Sasuke fisted his hand in the grass. He didn't understand how a mother could do that, but he didn't think Hinata was lying about it. He just couldn't imagine his mother saying something that on her worst day.

"Itachi-san was the only person I ever told." Hinata lowered her nose into her blanket as tears silently flowed down her face.

Sasuke moved closer to raise his arm to ask for permission. Hinata turned her face into him, and he wrapped his arms around her to let her cry. He would have to be more careful about making sure she wanted the comfort he was trying to give her in the future.

Sasuke dug back into his memory, looking for a time when her mother would have been there, but that wasn't what was coming. What did come was many school events where Hinata either quietly thanked her father for coming or didn't have anyone but Neji waiting for her when she was done.

He remembered once thinking that she was lucky because she didn't have to deal with his father's passing complaints and his mother's mothering, but now he realized it probably felt a lot more for her what Itachi never showing up felt like for him, but so much worse.

Hinata sniffed, raising the edge of the blank to wipe her face. "I'm sorry… I…"

"Don't apologize," Sasuke told her. "Stop thinking you have to apologize for everything."

"My mother ruined dinner." Hinata acted like she made her come.

"If she wasn't there, I am sure my mother would have got someone to yell," Sasuke assured her.

"Probably me." Hinata sighed. "I don't want to do any more wedding planning. I don't care what table thirteen's dinner placement is going to look like." She whimpered.

Sasuke chuckled. His mother could irritate someone out of being sad. "I'll come with you from now on. How does that sound?"

"No, you'll hate it." Hinata shook her head on him and looked up with a pout that made it seem like she really didn't want to go alone.

"You hate it." Sasuke lowered his head to hers. "I can suffer through it too." He pressed his lips to her temple.

"Why should we bother to suffer?" Hinata grumbled.

"Isn't that what marriage is?" Sasuke joked. "According to my father anyway."

"People really shouldn't make jokes like that." Hinata frowned. "Unhappy marriages aren't funny."

"I think we can suffer together and have a happy marriage," Sasuke assured her. "As long as we are suffering together because of something else."

Hinata nodded in agreement.

"We shouldn't stay out here all night." Sasuke could feel the chill starting to seep through his jacket, and this blanket was going to feel like much if she fell asleep.

"I don't want to go home. My father is going to be…" Hinata sighed, not even wanting to complete the thought.

"You can come home with me." Sasuke offered.

"I… don't…" Hinata pressed her lips in a line. She knew the options were home, his place, or a hotel, and they already had a whole conversation about why not to go with the last one.

"My parents will be in bed. We won't have to deal with them till the morning. My mother won't be bothered, and my father won't care." Sasuke started to get up.

Hinata was mentally exhausted and miserable, so she agreed, only to not disagree as he pulled her up and back to his bike.


"You brought her here!?" Itachi snapped at him.

Okay, so maybe someone cared. Sasuke just didn't care about their opinion. "You said not to take her home."

"So you brought her here?" Itachi snapped again.

Sasuke rubbed his face and yawned before collecting the two cups of tea as they finished brewing. "You were best friends last night. What happened to that?"

Itachi's eyebrows knit together as Sasuke headed from the kitchen back to his room. He left the light off, set the cups down on his bedside table, and leaned over Hinata with her head entirely under the covers in a tight ball, making it look like there was just a pillow hidden under his blanket.

Sasuke put his hand on her shoulder, and Hinata groggily popped her head out, taking in a breath and making a noise as she blinked around the room. "I brought tea."

Hinata rubbed her eyes and sat up in his sweater that she changed into last night. She took the offered tea and continued to rub at her swollen eyes. He was sure that they were irritated from crying most of the night. "I should have gone home." She mumbled into her cup. "Hanabi-chan doesn't remember our mother, but she has always hated her for leaving. She just told me that she was afraid of me leaving, and I didn't come home after mother showed up."

"Hinata," Sasuke told her. "You can't be responsible for everything. You made sure she knew where you were last night. I wasn't going to take you home. You can blame me if you need to." By the time he had processed everything when they were in bed, Sasuke realized that he was so angry that he found it hard to sleep, angry at her mother for showing up, and angry at himself for not realizing something was terribly wrong before Itachi did.

He saw the signs that something was happening. He knew she was uncomfortable, and he didn't try to remove her from the situation. Seeing Itachi trying to comfort her should have been more of a red flag than he took it. He should have gone after them quicker when they didn't come back.

Honestly, if he had known what was happening, he may have made a scene of leaving with her mother still there to prove a point, but he wasn't sure that would have made Hinata feel any better.

Hinata had that little slip of paper balled up somewhere. He might find it just to tell the woman to never come back. If she wanted to be gone, stay gone.

"I should go home." Hinata stared into her cup.

"Drink your tea, and I'll take you home," Sasuke promised.


To Hinata's relief, Hanabi was more upset with their mother for showing up than she was even close to being upset with Hinata staying out. She ranted and screeched despite it still being morning about how she couldn't bear the sight of her, and she wished she didn't even know what she looked like because asking 'who is she' may have actually hurt.

Hinata doubted it, but it was a nice, cruel thought.

Hiashi appeared in her bedroom doorway, and Hinata was sure he was going to snap at them for Hanabi's volume, but he just sent Hanabi out and stood at the door with it closed behind him.

Hinata put her hands together and locked her eyes on them as she waited for what he was going to say.

"I did not call your mother expecting her to come." That much was obvious, but Hinata didn't even know that he was in touch with her. "I call when you have done something of note. I thought this applied."

Was that supposed to be an excuse for why he was hard on her? So he could shove her achievement in his ex-wife's face?

"You are old enough now to decide whether or not you want to see her." Hiashi continued.

Hinata blinked at him. Was that… permission to call her? She didn't want it.

"I won't stop you, but keep what she says to yourself. She's done enough damage to your sister. Hanabi does not need to know anything from that woman." Hiashi didn't say another word as he left himself out.

Hinata hung her head and let out a quiet whimper. She hated his delivery, but this time he was right. Hinata remember her mother, Hanabi only knew of her. Hanabi didn't need to know why she left. It would break Hinata's heart if her little sister knew what she knew.

Hinata reached into the bag of things that she had changed out of to pull out the crumpled phone number and unraveled it. Without looking at the numbers or if there was a message inside, she ripped it until she didn't have pieces anymore to rip, tossed it in the trash, and laid down on her bed.

She brought the sleeves of Sasuke's sweater up to her face and breathed in the faint smell of him that was still on it that had either survived the wash or come off his bed. Now that she knew her sister was okay, could she go back now and just sleep until the wedding?