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

Special Thanks: goes out to CrimsonNight41, pheecat, Danish78, DivineGlory, mangetsu no hime, Sachiko Heiwajima, TheUtsukushiiYume, Tamani, Guest, SahelTheWaltzingDinosaur, asalyne, LaydiiV, revelatum, xHinaLovex, Break Blade, and skipbeataddict for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and follows lists!

Author's Note: This chapter was really hard to write, I'm not going to lie. But I really like how it turned out, and I hope you all do, too. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

*~Chapter XXXVIII~*

~Nerve~

Hinata couldn't seem to stop shaking. She was only vaguely aware of the ride back to the hotel: of Sasuke keeping one arm around her shoulders while he clasped one of her hands in his free one; of the ride on the elevator up to their penthouse, and his gentle touch steering her to the couch. She stared vacantly at him as he moved over to the window, talking on his phone, gesticulating wildly as he spoke quietly but rapidly into it. She wondered if he was still talking to Tenten, or if someone had called him.

Or maybe he'd called someone? Reality felt very distant at the moment.

Ninja crept up and nosed her hand, whining softly deep in his throat. Hinata absently moved to stroke his head, knowing he sensed her anxiety and was trying to comfort her in his own way. "Good boy," she murmured, but her mind was elsewhere.

She needed to get home. And she didn't want to have to drive cross-country for three days to get there. She needed to find her phone and start calling airports, find the soonest flight out of the city. St. Louis was the closest major airport, and Konoha was only a couple of hours drive from there.

There had to be some way. Of all times for something like this to happen, why did it have to be when she was halfway across the country? I should be there. Tenten needs me, Hanabi needs me, and here I am in New York. What's wrong with me? Why can't I focus? Shock - it has to be shock.

Working in an emergency room could be a very high-stress job, Hinata knew, but it wasn't supposed to be dangerous. Closing her eyes and covering them with her hands, she let out a long, shaky breath as Tenten's explanation ran through her mind for what felt like the hundredth time.

"The police brought in a guy, higher than a kite, who'd been involved a traffic accident. Neji was just supposed to check him over before the officers took him to jail, but somehow he got out of his cuffs, grabbed a gun, and got off three shots before the police got him under control." Tenten had let out another sob, sounding just a few seconds away from completely losing it. "Two of them hit Neji. One was a through-and-through his shoulder and didn't hit anything major, but the other - it lodged so close to his heart, Hinata. So close. They're trying to get it out now."

Resentment flared hotly along her nerves, piercing through the coldness of the shock cocooning her. Other people had been brought into the ER from the accident. Why hadn't Neji been assigned to one of them, instead of the man who caused the trouble in the first place? Hinata instantly felt guilty for the thought, since she knew that meant consigning some other doctor's family to the same intense fear and anger she experienced now, but still - why did it have to be Neji, the man who had been like an older brother to her for her entire life? As tears stung her eyes, she lowered her clenched fists to rest on her knees. Rampant emotions churned within her, making her shake as her mind spiraled off again in a dozen different directions.

"Hinata?"

She vaguely realized Sasuke was crouched in front of her, both of his big warm hands gently enclosing hers. Blinking her eyes slowly open, she somehow managed to get control of her focus and bring it entirely to him. "What?"

"I just talked to Jiraiya." Sasuke reached up and brushed her cheek with the edge of his index finger, strength flowing from his touch, his eyes, into her. "He's going to call in every favor and use every bit of his influence to get us on a flight out of New York tonight - a direct one back to Missouri, if possible. We're going home, Hinata, and as quickly as we possibly can." Cupping her hands again, he brought them to his mouth and kissed her fingertips. "Can you pack your bags, or do you need me to do it for you? We have to be ready to go as soon as Jiraiya calls me back."

Now that something was actively being done, Hinata felt a little bit of rationality return. The strength Sasuke had somehow managed to imbue in her helped, too. Straighening her shoulders, she nodded once, jerkily, and managed, "I can do it. I'll be okay."

Sasuke leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "All right. I'm going to go pack my stuff. If you need me, just shout, okay?"

Hinata went straight to her room on still-shaky legs, though the trembling in her hands had lessened now she had something constructive to do. Ninja followed, sitting in the doorway watching her with worried dark eyes as she hurried around the room gathering everything she'd unpacked over the past few days. She didn't bother to pack neatly, just gathered up armsful of clothing and toiletries, and threw them into her bags willy-nilly. She did, however, have the presence of mind to pad the more fragile souvenirs she'd picked up for her friends and family. No point in those going to waste, though she might wind up wanting to forget this New York trip entirely, depending on how things went with Neji.

Ten minutes after entering her room, Hinata left it, lugging her suitcases along with her. She dropped them in the entryway, then went to the open door of Sasuke's room. He was stuffing things into his own luggage with one hand, his phone held to his ear with his other. He looked up, caught sight of her in the doorway, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Okay. Thank you, Jiraiya. I owe you massively for this. Yeah. Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes." Sasuke hung up and stuffed his phone in his pocket as he slammed the lid of his last suitcase shut. "Jiraiya is amazing," he breathed. "Do you remember Utakata and Hotaru, from last night?"

Hinata nodded silently.

"They have a private plane, and they were planning to fly back to California tonight. It's a little publicity-dodging trick they've employed over the years. Anyway, they've agreed to fly us to Missouri - and this way, it's a direct flight, since the county airport can handle a Lear jet." Sasuke shook his head, letting out his breath on a long sigh. "Jiraiya will pick us up in about fifteen minutes, and we'll meet Utakata and Hotaru at LaGuardia."

Her knees went weak again. Hinata leaned against the doorframe to keep from landing on the floor. "Oh, thank you," she breathed. She was going home - would be there in just a few hours. And then she could go to the hospital, and sit with Tenten, and be there when whatever was going to happen, happened.

By the time she got through processing that not-so-minor miracle, Sasuke was on the phone again. "Hi, Naruto? Yeah, it's me. Look, I'm sorry to wake you, but could you do me a favor?" He quickly explained the situation, then added, "I hate to ask this, but can you pick up me and Hinata at the airport? We'll need to go straight to the hospital from there."

Hinata checked her phone, but there were no new messages. No news is good news, I suppose. Tenten had said Neji would be in surgery for hours, but still - she'd been hoping updates would be forthcoming much sooner than that.

"Thank you, Naruto. I owe you big time." Sasuke checked his watch, then said, "We should land around four-thirty or five." A pause, then an incredulous snort. "Yes, this morning. All right. See you then." He hung up and tucked his phone away; then crossed the room to take Hinata into his arms, holding her close as he rested his cheek on top of her head. "Now we wait," he said.

Sasuke thought about it, like a recording on an endless loop, all through packing.

And while waiting for Jiraiya to show up.

And during the entire ride to the airport in Jiraiya's Lexus.

And through greeting Utakata and Hotaru, thanking them for their kind gesture.

And while saying goodbye to Jiraiya.

And as the four of them boarded the Lear jet.

As the pilot started taxiing the plane to the runway, Sasuke finally admitted it to himself. He was dwelling on the fact he was now on a private plane. Willingly.

He was now inside something very similar to that in which his parents had died. And he'd climbed aboard without a backwards glance, despite the trembling in his limbs he fought to conceal, and his pounding heart.

Ninja whined low in his throat and rested his head on Sasuke's knee, his worried brown eyes staring up at his master soulfully. Across the plane lay Utakata and Hotaru's Australian shepherd, Kihō, curled up between her master and mistress. Her own bi-color eyes looked vaguely worried, but she stayed put.

The Lear jet raced smoothly down the runway, gaining speed as it prepared for takeoff. Sasuke felt the blood drain out of his face, and he closed his eyes to help himself resist the urge to look out the window. Despite the fact it was well into the wee small hours, the runway was brightly lit; thus he'd be able to see quite a bit if he did get a glimpse of what lay outside.

"Are you afraid of flying?" Hotaru asked quietly. Her tone was curious, but not patronizing.

"I don't honestly know if it's that, or the fact I'm actually in an airplane," Sasuke said from between his clenched teeth. "This is - is my first time."

"Flying is actually safer than driving," Utakata offered. "And private jets have been proven to be safer than passenger airliners."

Sasuke swallowed hard. "I know that," he said. And he did, logically. After his parents' accident, he'd done a lot of research on the subject. Their Lear going down the way it had was the exception, rather than the rule. "But my parents: They d-died in a private plane crash."

Silence fell, landing like a rock in the middle of a peaceful pond. The shockwaves rippled out from its impact - or was that the plane having trouble taking off?

"We're airborne," Hinata said, lightly touching his hand. Sasuke hadn't even realized he'd curled it into a white-knuckled fist until Hinata's touch made it relax.

Prying open his dark eyes, Sasuke looked into Hinata's pale ones. She looked calm, albeit concerned about him. But the hand over his did not tremble, nor did her face seem troubled.

Guilt blocked Sasuke's throat. He was supposed to be the one comforting her, not the other way around. Her cousin - who was more like her brother - was even then in surgery, only a centimeter from death, and she needed Sasuke to hold her together. But here he was, falling apart and relying on her to be the strong one.

His parents were dead. But they'd been that way for a long time now, and it was time for him to move past it. Her cousin was still very much in danger, but (as far as they both knew) alive. It was happening now, the outcome still to be decided.

And he could be strong for Hinata. He would.

Clearing his throat, Sasuke forced his free hand to relax, and his tense expression to ease into a smile. "Flying," he began hesitantly, "isn't so bad." As long as I don't look out the window. Which might be hard, considering if he looked over Utakata's and Hotaru's shoulders he could see straight outside. He would just have to make sure to look at both of them directly, and not past them.

Though really, what was there to see? A whole lot of darkness, maybe a few clouds? Still. Better safe than sorry.

Unclicking his seatbelt, Utakata stood up and went to the back of the plane. Opening a small fridge located there, he pulled out four bottles and handed them out to his passengers and his wife. "Tea," he said. "It's a special brand I have imported directly from Japan." He settled into his chair and automatically reached for his wife's hand, at the exact same moment she reached for his. Neither of them looked at each other, but they connected instantly. It was a movement so easy and natural, it looked as if they'd been doing it for years.

It made Sasuke want the same kind of natural, easy relationship with Hinata. Would they be able to do that five years down the road? Sooner? He wanted it so badly his fingers twitched.

Instead of reaching for Hinata's hand, Sasuke screwed off the lid of his tea and took a long, cooling drink. At the same time, he cut his eyes to his watch.

Fifteen minutes down. Only two hours, forty-five minutes in the air left. He could do this.

He took Hinata's left hand in his right, and gave it a light, reassuring squeeze. For her, he would do this.

The drive from the airport to the hospital passed in a blur. Sasuke watched Hinata the whole time, and what he saw concerned him. The mask of control she'd mostly maintained on the plane had vanished, replaced by a pale, silent tension which stiffened her shoulders and formed fine lines around her mouth and eyes. She didn't say anything at all, even though Naruto kept up a nervous monologue the whole way.

"I'll take Ninja and the luggage to your house," Naruto told Sasuke as they reached the hospital. With a hurried thank-you, Hinata tumbled out the door and hurried toward the ER doors. Sasuke followed suit, adding a tense smile and a quick handshake before following her, knowing his friend knew where the spare key to his house was hidden.

Hanabi waited just inside the doors, Konohamaru standing quietly beside her. As soon as she saw her sister, she threw herself into Hinata's arms, clinging as tears ran down her cheeks. "You're here," she choked out. "And right when you said you'd be."

"Of course." Hinata rubbed her sister's shoulders reassuringly before stepping back. "Where's Tenten?" Sasuke heard some of her earlier calm seep back into her voice, now she was faced with her crying sister.

Wiping her hands over her cheeks, void of her usual makeup and pale as a fragile doll's, Hanabi motioned down the hall with one hand. "This way. She's still in the OR waiting room, just in case the doctor came out while Konohamaru and I were waiting for you."

"So he's still in surgery?" Hinata fell into step with her sister, as Sasuke quietly joined Konohamaru in trailing along.

"Yeah. It's really delicate work, and the doc said it'd take a long time, hours and hours. The bullet's so close to his heart - I mean, literally right up against it - they have to go slowly or risk losing him." Hanabi sniffled. "Well, take an even bigger risk than the one already there, that is."

Sasuke leaned in close to Konohamaru and muttered, "I'm not knocking our local hospital, or anything, but why didn't they stat flight him to St. Louis?"

Konohamaru shook his head and muttered back, "Too dangerous. Every time his heart beats it nudges against the slug. They had to operate immediately."

They rounded a corner and stepped through a doorway, and Sasuke caught sight of Hinata's cousin-in-law. She sat curled up in a seat next to the window, wearing sandals, sleep pants, and a baggy t-shirt with a famous college's logo on it - probably her husband's. It made her look fragile, small and vulnerable. Her chocolate brown hair lay in tangled disarray around her shoulders, and her pale face looked splotchy and tear-streaked. Even though he didn't know her well, he felt his heart squeeze with sympathy. He couldn't imagine what the last few hours must have been like for her.

"Tenten." Hinata hurried across the room and embraced the other woman. The two clung to each other for a long moment, then drew Hanabi into the circle as she approached. Sasuke hung back, feeling awkward and out of place. A quick glance at Konohamaru made it clear he felt he same way, but they both stayed for the women they loved.

Three other people sat in the waiting room, an older couple with a younger man who looked like their son. A doctor came out and spoke to them while Tenten, Hanabi, and Hinata were still hugging, and then the trio left, relieved expressions on their faces. Sasuke watched it all, hoping Hinata and her family would soon receive such good news.

After the three women parted, they all took their seats. Hanabi and Hinata flanked Tenten, with Sasuke and Konohamaru seating themselves next to their respective girlfriends. The author sat quietly, listening as the conversation among the others flourished or lagged, trying to keep each other's hopes up.

It made him feel even more out of place, but he stayed. Hinata needed him, and as long as she did, he wouldn't leave.

The sun rose outside, sending streaks of almost unbearably bright light through the blinds over the windows and highlighting the worn, uncomfortable chairs lining the room. A nurse came in with coffee and pastries, assuring them it wouldn't be too much longer before they finally heard word on Neji's condition.

Hanabi took a few bites of her pastry before drifting into an exhausted sleep, her head resting on Konohamaru's shoulder, his arm around her. Tenten also looked like she was close to nodding off, her red-rimmed brown eyes heavy, arms wrapped around her knees, which she had curled up protectively to her chest.

For a while Sasuke thought Hinata was going to follow suit, since the waiting room was empty except for them and it had gone mostly quiet. But she surprised him by saying in a very soft voice, "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" he asked equally quietly, tilting his head toward her.

Keeping her voice lowered so she wouldn't wake her lightly-dozing relatives, she said, "In your book. I didn't get to read the rest of it, and I desperately need something else to think about before I go nuts. How does Soichiro and Sumi's story end?"

The quick spark of pleasure at the thought of Hinata's enjoying something he wrote died quickly, drenched by the sorrowful knowledge of why, exactly, he needed to tell her the ending instead of letting her read it herself. "Where did you leave off?" he asked.

"Sumi thought she'd just figured it out," Hinata said. "She was heading up to the attic again to check a hunch."

Sasuke nodded. She'd gotten close, then. "You're almost there. When she's up in the attic, she notices-"

"The chest!" Hinata blurted it out, then glanced at her sister and cousin, both of whom were still, thankfully, dozing. "With M.L.S. on it. But it wasn't her grandfather's, like she'd thought, because he has a different middle name - his starts with a K."

"That's right. It belongs to-"

"Soichiro." Hinata's eyes and mouth grew round, and she stared at Sasuke. "Her grandfather killed Soichiro?"

"Yeah." Sasuke felt proud of Hinata for figuring it out. "Do you know why?" He waited, letting her think through the rest of the book, watching her mercurial expressions as she tried to work out the clues and piece together the puzzle the same way Sumi had.

Hinata's hand flew to her mouth, and she stared at Sasuke over it. "Soichiro," she whispered. "The reason why he and Sumi always felt so drawn to each other. It was because, because..." She trailed off, looking shocked.

Just the reaction Sasuke had been hoping for. He nodded once, slowly. "That's right. Soichiro's her father."

"Whoa," Hinata breathed. Lowering her hand, she shook her head. "I mean, I know she grew up never knowing her real father, just her stepfather, and her mother never talked about her birth father, even when Sumi asked, but..." She stopped. "Did Sumi's mother know the truth?"

"No. She always believed her father had paid off Soichiro, just like he told her. She didn't know he'd actually killed Soichiro that night."

"And hid his body in a remote corner of the attic of his own house." Hinata shuddered. "That is just about the sickest thing I've ever heard. Or read."

Sasuke watched her out of the corner of his eye, anxiety boiling in his stomach. "Do you regret reading it?" he asked softly.

Hinata turned to him, her eyes filled with admiration and love and a hundred other things which overshadowed her worry, even if only briefly. "No," she said. "I don't. It was a love story, too: this time about the love of a parent for his child." She wrinkled her nose suddenly, and Sasuke felt worried until she said, "Sumi - she seemed familiar somehow. Like I know her from somewhere. Did you base her on someone in town?"

Oh boy. Sasuke knew there had been a huge chance Hinata would recognize herself in the main character, but he'd been hoping she wouldn't. He wasn't sure whether to feel happy or sad she hadn't - only thought she recognized the person from somewhere else. "Ah - yes."

Her eyes lit. "Is it someone I know?"

Intimately. "Yes." He watched as her eyes narrowed, lips moving as she went through some sort of mental Roladex trying to find the person. At last, Sasuke couldn't stand it and told her, "Sumi was based on you, Hinata."

Her mouth snapped closed as her eyes widened. "Me?"

It figured: Hinata was so modest, it wouldn't occur to her Sasuke would base a character on her. As a matter of fact, he'd done all but call her Hinata (though he'd changed her eyes just a little, to keep Sumi from being too close and either embarrassing her or bringing a lawsuit down on his head). "Yes. How could I not? You've done so much to help me, and - and this is kind of my way of thanking you, I suppose."

Hinata's eyes misted. At first Sasuke was afraid he'd made her cry; then she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

He heard all the words she didn't say, and something inside him unwound. Reaching out, he took her hand and squeezed, letting the gesture say everything he - a writer! - couldn't find the words to say.

At that moment, a doctor - dressed in blood-speckled scrubs and looking unbelievably exhausted - came into the room. Hinata nudged Tenten, who nudged Hanabi. All three women stood up and took several steps forward. Sasuke and Konohamaru both stood, ready to offer support if it was needed, but staying out of the way.

"He made it through surgery." The doctor waited while the three women sighed with relief, then held up a hand. "The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours are going to be tough. I'm not going to lie to you. The bullet broke his sternum and actually struck his heart, even though it didn't penetrate it. So he has a myocardial contusion - basically a bruised heart muscle - and that comes with its own set of complications. We had to put a chest drainage tube in, and he's on a respirator. We're hoping we won't have to go back in to implant a pacemaker temporarily to keep his heart beating in a regular rhythm. But, a centimeter more to the left and he would have been dead on impact."

"I know this is the question doctors always hate, but- Is he going to be all right?" Tenten asked, her hands gripped tightly together.

Something flickered through the doctor's eyes, but it vanished before Sasuke could identify it. "I am cautiously optimistic, yes."

Tenten nodded, then said, "Thank you, Dr. Watanabe. When can I - we - see him?"

The doctor regarded her for a long moment from beneath lowered brows. "I don't advise it, Tenten. Right now Neji looks like he's at death's door. I wouldn't want my wife to see me in the condition he's in now. It will be very - disturbing for you." His eyes flicked to include Hinata and Hanabi.

Sasuke saw Tenten's shoulders go back and her chin come up. Hinata's and Hanabi's did the same. "Neji is my husband, and I want to see him as often as I can for as long as I can. He's been like a big brother to his cousins, and I know they feel the same way. We intend to be there for him."

Dr. Watanabe sighed heavily. "My wife would say the same thing. He's in recovery right now, and will be for a while longer. But once we've got him settled in ICU, we'll see about letting you in for a few minutes at a time. You can move on up to the ICU waiting room now, if you like." Some of the tension eased out of his face, and he smiled directly at Tenten. "Neji's a fighter," he told her quietly. "And with you, Tenten,-" he widened his focus to Hinata and Hanabi, flanking Neji's wife "-and both of you, pulling for him, I have no doubt he won't give up."

The doctor slipped out of the room, leaving Tenten, Hinata, and Hanabi to their hugs and tears - happy ones this time, Sasuke felt pretty sure. He waited until the little group broke up to head toward Hinata to give her a hug; but no sooner had his arms closed around her than his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He briefly considered ignoring it, but a glance at the caller ID made him answer. "Good news, Jiraiya," he said immediately, keeping one arm around her. "Hinata's cousin just made it through surgery. The next couple of days are going to be rough, but he looks to make a full recovery."

"Good, good, that's great news." Jiraiya blew out a breath, then went silent for a minute. "While I'm glad you have good news..." He hesitated.

Sasuke's gut clenched. Oh no. What else could possibly have gone wrong?

"My boy, have you turned on a television, or seen any news whatsoever this morning?" Jiraiya's tone had gone from relieved to tight, and Sasuke could just picture the look on his agent's face.

"No," Sasuke said cautiously. "None of us could bear having it rattling on in the background." Exchanging a quick, tense look with Hinata, he took a brief glance around the room, then spotted the TV in the corner. Reluctantly releasing her, he crossed the room. "Hang on." He found the button and turned it on, wrinkling his nose at the cartoon which immediately popped up. He flipped through channels, pausing when he reached a news station. The volume wasn't up very high, but he was close enough to hear every word.

"...last night at the Empire State Building," the woman on-screen was saying. The screen split, and a video of him giving Hinata the promise ring appeared: a low quality picture, as if taken by a cell phone, but clear enough to give the viewers a fairly good sight of what was going on. "Best-selling thriller novelist Uchiha Sasuke, in town for the premiere of the movie Head Shot, based on one of his books, took some time out last evening for a romantic visit to the famous New York landmark with his girlfriend, Hyuuga Hinata, whom he introduced to the world on the red carpet two evenings ago."

The clip cut off right before Tenten's phone call, and Sasuke tensed. "Jiraiya, you still there?"

"Yes. I'm guessing you're watching a newscast?" A low murmer in the background sounded remarkably similar to what Sasuke was hearing on his end.

"Oh, yes." Sasuke wanted to turn off the television, but he couldn't.

The female reporter stared straight into the camera - and, Sasuke creepily felt, right into his very soul. "Only a few hours later, Uchiha and his alleged fiancée boarded a private jet, destination unknown." Her eyebrows lifted slightly, and a catty smile quirked the corners of her mouth. "Could this whirlwind romance have turned into something more? More on this story in our four o'clock hour, so stay tuned to-"

Sasuke punched the button to turn the television off with a low curse. "Whoever shot that footage was very discreet; even Izumo and Kotetsu didn't spot them. Jiraiya-"

"Don't say anything." Jiraiya breathed heavily for a few moments, then blew out one long, tired-sounding sigh. A hint of hurt colored his tone. "Did you propose to her after all?"

"No." Sasuke sensed Hinata standing nearby, watching him with worried eyes, her pale face tense. He wondered how much of the newscast she'd seen and heard. From the look on her face, far too much. "I didn't, although I gave her a ring; a promise ring." He bit his lower lip and curled his free hand into a fist. "What are we going to do, Jiraiya? How are we going to handle this?"

A wrenching groan traveled over the airwaves. "There goes my office phone already. I'll just let the machine catch everything until I can draft a statement. But for now, keep your head low, and for the sake of all that's holy, keep out of trouble!" Jiraiya abruptly disconnected.

Sasuke winced. Oh, he was in trouble now. With difficulty, he met Hinata's gaze, aware of the others now also watching them. He didn't want to add to her worries; but he wasn't going to downplay anything, either. Taking her hands in his, he said, "Someone took a video of us at the Empire State Building last night, and the media has grabbed it and run with it, touting an engagement. Jiraiya's going to release a statement to the contrary, but," he drew a deep breath, "I'm sorry, it looks like we're even more of a sensation today than we were yesterday."

"Oh," Hinata said faintly. Her tired eyes filled with tears. "My fault. If I hadn't wanted to go so badly-"

He silenced her with a quick, light kiss. "No. If anyone's to blame, it's me, and my cursed noteriety." He drew her gently into his arms again, and repeated, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know this is the very last thing you need right now. I wouldn't blame you if you told me to get lost."

A watery sniffle sounded from the region of his mid-chest. "As if I would. I mean what I told you, too. I love you. And this," her arms came up to encircle his waist, "this is just the downside of being in love with a celebrity. At least they don't know anything about any of this."

A terrible, foreboding feeling slithered down Sasuke's spine at her words, but he swiftly suppressed it. After all, what could possibly link the two of them with a shooting at a small, mid-America county hospital?

But as hard as he tried to squelch it, the feeling persisted even as they rejoined the others of Hinata's family to explain this latest development.

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Ending Notes: There was just so much that happened in this chapter. But Sasuke got on an airplane! I'd known from the beginning he was going to have to at some point, and it all just tied in nicely to this story arc. He's still afraid of flying - one flight is not going to cure him of his fear that easily - but it is better. It won't be such a struggle next time (if there is a next time?). And for those of you wondering, Utakata and Hotaru's dog's name, Kihō, means bubble in Japanese. I thought that would be perfect, considering Utakata's signature jutsu in canon. Thank you all for your patience after that cliffhanger in the last chapter (I am really sorry!), I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you all again for next week's update!