Love, Actually

Chapter 5

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Hinata and Sakura entered the Hyuuga compound in a solemn sort of silence. The heiress politely nodded to the servants that greeted them and quietly instructed one to bring her a medical kit. She then brought Sakura to a room meant for entertaining guests of the compound and settled her down. A servant girl soon appeared with some tea and placed the cups silently on the table. Another servant came with the medical kit and after taking it Hinata dismissed the both of them.

Placing the kit beside her, Hinata then carefully took Sakura's hands in hers and started healing. She wasn't officially trained as a medic, but she did know basic medical Ninjutsu. Once she was done, she bandaged Sakura's knuckles.

The pink haired woman hadn't said anything during the healing session. She looked small, uncertain. A far cry from her normal, confident self.

"D-do you want to talk about it Sakura?" Hinata asked softly, offering Sakura the cup of tea. The woman took it with steady hands and silently stared down into the swirling green beverage.

"… I was in my office when Ino came. She dragged me out to lunch and after a while she started telling me all these horrible rumours about Sasuke and Kagome," Sakura said with a shaky breath. Her heart clenched painfully just thinking about it. Had it only just been a few hours ago? "At first I didn't believe her, but the more she talked, the more it started to make sense. Then I finally saw them together in the streets…"

Sakura blinked away the tears gathering in her eyes. Hinata placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I ran home to cry and after that Sasuke came back. You know what was the first thing he said to me? 'I'm home.' As if nothing was wrong." Sakura let out a bitter laugh, and a small frown appeared on Hinata's lips. "I know he saw me leaving. I know he realised that I found out about them. So I thought maybe when he came home he would explain it to me, tell me it's all a misunderstanding. Or maybe he would have asked to leave me. Yet what does he say instead? 'I'm home...'"

She clenched her fists, ignoring the spikes of pain from her knuckles. Hinata may have healed away the worst of the bruising, but Sakura still had to take it easy for a day or two. "Uchiha Sasuke is a bastard."

Hinata couldn't disagree with her on that statement after hearing what she said.

"We talked at first, but then it spiralled into a full blown argument. When I tried to ask him to stop lying to me and tell me the truth, he still tried to convince me that he and Kagome were innocent, that he only treated her like a sister. His brother's best friend… Who the hell is he trying to fool?" She snapped angrily. "The facts are against them and no matter how I look at it, Sasuke really is cheating on me. He even implied that we should get a divorce!" Sakura angrily wiped her tears away.

Hinata looked at her friend in silence for a moment before speaking. "Sakura, maybe you should listen to Sasuke-kun. He doesn't seem like a person who would cheat so he might have been telling you the truth. Maybe it's all just a simple misunderstanding. Maybe he and Kagome-san are in-innocent."

She hoped that Sakura would consider her words, but the pink haired woman only sent her a grim smile.

"I really want to believe that Hinata. But you didn't see them. You didn't see how Sasuke behaved around her, how he looked at her. Like she was the only thing he needed to live. He used to look at me like that," Sakura swallowed, "And only in private. God Hinata, he even smiled at her and hugged her! You know that Sasuke isn't one for public displays of affection… But just now, he was in a shop full of people and he didn't care!"

Hinata let out a soft sigh. "Sakura…"

"There's also one more thing," the woman interrupted. Hinata wisely kept her silence. "A few months ago, Kagome came into my office to do a pregnancy test. After that, we had a chat and she told me some things about the baby's father. She didn't tell me the name, but she didn't need to. All the things she described about him indicated to Sasuke. She even said she loved him. It's obvious that Sasuke doesn't love me anymore. Kagome's the only one he cares about now. I guess I really should divorce him so he can marry her and raise his family huh…?" She questioned softly.

"Sakura, look at me," Hinata said in a louder voice. There was a slight edge of agitation to her tone. "You shouldn't say things like that Sakura! Sasuke-kun does love you. I've seen it! You have to stop saying all these negative things and trust his words, not the words of other people! Kagome-san is your friend too! She and Sasuke-kun would never do this to you! So you have to believe them!"

Sakura blinked in surprise at Hinata's outburst.

If she and Hinata were having this kind of conversation several years ago, the talk would have been much different. The Hyuuga heiress had really grown from that shy, insecure young girl into a strong and confident woman.

She was studying hard under her father, learning about the duties and responsibilities of a Clan Head and there was even talk that she would take over his position by the time she was 25. But then again… it was no surprise that Hinata had blossomed, considering the kind of losses she had suffered during the Fourth Great Ninja War. For better or for worse, war always changed people.

"Maybe you should go and speak with Kagome-san first before you decide things Sakura," Hinata said reasonably. "You should find out her side of the story too, to be fair to her. Though, I really don't think she's having an affair with Sasuke-kun…"

Sakura looked at Hinata with a horrified expression on her face but the Hyuuga heiress was determined. "You can't avoid Kagome-san forever Sakura. You know that."

"I do," Sakura agreed, chewing on the lower corner of her lip. She looked hesitant. "But I… I know it's going to hurt me badly. I don't want to go alone. Can you please come with me Hinata?"

"Of course," Hinata said with a smile. "But we'll go later Sakura. Right now, you need the time to centre yourself."

Sakura flashed a small but appreciative smile at her friend before taking a sip of her tea. It had cooled down to a manageable temperature for drinking. Hinata sipped at her own tea as well, letting out a soft sigh of pleasure as the liquid ran down her throat.

"So… What's going on in your life now?" Sakura asked.

Hinata smiled. "Well…" she began, and started to talk. Sakura listened patiently, occasionally nodding, adding some opinions in and taking sips of her tea. Byakugan or not, Hinata could see the question for the distraction it really was. But she didn't mind indulging the pink haired woman. She understood that Sakura needed some normalcy in her life now, what with the kind of upheaval it had gone through recently.

Now, if the two women weren't currently so distracted with talking to one another, they would have sensed the presence of a certain blonde who had just returned from his mission from Suna standing outside of their room, listening to every word they had said.

The blonde's blue eyes flashed a demonic red in anger for a moment, and he grit his teeth. Turning, he left the Hyuuga compound without a word. The two Kunoichi never even noticed he was there.

As he marched down the streets towards Sakura's house, both civilians and Ninja alike paled and quickly stepped out of the blonde's way. Even someone with no affinity for chakra whatsoever would have been able to sense the sheer killing intent radiating from the usually happy blonde. They were sure he was out for blood. Someone was definitely going to die, or be beaten into a coma.

The people weren't sure who was on the receiving end of the blonde's wrath, but they secretly wished them luck. Some even offered a quick muttered prayer for the unlucky victim's soul.

The blonde ignored them, even though he could pick out what they were saying with his enhanced hearing.

He was too busy trying to come up with a million creative and painful ways to make the Uchiha suffer. How was this his life? Why did he have to find out such a horrible thing had happened to Sakura on the very same day he came back from a 6-month mission?

And to think that the day had started perfectly enough for him!

Naruto had finally returned to Konoha with Kakashi after their half-a-year long diplomatic mission to Suna. The Copy Ninja had known how badly he'd missed Hinata all those long months away so he even let the blonde head home first, offering to report to Tsunade by himself and turn in their mission report. Naruto had been grateful for his ex-sensei's generosity and happily accepted.

He'd run all the way home to the Hyuuga compound, masking his chakra signature so he could give Hinata a surprise. Yet what did he end up overhearing? That Sasuke the bastard was cheating on Sakura with Kagome, having her baby (Kagome was pregnant? Naruto's mind still boggled thinking about it) and he even wanted to divorce Sakura to marry Kagome.

Okay, Naruto had to grudgingly admit to himself that before he and Kakashi left for their mission, he had asked Sasuke to take care of both Sakura and Kagome, the latter especially because he could tell that there was something bothering her. But he certainly hadn't expected Sasuke to care for her that well!

Naruto growled. It was an animalistic growl. All he was sure of right now was that there was hell to pay for a certain Uchiha…

After Sakura had dashed out of the apartment, Sasuke stayed on the floor for the next fifteen minutes, cradling his balls his agony. His privates were sore to the point that he was certain he would never be able to father children for the rest of his life. Oh why didn't he ever take the chance to learn anything more than basic Medical Ninjutsu? Sakura had offered to teach him before in the past but he'd always turned her down. Wasn't he regretting his decision now…?

"Sakura…" he hissed in frustration.

The throbbing pain continued for a while until it reached a somewhat bearable level for Sasuke to pull himself up from the floor and stagger to the kitchen. He ransacked the freezer for a bit and pulled out a frozen bag of peas. He heaved a sigh of relief as the cool sensation numbed his senses. As the pain finally started to lessen, Sasuke leaned against the kitchen counter and hoped that Sakura's kick hadn't damaged anything too badly.

He knew he should see a doctor to make sure that everything was still working normally, but it hurt to move. Maybe later then, when his balls didn't feel like they were going to fall out if he took even a step.

Now though, Sasuke had a lot of free time, and he found himself thinking about his fiery wife.

He sighed. Maybe I should have just explained it to her instead of giving her vague answers and expecting her to trust me, the Uchiha thought with some guilt, before shaking his head once. No, he had promised Kagome he wouldn't tell anyone who the father was or the kind of situation that had led to her becoming a single mother so he wouldn't. His word was his law. Besides, Sakura was his wife. She should have trusted what he told her, not doubt him.

It took a brief moment for it to sink in to Sasuke that after all Sakura had seen that day, trusting him was the least expected thing she would do.

His wife had heard those nasty rumours about him and Kagome. The Uchiha believed that Sakura had probably tried to refute them because she trusted him. However, her trust had also probably been lost the moment she saw him with Kagome in the baby shop.

Sasuke had to wonder. Do I really behave differently around Kagome?

In retrospect he probably did behave like a different person around her, and he found absolutely nothing wrong with it. He just wished that Sakura could understand why he did so.

Sasuke was nearly twenty-one now. He'd known Kagome ever since he was born. Heck, according to his mother Kagome had been there with Itachi in the hospital room to see him before his own father had. The raven-haired woman had watched him grow up. She'd known and seen what he had been like before the Uchiha Massacre, back when he was still an ignorant kid.

His young self had looked up to her. His current self felt comfortable with her. He could relax around her, talk about the past.

Higurashi Kagome had to be one of the few, no, possibly the only person that Sasuke could talk to about Itachi. Other than Sasuke himself, Kagome knew Itachi best. It stung, but she probably knew his brother better than he did, considering the years she'd spent with him after he left Konoha.

Other than Sasuke, Kagome was probably the only one around who even loved his brother. It was sad. But nevertheless true.

Sasuke had always known that Itachi had loved her, deeply. It was his brother's love for Kagome that made Sasuke decide to protect her in the first place, back when he was still a Missing-Nin set on destroying Konoha. Kagome had found him soon after he had killed Danzou and convinced him not to attack the village. She had slapped him and said that he'd have been spitting on Itachi's sacrifice with his actions. Sasuke hadn't listened, at first. He'd been angry and hurting. But with Kagome by his side, he'd been able to work through his grief and even chose to help the Ninja Alliance during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

After the War and the years that followed, Sasuke always watched out for Kagome. Because a large part of him felt that he owed it to his brother to protect her.

Itachi had dedicated his life to Sasuke, even dying for him. So the least Sasuke could do was do the same for Kagome right? To take care of the woman that his older brother loved? That was why he so readily volunteered to help take care of her and her unborn offspring.

But don't misunderstand him.

Sasuke genuinely cared for Kagome, loved her even. But he also helped her because of his guilt. Kagome knew about Sasuke's feelings, and she'd always tell him he didn't owe her.

It still felt like he did though.

Especially with the knowledge that something he did in the past led to Kagome being scarred for the rest of her life. Not physically scarred, but mentally.

That guilt… Sasuke was sure what he felt would never go away. He'd carry it to his grave, and he would never talk about it because if he told someone, he would feel better. Sasuke didn't want to feel better. He didn't think he deserved it.

Which was the reason why he never told Sakura too, even though she was his wife.

Sasuke snapped out of his contemplations when he heard someone pounding on the front door. He placed the bag of peas, now not so frozen anymore, on the counter and made his way to the hallway leading to the door. As he approached, the knocking got louder and louder and soon there was a shout of, "Oi teme! Open the damn door! I know you're in there!" from the other side.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. The dobe had finally returned.

When Sasuke was several metres away from the door, it was suddenly kicked open and he felt himself being pounced on by an angry, irate blonde. The Uchiha wasted a second to be surprised at Naruto's behaviour before his sense of self-preservation kicked in. He struggled to push the blonde off of him, but winced when Naruto successfully managed to land a punch on his ribs.

He retaliated with a punch to the jaw. Naruto's face whipped to the side with a loud crack.

A normal person would have been stunned by the force of that blow. But when was Naruto ever normal? He merely wrapped his hands around Sasuke's neck and squeezed, ignoring the continuous punches to his ribs. The Uchiha uttered a strangled choke and grasped at the blonde's hands, trying to pry them off.

It was like bending steel. Sasuke gasped. His vision started to darken.

He let out one final, desperate kick and hit Naruto straight in the ribs with all of his strength. There was the sound of bones snapping and the blonde let go. Sasuke immediately threw the man off of him and sat up. He took in a breath and rubbed at his sore neck. He was sure there were purple shaped finger marks already forming on the skin.

"What the fucking hell was that for Naruto?" he yelled, a scowl on his face.

Seriously. Did he have a fucking bulls-eye painted on his back or something? Why was he being attacked by everyone and their mother today?

Naruto glared back. "That was for Sakura-chan you bastard! Teme what the hell is wrong with you! How could you cheat on Sakura-chan with Kagome-chan!"

Sasuke let out a moan of exasperation. Really? First Sakura, now Naruto?

"I did not cheat on Sakura," he hissed out, staring unflinchingly into the blonde's blue eyes. "Kagome and I are innocent damn it. Why does everyone in Konoha think I'm cheating on Sakura? Do I look like the type to be disloyal to someone?"

"You really going to go there teme?" Naruto asked, his brow raised.

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a breath. "Forget I said that…" he mumbled, remembering that he had been disloyal to Konoha by running off to join Orochimaru.

"When I came back from my mission, Hinata was talking with Sakura-chan and I heard everything they said. You even made Sakura-chan cry teme," Naruto said darkly, and for a moment his eyes were red.

The Uchiha sighed. "Look Naruto, for the last time I swear I am not cheating on Sakura. I took care of Kagome because it was the right thing to do. She was pregnant and alone. She didn't want the father in the picture and she was set on being a single mother. What would you have done in my situation?" he questioned, and the blonde softened his glare. Naruto would have done the same thing. "All I can tell you is that I'm not the father. The situation with the actual father is complicated. I'm sorry but I can't say more than that. I promised to keep her secrets for her so you're just going to have to trust me."

Naruto continued to stare at Sasuke in silence. The Uchiha could see the doubt vanishing from his eyes.

The blonde finally let out a sigh. "All right, all right. I'll trust you teme. But you really need to go and explain to Sakura-chan. I don't care if you promised Kagome-chan but Sakura-chan's your wife. She has the right to know."

Sasuke paused. "I think I'd like to give Sakura some time alone first before talking to her again."

Naruto rubbed his bruised jaw carefully as he looked around the apartment and his eyes fell on the bag of peas lying on the counter. "Sakura-chan did something to you before she left, huh?" he asked wisely. Sasuke had to admit, Naruto could be quite observant sometimes.

"…She kneed me in the groin… And I think she used chakra…" Sasuke replied slowly.

Naruto winced in sympathy. "Seriously? That had to hurt."

"You have no idea…" Sasuke's voice was blank, his face pale.

A chakra enhanced kick to the groin courtesy of Sakura-chan huh…? Naruto didn't really envy Sasuke right now…

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End chapter

Hello my lovelies. It's 2am on a Saturday and I just got back from clubbing, so here's the new chapter.

I cleaned up Sakura and Hinata's dialogue in this because I felt that it sounded a little unnatural in Version 1.0. I also made Hinata more confident instead of shy and meek like in Version 1.0 because The Fourth Great Ninja War did happen in this story universe and I think she would have matured from that experience.

I also expanded a bit on Sasuke's thoughts and included more foreshadowing! I bet a few of you are wondering how exactly did Sasuke mentally scar Kagome for life? All I can say is the more perceptive ones will probably figure this out by Chapter 8. *evil grins*

In the next chapter, guess who finally appears? XD

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans