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

Special Thanks: goes out to FallenHime, mangetsu no hime, Sachiko Heiwajima, DivineGlory, Danish78, WarFlower, CrimsonNight41, Break Blade, kibagaaralover18, SahelTheWaltzingDinosaur, sirenmergirl, and Tamani for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and follows lists!

Author's Note: And we reach a chapter we've all been waiting for - the New York arrival! I hope you enjoy!

*~Chapter XXXIII~*

~Crush~

Ninja whimpered for the fourth time in the past ten minutes and shoved his head under his pillow, tail tucked tightly against his hind legs.

Hinata considered crawling into the back and joining him. Despite the combined sounds of Sasuke's music, the soft purr of the van's engine, and the blowing air conditioner, the squealing brakes of the delivery truck one lane to their left and one car-length to their rear still managed to screech above them all. And adding to the annoyance factor? Being caught in stop-and-go traffic as they approached Manhattan from Jersey City. Vehicles of all shapes, sizes, and colors crammed around them, hemming them in. The suncats bouncing from the back glass of cars, trucks, and vans, as well as from chrome and rearview mirrors, sent sharp jabs of pain into her head through her eyes, making the headache she already had worse and seriously impeding her excitement as the New York skyline steadily rose up ahead of them.

The mass of traffic in which they were embedded inched forward another few feet, funneling toward the Holland Tunnel. The truck's brakes shrieked as if enduring eternal torment. Hinata battled the urge to cover her ears with her hands, and looked sideways at Sasuke. He looked like he fought the same urge. His right hand tightly gripped the steering wheel, the fingers of his left twitching slightly where they rested on his thigh. Though he mostly kept his eyes focused straight ahead, ever so often they flickered to the outside rearview mirror as a muscle in his jaw ticked.

As if sensing her gaze, he briefly looked her way and forced a crooked smile. "Hopefully," he said, "once we get through the tunnel, he'll go one way, and we'll go another."

Hinata smiled weakly back at him. "From your lips," she said with a quick glance skyward. Her thoughts skewed off to the passage ahead of them. She hadn't minded the tunnels under the mountains in Pennsylvania; had actually thought them pretty neat, coming one right after the other as they did. After all, mountains didn't - leak. But the Holland Tunnel ran under the Hudson River. Just thinking about all that water overhead made her heart rate accelerate and her breathing want to go quick and shallow. And, if she remembered correctly, didn't some kind of fault line run under or near the city? What were the chances of it deciding to go off now?

Partly to distract herself, partly to try to cover her dread, she said a little too brightly, "So what do you want to do tomorrow?"

The traffic shifted forward another several feet. They were now only a couple of vehicles away from the tollbooth a short distance from the mouth of the tunnel. Sasuke waited until they halted again before replying, "Sleep in. After that tomorrow's pretty much a clean slate. We can go shopping, take a carriage ride around Central Park, visit the Statue of Liberty, go to the top floor of the Empire State Building - whatever you want. Day after that, though, we'll go to dinner at a certain restaurant, then see a Broadway show."

That made Hinata bounce in her seat a little in excitement. "I've wanted to see a show on the actual Broadway ever since I was a little girl. Mother used to tell me stories of the time she and Father went when they were in New York for business once. She said it was incredible."

Sasuke nodded. "I almost went to see one when I was in New York last time, but I, ah, chickened out at the last minute. I only stayed in the city for a couple of days, anyway, and I mostly kept to my hotel room then. This time, though, since you're with me, things will be different." He let his foot off the brake, and they rolled forward another dozen feet or so, the sound of the truck's screechy brakes seeming to reflect back at them. Ninja let out a disgusted grumble, which quite nicely summarized the feelings of everyone in the van - and everyone stuck in the traffic jam, for that matter.

Hinata twisted round in her seat, leaning against the slight resistance of her seatbelt to pat the shepherd's haunch, the only part of him she could reach. "Poor puppy," she murmured soothingly. "It's got to be so much worse for you with your sensitive ears."

Ninja peeped out from beneath his pillow, a pitiful look in his brown eyes, as though he were trying to say Make it stop! Hinata lightly combed her fingertips across the dog's glossy black fur, finding the repetitive motion to have a calming effect on her as well.

The sound of Sasuke's window whirring open, followed by him talking to the tollbooth attendant, broke Hinata's brief tranquil mood. She straightened and turned in her seat, her anxiety level ratcheting up again when she saw how close they were to entering the mouth of the tunnel. As she watched vehicle after vehicle hypnotically disappear into what seemed darkness compared to the bright sunlight outside, her fingers unconsciously gripped the edges of her smooth leather seat. She fought back an urge to beg Sasuke to back up, somehow turn around, and get them out of there.

For Heaven's sake, Hinata! she scolded herself. Thousands of cars go through this tunnel every day, with no problems at all. Quit being such a neurotic, claustrophobic nit-

Sasuke's right hand closed around her left in a warm, strong, yet gentle grip. "Hina, I've been meaning to ask your opinion about something," he said easily, "you being a librarian. It's about children's literature, actually. My niece wants me to write a book she can read, and I was thinking maybe-" He began describing his ideas about an adventurous little girl and her devoted canine companion (who sounded very much like a somewhat older Karura, and Ninja), and their slightly fantastical escapades.

Though at first politely concealing her surprise that Uchiha Sasuke, of all people! planned to write a children's book, Hinata soon found herself caught up in his delightfully whimsical world. Under the influence of his mellow, light baritone, her anxiety wisped away; and soon even the echoing screech of the delivery truck's brakes became a minor irritant. When, at the end of it, he asked, "So, do you think it has a chance in today's market?" she replied instantly and sincerely, "I think it has more than a chance of being published; I think it'll put you in the way of cracking another best seller's list. You'll use a pen name?"

He laughed. "I imagine Jiraiya will insist on it. No matter how much he grumbles about my preference for avoiding the public eye, he's worked hard to cultivate it into an air of mystique around me. Having his moody and mysterious thriller writer morph into the author of a series of children's books won't exactly foster that image. I don't know how well that's going to play with Karura, though. She told me during this last visit she likes telling her friends that her uncle is an author." He turned his head briefly to smile at her as the GPS rattled off a new set of driving directions. "And we're out of the tunnel now. Welcome to New York."

Hinata gasped, her head whipping around to the window so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash. She drew in a deep, shuddering breath of wonder as her eyes tracked up, and up, and up to where the westering sunlight gleamed and flashed from the tops of the buildings around them, though shadows held sway at street level. Her gaze dropped downward again, drinking in the tightly confined bustle of traffic, both vehicular and, on the sidewalks, pedestrian. "Oh - my - stars!" she breathed reverently, barely even noticing as their course diverged from the noisy truck that had plagued them for so long. She cast him a shining look. "Sasuke, we're here, we're actually here, in New York!"

Sasuke's phone chose that moment to go off with Jiraiya's ringtone, which Hinata had learned to recognize over the course of their trip. As Sasuke took the call, she gawked about shamelessly as they headed deep into midtown, trying hard to keep her outbursts of excitement somewhat muted so as not to distract him too much. She forgot about her headache. She forgot about how sore her bottom was from the long hours of riding and driving. It was all just so overwhelming, and new, and marvelous, and overwhelming, and-

She was dimly aware of Sasuke putting his phone back in the holder. "Jiraiya said he'll meet us at the hotel," he said, drawing her attention back inside the van. He tossed her a quick look, that lopsided grin she found so endearing on his lips. "If anything, he sounds even more excited than you. And you're pretty excited. I'd almost think you'd never been to a big city before. San Francisco, wasn't it? And Chicago?"

"I didn't get to do any sightseeing in either of those cities. Those were business trips for my father. While he spent the days and a good chunk of the evenings in meetings, I spent the time in our hotel suite," Hinata said simply. "I only saw the Golden Gate bridge at a distance from where we stayed. And the most I saw of Millionaire's Row in Chicago was when we had to drive along it. But there's something special about New York, and," she felt color rise to her cheeks, but she plowed ahead anyway, "being here with you makes it even more so."

Far from looking put off by what Hinata feared could be taken as forwardness, Sasuke looked shyly pleased. Nodding his head forward slightly, he said diffidently, "Thank you. And you might want to take a look out your window, then. We're coming up on Grand Central Station."

Hinata gasped. Pivoting in her seat, she rolled down her window and stuck her head out to drink in a glimpse of the twin lions, so familiar from movies and TV shows and books, standing guard outside the entrance. "Oh, Sasuke, it is! It's Grand Central Station!" she exclaimed over the suddenly louder traffic sounds pouring in. She craned around to keep the magnificent facade in sight as long as possible.

Sasuke laughed, though he didn't look away from the crush of cars pressing around them on all sides. "So it was. We should have a chance to visit it this trip, since it's only a few blocks from Times Square. But if we don't have time to do it justice, we'll do it for sure next time, okay?"

Hinata felt her breath catch as she pulled her head back into the van. She glanced over at him, but he gave no outward sign he realized the implications of what he'd said. Another trip to New York with Sasuke. The concept of returning at a later date was certainly attractive. After all, there was no way they could see everything they wanted to this trip. So why not come back again later? A warm glow started in her midsection and spread to suffuse her entire body. "That would be - great," she said softly and sincerely. Casting her a little sideways smile, Sasuke reached over to take her hand again.

Finally, Sasuke pulled the van to a stop in front of a building with three double glass doors leading into it. Hinata lifted her gaze slightly, up past the doorman (the hotel had a doorman!), to see a sign above the doors with bold gold lettering: The Waldorf-Astoria.

She nearly choked. "You're kidding, right?" she gasped. "We're staying at the Waldorf-Astoria? The place where everyone from famous actors, singers, and even royalty has stayed? Where the American hearings were held after Titanic sank in 1912?" It was the kind of place Hinata thought she would only dream of staying: a historical art-deco hotel, famous for so many reasons, covering an entire city block, and home to no fewer than three restaurants, not to mention a spa. She felt like her eyes were going to pop out of her head and her jaw was going to unhinge.

Sasuke grinned impishly at her, looking as relaxed as if he had expected just that reaction. "Surprise."

They got out of the van, leaving it to the valet parking service and their luggage to the bell hops who descended with gold, wheeled carts. The crisply uniformed doorman smiled and welcomed them as he pulled open a door with his white-gloved hand, never blinking an eye at Ninja, who paced alertly along on lead at his master's side.

Inside, the cool lobby made her feel as if they'd been transported back in time. Hinata marveled at the beautiful marble staircase, the soaring columns with gold trim, and the massive blue and gold windows above and behind them. Just as she started to drift toward the concierge desk, Jiraiya came down the steps with his arms held wide, beaming like a beardless Father Christmas. He crossed to stop in front of them. "Welcome, welcome to New York!" he boomed. He shook Sasuke's hand enthusiastically before turning to take both of Hinata's between his own massive paws. "Your penthouse suite awaits you."

Thankfully, the lobby was mostly empty. Those who glanced their way did a double take when they saw Ninja, but didn't seem to recognize Sasuke. Jiraiya quickly took charge of the trio, leading them directly to the elevators. He used a key card for the private elevator to get them up to the penthouse, which overlooked the city far below - and owned an excellent view of the Empire State Building.

Ninja wagged his tail enthusiastically and began to explore as soon as Sasuke took the leash off him. Hinata gravitated to the windows and stared out over the glittering expanse of the city. Despite her exhaustion, she longed to go down there and start exploring now.

Jiraiya interrupted her rapturous perusal of the cityscape spread out before her by saying, "C'mon, kids, and I'll give you a tour of the place."

Hinata reluctantly tore herself away from the view, and got her first real eyeful of the living room. Easily at least twice the size of her living room at home, its cool blues and sleek silver, its highly polished furniture, the electric fireplace, the sofas (sofas!), and flower arrangements screamed luxury and elegance.

Jiraiya next led them to a formal dining room, complete with a cherry sideboard and a long table that would seat ten. Beyond that was the kitchen: not a cramped, miniaturized kitchenette, but a full-sized kitchen, equipped with the latest in appliances and stocked with all she needed to feed both herself and Sasuke for a week without even stirring from the suite. They proceeded to Hinata's bedroom, where a massive bed rested against the wall opposite the two windows with with a framed watercolor mounted on the wall between them. Across from the door stood yet another fireplace, with two chairs artfully arranged on either side. An old-fashioned clock graced the mantle, and a gold-trimmed mirror hung just above that. Lamps done in the style of candle holders hung on either side of the fireplace, while a tea set perched on the table between the chairs.

Hinata decided she was aboslutely, positively, irrevocably, in love, though, when she saw her bathroom. Besides the toilet (which she'd halfway expected to be gold-plated), a huge vanity and a combined bath/shower shared the expanse with an attractive dressing table, complete with stool and mirror. Windows allowed natural light to pour into the room, though the shades could be drawn to ensure privacy, she was relieved to see.

Sasuke's bedroom/bathroom were just as impressive and spacious, though distinctly masculine in tone. Once they were back in the living room, Jiraiya, grinning hugely, asked, "So, how do you like it?"

Hinata, her eyes huge, said wonderingly, "It's - it's incredible! It's bigger than my condo; bigger than my cousin's house!"

Jiraiya laughed. "I thought you might. Sasuke actually didn't stay here his last trip, but I wouldn't settle for anything less this time around, especially after I found out you were coming, too. The Waldorf-Astoria is the premier hotel in New York City, and I figure it's only the best for the two of you."

Sasuke looked a little awestruck himself. "Jiraiya," he said slowly, "you've done some pretty amazing things during your stint thus far as my agent, but I think you've really outdone yourself this time."

Grinning smugly, Jiraiya nodded. "And don't you forget it." Winking at them both, the big white-haired man ambled toward the doorway leading to the foyer, where the elevator waited to take him back down to the lobby. "For now, I'll leave you two lovebirds to get settled in. Call me if you need something, all right? I'll see you tomorrow!" With a jaunty wave, he vanished around the corner.

Hinata collapsed into one of the brocaded chairs, her head spinning. "This is - incredible." Beyond incredible, really, but it was the only word she could think of close enough to describe the sheer opulance of everything. She didn't even want to consider what one night's stay would cost, let alone nearly a week's worth. She had a feeling the word astronomical wouldn't even begin to describe it.

But right now, not even that seemed to matter. She was in New York, living in a fairy tale from which she never wanted to wake...

...And with the prince of her dreams, no less.

In the two years since Sasuke had last been in New York for the premiere of Metronome, he'd forgotten how big, and noisy, and bright it was. Staying at home in his quiet mansion in Konoha often made him think the rest of the world must be the same way.

Standing in front of the huge window in his bedroom at the Waldorf-Astoria with his hands in his pockets, he looked down at the soaring buildings spreading out before him, all illuminated from within by a billion golden pinpricks of light. A thousand things waited to be done in New York, and he knew he and Hinata were going to get to do only a fraction of them.

He'd been thinking about that very thing when they drove past Grand Central Station. Which would be why he said what he had about their visiting the iconic spot on their next visit. Which obviously implied there would be a next visit! While he wouldn't mind coming back (at a point in time when there wasn't a movie premiere he had to attend), he had no guarantee Hinata felt the same way. This trip had to be a resounding success if he was ever going to have hope of another.

Ninja trotted over and sat down next to his master, ears pricked and head turning slowly as he surveyed the same sights. Sasuke wondered, as he sometimes did, what his dog saw when he looked at the same things humans did. Did he realize he was looking down on a massive city, or did he just think it was some strange star-spangled sky he observed from above? He had no way of knowing, and that frustrated Sasuke for reasons he couldn't quite grasp.

Scratching Ninja briefly between his ears, Sasuke went to the bedside table and picked up his cell phone. He'd been debating calling his brother on and off ever since seeing that television story about him and his "mysterious date." He didn't want to do anything to draw attention to him and Hinata, but at the same time, he wanted some protection from the media, especially during the movie premiere. And he didn't know of any better personal protection business than that run by his brother.

Sasuke dialed the number which was slowly becoming familiar to him, waiting through three rings until Itachi picked up the phone on the other end. "Hello, little brother! How goes the writing?"

"Well enough." Biting his lower lip, Sasuke went back to the window, unable to keep himself away from the view for long. He said abruptly, "Look, Itachi, I'm in - in New York."

The silence on the other end was no less disconcerting for its being expected. "You're in New York? As in the home of the Empire State Building, Broadway, and the Statue of Liberty?"

Sasuke heard Temari say something quickly in the background. He could just imagine the look of shock on his sister-in-law's face as he replied to his brother's question. "Yeah. I decided to come ahead to New York and attend the premiere of Head Shot."

"That's great! I'm glad to hear you went. I hoped you would, but I didn't want to say anything the last few times we've talked." Itachi cleared his throat, sounding slightly uncomfortable. "It was your decision to make, and I didn't want to do anything to make it harder."

"I appreciate that. Look, why I'm calling is - well..." He took a deep breath and started over. "When I first decided to come, I added a stipulation to myself: I'd make the trip if Hinata agreed to come with me as my date. And, well, she did. We're going to be out and about in New York the next few days, and then of course there's the premiere, and especially after that, when everyone knows what Hinata looks like, we're going to be easy to spot. And to be honest, I want to keep the media - not to mention any fans who want to get too up close and personal - at bay as long as possible." Sasuke chuckled dryly. "So I wondered if I could hire a couple of your men to be an inconspicuous shadow. I don't want them hanging around too close, drawing attention to us. Just nearby, ready to intervene if necessary." If it had just been Sasuke, he wouldn't have bothered. But he wanted Hinata to enjoy the trip, and come out of with most of her anonymity intact.

"I understand." The shift of the tone of his voice reflected Itachi's change from big brother to business owner. "Let me see who I've got available..."

Sasuke heard clicking computer keys in the background, and murmuring voices as Itachi and Temari apparently discussed the issue. He waited patiently, knowing his brother would speak up when he finally had something to share.

"Okay," Itachi finally said slowly, "I think I've got something. Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo just finished up a job in Maine. They're due to come back tomorrow, but I can call them tonight and have them re-route to New York. They should be there by noon tomorrow." A pause, then Itachi added, "They're two of my best men. They both love to have fun, but they know when it's time to be serious. They'll be discreet when they follow you, and they've had to deal with papparazzi - and out of control fans - before, so they know what to do if some start bothering you."

"All right. Thanks. How are things going with you? How's Temari?" The last time he'd talked to Karura, she gave him a ten-minute long report on her future brother or sister.

"Morning sickness isn't too bad. She's definitely going to go ahead with commentating the U.S. Open later this month, and she's feeling confident about the Australian Open early next year. But after that, it's mostly up in the air, though she's definitely skipping the French." Itachi chuckled quietly. "Actually, we're all kind of looking forward to the vacation. Staying home in Florida for a while will feel nice after jetting all over the world like clockwork."

Temari said something in the background again. Itachi excused himself for a moment, then came back. "But since our vacation hasn't started yet, Temari asked if you want us to come to New York a little early and support you on Thursday night. That's when the premiere is, right?"

"Yeah." Sasuke considered that, thinking about how nice it would be to have his older brother, his niece, and yes, even his sister-in-law, here with him. But he'd heard the wistfulness in Itachi's voice when he talked about staying put in Florida, and knew it was selfish of him to drag his family away from home earlier than they had to leave it at the end of August. "No, it's all right. You all stay there, though I will ask you watch the red carpet coverage on television." He gave Itachi the channel and time from where he'd seen it the night before.

"We'll definitely be watching. But Sasuke, are you sure? We're already coming to New York in only a week or so. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch to come a little early." Itachi's voice was neutral, not giving Sasuke a clue about his thoughts. Did he really want to come, or did he really want to stay home?

Sasuke honestly couldn't tell. But he knew even if his family did come, it was probably too late to include them in any of the red carpet festivities. They would spend time together, yes, but Itachi, Temari, and Karura would still wind up watching everything on television. "While I appreciate the offer, you stay home and enjoy your time off before the U.S. Open. Besides, Temari needs as much rest before then as possible, right?" He'd never known a pregnant woman, nor done any research on them, so he had no idea if that was right or not. But it seemed like rest would be an important thing to a woman expecting a baby.

"Yes, that's right. Thanks, Sasuke. And we'll all watch the red carpet coverage on Thursday night." He laughed. "We'll even let Karura stay up so she can watch her uncle. She's in bed now, but we'll tell her tomorrow."

"Okay. Is there anything in particular I need to do for - what were their names? Izumo and Kotetsu, was it? - when they get here?" Sasuke had never been particularly interested in the family business, though he did hold nearly half of it and received tidy dividends. But the running of it, and how each bodyguard's job worked, never really concerned him - until now.

"Yes, Izumo and Kotetsu. If you and Hinata could come up with a general idea of where all you're planning on going, that would help. They've worked in New York before, so they have a good idea of the lay of the land. If you could avoid any dark alleys, though, that would be a great help." The brothers shared a laugh. "Where are you staying, so I know where to send them when they get there?"

"The Waldorf-Astoria." Sasuke cleared his throat and rocked back on his heels, wondering exactly how he should break the news to his brother. "We're - ah - staying in one of the penthouse suites. Jiraiya worked with the PR people for Head Shot handling all those arrangements, so..." He trailed off. While he liked the suite, he kind of wished for something a little smaller. It felt like he, Hinata, and Ninja were rattling around in a palace or something, with a ton of extra space they didn't need, or even really want.

Itachi whistled, long and low. "Wow, little brother, you're moving up in the world. Way up." He cleared his throat, then added with a note of amusement, "Literally as well as figuratively."

"Oh, shut up." But Sasuke laughed. "We'll talk again soon, right?"

"Definitely. If you don't mind, call down to the front desk at some point tonight or tomorrow morning and let them know your bodyguards are coming." More clicking as Itachi presumably continued working on his computer.

"Sure. I'll do that as soon as we hang up." They finished with some idle chit-chat, then said goodbye and disconnected. Sasuke phoned down to the front desk and told the concierge on duty two bodyguards would show up the next day around noon, then gave the woman Izumo and Kotetsu's names and requested a call when they arrived.

After he hung up from that call, Sasuke looked around the room, wondering what to do next. Even though exhaustion tugged at his limbs, he was too wired to sleep. Nerves and excitement churned away in his stomach, and the voices of his characters began chattering away again, prompting him to set up his computer and turn it on.

He took a detour to the kitchen for a snack and something to drink. On his way back to his room, he stopped by Hinata's, unsurprised to see no hint of light shining out from beneath the door. After they'd returned from having dinner in one of the hotel's restaurants (she'd offered to cook, but he wouldn't hear of it), she'd barely been able to keep her eyes open, and excused herself fairly quickly. Brushing his fingers across the surface of the door, Sasuke went back to his room and shut himself in. He had a plot twist to write, before it skittered away to the dark corners where good ideas went - never to be seen again - when they were ignored.

By the time he turned off his computer, it was quarter to five in the morning and Sasuke was only two chapters away from the end of his new book. But the rest of it could wait.

For now, he needed rest so he could be at his very best for Hinata and her introduction to New York.

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Ending Notes: Ugh, that squealy-braked truck. I still hear it in my nightmares sometimes. On my own trip to New York, I got stuck in traffic with it nearby, and went all the way from Jersey to New York with that thing screeching its way along behind me. And thankfully I wasn't driving when I got to the Holland Tunnel, because I freaked out (I don't like tunnels under water). But once we got into the city, I loved it! I got to see everything Hinata did (plus a helicopter landing on the Intrepid!), and the traffic was a nightmare. I thought we were going to crash at least 20 times. Yikes. But NY is amazing! And now they're there, and there's a ton of stuff for them to see and do. Including the premiere, which is only 3 chapters away now! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you all again for next week's update!