Chapter 5: Step 5 - Marry Me

Sasuke paced nervously in front of Hinata's door. He tugged on the collar of his white button up shirt and anxiously chewed on his bottom lip.

What if she said no? What if her love for Naruto overwhelmed his proposal?

The Uchiha collected himself somewhat and raised a trembling hand to ring the doorbell when the door swung open. His heart crashed against the walls of his chest as Hinata appeared before him. He wasn't ready to face her. Whirling around on the spot, Sasuke turned his back to Hinata, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he gnawed on the inside of his lip.

'Why does she always do this to me?' The Uchiha hated the way the beautiful brunette rattled his heart, but at the same time he loved it. She was like an adrenaline rush but he had to keep himself in check, he couldn't overwhelm her with his feelings, especially not now.

"Sasuke?" Hinata asked, her voice filled with confusion at his actions.

"Yeah?" Sasuke began but was cut off when a lump formed in his throat. Hinata looked breathtaking. She was wearing a short white drop-waist dress that flared at the hem. It wasn't indecently tight but it hugged her curves in all the right places. Her black tresses were effortlessly scooped up into a top knot with loose tendrils falling from behind her ears and onto her neck.

Sasuke's eyes wandered to a strand of hair that clung to her neck. He remembered how soft her skin had felt when he kisses her and before he could stop himself, his hand had moved on its own accord and was caressing the exposed skin, the strand of hair wrapped around the finger.

"You look beautiful," Sasuke rasped, his voice full of emotion.

There was a moment of tension filled silence as Hinata's breath caught in her throat.

"T-Thank you," She replied softly, a rosy blush staining her cheeks. This only made Sasuke want her more. He quickly removed his hand from her neck and turned his head to the side in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to, it just happened and I-"

"Thats the second time you've apologized in just a few minutes Sasuke," Hinata teased, causing the tips of Sasuke's ears to redden.

"Hn." Sasuke quickly retreated into his stoic mask. He hated how clumsy and un-Uchiha-like Hinata made him feel. Usually he was suave and the epitome of coolness, but Hinata dissolved all of that and was making him into a love-struck fool.

"Are you making fun of me Hyuuga-sama?" Sasuke quipped back, raising one dark eyebrow as he found his voice. It was her turn to stutter now.

"W-What?" Hinata exclaimed, waving her hands around in a cute manner as she desperately tried to explain herself. "N-No I didn't mean anything buy it I was just-"

Sasuke let his stern expression fall from his face as he smirked at Hinata's confusion, and then he leaned in and kissed her squarely on the lips. She squeaked and jumped back from surprise. Giving her no time to respond, Sasuke placed his hand around Hinata's wrist and led her out of the apartment and to his car waiting outside. He opened the passenger door for her, his eyes straying to her butt as she bent to slide into the seat.

'What am I doing?' Sasuke thought as his face flooded with heat. He couldn't deny that Hinata did have a very nice ass. Sasuke shook his head to clear it of any more inappropriate thoughts and made his way to the drivers seat.

It was time to start erasing Naruto from her mind.

Hinata fidgeted nervously with her fingers as Sasuke's car sped along the road. She sneaked a sideways glance at him, only to have her heartbeat immediately speed up.

What was wrong with her? Why was she getting like this over Sasuke so often?

Hinata bit her lip as she suddenly began to feel really hot. Sasuke's confession ran through her mind as it had been in the past few days since he had confessed to her. The Hyuuga heiress shifted in her seat. She could still feel the warmth from his hand on the side of her neck from earlier when he had touched her, and her lips still tingled from his kiss. She tentatively raised her fingers to her lips as she remembered the sensation of Sasuke's against hers.

'Hinata control yourself! You don't even love him that way!' Hinata mentally berated herself, but she just couldn't erase the thoughts of Sasuke from her head. She glanced at him once again but this time she met his eyes.

For a moment neither of them spoke, their gazes locked, almost suspended in time, then Sasuke cleared his throat and Hinata looked away in embarrassment.

"U-Uhm where are we going?" Hinata managed to ask, her voice just barely above a whisper and her gaze fixed on her lap.

Noticing Hinata's nervousness, Sasuke smirked. He liked making her nervous.

"Hn, you will see when we get there," he replied, a small smile curling his lips at Hinata's disgruntled expression. "But you will like it for sure," he continued, feigning confidence in his choice of venture for their date. He really hoped to Kami that she would like the evening he had planned for her.

"I think I will like it…" Hinata murmured softly, her lips creasing into a soft smile.

Sasuke sat up a bit straighter in his seat when he heard Hinata's reply. Just the thought that maybe she would enjoy wherever he took her because he would be there made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Minutes later they pulled into a parking lot in front of a large section of sunflower fields. The cool evening breeze brushed against Hinata's skin as she stepped out of the car, her eyes wide with wonder. The tall yellow flowers seemed to create a bed of soft sun petals, radiance seemed to emit from them as the low evening sunlight glistened against their stalks.

"What do you think?" Sasuke asked tentatively, his gaze fixed on Hinata's face as he carefully watched her expression. She turned to face him, her grey eyes shining with happiness.

"It's amazing Sasuke, how did you find this place?" Hinata asked, her voice full of awe.

"I just pulled some strings…" Sasuke murmured, his ears reddening slightly as he noted the awe in Hinata's eyes. Reaching over, Sasuke brushed his hand against Hinata's and let his fingers settle in her palm. He wanted to hold her hand but wasn't sure if she would let him. When she didn't pull away, he slipped his fingers in between hers and rubbed his thumb against the inside of her wrist. He could feel the heat rush to her hand and a satisfied smirk settled on his lips.

"Come," Sasuke instructed as he began to walk, pulling Hinata along with him. They made their way through stone paved paths in the sunflower field, white paper lanterns strung above them as the followed the path. The pathway gave way to a larger space of more sunflowers over which a completely glass restaurant was built. Sasuke guided Hinata to the transparent steps that led up to the restaurant, his confidence increasing as he watched her awestruck expression.

"This way Sunflower-hime," he whispered softly, placing his hand in the small of her back as they ascended the steps together. Hinata blushed at Sasuke's slightly cheesy nickname for her and a small giggle escaped her lips. He used to call her sunflower-hime when they were kids.

They entered the restaurant and made their way to a table which had been reserved by Sasuke, in addition to the entire place. He didn't want anyone interfering with his time with Hinata. When they were seated Hinata finally spoke.

"you remembered the name," she said quietly, referring to the nickname Sasuke had called her by.

"Of course I did...How could I forget something so precious," Sasuke answered, his throat constricting as numerous feelings rushed through him. He loved Hinata so much that it hurt. His dark eyes dimmed when Hinata turned away from his intense gaze. He has turned her away again.

'Crap.' Sasuke thought angrily. He felt like slapping himself, he should have known better than to voice his feelings when he knew she was still very wary of them.

'Don't turn me away...I need you.' The Uchiha bit the inside of his lip again, it was going to be sore by the end of the evening He had to make sure he hadn't scared her off in in any way.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to be so forward-" Sasuke rambled, his face heating up in embarrassment and frustration, however Hinata was quick to interject his diatribe.

"Don't apologize Sasuke, I'm glad you remembered," Hinata replied softly, smiling as her eyes shone with appreciation. "I thought you would have forgotten after all these years…" she trailed, her dark lashes brushing against her dewy skin. Sasuke's throat tightened again and he clenched his fists underneath the table to stop himself from reaching out and touching her.

For a moment Sasuke lost himself as he stared at Hinata's lashes and the way they gently brushed her skin, then he forced himself back to reality.

"Hn," Sasuke managed to rasp, his voice thick with hidden emotion and he quickly turned to look at the menu laying before him in order to hide the rawness of his feelings from the Hyuuga heiress.

After the dessert plates were taken away, Sasuke got to his feet and wordlessly reached for Hinata's hand, enjoying the tiny gasp that escaped her lips.

"Sasuke?" Hinata questioned in confusion, her brows drawn together as she let Sasuke pull her to her feet.

"I want to show you something," he replied, his demeanor giving away no clues. Sasuke paused then made his way out the door of the restaurant, his hand securely interlocked with Hinata's. As the evening sun lowered and the gentle breeze swayed the stalks of the sunflowers, Sasuke and Hinata made their way through the large field, there hands never leaving each other. As they strolled through the flowers, Sasuke noticed Hinata looking in around in amazement and she paused to smell one of the plants, giggling when a petal tickled her nose. Letting go of her hand, Sasuke bent down and gently removed her heels, he knew that her feet would have been hurting after so much walking.

"Oh, thanks," Hinata smiled at Sasuke's thoughtful gesture and restered her hand on his shoulder for balance as she slipped out of her shoes. Sasuke smiled secretly at Hinata's tiny delicate feet. When they were kids he had always teased her about having small feet, it seemed as though that part of her hadn't changed much.

"Hn, we have to keep moving, we still have a little way to go" Sasuke answered as he straightened and took Hinata's hand in his again. She giggled at his words and squeezed his hand slightly. He loved her uber feminine giggle; it did things to his heart that he really didn't mind.

"Now I really want to know what you want to show me," Hinata grinned, sending Sasuke a sly look. She suddenly felt extremely comfortable in his presence, it was almost like when they used to hangout together in the past, only they were adults and not kids.

"Hn." Sasuke smirked slightly and kept walking but on the inside he was ecstatic that Hinata was actually interested. It almost felt like a dream that he actually had her all to himself, even if it was just for a little while. Sasuke checked the time on his watch and noted that there was still at least five minutes till the time he'd set for Hinata's surprise. He noticed a small sunflower bud to his right and plucked it from it's stem as they neared a small clearing in the large flower patch. As they entered the clearing Sasuke reached over and tucked the flower bud behind Hinata's ear, his pride swelling when she blushed at his gesture. Noting her slightly flustered state, Sasuke pulled Hinata closer to him and slipped an arm around her waist, ignoring her squeaky protests.

"For you Hina-hime," Sasuke whispered, his lips dangerously close to her ear and he tilted her head upwards. Hinata had no time to answer however because the distinct sound of fireworks filled her ears and in the darkening sky above colourful sparkles erupted and her lips parted in awe. Fireworks were one of Hinata's favourite things. No matter how many times she saw them she never got tired of them.

"Oh.." she breathed in amazement as she watched the colourful explosions, her skin tingling with warmth as she noticed just how close Sasuke was and how much she didn't mind that he was close.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke moved from behind Hinata and slipped his hand into hers once more as he lowered himself onto one knee, the fierce drumbeat of his heart pounding in his ears. It was now or never.

"Hina-hime…" Sasuke rasped slightly, his face impassive but his eyes told more than any words could. "I refuse to let Naruto have you. I want you. I always have and I don't intend to let anyone get in my way, so marry me. Marry me because I love you and because you are mine." The last firework exploded in tandem with Hinata's gasp of shock as Sasuke's words hit like a bomb. The line had finally been crossed. There was no going back now.

The minutes seemed to tortuously tick by as silence washed over the couple. Night was just beginning to darken the evening sky and the breeze was picking up, it swirled the Hyuuga heiress' hair around her, she seemed trapped in a whirlwind of utter shock. Then the delicately oppressive silence broke, shattering into the night.

"S-Sasuke what is this?" Hinata stuttered as she stepped back, sliding her hand out of Sasuke's grasp. She began to feel slightly light headed. Did Sasuke, her childhood friend, just propose to her? It was almost too much for her to take in.

"It's exactly what I said. I don't intend to let Naruto or any other man have you," Sasuke said huskily as he stepped closer to Hinata. He wasn't letting her go.

Hinata stepped back even more, her hands were shaking now as tears fought their way to corners of her eyes.

"B-But you know I love Naruto-kun...why are you doing this, is it because of my Father?" Hinata felt as though someone had thrown her off the edge of a cliff. Everything was changing so fast. It wasn't that she disliked Sasuke, but after being in love with Naruto for so long she'd never considered anyone else, plus Sasuke had never noticed her in that way before. It was just too much for her to comprehend all at once, she had to get away and clear her head.

"Sasuke I need to think...could you please just carry me home?" Hinata asked, trying not to feel guilty when she saw the hurt in Sasuke's eyes. She couldn't explain why, but her heart ached at the way the muscle jumping in his jaw reflected his disappointment.

Sasuke raised his hand to brush the back of Hinata's neck his eyes dark and heavy with need for her.

"Why do you always reject me?" He asked quietly before turning and heading back in the direction they had come. But not before Hinata caught the slight catch in his voice. Her chest squeezed and her eyes burned; she had hurt him and she knew it.

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he let the steaming hot shower water beat down on his back.

"Dammit!" he yelled frustratedly, slamming his fist into the shower wall. The car ride home the previous night had been excruciating. He had been unable to look at Hinata and vice versa. She seemed to have retreated into her shell around him, but he couldn't let her go to some other man, he just couldn't.

He could feel her skin beneath his fingertips, they burned with the longing to feel her again. Sasuke raised his fingers to his lips, he wanted her skin on his lips.

Moments later Sasuke stepped out of the shower, hair still damp and a towel thrown around his neck as he paced through his apartment to the kitchen. He was in urgent need of some strong rich coffee. The Uchiha sipped the hot liquid and leaned against the kitchen counter, his eyes immediately resting on the window that looked directly into Hinata's living room.

She'd left her curtains open again, but that wasn't what interested Sasuke. He couldn't care less about the curtains, but their owner was the subject of his attention.

'Where is she?' Sasuke thought irritably. He had suddenly begun to miss her and hated how it made him feel. He wasn't used to longing after others, it was always the other way around. But before Sasuke could contemplate whether or not to reach for his phone and text Hinata, she slid into view. Her long hair was tied back in a low ponytails and her long legs were exposed in a pair of shorts. Sasuke's heart rate picked up, having absolutely no mercy on his body. A strange feeling rose in the Uchiha's stomach as he watched Hinata, but the spell was quickly broken when another figure appeared. A male figure. It was her cousin Hyuuga Neji.

Sasuke grit his teeth, dark eyes narrowing in annoyance. What was Neji doing there?

'He had better not be messing with Hinata,' the brunette thought, not caring one bit that he sounded extremely possessive, because as far as he was concerned he had every right to be; she was his.

Hinata dragged the last piece of her luggage into the small living room of her apartment. She'd decided to stay with Neji for a couple days in order to clear her thoughts. She still had to give Sasuke an answer to his proposal but she just couldn't think properly with his so close by. She needed to get away.

The front door banged open, jolting the Hyuuga heiress from her thoughts and she looked up, her gaze falling directly on a shirtless Sasuke. She couldn't prevent the blood from rushing to her face at his shirtless appearance and he arrogantly smirked at her embarrassment.

"Sasuke-san, what are you doing here?" Hinata asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Hn, I should be asking him that," Sasuke grunted, inclining his head towards Neji who and protectively stepped closer to Hinata. The Hyuuga's eyes narrowed at Sasuke's words but Hinata stepped forward, her eyes firm with determination.

"Sasuke-san I-" she started but was interrupted by a seething Sasuke. He stepped forward and grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards his chest.

"Why? Why do you keep doing this to me?" Sasuke hissed, his eyes brimming with sadness, longing, hurt and anger.

"And san? why is it Sasuke-san again?" Sasuke pulled Hinata even closer, squeezing her arm in the process. A small gasp of pain escaped her lips and she shivered. She could feel his warm breath caressing her ear. Her mind felt fuzzy, he was too close, she had to get away.

"Please...stop this!" Hinata said faintly and pushed Sasuke away from her. "I-I can't be around you right now, I need some time to think Sasuke-san….I-I'm sorry." The hyuuga heiress quickly turned away from Sasuke, she didn't want to see the pain in his eyes that she was sure was there. She couldn't bare to see just how much she had hurt him.

"Neji-nii lets go," Hinata choked out as she hurriedly made her way to the door, but she didn't reach far before Sasuke grabbed her by the wrist.

"Hina-hime…" he trailed, his voice thick and constricted. "Don't leave, I can't let you leave!"

"Sasuke-san!" Hinata yanked her wrist from his grip, she had to go before her determination wavered any further. He moved towards her again, only to have Neji step in front of him.

"That's enough Uchiha," Neji commanded icily, before turning and leading Hinata out of the room and a shocked Sasuke behind.

"Don't go...please," Sasuke whispered as Hinata's back moved further and further away from him. She had all but rejected him. She hadn't exactly said no yet but she acted as though he was so repulsive in comparison to Naruto. Why couldn't she love him? He desperately needed her to. He couldn't go on without her any longer.

Three Days Later

Hinata ran her well manicured fingers through her hair. Somehow she just couldn't work up as much enthusiasm as usual even though she was seeing Naruto today. She checked her watch, he was already five minutes late. Usually it didn't bother the patient Hyuuga, but over the past few days she hadn't been herself. A certain Uchiha refused to leave her thoughts and it was driving her crazy.

'Why am I like this?' Hinata thought frustratedly, she felt like tearing at her hair. 'I don't even love him...I can't love him, so why?' the brunette buried her face in her hands. Her heart was pounding and for the umpteenth time that day the sensation of Sasuke's lips on hers ghosted across her skin. She didn't have much time to dwell on the sensation however. because her blonde date was finally approaching the table at which she was seated.

"Hinata!" Naruto greeted loudly, his signature sunny smile firmly in place as he slid into the chair across from Hinata's.

"Hey," she responded, wringing her hands underneath the table. They were already sweaty from nervousness. How was she supposed to get around to asking him… she didn't even know how to think the question much less voice it.

"How's your day going so far?" Naruto asked, waving over the waitress with his hand. "I've just decided to take a break for lunch," he continued without giving her a chance to actually answer his question. Which Hinata was grateful for, since her day was not going well… but at the same time, did her response really not matter to him? She pushed the thought from her mind.

"Ah…" she said weakly in response, her mind fumbling for an answer that did not involve Sasuke. "I haven't really done much...I've been staying with Neji for a bit."

It was obvious she was lying but if Naruto noticed, which he probably didn't, he didn't comment on it.

"Mmhmm," Naruto mumbled absent mindedly as he checked the messages on his phone. Hinata felt as though she'd been slapped in the face. Usually his insensitivity to her presence didn't bother her much but for some reason today it just didn't sit well with her.

"So...have you gotten to talk with Sakura-san?" Hinata asked quietly, hating herself for bringing up the girl Naruto prefered over her, but she was struggling to find the right thing to say.

Naruto grinned happily, a dimple creasing his right cheek and Hinata's heart skipped a beat. His smile never failed to leave her feeling woozy.

"Yeah! I talked to her last night, I'm actually supposed to go meet her after this," he said, blue eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

Hinata's spirits sunk even further. This was not going well. However she put on a brave face and smiled pleasantly.

"Ah...I see, that's uhm great," she said, her voice faltering ever so slightly. But of course Naruto didn't notice.

The blonde male winked at her and laughed, his boyish manner forcing her to smile.

"I won't forget about you though Hina-chan!" he grinned cheekily and tweaked her nose. Heat rushed to Hinata's face and she wrung her hands again.

Dammit, she was hopeless.

"A-Ano-" Hinata begun meekly, feeling extremely annoyed that she was reverting to her shy schoolgirl ways. She didn't get much further however as Naruto let out a noise of surprise as he read a text on his phone.

"You have been invited to Hatake Kakashi's wedding…wait what?" Naruto turned to Hinata, his mouth hanging open in shock. "Hinata-chan! Kakashi-sensei is getting married! Did you get invited too?"

Hinata quickly checked her phone before shaking her head. She wasn't close to Kakashi so she hadn't expected to be invited.

Naruto sighed and absently ruffled his hair.

"Marriage is so weird, I can't believe Kakashi-sensei is doing it!"

Hinata's stomach suddenly felt queasy at Naruto's words. He thought marriage was weird? the brunette felt even more discouraged. But she couldn't let the opportunity slip by, she had to find out his opinion on the subject as she didn't have much time left before her father forced her into an arranged relationship.

"N-Naruto-kun you think marriage is weird?" Hinata asked quietly, her nervousness causing her to stutter slightly. The blondie cast Hinata a puzzled look and shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah I guess I do...I mean I'm just not really into it right now, at least I haven't really thought about it much. But I don't think I would mind marrying Sakura-chan though."

Hinata froze. He didn't mind marrying Sakura? What had he been doing with her up until now?

She bit her lip as tears of confusion threatened to form. She was not going to cry.

"Oh…" Hinata choked out, licking her lips which had suddenly became dry. But Naruto didn't notice her painful expression, he was too busy checking his phone.

"Hinata I have to go now, Sakura-chan said she wanted to see me a bit earlier. So if you don't mind…" Naruto trailed, his eyes full of pleading. Hinata silently nodded and forced a smile, her throat felt dry and constricted. She couldn't find any words, her voice seemed to have completely left her.

"Yay! Thank you Hinata-chan, you're the best!" Naruto exclaimed, then grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and raced out the door of the cafe, leaving a stunned Hinata behind.

Hinata gripped her hands together under the table as she scrambled to gather her thoughts. Her heart felt as though a thousand needles were pricking it over and over again. But still, she couldn't bring herself to hate Naruto, which she knew she probably should if even a little. But she just couldn't.

'I'm really pathetic,' Hinata thought as she rested her head in her hands. She could feel a headache coming on. Before she could allow herself to sink further into her self deprecating thoughts, her phone vibrated in her lap, signaling that a text had just come in.

Hinata swiped her finger across her phone screen to view the message, hoping deep in the recesses of her mind that it was from Naruto.

It was Sasuke.

'I miss you,' the text read and before Hinata knew it a tear slipped down her cheek. Her answer was was clear. It wasn't what she wanted and she still didn't love Sasuke but it was better than being forced into a marriage with someone her father chose.

'Sasuke I have decided my answer to your question.' Hinata quickly typed back to Sasuke and hit the send button just as the tear dripped off the end of her chin and onto her phone screen.

There was no going back now.

A/N: Guyssss I'm back! Yes Yes I didn't die! life just really kicked me in my imaginary balls. Hehe so the SasuHina drama is back! Pleaaaaaseeee review, even if its just to yell at me for not updating for ages. Luv you all! (pls don't kill me, I updated) lol.