Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
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Sasuke's Perspective
Sasuke knew the moment Hinata boarded the plane destined for Konoha just as he knew when she had left the airport once she had arrived and where she'd gone after and exactly how long she'd spent at her hotel room before hiring a cab to take her to him. The Uchiha wasn't ashamed to admit he'd been tailing her for the last few months, from the moment he'd discovered where she'd been hiding from him he'd ordered Nara to arrange surveillance on her. He was intent on knowing everything his wife had been up to and exactly what she was doing while they were apart. Every three days a compilation of photos and written reports detailing her schedule, whereabouts and the people she'd interacted with was delivered to him personally by the lazy genius.
The Sabaku siblings were of special importance to Hinata, hence they were significant to him, in particular the redhead. Nara had protested against being ordered to spy upon his own girlfriend though Sasuke assured him his only interest in her extended to the degree of the blond's interaction with his wife. However, the little brother was a different story altogether, it hadn't taken much for the Uchiha to figure out the redhead was infatuated with his wife. The pictures taken of them together had told him more than enough. This Gaara was firmly fixated on Hinata, his attention to her never wavered, the expression on his face in her presence spoke volumes, the Uchiha had no trouble deciphering what these non-verbal cues meant, in fact the ease with whixh he could recognize such signs and emotions is what made him even more wary of the fool hanging around his wife.
Sasuke had no intention of letting the redhead runt encroach on what was his, Hinata belonged to him, she was his wife, his beloved and he was intent on expressing that truth to the rest of the world, there would be no misunderstandings, no forgiveness, no mercy. The time for such sentiments had long since past. He was not going to allow anyone, especially not his family or the Hyuuga clan to keep him from her any longer.
It had been quite difficult for him to go to work as usual, his thoughts had revolved solely around his wife, but Sasuke simply couldn't arouse suspicion at such a critical stage in his plan so he did his best to sit through his meetings and read through paperwork and listen to reports from his subordinates. Surprisingly, he managed to put up a pretty good front and the demands of keeping up with the rigors of running a billion dollar corporation kept him from obsessing too much. Otherwise, he probably would have been halfway to the airport before he'd regained his common sense, even then it would have taken an act of God to make him turn that car around. It made Sasuke particularly anxious knowing that she was so close, that in a matter of hours they would together for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. There was an unbearable itch beneath his skin, a stirring in his blood as his dream of finally coming face to face with her was close to becoming a reality.
Shikamaru had been assigned to ensure that nothing would prevent them from meeting; every detail of this operation had been meticulously planned, there were contingency plans in place at the first sign of interference. The Uchiha was at his breaking point. Sasuke had no qualms against taking Hinata by the hand and making a run for it, he had no doubt they'd make it just fine. However, he had a responsibility to his employees, he had a future planned out with his wife in Konoha and more importantly, he had a score to settle with their families, they weren't going to get away unscathed. This Uchiha would neither back down nor run away.
When Nara had called to report that she'd taken a cab to the burial grounds once again the overwhelming urge to go to her side had enveloped him, he couldn't imagine how she must be feeling, visiting their daughter's memorial stone for the first time since she'd left. Sasuke continued to stop by at least twice a month, he'd place his offerings and softly utter sincere prayers for Megumi's peaceful rest before he'd spend the next few hours reminiscing about Hinata and what a wonderful mother she would have been. She was the kind of mother that every child deserved, the one that was willing to sacrifice anything for the wellbeing of her child. After all that's what having a child was, a sacrifice, entering into a lifelong commitment to put the needs and happiness of another person above your own, their happiness became yours, their pain became yours, their triumphant and failures were your own. This tiny, defenseless, innocent being was yours to protect and nurture, it would be one of the greatest undertakings of his life to raise a child, but it was a future he could only envision with Hinata by his side.
For now though, he would focus on rebuilding their relationship, Sasuke wasn't under any delusions that once they saw each other everything would miraculously fall into place. There were things they needed to said, so many unspoken words between them and misunderstandings and issues that had never been resolved. This is what had allowed a rift to have formed between them in the first place. How else could she have left him without uttering a word of her concerns to him beyond that single damning conversation weeks before his ill-fated trip.
It still stung that despite everything they had been through and how much he'd cared for her she'd still left. Two years were long enough for a person to have changed and a large part of him was afraid Hinata would no longer want the same things, that she would no longer want him. Of course, he didn't believe for a second that he couldn't make her realize that she would never love anyone as much as she loved him, that no one but him could ever give her as much happiness in life. A future without her was unimaginable, it was a nonentity.
He would do everything in his power to carve out a new beginning for them. A fresh start. There was no life he wanted to live if she was not beside him.
The weather was an unexpected hitch in his plans, Sasuke didn't want any excuse to prevent Hinata from returning to him. He was aware of the moment her taxi had pulled up outside his gate, but even now he could not give up the pretense, he had to play ignorant, his roiling emotions would not get the best of him, not after reaching this far.
It irked him that she would come into their home like a common stranger, asking for entry. Desperately he wanted to sweep her up into his arms and carry her over the threshold, but once again their families had stolen another precious moment from him.
Sasuke forcibly stopped himself from pacing, clasping his hands behind his back as he resolutely stared out the windows, focusing on a distant point so he could restrain himself from barreling out of his study at the last moment.
Whipping around the moment he heard the door open he snarled in disappointment and ire when he saw the trembling form of the older woman he had assigned to escort Hinata entering alone.
"Where is she?" he demanded without preamble.
Eyes downcast, her shoulders hunched as she tried to make herself a smaller target in the face of his wrath. The Uchiha normally prided himself on his unruffled, aloof countance but today was an unavoidable exception.
"She… I- Hinata-sama w-wanted to f-f-freshen up first", she stuttered timidly refusing to meet his eyes.
Swallowing an insult at the tip of his tongue regarding her inability to follow the simplest of instructions he dismissed her with a flick of the wrist and braced himself against his desk. He needed to don his mask, conceal his emotions, Sasuke refused to screw up this first meeting and it was with tremendous effort he relaxed his breathing, allowing the tension to flow out of his shoulders while his features became still and unreadable.
The second time the door opened, Sasuke paused to brace himself he knew even without looking that she was finally in his presence and it played havoc on his self control.
Finally he lifted his eyes to meet her own staring back at him. His breath caught in his lungs as he feasted upon her features, soaking up every inch of her with his eyes rooted to his spot for fear of breaking all pretenses and sweeping her into his arms. There were subtle difference of course, her hair was shorter and it seemed liked she'd lost some weight, her eyes looked a little tired, wary but it was her, it was still his Hinata.
His gaze narrowed as he saw the color rising in her cheeks the way her eyes darted away from his own. As much as she tried to appear composed he knew being in this room with him was evoking a reaction from her, that she was just affected by him as he was by her.
Sasuke resisted the urge to close his eyes and let the sound of his name from her lips echo in his mind, too grateful for words that he would no longer be forced to rely upon his memories and figments of his own imagination. The real thing was right in front of him.
There was a subtle glow to her skin, she was no longer a creamy pale in tone her time in the desert city had left its mark and it made the itch to brush his hands across that light golden hue and press his lips to her skin and determine if it tasted the same or even better to bury his face into the crook of her shoulder and bask in her scent.
Most of his energy was directed towards keeping his distance and reigning in his impulses, hence very little of his attention was focused on their conversation as his mind fought against his long suppressed urges.
Frankly, he couldn't recall much of what he said only that words left his mouth in an attempt to keep her talking, he wanted to hear her voice, her real voice.
It stunned him briefly when she made mention of his ill-fated engagement, it pained him to realize that Hinata was still under the impression he had moved on, as though such a thing could ever happen. Their marriage was still legal and binding and she was the only woman he ever intended to be bound to and he intended on keeping things that way.
As she advanced towards his with those wretched papers in her hand he could not resist the opportunity to gain physical proof of her presence, part of him still convinced this was all a grand illusion. And it real! So real, her warmth, the softness of her skin, the amusement that spark in him as she snatched her hand away as though his touch had burned her.
"Aren't you going to sign them? If you do it now I can file them with my lawyer as soon as possible and this will be all over", she asked confusedly.
It irritated him that she seemed so ready and willing go through with this pretense, as though divorce had ever been a real option.
"No, I am not signing them." It was best she started coming to terms with the situation at hand early; their marriage bond was not in danger of being dissolved by anyone.
"Well I'll be here for a couple more days, so you can go over it with your lawyer if you like. I assure you everything's in order, I don't want anything from you as settlement", his wife inclined to inform him still believing that he would actually be letting her out of his sight.
Sasuke couldn't verbalize exactly what he had been expecting when he finally saw his wife again but he never imagined she would be so determined and willing to see through the dissolution of their marriage. It made him question exactly what her feelings for him were presently whether things has changed so drastically on her end.
"Those divorce papers weren't the reason for you coming here", deciding to clue her in on his own intentions, this charade was becoming tiresome.
"I don't understand Sasuke. What other reason was there for my return?" It was clear she had no idea where this conversation was going and he supposed his act had been a little too good if she hadn't entertained any doubts about his feelings towards her.
"There is great deal of unfinished business between us, Hinata and me signing those documents has nothing to do with it."
"Nonetheless my only purpose coming to Konoha was to give you those papers and to wish you well. It was good to see you again and I hope you are happy", she affirmed, her stubbornness and resolve shinning through. She was looking for an escape now, she'd been expecting a clean break and here he was derailing her plans.
Hinata was foolish if she assumed he would have actually given up on them.
"Well then I guess I should be going now. Thank you for seeing me and I'm glad we could resolve this amicably. Also my contact information is in the folder if you need to reach me", her words formal and distant, she seemed ready to bolt her body primed to leave.
"Goodbye, Sasuke."
However, those words made him snap. There weren't going to be anymore goodbyes, no more farewells between them. Those words couldn't be spoken if they never left each other's side in the first place.
"I'm not happy."
He didn't know why he chose those words, Sasuke just needed her to realize that it had been an act, a farce. That his real feelings hadn't lessened one bit, they had only deepened.
"What? What do you mean?" Her astonishment written all over her face.
"I am not happy Hinata" he spoke once again, the distance between them was too much to handle after all this time. He couldn't stay away from her any longer, he didn't have the strength to keep pretending.
"But I will be", he assured her as his arms finally embraced her.
He was holding his wife in his arms after two years, he was finally close enough to breath in her scent and feel her curves pressed against his body and the quiet…the stillness in his mind he basked in as all his longing and despair was obliterated in the light of her presence.
"I am never letting you go." His words were a solemn promise, an oath.
Hinata was finally back where she belonged. With him.
XXX
Hinata's Perspective
They stood there embracing each other for an unaccounted space of time, Hinata refused to surface for air and let herself be swept away by her jubilant emotions. For one bright, shining instant she was whole and content and at peace with the world with his arms securely wrapped around her, but such bliss never lasted. All too soon she resurfaced, leaving behind that magical moment only to find tears trailing down her cheeks as she struggled feebly to separate from him, to put some distance between them, but Sasuke was having none of it he tightened his hold and pressed her firmly against him. The message was clear she was not going to be allowed to distance herself physically or emotionally.
"Let me go" she pleaded weakly. "Please let me go."
"I can't. I won't. You're never going to leave me again."
"Sasuke", Hinata cried brokenly, "Don't do this please. Stop. You have to stop." He couldn't be saying these things. He should not be making such declarations. Had the world gone mad?
"Stop what, Hinata? Stop loving you? Missing you? Stop thinking about you every goddamn day for the last two years?" he exclaimed his voice climbing sharply.
"Do you think I haven't tried? That some days I wished I had never met you because all I can do is long for you. Do you know what it's been like seeing your face in my head every night I go to bed only to wake up the next morning thinking of you again, day in and day out. You can't ask me to stop. There is no end to this, Hinata I am never going to stop wanting you. Loving you. I will find you wherever you are. You belong with me.
His words pierced her heart. This was Sasuke speaking? Her Sasuke declaring that he… That he loved her? That even after she had deserted him he still wanted her back? This was impossible, yet she could not dismiss the sorrow, the anguish in his voice. How could he possibly feel this way about her?
"Why are you saying these things? What the hell going on? Did you forget you're getting married? I came here to deliver our divorce papers!" her last words almost a shriek. Hinata didn't understand what the hell was going on and she certainly didn't know how to react to Sasuke's outburst.
Pressing the heel of her palm to her forehead she could feel the sudden onset of a piercing headache, she couldn't deal with this right now. She had to be alone, to be away from him.
Still looking away from him, she held up her hand and retorted, "I have to go, I can't stay here. Just call me when you've signed the papers."
And without uttering another word she turned around and almost made a sprint for the door.
Hinata was approximately arms length from the doorway when she felt bands of steel clamp around her stopping her for momentum, a firm solid presence pressing against her back. Immediately she began squirming in protest, struggling to break free.
"Get your hands off me, Sasuke! You have no right to stop me!" Hinata demanded, furious and snarling like a caged tiger.
"The desert sun has fried your brain cells if you think I'm letting you leave me again", the Uchiha scoffed, his breath tickling her ear.
"You don't get a say in what I do. You're about to get married so stop acting like I mean anything to you."
"There is no one else! I'm already married to you, Hinata!"
Her eyes stung as she tried to hold the tears at bay, had she stepped into the damn twilight zone? What she wouldn't have given to hear him say those words two years ago. However, this wasn't the past, she couldn't undo what had happened, she had made her choice and she refused to go back on it.
"Did you forget I left you Sasuke? I am no longer your wife. I haven't been in a long time, so why are you fighting this? What game are you playing? Everyone expects you to marry my cousin, you know that. Stop holding onto the past", she urged trying her damnest to reason with him. It didn't matter if speaking those words was more painful than swallowing glass she was doing this for the best. For both of them.
"Bullshit." Sasuke growled quietly before suddenly spinning her around in his arms and forcing her to meet his gaze.
"You can't lie for shit Hinata and especially not to me. I see right through you."
Stunned at his boldfaced statement she switched gears, "I know you probably still hate the clans Sasuke. So is that why you're doing this? One last attempt to spit in their face? It doesn't mean anything. This doesn't change anything. At the end of the day you and I will be strangers and someone else will be standing by your side."
It made absolutely no sense why Sasuke would be sprouting such unbelievable things. He couldn't mean them and there was no way would allow herself to believe them either. Never in her dreams would she have imagined their meeting would have degenerated into something like this, but she wasn't going to back down. She had come here for one reason only and she was determined to get the closure she needed to move on. Now if only the bloody Uchiha would cooperate like he was supposed to.
She needed some space, his closeness was muddling her thoughts, distracting her mind. How was she supposed to knock some sense into that thick skull of his when his scent and the warmth of his body were eliciting a barrage of unwanted responses from her.
"How can you expect me to believe you still want me? I haven't been living in a cave for the last two years, your face has been splashed on every tabloid magazine with your parade of lovers hanging off your arm on each cover. That doesn't sound like the actions of a man who is missing his wife. And what even makes you think I want you back? How do you know I haven't moved on with someone else?" Hinata taunted, goading him for a reaction. She wanted to smash this stupid farce to pieces, she was determined to make him admit the truth and stop filling her ears with his lies.
"I know you still love me, Hinata", Sasuke smirked, tightening his grip on his, seemingly utterly unperturbed by her previous assertions.
"You are delusional, Uchiha. You know nothing about how I feel", she shot back feeling vulnerable and unsteady, nothing she said was penetrating his armor.
Raising her hand she placed it against his chest as if to push him away. "There is someone waiting for me back in Suna. Someone who really does love me. Someone I belong with", she intoned steeling herself against his intense gaze feeling miserable and regretful as she warped the truth for her own devices.
Again his arms tightened around her almost to the point of being painful as his eyes blazed with fury and his body became rigid with tension. "I won't let him have you. Do you hear me? He can't have you. You are always going to be mine", his last words ended with a bite before his hand delved into the hair at the nape of her neck, his fingers twisting and tugging at the strands before his closed the gap between them his lips soft and warm pressing urgently against hers.
Sasuke was kissing her. Her husband was kissing her. Over and over the same thought replayed in her mind, he body frozen in surprise and indecision. Hinata couldn't respond she couldn't kiss him back, she just couldn't. To give in this one time would wreck all her defenses, would crush any hope of her standing firm against him. If she kissed him back she was destroying any last chance she had at walking away from this with her heart intact, because there was no coming back from this, she wasn't strong enough to hold out against his assault if she showed him smidge of weakness.
When a sudden knock came at the door it was enough to prompt her to action, shattering her hesitancy. She jerked her head away from his and grimaced as she felt the taut grip he still had on her hair.
His muttered curses under his breath were barely audible, he was obviously less than pleased at the interruption but Hinata wasn't going to let such an opportune chance slip away from her.
Forcing her body to relax and leaning into his strong frame she implored, "Answer the door, Sasuke. I'm not going anywhere." Resignation saturating her words.
He looked as though he was about to ignore her plea and picked up right where they left off before his arms loosened, though one hand clasped around her wrist before responding to the presence at the door.
"Come in", he demanded gruffly, his displeasure rattling the butler at the door.
"Dinner is ready to be served, Uchiha-sama", his voice surprisingly steady though he visibly wilted under Sasuke's scrutiny.
"Very well", he replied before ignoring the cowed man who took this as his dismissal and excused himself swiftly, while Sasuke directed his attention back to her. She couldn't help but envy the servant desperately wishing she could escape the same way.
Hinata allowed herself to be escorted to dinner all too aware of the heat of his hand resting on the small of her back like a brand on her skin. Truth be told she wasn't the least bit hungry but there didn't appear o be much choice left in the matter so she quailed her annoyance at being cornered and went along graciously. She was more than a little surprised when she realized they headed towards kitchen instead of stopping at the dining room. Upon entering she immediately noticed that the small round table set she has put there years ago was still in its original place.
The table had already been set and was illuminated by miniature candles, a neat arrangement of wild flowers had been placed at the centre. Hinata couldn't stop the unbidden memories of nights she had served dinner to Sasuke at that very table and the mornings they had eaten breakfast together. She recalled how the smell of her baked goods had been enticing enough to pull him away from his paperwork for a few moments. Even that one time they had been too impatient to make it to the bedroom they had used the table as support for their amorous activities. Her cheeks heating as the memory played in her head, unable to look at her husband for fear he would know exactly what she was thinking about.
The fare was another surprise, it all comprised of typical dishes she would have usually cooked for them, miso soup, salt-grilled fish, Sukiyaki, even skewers of grilled meat. How had he put this together? It couldn't be a coincidence. Did that mean he knew she was coming way before she showed up on his doorstep? Shaking her head she tried not to over-analyze things it was only stressing her out more, but there were so many things that didn't add up and compounded by Sasuke's irrational behavior she was becoming quite wary.
For the most part they ate in silence, and her mind was preoccupied with the numerous memories aroused by being back in her former home. Initially her time spent there had been difficult and unhappy considering her loveless marriage and the tragic miscarriages, but things had made such a turn around after losing Megumi. She'd been so happy spending time getting to know her husband and recovering from her wounds, it had been such a blessing having his support, knowing that she wasn't struggling through life alone.
Hinata spent a great deal of effort trying not to look at Sasuke let alone meet his gaze, he stirred up so many emotions she thought she had buried away, the urge to touch him, even just to simply brush against his hand. The need to connect to him on any level was overwhelming and she despised her weakness, she felt so needy and desperate and it just reflected how little had changed in her heart despite all the time and distance she had put between them.
Was she really going to spend the rest of her life pining after this man?
It felt like she had been going in circles this entire time. No matter what it seemed like she was going to end up back in the same place. This wasn't the life Hinata wanted for herself. She loved Sasuke, she was always going to love Sasuke and it would be a waste of breath trying to deny otherwise, but they didn't have a future and love didn't conquer all.
More than anything she hated feeling so helpless and lost, she had spent so much time and energy towards carving out her own path, trying to be control of her life and make her own decisions. She didn't want to be the old Hinata anymore, letting people especially her family walk all over her, she didn't want to be weak and powerless, she didn't want anyone to back her into a corner and be coerced into making choices she shouldn't have to.
As the dinner plates were cleared away and the food churned in her unsettled stomach Hinata decided to engage Sasuke in conversation. She needed clear cut, straightforward answers and she was willing to put aside her apprehension and reservations if that's what it took to get them.
"Sasuke could you just tell me what you want from me? Why you won't sign the divorce papers? Hell could you tell me why I'm here sitting across the table from you in the first place?" her weariness and confusion resonating in her questions.
"Drink your coffee, Hinata", he instructed gesturing towards the aromatic blend of Blue Mountain coffee placed in front of her.
"I need you to answer my questions. I thought I knew what to expect when I came here today and somehow you have managed to turn everything upside down and yet you expect me to sit here and drink the damn coffee?" she rebuked him, her hands clenched into tight fists feeling like she could strike at him for his evasions.
Leaning back into his chair he fixed his unyielding gaze on her, his voice firm and authoritative, "You will drink the coffee if you expect me to answer any of your answers."
Hinata held back the urge to scream at him, she hated that he was holding all the cards in his hand and she was once again forced to back down and bow in submission. She wasn't used to backing down anymore, but she also know when her efforts at pushing back would a lesson in futility so she swallow her pride along with the scalding hot liquid feeling it settle unpleasantly.
Half the cup was almost gone before she noticed how cloudy her head had become, her thoughts were slow and half formed. Hinata blinked her eyes rapidly trying to clear her vision but the blurriness refused to abate, even her limbs were refusing to obey her as though she were muddling through thick, syrupy molasses.
"Sa-sas…w-what's h-happ'n" she struggled to speak, to make her lips move. The sudden onset of overwhelming fatigue had her slumping in her chair as she realized only too late what he'd done to her. Sadly her mind was not too addled to register the betrayal and hurt that struck at her core before she went under his last words echoing in her mind.
"Don't worry, Hinata. I have you."
XXX
A/N: The last few months have been crazy my lappy died, I got sick. Twice! And I'm graduating and attempting to figure out what's my next move XD Such fun.
So this chapter took forever to finish, I was supposed to include a flashback from Suna but I'll post it probably next weekend, it's not long.
Thanks for all those awesome reviews. As usual umnia has always been such a great source of encouragement. I can't wait to hear from you all.
Sincerely,
CharmGirl24.