Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Special Thanks: goes out to Kibachow, in your dreams as well, The Clawed Butterfly, farahb, Sachiko Heiwajima, Doddlehead, MuffinMan9223, Dani Stark, CrimsonNight41, ZukiShi, miemae04, Tamani, Misao97, rao hyuga 18, ariannaisgone, kichisaburo, wolf-enzeru, and oCloudNine for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and follows lists!

Author's Notes: Sasuke and Hinata start encountering each other again in the next chapter. There'll still be a few chapters where they're not together, but they'll be increasingly fewer as we go on. This chapter sets up the interesting stuff, where the SasuHina developments really kick into gear. I'm so excited! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

*~Chapter VI~*

~Message~

When Hinata got home, she found Tenten curled up on the couch with Chinese takeout while watching of one of her favorite movies. The cheerful brunette looked up with a smile when she heard her roommate come in, but it quickly disappeared when she saw the expression on Hinata's face.

Dropping her plate and chopsticks on the table with a clatter, Tenten jumped up and ran to grasp Hinata's shoulders. "What happened?"

Angrily swiping at the tears spilling down her cheeks, Hinata shook her head. "I ran out." She could still hardly believe she'd done such a thing. In the past, no matter how mad or upset her father made her, she'd never left the table until the meal was over and she'd been excused. No matter how painful, she'd stuck things out until the bitter end.

But not tonight. She'd finally snapped. She cringed to think what her father would have to say about her behavior. It was not going to be pleasant.

In her purse, which she'd tossed onto the credenza next to the coatrack beside the door, Hinata's phone played a distinctive, slightly ominous-sounding ringtone. Both women froze, knowing to which person specifically Hinata had assigned the song.

Tenten's lips thinned in disapproval. She let go of Hinata's shoulders and stormed toward her friend's bag. "I'll get it," she said. "I've got a few choice words I'd like to say to him."

Broken out of her momentary paralyzed state, Hinata hurried after Tenten and took the phone from her friend's hand before she could answer it. "It's all right," she said softly, even though things were far from it. "I'll talk to him. I deserve it." Without waiting for her friend's response, she answered her phone and lifted it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hyuuga Hinata, what is the matter with you?" Hiashi's harsh voice held every bit of the doom and disapproval she'd expected, plus a healthy dose of aggravation for flavor.

Her fingers tightened around the phone. She fought to keep her voice even as she spoke again. "This is my condo, Father. Once Tenten moves out, I plan to live in it by myself - at least for a while." For some reason, she found it easier to tell Hiashi what she wanted over the phone, when she didn't have to look him in the face.

"If you remember," Hiashi said icily, "my money paid for that condo."

"For my half," Hinata replied calmly. "I used my own money to pay for Tenten's." She'd saved up for several years to afford it, and now she was glad she had. "And I will gladly pay you back the original cost of my half of the condo. But I'm sorry, I don't want Hanabi living with me." There, she'd finally said it. It was out in the open, and she couldn't take it back - didn't want to take it back.

For a long moment, the sound of Hiashi trying to control his aggravated breathing was the only hint her father was still on the line. At last he said in an even colder tone, "I'll not tolerate any impertinence from you, Hinata. Now, your sister has had her heart set on this for a very long time. Are you really going to disappoint her?"

The only reason why Hanabi was looking forward to this is because you gave her false hope by not talking to me first about all of this. Much as she wanted to say to the words to her father, they stuck in her throat. Instead she said as firmly as she could manage, "If you give me the number, I will call the moving service and have them cancel the appointment." It was an olive branch of sorts, the only one she felt like extending.

Her father took it and snapped it in half over his knee. "Young lady, I extended quite a bit of trust and grace to you when I allowed you to move out of this house. Your sister needs to receive the same kind of treatment, but I cannot trust her on her own. You are the only person I can trust to keep her in line. Do you not see the privilege I am placing upon your shoulders?"

On the verge of screaming in frustration, Hinata felt tears - hot, angry tears - flood her eyes. Privilege? Trust and grace? Her father didn't know the meaning of the words. And you're delusional if you think she's going to listen to me.

Distantly, her mind registered a knock on the door. Tenten, who had been standing watching her friend with a worried expression, hurried to answer it. Hinata turned her head and saw Neji standing at the front door, his warm smile fading when he caught the expressions on his cousin's and fiancée's faces. Tenten lifted herself on her tiptoes and whispered something into his ear, an urgent expression on her face.

Turning away from the door so Neji and Tenten wouldn't see the tears spilling down her face, she tuned back in to her father's ongoing, very practiced-sounding speech. "...needs your guiding hand in her life. You have conducted yourself quite admirably in your life away from home - at least until now. But I'm willing to overlook this little hiccup if you agree to do what's best for yourself and your sister."

With a sense of trying to resist an irresistable force, Hinata said, "This condo is my home. And-"

Before she could say anything more, the phone suddenly disappeared from her hand. She turned in surprise and saw Neji standing behind her, lifting her phone to his ear. "Hello, Uncle," he said smoothly.

Hinata blinked at him in surprise, not sure whether she should be angry at him for interrupting her or if she should hug him for saving her from any more of her father's manipulative nonsense.

Neji's expression remained quite bland as he listened. Hinata could hear Hiashi's voice on the other end of the line, though she couldn't make out what he was saying. She exchanged a raised-eyebrow look with Tenten, then the two women resumed watching Neji.

Her cousin had been the first to break free from Hiashi's tight-fisted grasp on his family. An orphan at four, Neji had been taken in and raised by his uncle. But during his senior year of high school, the young man had gone against his uncle's wishes and applied to several colleges halfway across the country - and received admissions letters from five of the seven he'd contacted. He'd chosen the same one at which Tenten got accepted. Then when he came home from college, he got his own apartment and moved in.

Though Hiashi hadn't out-and-out disowned his nephew, he'd made it clear Neji was no longer welcome in his home. It hadn't seemed to bother Neji in the least. After Hinata got her own condo with her cousin's girlfriend, she had been able to see her cousin as much as she wanted. It worked out well for all three of them.

The fact that Neji was now on her side of the fight made real hope begin to stir in her chest. She'd been looking up to her cousin as an example for years now, and she planned to follow in his footsteps to the best of her ability.

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly at something Hiashi said. He looked at Hinata and mouthed to her, "Won't let it go."

She'd expected that. "You can give me back the phone. It's all right," she mouthed in reply.

Holding up one finger, Neji silently shook his head and spoke. "I think it would be best to let this situation rest for the moment, Uncle. This is a decision that should not be taken lightly, or made upon a moment's whim. There are several angles to consider, and I think everyone should take a few days to think things over, very carefully considering all those angles before meeting again and discussing them calmly and rationally with an open mind."

Hinata wanted to jump up and down and let out an excited shout. Her cousin should have been a diplomat: he'd just bought her a few days' time to think up some good counter-arguments and really prepare herself to fight for her cause. She'd not had the benefit of such a thing when she'd gone in for dinner, but next time, she'd be ready.

"Good night, Uncle. Thank you." Neji hung up her phone and handed it back to her with a grim smile. "He's not happy, but he finally agreed. Sorry I stole your phone from you like that. I hate it when Uncle drives you into these corners." His lips and eyes tightened with disapproval.

"No, don't apologize." Hinata slid her phone into her skirt pocket and let out a long, shaky breath. "Thank you for taking over for me and talking to him. I wasn't getting anywhere. At the rate things were going, I would have been on the phone with him for the rest of the night and still not gotten anything resolved. I'm just sorry you took this on now, with your wedding only eight days away."

Neji shook his head. Tenten stepped up beside him and looped her arm through his as she said, "We're both on your side, Hinata. And we want you to be able to come and be part of the wedding without such a stressful thing on your shoulders. I know I'm counting on you quite a bit - probably too much - as my maid of honor. This is supposed be a joyous and enjoyable time for all of us, including you, and we don't want anything to spoil it."

Stepping forward, Hinata wrapped her arms around both her cousin and best friend, and hugged them tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. More tears stung her eyes, but these were the good kind. "With both of you on my side, I don't see how I can possibly lose now.

Sasuke heard water running in the kitchen, then the sound of plates, cutlery, and glasses rattling together. Eventually the sound of the front door opening and shutting reached him.

Finally, he was alone.

Leaning back in his chair, Sasuke tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He mentally reviewed everything he could remember about the research he'd done earlier in the day, allowing his mind to drift from topic to topic as he waited for something to strike his fancy.

Bits and pieces stirred his interest, but only because he wanted to read more. While writing the last half or so of Checkmate, another idea had teased at the back of his mind. It had definitely leaned more toward horror than thriller - more than any other book he'd ever written - but now he couldn't remember it.

Rubbing his hands over his face, Sasuke scowled and tried even harder to call it back to mind. He was getting downright desperate. He needed an idea. Now. Both Jiraiya and Naruto seemed determined he could salvage his career. Maybe he was just "thrillered out" and a change of genre would prime the creative pump.

He began mentally flipping through various possibilities. Okay, so if he couldn't write what he usually did, where else could he go? Anything biographical was out, because those things tended to bore him to tears. Ditto anything autobiographical, though Jiraiya had hinted a time or three that people would be interested in reading about what made their favorite author tick. But his life was not an open book, and he very firmly preferred to keep it that way.

Perhaps nonficition, then. He'd certainly learned plenty on a variety of subjects over his time researching. From the darkly morbid writings of Edgar Allen Poe to a myriad of serial killers, Sasuke had logged hundreds of hours of research on a variety of black subjects. He thought he could consider himself well-read and at least knowledgeable, if not an expert, on many of them. But not, his innate honesty forced him to admit, knowledgeable enough on any to expound on them at length. No, nonfiction didn't really appeal. He didn't mind reading nonfiction for the benefit of research, but the idea of sitting down and writing one himself made Sasuke want to tear his hair out from the roots. How incredibly b-o-r-i-n-g.

It was probably safer for him to go the fiction route.

So what was left? There was the mystery genre, naturally, but Sasuke felt it was a little too close to thrillers for him to try. Too much chance of him trailing off into familiar territory, revisiting ground he'd already covered.

Fantasy? He enjoyed several fantasy series: everything from Narnia to tales of hobbits and rings to an ever-shifting Faerie wood painted in shades of light and dark. But he couldn't really see himself penning one.

Romance? Definitely not. Though he sometimes added in a touch of romance in his books, he shuddered at the thought of making a living off the genre. Didn't, in fact, think he could, even if he wanted to. The whole idea was just - ugh.

Supernatural? Hmm. That had some potential. Though vampires had certainly been done to death in recent years, there were plenty of other things he could dive into. Ghosts, for one. He didn't necessarily believe such a thing existed. He'd certainly never encountered one himself. But the idea seemed to take root in his mind. He remembered seeing several books on the topic at the library earlier. He hadn't looked at any of them, but the material was there.

Would it be enough, though? He needed a new book. A great one. One unlike any he'd ever written before...

...No, wait. Checkmate was unlike anything he'd ever written before, and it had turned into an unmitigated disaster. No, best he stick with what he knew best and go from there. Now was not the time to experiment. Not after what happened last time.

Sitting up straight in his chair again, Sasuke settled his hands on the keyboard and then flexed his fingers slightly, but not enough to put any pressure on a key. The smooth white background of the open word doc invited him to put down his thoughts, but the blinking cursor mocked him for not having any thoughts to write.

Think this through rationally. One step at a time. You know how this process works.

He drew in a deep breath, cleared his mind of everything but the issue at hand.

For years now, since the very beginning of his career, he'd written thrillers. It was his niche, the thing which had made him famous. Occasionally Sasuke wandered over toward the horror genre, and for that reason he'd earned praise - and fan followings - from both genres. People liked how he could so seamlessly combine the two in such a, as one reviewer had phrased it, "frighteningly, deliciously realistic way." He liked to keep his readers guessing while at the same time giving them healthy amounts of (as Jiraiya so eloquently put it) blood and guts.

Still, though, he had to wonder. Had he really, truly exhausted his repertoire with the thriller/horror novels? Despite penning a total of twelve (thirteen if he counted Checkmate, which Sasuke didn't - too painful), it was what he did, the natural direction in which his thoughts turned. He'd successfully combined the thriller and horror genres before. Maybe now, with that tiny pulsing of an incipient idea in his brain, he could do a thriller with supernatural overtones.

Hmm. Sasuke turned his head as Ninja nosed the door to the office open the rest of the way and pattered in, his rope toy dangling from his jaws. Smiling, the human grabbed the other end of the toy and tugged obligingly as Ninja growled playfully low in his throat and pulled in the opposite direction.

His dog was a hundred pounds of pure muscle and bone, and Sasuke enjoyed the challenge of a good game of tug. While he played with his overgrown pup, he allowed his mind to wander back to the shelves at the library and what he'd seen there. Yes, he'd observed plenty of material to support research for this newest topic.

The only problem? He'd have to go back to the library. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted to try out sitting in the corner again, especially since he'd so easily lost track of the librarian while he was back there. If she wandered around too much during his researching, she could stumble upon him.

On the other hand, that endeavor made it less likely for him to run into someone than the other alternative, which would be to renew his library card and check out stacks of books. Sasuke was guaranteed to have to come into contact with the curious librarian.

Unless...

Sasuke got the rope away from Ninja, momentarily celebrated, then initiated another game. Maybe he could talk one of his friends into checking the books out for him. He figured Naruto would probably do it, especially if Sasuke told him it was for research for his newest novel. All he'd have to do was go to the library's website and write down the titles and authors of the books he wanted.

Two birds with one stone. He could get his research material and not even have to leave the comfort of his own home.

Continuing to play tug with his right hand, Sasuke reached for his phone with his left. Just as his fingertips touched it where it lay atop the desk, it buzzed with an incoming call.

He glanced at the digital time readout: eight-o'clock.

He stared at the caller ID: Jiraiya.

Swallowing hard, Sasuke answered the phone. "What's going on?"

Jiraiya sounded extremely happy when he replied. "Good news, my boy, good news! I talked to Tsunade at the library this morning - well, more like this morning and afternoon, the woman had a million questions. I think she wants to cover all contingencies just in case."

Sasuke closed his eyes and fought the urge to sigh. This must mean everything's arranged.

Sure enough, Jiraiya continued, "It's all set up. Over the next three weeks, you'll be going to the library every Wednesday night between the hours of seven and eight. The first night will be a meet and greet. The second will include an in-depth discussion of your books, and the last will be a book signing."

"Oh, only three weeks?" Sasuke didn't even try to keep the sarcasm from his tone. Couldn't Jiraiya have talked the crazy lady down to only one session? He would have even been willing to go in a couple hours in one night, just so long as it was only one night.

"Don't worry about that - if everything goes well with this arrangement, we've left the door open for more!" Jiraiya couldn't have sounded more pleased.

Wonderful. Sasuke wished he'd kept his big mouth shut. Letting go of the rope, he squeezed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, ignoring Ninja's accusatory you let me win! look. "Let's just get through the first three, all right?" Already, he felt his breath beginning to shorten, his limbs tremble, his throat close.

He didn't want to do this. At all. Why had he ever agreed to this nonsense, anyway?

"It will be fine, my boy. Trust me." Jiraiya was quiet for a long moment, and then, almost reluctantly, he asked, "Do you want me to fly out there and attend them with you?"

Sasuke felt hope and surprise stir equally in his chest. He'd only met his literary agent in person three times - the first when Jiraiya came to meet with him and woo him into signing on as his client; then at the actual signing of the contract; and finally at the premiere of a movie based on Sasuke's fourth novel, Metronome. In some ways, Jiraiya was just as antisocial as Sasuke. The latter had a feeling that was a lot of why they got along so well. The mere fact the older man was willing to fly from New York City to Konoha - halfway across the continent - not once but thrice spoke volumes.

"Maybe just the first time." Sasuke hated himself for the weakness, but he needed someone with him. Someone he trusted, who understood. "After that, I think I'll be okay."

"Of course. I'll see you this coming Tuesday, then, Sasuke." Jiraiya sounded okay with the deal, as if he didn't mind dropping everything to fly out to a town no one had ever heard of to support his coward of a famous writer.

"I'll see you then. And Jiraiya?"

"Yeah?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to smile, even though he wanted to scream. "Thanks."

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Ending Notes: Some of you seem to like the slower pace of this story, and some of you don't. This is a longer story than some of my others (like Blind Faith and Coffee Connections), so the pace is going to move a bit slower. Everything that happens will still be important to the plot - I'm not writing nonsense to fill space just for the sake of filling space and to make things last longer. I have a plan, one I'm really excited about. Sasuke and Hinata do encounter each other again in the next chapter, though, I can promise. And while there'll still be a few chapters in the future where they won't, they'll be fewer than here at the beginning. I can promise if you'll just please hang with me, it'll be worth the wait. I've got such exciting things in store for you as I build up Sasuke and Hinata's relationship and bring them together. Thank you all so much for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!

Additional Author's Note: I am adding this little note in because I have gotten several reviews left for the express reason of pointing out that Hinata is OOC. I already know this, and that is the point. Hinata is under an incredible amount of stress, and she is starting to reach the point where she is going to start reacting in ways she ordinarily wouldn't. I am not writing this story to make Hinata into a jerk, I am simply showing that she is a normal person who has been told repeatedly she is stupid and been made fun of by various people over the course of her life (including her own father), and everything is finally coming to a head now. Everyone eventually reaches a point where they cannot take the stress anymore and have no choice but to break or go insane, and Hinata has reached that point. Please stop leaving reviews just to point this out, because I already know it and am writing it that way for a reason. Thank you.