Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.

Mother Teresa

Sasuke sat on his bed, his feet touching one wall, his back against the other wall, and sighed for he was unable to sleep for the huge tension building over the visit to the mysterious psychiatrist. It suddenly hit him that he probably would need protection if somehow Dr. Orochimaru was even more sinister that his eight-year old self remembered.

He remembered Hinata's strength when she had pulled him back from his brother, easily overshadowing his own. That made him feel even more weak, especially if he needed to rely on Hinata. It was rather sobering to be weaker than a girl that only came up to his chest.

Who coincidently has very plump bosoms.

He looked at the shiny, but very plain, calling card. The only real adornment was the little silver music note. A crotchet beat, If his small knowledge of music was totally correct.

What did this idiot doctor have to do with music? Hopefully not much, as Sasuke had learnt only grade one piano before giving up after realising the amount of practise expected from his teacher. He felt guilty for giving up now, considering his mother's great pride when she saw him practising. How much he would give to see her smile now.

"Sasuke, do you want waffles?" Knocked Kakashi on the door.

Sasuke looked the alarm clock, eight O'clock On a Monday, he wasn't in school due to the half term. He checked the calling card again, and yes, Doctor Orochimaru was in on Monday morning, from nine-thirty.

Half an hour to get breakfast, then go, find Hinata, hope she was up and awake, get her out of house, get into town, find the place, within what? An hour? Easy.

"Yeah, I'll have some," Sasuke replied, sensing Kakashi's surprise at a reply. As Sasuke moved round the door and squeezed into the hall.

Kakashi looked at him with an odd air.

"What?"

"You're meeting up with the lovely young lady I met the other day," Kakashi cocked his eyebrow in a winning gesture. "You need food, normally you never eat breakfast, but you're eating, obviously you need energy,"

Sasuke retorted by employing his hamster face, where he screwed up his lower face into a fantastic scowl.

Kakashi smiled under the mask, "Obviously, that confirms it,"

"Where are the bloody waffles?" Sasuke stomped in the direction of the kettle to get coffee, pulling out his blue enamel mug from the cupboard.

Hinata laid on the futon on the floor, her hair spread out behind her as she doodled with a charcoal stick. Her sister sat at the vanity and played with make-up and jewellery.

"Hey, sis?" Queried Hanabi, her small nose covered in powder,"What do you think of Ten-Ten-chan?"

Hinata paused her doodling. "I-I think she's a nice girl, a little unused to the family, b-but I guess as Neji nii-san's wife she ought to fit in, I-it's simply her duty I-I'm afraid, as is Neji's to lead…even I-if it is constrained, he can s-still do well for the branch members," Silently she cursed her stumbling speech.

Hanabi threw a swathe of black beads around her thin little neck, and raised one shoulder, pouting in the reflective vanity mirror. "I like Ten-Ten-chan, she's very pretty, like an actress… do you think I could be an actress Hinata-chan?"

Hinata sighed over her picture of a nymph frolicking in a glistening pool. In her head the nymph was much more dynamic, much more of a beauty than what was on display. "I-I don't know Hanabi-chan," she honestly replied, more concerned with making the nymph more vicious and devilish than beautiful than Hanabi's small talk.

After all, how could a vampire like Hanabi, forever sealed within her childlike body with childlike thoughts ever be a success?

"Well, I'm naturally skinny, so I won't have diet…you would have to diet to be an actress Hinata-chan, you're too curvy,"

"Ano, I'm not that l-large!"

"The paparazzi would eat you up! It would gobble and munch and crunch you up and spit you out all over the pavement!"

Hinata visibly flinched "P-perhaps that is w-why it is better for me to be s-shy H-Hanabi-chan, and in the background, not h-here, here in the spotlight,"

"Were you not the heiress back then?" Hanabi threw a careless glance back to her older sister, who met her gaze with soft caring eyes, "Were you not in the spotlight, and I was jealous? Look at us now sister, what stupid things worry humans, Isn't emotion awful? How human! I'm glad we are here, above those things, hn?"

Hinata refused to show any emotion, fully knowing her sister was testing her patience.

"Hinata, there's a rather striking boy at the front door!" Ten-Ten giggled, her head poking around the door frame.

Hinata's face contorted between surprise and worry that Sasuke would dare to stop by her house, why he was here, and the even more worrying thought that he actually knew where she lived.

"Oh, I'll go and m-meet him," Hinata said as she slipped out of the room, almost afraid of the combined taunts of the two feminine women.

She trotted down the twisting hallway and down three flights of stairs to the reception area where as she had correctly predicted he would be waiting.

If her heavy heart had been beating faster, if it hadn't been forcing it's way up into her much too thin throat, she probably would have fainted.

"Are you having a relationship of sorts with my daughter?" Hinata's father commanded from across the room.

Hinata could have died then and there as Sasuke stared at the elder man with total and utter distain for her father's respectability.

"Tch, Probably not In the way you're thinking of," He replied sarcastically, which Hisashi immediately thought the contrary. Sasuke, observant as ever saw Hinata and stood and left, refusing to even give her father another glance.

Hinata nodded to her father and followed after Sasuke out of the house, mortified by the boys lack of respect for the father, out into the front garden, and down the front path, onto the sidewalk. Without even speaking to her he turned left, towards the bus stop. Hinata almost had a heart attack panicking about his icy demeanour.

"W-Where are we g-going?" She asked, slightly shaken.

"Look, I need a helper, so shut up, kay," He ordered, snarling at her without showing his face. Hinata freaked hearing the hatred in his voice.

"Ano…I-I said w-where…" She squeaked

"We're going to a psychiatrist," Answered Sasuke sheepishly.

Hinata was even more perplexed than before but decided to keep quiet until Sasuke explained himself, knowing full well it was almost an insult to hurry him.

She waited for an answer as she observed the back of his spiky hair - It had gotten quite long, his hair obviously grew very quickly. He walked with a slight limp, perhaps he was wearing in new shoes?

Hinata sighed and waited for a response. Unfortunately Sasuke seemed perfectly comfortable in the silence, so she decided to prompt him.

Except she didn't know how to quite ask. Should she ask why he was going, or would it be more subtle to conceive some small talk and then to subtly ask him, or perhaps it would be better to be patient and go with him wherever.

Somehow she doubted she was coming for emotional support.

They waited in the bus stop for half an hour whilst he plugged into his iPhone and she fiddled with her hair, wishing she had worn something a bit more conservative, she hated skirts, but Ten-Ten had actually brought her one, as a peace treaty, d'accord so it was only natural to wear it.

The problem was the overly frilly and lacy nature of the unfortunate thing. She couldn't prevent herself from playing with the lace running down the side, it called to her fiddling fingers mercilessly.

She started by flipping her hand under the fabric, and patting it upwards, making a rather pleasing patta patta patta sound.A smile played on her lips. She began to stoke the lace, feeling the delicate holes and bumps, and rather reminding her of some of the clothing she used to wear, especially the clothing she wore in Britain through the Georgian period.

Sasuke watched her with annoyance as he struggled with himself to not to jump her and rip the bloody skirt from her constantly moving hands. She had sat not across from him, but rather had taken a place sitting diagonally, so naturally her hands flapped and made that stupid noise over and over again. In the corner of his sight, so he could just see her.

He would rush over and pin that bloody hand down whilst he ripped the skirt to shreds with his teeth, but considering the fix last night, she would probably think he was going to rape her and make a big fuss.

Perhaps it would be worth it to see her huge blush tainting her cheeks.

His ears went red at the thought and he turned his iPhone up to cancel out the thoughts.

Hinata's head snapped up, feeling his…affection and annoyance and met his eyes with petrified orbs. Her hand fell from the lace, and she began to tease her pink lip with her teeth.

To hide his further interest in her pink lips, he scowled until he felt his skin stretching with the effort. Hinata's blush became even more pronounced.

She would have steeled her nerves then and there to ask him, but at the moment the bus pulled in, thankfully breaking the moment.

They both hopped on and paid their fares with some degree of relief.

Hinata followed Sasuke up the isle, noticing that he naturally took the lead, and she was constantly following him. Silently she internally steeled herself and told herself she would continue to further improve herself.

There must have been only six people on the bus. Hinata realised, as she took a seat free of chewing gum that she was rather too close to Sasuke than her liking. Knowing her fidgeting would pester him further, she slowly built up the confidence to ask him. "Why… are w-we going?"

Sasuke noticed her lips moving but couldn't hear her over the blare of the music. He gave her a look to indicating her to speak again.

"What?!"

"W-hy are we going?"

"He's an associate of my brother, I need to check him out to track down Itachi,"

Hinata had a panic attack. "T-That powerful….man! B-But he's so dangerous, we can't do anything! Ano…I don't want to do this! Sasu-"

Sasuke cut her off, "I have no choice, and since you're on the bus with me," His black eyes flashed, "Neither do you,"

"Ano, b-b-but he said," She gasped as she realised, and her voice dropped to make sure that no-one would over-hear, "He said you had to be like him! He…" It hit her like a ton of bricks "You want to use me! You want me to turn you into a vampire!"

"When you're angry you don't stutter," Sasuke commented coolly.

"T-that's beyond the point!"

Sasuke turned to her, raising a dark eyebrow. "Is it?"

The bus pulled into the main station in the centre of town. Sasuke flashed his iPhone and saw it was quarter past nine. They had fifteen minutes.

Beside him Hinata was fuming. She hissed out of the side of her mouth like a kettle pouring steam. "You have no idea how inhumane and cruel and stupid it is to be stuck like this! N-No idea whatsoever!"

"I don't have a choice!" He snarled back, almost eager to see her angry.

Her hair fanned back from under her red beret, matching her cherry-tomato face. "I hate it, I hate lapping at blood like an animal! I hate knowing how quickly you all die! I won't touch you with a stick Uchiha Sasuke!"

"I don't have a choice either, do you know what he did?!"

They were nearly there, weaving through the crowded streets.

"It's no excuse to become soulless! No matter what! I do not care!"

"He killed my family! He killed everyone! My souls already broken Hinata!" He swung to face her. "I have to kill him, and there is only one way I can do this," his voice dropped, deeper and darker than before. "I need help here. I need your help,"

Hinata trembled in front of him, unable to refuse him. "I'll help," She softly said under her breath.

"Good," Sasuke became serious and led her, gripping her hand tightly as to not to lose her, crowd or otherwise. They stopped before the address.

It was only a plain door with the names of the Dr. Orochimaru and his associates printed on the wall. Another silver crotchet beat.

"It's on t-the second floor. He mu-mustn't be very prestigious," Hinata commented. She didn't mention how run down the area was.

"That's odd," Sasuke muttered "We weren't exactly poor. If my brother needed help, he wouldn't have to go to somewhere like this. He could have afforded the best."

Hinata nodded, and deciding that Sasuke wouldn't go in without prompt, she took the lead. Mildew grew in the tiled corners and the single light bulb flickered above their heads. The stairs were no better, as was the reception.

Traditional awful carpet, plain plastic chairs, kids toys in the corner and random magazines basking in the pus yellow walls. Sasuke sauntered over to the reception, Hinata took a seat.

"Hey?"

A red head popped up from behind the desk, and immediately her eyes flashed with a predatory glance beneath the black rimmed glasses, that Sasuke recognised all too quickly as traditional fan-girl.

"Hi I'm Karin," She said breathlessly. Hinata giggled at the response and Sasuke carried on unperturbed after all, he was rather used to this kind of feminine behaviour. "How can I help…handsome?"

"Is Doctor Orochimaru in?"

"Uhhh, one second, yeah?" Before he could answer the girl she had dashed off into a side room behind the desk. Hinata was beside him. "What a harpy!" She whispered in his ear.

"Really?" Whispered Sasuke, taking her too seriously. "Harpies exist!"

Hinata looked at him oddly "No- I m-meant-"

"SUIGESTU! WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO! I'VE GOT A HOTTIE AT THE DESK AND HE WANTS THE BOSS!"

Hinata and Sasuke exchanged looks.

"Yeah. Correct again,"

The girl fell out of the room and smiled flirtatiously at Sasuke.

"Sorry Hon, but…well Doctor Orochimaru was like, murdered like, a fortnight ago, Can I forward you on?"

*NOTE FROM CLUE!*

Hello! it seems like such a while since I've put anything up! (Sorry!) I'm looking so forward to Christmas, I'm kinda hoping I'll do something around then too :) Thank you all so much for reviews, I think I normally get round the signed ones, It all ways seems so selfish when people take the time to review and then people don't reply (Unless you have like, no time at all, I think I can understand 15+ reviews at once XD) The anonymous ones are normally really cool too :) So thank you all for reading!