Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it's characters, or any aspect of it. It all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Note: Okay, so as you all know there will be some lemon scenes in this FanFiction. It is rated M after all. So here is the plan. More close sexual scenes will begin in the next chapter, the lemons will begin in chapter 22 and transcend all the way up to the last chapter which will be chapter 23. I just wanted to let everyone know. As always, I hope you enjoy!

The Beauty of Power

Chapter 20

Hinata walked out of the closet, she had her hair pulled into a high bun, and a pair of gray shorts on with a baggy pink top. The Uchiha heir watched her, silently, admiring the way her slender legs were shaped, but he scowled as he couldn't see the upper portion of her body. Since the bathroom incident, he found himself wanting to touch her body, and for her to touch him. To compensate for such things, he would just walk up to her, and caress her cheek or he would stroke her arm, neck, and lips. At night, when she got up to go to the bathroom, or moved away from him, he found himself on edge. He wanted to be with her at all times even when she went out to sit on the porch.

She drove him mad, and she could get him to do mad things. Hell, if she asked him to cut himself, he'd probably be happy to oblige, and even go far as to say how deep do you want it?

He was sure by now, this is what it felt like to be… in love. He silently chuckled to himself, thinking about how he of all people could love someone.

The Hyuuga heiress met his eyes, her cheeks turned red, and she bit her lower lip.

"S-sorry." Hinata apologized.

"For what?" The Uchiha heir asked as he cocked an eyebrow.

"I-it is kind of inappropriate for me to wear t-this, I mean I know their pajamas." Hinata said as she tucked down her shorts. Sasuke walked up to her, and he grabbed her chin, gently. Sasuke's lips brushed on hers, his arm snaked around her waist, and he pushed her against him. He let out a grunt, feeling her soft mounds press against his chest, and he kissed her, hard. She let out a soft moan, her hands raked up his neck, into his hair, and she pushed his face into hers, more. He pulled away from her, teeth grazing along her neck, and she gasped for air. He took his hand, trailing his finger up and down her leg, her skin was so soft underneath his touch like silk. She gasped and let out another moan. All the noises she made, and the touch of her against him was making him hard, very fast. His finger wandered to her shorts leg, and her breath hitched. Hinata pushed him away, gently, and Sasuke smirked at her. Her face was now beet red, and she covered her face, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-san." The Uchiha heir liked how she was so timid when he pushed the line a little further, but he also thanked her for pulling away from him at the right moment. He was a man of incredible self-control, but that self-control seemed to go out the window with Hinata.

"It's fine." Sasuke said with a shrug, and he crossed his arms. There was a silence exchanged between the two. "And I don't see why you are apologizing for the clothing, in fact, I find it to be highly appropriate around me."

The Hyuuga heiress pulled her hands away from him, and she looked at him, perplexed. "What?"

"Everything is appropriate except for that shirt of yours." The Uchiha heir pointed out. "It hides your figure way too much."

"I feel a little u-undignified if I wear f-form fitting clothes." The Hyuuga heiress murmured, lowly.

"Even around the man you are going to marry?" Sasuke asked. The Hyuuga heiress remained silent, she played with the necklace he had bought her, and he scrutinized her. He had noticed that she touched it constantly, and delicately. He noticed how she marveled at it, like it was at the precious thing in the world. The Hyuuga heiress shook her head, and she smiled at him, shyly.

"No, I j-just have to get u-used to It." she admitted. Hinata then looked at Sasuke, apologetically. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-san, but I have to g-go somewhere today."

"Where?" A displeased look instantly spread across Sasuke's face.

"Sakura, Ino, Naruto, and Kiba wanted to see h-how I am doing since I got out of the h-hospital, and they agreed to t-take me out." Hinata explained.

"I see." The Uchiha heir growled as his eyes narrowed. He didn't want to be without her, not for one minute.

He was in love with her.

The Uchiha heir needed to tell her that he loved her, he needed to tell her that things had changed between them, but he would do it in a subtle way. However, he was a man of precision, and now was not the right time to tell her.

"Well, whatever." Sasuke spat. He was clearly agitated, and turned on his heels to walk away. However, Hinata ran up to him, and she wrapped her arms around him. She ran her hands up his chest, affectionately, and the Uchiha heir let out a low groan. Hinata rested her head against his back.

"I don't want to go alone." Hinata explained. "I was thinking a-about you coming with me… you know w-we go as a… couple."

"What makes you think I would like to go, I hate Naruto, and all of your friends." There was another silence exchanged between the two, and Hinata's grip on him tightened. He really didn't want to be bothered with any of it.

But, he would do anything to please Hinata, and she wanted him to go with her.

Sasuke sighed, giving into her. "What all are you doing?"

"They were going to take me shopping, and out to eat." Hinata informed.

"Fine, I'll go with you." Hinata giggled, and she lifted up, kissing him on the cheek, tenderly. "Thank you so much." The Uchiha heir grabbed her wrist, lifting up her arm, and he ran his lips from there to her elbow.

"You knew I would go didn't you?" His ash burned eyes met pale ones. "You know I can never pass up an opportunity to show everyone that you belong to me and me only."

Hinata giggled at him again. "I know." Sasuke walked hand in hand with Hinata, their fingers were interlaced, and she walked in front of him. He allowed her to lead him down the street, he admired the way that her hair glistened in the sun, and Hinata would turn around, smiling at him. She squeezed his hand every couple of minutes, and Sasuke couldn't help, but return the same smile. However, he returned to his usual aloof demeanor when he caught sight of Sakura, Ino, Kiba, and Naruto waving them down.

"Hinata!" Ino shouted. She ran over to them, her eyes flickered to their hands, and a grin spread across her face. "We haven't seen you since you have gotten out of the hospital, how are you doing."

"I-I'm great, have you been b-busy with missions?"

"A little." Ino shrugged. "Missions have been kind of slow." The Uchiha heir rolled his eyes, and Ino smiled at him. "We are so happy to have you here too, Sasuke-san, especially with Hinata, you two are so cute together!"

At that point, Sasuke wanted to impale himself with his own katana.

The things I do for her. The Uchiha heir thought as his eyes moved back to Hinata. Naruto walked up to Sasuke, and he smirked.

"I always knew you had it in you." Naruto placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and Sasuke hissed.

"I will fucking cut your arm off, dobe." Kiba sauntered to the Hyuuga heiress, and he hugged her.

"I'm glad you're okay, Hinata-chan." The Inuzuka sighed in relief. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, not liking another male touch his woman, and he pulled Hinata away from Kiba, closer to him. He glared at Kiba who held his hands up in front of him, and back away.

"W-what a-are we going to do first?" Hinata asked, curiously.

"We will go shopping if you want." Sakura proposed.

"Sounds great." The markets were busier than ever, the Uchiha heir remained silent, as Hinata caught up with her friends. However, she never left him, and her grip remained tight on his hand.

Hinata was led into a shop for women, and Ino looked at Sasuke.

"Can you stay outside of here for a moment?" Ino asked, curiously. The Uchiha heir growled, and Hinata mouthed I'll be right back. With a dissatisfied grunt, she let go of his hand, and they disappeared into the shop.

"Sasuke, I didn't know you were so fond of public affection." Naruto teased.

"If I were you, I would shut it before I cut out your tongue."

"Hey, Uchiha, I can see that Hinata is enamored with you." Kiba informed. "You better treat her well."

"And you need to mind your damn business." Sasuke growled. In order to get away from the two nuisances, he walked away from them, and went into the nearest shop.

XXXX

The Hyuuga heiress stood next to Ino, and Sakura. Ino was holding up a pair of under garments, and Sakura was pulling out a pink top.

"We're glad to see you okay." Ino informed. "Has Sasuke been taking care of you?"

"Y-yes, he has done a lot for m-me." Hinata smiled, tenderly as she thought of him...

"Does he takes care of all your needs?" Ino giggled

"It is n-not like t-that." Hinata stammered.

"Uh huh."

"Have I missed anything important?" Hinata asked, trying to change the subject.

"And Kiba and I became a couple." Ino chuckled. "It has been building up to that ever since we went out to the pond. And yesterday, it was made official.

"Oh, I am so h-happy for you two."

"So this is like a couples outing for all of us." Ino informed. "Sakura and Naruto, Sasuke and you, Kiba and I."

"I see."

"Hey. Hinata-san, can I talk to you for a moment?" Sakura inquired.

"Of course." The Hyuuga heiress was pulled to the side by Sakura, and Sakura smiled at her, kindly. They stood far away from an overzealous blond headed Yanamaka, searching through a pile of clothes.

"Don't think that I was ever against you and Sasuke, it was just that I didn't want to see you get hurt because I knew how he was or at least I thought I knew." Sakura stated. "But, I know that things are different between you two."

"Sakura-san…"

"You will have to forgive me, I was not trusting your judgment about interacting with him." The pink haired kunoichi admitted.

"Oh, there is n-no need to apologize." Hinata said, smiling.

"In fact I think all of us were like that with Sasuke." Sakura said as she frowned, and crossed her arms. "All of us were standoffish about you being around him, and that came off as us not supporting you, and for that, it is vital that we apologize. I, and the others apologize because we had our own preconceived notions about Sasuke, we could all learn from your kind heartedness."

"Thank you, Sakura-san, and I k-know that you all were just l-looking out for me." The Hyuuga heiress assured.

"He is happy, others may not be able to see it through his aloof expression, but I can see how fond he is of you." Sakura informed. "He has changed, I can see it in him, I am so happy for you, Hinata."

"Thank you, Sakura-san, I try to make him happy."

"You don't have to try too hard." The pink haired kunoichi grinned.

XXXX

The shop Sasuke had walked in was a ring shop, there were rings all lined up on tables underneath pillows, and a young man strolled up to him.

"Can I help you?"

"No." The Uchiha heir hissed. "If I wanted your help, I'd ask for it." The young man looked at him, shocked, and Sasuke sauntered to a table. He stared at the rings, intently, and a scowl came across his face.

The Hyuuga heiress would become his wife that he was sure of. So what would she like?

Sasuke needed her right fucking now. He wanted to see what the rings looked like on her hand. The Uchiha heir stormed out of the shop, and Hinata was just now coming out of their shop. She had a small bag in her hand, Sasuke grabbed her arm, and she gasped at him.

"Come with me, now."

"W-what is wrong?" Hinata asked, curiously.

"I need to see something." Sasuke led her to the table inside of the ring shop, and he pointed to a row of rings. "Try each one of these on." Hinata looked at him, baffled, and then she nodded. She tried on the rings, Sasuke remained silent, studying the way they looked on her slender hands, and the last ring Hinata tried on caught his interest. It had the biggest stone out of all the rings, three diamond shaped stones with circular ones on top, and a sliver band.

Ah yes, that is the one.

"Sasuke-san?" Hinata asked as she touched his cheek.

"Hm... I was just looking that's all." Sasuke soothed. "I'll meet you outside." He headed out the door, but not before he caught sight of the fond look she gave the ring on her finger.

XXXX

The restaurant they picked was a grill and sushi place. They all shared a long tray of different kind of sushi, and sashimi. There were multiple bowls of miso soup on the tables, and Hinata found herself holding hands with the Uchiha heir underneath the table. Ino ordered sake, but Hinata stayed away from it. She had never been fond of alcoholic drinks, and she giggled at the blushed expressions on her friends' faces.

She wondered why Sasuke had dragged her into the ring shop, it made her happy beyond belief to try them on, her visualizations of a ring on her finger becoming real, but she thought this as just a engagement for her safety. However, Hinata knew that there was reason why he had done it because he didn't do anything without a reason.

Hinata gazed upon Sasuke, he met her eyes, but she didn't shy away.

What was he thinking?

XXXX

Sasuke leaned up against the wall, he had his arms crossed, and a stoic expression on his face. In the process of them leaving, Hinata had went to the bathroom, and Ino and Kiba had left. A very intoxicated Naruto walked up to him, a goofy grin on his face, and the Uchiha heir's jaw clenched.

"So you and Hinata are a couple huh?" The blond headed Hokage asked with slurred voice. No reply. Naruto continued on. "I see you two are getting pretty serious."

"Look here, I didn't come here because I want to see any of you." Sasuke hissed. "You all could rot for all I care, I came here for her and that is it. And I don't like your concern you have for her, dobe."

"She is my friend."

"I don't care, she is mine." Sasuke growled. "You have a wife, go be concerned with her. She is my concern and mine alone. I don't have to explain a damn thing to no one."

Naruto held up his hands, defensively. "Okay, geez, sorry."

"Tch, you're a fucking nuisance." Sakura pulled Naruto by the arm, and she smiled at Sasuke.

"Sorry."

"You better be."

"Tell Hinata we will see her later." The pink haired kunoichi stated. The Uchiha heir didn't answer her, an agitated expression on his face, and he watched his former teammates leave the restaurant. Hinata walked out of the bathroom, and she looked around the restaurant.

"D-did they leave already?"

"Too drunk." The Uchiha heir informed. Hinata nodded at him, and she grimaced.

"Are you a little drunk?"

"No why?"

"You had a c-cup of sake." The Hyuuga heiress stated. "Y-you're not a least b-bit drunk?"

"No, it takes more than that." Sasuke said as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Come on, let's go."

It didn't take them long to reach the Uchiha estate, Sasuke waited for Hinata to take off her shoes at the door, and she looked up at him.

"T-thank you for coming with m-me, today." Hinata said with a smile. "I really enjoyed it."

He needed to tell her now. Now was the right moment.

"Sure, I'll do whatever you want, anata." The Uchiha heir stated. Hinata's eyes widened at him, and she turned red.

"D-did you just…" Her voice trailed off.

"What can I not call my fiancée, anata?"

"No, no, it is not that." Hinata murmured. The Uchiha heir grabbed her arm, she fell into him, and he stroked her hair. Sasuke now stared at her.

"So what kind of rings did you like that the store today?" Sasuke pressed. "I know that all women have an idea of what they want for a wedding ring, did you see anything that caught your eye when I took you in there?" Hinata's lips parted, speechless, and the Uchiha heir smirked at her. "Unable to answer huh?"

"You don't have to do that."

"Oh, no, I want to."

"But, why, I t-thought that you only agreed to m-marry me because you wanted to p-protect me."

"Are you objecting?"

"No, I love the i-idea." Hinata admitted. " but…"

" We need to talk."

" O-okay…" Sasuke grabbed her hand, and lead her into the bedroom. The Uchiha heir sat down on the bed, pulling her with him. He buried his face in her stomach, taking in a deep breath, and her sweet scent filled his lungs. Her shirt lifted up a bit, exposing some of her flat stomach.

" I really liked the biggest ring you tried on, the diamond shaped one." Sasuke informed. He took advantage of the sight of her naked torso, pressing his lips against her bare stomach, and she shivered at each one of his kisses. The Hyuuga heiress was too speechless to say anything, but he continued on.

" It is the best out of all of them, and you deserve nothing less."

" What are you saying, Sasuke-san?" Hinata asked, her voice trembling with moans and shock. He took notice of this, he looked up at her, and she reached up a hand, resting it against his cheek.

" I am not a man of words, but of action." The Uchiha heir stated. " but things have changed between you and I, I thought I wanted to marry you just for your protection, but it is not just for that anymore, there is something much more."

" a-are you saying that you.. you want to marry me b-because you love me?"

" What more would it be?" A smile grew wide on Hinata's face, and she wrapped her arms around him, warmly. The Uchiha heir could feel her love for him through the embrace. The Hyuuga heiress pulled away from him, and kissed him, sweetly.

The Uchiha heir didn't know a lot of things that could possibly kill him except for the slender woman that he held in his arms, but he gladly welcomed it.

" I love you too, Sasuke-san." Hinata beamed. Sasuke let out a soft chuckle, wrapping his arms around her waist once more, and he pressed his cheek against her torso, allowing his eyes to close just for a moment.

Hinata was the woman for him. The one and only woman he would love in this life and the next. That night when she was asleep, he did something that he didn't even think was possible, Sasuke leaned over her, and he whispered into her ear.

" I love you, Hinata."

Please review the story, I would greatly appreciate it, and I hope you all enjoyed it as there will be more to come- FireGladiator.