Author's Note: I do not own Naruto. I really have no good excuse for the amount of time that I have let go by since my last update. I apologize to those of you who were looking forward to it. As usual it has been family and school keeping me busy. Needless to say here is the next chapter and while it may be a bit choppy it is probably the longest chapter I have written yet. So enjoy it and hopefully the next update will come out shortly. Thanks for those of you who are still reading.


At 4 a.m. in the morning, when the rest of the town was asleep, three people lay awake in their beds unable to welcome the sleep that they wanted. One of them was Hinata. She had crawled into bed a little more than an hour ago and was laying on her back staring up at her ceiling. She had tried sleeping but it had been useless. She hadn't been able to shut off her mind. It was in overdrive as she tried to process her evening. So much had happened in the last few hours that she didn't know what to do. There was no denying the fact that she liked Sasuke and perhaps a bit too much but at the same time she had just learned quite a bit about him that she wasn't sure she could handle.

For one thing Sasuke rode for Orochimaru and that man gave her the creeps. There was something off about him and she knew that he was involved in some bad business though she wasn't sure what exactly that business was. Secondly Sasuke obviously was involved in whatever that business was as well. He had been talking about shipments and as much as she would rather deny it, she figured those shipments were dealing with something illegal. Her first guess was drugs but she supposed it could be anything. She wasn't exactly sure what a "shipment" was considered to be. And finally even if she could overlook these things, pretend they weren't real or that they didn't mean anything, she couldn't even close her eyes without seeing the image of Sasuke with a gun in his hands.

What would have happened if he had caught her there? Would he have shot her and Naruto? She shivered slightly at the thought even encased by the warmth of her sheets. She had never really thought of him as dangerous but he had looked that way with his gun in hand and his eyes alert. He had been ready to take some sort of action and that was the scariest part. She couldn't handle this. Whether she liked him or not, she was not about put herself into a situation where she might possibly be drug into something like that. She was not that type of person.

Hinata rolled over in her bed and buried her face into her pillow. She needed to sleep. She had to race Sasuke tomorrow and he was one of the top racers in her bracket of racing. Not getting any sleep wasn't going to help her win and she did want to win even if it was against Sasuke. She tossed her covers off and then pulled them back on before flipping from side to side in a desperate attempt to get comfortable and yet sleep just never came.

On the other side of town Sasuke sat at his desk with his head in his hands and his elbows resting on the smooth wooden surface of the desk. Papers were strewn out around him, some on desk and others littering the floor. Over and over his mind kept replaying Kabuto's promise. 'It will be done.' Obviously they didn't trust him to beat Hinata on his own but the more important picture was that they wanted a guarantee that he would win. The only way for them to do that was to go after Violet. The question then became how would they do it. And once he had that question answered he then had to determine how he would stop them. Because he knew that there was no way he could sit around and let anything happen to her.

Granted he also knew that he was putting everything he had been working for at risk for this. He hadn't really meant for anything to happen this way. He had let himself get involved emotionally with someone when he had done his best to keep himself closed off to everyone. And finally he allows himself to open up and it gets him here. She might be killed because of him. While he wasn't doing anything directly it didn't make him feel any better. Violet was in danger and she had no idea. He had to do something to protect her without anyone knowing he was doing so. He wasn't sure that that was even possible. But as he stood up from his chair to pace his room, he realized that it didn't matter if it was possible or not. Because no matter what he was going to protect her.

The thought brought his pacing up short and he stood in the center of the room for a moment reviewing it in his head. It had been such an easy decision. He was willing to throw it all away to make sure she was safe. It really wasn't even something he had to consider. When had his feelings turned this strong? How was it that one girl whose real name he didn't even know, could become so important to him so quickly? But she had because her safety was more important to him than anything else at the moment. He didn't want to think about something happening to her. And so with a newly found determination Sasuke sat back down at his desk and ran through his mind over and over again what tomorrow could possibly bring.

Finally not too far away from where Hinata tossed and turned, the guy who never had a single problem falling asleep, lay awake. Shikamaru stared out the window of his room and into the darkness that soon enough would be fading into a soft gray as the sun made its way above the horizon to chase away the night. He wasn't entirely sure what it was but something was nagging at him and preventing him from falling asleep. He had never had much of a problem tuning out his thoughts and feelings and falling asleep wherever and whenever he chose but tonight was different. Tonight he had this cold feeling that the coming day wouldn't be good. He had the feeling that something was going to happen though he had no reason to feel that way. Tomorrow wouldn't be any different than usual. It was just another race for Hinata, just another night at rally. And yet deep down in his gut he simply couldn't shake the feeling that tomorrow everything was going to change.

Morning came far too quickly in the sense that Hinata had gotten no sleep, but it certainly had seemed to take forever for the black of the night to fade away to the pale gray sky outside her window. She may have drifted in and out of consciousness but she felt exhausted and yet still she was unable to sleep. There was simply no turning off her mind. So instead of trying to force herself to sleep once again, she pulled her covers off and set her bare feet on the cool hardwood floor. The room was just light enough for her to see but still the room was quite shadowed as she silently padded across the floor and into the bathroom. The door creaked ever so slightly as she pushed it open and seemed to shatter the silence of the early morning. For a moment she froze where she was standing and strained against the silence to hear some sort of response to the noise, but there was nothing.

She let out a breath that she had not realized she had been holding. She closed her bathroom door quietly behind her and heard the soft click as the door shut. She turned the lock over, not that she expected anyone to be awake or to come into her room, but she didn't want to take any chances. Hinata opened up the bottom drawer and pulled out the simple black mask that did so much for her. She turned it over in her hand, brushing the tips of her fingers along the fabric. She sighed out loud and set the mask down of the counter before her. Hinata tugged the hair out of the ponytail she had put it up in to sleep and let her long hair fair down her back. She ran her hands through her messy hair and pushed her bangs to the side to tuck them behind her ear.

She opened up the cabinet in front of her and pulled out her contacts. She took a moment and put on the violet contacts, blinking a few times once they were in. She added a swipe of mascara and some eyeliner and then finally pulled on her mask. She lifted her gaze to the girl that peered back at her in the mirror. She never could get over the sight of seeing herself in the mirror as Violet. It seemed impossible that someone like this really existed inside of her, hidden from the world and set free by a silly little mask. She lifted her hand to the mirror and reached out until her fingers touched the cool surface of the glass, the reflection mirroring what she was doing.

How Hinata longed to be the girl she was staring at, the confident one, the one who had self-esteem and charm. She wanted to abandon the mask, shed the contacts and let the world see her and the thought was terrifying. She could never be that girl, she didn't have the strength to take the risk and let it all out there. She was afraid. The fear had never sat well with her, and it didn't now, but it was the true. When all the excuses were stripped down and everything was let out into the light, the simple true was that she was afraid of what everyone would think. It was a weakness she had always had, and one she supposed she always would. Until the day came when she was able to shed the mask, she was a coward. At least that was how she saw herself. And until she shed that mask she was also a liar.

Perhaps not a liar so much as she was not telling the truth, but how could she fault Sasuke for not telling her the truth about whatever it was that he was involved in. While the situations were different, they were more alike than what they seemed at first glance. Sasuke wouldn't tell her the truth because he felt as though she wouldn't accept it. And she wouldn't tell him the truth either because she believed he would walk away from her.

She pulled the mask from her face them and quickly removed her contacts as tears threatened to brim over her eyes. She turned the water on in the sink and grabbed a rag to scrub away the makeup and hide the tears from herself as they began to spill over. It was rather clear now. Sasuke had been right, she wouldn't accept the truth from Sasuke, it didn't matter how much she liked him if he was involved in what she thought he was involved with. She would walk away even if it would hurt. And Sasuke would walk away from her if he ever found out the truth. Only in his case she supposed it really wouldn't hurt so much as be an embarrassment. They weren't meant to be and no silly mask was going to change that. The whole thing had been doomed from the start.

Hinata dropped the rag by the sink and sat down on the edge of the shower. She placed her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. She took a few deep breaths as she sat there regaining her composure. She told herself again and again that there was no need to get worked up over this yet. She would have to talk to Sasuke first and find out the truth, maybe there really was some sort of explanation for this. And if there wasn't she would deal with it then. Plus she had a race to think about. Despite the way she was feeling, she had to focus on that. She owed it to everyone else to push aside her feelings and drive at her best ability. And this wasn't going to be an easy race to win. Sasuke was just as good as herself if not better. Despite everything else she would at least find out the answer to that tonight.


By the time nine o'clock rolled around, the exhaustion had given way to nerves which was actually keeping Hinata wide awake. She found herself quite jumpy, sitting there waiting for Shikamaru to call her and tell her he was here. She had her phone in her hand, and was sitting on her bed, practically jumping out of her skin every time she heard her father move around downstairs. She stood up from the bed, and crossed to the full length mirror that was hung on her closet door. She paused and studied herself for a moment, her head tilted to the side in scrutiny.

She supposed she had gone slightly over the top tonight with her clothes, but tonight of all nights was perhaps the best night to do it. She had the race, which in itself was incredibly important, but she also wanted to confront Sasuke, and to do that a little extra confidence was going to help. She was wearing a miniskirt for one thing. The Tripp mini was a black and white ripped fishnet print skirt that was all of twelve inches. It showed a lot of leg, had a pleated bottom and front lace-up detailing. Rather than bare legs, she had on a pair of black fishnet stockings and a pair of Demonia wrap around double strap boots, that added three inches to her height and came to about mid calf. For a top she had chosen a black and purple buckle corset that played off the violet contacts she wore. She also wore black lace-up arm warmers that went from around her thumb up to her elbow.

She had on black eyeliner, mascara, and smoky eye shadow as well as a bit of lip gloss and cover up to hide the shadows under her eyes. Her bangs were straightened and swept to the side, though still covering most of her right eye. The rest of her hair was straightened and teased, giving it a slightly messy look. As it was, Hinata barely recognized herself as Violet in the mirror. She ran a hand nervously through her hair and then shook her head. Since when did Violet get nervous? She knew the answer to that dealt with dealing with a certain dark eyed boy, but she tried to push the thoughts out of her mind until it was actually time. Just then the phone buzzed in her hand and she glanced down at the phone. The caller id showed Shikamaru so she turned away from the mirror and grabbed her black crop top jacket from the bed post where she had hung it. She shrugged on the jacket, tucked her phone into the pocket, as it was the only pocket anywhere on this outfit, and then climbed out her window.

It wasn't easy to maneuver down a tree in the clunky boots and the skirt she wore, but somehow she managed without tearing anything. She glanced back at the house for a moment before hurrying off to meet Shikamaru. She was glad that the weather was warmer tonight and she wasn't freezing in the skirt she was wearing. Hinata smiled when she saw Shikamaru waiting where they usually met. She smiled and climbed into the truck, closing the door and pulling on her seatbelt.

"Hey Shika," she said pleasantly, doing her best to hide the nerves that were eating away at her. Hinata glanced over at Shikamaru when he didn't say anything and she found him staring at her. "What," she demanded.

Shikamaru shook his head and then turned put the truck into gear. "You look…" He seemed to struggle to find the right word.

"Look what," Hinata prodded, wondering what it was that he had to say.

"You look hot… troublesome but hot," he finally said. Hinata laughed and punched Shikamaru on the arm lightly. "Just don't tell Temari I said that. I am kind of afraid of what she might do if she found out I said that," he said with a slight grimace.

"Fine your secret is safe with me," she said with another laugh. "Are we picking up Naruto and Sakura," she asked, still slightly unable to grasp the concept that Sakura was going with Naruto to the race.

"Yeah he and Sakura are ready to go," he said before glancing over at Hinata. "And Hinata, relax okay? Or at least try to. You are coiled tight as a spring. I'm sure the race will go fine," he said before turning his attention back to the road.

"It isn't the race I am worried about," she whispered softly enough that Shikamaru didn't hear her. The race was after all only one part of the long night she had ahead of herself.

Hinata got to the track rather quickly considering she hadn't wanted to stick around the garage very long. First Lee had asked her out, not once but multiple times and of course Guy had been there cheering Lee on each time. It was enough to make her wish she had chosen something different to wear. On top of that Jiraiya was looking at her more than usual, and it wasn't in a way that she wanted. It was definitely creepier than usual. So she had grabbed her Mustang GT and headed down to the track early figuring everyone else could meet her there. Plus she had ulterior motives as well. She wouldn't mind getting a chance to talk to Sasuke without her friends around. As much as she was glad to have them around this was definitely something she wanted to do alone. And she figured she would want to be alone when it was all said and done.

She parked her car down by where the race would start since her race was one of the only ones of the night. The race itself had been hyped up for the last week and was the only one anyone would be paying attention to today. Since the weather was still warm, despite the fact that the sun had gone down, she tossed her jacket on the passenger seat and locked up the car. With her key in her hand, she set out into the crowd, gaining quite a bit of attention as she walked through it. A lot of people wanted pictures, more wanted to wish her luck. She smiled and was friendly though her thoughts were occupied as she scanned the crowd for Sasuke.

She knew she wouldn't have much luck picking him out of a crowd, so she made her way to the edge of the crowd. It took her awhile to accomplish this task, given the number of people that came up to her but she finally managed. She wasn't sure where she might find Sasuke so she frowned slightly. Finally she decided to head towards the warehouse that she had seen Sasuke, Orochimaru and Kabuto in when she had been with Naruto. It was back away from the crowds so the noise faded behind her.

There was no one around the warehouse and for a moment she almost decided to turn around. But she took a deep breath and walked over to the building. She paused at the door and looked around. She couldn't see anyone so she placed a hand on the door and twisted the knob. The door was locked. She wasn't sure if she was more relieved or disappointed that she couldn't get in. While she had wanted to talk to Sasuke, snooping around the building might have also provided her with a few answers he might not be willing to give her. Then again the last time she had been in this building there had been men with guns, so it was probably for the best that she couldn't get in.

Losing the nerve she had had a moment ago, she hurried away from warehouse, her strides brisk as she made her way back to the safety of the crowd. She crossed her arms over her chest and mentally scolded herself for her not so brilliant idea of checking the warehouse. What if someone had seen her? They might not like the idea of her snooping around there. Granted she had no idea what they were hiding but she knew it was something. That might be enough to get her into some trouble though. She would be smarter about this from now on. Actually she would simply stay out of it. That was the best way.

Her boots made a light thud against the ground with every step she took, and the sound seemed to echo as it felt like she was the only one around. It was darker by the warehouse than it was over by where the rally was taking place. The area wasn't exactly kept in the best shape, and there were few working street lamps. Long and dark shadows cast themselves over the ground leaving plenty of places for a person to stand without being seen. She nearly screamed when a cat jumped out in front of her and scampered off in the other direction. She bit her lip and wondered if she could be any more foolish. Not only had she put herself into a bad position but she was so jumpy, which wasn't helping matters. A hand on her arm caused her to scream, the sound of her scream even catching her off guard though it was quickly cut off as a hand clamped over her mouth. She was about to stomp down on her attacker's instep when she heard the husky tones in her ear.

"Woah Violet it's just me. I didn't mean to scare you," Sasuke said as he let his arms fall from her. Hinata turned around wide-eyed and met Sasuke's dark gaze. As she did, she noticed his own eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight of her. His gaze seemed to burn straight through her and she had to force herself not to turn away from the intense gaze. The feelings his eyes alone were causing to stir in the pit of her stomach were foreign to her and not unwelcome. She wasn't sure what word to put with it, perhaps desire. She wondered how a look could build up something like that.

"What were you doing out here alone," he asked her, shattering the silence but not breaking his gaze or the trance he seemed to have over her. She couldn't be sure but his voice sounded almost strained, perhaps even a bit breathless but she couldn't be sure. She was simply having a hard time reminding herself to breath. And it seemed to take her forever to be able to form a coherent reply in her mind. And then it took another eternity just for her to force the words past her parted lips.

"I just needed to take a walk," she said, her voice coming out more like a whisper and strained much like his own.

"Oh hell," Sasuke said and the next moment, Hinata had her arms around his neck and his arms around her waist. His lips crushed against her own and Hinata didn't hesitate to kiss him back. She could taste him on her tongue as she willingly let his mouth claim her own. Her tongue met his own and all of her sense was swept away in an overwhelming rush of feeling. Her eyelids had drifted shut, and she was aware of the heat building between their bodies. The exquisite feelings that raced through her left her mind blank, her intention to talk with him completely forgotten along with all other rational thought. She wanted to be closer to him, and she crowded against him, her body pressing up against his own. She heard a low groan from Sasuke as her hands slid from around his neck, over his shoulders, and down his chest.

His lips left her own then and a soft whimper escaped her parted lips as he kissed her neck. Hinata let her head fall back, exposing her throat to him. He kissed down the arch of her throat, his lips traveling lower, as her hands did the same. They ran down over his stomach, as his lips met her collarbone. The path his lips traveled burned her skin like fire as they went lower still. He kissed her exposed skin just over the top of the corset she wore and as his tongue dipped lower, under the material of her buckle corset, and ran along her skin, her hands gripped his belt in a desperate attempt to keep herself grounded when the world around her surely had to be spinning.

And then a car backfired and gave Hinata the escape she so desperately needed. She jumped back, her lips parted and slightly swollen, her eyes glazed and her breathing ragged. Sasuke's expression seemed to mirror her own and she could see his chest rise and fall quickly as he sucked in air.

Reality came back in full force then, delivering a solid blow to the bliss she had been experiencing a moment ago. It was so obvious, so clear that there was something between them, something she wasn't sure she had completely grasped the magnitude of yet. And while it was there, there was no way it could exist. This couldn't happen because they weren't meant to be. Between who Sasuke was and who she was, there was no way it could work. It just so happened that all she needed to end this now before it hurt even more was the excuse of who he was. She shook her head, and met Sasuke's gaze again though this time she was more resolved on her task. Sasuke too felt the shift in the mood because his expression immediately sobered up when he saw her own.

"Why didn't you bother telling me you drive for Orochimaru," Hinata demanded, her hands coming to rest on her hips. She watched Sasuke's expression change from sober to anger rather quickly though he was able to conceal it rather quickly with an emotionless look.

"I didn't think it was that important," he answered coolly. It was a strange change from the tone he usual used with her. There was no playful edge this time, it sounded like he was annoyed with her more than anything else.

"Well it is important. I can't do this if you are working for him," Hinata said, glad she was able to keep her voice from shaking.

"That's stupid. Just because I am driving for him doesn't mean I'm working for him," Sasuke said quickly. "You don't work for Jiraiya," he pointed out

"Don't try and make me look like a fool Sasuke. I know you work for him. I saw it," she blurted out, instantly regretting it when she saw his eyes flash. Sasuke took a step and closed the distance between them with frightening speed.

"What did you see," he demanded placing a hand on her upper arm, no longer concealing the anger in his voice, though there was something else there that she couldn't put a finger on.

"Enough," she said taking on his own cool tone. Sasuke glared at her and she glared back.

"Couldn't you have just minded your own business," he growled at her.

"I plan on doing just that starting now," she snapped at him. "I could care less what you do. Now take your hand off me," she said jerking her arm from his grasp. He let her go and Hinata stormed off back to the rally, not looking back as she did her best to keep up her cool demeanor over the whole encounter. The truth of it was though that she was nearly trembling. Between the kissing and anger, she was so shaken, she wondered if she would be able to keep her car driving in a straight line.


Shikamaru was standing with Temari, Naruto, and Sakura. His arm was wrapped around Temari's waist and she was talking to Sakura about some topic that he was glad to ignore. Naruto was busy looking at Sakura like a lovesick puppy and it would have been humorous if it wasn't so pathetic. He would have preferred to be sleeping himself but this was an important race for Hinata and he still had the feeling nagging at him that something wasn't right. Nothing had been out of place however. Hinata had seemed distracted but ready to go when he had talked to her a little while ago.

The race was going to begin in a minute or so and Hinata's black GT was sitting at the starting line next to Uchiha's black BMW M3. Shikamaru shook his head. It was impressive what a lot of extra cash could buy. He could admit it was a nice car but he wondered how Orochimaru was pulling in the kind of cash to equip a driver like Sasuke with a car like that. His thoughts were interrupted however when Jiraiya called his name.

"What is it," Shikamaru said with a sigh as he let his arm fall from Temari's waist. He turned to face Jaraiya then, who had approached the group with a girl too young for him on his arm.

"I meant to ask you earlier, but it slipped my mind. Where you working in the garage this morning? The door was unlocked this afternoon when I got there, and I am positive I locked it up last night when we all left."

"I wasn't there at all this morning. I didn't have time to get over there. Plus I remember you locking up last night," Shikamaru said with a frown. "Was there anything missing?"

"No that was the thing. Not a thing was ought of place. I just figured someone left the door open," Jiraiya said with a shrug.

"Were Lee and Guy at the garage at all? And what about Kakashi?"

"No I already asked them. No one had been there since last night," Jiraiya said rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe I should check to see if something is missing again."

"No you probably would have noticed if someone had taken something," Shikamaru said with a frown. He heard the engines rev at the starting line. No one had taken anything but what if someone had done something? Sasuke raced for Orochimaru and Hinata had already beaten Kabuto, Orochimaru's other driver. He wouldn't want to lose again. But would he ever try something like that. Shikamaru's question was answered as his gaze settled on the M3 at the starting line.

"The car," he said spinning back around to face Jaraiya. "You have to stop the race now!"

"I can't get down there to call if off. They will start before I am even close," Jiraiya said, his gaze flying to the track.

"What's wrong with the car," Naruto demanded since by now everyone had been listening to Shikamaru and Jaraiya's conversation

Shikamaru ignored Naruto for the moment. He pulled out his cell phone and punched in Hinata's number. The phone rang as he muttered for Hinata to pick up.

Meanwhile Hinata, had her hands on the wheel, the engine of her car purring in her ears. She never even heard the phone buzzing on the seat beside her, still in the pocket of her jacket.


Another quick note. I am welcoming feedback on where this story should go. I am torn between two different endings so any input is welcome if you feel inspired to share it with me. Also I wanted to get a feel for what people think of Sasuke and Hinata's relationship. Too much, not enough, too fast, too slow... what do you think? Like I said I would like input because sometimes it is hard for me to gauge how fast their relationship should be moving. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!