I opened my eyes the following day, expecting to see Sasuke by my side. Instead, I awoke staring at no one with his poncho serving as my blanket and the coat I gave to him as a pillow now resting underneath my head. Against one of the walls in the space, our bags sat next to each other along with Sasuke's sword, which told me that he could not have gone far. Undoubtedly, Sasuke is a capable ninja, but having just recovered from a major case of chakra poisoning made me worry for his safety, so I took the poncho off and attempted to stand when pain shot through my abdomen, forcing me to lie down again.

I winced in pain as I held my throbbing torso. It hurt, though I willed myself to at least face the direction of the waterfall where I might catch a glimpse of my missing friend. As soon as I found it, my heart began to race rapidly.

Naked, Sasuke stood under the waterfall, washing himself off. His clothing sat near the waterfall, and I had wished that I had noticed them before I saw Sasuke exposed; that way, it could have at least aroused a suspicion within me of him possibly taking care of his hygiene. Luckily, his back faced me, so I did not see his… frontal private area. Still, feeling the blood flow to my head, I turned around, lying on my back as I waited for him to finish and clothe himself.

Moments later, I heard wet footsteps slapping across the ground, soon coming to a halt circa where I saw his clothes. After I found it safe to face him once more, I greeted him with a smile and said "Good morning."

He had just finished putting his pants on, and his upper body glistened as droplets of water fell from his pectoral muscles. I stopped myself from gawking at his mesmerizing body for too long and I let my eyes shift elsewhere. Unintentionally, I found his left arm.

I never received the chance to see it exposed since Sasuke typically wore a long-sleeved shirt with a long poncho to hide it. I expected the entire limb to be missing, but only half of it was gone from the elbow downwards.

Tearing my eyes away, I said "I-I am sorry. I did not mean to stare."

"It's okay. It's not like I'm ashamed of it or anything," he said. "You were bound to see it eventually anyway."

I gave him a crooked smile. "How are you feeling?"

Sasuke put his shirt on, adjusting it before he picked up his semi-flak jacket. "Better than I have in a long time. Thank you, Hinata."

He offered me a genuine smile and I began to blush again along with a racing heart. "I-It was the least I could do since you have done so much for me."

"Well, you saved my life. That is more than what many have done for me."

"I would do it again," I said.

His face softened. "I would do the same for you."

Feeling bashful, I decided to change the subject. "Now that you are feeling better, we should resume our journey."

When I attempted to stand up, pain shot through my abdomen again, sending me back down where I once laid. I tried to hide it from Sasuke, but the grimace on my face told him more than enough.

Knelt at my side, he asked "What's wrong?"

With a frown, I told him "Yesterday, I ran into the ronin pursuing you. I fought them, and I won; however, I fell victim to one of their attacks. I hoped that I could sleep it off, but it appears that it has gotten worse."

"Let me see."

My eyes widened. "N-No. Where the wounds rest is in a place I do not want you to see."

"You saw me naked. Where the injury is could not be in a place more exposing than that."

"I-I did not see you…"

He gave me a knowing look.

Face red, I said "I did not mean to. If I made you uncomfortable in any way, I apologize greatly."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable. In fact, I didn't mind at all that you saw me. I'd rather have it be you than anyone else."

I could only guess the full meaning of his words, especially since I picked up a flirtatious tone in his speech.

"Either way, you have to take care of your injury before it gets worse. I won't push you to do anything you don't want to, but I don't mind helping," he said.

It was difficult for me to even consider complying to his wishes despite knowing that he would never intentionally harm me, but after thinking it through, I decided that it would be best to allow him to assist me. There were areas on my back that I could not reach that he can, so I after I sat up from the ground, I directed him to where I carried healing ointment in my bag. Once he brought it over, I removed the obi around my waist, and I timidly removed my shirt, revealing a white brassiere.

A man has never seen me exposed like this before, not even Kiba or Shino when were out on missions for weeks, so when I caught Sasuke staring at me after I removed my shirt, I was not sure how to react. Naturally, I felt shy, but more so than the bashfulness, I did not mind him staring, especially with how he looked at me. Even though I am not experienced when it comes to amatory emotions or actions, I could easily see that Sasuke's eyes glossed over with desire.

"Can… Can you, um, apply some to my back?" I asked.

Realizing that he had been gawking for too long, Sasuke's face took on a pinkish tint and he took his place behind me to do as I asked. As he coated a light layer of medicine to my shoulder blades and spine, I did likewise to my ribcage and stomach region. My ribcage in particular was very sensitive so, in turn, Sasuke finished before I had.

"Does it hurt that much?" he asked.

Slowly applying the medicine, I retracted my hand once I reached a sensitive spot and I released a humorless laugh. "Yes, though I am trying to not think of the pain."

He watched me in earnest before he said "Lay down."

I looked up at him, eyes wide. "W-What?"

"I'll do it for you. Just lay down, Hinata."

"S-Sasuke, that is not necessary…"

Sasuke ushered me to the ground of the aperture. "I wasn't asking."

Lying before him with my belly exposed, Sasuke received a good look at the damage done to my body. The chakra influenced blows the larger ronin gave me, turned the fair skin on the left side of my ribs and my right hip a deep black and blue. I had taken blows to my face as well, but those injuries were not nearly as bad or noticeable as my torso.

"Which ronin did this to you?" he asked, anger hinting behind his words.

"That does not matter."

"What do you mean 'it doesn't matter'? Have you seen what he's done to you?" Sasuke reopened the jar of ointment, anger replacing the desire in his dark orbs. "I hope you left him alive so I can kill him."

"He is dead, but I did not kill him…"

After scooping up some of the gelatinous medicine, he asked me "If you didn't, who did?"

I furrowed my eyebrows as I frowned. "A puppet that belongs to Lord Toneri. He used one of those weapons I told you about to do it… He knows where I am."

Sasuke stiffened slightly. "Do you think he's coming for you?"

"I do not know. If he is, it is unclear whether he will try to harm me or begin the wedding ceremony where we stand."

Lightly rubbing the ointment on my hip, Sasuke said "If he tries to hurt you, I will protect you with my life. If he wants to marry you what will you do? Will you go through with it?"

"I…" I paused to think it over. After learning what Lord Toneri is capable of, fighting against him seems like the option that makes the most sense, yet that option is also risky since my legacy's existence is at stake. On another note, I could marry him as originally planned, but if I were to do so, what would that mean for the rest of the world? It is more than unlikely that he will cease his devious plans if I were to ask as his wife, which might lead to fighting eventually anyway. I may not know my fiancé that well, but I do not believe he will have a change of heart.

"You don't have to decide now, but you have to figure it out soon. The Land of Fire is only a day away by foot," said Sasuke.

"I will have my answer before then."

With more medicine on his fingers, Sasuke gently started to apply it to the left side of my abdomen. "I will support any decision you make."

I smiled. "Thank you. Knowing that puts me at ease."

"Don't thank me yet."

Gently, Sasuke spread the gelatinous ointment from my mid-torso up to my ribcage, occasionally retracting his hand whenever I flinched. He applied more in the most sensitive areas, eventually working his way up to where my brassiere met my ribs, each touch leaving a lingering sensation of heat that made my heart race incredibly fast, and I soon felt myself beginning to blush. Not only did his touch feel good, it also made me feel something that I never have before. Despite once having strong feelings for Naruto, whenever he casually touched me, it never made me feel like this.

"It doesn't take much to make you blush," he said.

Instinctually, I covered my face with my hands once I felt my face growing hotter under his observation. "I… I am not b-blushing!"

He chuckled. "You don't have to deny it; it's only me."

Still hidden behind my hands, I hesitated for a moment before I told him "I am denying it because it is you."

Sasuke stared at me, his hand frozen on my ribcage. "What do you mean by that?"

I bit my bottom lip to hold back the words that threatened to slip from my tongue. Now was not the time to express sentiment, not that I would ever receive the opportunity to express my newfound feelings. When I am with Sasuke, it is easy to forget that I am engaged.

I removed Sasuke's hand from me as I proceeded to stand up. The ointment is fast-acting, but not fast enough. With each motion I made to rise from the ground, waves of pain spread throughout my mid-section.

"We need to move onward," I said after I put on my shirt.

Sasuke approached me with my purple obi in his hand, offering it to me. I took it from him, and as I pulled my hand away from him, he quickly grabbed my wrist. The abrupt action startled me, making me jolt, and then I stiffened up. Something within me told me not to look at his face, though I could feel his eyes on me the entire time I encouraged myself to concentrate my attention on his hand. Then, when he realized that I would not meet his gaze, he drew so close to me that I could feel the heat radiating off his body.

My breath caught.

"Hinata," he said in such a way that made my legs tremble. "What did you mean by what you said?"

"It… It does not matter."

"It matters to me, and I think it matters to you too. Otherwise you wouldn't be trying to avoid this."

"Sasuke…"

"Do you like me?" he asked.

I looked up at him, shocked that he asked me that. "We are friends," I stated.

"Yes, I know. Do you like me more than a friend?"

Whatever reflected in my eyes told him more than I intended. Wrapping his arm around my waist to pull me against his body, he kissed me, and I did not resist. His lips were soft and tender as he met mine repeatedly, all of his kisses given with equal fervor. For a moment, I did not know what was happening, but once I did, I found myself joining in as I came to terms with him taking my first kiss. Everything about this felt right – the warmth, the touch, the sense of perpetual floating I had been informed about. I had forgotten about all of my worries and I let myself succumb to the safety of his hold until I remembered where my duties lied.

Breaking the kiss, I turned my head. I said "Please, do not make this harder for me than it already is."

"I'm sorry." When he released me, I instantly felt like I was missing something. "I overstepped my boundaries."

"Friends do not kiss friends."

He looked at me. "Friends also don't let friends touch them in suggestive areas."

Face red, my heart skipped a beat. "T-That… I-I…"

"Call it whatever you want. I know what you feel for me, and in case you're too dense to realize how I feel about you, I'll tell you." Staring down at me with longing in his eyes, Sasuke cupped my cheek. "I like you, Hinata. I like you more than a friend, and I have for a long time."

Even though he claimed to "like" me, I knew better than that. The reflection in his eyes mirrored Naruto's when he stared at Sakura – the same reflection in my eyes when I used to look at Naruto.

He was in love with me.

"E-Even if I did not have to marry Lord Toneri, we could not be together," I said as I gently removed his hand.

"Why not?"

"Because you are the last Uchiha and I am the Hyuga heiress. If we were to fall subject to our desires, then I would not be able to claim my right as the leader of my clan. The child that I must produce to achieve my birthright cannot belong to you – it must have the Byakugan."

"I don't care about that, and neither should you. If you want to be with me, we can find a way to save your family and make a future of our choosing."

"This is the path I have chosen! This is the path I have been walking down since my birth. I need to fulfill my task, and I cannot do that with you as my suitor."

He studied me. "Do you truly want to lead your clan? Or is that something your father has brainwashed you into thinking?"

I flinched at his skepticism. "I want to be the leader of my clan. My rule is what they need to change how our ancestors perceived us."

"You have a younger sister, right? I've met her; she has the same ideals you do. She can take your place, and I'm sure she would if you asked."

I furrowed my eyebrows and tightened my fists. "No, not Hanabi. She does not have what it takes to be the leader. Not only that, I cannot imagine her producing an heir to succeed her. To even think about asking her is selfish."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Have you even asked her? Much like yourself, you can't let someone make your decisions for you. You have to choose your own path."

"I have chosen my own path," I insisted.

Picking his poncho up from the ground, he said "Keep telling yourself that, and maybe you'll genuinely believe it."

After putting on his wool poncho, he walked to the corner of the aperture to equip his sword and knapsack, leaving me fuming where I stand.

Calling to me from the exit, Sasuke said "Before we go to the Land of Fire, we should stop by the Hidden Waterfall Village to wash your kimono. You don't want to marry your beloved Toneri with dirt on it, do you?"

I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could get a word out, Sasuke passed through the waterfall. I did not want to anger him further by keeping him waiting, so I grabbed my belongings and followed behind him to our destination. I cared for Sasuke – I cared for him more than I wanted to admit to him – so knowing that I upset him tore at my heart. He made me wonder if I should go through with marrying Lord Toneri.