The week that followed Christmas went in a bit of a blur. Hinata wasn't really sure how to act around Sasuke after their kiss, but he was at the apartment less and less, as New Year was an extremely busy time for everyone, so she only really saw him for short times during the day as he was passing through anyway. It gave her a lot of time to think about things.

Although her kiss with Sasuke had been...interesting, and she did find him attractive, she wasn't sure she wanted any kind of relationship with him. He could be cold and distant, and she still didn't really know any more about him than she had known a couple of weeks ago. When they did speak it was nice enough, and she did want to know him better, but there was just something about him that told her he didn't want to know her. As far as she could tell there wasn't anybody in his life he saw often, like a friend. He never brought anyone back to the apartment anymore, but then he did always seem to be rushing off somewhere or on his mobile phone. She just couldn't figure him out! But one thing she did know was that he wouldn't be interested in her. Not one bit.

Sasuke's strategy was simple. The less time he spent at the apartment, the less chance there was that something would happen between them. It wasn't like he didn't want something to happen, but it just couldn't. She was affecting him entirely too much, and if he wasn't careful, he would end up ruining whatever friendship they shared. That's what they had, a friendship of sorts. She didn't argue with the choices he made, didn't pry into his private life, didn't annoy the hell out of him… someone like that didn't just show up every day, so he didn't want to jeopardise losing her companionship. It was just…a physical ache he would have to learn to ignore.

Hinata was in the process of cleaning the apartment, trying to think of something other than what Sasuke would like best for dinner (most of the things seemed to revolve around Sasuke these days, she noted with unease) when she got a call on her mobile from Naruto.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyy, Hinata!" She laughed. As usual, he sounded extremely happy.

"Hi Naruto," she replied. "Did you need something?"

"Yeah, are you and Sasuke doing anything at New Years? I know it's only two days away but I was just wondering."

"Um, no, I don't think so…" She would have to ask him, as she honestly didn't know if he had any plans.

"Great, well you're going to come out and party with me and Sakura!" She laughed again. For some reason, she knew Naruto would be grinning like a maniac on the other end of the phone line.

"Well, I'll just check with him and let you know, okay?"

"Yeah, that's cool, I'll talk to you later then, yeah?"

"Ok, see you later."

"Bye!" He hung up.

Hinata smiled. Well, even if Sasuke was busy, she could still go out and have something to look forward to.

Hinata's bed was covered with clothes. In the process of trying to decide what to wear to go out for New Year, she had emptied her wardrobe onto the bed. Why couldn't she just decide? She let out a frustrated sigh. Usually she had no problem getting dressed! Why was tonight different? Because you want to look nice for Sasuke, a voice in her head taunted.

"No I don't!" she said aloud. Why should what Sasuke thought make a difference? She had already decided that nothing was going to happen between them!

Eventually, she decided to wear a simple black dress with thin shoulder straps. It finished just above her knee, and she put a silver necklace on in an attempt to accessorize. She wore the shoes Sasuke had bought her the night they had met. Although she wasn't the most fashion conscious person, she decided that she looked okay, she had definitely seen others looking a whole lot worse.

Smiling, she left her room, to find Sasuke doing his tie in the living room. As always, he was dressed immaculately in an expensive looking suit, which tonight was a shade of blue so dark it was almost black, with a crisp white shirt underneath.

"You ready?" She nodded and went to pick up her coat from the stand in the corner. They were meeting Naruto and Sakura at the club, so were setting off soon to get there in time. She smiled up at Sasuke as they entered the elevator to leave the building. He hadn't been doing anything tonight so she was only too pleased when he said he would go with her.

Sasuke glanced across at Hinata. She looked beautiful, as always. They walked in silence to the club, where Sakura and Naruto greeted them with an almost deafening, "Happy New Year!" Hinata laughed.

"It's not New Year yet!"

"Yeah, but we might end up celebrating out here, the queue is huge!" Naruto said unhappily.

"Yeah, but I know people," Sasuke smirked. He held his arm out to Hinata, who linked him and headed for the entrance, Naruto and Sakura following. The doorman let them through without hesitation.

"Gee, Hinata, Sasuke sure is useful, right?" he heard Sakura say. The corner of his mouth twitched up at her remark.

Hinata and Sakura were in the bathroom a couple of hours later, Hinata watching as Sakura re-applied her lipstick.

"So how are things with you and Sasuke?"

"Um…good I think," Hinata smiled.

"You know, Hinata, I have to admit I was quite worried about Sasuke at first. He has a wandering eye. But then he looks at you in a completely different way than to other girls I see him looking at," Sakura winked back.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, confused. He looked at her the same way he looked at anyone else…didn't he?

"What I mean, Hinata, is that I think you two could be together for a long time. The way he looks at you…it's like you can see that he loves you in his eyes." She clasped her hands to her chest and sighed. "Oh it's so romantic! I'm so happy for you!" Hinata stared at her, shocked. Sasuke didn't love her…he didn't love anyone…at the very most he only liked her…and as a friend, nothing more… Sakura grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the bathroom. "Come on, we'd best get back to the boys!"

They went back up the stairs and found Sasuke and Naruto easily enough, but all the while all Hinata could think about was what Sakura had said. There was no way Sasuke could love her, they hardly knew each other! She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, her heart hammering in her chest. She saw him quickly avert his eyes from her. But that didn't mean he loved her right? It was absurd! He was only looking at her. Love was a very strong word. And Sakura did exaggerate everything. Maybe it was more of a…mild interest?

Oh God. She needed a drink. Or several.

Sasuke pushed the button for the elevator up to his apartment, Hinata clinging to his arm.

"Where are we going, Sasuke?"

"I told you, home," he said, sighing. Why did she have to get drunk? Oh yeah, it was Naruto's idea, he thought it was hilarious when she was drunk. Sasuke didn't. He stepped out of the elevator and into the apartment, Hinata trotting after him. He was going to kill Naruto the next time he saw him.

Sasuke pushed open to door to Hinata's room, only to see clothes strewn all over her bed, clearly from deciding what to wear earlier on. Rather than try and figure out where everything went and fail miserably, he decided it would just be better to put Hinata in his own bed for the night. He wasn't tired anyway, and if he did start to feel worn-out he could sleep on the sofa. He went back to the living room and closed the door behind him.

"Come on, Hinata, you're sleeping in my room tonight," he said, gesturing for her to follow him.

"Your room? But you're a boy," she protested weakly, yawning.

"Jesus, you really are a lightweight aren't you? I'm sleeping somewhere else."

"Oh, okay," she said, standing up and walking past him into the room. Sasuke took her coat off her shoulders and laid it on the back of a chair. When he turned around again she had taken her shoes off and was in the process of unzipping her dress. He practically ran across the room to stop her.

"Whoa, Hinata, what are you doing? I'm a boy remember?" he said, zipping it back up. The last thing he needed was to see Hinata strip, because he honestly wasn't sure he would be able to stop himself doing something very dishonourable. He might be an asshole most of the time but he wasn't the type of guy to take advantage of her when she was clearly not in the right state of mind to do anything, let alone decide whether she wanted to sleep with him. "Why don't you just get in bed?" He lifted the sheets back.

"But I can't sleep in my dress!" she complained. She started to unzip it again. His heart hammering at the sight, Sasuke quickly turned on his heel and swiftly left the room. Heading into the kitchen, he poured a glass of water for Hinata. He waited a couple of minutes before returning, not only to get his breathing back to normal but to make sure Hinata had time to get under the sheets before he went back in.

To his relief, she was snuggled under the sheets, completely covered, only above her nose and up visible. She sat up as he approached, clutching the sheets to her chest. "Oh, hi, Sasuke, where have you been?" He put the glass of water into her hands.

"Drink this, you'll feel better." She obliged and he took the glass off her again, setting it down on the bedside table. Great, he couldn't see bra straps. She was naked under there. He was about to go and get her one of his shirts when she spoke.

"Do you miss them terribly, Sasuke? He wondered what the hell she was talking about until he saw her looking at the picture of his family he had moved into here the night she had first asked about them. It was on the table, next to the glass.

"I...really don't talk about it," he said, a lump forming in his throat. He stood to leave, but she caught his hand in hers. He looked back at her.

"How old were you?"

He sat back down, not really sure why he was still in the room. He paused before speaking. Should he really be telling her this? Why the hell not? The chances she would remember in the morning were extremely slim.

"Seven."

"How did it happen?"

"You don't want to know." His own stomach turned at the memory of it, his chest tight.

"What was it like?" she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"What?" he said, confused.

"To have a family that loved you...even for just a short while?"

He stared at her. Did she truly not know? Some families could be dysfunctional, hell, he should know. But had there really never been even one time when she had felt loved? He didn't know what was worse; to lose the ones you loved or to never even feel wanted by them. He squeezed her hands gently.

"I'm sure you'll find out one day." He brushed a few strands of hair from her face, a sudden surge of compassion for her overwhelming him. "You're going to make some guy out there the luckiest man on the planet."

"You really think so?" She smiled up at him, her eyes slightly watery.

"Are you kidding? Your cooking is the best," he joked. She laughed, the sound melodic and enchanting.

"That's the nicest thing I've ever heard you say!"

"You should probably call the men in white coats to come and lock me away." She smiled but there was a light in her eyes that sent a stab of concern through him.

"What if I can't find that man?" In her eyes he saw true fear. "What if I find him and he doesn't want me? I've waited so long, Sasuke."

"Why would he not want you?" Sasuke found it hard to believe there was a man on earth who wouldn't want her. He certainly wasn't an exception, he was just putting a lot of effort into resisting her.

"Well I'm not pretty like Sakura or beautiful like Ino, I'm just... plain. And I'm not very interesting."

"Hinata, you're the most beautiful woman in existence." Sasuke's heart lodged itself in his throat. He honestly didn't know why he was telling her all these things. He'd never even been brave enough to think things like this. Anyone would think he was in lo- No. He wouldn't even let himself finish that thought. It was stupid.

"Would you kiss me again, Sasuke?" He nearly choked on his own breath. That was the last thing he ever expected to hear from her lips.

"What?"

"When you kissed me... it felt like you needed me. I wanted to feel it again, even if you don't mean it," she explained. She leaned slightly closer to him. His gaze flickered to her full, slightly parted lips. He closed the distance between them, his lips only millimetres away from hers. Her scent filled his senses, but it was mixed with alcohol. He was so close, but... he couldn't do it. Before he could stop himself, he stood up and left, closing the door behind him.

Sasuke rested his back against the closed door. He slid down it until he was sitting on the floor, where he took a few deep, shaky breaths. He couldn't believe he had just done that. It would have been so easy to just... he should get a fucking medal for doing what he just did. He ran a hand through his hair while he tried to get his heartbeat back to normal. Over and over, he could imagine himself buried deep inside her, hear her moans next to his ear as she came for him. He leaned his head back against the door. The memory of when he had kissed her under that damn mistletoe seared him. His suit trousers felt tight.

Standing, he strode to the coat stand and rummaged in a few pockets until he found a packet or cigarettes and a lighter. He only smoked when he was stressed, and this definitely counted as one of those times. He headed for the elevator.

Sasuke placed a cigarette between his lips, flicking open his lighter. He put his other hand around it to shelter it from the wind and lit the cigarette. He inhaled deeply as he put the lighter back in his pocket. Already he felt better. The sound of the city filled his ears and for a second he could forget what had happened in the building behind him. Until he opened his eyes.

What the hell was wrong with him? He should just go back up there and fuck whatever he was feeling out of his system. But then that had been his theory about kissing her and look how well that had turned out. He took another drag of the cigarette.

What was the problem? He'd been with women who'd had more than their fair share of alcohol. Yeah, he was what gave men a bad name and he knew it, but at least he never promised to call or told lies to get them into his bed. All the women he slept with knew exactly what he wanted with them from the word go. But it was...different with Hinata. He didn't know why. To sleep with her while she was in this state... the thought made him uncomfortable. Because you don't want to just fuck her, you want to make love to her, he thought. He scoffed at the idea. It sounded like he had a thirteen year old girl in his head. The concept of 'making love' to anyone was ridiculous.

Sex was raw and animalistic. Two people seeking a little bit of pleasure and excitement in heir otherwise mundane, monotonous lives. Love simply wasn't necessary. He knew that first hand. He was Sasuke Uchiha. He didn't love anything or anyone, and it was going to stay that way. There was no way on earth he loved Hinata. She had only been in his life for a few weeks. She was kind, considerate, trusting... everything he wasn't.

She really was going to make some guy very happy. It just wasn't going to be him. Because he didn't love her in any way, shape or form. And he was going to prove it. Anything to sate this fire inside him.

Sasuke entered the first club he came to without delay. As predicted, because it was New Year, the club was still packed, even though it was extremely late, or obscenely early depending on how you looked at it. Within a minute and attractive woman with dyed brown hair approached him. Short skirt, high heels, low cut top. Perfect.

"Hey, handsome, has anyone kissed you this year?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and smiling.

"No," he replied, taking her hand and leading her towards the back of the club, where the toilets were.

He pushed her up against the wall, not even bothered that anyone could walk in on them. He kissed her. He gave it really everything he had. But he felt nothing. He pulled back to look at her.

"Wow, that was one hell of a kiss," she said, breathless.

He kissed her again, his hands roaming her body. But it was not use. She was too skinny, her lips were too thin, her hair the wrong colour, her scent was all wrong, her voice didn't sound right, her eyes were too dark... He staggered back.

"Hey, is something wrong?" she asked, confused.

"Everything," he breathed. He turned on his heel and left her standing there, breathless.

Sasuke left the club as quickly as he could. He got outside, his hands shaking. What the fuck was wrong was wrong with him? He shouted out in anger and punched at the brick wall. He leaned against it, his breathing ragged, the knuckles on his right hand now grazed and bleeding but he didn't care. So what if she was drunk? So what if it would be her first time? Since when did he care about other peoples' feelings anyway? He wanted her and he had yet to find a woman who could say no to him. Yes it was arrogant of him to think so but it was true. Maybe if the women of this time had some self respect he'd have more of a challenge with them. Hinata would be just like the rest of them. She'd even asked him to kiss her.

His mind set, he headed back to his apartment.

Sasuke threw his coat off, striding towards his room. It landed on the sofa. He opened the door, fully intending to give her some very new and pleasurable experiences. That wasn't what happened.

He froze as he saw her, leaning back on the wall, suddenly unsteady. How could he have thought even for a second she would be like the other women he knew? Seeing her there, asleep in his bed, he knew he just couldn't do it. She looked like a goddess there, her long ebony hair fanned out around her, pale skin standing out against his blood red sheets. She was unique, unlike anyone he had ever encountered. His chest felt tight as he watched her. He pressed a hand over his heart, trying to get rid of the strange sensation. What made her different to the others? What was it about her that made him react like this? He pulled a chair across the room and put it next to the bed. He sat down, for some reason unable to take his eyes off her.

Hinata woke the next morning with a headache. A really throbbing, horrible headache. She sat up slowly, rubbing her forehead. She started as she realised she was naked under the bed sheets. Bed sheets that didn't feel like her usual sheets. And her usual bed sheets didn't smell this good either. Her sheets only smelt of washing powder, but these smelt warm, comforting. She opened her eyes and didn't recognise the dimly lit room she was in. What the hell was going on?

She reached for the lamp that was on a table by the side of the bed. She gasped and started to panic. Where the hell was she? Worse, she couldn't remember anything that had happened last night. What had she done?

She looked around the room, trying to stay calm, which wasn't really working. It was quite a large room, and everything was mainly white and black, except for the deep crimson sheets she clutched at her chest. Her eyes drifted around the room, not really picking up anything distinctive or recognizable to tell her where she was. Her eyes fell to a suit jacket that was hung up on a wardrobe door. She recognised it instantly. It was Sasuke's suit from last night...

Hinata felt sick. She was naked. Naked in Sasuke's bed. She hadn't recognised the room because she'd never been inside, assuming because he kept the door closed it meant he didn't really want her to go in. Had she really been so far gone last night that Sasuke and her...that she and Sasuke had... had...she couldn't even think it. Just when she had started to convince herself that nothing like this would ever occur... This could just not have happened! No, no, no, anything but this...

She needed to get dressed. Needed to get out of his bed. Wrapping the sheets around herself, she got up and walked towards the door. She opened it a crack, not really wanting to run into Sasuke just yet. She couldn't see him in the living room, and the apartment was practically silent. Deciding it was safe, she opened it all the way and stepped out. And bumped right into him.

She squeaked in surprise and stumbled back, but he caught her in his strong arms before she could even fall. Her heart beat faster at his sudden proximity. His dark eyes seared her. She felt lightheaded. Would it really be so bad if they had slept together last night?... Wait of course it would be! Even if she wanted to sleep with him, she at least wanted to remember it! And this was Sasuke, after all. He slept with women and moved on, which wasn't really what she wanted from a relationship.

"Are you ok?" With his arms around her, yes she was. She frowned at the uncharacteristic thought.

"Y-yes," she stammered. He took his arms away from her and she took a couple of steps back. It was strange, but she suddenly felt cold without his arms around her. She watched as he walked past her and threw open the curtains, making her eyes sting for a few moments. He looked out onto the city, his arms folded across his chest. His shirt was untucked and looked rather crumpled, the sleeves rolled back to his elbows and the top few buttons undone. Was it the same shirt as yesterday? Why would he put the same clothes back on after they had... wait, that might mean that they hadn't... She needed to know for sure,

"Sasuke?" He turned to look at her.

"Yes?"

"Last night... did we...um...you know..." She looked meaningfully at the bed, blushing.

"Have sex?" he said bluntly. She nodded, blushing even more and holding the sheet around her tighter. Sometimes she liked how blunt he could be, because right now she could bring herself to say what she thought might have happened.

"I should say yes, to scare you into never drinking again, but no, we didn't," Sasuke said. He furrowed his brow at the relief that flooded her face. Was the idea of sleeping with him really that repulsive to her? He didn't know why but the thought that she didn't even like him made him feel... disappointed? He walked past her, out of the room.

"You should get dressed," he said over his shoulder. He walked to the kitchen.

Why did he feel so dejected? It shouldn't matter to him if she found him attractive or not, he had decided last night that he wasn't going to sleep with her. He didn't know how long he had sat there, watching her sleep, only that at one point he suddenly realised it was getting kind of creepy and left the room. He had attempted to get some sleep on the sofa, but his thoughts kept drifting back to her. She deserved someone better than him, someone who could make her happy. Someone who could love her back. And he just wasn't capable of love anymore... He hissed in pain as he squeezed the glass he was holding a bit too tight, making it shatter, shards of glass cutting into his palm. Shit, he hadn't realised he'd been holding it that tight. He rummaged in a cupboard for the first aid kit, holding his left hand upright so there wouldn't be as much blood. He heard Hinata gasp as she came out of her room. He glanced back at her before looking back in the cupboard. Where was that damn kit?

"Sasuke, what happened?" She rushed over to him and pulled out the first kit from a different cupboard. Why did she know where it was and he didn't? It was his goddamn apartment!

"Don't know my own strength," he replied.

"Let me see it," she said, holding her hands out to him.

"I can do it myself," he snapped. She let out an exasperated sigh. Why did he have to be so difficult?

"For once, Sasuke, please just let me help you." He scowled and held his hand out to her. "Thank you." She took his hand into hers and inspected it. There were several pieces of glass embedded in his flesh, but none of them looked too deep, which was good. She rummaged in the first aid box and found a pair of tweezers and some bandages.

Sasuke watched Hinata as she pulled shards of glass from his hand with the tweezers. She now wore a red thickly knitted turtle neck jumper and jeans. Why did she have to be so...nice? He hadn't asked for her help and yet she gave it anyway. His gaze fell to her hands. They were so delicate and graceful, so different from his larger, more masculine ones. He bit back a curse as she pulled one of the larger pieces of glass from his hand.

Hinata focused on the glass in Sasuke's palm. It had to hurt when she pulled each piece out and yet so far he hadn't made a sound. When she had finished pulling the glass out, she washed the blood off with water and wrapped the bandage around his wrist and hand. She patted the bandage and smiled at him, stealing his breath.

"There now, good as new," she said happily, putting the first aid kit away again.

Sasuke watched as she walked back to her room. Her tenderness seared him. He was used to the type of kindness people showed when they wanted something in return. But Hinata…she gave without hesitation. How could a person like that even exist in this world? It was hard to comprehend. She was so pure, untainted by the cruel world he lived in. He shouldn't want her and yet he craved her like no other. She made him feel…he couldn't even begin to describe it. He was used to knowing exactly what he wanted and how to get it. But she complicated everything. All he knew was it was getting more and more difficult to resist her.

Thank you! Please review with your thoughts, I would love to hear them :)

Looks like the ice block that is Sasuke Uchiha is starting to melt...but all these new emotions are very confusing and frustrating for poor Sasuke :( I wonder how he will cope? And when he will finally realise he has feelings for Hinata?

See you next time!