A/N: NO: Well, only the couples close friends and family know where they are hiding. And I didn't make them go to the academy to speak to the children. Naruto told them to stay within the Hokage residence. The arena is attached to an extended wing in the residence; Iruka brings his class of genin there to train on certain days. The day Iruka caught them walking in the hall, and asked them to speak was one of those days his class was in the arena. Hope that answers your questions ^^
The two passed a door with the name plate 'Haruno Sakura'. Hinata continued to walk looking at the ground. She felt Sasuke delay his steps. She looked over her shoulder and saw him standing by Sakura's door. He hadn't gone to see her today.
"Sasuke-kun." She called out his name.
-Sasuke Flashback-
"Well?" Sasuke asked. He sat there on the medical examination table with his shirt off.
"The result won't be ready for a while." Sakura said looking at a chart in her hand.
Sasuke picked up his shirt and put it on.
"Why are you suddenly doing this?" Sakura asked Sasuke as she leaned her back against the small desk behind her.
"I need to know if there's a change." He said seriously.
Sakura stood there quietly. "Sasuke-kun…I…."
"Stop." He said as he stood from the table. "Don't think I'm coming here to just see you."
Sakura's face burned red, she was upset. "I know that but I…"
"You're my comrade and doctor, nothing more." Sasuke made his way to the door to leave. He opened the door to a crack.
"Remember, there's someone else still waiting for you." Sasuke said quietly before leaving the room.
Sakura's face turned solemn as she whispered. "Naruto."
-END FLASHBACK-
"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata called again.
"Hmn?" He looked up at her, dazed.
"What's wrong?" Hinata asked worried.
"Nothing." He walked to her and took hold of her hand. The two of them made their way back to their apartment. Sasuke unlocked the door and they went in.
"Sasuke…" Hinata said his name under her breath.
"Hmn?" He walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
Hinata walked to the counter and took a seat. "Is there…something, going on?"
"Going on?" Sasuke asked. He opened the water bottle in his hand.
"Well…It's just that you've been seeing Sakura lately." Hinata said looking at him.
"I've been taking some physical exams." He said quickly.
"Oh…" Hinata said quietly.
Sasuke leaned over the counter, opposite of Hinata."Do you not like it?" He asked curiously.
"Like what?" She straightened her back at his question.
"Me going to see Sakura." He said deviously.
"Uh...I…" Hinata blushed.
"Don't worry, she's just my doctor." Sasuke stood back and opened the water bottle.
'To you, maybe. To her, you're more than just a patient…' Hinata thought to herself as she looked down at the counter top.
Sasuke walked over to the living room while taking a sip of his water. He walked over to the large sliding window and peeked out from behind the curtain. It had started to snow the night before, but just very lightly; barely sticking to the ground.
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The couple lived quietly waiting for the ordeal to be over with. Four days had passed and Sasuke and Hinata were still deep asleep.
A loud knock came at their door. Sasuke sat up quickly, listening.
Hinata twitched and sat up afterwards. "Sasuke-kun…"
Sasuke got up, and walked out the room. Hinata sat and looked out the opened door. Another loud knock sounded. Sasuke walked to the peephole; Naruto along with Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji, and Shino were standing on the other side of the door.
Sasuke opened the door. "What is it now?"
"It's done with." Kiba said with a happy grin.
Sasuke looked at them all sleepily.
"You can finally get out of this place." Shikamaru said with a smile.
"We've taken care of all them; it's safe for you to leave." Naruto said confidently.
Hinata got up from bed after hearing the men talking. She put on a long Yukata, covering her night gown. She stepped out of the room.
"We can leave now?" She asked.
"Oi! Hinata." Kiba said cheerfully raising his hand to greet her.
"Yes, you both can go; they were hard to find, but easy to take care of." Shino said mysteriously.
Sasuke looked at the five men at his door and smirked. They were finally going to leave to residence.
"We're here to help you guys pack up and move back." Chouji said nicely.
The men let themselves into the apartment.
"SO! Where do we start?" Naruto said gleefully rubbing his hands together. Hinata smiled at their kind gesture.
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It was late morning, when Hinata and Sasuke saw Shikamaru and Chouji bring the last of their things from the small apartment back to the compound.
"Here're the last couple boxes of things." Chouji placed a box on the engawa.
"Thank you." Hinata said graciously.
"Hinata!" Ino walked into the courtyard.
"Oh, Ino." Hinata looked passed Chouji.
Ino walked towards the couple.
"What are you doing here?" Hinata asked. Sasuke took the box on the engawa and went into the home with it.
"Did you forget it's almost New Year's celebration?" Ino asked holding up a bag in her right hand.
"Oh!" Hinata said aloud. So many things had been happening. Being stuck in the residence and not seeing all the decorations in the village; she had forgotten.
"It's in three days, I can't believe you forgot. Well, Ten ten will be here in a minute with some more groceries for you. I'm sure all the food in your fridge has gone bad by now." Ino said cheekily.
"Ino, Thank you." Hinata was so thankful for her friends.
"I'll walk you to the kitchen." Hinata said nicely. The two made their way inside; they walked through the living area where the maid was cleaning.
"So, what are your plans for New year's celebrations?" Ino said walking into the kitchen.
"I…I'm not sure, there's usually a banquet I go to; but…I'm no longer a Hyuga." Hinata walked into the kitchen.
"Well, how about throwing your own thing." Ino opened the fridge and plugged her nose. "Yeah, things have gone bad." She said nasally.
Hinata walked over and looked in at the molding food. She plugged her nose and the two friends reluctantly cleaned it out.
"So…Hold my own banquet?" Hinata said nasally.
"It doesn't have to be a banquet; a gathering should do." Ino said while throwing something fuzzy and white into the garbage.
Hinata squirmed at the sight of it.
"Let's see, we have to celebrate for three days right?" Ino said picking something out of the fridge.
Hinata nodded as she threw something into the garbage.
"So, I'm having a gathering and I know Shikamaru and Temari are having a gathering." Ino paused to gag at the sight of an unknown rotting food. "If you and Sasuke have a gathering then, we can just celebrate three days straight. First at my place, then at temari's and then you guys."
"That's a great Idea." Hinata said.
"Whoa! What died in here?" Temari called out from the doorway. She and Ten ten stood their plugging their noses.
"Food, Food died." Hinata said to her friends. Her girlfriends giggled.
"So, I thought I heard my name being said." Temari asked as she and Ten ten walked in.
"Oh, we were saying how we could celebrate New year's in three days, first at Ino's, then you and Shikamaru, then me and Sasuke." Hinata looked up at Temari. "If that's alright with you?"
"Of course! It would take a lot of stress off of me. I won't have to cook huge meals for three days." Temari said gladly while looking into the fridge.
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"Thank you!" Hinata waved goodbye to her friends and stepped inside. Sasuke walked out of their bedroom, Hinata smiled happily at him.
"Why are you so happy?" Sasuke asked.
"We're home!" Hinata walked over to the couch and hugged the back of it. Sasuke smirked and made his way over to her.
"Do you want to rest or go out for a walk?" He asked with a kind smile. Hinata stood up straight and hugged Sasuke. "Walk."
The two made their way out of the compound and walked through the village. New Year's decorations lined the streets and homes.
"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked.
"Hmn?"
"What do you do for New Year's?" She asked curiously.
"Hm…I usually spend it with Naruto." He said looking at the horizon.
"Naruto?" She looked at him.
"I usually just treat him to ramen at Ichiraku's." Sasuke looked at the children playing on the side of the street.
"Ah…I see." Hinata said looking at the decorated shops. "I was thinking of holding a gathering."
"A gathering?" Sasuke asked looking at her.
"Mhm. Ino, Temari, and I thought it would be nice to celebrate the three days together. First at Ino's, then at Temari's and then at our home." She said quietly.
"That sounds nice." Hinata looked up at him in surprise; his words weren't what she was expecting.
"Really?" Hinata asked.
"Mhm." He looked at her and nodded his head. She smiled in return.
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"Welcome!" Hinata greeted her friends. She was clad in her Uchiha Kimono.
"Wow, that Kimono is beautiful!" Ten ten cooed.
Hinata blushed and nodded. "Thank you." She went back inside when all of her guests arrived. A large table was spread out in the living area, with enough seating for everyone. Food was abundant and beautifully arranged on the table.
Sasuke was sitting at one end of the table talking with the guests. Hinata took her seat at the other end and smiled at Sasuke. He got up and thanked the guests for coming; they all enjoyed the food and each others' company.
The women finished cleaning up and walked out of the kitchen.
"Hey! Let's go out to the village and check out the festival." Kiba suggested out loud.
"Yeah, that would be great!" Lee said excitedly.
"What do you think Hinata?" Ino looked at her. Hinata smiled wide and nodded yes. The large group of friends made their way to the village. The village was lit with beautiful lanterns and strung up lights. Children played traditional games in the streets. The villagers filled the main streets in a large crowd.
"Oh! Let's go do that!" Ino grabbed Chouji's arm and dragged him to a game display.
Everyone parted ways after seeing the many of the festivities around them. Hinata and Sasuke walked around arm in arm. They walked to where Kiba and Lee were making a fuss. They were playing Fukuwarai [like pin the tail on the donkey] and causing much laughter to those around them. Hinata and Sasuke watched in awe at the two of them horribly failing at the game. Kiba and Lee suddenly stopped and took off their blindfolds.
"MOVE!" Sasuke yelled out. The villager's screamed and scattered frantically. Hinata got pushed along with the villagers. She looked up and saw Sasuke, Kiba, Lee, Shikamaru, and Chouji jump up into the air from their places. Hinata managed to catch up with Ino, Temari and Ten ten.
"What's happening?" Ten ten asked the girls.
"An intruder." Temari said looking up as the men chased shadows through the roof tops.
"Must be." Hinata said looking upwards.
"We have to report this." Ino gave the girls a look and they went on their way to the Hokage residence.
The girls entered Naruto's office where he was eating a bowl of ramen.
"Oh…What are you four doing here?" He slurped up his noodles.
"An intruder is in the village." Temari said.
"I know." Naruto said nonchalantly.
"What?" Ino said irritated.
"Don't worry, Sasuke and the guys are on it." Naruto held up the bowl to his face and took a sip.
"You mean…?" Ten ten asked.
"They knew the whole time?" Hinata finished Ten ten's sentence.
Naruto put the bowl down. "Yup."
The four women scoffed. "I can't believe this…" Temari said angrily.
"Is there anything we can do!" Ten ten said angrily.
"No. They can handle it. It's just a couple of bandits we've been watching over." Naruto looked sadly into his almost empty bowl.
"This is ridiculous." Temari mumbled.
The girls made their way out of the office and down the corridor.
"Something doesn't feel right." Hinata said quietly.
"You feel it too huh?" Temari said looking at the girls. They all gave a nod. They made their way to the woman's change rooms. They opened their individual lockers and changed into their Jonin outfits. They made their way into the dense forests of Konoha.
"Hinata." Ino said.
"On it." Hinata scanned the area. "Fifteen kilometers north east, the men are there scanning the area."
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"Shit." Kiba said out loud.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked over his shoulder.
"The girls are coming here." Kiba said irritatedly.
"What? Did Naruto tell them to come?" Chouji asked.
"I doubt it. They probably sensed something." Shikamaru said seriously.
"What should we do?" Lee asked.
"Wait, they might be of help." Sasuke said.
"Really?" Kiba asked.
"Hn…" Shikamaru said.
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"They aren't moving."Hinata said.
"Are they waiting for us?" Ino asked.
"Looks like it." Hinata and the girls neared the men.
"What's going on?" Temari asked the men as she and the girls perched on the other branches.
The men stood up from their crouched positions. "Bandits, six of them." Sasuke said monotone.
"Six? Naruto said only a couple." Ino said aloud.
"So he did send you." Lee said.
"No, we came on our own. He doesn't know of this." Ten ten said.
"They were hiding in Konoha as laborers; they're wanted by the daimyo." Sasuke explained.
"Why?" Hinata asked.
"Don't know; we just have to find them and turn them into the daimyo. " Kiba answered.
"According to all the information we got, they're quite a threat." Lee said, warning everyone.
"What can we do?" Temari asked.
The women and men separated, finding the location of the bandits. The bandits had settled in an old farm house on the outskirts of Konoha.
"They're all inside." Hinata said.
"Yup, I can smell them" Kiba added.
"Good." Shikamaru said. Chouji, Ino, Ten ten and I will stay back just in case.
"Let's go." Sasuke said. Temari, Hinata, Lee and Kiba followed Sasuke to the farm house.
"Temari." Sasuke said as the five of them stood in the field in front of the farm house.
"Hn…" Temari opened a scroll and summoned her giant iron fan. "One star." She said, she opened her fan and with a quick movement a forceful wind cut through the old and rotting farm house.
"What's happening!" A bandit called out, scared.
They ran out of the home as it collapsed easily.
"Who are you?" A bandit called out to Temari. She stood alone in the field, not saying a word.
"Konoha daisenpu!" Lee used his whirlwind on a bandit, incapacitating him easily.
"Jyuuken!" Hinata used her gentle fist on two bandits, also incapacitating them. Kiba used his taijutsu and easily wounded another. By the time the three turned around Sasuke had already beaten the other two bandits.
"What was that?" Temari asked. "That's it? I thought they were a threat?"
Lee looked at the bandits. "What…maybe…they were too strong for the daimyo guards."
Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ten ten watched the fight from the tree line. All very disappointed.
"That was too easy." Ino said out loud.
"Yeah, they didn't seem like any threat at all." Chouji said confused.
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Sasuke stood outside in the corridor, waiting for Hinata to come out of the women's changing room.
The door swung open and Hinata looked down at the tie around her waist. She looked up and automatically blushed at the sight of Sasuke waiting for her.
"Sorry, did you wait long?" She asked sweetly.
"No." He was leaning against the wall, his hands in his pockets. He walked towards her. "Let's go." Hinata nodded and followed him out of the residence. They walked home, the gates opened and they entered the property. It had gotten late; it was almost two in the morning. The couple entered the house tiredly. Hinata took off her shoes and walked passed Sasuke. She felt a tug on her sleeve; she looked over her shoulder at Sasuke. His face was paler than usual, his pupils dilated.
"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata froze. She watched as he fell to the ground. Her eyes widened. She opened the sliding door and called out to the guards.
She said the words she didn't want to say, but had to. "GET SAKURA HERE NOW!" She yelled out.
She looked over Sasuke's body. She knelt at his side; she examined his body activating her Byakugan. His chakra points were fine, it must be something else. She looked at his side and noticed a small cut in the side of his shirt.
'Did this happen earlier?' She thought as she lifted his shirt up. She could see the veins on his side protruding outwards; they were dark and purple as if filled with something.
Sakura arrived moments after with Naruto and two other medical nin.
Sakura's eyes widened at the sight of a blacked out Sasuke. "Get him to the bed now!" She said to the two medical nin.
"Hinata, what happened?" Naruto asked.
"He just…collapsed here…" Her voice was shaky. She watched Sakura go to the bedroom following the other medical nin's who were holding up Sasuke's body. Once again, compared to Sakura right then and there, Hinata felt so useless.
"I…think its poison." Hinata said with tears welling in her eyes.
"Hinata…Just take a seat." Naruto comforted her. He went to the kitchen and brought out some water for her. "Everything will be alright." He said with a soothing voice.
Hinata nervously sat there. Constantly leaning back and looking down the corridor leading to their bedroom. She and Naruto heard loud screaming coming from Sasuke. Hinata stood up, ready to go check on him. Naruto held her wrist, holding her back. She looked at Naruto with worried eyes, he gave her a reassuring nod and she sat back down. Sasuke's screams of pain seemed endless. Hinata had never heard him sound like that before. It only worried her more.
The large sliding door opened. Shikamaru, Temari, Kiba and Akamaru stood there.
Naruto stood up. "Good, you're here."
Hinata looked behind her at the three.
"What's going on?" Kiba asked hurriedly. Sasuke's painful cry echoed into the living area.
"Hinata…" Temari said worriedly.
"I need you three to leave now, Kakashi is waiting at the main gates; he'll explain everything there." Naruto said sternly. The three nodded and left.
Hinata looked at Naruto. "What's going on?" She asked worriedly.
Naruto sighed and sat down. "Hinata…Don't worry, they're not after you two. This…is a different situation. You don't need to worry yourself. What happened to Sasuke was just…an accident; he wasn't targeted."
The door clicked open. Hinata and Naruto stood up. Sakura walked out, wiping the sweat off her brow. Her hair was tied up; Hinata could see the blood stained skin on her hands.
"He was poisoned, it was a good thing you called me when you did." Sakura said walking over to the two. "I managed to take out the poison, it didn't spread very far. It would've spread to his organs and stopped his heart."
"Can I go see him?" Hinata asked.
"In a bit, he needs to rest though. It'll take a while till he gets better." Sakura reached into her medical bag and took out a note pad and pen; she began to write in it.
"Naruto." She said looking up from her note pad. "Whoever did this knew what they were doing, that poison was strong."
Naruto nodded. "I already sent out a team."
"Good, we need to find out who made it." Sakura put her note pad and pen away. The two medics came out of the bedroom.
"We've given him the antidote." A medic said to Sakura.
"Hinata, don't worry; he'll be fine." Sakura said nicely.
Naruto pat Hinata on the shoulder. "We'll be going now. Take good care of him." Hinata nodded and closed the door after they left. She walked to the corridor and into the bedroom. Sasuke lay down, the blanket covering only half of his stomach. Hinata could see the bandages around his waist.
"Sasuke-kun." Hinata walked over to his bed side and took a seat. Sasuke looked up at her, his eyes sleepy. He watched the tears well in her eyes; he was too drained to apologize and comfort her. She sat there weeping above him, her tears falling onto his arm.
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It was early morning; Hinata was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for Sasuke, a simple soup that would warm him up. She walked out of the kitchen with the bowl of soup and tea on a tray. She walked into the bedroom and saw him getting up from bed.
"Sasuke-kun. You need to rest." Hinata said to him while walking over with the tray. He sat back down.
"Ah…" He put his hand on his side over his bandage.
"Are you alright?" She asked quickly.
"I'm fine." He said letting out a painful sigh.
Hinata put the tray on her vanity; she pulled her chair to his side and picked up the bowl of soup. She blew on a spoonful, cooling it down for him. "Here." She put the spoon near his mouth. He took a bite and sat against the headboard.
"Hinata." He said after swallowing.
"Hm?" She said as she blew on another spoonful.
"Sorry." He said looking at her.
A small smile grew on her face. "Don't worry about that." She put the spoon near his mouth. He sipped the soup.
"If anything…I'm sorry I couldn't help you sooner." She said sadly looking into the soup. There was a long pause.
"Hm…" Sasuke smirked. "Could I get some more?" he said flatly.
"Oh!" Hinata scooped another spoonful of soup and blew on it. Sasuke gave her a smile.
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Sorry for the short chapter, again updates will be slow. ^^ patience is greatly appreciated!