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

Special Thanks: goes out to LaydiiV, Danish78, Natalie2016, Kibachow, BexBluedragon, DivineGlory, SachikoHeiwajima, ImCutePoison, heartfeltdreamer, mangetsu no hime, Tamani, SasukeXhinataXOC, Eliphalet George, rao hyuga 18, pheecat, oCloudNine, and XxMelony-kunXx for all your lovely reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists!

Author's Note: Poor Hinata. But, on the bright side, there are some Very Exciting Things coming on the horizon that I'm really excited about! Most particularly - dinner. And Sasuke's next appearance at the library. And all sorts of other fun things... Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

*~Chapter XVII~*

~Revisit~

Hinata closed the door behind her very kind super and wished she could just melt into the floor. Though the funnel cloud had never become an actual tornado by touching the ground in or around Konoha, Iruka had been concerned enough about her to come upstairs and get her so she'd be safe in the basement with the rest of them.

And then there was Sasuke. She had had a complete meltdown on the phone with him. Heaven only knew what he thought of her after that. He probably thought she was as crazy and weird as she used to think he was!

Sinking down onto her couch, she stared at her television screen, still on and tuned to the weather report. The storm had moved on to the east, leaving Konoha wet, and battered, and windblown, but no worse for the wear. Anko was saying she thought the worst of the tornado risk was over, because the storm appeared to be falling apart. That was good.

But too late for Hinata and her injured pride.

She stared down at her cell phone, cradled in both hands. Hinata thought about calling her father, but didn't want to talk to him again. Besides, he'd just brush off whatever danger they might or might not have been in. Hanabi would have been nervous, undoubtedly, but since the funnel cloud didn't touch down, she'd probably gone back about her life as usual, with the storm only a blip in her memory already.

Hinata's fingers moved of their own accord, bringing up Sasuke's cell phone number. She had promised to call him, after all. But she wasn't sure she was quite ready to talk to him again, especially since she wasn't sure how he felt about her after her little fit earlier.

Oh, he'd been understanding, as far as she could remember. He even said he could understand why she was afraid of tornadoes, mentioning they were scary. But truthfully, he had no idea why she was terrified of them, and Hinata didn't feel ready to enlighten him. She felt tired and wrung-out, and like the fun afternoon she'd had was a week in the past instead of just a few hours.

Her cell phone buzzed in her hand, belting out an old familiar tune about dogs. Her lips curling slightly upward at the caller ID, she lifted the phone to her ear after answering it and said, "Hello, Kiba."

"Hey, 'Nata!" Her old friend sounded cheerful. Hinata also heard the sound of loud panting nearby; undoubtedly Akamaru giving her his own unique doggie greeting. "Wanted to call and make sure you were okay after all the excitement."

Of all her friends, Kiba had always been the most protective of her. It hadn't surprised Hinata at all when he'd announced he wanted to be a police officer. She felt safer than ever knowing he and his big white dog were keeping the streets of Konoha safe. "Thank you for calling, Kiba. I'm fine. I just came back upstairs from the basement, actually." She didn't feel like going into any further detail than that.

"I hoped you'd taken shelter." Kiba was quiet for a minute as the murmur of his radio sounded in the background, and then he spoke again. "I saw the funnel cloud. I wanted to call you before now, but I had to drive out to old Mitokado Homura and Koharu's place. The winds were a little higher out there, and the roof blew off their barn. Not that they keep anything in there, mind you, but I got sent out there to check things out since they swore up and down they'd gotten hit by a tornado, and make sure they were all right." He sounded vaguely disgruntled.

Hinata had heard many stories about the Mitakado couple. Childless and grumpy, they'd been friends of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Konoha's now-dead previous mayor. Rumors were rampant that Homura had expected to take over his friend's position; to his lasting chagrin, however, Yamato Tenzou was elected to take Mayor Sarutobi's place instead. Kids from Hinata's old school often took off for the Mitakado place on Halloween for dares. She'd never gone, but she knew Kiba, Naruto, and Chouji, three of her fellow classmates, had. Several times. "And I presume everything was fine?" She couldn't keep the smile out of her voice.

"Naturally," Kiba agreed. "The old barn's about to fall down anyway; it's not even fit for birds. The roof flew off in the opposite direction of the house, didn't even blow to the tree line. All the evidence pointed to straight-line wind damage." He cleared his throat, and Hinata knew he was finally getting around to the purpose of his call. "Listen, I go off-duty in a half-hour. Do you want me to swing by there after I do?"

Hinata had glimpsed herself in the mirror hanging above the cherry credenza she kept in her entryway. Her pale, tear-streaked face and red-rimmed, swollen eyes would certainly clue Kiba in to the fact she hadn't handled the storm as well as she'd let on. "Thanks for the offer, Kiba, but I'm fine, honest. You go on home after you get off. I know you've been pulling some extra shifts lately, and you must be tired."

Hard as she could tell he tried to hide it, Kiba sounded relieved when he responded. "Okay, if you're sure. Thanks, 'Nata. I'll talk to you later, then? Maybe we can get together later this week for lunch or something?"

"That would be great. Talk to you later." After they hung up, Hinata hung her head and let out a long sigh. Hopefully she'd look a lot better in the morning. Granted, she only had to work Monday, and then she'd have the next day off. But she'd have to report back to the library on Wednesday for Sasuke's next appearance.

For some reason, she didn't dread it as much as she had the one last week. Now she'd spent some time with him, she realized he wasn't as creepy and terrible as his poster and her own private thoughts about what a horror/thriller novelist must be like had made him out to be. He was actually a really nice person: genuine, if a little shy. He had treated her like nothing less than an honored guest in his home. Considering how antisocial he'd seemed during his incognito visits to the library, it had been a huge leap of faith on his part to let her in his house - his sanctuary - in the first place. Why? She didn't know the answer, and that bothered her a little.

Once again she found herself sitting on the couch staring at her phone, Sasuke's name highlighted on the screen. Should she call him? She'd promised. But she didn't feel like talking to him, trying to explain her reaction without giving away the real reason behind her panic...

In the end, her polite side won. Sighing, she dialed Sasuke's number and sat listening to it ring, halfway hoping he woudn't pick up and she could just leave a voicemail.

No such luck. A click, then an almost anxious, "Hello, Hinata?"

"Yes, it's me." Opening her eyes, Hinata stared at the cloudy sky, streaked here and there with impressive shades of orange and gold as the sun dipped below the clouds' western edges. "I was just calling like I said I would. Um - thanks for being so concerned about me. I appreciate it. And I'm sorry I made you listen to me being - like that." She didn't like anyone to see or hear her cry, and now a virtual stranger had heard her at her worst. What must he think of her?

And why did what he thought of her matter so much?

"It's all right." Sasuke cleared his throat. She heard a door close in the background, as if he'd stepped into another room to distance himself from his family. "I'm just glad you're okay." He hesitated. "You are okay, right?"

She couldn't help but laugh softly at his question. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all." Please don't ask, please don't ask, please don't ask...

The other end of the line remained quiet for a while. Hinata heard Ninja bark somewhere in the distance. Finally, Sasuke cleared his throat again and spoke. "Listen, I was wondering something. I know this might seem strange, but - what time do you have to be at work on Wednesday?"

Hinata blinked. It was a strange question. But apparently he'd remembered her telling him it wasn't a normal workday for her, and the fact made her smile. "Seven. We've still got everything set up from last week, so I only have to be there an hour early, instead of two-and-a-half." She nibbled her lower lip, then decided to go ahead with the question burning through her mind. "Why?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to come over and have dinner before you go? Temari wants to see you again before she, Itachi, and Karura leave, and I-I would, too. Like to see you, again, that is. Not leave." Sasuke chuckled nervously. "My agent might be here, too. Do you remember him from last week?"

"The one who looked like he'd been struck by Cupid's arrow?" Hinata wanted to bite her tongue after the words escaped her lips.

Fortunately, Sasuke thought it was funny. "Yes, that's Jiraiya. He's coming back into town for my appearance this week. Though, just between you and me, I think he's coming back to see Tsunade again, not to help me out any."

Hinata wondered if she should tell Sasuke Tsunade had many things to say about the big white-haired man after Wednesday night, and only a handful of them had been favorable. "He seems like a nice man," she said diplomatically. "If he can be there, I'm sure I'll like getting to know him."

There was a definite grin in Sasuke's voice when he replied. "So you'll come, then?"

Hinata ducked her head. She must want to punish herself or something, because despite her desire to avoid Sasuke because of her embarrassment, she also wanted to spend more time with him. "Yes, thank you."

"Great. Would around four-thirty or five work for you?"

"That sounds good." Hopefully she'd be better able to keep track of time Wednesday than she had today. "Thanks again for the invite."

"No problem. Talk to you again soon?" He definitely sounded hopeful.

And her traitorous heart felt hopeful, curse it. "I look forward to it." Perhaps if she swallowed her tongue it would stop throwing out things which sounded so - encouraging.

They said goodbye, and Hinata fell sideways onto the cushions. She pulled a throw pillow over her head. What in the world was I thinking? Nice way to avoid him, Hinata!

She'd always assumed that when she'd grown up, avoiding messes would come naturally to her. Instead, Hinata was just as accident-prone in adulthood as she was as a child, just in different way.

On the bright side, all her fear and anxiety about the almost-tornado was nothing but a distant memory.

On the dark side, she had just opened a whole new (very large) package of worries.

Sasuke managed to get a bit more written on Monday while his family still slept; except for Temari, who while being her normal early-bird self made an effort to be quiet and not disturb him. He spent the rest of the day playing lazy on the couch with Karura, watching classic animated movies while Itachi and Temari spent a day out together, so the former could show the latter where he used to spend a lot of time when he was younger.

Jiraiya arrived just after lunch on Tuesday, tired after his early morning flight but pleased it had both taken off and landed on schedule. He accepted a sandwich Temari quickly assembled for him, then went upstairs to the guest room where he usually stayed and slept until dinnertime. Occasionally a loud snore would float down the stairs, letting Sasuke know his agent was sleeping like the dead, as usual. It took nothing less than shouting (or a full marching band, which he'd downloaded as an app on his phone and set as his alarm) to wake him up.

By the time they all sat down for dinner, Jiraiya seemed mostly recovered. "I've spoken to Tsunade several times over the phone since I left last week," the large white-haired man said as he tucked into the babyback ribs Sasuke had been smoking since six o'clock that morning. "I think I've finally worn her down. I'm going to get her out of her library tomorrow before your appearance, Sasuke, and take her to dinner."

Sasuke knew he was probably going to regret asking, but he did it anyway. In for a penny, in for a pound... "Do you have someplace in particular in mind?"

Pausing with his cup halfway to his mouth, Jiraiya frowned. "Well, I was actually going to ask you about that," he said uncomfortably. "Where do you recommend?"

"There's only one eatery in town," Sasuke told his agent. "The Yellow Flash."

"The Yel- Say, what kind of name is that? And is the food any good?" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes.

Considering some of the places Sasuke knew for a fact Jiraiya had eaten, and their names, the author didn't think his agent should be quite so suspicious. "The owner, Minato, had progenitors who used to make and sell moonshine - white lightning - during Prohibition. When he bought the restaurant, he decided to put a spin on his daring forebears' chosen profession. Since he has yellow hair, and flash is something lightning does, he named the place 'The Yellow Flash.'" Sasuke scrubbed his hands on a paper towel, hating the sticky feeling of the sauce left after eating ribs, but knowing the taste was well worth the mess. "And yes, the food is excellent. His wife is head cook, and she only hires people who can uphold the reputation of the place."

Jiraiya tilted his head. "Not really sure that's the sort of place I want to take her straight out of the gate. I really want to impress her. Anywhere else?"

Sasuke wondered if he should feel offended on behalf of his friend Naruto and his parents, but knew what Jiraiya meant. The agent was used to eating at places serving filet mignon for a hundred dollars plus a plate (and that didn't include the salad and side dishes, not to mention the wine), so he knew Jiraiya was looking for something more along those lines. "To be honest, you'd have to drive around fifty or so miles one-way for anything fancier. There are some okay places out around the airport where you flew in, but between here and there - not really much else." Even though Sasuke usually kept himself confined to his house, he knew the town and the surrounding area very well - just in case a horde of fans descended on his house one day and he needed to get away fast. Or so he told Shikamaru and Naruto when they asked.

"I don't think she'll want to go so far away." Jiraiya visibly deflated before Sasuke's very eyes. And considering his sheer bulk, that was quite a feat.

Logically, Sasuke knew what he should do. But the question was, did he want to? No, not really. But Jiraiya had done a lot for him, more than some other agents in the business he knew of would do, so really, this was the least he could offer. "I'm having Hinata over for dinner before my appearance at the library. If you want to invite Tsunade, too, that's fine." With Itachi, Temari, and Karura, that would mean Sasuke would have six guests in his house, at his table, but he told himself it was good for him. It wasn't like he didn't have the space. He just didn't like having so many people around.

But he wanted Hinata to come. And he owed it to Jiraiya to give him the date he so desperately wanted. He could handle a couple hours with so many people around. (He deliberately avoided thinking about all the people at the library he'd be surrounded by not that long after.) After all, with Hinata over on Sunday, he'd had four people, and it hadn't been so bad. What were two more?

Jiraiya lit up as if someone had just handed him a signed ten-book deal. "That's great!" he exclaimed. "And it might be better this way, actually. Tsunade might be more comfortable here than at a restaurant, particularly if someone she knows is here, too." He paused, then added uncertainly, "Hinata is that quiet little dark-haired librarian we met last week, right?"

Sasuke saw a familiar gleam in his agent's eye, and wished he'd just kept his mouth shut. "Yes," he admitted on a sigh.

On the other side of Itachi, seated to Sasuke's right, Temari's lips curled up in a wicked, almost catlike, smile. "I was beginning to think Sasuke was going to be one of those creepy authors who holed himself up alone in his house and did nothing but write, kept company by only the characters he created. But both Itachi and I were pleasantly surprised to find out he's actually got a romantic interest."

"It's like we're in a book or something," Itachi said, grinning teasingly.

"That means I'm finally going to get an aunt," Karura informed Jiraiya importantly. "I've wanted one for ages."

Starting to feel like he was some cosmic joke, Sasuke very carefully set down his cup and tried to speak in an even, unaffected tone. "She's helped me out quite a bit with research for my next book, and she's got some interesting Japanese heirlooms from her family that she's going to show me on Sunday. We're - friends." And hadn't his family been nagging him for ages to get more of those? Why, when he did what they asked, did they seem so interested in moving Hinata from friend to girlfriend?

...Maybe the sparks he felt across his skin whenever he came close to touching, or actually came in contact with, Hinata's were visible. But since Sasuke was so determined to ignore them, he decided anything his brother and sister-in-law thought they saw were just figments of their over-active imaginations. And here Sasuke thought he was the imaginative one, since he wrote for a living...

Regardless, Wednesday night promised to be more interesting than ever. And Sasuke felt pretty sure that, in this case, interesting was not going to be a good thing.

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Ending Notes: Ah, Wednesday will be an interesting day for all involved! Poor Hinata, though - she's so embarrassed. But now she's got things to look forward to - and so does Sasuke! Though his house is really starting to resemble a bed and breakfast, or maybe more like a hotel-and-restaurant. But some socialization will do him good! I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!