Sasuke punches a tree and has a serious talk with Hinata.

Chapter 18: This regret I got accustomed to

Sasuke glared up at the hospital building.

It was far from the first time he'd stood here, feet planted in the snow.

"It wasn't that long ago you were avoiding setting foot near this place, meanwhile I was wishing you'd pay me a visit. Guess it's a good thing I know better than to think you're here for me."

Sasuke grunted, not bothering to face his former teammate.

"Sasuke-kun, how long are you going to do this?"

Tilting his head, Sasuke angled a glare at Sakura over his shoulder. She had her hands on her hips, an unamused look on her face. It wasn't an expression she often, if ever, directed at Sasuke.

"He's in there," Sasuke said.

Sakura's face hardened. "That's classified."

Sasuke scoffed. It hadn't taken him long to find out when Fujiwara Minoru had arrived in Konoha and where he was being kept. "You're assigned to his case," he surmised. Sakura was the best medic on hand other than Tsunade and might even surpass her mentor with a few more years of experience.

Sakura pursed her lips. "Classified," she repeated.

Turning around finally, Sasuke could see Sakura try to hide a flinch. Green eyes swept over him before settling on his face. Her expression softened a little. Conversely, Sasuke felt himself stiffen.

"What are you hoping to accomplish from this Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke ignored the question. "When are you sending him back?"

Sakura's gaze wavered for a second. "Classi—"

"What is it?" Sasuke interrupted. He took a step closer. "Are you not sending him back?" His voice was threatening enough that Sakura took a half step back.

"Sasuke-kun —" she started, making an unsuccessful attempt at keeping her voice firm.

"Tell me," Sasuke ordered. He could see the moment she gave in, shoulders slumping and hands falling from her hips.

"The Konoha Go-Ikenban wants to keep him here. They don't want the white zetsu removed, they want to study it," Sakura confessed in a hushed, grim tone.

Sasuke's eyes widened, then narrowed. He could feel a pulse of chakra moving towards his eyes and it took everything to stop his sharingan from activating. "Kakashi's allowing this?" Sasuke growled. "And Naruto?"

"Of course not!" Sakura said defensively. "Kakashi-sensei and Naruto are fighting against it, but the Konoha Go-Ikenban is devious and they have a lot of hidden networks they've built up over the years.

Sasuke's fist clenched. Undiluted rage was coursing through his body. The thought of leveling the entire hospital, maybe the entire village, passed through his mind. It was more tempting than he would like to admit.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered. Concern lined her face and there was a spark of fear in her eyes.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke reined in his chakra but could do nothing about his anger.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, hand reaching out to him, but Sasuke was gone before her fingertips could even brush against his cloak.

Sasuke's first instinct was to go to the training grounds on the outskirts of Konoha. He ran a chidori covered first through a tree, fragments of wood fracturing and flying through the air.

Chest heaving more from emotion than exertion, Sasuke brought his chakra burned hand to his head, yanking roughly at the strands as he let out a scream of frustration.

His second instinct brought him to the Hyuuga compound. He followed the distinctive chakra signature until he was standing outside a window of a grandiose house. Sasuke stopped there, finally coming to his senses. He was about to turn tail when the window opened and a head of midnight blue hair poked out.

"Sasuke-kun?" Lavender eyes met his own. "What are you doing here? We aren't supposed to meet for a few hours…" Hinata trailed off.

Sasuke didn't know what he looked like at that moment, but something she saw made Hinata's face scrunch up in worry.

"Would you like to come inside?" she asked, holding out her hand.

Sasuke hesitated. He didn't know what he was doing here.

Sasuke looked between Hinata's small hand and those big eyes.

He should leave.

"Please?" Hinata said softly.

Something in his chest loosened. Before he knew what he was doing, Sasuke was reaching out, placing his hand in Hinata's. Her hand was smaller than his own, but calloused from her family's technique. She pulled him gently and he went easily, climbing through the window.

Hinata guided him to sit down on a bed before turning to shut the window. Once seated, Sasuke became aware that he was dripping melted snow onto Hinata's floor and luxurious bedding. Hinata didn't seem to mind, crouching down in front of him to examine his hand.

"I could heal it with iryō ninjutsu? Or put a salve and bandage it," Hinata said, fingers ghosting against his palm and leaving tingles in their wake. "Do you have a preference?"

Sasuke shook his head mutely.

Hinata looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

Her hands glowed with concentrated chakra, not the usual green, but an indigo colour. It was not dissimilar to his own, but where Sasuke's leaned red Hinata's leaned blue. Sasuke felt the warmth of her chakra cover his palm and watched his skin heal itself.

Satisfied with the state of his hand, Hinata looked back up at him. "You have…um…" She gestured at his face. "May I?'

Sasuke shrugged, uncaring.

Hinata rose a little, leaning forward. As she got closer, Sasuke leaned forward as well as if tugged by gravity. Her hand hovered over his cheek and Sasuke only realized he'd been injured there when he felt the scrape healing over. Next, Hinata brushed her fingers through his hair. The soothing motions had his eyelids lowering, but Sasuke kept his gaze trained on Hinata's face. She was so close to him, but preoccupied enough that she wasn't flustering. It reminded Sasuke of when she had cut his hair.

She withdrew too soon, hands full of woodchips. Sasuke's eyes followed Hinata as she went to dispose of them, disappearing into what appeared to be a bathroom. He took the opportunity to look around the room.

It was a bedroom, presumably Hinata's not just because of her presence but because of the décor. The bedding was purple, there was a photo of Team Eight on the dresser and Hinata's coat hung on a hook on the door. Strangely, there wasn't much besides that. Almost as if the room had been recently moved into. For a place where Hinata slept every night, her scent was faint. Sasuke recognized the fūinjutsu book he'd given her on the night table, a bookmark placed more than halfway through.

As he took in the little pieces of Hinata around him, Sasuke slowly felt the tension seep out of his body.

When Hinata stepped back into the room, Sasuke's eyes immediately snapped towards her. He watched as she sat carefully beside him on the bed, conscious of the centimeters of space between her knee and his.

For the first time, Sasuke noticed the redness around her eyes. He frowned, thinking back to the sight of a teary Hinata surrounded by cold dishes while Sasuke carried a drunk Naruto. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Hinata blinked up at him in surprise before letting out an airy laugh. "That was my question," she said. "You had tree bark in your hair…Not that you need to explain anything!" Hinata waved her hands a little frantically. "But if you want to…" She lowered her gaze self-consciously. "I'll listen. It doesn't have to be now. I'll be here whenever you're ready. And if you never want to talk about it…that's fine too. I'll still be here."

Sasuke watched Hinata twist her fingers into the fabric of her skirt and the words spilled out of him. "They're keeping Fujiwara Minoru in Konoha Hospital. Supposedly to get rid of the white zetsu and then send him back, but the Konoha Go-Ikenban wants to experiment on him." As he spoke, he felt the anger rising again, bleeding into his voice.

Hinata's mouth fell open in a silent gasp, one hand flying to her lips.

"I don't want Fujiwara in the village," Sasuke ground out. "And I don't want the Konoha Go-Ikenban getting their hands on him either. I just want him gone."

Hinata looked troubled. "The Konoha Go-Ikenban can't do that! Hokage-sama won't let them," she said.

"It wouldn't be the first time they've gone around a Hokage," Sasuke countered.

"Naruto-kun won't let them," Hinata said. She sounded surer this time.

Sasuke wished he shared her confidence. He knew better than most that Naruto had a way of getting through to people, but Sasuke also knew that some people were beyond reach.

"The Konoha Go-Ikenban is underhanded and power hungry. Naruto won't be able to change their minds," Sasuke said darkly. He felt the memories he thought he'd made peace with bubbling up to the surface, itching to break through

A warm hand settled over his, bringing him back to the present. Hinata's touch was just as soothing without iryō ninjutsu.

"Maybe not. But changing their minds isn't the only way to stop this. We'll find a way," Hinata said. Sasuke was taken aback by the determination in her eyes.

Sasuke didn't believe in a lot of things, but he wanted to believe in her.

He flipped his hand under hers, clasping them together and holding on like a lifeline. He felt her squeeze his hand in response.

The red skin around her eyes caught his attention again. "Why were you crying?"

Hinata's eyes widened before she hid them under her bangs, head ducking down. "Um." She played almost absent mindedly with his fingers, the way she used to with her own.

Lips curving downwards at her discomfort, Sasuke felt a sinking in his chest. He hid his disappointment under his usual impassive façade and said, "You don't have to talk about it."

This had Hinata looking up, still half-hidden beneath her bangs. There was a restrained desolation in her eyes that washed away the sting he felt at her not confiding in him.

As much as Sasuke wanted Hinata to reciprocate his trust, he couldn't blame her if she didn't. He was hardly the picture of emotional stability. Hinata had plenty of other people to share her inner thoughts and feelings with. She had Naruto.

Sasuke might be able to train her and help her get physically stronger, maybe shed light on some forgotten childhood memories, but he had little to offer Hinata beyond that.

He should leave.

Hinata's fingers were still curling and uncurling around his. Sasuke tightened his grip carefully, just enough to settle them, and swiped his thumb across her palm. The effect was instantaneous, Hinata's hand falling pliant in his.

Voice low, almost whispering, Sasuke said, "I'm here too."

Hinata's lips stretched in a tremulous smile. Her eyes shone as she nodded. "Thank you…"

Sasuke leaned forward, trying to see more of her face. "For what?" he asked.

A pale pink blush rose to Hinata's cheeks, but she didn't move away. "For asking?" she said unsurely, "For caring."

"I should be saying that," Sasuke noted.

Brows drawing together, Hinata said, "You don't have to thank me for caring about you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke huffed, amused. "Exactly."

Hinata mouthed a silent 'oh', eyes widening in realization and Sasuke fought the urge to do something stupid like pull her hair again.

Reluctantly he released her hand, moving to pick up the book on fūinjutsu. "Looks like you're almost done," he observed.

Blinking at the change in topic, it took Hinata a few seconds before she nodded. "Mm. It's really interesting. And helpful. It describes the theory behind fūinjutsu better than any of the other texts I've read and had an informative section on juinjutsu. Thank you again for sharing it."

Sasuke studied the handmade bookmark, a dried white lily pressed in a clear material. "I'm not an expert, but I know my family had books on juinjutsu. If you'd like, I can lend them to you."

It was not necessarily an unusual topic. Cursed seals existed and it was useful to know how to counteract them. But the practice itself was taboo, so it was difficult to find much information on it. The Uchiha was an old clan that had collected a lot of rare items over time. Under normal circumstances they would likely have been kept carefully guarded with access limited even among clan members. As it stood, Sasuke had free reign over his family's possessions.

"Really?"

Sasuke shot her a look, but before he could respond Hinata was already speaking, hands held up in a placating manner. "Oh! Yes, sorry. You wouldn't say it if you didn't mean it — that's what you were going to say, right?"

She looked so proud of herself, Sasuke felt the corners of his lips tug upwards. "Right," he agreed, keeping his voice purposefully even.

His lack of reaction didn't dissuade her and Hinata continued to smile, pleased. "Then thank you again. I would really appreciate it."

"Why the interest? Are you working towards anything in particular?" Sasuke tucked the bookmark securely between the pages. The heavy pause had him turning back to Hinata, brows raised in question.

Hinata tucked her hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture. "Um," she hedged.

The sinking feeling was back. "Never mind." Sasuke was about to stand to leave, when Hinata spoke in a harried whisper.

"It's — I can't —" Hinata worried her bottom lip. "I shouldn't speak about it…here."

Eyes narrowing in interest, Sasuke put the book down and stood. "We should go train."

Hinata blinked up at him with wide eyes and then nodded. "Mm."

Although Sasuke didn't care, for Hinata's sake he left the Hyuuga compound discreetly and met her at the entrance. They walked over to the dojo Hinata had mentioned where she greeted the grumpy middle aged man at the small makeshift front desk with familiarity. Sasuke counted the yen she slipped him and took note of the rectangular wooden token he passed her in return.

Hinata led them to one of the rooms, placing the token in the holder by the door. Sliding open the shoji door, Hinata looked up at Sasuke expectantly. Taking the hint, Sasuke entered the room and heard Hinata slide the door closed behind them.

He glanced around the room. Settled on the edges of the village as promised, the dojo didn't look like much from the outside, but it was well kept inside. Sasuke couldn't hear nor sense any other ninja in the building.

When he'd finished inspecting the room, Sasuke found Hinata going through her katas. He had seen her do them so often he could time each movement.

Tearing his eyes away, he removed his cloak and went through his own standard stretches. He passed his right hand over his left arm, massaging the muscles. His injured arm was stiffer in the cold weather, more prone to aches.

Once they were both done with their respective preparation, they moved to the center of the room in a silent agreement. Perhaps inspired by the change in venue, Sasuke decided to let Hinata make the first move. She was never the aggressor.

It took nearly a full minute for confusion to settle across Hinata's face. Sasuke threw her an impish smirk and she looked briefly embarrassed before her expression turned determined.

She shot forward with incredible speed and Sasuke smiled inwardly. Sparring with Hinata was enjoyable for a few reasons, but even Sasuke was surprised by how much it pleased him to see her improvement and to know he was a part of it.

They traded blows, arms and legs coming into sharp contact. Sasuke had worked hard to compensate for his lost arm, but it had been less than a year and he still wasn't used to it. The near daily taijutsu sessions with Hinata weren't only for her benefit. Still, there were moments where he tried to attack or block with his left arm instinctively and only his sharingan saved him from the misstep. Surprisingly, Hinata didn't shy away from aiming at his weak spot and Sasuke appreciated the opportunity to close the holes in his defense.

Though they'd originally agreed on taijutsu only, Sasuke had taken to using his sharingan some time ago, eager to push Hinata to her limits. Hinata had yet to use her byakugan and largely held back from using chakra at all. It was almost strange how reluctant she seemed.

Hinata feinted right and then aimed a fist at his left side. Sasuke parried her strike and threw his knee up, but Hinata twisted out of the way, spinning and kicking out at him. Sasuke dodged enough that she only landed a glancing blow. His own punch managed to connect with her shoulder, hurling her back. Hinata didn't miss a beat, darting back into his space, palms flying in fast strikes.

They kept up like this, matching hit for hit. Sasuke's blood rushed, excitement and adrenaline mixing. He didn't want it to end, but eventually Hinata got winded enough that Sasuke was able to kick her into the door.

Hinata caught herself mid-air, flipping to land on the shoji wall feet first. Chakra gathered around her sandals, concentrated enough that Sasuke could see the indigo glow. Sasuke expected her to stick the landing gracefully, but a split second before her sandals touched the wall her chakra pulsed wildly and she tore straight through the shoji.

Through the hole in the wall, he saw her sit up, face burning red. Sasuke frowned. Hinata was more than skilled enough to have avoided that. It almost reminded him of a moment when they were fighting the white zetsu underground.

"No fighting on the walls, you damn ninja!" the man yelled from the lobby.

Hinata shot to her feet, spluttering out apologies. Not seeing any point in sliding open the door, Sasuke stepped uncaringly through the hole Hinata had created. Hinata turned to him, horrified. The man gaped, face turning nearly puce.

Sasuke walked up to the man and dropped a handful of yen on the desk. "For the repairs." He tilted his head in Hinata's direction. "I think we're done here."

He walked out without a backwards glance, smirking to himself at the strangled noise Hinata let out behind him.

"I sincerely apologize for the trouble, Togou-san," she said earnestly before scurrying after him.

Sasuke slowed his gait to allow Hinata to catch up to him. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, taking in her disturbed expression and filing it away for further thought.

For now, he just wanted to get that expression off her face. Tea and sweets would have to do.

Later, when they were sitting at Sasuke's kitchen table drinking tea that didn't hold a candle to the kind Hinata brewed, Sasuke waited while Hinata gathered her thoughts.

Finally, Hinata asked, "How much do you know about the difference between Sōke and Bunke Hyuuga?"

"From what I heard, your cousin told the entire village about your clan practices during the final stage of the chunin exam," Sasuke pointed out wryly. "I got the highlights later."

"Ah…" Hinata ducked her head to stare at the cup of tea between her hands. "Yes. Well, the Hyuuga have a seal that protects the secrets of the byakugan from being stolen, which sounds reasonable…but it's only placed on Bunke. The rationale given is that since Bunke Hyuuga are meant to protect Sōke Hyuuga, they are more exposed to danger. Also, it is taught that Sōke Hyuuga are superior in strength…" Hinata shook her head. "Of course, that is a senseless proposition that Neji-nii-san has proven to be untrue."

"You want to get rid of the seal?" Sasuke guessed.

Hinata hesitated, worrying her bottom lip. "The truth is we are targeted for our dōjutsu…I'm not sure that eliminating the seal is the best decision or if I can convince the Hyuuga elders of that," she admitted.

"Considering the number of sharingan eyes Danzo had in his arm, you're not wrong," Sasuke said with a sneer. "There seems to be a lot less rogue byakugan eyes in the world." The memory of how the Uchiha clan's prized kekkei genkai had been desecrated still infuriated him.

Hinata gaped at him, horrified. "That's…" She trailed off, lifting a hand to her mouth.

Sasuke nodded grimly. "So if the goal isn't to remove the seal, then…you want to seal the Sōke as well?"

"I don't want to seal anyone," Hinata said. "But if that's not an option…if the purpose of the seal is truly protection, all Hyuuga should be equally protected. Bunke and Sōke. The reasoning to leave the Sōke Hyuuga unsealed doesn't make sense. Especially when —" Hinata stopped abruptly, letting go of her cup to clench her fists atop the table. She shut her eyes tightly, brows furrowed.

Sasuke frowned. Without thinking, he reached out and brushed the edge of her bangs. He'd done this before, always impulsively, and would retract his hand as soon as he realized. This time, instead of a fleeting touch, Sasuke let his hand stay. Stroking cautiously, he watched Hinata's face relax under his ministrations.

"I was almost kidnapped when I was four," Hinata said softly.

Sasuke faltered in his stroking, hand freezing, fingers tangled in midnight blue hair. He wracked his mind for a corresponding memory, but could only think of a longer break between visits to the Hyuuga compound and a more withdrawn Hinata.

"Kumo had come to sign a peace treaty with Konoha and broke it immediately. If they had succeeded in taking me, they would have gotten their hands on the byakugan because I am Sōke." Hinata recounted the events like it was a story, not something that had actually happened to her.

Sasuke conjured up the four year old Hinata from his memories, imagined her in danger and felt his blood boil. It was only Hinata's silky hair between his fingers that kept them from curling into a fist.

"Although they were unmistakably in the wrong, the Sandaime handed my uncle over to them in recompense," Hinata finished.

"This fucking village!" Sasuke snarled. He withdrew his hand as he started to stand, only to be stopped by Hinata's touch on his arm. Somehow she had the singular ability to calm him and stop him in his tracks. He sat back down, though not without another low curse.

"He didn't protect us," Hinata agreed. "And although I trust Hokage-sama and Naruto-kun, I think…it's not wise to rely solely on the good will of the Hokage to guard the secrets of our dōjutsu. The Hyuuga need to be able to protect ourselves." Her lavender eyes were unwavering. "The problem is that despite the claims that the seal was created for protection, it causes division. Not just because it is placed on the majority of Hyuuga while a privileged few are spared, but by the very nature of it. There is no need for the seal to have the ability to be activated by Sōke Hyuuga to inflict pain on the Bunke Hyuuga. The size and prominent placement of the seal seem to be designed with little care other than to easily and visibly separate Sōke and Bunke."

Though her voice was as quiet as it usually was, Hinata spoke with conviction. It was clear how deeply this mattered to her and that she'd spent a lot of time thinking about this. Sasuke felt a rush of admiration for the girl in front of him.

"If I mean to challenge the seal, then I need an ironclad defense. And if arguing in favour of complete removal doesn't work, I need an alternative already fully prepared," Hinata explained. "What I need, is to create a better seal than the Kago no Tori no Juin."

It struck Sasuke that Hinata was sharing something incredibly close to her heart with him. She was speaking candidly about her clan and her aspirations, trusting that Sasuke would understand her and support her. That he would keep her secrets safe.

And Sasuke knew without a shred of doubt that he would do anything to help Hinata achieve her dreams. And to prove that her trust in him was not misplaced.

Shifting focus a little while Hinata digests her emotions from last chapter.

Sasuke and Hinata continue to deepen their bond and trust in each other.

Thanks as always to everyone for reading and leaving a review!

MVH