hinata. It hurt her seeing his fake smiles and the dullness in his blue eyes. Six years ago she asked him to bring Sasuke back, but now she just wished she could do that for him. There was already too many weights on his shoulders.

The team had 4 members: Naruto, Shino, Sakura and a Hyuuga member named Kou with Shino being the captain. Kou was used to be Hinata's caretaker when she's a little girl and he really adored her so he definitely would try his best to find and rescue her. Needless to say, Neji would join the team if he was alive. No, Sakura shook her head slightly. If Neji was alive, this team would never exist because he wouldn't let anyone, even Sasuke kidnap Hinata.

Even 2 years after the war, the wounds in their soul still hadn't healed. She knew Hinata sometimes cried in her sleep. No matter how much makeup she put on to cover her red puffy eyes, Sakura still noticed.

"Naruto-san," Kou said, taking a step toward the blonde boy. "I hope we can work well together."

"I hope so too." He said scratching his head. Hyuugas were too polite for his liking.

"And when we find her, I hope you can give her an answer." His voice was a little firmer. Well, maybe they're not always polite.

"Eh?" For a moment he was at loss for words. He, of course, know what Kou was referring to, he just wasn't sure how to respond. Fortunately for him, Shino decided to step in.

"Now isn't the time to talk about that." He said. "We should be going."

Kou's pale eyes showed a little annoy towards Naruto the last time before leaping on the braches and the rest quickly followed. There was a tense silence surrounding them as they rushed through the trees. Kou's earlier remark really had some impact on Naruto. However, he didn't dwell on it too long. Now the most important thing was finding Sasuke and rescue Hinata and to do that they had to work not fight with each other.

This time his determination had increased 10 times because it's not just about Sasuke anymore but also Hinata. As much as he loved Sasuke as a brother and teammate, if he dared to lay a hand on her, he definitely wouldn't let him go without punishment.

Their meal was simple. They had rice, miso soup, omelet, and grilled fish. Hinata had thought he would just get them some instant noddle, so she's a little surprised seeing him bring back a tray of actual food. But she guessed she shouldn't be because he needed her to be healthy. Her health now affected his almost directly.

They ate in silence – a comfortable one. She didn't think she needed to fill the silence with meaningless talking and neither did he. Once they're finished, she gave a sigh of contentment. The food was very good and she hadn't realized how hungry she had been until Sasuke brought her food.

"Are you full?" He asked, and as she nodded her head, he continued. "Now we have some talking to do." He put the tray aside and spread the map out. "As you said, it'll take at least 4 months to get to the Lighting country."

"Can you think of any way to get us there faster?" She asked, hoping that he would somehow find a way to shorten that 4 months to 2 or 3 months.

"Unfortunately, no." He said. "And I have to warn you, our journey won't be easy. A lot of people want to kill me, so you always have to stay close to me."

"I will." She nodded her head. "How long can you go without kissing me?"

"Five days, if I don't do any fighting, and if I do fight I'll need more." He looked at her, actually wanted to see her face redden. "And just so you know, I have lots of enemies." He hid a smirk of amusement as a blush came to her cheeks. Her head ducked under his gaze bashfully and she looked like she wanted to tell him something.

"I actually was thinking about something." She said in a low voice.

"Say it." He raised his brown, curious about what she was up to.

"Can you kiss me on other places?" She finally raised her eyes to meet him and it took all of her courage just to do that. She had been thinking about this while he was absent and eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn't impossible. A kiss on lips or on the forehead was still a kiss.

"Other places? Which places?" Did this girl really not know which situation that question was usually used in? Her innocent was really on a different level. And Orochimaru expected him to restore his clan with her!

"On my…" She didn't catch his mean until moments later and when she did, a deep blush spread from her head to her neck. "I mean my cheeks or my forehead, not those places you're thinking about." She exclaimed. "You pervert!"

"Yeah, right." He snorted. "Said the girl who has had a crush on Naruto who has created Sexy no Jutsu."

"I-I… N-Naruto isn't a p-p-per… H-He is…" She sputtered in embarrassment, trying to think of something to retort him, but came up with nothing. In her mind she knew he wasn't wrong, Naruto definitely wasn't the best gentleman in the world, but that doesn't mean he was a pervert.

Seeing her so fluster about Naruto somehow annoyed him and he decided he had to put an end to that. Fortunately making her shut up wasn't a difficult task. He grabbed her chin, turned her face to his and pressed his lips on her cheek. The girl went silent immediately. Her pale eyes widened in surprise and she was frozen to the spot. Why the hell did he always kiss her so abruptly? He should have warned her first. Just an I'm going to kiss you would be nice.

His lips lingered on her cheek for a moment which to her felt like an hour before they slowly moved to her forehead. She didn't know how long he had kissed her there, the only thing her mind could register was how warm his lips feel on her forehead. And she suddenly realized there hadn't been anyone kissing her on her forehead for 2 years. The only person who had kissed her forehead was her mother and Neji and both were dead. Hanabi usually kissed her cheeks and her father never kissed her.

After 2 years, she almost forgot how it felt to have a pair of lips on her forehead and now she was reminded of how nice it could be. His lips felt warm and soft and there was something stirred inside her. They were memories. She closed her eyes, reminiscing every time Neji hold her face and kissed her forehead with an affection that only him could express and only she could understand.

Forehead kisses meant a lot to her. It was a symbol of her mother's love and Neji's affection and Sasuke could never understand. She didn't intend to tell him anyway.

There was a lumping which was forming in her throat and she tried her best to swallow it down. He wasn't Neji. Sasuke wasn't Neji and it's wrong for her to think of him as Neji.

She only opened her eyes as his lips left her forehead. "H-How was that?" She asked, was a little eager to see if this could work as an alternative way to replenish his chakra.

"Nice."

"E-Eh?" And when she realized what he was referring to, she exclaimed. "I'm not asking about the kiss. I'm asking if it works."

"It didn't work." He said. "I didn't feel any chakra."

Her face fell in disappointment. She was sulking. "I see."

"Kissing me isn't that bad." He looked a little displeasure. There were hundreds of girls out there who were willing to die just to get a peck on his cheek and this girl was sulking because she had to kiss him on his lips? He guessed he shouldn't be too surprised. She, after all, was head over heels with Naruto. "We could try other places if you want."

Again, she blushed furiously and he could even feel the heat on her face. "N-No, t-t-thanks."

He liked teasing her and seeing her fluster, although he didn't know exactly why. There was just something very fascinating in the way her face redden and her pale eyes look away in embarrassment. If she could be that shy around him, she probably would faint in Naruto's presence. For some reason, that thought brought a frown to his face.

"How is your hand?" His sudden question stopped her blushing and she looked at him in confusion. Did he really care about her hand? That was unexpected because the cut in her hand certainly wouldn't affect his health or chakra level.

"U-Um, it's fine." She said, flipping over her right hand to reveal a cut on her palm. The cut wasn't big, so she didn't think it would need to be healed by chakra. It could heal itself in several days. Apparently, Sasuke didn't agree with her.

She almost squeaked in surprise as he took her hand and his other hand hovered above it. Her palm was tingled as his chakra stitched the cut. "You know medical jutsu?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Only the basics." He replied.

"You should preserve your chakra." She said. "The cut isn't serious. It can heal on it own in several days."

"You want me to preserve my chakra because you don't want to kiss me?" He sneered.

"You don't want to kiss me either."

He didn't appear to agree or disagree with her statement. He certainly didn't dislike their kisses, but did he like it? He didn't so sure himself. She probably thought that he hated kissing her and he couldn't blame her for thinking like that. His reputation with girls wasn't a good one. Some even thought he was gay. She thought she was doing him a favor by telling him not to waste his chakra to heal her so that he wouldn't have to kiss her sooner, but actually, it only made him frown even deeper. He was sure if he was Naruto, she certainly would be on the ninth cloud right now.

Pushing that thought aside, he reminded himself now wasn't the time to think about something like that. They had a more important task at hand to take care of. "We are going at sunrise." As the girl nodded her head, he turned to look at the window on his left. Tomorrow would start their journey to the Lighting Country. He didn't know what was going to happen to them, but he would protect her at all cost.