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

Special Thanks: goes out to mangetsu no hime, Tamani, Break Blade, Sachiko Heiwajima, DivineGlory, WarFlower, SahelTheWaltzingDinosaur, BekotaTheMonsterHuntress, xHinaLovex, NeverInUrWildestDreams, Melanieciel, xlyphiechanx, owlhead29, uahi, CrimsonNight41, Kibachow, mariawalker112, pheecat, Danish78, MuffinMan9223, and XxMelony-kunXx for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and follows lists - I'm amazed and so very thankful!

Author's Notes: And, my Dear Readers, the time has come at last - the New York trip is here! I am so excited about the stuff coming up in this story arc. And a pretty exciting announcement to come at the end of the chapter - but more on that later. Thank you all so much for reading this chapter, and I hope you enjoy it!

*~Chapter XXXI~*

~Departure~

The morning of August 16 dawned wet and dreary. Hinata stood in front of her window and tried not to think this was a very bad omen. She hadn't talked to her father since their disastrous meeting when she told him she planned to visit New York with Sasuke, but she'd heard from Hanabi he was downright livid. He was doubly furious since his younger daughter had confessed her relationship with Konohamaru and her acceptance into a college on the East Coast.

As a result, Hanabi would be spending the duration of her sister's time in New York at Neji and Tenten's house. "I feel like I'm intruding, since they're, like, you know, newlyweds," she confessed to Hinata with a blush on her cheeks, "but they both insisted it was fine. And besides you, it seems they're the only family members I have left who aren't angry at me for one thing or another." She shrugged, but Hinata saw the hurt in Hanabi's eyes. Despite her wild nature, she'd always been closer to Hiashi than either Hinata or Neji. He hadn't outright disowned her, but he'd made it clear some separation would be a very welcome thing - at least for a while.

It made Hinata sad. If Hiashi kept driving away his children (and nephew), he'd have no one left. Why did he have to make them choose between him and everything else?

The sisters shared breakfast, then Hinata hurried to brush her teeth and hair, get dressed, and put last-minute things into her suitcase. She'd managed to cram everything she thought she'd need into one large rolling case (and heavy as it was, she was glad they weren't flying), a carryall, and a tidy little makeup case. With those three things, plus her purse and computer bag, she felt quite proud of herself for packing light.

The downpour had turned into a barely-noticeable drizzle by seven-thirty, when a dark blue minivan pulled into the empty space next to Hanabi's car. Hinata blinked and rubbed her eyes, sure she only imagined Sasuke getting out of the driver's side.

"Either I'm suffering from hallucinations brought on by sleep deprivation, or Uchiha Sasuke - thriller novelist extraordinaire - just pulled up in a minivan," Hanabi snickered, taking the words right out of Hinata's mouth.

Well, at least Hinata knew she wasn't hallucinating herself. Or still in bed dreaming, destined to oversleep and not be anywhere near ready when Sasuke did show up to get her. "Morning!" she called as Sasuke ascended the outdoor staircase leading up to their deck.

The novelist threw up one lazy hand. "Hn," he grunted. "You ready to go?" He nodded to Hanabi, who watched him with obvious amusement.

"Yes." Hinata led Sasuke inside. He took her rolling suitcase and carryall while she grabbed her purse, computer, and makeup. Hanabi followed them down the steps, toting her own luggage. She had the luxury of driving back over to the condo if she needed more, though, so she carried considerably less than her sister.

While Sasuke tucked her bags behind the van's rearmost seats, Hinata and Hanabi hugged each other tightly. "Behave yourself while I'm gone, all right?"

Hanabi rolled her eyes. "I'm not five anymore, big sister."

"I know." Hinata hugged her sister, who had grown far too much far too fast, one last time. "I'll text you when we get to the hotel tonight, okay?"

"Sure thing. Take lots of pictures in New York, all right? And we'll all watch you on the red carpet on the twenty-first." Hanabi grinned and shook her head. "My big sister, going to New York with her boyfriend to attend a red carpet movie premiere. Wow."

"I know." Hinata took a deep breath and watched as Hanabi climbed into her car. "I love you, Hanabi."

Looking surprised, Hanabi silently stared at Hinata for a long moment. Then a small smile curled up her lips and she whispered, "Love you, too, big sis." Starting her car, she backed out of her parking space and waved as she pulled out of the lot.

Sasuke closed the hatch of the van and turned to Hinata. "Ready to hit the road?"

"Definitely." When Hinata climbed into the front passenger seat, a cold black nose popped over the center console and pressed against her neck, making her laugh. "Hello, Ninja." She clicked her seatbelt, then reached out to scratch behind the big shepherd's pointed ears. "I'm glad you're getting to go, too, pretty boy."

Sasuke started the van and fiddled with the GPS on the dash before he backed out of his parking place. "He's been hyper all morning. Ninja's only been on a couple of trips with me, but he knows when that suitcase appears we're going. I got up extra early this morning to pack so he wouldn't go nuts for days." He checked traffic before pulling out onto the road, and Hinata turned to look at her condo one last time. She wouldn't see it again for almost two weeks, and though she was excited about the trip, she would miss her cozy little home.

Hinata then twisted to look over her other shoulder, surprised at how much room Ninja had to wander around in the back. A big, soft-looking red and blue blanket was spread out over the van's carpet, with a big pillow pushed up against the very back seats - left up, undoubtedly, to keep the luggage from sliding forward onto Ninja if they had to hit the brakes suddenly. "Wow. Do the middle row seats fold down into the floor, or did you take them out?"

"Fold down," Sasuke said. Flipping on his turning signal in anticipation of the GPS since they were still in familiar territory, he sighed and muttered, "I feel like a white-collar suburbanite driving this thing. You know - minivan, white picket fence, wife, dog, and two-point-five kids. There should be a sticker on the bumper that reads 'I brake for soccer' or something."

For a brief moment, Hinata entertained thoughts about what that might be like. To be married to Sasuke, live in a pretty bungalow-style house with the white picket fence out front and a swingset in the backyard, Ninja running and playing with their son and daughter, and her belly swollen with their next child.

Feeling a fierce blush rush into her cheeks, Hinata quickly shook off her fantasy and offered Sasuke a smile. "Well, you've got the dog, anyway." She patted Ninja's head fondly, since it had once again appeared between the two front seats.

As she'd hoped, Sasuke smiled. "And the minivan, though it's a rental. It's a start, I suppose."

They cruised along the on-ramp, then merged onto the interstate which would carry them away from Konoha and towards New York. They were officially on their way!

Ninja went to sit by the window behind Sasuke, his tongue lolling and tail wagging as he watched the world go by. Traffic was surprisingly light, and though the rain had started up again, it wasn't a downpour, which kept things moving smoothly.

The windshield wipers thunked steadily as Sasuke merged into eastbound traffic, as the GPS system prompted. He looked casual in khakis and a dark blue tee shirt with a famous superhero's red, white, and blue shield on it. His dark hair, as always, was neatly styled, spiky in the back with the two wings framing his face. He drove with one hand on the wheel, the other draped alongside the closed window.

Hinata leaned forward and adjusted the vents so the air conditioning wasn't blowing right on her. "When would you like me to take over driving?" she asked. They'd both agreed Sasuke would start out driving, but Hinata insisted on taking her turns at the wheel. With the GPS, she figured she wouldn't have any trouble keeping track of where they were and where they were going, even though she'd never been farther east than Chicago.

"I thought you could maybe take over after lunch." Sasuke checked his mirror and then got over into the left lane to get past a semi. "Speaking of, is there anything in particular you're in the mood for, so I know what kinds of restaurants to look for when we get hungry?"

Sliding her feet out of her sandals, Hinata tucked them up onto the seat and tilted her head thoughtfully. "I just had breakfast not that long ago, so I'm not hungry for much of anything right now," she admitted. "Ask me again in a few hours, okay?"

"Fair enough." Sasuke listened intently as the GPS rattled off the next set of directions, then reached out to adjust the air on his side of the van. "You okay back there, Ninja?"

His dog gave an enthusiastic bark before turning back to the window, marking the glass with prints from his cold wet nose.

"I'm no psychic, but I see a visit to a full-service car wash in the near future." Sasuke sighed. "I'm glad you're enjoying the trip, buddy, but could you please take it easy on the windows? This thing is a rental, after all."

Ninja poked his head between the front seats, resting his chin on the console so Hinata would easily be able to reach him without turning. Grinning, she obligingly scratched behind his ears, and the big shepherd let out a loud sigh of contentment.

"I can see you're going to spoil him rotten on this trip," Sasuke mentioned dryly. "It's weird how he's taken to you so easily, though. Usually it takes him a while to warm up to people, even after I tell him it's okay. You and Karura are the only two people he's made right up to in no time at all."

"I feel flattered, then." Giving Ninja one last pat, Hinata leaned forward to pull her mother's leather-bound book out of her bag. "Is it okay with you if I read this while you drive? I haven't really had much of a chance to look at it since I found it."

"Sure, no problem." Sasuke checked his mirrors, then slipped over another lane. "The GPS will rattle off every now and then, but other than that, things should stay quiet."

"You can play the radio, if you like." Hinata laid the book on her lap and flipped past the page with the title on it. "Noise doesn't bother me when I'm reading. In fact, you may have to call my name multiple times before you get my attention."

"I'm the same way when I'm in the middle of something. Enjoy the book." Sasuke tapped the pads of his fingers against the windowsill, obviously to the beat of some song in his head.

Hinata snuggled a little deeper into the van's comfortable leather seat and began to read.

As Hinata promised, it didn't take her long to get sucked into her book. Sasuke turned on the radio quietly enough so he could still hear the GPS and hummed under his breath as the miles ticked by. Traffic was surprisingly light for a Saturday. The rain came down steadily but not hard, which probably helped.

Eventually Ninja lost interest in staring out the window. He laid down with his head on the pillow Sasuke used to substitute for his doggie bed when they traveled, one big paw draped over his favorite chew toy. Sasuke had put it there to keep Ninja from getting too bored; as much as he liked going for rides, eventually the dog would get tired of being cooped up in the van. His favorite bone on which to gnaw out his frustrations would undoubtedly help.

About an hour after they left the outskirts of Konoha, the rain started slacking off. Sasuke used the buttons on the back of the steering wheel to find another radio station, since the first one was fading out. He glanced over at Hinata, who was completely absorbed in her mother's book. She sat curled up on the seat with the volume propped against her leg, one hand holding the pages open while she idly nibbled on the index knuckle of the other. The little furrow bewteen her eyebrows made Sasuke want to reach out and smooth it away. He tightened his hand on the steering wheel and firmly shoved away the urge.

He'd already promised himself to keep the romantic overtures to a minimum on the trip. Sasuke didn't want Hinata - or her relatives - to get the wrong sort of idea about things. While he was attracted (very much so) to Hinata, he didn't want to rush their relationship and run the risk of scaring her away. Despite the short time they'd known each other, he was beginning to think he'd like to spend the rest of his life with this woman. He couldn't explain it, he just knew it.

Uncertainty kept him from saying anything to Hinata, though. Sasuke had a feeling this trip would be good for helping him figure out the scope and depth of her feelings for him. He only hoped she'd hint she felt the same way about him that he felt about her.

The hours and miles cruised by easily. By the time Sasuke started feeling hungry around noon, the rain had stopped entirely to let the sun make peekaboo appearances.

"Hey, Hinata." Taking the wheel with his left hand, Sasuke reached out with his right and gently brushed his companion's arm, draped on the armrest of her seat. "It's noon, and I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Ready to eat yet?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw Hinata look up from the book and blink owlishly as she dragged her mind back to reality. "Oh. Huh. It's noon already?"

"Yeah. Nothing of interest to mention, except it's stopped raining. I saw a sign for some fast food places coming up at the next exit, but I'm sure there are some sit-down restaurants, too." Sasuke saw the exit up ahead as they crested a hill and changed lanes to get closer.

Hinata stretched as much as the confines of the van allowed. "I think I'd like to get out and stretch my legs for a bit, but we can do that at either place. If we ate at a fast food place, we could get a table outside and let Ninja eat with us, right?"

Sasuke nodded. "Read my mind. Thanks, Hinata." While Ninja was perfectly fine being left alone in the van, the digital readout above the rearview mirror showed a climbing temperature, and he was sure the humidity was pretty high, too. Even leaving the windows and rear vents open, it would get hot in the van fast.

After circling the drive-through for their food, Sasuke parked and the three of them exited the van. Hinata set out their food and drinks on a concrete picnic table while Sasuke got Ninja's bowls. He portioned out some food and water for his dog, then took the seat across the table from Hinata's.

"We still have several miles to go before we have to do anything major, so don't expect the GPS to talk to you too soon," Sasuke told Hinata while reaching for another fry. "Actually, for now it's a straight shot on the interstate until we take a jag north on I-270 toward Chicago. We won't be going quite that far, of course, but that'll bring us into Illinois."

Spearing a slice of cucumber with her plastic fork, Hinata nodded as she listened. "How far are you planning to get before we stop?"

Sasuke took a long drink before replying. "Indiana. I booked two rooms in a hotel not too far past the state line. We should get there around ten tonight, if my calculations are correct and traffic continues to cooperate. I didn't want either of us to have to drive too late into the night. Checkout time is eleven, but I figure we can start out again around nine in the morning? There's a complimentary continental breakfast at the hotel, so we can hit that before we leave."

"Sounds good." Hinata smiled at Ninja, who had curled up under the shade of the table between the two humans. "I'm glad it seems to have stopped raining. I don't mind driving in it, but I have to admit it's not my favorite thing in the world."

"If it starts up again, let me know when it gets to coming down too hard, and I can take over." Sasuke crumpled up his burger wrapper and tossed it in the takeout bag on the table between them. "If not, are you okay driving until we stop for dinner?"

"Sure." Hinata wiped her mouth with her napkin before reaching for her drink. "To be honest, it'll probably be good for me. I've been so wrapped up in that book, I've not been paying attention to our surroundings. I'm sure I've missed some interesting sights."

"Just lots of blacktop, cars, semis, and various towns." Sasuke shrugged. "There's really not a lot to see on the interstate, to be honest. Now when we drive through the mountains, it'll be better. We might even get to see a bear." He hesitated, then decided he'd better go ahead and warn Hinata. "The Pennsylvania Turnpike is another matter, though. Just to warn you, the last time I drove through there, I saw a lot of dead deer. So don't look too closely along the side of the road if that sort of thing bothers you, okay?"

Hinata nodded, her pale eyes looking a little misty. "Thanks for the warning." She tucked her salad container in the bag, then used her napkin once more before following suit with it. "If you don't mind, I need to hit the ladies' necessary before we leave."

While Hinata disappeared into the restaurant, Sasuke finished gathering up their trash and disposed of it in the nearest can. He took Ninja further down the grassy hill to do his business, then swapped places with Hinata. He noticed she'd bought herself another drink before coming back out and followed suit, remembering how thirsty he'd gotten before they stopped.

As Hinata pulled the van back onto the road and turned its nose toward the interstate, Sasuke pulled his laptop out of its bag and settled it on his lap. "Do you mind if I get some writing done?" he asked. "Movie premiere or not, I'm afraid I'm still on a tight schedule."

"Of course." Hinata shot him a smile as she waited for a long line of cars to pass so she could pull onto the on-ramp. "You were kind enough to let me read my book while you drove; it would be terribly rude of me not to let you work on writing yours while I drive."

Sasuke booted up his system, plugged in his portable harddrive, and opened the file for the seventh chapter of his supernatural thriller. "Either blow an airhorn or have Ninja bark in my ear to get my attention if you need me," he told her.

Hinata laughed. "I doubt if I'll have to go to either extreme, but sure thing. If you need me to stop somewhere for - ah, something - let me know, okay?"

"'Course. Ninja will let you know if he has to go, but he should be fine for several hours." Sasuke turned back to his computer and began to type, quickly getting drawn back into the story he was building.

For the next few hours, Sasuke was vaguely aware of several things: the gentle sway of the van; Ninja moving around in the back; Hinata humming along to songs on the radio; the movement of the sun as it trekked across the sky by the shadows it cast in the van. But the majority of his attention was absorbed in his book, with the heroine who looked like Hinata, and the lonely poltergeist who wanted her help figuring out who murdered him thirty years before.

Sumi had just built up enough bravery to venture into her spooky old house's attic - with the support of ghostly Soichiro, of course - and view the scene of the crime when Hinata let out a little scream and slammed on the brakes.

Sasuke let out an instinctive curse and grabbed the sides of his laptop to keep it from tumbling off his legs and onto the floor. In the middle of the van, Ninja scrabbled and yelped. "What was-?" He stopped abruptly when he looked up and saw a big rig jerk over into the lane in front of them, missing the front end of the van by less than a foot.

Hinata still had the van moving, but he could see how her knuckles glowed white, and her hair vibrated ever-so-slightly from her trembling. "H-he just nearly came over into the side of us," she whispered. She blinked, and a single tear tracked down her cheek. "I'm sorry. Is your computer okay?"

"Forget the computer." Sasuke checked the rear doors of the trailer, but saw no phone number. "Figures," he muttered. "Are you okay, Hinata? Do you need to pull over for a minute, maybe let me take over again?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm okay, just a little shaken up. I was in my lane, coming up fast on the truck's left, and then suddenly it just jerked over half into my lane, then back."

"Oh, he knew you were there." Sasuke curled his hand into a fist against his thigh, wishing he was driving so he could pull alongside and - well, do something of which Hinata probably wouldn't approve. "He was just being a jerk."

Hinata let out a breath, and it didn't sound nearly as shaky as the ones before it. "I think I'm going to let him get ahead of me a ways before I try to get in the other lane again." Cars were zipping past them on both sides, since they were in the middle lane, but she didn't seem to mind. The truck had already accelerated and cut off another car in the left-hand lane, going much faster than the speed limit. (Then again, so was everyone else except Hinata, but that was beside the point.) "Want me to call the local police and see if they can get a patrol car out here to pull him over?" he offered.

"No, it's okay." She nodded to the little blue two-door which had just been cut off. The woman in the passenger seat was on her cell phone and gesticulating wildly, her face set in a scowl. "I get the feeling she's doing just that right now."

Sure enough, not three miles down the road they caught up with the truck - which was pulled onto the shoulder, an unmarked car with flashing lights parked behind it. "Serves you right," Sasuke muttered as they cruised past. He wanted to punch the driver out for scaring Hinata the way he did; and Sasuke wasn't typically the sort of person to solve his problems with violence.

But if it made Hinata feel better, and safer, he would do it in a heartbeat. He wondered what that said about him and the state of his feelings for the pretty pale-eyed librarian. "You sure you're okay to keep driving?"

Hinata glanced over at him with a genuine smile. He could tell she'd relaxed quite a bit since she saw the truck pulled over. "I'm fine, honest. You can go back to your book now. Sorry I scared you."

"It wasn't you." Sasuke reached over and briefly squeezed Hinata's arm before turning back to his laptop.

But for some reason, he couldn't focus on his characters anymore. The warmth pooling in his palm from where he'd touched Hinata was the only thing on which his distracted mind could concentrate.

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Ending Notes: Every time I take a trip with my dog, he knows we're going when I pull out my suitcase. So I wind up packing at the last minute so he doesn't get too excited and keep me awake all night before we leave! I've actually been along the Pennsylvania Turnpike (while on the way to New York, actually), and one thing that's stuck with me is how beautiful it is in stretches through there, but also how many dead deer I saw. I'm a country girl through and through, so I see deer all the time, and it made me so sad to see so many dead ones. And the part about Hinata's encounter with a big rig? Yep, happened to me. Driver even flipped us off after the incident, too (I wasn't driving, but it was plenty scary considering the truck was on my side of the car). I'm not trying to say all truckers are like that, but they are out there, and it does make driving the interstate very scary. Back to happier things, Sasuke and Hinata are now, officially, New York bound! Their cross-country drive will bring some exciting things, too... Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you all again for next week's update!

Announcement: In the author's note at the top of the chapter, I mentioned I had an announcement to make. Several people mentioned how disappointed they were last chapter not to hear Neji and Konohamaru's conversation - and I totally understand why! But, my announcement ties into that. You are going to get to hear that conversation, and some others I've alluded to but couldn't put into Entanglements for one reason or another, in a companion story to this one. It's not titled yet, but I'm already hard at work writing it. I can't give away too much information yet for fear of spoiling it, but I'm really excited about how it's turning out so far! I'll start posting chapters on it around the time I finish Entanglements (we've still got a fair bit left of it), so it will be a little while. But I look forward to sharing it with you all when the time comes!