3rd P.O.V

Half way through the car ride, Sasuke took notice of Hinata's silence and face of deep thought. Sure Ten-ten made sure there was enjoyable music leaving no room for boredom, but Sasuke could suspect that something was definitely bothering the bluenette, only she decided to keep it to herself.

He turned to the front and noticed that Ten-ten was fast asleep as Naruto kept focus on the road ahead. They agreed to use Ten-ten's car so as not to draw attention to themselves. Luckily their destination was the newly acquired Uzumaki's family ground. It was a very private location and a great relaxing spot. Or so Naruto claimed.

He turned to Hinata and poked her on her forehead like his brother once did to him. She squeaked and slightly jumped.

"Sasuke?" Hinata asked uncertainly.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing," Hinata replied. Sasuke gave her the 'I'm not buying it' look. Hinata sighed and said,

"I'm just thinking that soon enough I'll be free. And of how different things will be"

"Right," Sasuke said, "but that's not all, is it?"

"Can we not talk about it now Sasuke? I would very much try to relax and clear my head. Just give me time okay?"

Sasuke gave her a look then nodded in agreement and lightly squeezed her left hand, leaving Hinata with a small smile of gratitude. On the other hand, Sasuke's suspicions were affirmed. Something was bothering Hinata, but she would only share in her own time. He watched as she withdrew her hand and placed it on her chest, facing the window, clearly holding onto something hidden by the white shirt she had on. Sasuke's eyes drifted down, stayed there for a while and he immediately turned to the window, a tinge of pink forming on his cheeks. What would he do if Hinata thought him some pervert? He couldn't have her beating him up considering how much he valued her friendship. He recalled a conversation they once had...

Flashback

Sasuke and Hinata were sitting in classroom at the top floor of the building. The lights were off, giving them the perfect view of both the stars above and the city lights below. They had been talking as usual, thankful for the peace and quiet.

"Sasuke," Hinata said.

"Hm"

"Have you ever thought about being born differently?"

"I have. A lot. I think I would have preferred to be born into a simple life where I can make my own choices and not have my life already planned out for me. How about you?"

"I would have liked a real family. People to have shown me what love is like and be appreciated for who I am. The only one who did that was Lord Jiraiya, before the coma that is"

Both teens were silent for a few minutes when Hinata said,

"The stars are beautiful tonight"

"It's just stars," Sasuke retorted.

"That's true. But we have to appreciate the beauty in everything. No matter how big or small, near or far. There's beauty to be acknowledged"

"Sounds like something my brother would say,"

"What was he like, your brother I mean?"

"Hn. He's everything I've told you. Kind and loyal. Whenever we were together, there was no Prince Itachi and Prince Sasuke. Just Itachi and Sasuke, two brothers who cared for each other and never failed to have fun. You could say he was sort of a father to me. My father wasn't exactly fulfilling his role as a dad. Even now, we aren't exactly close. But Itachi took it upon himself to make sure that it never bothered me that father wasn't around. There is this one thing he liked to do which annoyed me to no end"

"And what was that?"

"This"

Sasuke leaned closer towards Hinata's face. Hinata took a step back, blushing and confused at the young man's actions. Sasuke smirked and poked her forehead with his two forefingers. Hinta rubbed her forehead and pouted, "Ow, that's not funny, Sasuke"

"Yeah," Sasuke grinned, "but he did poke my forehead as a sign of affection"

"I can see how much you value him. I envy that"

"Hey," Sasuke says, facing Hinata towards him, "what have I told you? Don't look down on yourself. You have a bright future ahead of you and better start treating yourself like you are the most important person in the world. Well of course second most important because I'm more important"

Hinata giggled and hugged Sasuke.

Flashback end

Sasuke smiled to himself at that memory. When he thought about it, Hinata and he balanced each other. Understood each other in more ways than one could comprehend. Sasuke was going to make sure that whatever bothered Hinata, he was going to help her deal with it. Not having her genuine warm smile or chatter was driving him insane. In fact, it was what kept him going in his crazy world. Sasuke shut his eyes and rested for the remainder of the trip.