Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A/N: I know that I'm horrible for putting this up so late. It's just that I've been wondering if this story is a story that people want to read. I've considered taking it down, but I'll try my best to persevere and finish it even if it's not what people want. An author writes for his/her audience…unless; the audience is only the author…Hmm, food for thought…

"I'm going to buy a house." Sasuke declared to Naruto as they sat in Naruto's kitchen later that evening nursing some beers. He was already well on his way to being drunk.

"What?! Sasuke-teme, are you finally settling down? You found yourself a nice girl, didn't you? The twenty-five year-old virgin's finally gonna get laid."

"I see that you're in a much better mood."

Naruto chose not to answer him. He wasn't in a better mood, but he was so accustomed to pretending that he didn't know how to stop sometimes, so he just grinned like a loon.

"Hinata told me the same thing." Sasuke continued and saw Naruto's smile falter.

"Hinata told you that she's glad you'll finally be getting laid?" Naruto asked rightfully suspicious.

"Well, not the exact same thing. But she said that a house was for families. I should start looking at that next step in my life."

Naruto snorted a laugh at the same time that he took a swig of his beer and coughed a little as he nearly drowned himself.

"Honestly, I always thought that you'd procreate by splitting yourself after you ate a lot of tomatoes."

"You know what mitosis is?"

"Mi-who?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I don't want a wife – or a husband," he said, interrupting Naruto before he could cast doubt on Sasuke's sexuality. Naruto pouted.

"Why not? Being married is great."

Was there a hint of sarcasm? "Yeah, it was so great that you're divorced at twenty-five."

"That…that was a different situation."

"How so?"

"Because! Because…it's because it's none of your business!"

"As the godfather to your dead son I think it fair that after two and a half years I deserve to finally know what happened between you and Hinata."

Sasuke felt it before he saw it. Naruto was smiling, but his chakra spiked dangerously at the mention of his "dead son".

"No, teme. You have no right to know and that's just it. I was married to her, not you."

"Fair enough. But I'm sure you fucked up, didn't you?"

"We both did," He muttered into his beer.

It was a conversation that they had a bajillion times before and as always Sasuke got no closer to an answer. He wondered if the combined effect of alcohol and regret coupled with his strongest genjutsu would make Naruto more likely to spill his guts. He activated his Sharingan.

The door opened and in came Sakura with the twin boys sleeping peacefully in their bouncers. Naruto got up instantly to help her, effectively squashing Sasuke's nefarious thoughts.

"Sasuke-kun,"

Sometimes Sasuke didn't like how Sakura said his name. It was a kind of breathless whisper of revered awe that made him feel uncomfortable, especially now that she was married to Naruto. He thought she had gotten over that. He supposed it had been his sudden presence. Or it could be that she was a bit tired from dealing with two mini Narutos. Sometimes he tried to avoid her – not that she went particularly out of her way to see him. He wasn't sure why, but there were times when she would give him a look of equal parts blame and forgiveness. Forgiveness for what, he didn't know. He got up to leave.

"You're leaving already?" Naruto asked, while Sakura focused on him her intense gaze, mouth slightly parted. That's why he hardly came around. Sasuke wondered if Naruto never noticed. Psh, of course he did. The dobe was a lot more observant that people gave him credit for.

"I'll reschedule the meeting with Shikamaru for tomorrow." He said as his parting greeting and was out of the house before he felt that uncomfortable feeling of his blood crawling.

The night air was crisp as Sasuke walked briskly towards his sinking apartment. What was he walking briskly to? An empty apartment. He just left his only two friends. Well, his one friend, Naruto. Sakura and he had an uncomfortable acquaintanceship. At one point in time he honestly thought that they were becoming friends, putting all that Sasuke-I-love-you and Sakura-I'll-Kill-You nonsense behind them. She changed. Not him.

He walked a lot less briskly now and wondered what Hinata was doing? The thought made him stop. Why on earth would he be wondering what Hinata was doing? That was so odd!

Still he walked twenty minutes out of his way to end up at the Hyuuga Compound.

He waited for a few minutes, again in the wisteria courtyard. This time he took up a seat on one of the benches situated under a pergola of wisteria. When she came out to greet him she was wearing another yukata – bright blue with white and pink flowers. She looked sleepy.

"It's only eight o'clock. Don't tell me that you were sleeping already."

"I was just resting. My back hurts. Falling out of windows affects me that way sometimes."

She did not take up a seat next to him, preferring to stand.

"Hmm. Ahem."

She barely held back an exasperated sigh as she realized that that was his version of an apology.

"No need to apologize. It could have been my head."

There was that awkward silence again. She tried to pass the time by taking a seat at the end of the bench he was sitting on. The night was gorgeous, they both noted silently; both unaware that they were wracking their brains for conversational starters. Well, that was more Sasuke. Hinata was more wondering why he was here. It was so odd! One minute she hardly saw him, the next she couldn't stop seeing him.

"Are you okay?" He finally said, slightly ashamed that that was the best line he could have come up with.

"I'm fine. I've had worse injuries."

"I wasn't referring to that."

She looked at him with that blank stare that always made her seem a bit slow. The look faded quickly as she realized what he was talking about. She opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off with a plea,

"Answer me honestly, now."

"Is that the reason that you came over here? You didn't care last year." She hugged herself tighter. He couldn't help but notice her defensive body language. Absently, he wondered how she would be in an interrogation under the threat of torture.

"I didn't see how much you were hurting last year."

"Giving you no reason to care then, but license to care now?" She said softly with her head bowed. She was playing idly with the hem of her sleeves now.

He felt sufficiently chastised and if he were someone who blushed he might have.

"You shouldn't be cooped up inside this house, wallowing in grief. You should come out. Have a beer with me."

Hinata looked up at him like he had just asked her to strip for him. And even he too was shocked that he asked her that, but of course he pretended that he asked her that all the time. He mentally made a note to stop drinking with Naruto.

"Umm…actually, I didn't want to say anything, but I have some kimchi that I was planning on making."

"Kimchi?"

"Pickled cabbage."

"I know what it is. At this hour?"

"I didn't know that cabbage had an a.m. or p.m. label on it." Her voice dipped an octave and he noticed that that happened every time she spoke her mind or attempted sass. He wondered if she felt that she didn't have a right to.

"You've changed."

He could practically see her thinking, 'And how would you know?' But such direct rudeness was not something he (and she) thought her capable of. He felt a liquid courage to see how rude she really could be.

"So have you. You fluctuate actually, Sasuke-san. You care, then you don't. You care, then you don't. This must be your caring phase." Her voice was almost a whisper. She was staring intently at her feet.

"Apparently tonight I don't coincide with your caring phase. This isn't like you."

Her face was turning a bit red, but all he noticed was her right hand straightening out as if ready to strike him with that Gentle Fist. Bring it on Hyuuga, he thought, recklessly ignoring the fact that close combat was her specialty.

"How would you know? Even when I was married to the Hokage, who is your only friend, you still didn't acknowledge me."

"When you were married to Naruto, neither did you acknowledge me. We don't care about each other, it seems."

Hinata had no argument to brook there. She was in a bad mood. Normally she would never be so rude to Sasuke, but today was not a day that she cared about being polite.

"Naruto's still in love with you." He said suddenly. Hinata stared at him.

"Wh-wh-what?"

"I saw it today at the cemetery. He's still in love with you. And yet you can't even say his name. What happened between the both of you that you, Hinata Hyuuga, President of the Naruto Fan Club, can't even stand to be in his presence now?"

"I'm feeling really tired."

"You blame yourself for your son's death."

She stared at him, hard. "It was an accident. No one was to blame."

"Yet you blame yourself and on some days, like today, you blame Naruto."

"It was an accident." He could see her jaw clenched tight.

"The thing is you're probably right. Someone is to blame."

"It was an accident!"

A light came on in the far corner of the house.

"Please leave."

He complied rather easily. As he walked out of the gates he decided that he would never drink again. He didn't like what it made him do. His brother would be ashamed of him.

A/N: Review please and let me know if I should continue this for you guys or not.