THANK YOU to: Kinara23 & Guest for reviewing the last chapter. Thank you to those who have favourited, added me as their favourite author and those who followed me and this story. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
Reviews are MOST welcome HOWEVER flames will not to entertained, so if you are Anti-SasuHina, do yourself and me a favour and click the close button. Please excuse and grammar and spelling mistakes (I have checked twice but I may have missed a few things)
Enjoy and ThAnK yOu for reading
XXX
Sasuke groaned, making his way through the apartment to the front door. This wasn't the first time he was making the trip to the door today either. This was now the 5th time he had gotten up from Hinata's side.
The first to visit was from Naruto who welcomed himself into Hinata's apartment and woke her up for a while to speak to her, and then let her rest while he spoke to Sasuke. He teased him about how much he had changed from being an alcoholic to taking care someone else. Naruto had said how proud he was of Sasuke and hoped that Hinata would bring him much happiness in his life, which he really deserved. Before leaving Hinata's apartment, he said he'd ask Sakura to come by or send someone from the hospital. However the look on his face was one of complete worry, it unnerved Sasuke somewhat. The next was Shikamaru and Choji who only wanted an update about how Hinata's condition and whether or not Sasuke needed help; Sasuke asked if one of them could get Ino because Sakura was hadn't arrived yet. Another two that had come by were kids whom said Hinata had often given them sweets and played with them sometimes. Shino arrived next with a nest of bugs to asses Hinata's condition; needless to say Sasuke didn't allow him or his insects past the front door.
How was it that everyone suddenly knew Hinata was sick and that he was looking after her? Neji must have said something; did he intend to take Hinata from his care by asking everyone she knew to come to her apartment? But if so then, a whole group of ninja would have out-numbered him and taken Hinata by now. Although, in the face of Hyuga, that wouldn't be proper. No, they'd come and fetch Hinata themselves.
Sasuke opened the door for the 5th time now to find a very annoyed looking Tenten. "You should have just let Neji take Hinata home." Sasuke simply stared at her "So now he sends his girlfriend to do his -" Sasuke's face was suddenly burning from a hot slap he'd received from Tenten. He closed the door on her before she could go on, but she did from the other side of the door. She shouted something about Sasuke not knowing how sick Hinata could get. He pushed Tenten's shouting to the back of his mind, taking care of Hinata was more important now.
Sasuke's eyes widen when he felt Hinata's temperature again. She was burning up even more; did the soak in cold water not bring it down? Another knock on the door had Sasuke fuming, he couldn't take proper care of Hinata because of constantly having to leave her bedside to open the door and she hadn't woken up since Naruto's visit. He opened the door to shout but was pushed away straight away by Ino who rushed into Hinata's bedroom. Ino immediately pulled the covers and started to asses Hinata's condition. She said nothing but the intense look on her face spoke on its own. Sasuke stood beside her "How bad is she?"
Ino stood up "Very bad Sasuke." She glared at him "How could you let her get this bad?" Sasuke dropped his gaze to the floor "Carrying out of her to the hospital would have sent the wrong message to people," his body hit the wall behind him from Ino pushing him "So you're saying you fear that people will label you a killer again if they see you carrying sick Hinata around?" Sasuke didn't meet her gaze "They might find a reason to take her away from me". Ino tightened her grip on Sasuke's clothes "You'll be doing that by letting her die in here" Sasuke's heart dropped; did he just hear the word 'die' in Ino's sentence? Hinata couldn't be that bad could she?
Sai walked in to calm his girlfriend down and asked her to go fetch supplies, to keep her temperature down until sundown to move her to the hospital. Ino left with no further argument, suggesting only that they put luke warm water on her forehead in an attempt to bring her fever down.
Sai looked at Hinata's frail form "Did you submerge her in really cold water Sasuke-san?" Anyone who didn't know Sasuke would have not seen the faint nod he had given to Sai. His pride was wounded; in trying his best to take care of the one woman he might have a chance with, he'd made her condition worse. In fact, had he been honest with himself and her, she wouldn't be lying in her bed, fighting for her life. Rising tears burned his eyes; Sasuke shut them before they escaped. Sai had witnessed enough of Sasuke silently beating himself up, he left the room to fetch Hinata's face cloth and a bucket of water to help bring her temperature down a little bit while they waited for Ino's return. Sai walked into Hinata's bedroom again to find Sasuke's face in his hands, obviously still very upset with himself. Sai sat down beside Sasuke and wrung Hinata's face cloth "Sasuke" he held out the face cloth for Sasuke to take from him and place it on Hinata's forehead.
Sai's heart poured out for Sasuke, Hinata was his chance at love and now he'd lose it again if she didn't get well soon. If hinata did die from this, would Sasuke survive the loss of another person he loves? "You tried your best, you did good Sasuke-kun" Sasuke swallowed the rock that had lodged itself in his throat "It wasn't good enough. I should have just taken her to the hospital and not worried about what people would think about it" After some time, Sai took the face cloth from Hinata's forehead "That doesn't matter right now Sasuke" wrung the cloth again in the lukewarm water "Turn Hinata onto her side so that I can place this on the back of her neck" Sasuke said no more and gently turned Hinata on her side and let Sai place the cloth on the back of Hinata's neck. Sasuke held her hot limp hand and watched her as she slept "She hasn't woken up since Naruto's visit this morning" Sai looked at Sauske with the same worried mask that Naruto had worn that morning and said nothing.
XXX
Ino must have been going nearly twenty minutes before the front door burst opened. Sai hadn't gotten the chance to see who had caused a ruckus before he hit the ground, out cold. Sasuke pulled Hinata into his arms and stood from the bed to open the window. A blow to his arms and thighs sent him to the ground and Hinata taken from his arms by an unfamiliar Hyuga. Sasuke prepared to lunge forward and retrieve Hinata but was quickly held back but another 2 of the Hyuga clan "Give her back to me!" his legs below him had gone limp, the 2 Hyuga beside him were his support.
"Give her back? She does not belong to you Uchiha Sasuke" Before Sasuke stood the head of the Main Branch of the Hyuga clan; Hyuga Hizashi, father to Hyuga Hinata and Hyuga Hanabi. His face showed calm but his voice chilled to the bone. He glanced at this eldest in his arms; her body was hot from the fever, her breathing was uneven and she was sweating. 'She took so much of her mother's traits, right down to getting seriously ill as well.' Hizashi sighed "Neji?" Neji pulled the top covers off the bed and tossed them over Hinata before taking her from her father's arms and leaving the room.
"Hey! Where are you taking her?" If will alone could give life back to his limp legs in that moment, Sasuke would have given everything he had to take Hinata back from Neji but all he could do was watch her sick body being taken away from his sight, taken from his care.
Hizashi had to take a step forward for Sasuke to pay attention to him "If it had not been for Neji, my daughter probably would have died, died at the hands of the last Uchiha" Sasuke glared back at him "I was taking good care of her" Hizashi turned his head to an unconscious Sai in the hallway "Is that why you called your friends to help take care of her? Even the Yamanaka girl who was here not so long ago knows how ill Hinata is" He shut his eyes seeing the image of his dying wife before him "Hinata is exactly like her mother in every way; she is just as kind, if not more and has the same weak body her mother had." He looked around her bedroom "Hinata will be living with her clan from now on; whether she wants to or not. I lost my wife and my brother. I'm not putting my beloved daughter in the ground too" He turned around to leave "When you have function of your legs once more, you need to return to your own home. Hinata is not coming back." The Hyuga that held Sasuke up let him fall to ground, with his arms and legs unable to move he lay there but not before he could exchange more words with this so called loving father. "Why was she living here alone in the first place? Why did her own living family discard her and let her live on her own?" The room went uncomfortably quiet for a long moment; no-one moved or even let out a breath. Sasuke came to an answer on his own "It's because of what happened to her isn't it? Because of that shinobi that's been let out of prison?" Hizashi didn't turn around to face Sauske "It is none of your concern Uchiha Sasuke. You are an out-" Sasuke banged his chin on the floor below him to show how frustrated he had become "No-one wants to tell me anything about what happened to her. I deserve to know!" Hizashi turned his head to the side "I'll tell you the one thing you don't deserve and that's my daughter's kindness" Sasuke remained silent for a moment. It was true, he didn't deserve Hinata or her kindness but she didn't deserve the pain she was living with, she didn't deserve to not to be loved "That may be true but she deserves to be loved, more importantly by her family." Hizashi felt no need to entertain Sasuke anymore and just walked out of Hinata's apartment.
XXX
Ino's supplies dropped to the floor as soon as she saw Sai's unconscious body lying on the passage floor. She let out a sigh of relief when she checked his pulse to find it still there and strong. When she saw Hinata's bed empty and Sasuke paralysed and on the floor she had pieced it all together "The Hyuga came for her didn't they?" Sasuke stared at Ino from the position he was in "Her father came here himself to take her" Ino went to Sasuke to help him sit upright "Don't touch me!" Sasuke's voice burning with anger. Ino ignored him anyway and sat him up. At this point trying to cheer Sasuke up was futile, so she advised him to wait it out, he'd regain mobility to his legs soon. She picked up her boyfriend and put him on her back. She gave Sasuke a sympathetic look and left Hinata's apartment.