As the girls had expected, camping was just a little short of being the best thing ever. Sasuke had spoiled them with the luxury of hotels, warm baths, and soft beds. Now they weren't even sure that they had the strength to actually put up a tent.

"There are bugs everywhere.." Karin groaned. Hinata smacked the abusing insect on her upper arm and nodded. "This is terrible.. maybe we are too close to a water source.."

"There isn't a specific water source.." Suigetsu added from off to the side. "There are puddles of water littered all over the terrain, and if you go two hours in either direction you run into the ocean. So there is no escaping the bugs, ladies." Karin stepped over and dropped the tent supplies into Suigetsu's arms. "Glad to hear you're volunteering, Suigetsu."

"H-hey..!" Suigetsu screeched and Hinata sighed and sauntered off, leaving them to take part in their hourly argument session. She stepped over to Sasuke, who was putting together his own tent almost expertly.

"Why?" Hinata asked gently as she approached him from behind. Sasuke stepped to the side and looked down at her inquiring figure. "Why what?"

"Why this?" She motioned toward the tent stakes in his hands. "Why don't we hit up a hotel..?"

"We need to maintain a low profile.."

"We can't do that in a hotel...?" Hinata pouted just a slight bit. Sasuke gave her a look and she bit her lip nervously. "Right.. I understand.. Sorry." He staked the tent down securely and unzipped the front of it. "Did you and Karin fix your tent?"

"Suigetsu is working on it.."

"Ah.." Sasuke grabbed his sleeping bag and tossed it inside the tent lazily. "Sasuke..?" He arched a brow and pushed some hair off his forehead. "Hn?"

"I was thinking.. maybe I should give Karin and Suigetsu their own tent..that way Jugo could have more room and.. I could bunk with you.." She had her hands clasped together in front of her as she twiddled her thumbs, a nervous habit she could never really kick. Sasuke took a gentle step forward so that he was maybe a mere six inches away from her, looking down at her. "Are you asking permission to sleep with me?"

Hinata face turned red and she looked away from him, "Not like that! Don't say it like that! I just.. feel... safer is all." He glanced down at her twiddling thumbs then back up to her face as she continued, "And you've never minded it before.. you used to try and make me do it, remember? Well now I'm willing."

"Yeah and I'm wondering if it's a plot to kill me in my sleep."

"Sasuke!" She jerked her head up and her lighter colored eyes met his. He was wearing a sly smirk on his mouth, "Okay, I'll protect you."

If Hinata had ever felt instant regret for anything in her life, this situation would apply. She had no intention of stroking his ego whatsoever. "Well if you're gonna be like that about it just forget it..!" She turned away from him and started off in Karin's direction only to be pulled back by the arm.

"Come on, it's a joke. Maybe I need you to protect me." Hinata looked over her shoulder at him, "Oh?" Sasuke turned her around fully and pulled her closer to him. "Don't get handsy, Uchiha."

"At least go in the tent..!" Suigetsu whined loudly and Hinata pulled away out of embarrassment. That was before she realized he hadn't even been talking to them.

"Shut up, Suigetsu! Don't tell me what to do!" Karin yelled as she slipped into the newly erected tent. "Hinata you coming?" She called out and Sasuke shook his head, "She's going to share with me, just in case her pursuers make an appearance." Karin poked her head out and arched a brow, "Do I have to sleep with Suigetsu? Jugo..!" She called out to the larger man loudly and Suigetsu shoved her into the tent he managed to toss together. "Oh shut up!"

"Quiet down or camping in the woods will be pointless. You two give me a headache.." Sasuke groaned.

Hinata laid on her side of the tent, lost in thought like she had been for most of the trip. Thankfully, her sickness was clearing itself up so she really wouldn't have to trouble Sasuke for a doctor visit. She was fairly certain Sasuke was asleep, judging by the sound of his gentle, light breathing.

Naruto's words burned still, as if he had just said them to her. Her new friends, Sasuke's team, had convinced her she wasn't as much of a burden as she had tearfully claimed to be. However, she didn't mention that Naruto was the person that told her so in the first place.

Hinata sighed and turned her head to once again, like on the boat, observe him sleeping. Her eyes landed on his naked, pale chest and, slowly, etched a path up to his face. Sasuke wasn't a stocky built man, but he wasn't lean and slender like his older brother was either. He was a good medium with the ability to keep muscle and an even amount of body fat. He was healthy looking and his skin was gorgeously pale, until you reached his eyes which had dark circles around them most of the time. She felt like she caused a lot of the darkness in that area.

Her eyes found his sharp jawline and then his pale lips. She hesitated for a moment as she visually traced every crack and scar on his lips. Hinata absentmindedly licked her own lips as she continued to study his very familiar features. Her favorite part was his eyes, because of his beautifully thick and dark eyelashes.

Her breathing ceased as oxygen was caught in her throat. As calm as he was, he wasn't asleep. His large, doe-like eyes were peering down at her. His face was expressionless, almost as if he were just as lost as she.

Who was he looking at like that?

"Naruto told you that you were a burden, didn't he?" His voice was just above a whisper.

"He is worried about you."

"That's not his job."

"How did you know he said it?" Sasuke smiled tiredly, "You just told me." Hinata turned her head and pulled the blanket up further beneath her chin. "Well he wasn't exactly wrong.." She added.

"You think you're a burden?"

"Well, me getting abducted isn't really helping your mission. It's bringing attention to you and ..that's not what you need." Sasuke turned over so he laid flat on his back. "Pretty soon your father will stop sending people after you and he will come himself."

"Yeah.. That's going to be interesting."

"You can go if you want, but.." He stopped and extended his arm above her head, motioning for her to lay on him. "But?" She asked as she hesitantly accepted his invitation. "I would rather you not. You've come this far, nearly died a few times already, and..we're close.."

"Close?" Hinata rested her forehead under his chin. "Yeah, we're almost done."

"Close to what exactly?" She looked up and he took a deep breath as he studied her face, taking his dear sweet time. "Freedom, as much of it as we could possibly want. Karin, Suigetsu, Jugo. they will all be free of reparation from all the crimes they have committed in the past, under Orochimaru."

"...I thought you were doing this to aid Konoha?" Hinata propped herself up and looked down at him. "You're doing this ..for them?" Sasuke didn't answer. He reached up and brushed some hair behind her ear. "I used to sit and watch you, watch Naruto. Well..when I wasn't preoccupied with pre-teen angst. There were a lot of things I wanted back then..some of them not so gallant as what I'm doing now. I wanted to restore the honor of my clan by killing my brother and... in other ways.."

"Other ways?"

"Yeah and I had already decided, even back then, who I wanted to help me. Years of being away changed me and the way I think but.. after seeing you again I realized that those feelings never really left."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Sasuke arched a brow and smirked, "Would you have even listened? You were pretty busy yourself."

Hinata blushed and rolled her eyes, "Don't change the subject like that. I didn't know you were doing this mission for your friends.."

"Friends?" Sasuke fought back a snort and Hinata pushed herself up on his chest, "Yes, friends. Don't act like that. You're doing this mission for their freedom, right? Because of crimes they committed because of Orochimaru?"

"I guess.."

"Well what would happen if you declined this mission?"

"You don't know the details.."

"Then tell me."

Sasuke was growing frustrated, clearly, but her didn't say anything out of the way to her. He just blew hot hair and looked up at the roof of their tent. "If I participate.. do what Naruto wants.. the Leaf will pardon the three of them."

"And what about you?"

"It's not that simple.." Hinata arched a brow waiting or him to explain further. He was even more hesitant but, for some reason, continued. "The deal was, I do this mission to pardon them and that's the least I can do after everything I've drug them through, right? Me, on the other hand, this mission wont speak for any of my previous actions. I'll have to turn myself in when I'm finished."

"What?!" Hinata jumped up mad and ready to fight, "They wont even pardon you and you're the one sticking your neck out?!"

"Hinat-"

"NO!"

"Lower your voice, this is why I don't tell you things...!"

"Why?! Because I care?!"

"Stopping screaming.." Sasuke rose from his relaxed position and grabbed her wrist, "Hinata, stop.."

"You can't turn yourself in, that's not fair- why don't they have to turn themselves in?" Her voice was cracking and she could feel her eyes burning. "Come here, just calm down and I'll explain the rest.." He coaxed her about half way down before pulling her the rest of the way. "You little idiot, I'll be fine. All this mission will do for me is take the death penalty off the table. I've committed a lot of treason, Hinata, that doesn't go away over night..especially not because of some mission."

"What will they give you?"

"We wont know until I get there."

"Do they know about this?...I mean the details?"

"No. None of them do." Hinata sighed and laid on him. She wanted to cry, beat him, and hug him all at the same time. Why didn't he tell her. She was the most angry she had been in her whole life and she found it was directed at Naruto, especially since the last lecture he put her through. He was one to talk and for the first time in a very long time she couldn't wait to see him again.