Hi there readers! I'm feeling all better, even though I have a bit of allergies still, what with the sneezing almost between every key stroke. Anyway, thank you all for wishing me better.

Excuse any errors and R&R!!!

Chapter 18: I Love…

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The woods were lush and cool.

Hinata couldn't bear to sit and watch Sasuke with Karin any longer. She had tried to be a big girl about it, but the sight of the two together had been much too painful. It didn't matter that Naruto had been kind enough to keep her company; she just had not been strong enough to stand them and had run into the woods like a coward.

She had not intended to go in too far, but somehow, she lost herself in thought and wandered deep enough to lose her direction. Everywhere she looked now she could see the same trees and bushes.

Still, there was no need to panic. She couldn't be that far away from the camp since she could still smell the charred food on the wind.

Or maybe that was just her imagination. Kami, this was all she needed… to lose herself in the woods. Wouldn't that be a perfect addition to her mess ups? She wanted to use her Byakugan so badly, but she had long since tried to find her way without it. She was so weak anymore to rely on it for everything.

She could barely make out a faint path and followed it, hoping it would lead back to camp but it ended by a pool. Despite the situation, she couldn't find herself to be afraid. It was so beautiful that she had to move closer to peer into the clear water.

It was unlike anything in Konoha, almost unreal and magical. Fish darted this way and that beneath the water and between the tree roots.

Beams of sunlight peeked through the leaves and braches of the surrounding trees and into the pool, painting the fish gold as they passed and the water looked of liquid glass.

Entranced by the sight, she knelt at the edge of the small chasm. Pebbles rolled from beneath her feet to the pool, scattering the schools of fish.

Hinata had never seen such a sight and was tempted to draw it. She knelt there trying to capture everything in her memory.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Hinata started and turned to see Sasuke watching her. Her heart leaped a little at the sight of him, both in relief and something more. "H-hai," she said on an exhale. "I've never seen anything like it before."

It left her breathless at the sight of him there. She peered down as Sasuke came to stand next to her. "There are many pools in Suna," he said. "The whole place is littered with them, these oases. But this one is particularly beautiful."

"It's…" Hinata looked down again at the water, shimmering in the light. "There are no words to describe it."

Sasuke squeezed her shoulder. "I was going to bring you here to show you, but you found it on your own."

She turned around to smile at him. "You were going to bring me here?"

The thought that he wanted to share something like this with her warmed her being. When was the last time anyone had taken the time to show her something like this?

He sat next to her. More pebbles scattered into the pool as he hung his legs off the edge. Hinata smiled and sat as well, sliding one leg over the edge as she sat on the other.

"Lovers are known to come here all the time; they are drawn here," said Sasuke and Hinata blushed at the implication.

They were lovers now, weren't they? She didn't want to forget a single moment she had spent in his arms. As bad as she thought it was, she did not regret it.

Hinata's breath quickened. She wished he would kiss her now, and brush her hair aside as he did so. "Really?" she asked him.

"Hai, the villagers come here rarely when they just want to get away and be alone," Sasuke told her, his voice seductively soft. "Whether it's for fifteen minutes or an entire weekend."

Hinata thought about that for a moment, picturing herself with Sasuke for a night here as they looked through the trees at the stars.

"The people here call this pool a sacred place," Sasuke said. "The villagers make sacrifices here as well."

Hinata listened carefully, amazed at Sasuke's knowledge.

"This pool is actually vey deep and at the bottom are the remains of animals, jewelry, even humans."

Hinata shuddered at the thought. "You mean they just throw people inside?"

He nodded.

"That's disgusting!"

"I'd tell you other rituals they had, but you'd blush. They don't do that now, of course," said Sasuke. "That was years ago. They only keep the sacrifices and rituals alive by giving jewelry and other possessions."

Hinata wished that she could stay at his side and discover things with him. She wished she could spend quiet moments with him just sitting and enjoying being there together.

But she wished more than anything he would shut up and kiss her.

"Then again, you're already blushing," he told her, his expression softening.

Silence fell between them, except for trickles of water falling somewhere below. It was a musical sound.

"What are you thinking, Hinata?" His voice was as soft as a caress. Her stomach fluttered at the sound of it.

"I was thinking…" She blinked as she stared longingly at his mouth. "... that I love…."

Kami, she loved him.

His hand reached out suddenly, touching her face, and she swallowed her words. Sasuke held his breath, waiting for her to continue. "Hai?" he prompted when she didn't continue.

"That I love… how you know these things."

Disappointment coursed through him. He caressed her chin with his thumb. "And… I love your curiosity, Hinata."

Her eyes seemed to reveal an inner battle. Sasuke waited, silent, hoping she would say something.

"And I really love…" she began again, her face twisting in a bit of confusion.

"What is it you love?" he asked her, his heart hammering and Hinata swallowed visibly.

"…That you are so willing to share your knowledge with me."

His thumb touched her lower lip, rested there, and she blinked.

"And I love… your smile, Hinata," he told her and her lip trembled a little and he teased it, willing with his eyes to speak the words. He encouraged her, telling her also, "And I love the sound of voice… and the way you laugh…" He leaned close to her, his nose flaring. "And the way you smell." He took a deep breath, craving the taste of her.

She closed her eyes and lifted her face into the ray of sun, and Sasuke sat there staring at her, mesmerized, his heart swelling.

Never had he felt so connected to someone and so alive. He bent to kiss her, touching his lips to hers tentatively as his hands moved down to her throat, feeling her swallow once more and as he kissed her, he wanted nothing more than to just make love to her.

He wanted all of her, body, heart and soul, but he was torn between wanting to show her that her body was not all he was after and he loved her and wanted to make love to her and take her for his own. He hesitated, drawing away.

"Hinata," he began.

There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn't know where to begin. He didn't want her to go back to Kiba, didn't want to lose her, but he wanted her to do whatever made her happy.

If Kiba did that for her, then he wanted that for her too, even if it would kill him to see them together. But he hoped she didn't love the mutt still. He really couldn't bear to see them together… to know that Kiba would touch her, kiss her, and make love to her.

The thought made his stomach churn and the words got caught up in his throat.

She stared up at him, her icy eyes wide, looking far too vulnerable. "Hai?"

Sasuke swallowed his words, unsure how to say what he wanted. He never said this to anyone before, never felt this way before. If there was just one thing he had learned from his time as a ninja that had carried into his life, it was that nothing lasted forever.

Nothing.

His missions and life was proof of that. He had not intended to put his heart at risk for something so fleeting but he didn't care anymore.

Hinata was worth it and he wanted her next to him. But who was he to ask her to give up her own life on a whim to follow him around? What did he have to offer her? His brows knit as he struggled with his thoughts. What was the right thing to do? Did Hinata love Kiba?

She wanted Sasuke and desired him, Sasuke knew that, but that was completely different from love.

In the end, it came down to one thing and that was that Hinata had to follow her own heart. He could not put words into her mouth, or feelings into her heart. He sighed and pulled away, looking down into her beautiful face as he caressed her cheek.

"You wouldn't happen to have anymore eggs and peppers left, would you?" he asked her.

"Eggs and peppers?" asked Hinata, blinking at him. "You're still hungry?"

If only she knew. "I'm starving," he said.

"What about the meal Karin gave you?" asked Hinata. "You didn't eat it?" She looked away. "… You don't have to eat my breakfast just to make me feel better, you know. I know it was terrible."

Sasuke actually laughed. "Are you kidding me? I'd rather stomach poison than eat what Karin brought for me."

Hinata gave him an annoyed look. "You are just saying that," she said.

"Actually… no, I'm not."

"Really?" asked Hinata with a curious look. "What did she bring for you?"

Sasuke shook his head, disgusted all over again by just the thought. "Chocolate covered spiders."

Hinata's eyes went wide and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh Kami!" Hinata exclaimed. "You lie!"

"Iie, I'm not telling you a lie," Sasuke told her still grimacing as his hand unconsciously went to his belly.

The woods became filled with the sound of Hinata's laughter and, deeply offended by her lack of concern for his wellbeing, Sasuke tickled her.

He tickled her until her limbs were tangled and her cheeks were aching from all the laughing, giggling and thrashing until one of her sandals came off and landed in the water with a splash.

Sasuke looked down. "There goes your shoe," he told her.

Hinata smiled at him. "I guess you will just have to get it, won't you?"

Sasuke smirked, poking at her chest. "If I go, you go," Sasuke said to her and she held her breath as he slid a finger between her breasts.

"Says who?" she asked him little breathless.

His gaze followed his finger. "I'm bigger than you are," he told her.

"I could scream," Hinata countered, and Sasuke's gaze found hers in a challenge.

"Who would come? We're too far in the forest for them to hear us." He kissed her then. A sweet, gentle kiss that made her heart swell with love. A knot formed in her throat.

She wanted to make love to him. She wanted to give him her body again and she wanted him to know how she felt through her touch.

Without a word, Hinata boldly unbuttoned her shirt, blushing as she did so while reveling in that way he watched her.

"Are you sure?" he asked her in a whisper against her heated cheek, kissing her softly.

Hinata lifted her face to him, kissing his lips. "I'm sure," she murmured and Sasuke needed no more prompting as he helped her undress with hunger burning in his obsidian orbs.

His hands explored her body with such sweet tenderness that Hinata thought she would melt. She closed her eyes, torn.

More than anything, she wanted to tell him how she felt, but was afraid to open her heart completely… afraid he would not love her back, afraid to speak the words aloud, because she couldn't bear to be a fool again.

With Kiba, she had given him everything without a thought and she thought he had felt the same way; but she was wrong. She did not want to be wrong again. Kiba had never told her he loved her.

Three simple words were all she needed to hear, but she needed Sasuke to say them first. They didn't come easily on her lips, though they filled her heart.

But there were no doubts any longer.

She loved Sasuke with all that she was. Sasuke was everything she would ever want in a man and more. Kiba was simply a bad memory, a lesson learned, growing more distant with every kiss from Sasuke's lips.

She made love to Sasuke, putting her all into it, greedy for every precious moment he would give her, and she held nothing back.

Except those three little words…

And that's that. I know I have not written the 2500 as always planned on MS even though FF says I wrote about 2600, but I think here is a nice place to end. No cliff, or suspense… yet. I hope you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing. I feel guilty for leaving out the few words, lol! but I am very tired right now, since I not too long took a pill for my allergies and it is working to get me to sleep.

If you have not read Hinata the Vamp or Hina hime please do.

Until next update…

Ja ne!

Please review, I love it when you do!