A/N: I know many of you are going to hate me now because this regrettably, will not be the last chapter (and there's no promise that the next chapter will be the last). So… sorry.

I do not own Naruto…

Hinata practically ran through the streets and then, up the stairs towards the Hokage's office. By the time she arrived at the door, she was gasping for air but in spite of that, she was smiling. She was finally home, back in Konoha, back to be with Naruto again. When her panting finally subsided, she raised her hand and knocked at the door. There was no answer. Surprised, she knocked again before the door swung opened and there, standing right before her, was Sakura.

"Hinata?" the pink-haired lady asked in shock. "You came back?"

"I…"

"Who is it, Sakura?" Naruto's voice came from inside. Hinata's heart gave a leap at the sound of the familiar voice she had been waiting so long to hear.

Sakura didn't answer. She only stood aside to allow the Hokage access to the person at the door.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked in an equally shocked tone that the medic had held earlier, standing up from his desk to walk toward her. "You came back?"

"I…" Hinata was confused. Naruto and Sakura sounded like they never expected her to return. "Naruto…"

"I thought you wouldn't come back anymore," Naruto continued.

"I never said I…" the dark-haired lady started to explain but half way through, she lost her voice when she saw Sakura slowly taking Naruto's hand. And then she spotted the one thing that made her entire person freeze in position, an invisible knife stabbing into her heart. There, on the fourth finger of Sakura's left hand, was her wedding ring.

"No!" Hinata screamed as she sat up with a start. Her heart was beating erratically and she was gasping for air. Then, she looked around the room, lit only with a nightlight and realized that she had only been dreaming. Nevertheless, she couldn't help feeling extremely wretched and the pain she had felt earlier had persisted into her conscious state. What if the dream came true?

Still panting, she brought her hand up to glimpse at her ring-less finger as tears slowly streamed down her cheeks. She had returned the ring to Naruto before she left for Oiru. At that juncture, it had felt like the proper thing to do. She had given her husband an opening – a chance to choose to either come to love her or to give up on her entirely. But now, sitting all alone in the room, in a village far away from Konoha, she couldn't help regretting her very action. What if Naruto actually chose to give up on her? She couldn't help it as she started sobbing quietly. The stakes are high and with each passing day, she was slowly losing faith in herself. What if she lost the only person she had ever loved?

%%%

He was a wreck… and it had only been five weeks since she left.

Here, sitting on one of the high stools of a bar inside Shushuya, Naruto gulped down his third glass of sake for the night. It wasn't by chance that he had become a daily patron to this place since five weeks ago. He had been here twice before, although those rendezvous had been for some sort of celebratory occasions. Now though, he was patronizing this place every night because he needed to avoid all those places he used to frequent. Too many places brought back too many memories for him – bitter memories. Even Ramen Ichiraku which used to be one of his favorite hangouts, would only painfully remind him of all the times he had spent there with his friends… with Sakura… with Hinata.

The Hokage took another swig of liquor before signaling for more in a helpless feat to get drunk. It was useless though. He had never had the chance to know what it was like to be intoxicated – not with Kurama's influence. Then again, tonight, he couldn't help wondering if the nine-tailed fox could still shield him after some thirty glasses of sake. What about fifty? He had the whole night… it wouldn't hurt to find out.

"Ahh… Hokage-sama," came a female voice from his side just as he guzzled his eighth glass of sake for the night. "Won't you buy me a drink?"

Naruto tilted his head ever so slightly to his right, spotting a lady with dark, red hair who was making herself comfortable on the high stool beside him. Unconcerned, he turned back to his drinks.

"Oh, come on…" the lady pleaded in a compellingly seductive tone. "I noticed you've been coming here every night… alone. You must be lonely. Don't you want company…, Hokage-sama?"

He didn't answer. Truth was, he didn't really think he needed company anymore since the one person whom he was supposed to be spending time with, had left; and another whom he had been in love with since a long time ago, was married. Somehow, companionship had become a vague, almost hated statement. Maybe in time, he would learn to live alone again, just like he used to in his younger days.

Nevertheless, the red-haired lady seemed unfazed by Naruto's lack of interest. He was acting cool, she thought. All men loved to act cool around women, especially those who were powerful and influential. Yet deep inside, they were all the same – lustful and eager. With a little persistence, she was sure she could get the handsome, young Hokage to be more responsive.

Subsequently, the lady pulled her chair nearer so that she was only sitting inches from Naruto. Then, she leaned closer, purposefully adjusting her off-the-shoulder garment to expose a good bit of her chest. "You know… I can help… perk you up…." she offered. "…name's Hiroko."

He contemplated her words for a while. It was tempting to give in… he had been deprived. For a fleeting second, the Hokage thought he could see Jiraiya standing at his side, giving him his approval. Having travelled with his godfather for more than two years, he had, on a few occasions, heard the older man conveyed how women did not typically express interest in him. Consequently, he was almost sure Jiraiya would think it totally insane if he actually refused such a persuasive offer.

Soon after, Hiroko shrewdly placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and whispered into his ears, "I'm really good in bed."

Again, he didn't respond but, he didn't seem to refuse her either. And when she leaned further and placed a hand on his thigh, he thought he might actually cave in. The red-haired lady continued to lead the Hokage on as she brazenly rested her chin on his shoulder. At this point, she was actually quite sure she had secured the eagerness of Konoha's most handsome and powerful leader.

Next, she breathed into his ears, "We could get to your place if you want..."

That very statement immediately became her undoing as it dawned on Naruto what he really didn't want – he didn't want to have another woman in his house, touching his things and soiling his sheets. Maybe it was the guilty part of him who thought he had let his wife down. In some ways, he had to admit that he still had feelings for Sakura. Every time they met, he realized that he had to put in a little extra effort just to appear normal… like how it had always been before Sasuke took her from him.

Then again, maybe he didn't want to bring another woman home because he did in fact love Hinata. He couldn't really tell. Part of him thought he loved her; another part hated her for leaving. On many instances, he was so torn in two that he wondered if he actually held a clone Zetsu within him. In fact, he wouldn't be surprise if he did wake up with a body that held two different colored halves – one that would convince him that he loved Hinata a great deal and another that would argue that it was only natural desire, that he had never actually loved her.

Nevertheless, he knew that it would really hurt Hinata if he ever brought a woman to their house. And a small part of him really didn't want to hurt her anymore… not another time and not with another woman.

With that realization, he gave a mirthless smile. He really wasn't attracted to the temptress in the first place. So, he stood up and searched his pocket for his wallet before placing some money on the counter for his drinks.

After that, he turned to the lady on the high stool. "You know, I really am not interested…," he quipped and to throw cold water to her advances, he added, "Plus, your breasts are simply too small for my liking."

With that, he walked out of the place with a humorless grin, leaving the girl named Hiroko, fuming with annoyance.

Once outside, he sighed, the weight in his heart as profound as ever. He was completely disoriented. For the past few weeks, he would only go home way after midnight. It had become like a routine – after leaving his office, he would head for Shushuya, have dinner, which never included ramen, accompanied by plenty of drinks before finally leaving for home. Today however, he was forced to leave early, without having eaten anything and insolently passing up a clearly immoral opportunity to sleep with a girl.

Still, he really didn't want to go home – not when Hinata's not there, not where the anger and guilt in his heart was most unbearable. So, he started walking… without direction, without purpose.

Everything around him seemed unfeeling, unreal. In the day time, it was easy to past time – he had tons of work to do in the office. Often, he would take as much time as he could to scrutinize his paperwork, reading them word by word, up to the point where he believed the normally unperturbed Yamato was starting to get a little irritated. But he wasn't really flustered with his work, not when it kept his mind away from his predicament and not when it was the only thing that kept him sane.

Yet now, no longer in the comfort of the office, he realized that he was as lost as a sheep out in the open. He needed someone to guide him, someone to give him objective. He needed someone to tell him exactly what he should do. Then, as he slowly drifted away from the main path, he realized there was one place he could actually go to… he would pay a visit to the Uchihas.

%%%

It took many seconds before Sasuke opened the door.

For a moment, the Uchiha candidly scrutinized his friend before dispassionately asking, "What are you doing here?"

"I want dinner," the Hokage simply stated.

"I have nothing… now leave."

Naruto strained a smile. He was familiar with Sasuke's attitude and knew better that his friend never really meant to upset. But just to get on his nerves, he added, "I'm the Hokage."

That little assertion on Naruto's part was enough to irritate the Uchiha as he immediately attempted to slam the door. But Naruto stopped the door halfway.

"Hinata's not here…" he finally gave in. "I just want to have dinner with a friend… a friend."

"Who is it?" Sakura called out from inside.

"Sakura…" Naruto emitted as he allowed himself into the house.

"Naruto? Is something wrong?" the medical head asked in apprehension. She understood that the Hokage had been staying alone since Hinata left for Oiru and was genuinely concerned with how he was coping by himself. Even though he seemed completely fine every time she saw him in his office, something in her could tell that Naruto was actually very upset. Plus, she couldn't help feeling that he was hiding something from her. Naruto however, could only give a lingering gaze at the pink-haired lady before looking away.

"The fool needs dinner," Sasuke drawled as he walked past to get to the dining table.

"Uh… well… I… I've just fried some eggs," the pink-haired medic muttered in confusion.

"Good," Naruto exclaimed as he walked past to join the other Uchiha at the table.

"Uh… okay," Sakura added. She was completely at a loss at what Naruto was up to but decided to play along. "I… I'll just… just fry more eggs!"

"Itadakimasu!" Sakura uttered many minutes later when she joined the two at the table.

The Hokage had never sat down with his ex-teammates for dinner in their house before. This was his first time. In some way, there was a strained feeling in the air as the three quietly picked up their chopsticks and started eating. From his seat, Naruto observed as Sakura picked some eggs and placed them into Sasuke's bowl. By this time however, he was starting to feel like he was in the wrong place and badly needed to leave. Yet he couldn't just stand up and run off and for that reason, he ate quickly. He pushed rice and eggs into his mouth, hardly chewing the food before gulping them down. When he finished, he wolfed down a glass of water before instantaneously standing up.

"That had been a pleasant dinner," he quickly stated. "I… I have to go now."

"Really?" Sasuke questioned, smiling. He had hardly taken a bite of his food. In truth, Sakura had added way too much salt to the eggs. He couldn't understand how Naruto was able to even swallow the over-seasoned food.

But the Hokage simply couldn't stay any longer. He was hurting, he was brokenhearted. All these months, he had been avoiding coming into direct company with his two best friends at the same time because he was afraid. He was afraid that he would hate them for getting married to each other. He didn't want to acknowledge the reality of Sakura being someone else's. He hated the fact that Sasuke had always been the one person Sakura had ever loved.

Silently, he forced a smile before turning towards the door. "Thanks and good-night," he uttered curtly before striding out and quickly closing the door behind him.

Once outside, he inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, fisting his hands at the same time. He had been foolish calling on the Uchihas the way he had. He should have gone to another eatery or gone to the other side of town. At this point in time, even Kakashi's place would have been a better choice, even when his ex-sensei never seemed to have any food around his house. Then again, he wasn't even hungry in the first place and food was not actually what he was looking for. It was something else…

When he finally opened his eyes that were starting to sting with tears and anger, Naruto took a deep breath before he started to run. He ran and leapt as fast as he could. He needed to leave the compound, needed to get away. He could feel his chest tightening as desolation slowly gripped him. He had never had to face his resentment this way before. How could he defy the hidden enemy within him?

The night wore on as he ran and leapt, going round and round the wooded areas of Konoha in an attempt to lose the pain in his heart - in an attempt to run away from all the memories he had shared with Sakura before. It was useless though. The pain remained unhealed while his mind kept replaying all the happy times he had shared with his old teammate.

It wasn't until after midnight when he finally yielded and decided to go home. Once back in his house, he slumped onto the sofa in the living room with a heavy sigh. He had dreaded to come home. He didn't want to understand why things have turned out the way it had. He didn't want to be the one hurting. Even though he still couldn't decide whether he loved Hinata or not, he believed that he had always treated her well. It wasn't fair that she had chosen to leave.

With a sudden burst of resentment, Naruto roughly tugged at the ring on his finger – the one thing now that was binding him and Hinata together. Forcefully pulling it out of his finger, he blindly threw it away. The ring hit the wall and then fell onto the ground before rolling on its side and finally landing under a side table. Nevertheless, he didn't even pay heed to where it had ended up as he slumped back onto the sofa. He was ready to give up on his marriage, ready to give up on Hinata. He would let her know that he didn't want her anymore when she comes back. He would laugh at her stupidity, pushing him aside – he, the prominent and powerful Hokage of Konoha. And then, she would cry. Cry and sob and weep, begging him to take her back. And he would say 'no.'

…And he would say 'no?' Naruto shook his head sharply when he pictured Hinata crying. He could still remember how painful it was to see her cry the night before she left. Her eyes had been brimming with tears too when she had quietly placed her ring into his pocket. She had been hurting… and he had been the cause of it. In his half conscious mind, the Hokage placed a hand onto his chest and with a slow, rubbing motion, felt for Hinata's ring in his chest pocket. Then, he realized in horror that her ring wasn't there.

Panic gripped him as he promptly sat up and frantically searched his pocket. He was still wearing the same red coat… or was he? It had been five long weeks since Hinata had left and suddenly, he realized that he had had a few changes of coats. But then, the past few weeks had passed in such a blur that he couldn't recall doing any laundry at all. Then, he remembered his wife telling him that she had arranged for someone to come clean the house and do the laundry. With that realization, his heart gave a jolt before he ran to the back of the house where they normally did all the washing. However, he couldn't help the sinking feeling within him – what if Momo-baachan accidentally threw the ring away?

He searched the place, turning over a basket of clothes and madly shaking and inspecting every piece of garment in there. The heightened dread within him was making his heart beat erratically. After that, he searched the floor, lifting every thing in sight and picking up every little material he could find. Still, nothing. By this time, he was starting to feel a little disheartened and his breathing was becoming more strenuous. Later, he got down on his knees and hands, bending his head and practically combed the floor for the ring. Again, there was nothing. Many minutes and more meticulous searching later, he finally came to terms with the fact that he had truly lost Hinata's ring. With that in mind, he slowly slumped onto the floor, quietly panting.

He stayed that way for a long time until his breathing returned to normal, all the while wondering how he was ever going to find the ring. He could only wish that Momo-baachan had kept it safely for him. Nevertheless, the chances of the old lady actually noticing a small ring inside a hidden pocket were slim. He gave a defeated sigh. By this time, he felt almost hopeless, like his world had started crumbling all around him again and the very last piece of object that might be able to safe his current predicament was nowhere in sight. Naruto buried his head in his hands, releasing a throaty groan.

The night wore on before he finally exhaled with resignation and slowly stood up. Then, from the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of a bowl on top of a hanging shelf. Reaching out and bringing it down, his heart gave a leap when he saw what was in the bowl. There, sitting snugly inside the small, white, ceramic bowl, was Hinata's wedding ring.

"Thank you, baa-chan," he quickly whispered as he took the ring and clenched it in his palm.

It wasn't sophisticated, wasn't even highly expensive; but the ring was something that had bound Hinata to him and his ring, to her. However, until he resolved his feelings, this ring will be a keepsake for him, something that he had appropriately decided, would see him through this very difficult time. Afterwards, an idea came to his mind and he ran out to the living room, this time, in search for his ring. When he found it, he proceeded to the bedroom and pulled out a leather string necklace from a side drawer. Then, he put the necklace through the two rings with a smile before securing them around his neck, the two metal bands sitting firmly over his chest. Afterwards, he placed a hand over them and heaved a contented sigh. Somehow, in all the confusion that was going on in his mind the past many weeks, one thing suddenly stood out clearly – the rings were meant to be together...

A/N: Again, I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed the previous chapter. To those I couldn't reach – Johnny, KirbySuperStarNinja, Andrea, Gea, Anne and Jimbo – thanks for the reviews!

To those who were really upset with how the story had turned out, I apologize for the shortcomings.

Once again, to those who have enjoyed or actually felt strongly about this story in any way, either in a positive or negative way, please leave me a review. Tell me how you really feel. I'd really appreciate whatever comments. (And I actually don't mind criticisms).

Thanks!

- softwinds -