Edit 13/01/10 - I've made some minor changes to the first two chapters again, fixing grammar and paragraph structure, so the story moves a bit better.

"Speaking current tense"

"Speaking past tense"

'Thinking current tense'

This is fanifc, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 1: A Late Realisation - Part 2

'That idiot better hope he's not dead.'

Hyuuga Hinata stood silently, looking out the window of the Hokage's office, scanning the city of Konoha as her mind continued to go over the events of the last few days.

It had all started innocently enough. Five days ago she found herself with two days off between missions, while her fiancé, Naruto, had just returned from a solo s-rank mission and was given a few days break by the Hokage.

Their time together had been limited since they announced their engagement five months prior, so, naturally they wanted to spend it together. Hinata just wanted to spend some time alone with her husband-to-be, cooped up inside their apartment being naughty. Naruto, however, wanted to spend the time outdoors, and knowing that she'd rather be indoors, acted like a casanova and convinced her to go on a date with him. She couldn't say no to his smile.

Their date consisted of some shopping in the morning, followed by a picnic in the park. After that they got into some mischief, pranking several civilians and ninja's, and then got into trouble when they were caught in the middle of a heavy make-out session by a class of students, and a very irate Iruka, on academy grounds. They ran all the way back to their apartment and once they made it inside, collapsed in a fit of laughter that lasted for several minutes.

Hinata was the first to get up, wiping tears from her eyes from how hard she laughed, and made her way to the kitchen to prepare something to eat for dinner. Naruto had other ideas. As she was just going to open the fridge, he appeared beside her in a flash, his left hand firmly keeping the door closed as he used his right hand to cup her chin, angling it up towards his own, stealing a kiss while their eyes remained locked.

"I'll make you something special my hime." With that husky tone in his voice, Hinata knew she was in for a treat.

Several hours later, they both collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily as sweat glistened their naked bodies, several objects broken and the sheets strewn about the room from their passionate love-making.

A small smile graced Hinata's lips at that memory as she continued staring out over Konoha. 'He sure knows how to make a girl feel special.'

Hearing the soft clink of the empty sake bottle on the hardwood that made up the Hokage's desk, Hinata stole a quick side-glance at the woman seated behind it. Tsunade was currently on her second bottle of sake, the first being a warm-up to the second that would undoubtedly help her deal somewhat with the current predicament.

Hinata couldn't really blame her. Tsunade was getting older, not matter what her outside appearance led people to believe. However, lately her age had been really starting to show, with the biggest indicator being the gradual slipping of her famous henge.

Tsunade was getting too old for the top job, but she wasn't about to step down until the person she had decided on to replace her was ready. So she stayed as Hokage, running Konoha in the interim. Unfortunately her replacement was not ready, and to make matters worse, he was currently missing. Watching Tsunade drink another cup of sake, a sorrowful expression adorning her face as the liquid passed her lips, Hinata turned back to the window as some birds flew by.

'If only you could see what you're doing to her Naruto, you'd hurry back no matter what.' She wasn't sure why she thought Tsunade needed him more than her, Hinata just knew that if he didn't make it back soon, many people, Tsunade included, would be adversely affected. Needless to say, he had slowly gone from outcast to the very heart and soul of Konoha, depending on who you asked, and to lose him now would be devastating.

Hinata knew though, that no matter how hard she tried to think of the well-being of others in the current situation, she just couldn't help but think selfishly. She knew she shouldn't be ashamed to be thinking only of herself in response to Naruto being missing, however, she kept returning to troubles of other.

No doubt it had something to do with his own selfless actions for the village and its people rubbing off on her, making her feel obliged to take up his mantle in his absence. That's not to say Hinata didn't care for the well-being of those she swore to protect, she just didn't take it to the same levels of Naruto.

'Not until recently anyway.' Naruto had affected her a great deal, Hinata realised, as her thoughts drifted over the last few months. Her confidence had increased, she had become more outgoing, and she noticed that she spoke her mind a lot more and let her actions reflect her true feelings. It had been troubling initially, especially when dealing with her family.

However, those instances were nothing compared now, as she continued to stand in the Hokage's office, anger once again taking control, her body shuddering as she tried to remain calm and focused.

'What has that idiot done to me!' For several moments her body shook, the need to destroy something slowly receding, while Tsunade started her third bottle. Finally calm, the heiress of the Hyuuga clan sighed, closing her eyes as she let her body slump slightly.

It had been rather unexpected when several months ago she noticed a slight change within herself. Initially it had been an odd feeling that would come and go depending on what time it was and where she was. Then it started becoming more constant, tormenting her for long periods throughout the day. It wasn't until the feeling was constantly nagging her that she decided to get it checked.

Tsunade gave her a perfect bill of health. The result was not a relief. Frustrated, she stormed back home to find Naruto on the sofa in the living room, having just returned from a mission. Later that night she noticed something. The strange feeling that had been assaulting her was gone. Putting two and two together, she quickly deduced that the feeling she had was a reaction to how close Naruto was to her.

When she brought it up to Naruto, he just smiled and said 'of course' like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Apparently he had been having the same feeling in relation to her and found out that because they were together they now had some sort of bond that let the other know how close they were, what they were feeling, and most importantly, the other's well-being. Naruto put it down to something that happened because of the fox being sealed in him.

The fact that he had kept this piece of information to himself for so long had angered her further. Needless to say, from that day on Naruto was a lot more forthcoming with information that concerned them both.

Straightening her posture as she continued her silent vigil, Hinata once again tried to use the connection she had with Naruto to find out if he was okay. For two days now, a dark empty feeling unlike anything she had experienced with her connection to Naruto had resided with her. She didn't like it. Hinata knew the feeling she had meant only one of two things. Either Naruto was in serious trouble, or he was dead.

It angered her like nothing she had ever experienced. Yesterday when she first had this feeling, she destroyed half the apartment before she calmed herself enough to go outside, where she opted instead to destroy several training grounds. Now she alternated between bouts of anger followed by calm as she tried to gain control of her warring emotions. Deep down she knew though that it wouldn't end til she knew Naruto was safe.

Turning her head slightly back towards the Hokage, Hinata watched as an Anbu appeared in a swirl of leaves, kneeling before the village leader's desk. "Hokage-sama, Uchiha Sasuke is now within sight of Konoha."

Putting down her empty cup of sake, Tsunade regarded the Anbu operative for a second. "Has he made any suspicious movements?"

"No Hokage-sama. Uchiha Sasuke has not made any suspicious or hostile movements. He has continued along the same path, making no deviations. He is also severely injured." Finishing the report, the lone Anbu waited patiently for Tsunade to respond.

"I see. Return to observing him. Inform Kakashi of his whereabouts and that Kakashi is to tell him to come straight here. Dismissed." Nodding, the Anbu disappeared in swirl of leaves while Tsunade poured herself another cup of sake.

Hinata watched the whole exchange, and was about to comment on Tsunade's excess of drinking when she was interrupted. "If you want to kill him, you can. I won't hold it against you." The casualness in Tsunade's voice shocked Hinata.

"I..."

"If you're worried about being arrested for murder, don't be. After all the Uchiha is a missing-nin. We're well within our rights to deal with him as we see fit, whether he surrenders willing or not." Having interrupted her again, Tsunade now put down her cup and turned to face Hinata, all signs of the binge-drinking session now gone from her body.

For several seconds Hinata and Tsunade stared at each other, both studying the other. "It pains me to say it, but I would like nothing better than to kill the Uchiha and be done with it." Her eyes still locked with Tsunade's, Hinata then turned back towards the window and gazed out over the village. Closing her eyes, Hinata then let a sigh escape her lips from the built-up tension.

"However, while the Uchiha is alive, he is of some use, and I will need every tool and advantage I can get if I am going to successfully rescue Naruto." Turning back towards to Hokage, Hinata's cold gaze locked with Tsunade's.

Shivering slightly from the intensity of Hinata's eyes, Tsunade swivelled her chair so that she was looking over her desk again, then proceeded to fill another cup with sake. "If that is what you want, then so be it Hinata." Taking a sip of her drink, Tsunade stole a quick side-glance at the heiress beside her. "I just hope you know what you're doing." Tsunade then downed the rest of her drink as silence filled the office.

'I hope I do to, because Naruto may not forgive me.'

Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.