Sasuke confronts Team 7 about Fujiwara & Hinata saves the day.

Chapter 21: Trust me (I've been broken before)

Sasuke threw open the door to the Hokage's office without bothering to knock. He strode into the room, ignoring the startled faces of Kakashi, Naruto, Shikamaru and Sakura.

He finally felt in control enough to stop taking his anger out on tree trunks and instead confront it directly without maiming anyone.

"Why the hell is Fujiwara still here?" Sasuke demanded. "Is it that difficult to get rid of the white zetsu or is Tsunade a fraud."

"Watch it!" Sakura warned, green eyes glinting dangerously.

"Sasuke-kun, how nice of you to drop by," Kakashi said wryly. Shikamaru let out a low groan, slumping back into his seat.

"Spare me the pleasantries. You told me to trust you, all of you. But all I see is you keeping the status quo, letting the Konoha Go-Ikenban do whatever they want."

Kakashi sighed wearily. "Sasuke, I promise you there has been no experimentation conducted on Fujiwara. We're working on getting him healed and back to the capital," he said in a serious tone.

"We're at a stalemate at the hospital," Sakura said, massaging her neck. She looked exhausted. "We're refusing to run any experiments, so they won't let us near him unsupervised in case we get rid of the white zetsu before they can study it. Then we have to pull twenty-four hour shifts to make sure they don't try anything either." She frowned. "It's difficult just making sure he's comfortable and gets the medical care he needs to keep his condition stable. He's just a kid —"

"A kid who murdered his family," Sasuke interjected, voice cold.

"He's fifteen! And we don't know the full situation! Sasuke-kun, you of all people should —"

"Don't," Sasuke snarled, glare piercing through Sakura. "Don't you dare compare our situations. You need to mind your own business and not talk about things you could never understand. You're just as annoying as you were at twelve."

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, jumping to his feet. "Don't talk to Sakura like that. She's supported you this entire time, she doesn't deserve that!"

"I never asked for that," Sasuke retorted, shifting his glare back and forth between the two. He caught sight of Sakura's teary eyes before Naruto moved to shield her from view.

"None of this is her fault!" Naruto shouted. "We're your friends and we're on your side. You're taking your anger out on the wrong people!"

"Okay, let's all calm down," Kakashi said as Sasuke and Naruto faced off. "If you get into a physical fight, I'm throwing you both in a cell. You can't keep acting like kids forever."

Sasuke and Naruto continued to glare at each other, the air between them crackling with rising chakra.

The sound of a chair grating against the floor broke the tension. "Well, looks like nothing else productive is going to happen here. I'm out," Shikamaru said. He casually walked out the door, hands in his pockets.

"Sasuke, we're all on the same side," Kakashi said calmly. "Sakura and Tsunade are the only reason Fujiawara Minoru wasn't spirited away somewhere the moment he stepped foot in the hospital. I have round the clock surveillance on him, on paper to detain him. Naruto, Shikamaru and I are reasoning with the Konoha Go-Ikenban. We're not going to let them get their hands on him."

Sasuke sneered. Although it was Kakashi who had spoken, Sasuke directed his response at Naruto. "You think you can reason with those people? Then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought, Naruto."

Naruto glared, but then seemed to deflate. "Sasuke…you think I don't want to march in there and tell them to go to hell and have Tsunade-obaa-chan and Sakura-chan just fix him? But if we do that, they'll just get hostile and the cycle of distrust and going behind each other's backs will continue and nothing will change. We need to do this the right way. And I need to ask you to have faith in us," he said.

"Sometimes you ask for too much, Naruto," Sasuke countered.

Sasuke turned to leave, but found the doorway blocked by Shikamaru.

"Back already?" Sasuke asked mockingly.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and walked further into the room, stepping aside to unveil Hinata's hidden form. Her cheeks and nose were pink and her hair windswept, like she'd been running in the cold.

"Hinata-chan," Naruto murmured weakly. Sasuke felt the bizarre urge to step between them.

Hinata's smile wavered for a moment. Focusing on Kakashi, she greeted him with a bow. "Hokage-sama, I apologize for interrupting, but I have important news. It's good everyone is here!" Her voice was light as she glanced around the room with a smile that quickly dimmed. "Oh…is it a bad time?" Hinata asked. She was holding an envelope in her hands and Sasuke could see her fingers fighting not to crumple it with nervous fidgeting.

"Not at all, Hinata-chan," Kakashi said with his usual levity, dismissing the tension in the room with an eye smile. "Please go ahead."

Hinata held up her letter to the room. Sasuke spotted the wax seal of the Fire Daimyo on it immediately.

"I just received this and I expect you should be getting a letter soon as well. I had contacted Shijimi-sama expressing…concern about such an unstable individual being housed in the village and the length of time it was taking to disarm him," Hinata explained, choosing her words carefully. "She wrote back saying she agreed wholeheartedly and that the Daimyo will need him back in the capital as soon as possible to ensure he faces punishment for his actions against the nobles of Hi no Kuni."

Shikamaru held up an envelope with a matching seal. "This just arrived," he announced, handing it to Kakashi.

Kakashi opened the letter and scanned its contents. "It's as you said Hinata-chan. The Fire Daimyo is demanding that Fujiwara is released to their custody within a week in order to face trial. With this, the Konoha Go-Ikenban won't be able to delay things without subjecting Konoha to political repercussions. They'll have no choice but to allow Tsunade and Sakura-chan to do their work."

Sakura sighed in relief. "They might still try to pressure us to try to extract the white zetsu without destroying it, but we can push back saying if we want to hand Fujiwara to the Fire Daimyo within a week it's impossible."

"I'll send a request to the Konoha Go-Ikenban to arrange a meeting later today," Shikamaru said.

Naruto's eyes lit up. "This is great! You're amazing, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata shook her head, eyes trained on her feet. "It's nothing! Back then, I happened to be outside with Shijimi-sama and protected her from a white zetsu, so she was very grateful. And the Fire Daimyo was impressed by everyone…Sasuke-kun in particular. So when I learned about the situation…" she trailed off bashfully.

Sasuke stared at her in awe. When he had told Hinata about this, she had said they'd find a way and he had wanted to believe her, but he hadn't imagined she would go to this extent.

"It's not nothing," Sasuke told her. "While everyone here was wasting their time, you single-handedly solved the problem."

He meant it as sincere praise, but for some reason his words made Hinata frown.

"That's not fair, Sasuke-kun," Hinata said softly. She looked up, eyes darting to where Naruto stood before settling on Sasuke. "Everyone was trying their best. I had no idea if this would work and it's possible that it wouldn't have. And it would have been useless if Hokage-sama and everyone hadn't managed to keep Fujiwara safe from any experimentation so far."

Sasuke frowned as well, not wanting to agree but feeling admonished. Hinata had never spoken to him like this, but then again she hadn't seen him like this either. He didn't like the feeling.

"This is very helpful, Hinata-chan, but I hope you understand the consequences if anyone finds out your part in this," Kakashi warned.

Subconsciously, Sasuke took a step closer to Hinata, only noticing when he felt several pairs of eyes on him.

Hinata looked anxious for a moment, but then a determined expression settled on her face. "I know, Hokage-sama. If anyone does find out my involvement, then I hope that my friendship with Shijimi-sama would make me more suitable as an ally or pawn and would dissuade acts against me that may anger the Fire Daimyo's wife," she explained. "And…I haven't been the Hyuuga heiress since I was twelve, so it shouldn't implicate my clan. At least not in any official capacity."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in realization. He put himself between Hinata and Kakashi, glaring at his former teacher. "Konoha doesn't have the best track record with the Hyuuga," he said accusingly. "Considering how ineffective you were with Fujiwara, if the Konoha Go-Ikenban does find out, are you going to let them take it out on her?"

Hinata's hand gripping the back of his cloak and her whispered "Sasuke-kun" calmed him, but only a little.

Naruto shouted out before Kakashi could answer. "I would never let anything happen to Hinata-chan!"

Sasuke eyed his friend for a moment before nodding. "Good. I won't either. Remember that."

There was a different type of tension in the room now. All eyes were glancing between him and Hinata. Naruto's face was filled with confusion. Sasuke felt Hinata hide herself further behind him.

"We're done here," Sasuke declared. He spun around and took Hinata with him by the hand, mindful not to pull too harshly as he left the room. He didn't stop till they were outside the building. Then, glancing around at the busy street, he guided Hinata towards the empty courtyard behind the Hokage Tower.

Satisfied with the level of privacy, Sasuke looked down at Hinata and was met with a pair of wide lavender eyes.

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" she asked.

Whatever anger he had felt when speaking to his former team drained out of him at the concern in her guileless eyes. "I'm fine," he said shortly. "Thank you, for pulling strings with the Fire Daimyo's wife. But you shouldn't have done that."

A shattered expression crossed Hinata's face. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to help. I didn't mean to overstep."

Sasuke softened. He ran his fingers through the hair framing her face reassuringly. "Don't apologize. You helped more than anyone, but you put yourself in danger," Sasuke said.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm a ninja. I'm always in danger," Hinata said with a wry smile, eyes downcast.

Sasuke frowned. "Not like this. Not from within the village. You know what they're capable of."

"I do," Hinata agreed. She looked up at him with kind eyes and a sweet smile that was at odds with the steel in her voice. "But I didn't agree with what was happening to Fujiwara-san. And if it's within my power to help a friend, then I would put my life on the line."

Sasuke was unable to look away from her, unable to say a word.

After a moment, Hinata broke the silence with a question. "Did you mean what you said?"

Sasuke didn't know exactly what she was referring to, but the answer was easy enough. "Yes." He had meant everything he said in there.

"Oh." Hinata cast her gaze back down, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I…wish you would reconsider. N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata stumbled over the name before recovering. "Your team cares about you. They want to make Konoha a safe place for everyone, but, I think, especially for you. I'm trying to change my clan and…I know it's not something I can do alone. Naruto-kun…he's trying to change the entire village. He needs our support and understanding."

Sasuke bristled. "So I should just shut up even if I don't agree with him?" Hinata flinched at the tone of his voice and Sasuke immediately felt guilt prick at him.

Bottom lip caught between her teeth, Hinata shook her head wordlessly. Her fingers curled tightly into the letter she was still holding.

Tentatively, Sasuke covered her left hand with his right, feeling her tense and then relax under his touch. Their hands, both chilled from the weather, slowly warmed together.

As he stared down at the top of Hinata's head, Sasuke thought regrettably that it was for the best that they hadn't interacted much in their youth. There were a lot of 'what ifs' that plagued him, but this particular one might be better laid to rest. The person he had been at twelve would have been too quick tempered to be a good friend to twelve year old Hinata. Nor was the violence of his early teens something he would want to have subjected Hinata to. Even the Sasuke of a year ago had been too damaged and bitter.

As much good as he had tried to do during his travels, often Sasuke wondered if it made any difference at all. How do you measure the growth of a person? Or their worth? Were there enough good deeds in the world to turn him into a better person?

But right now, Sasuke felt thankful that, at the very least, his time away had instilled enough patience in him that he would happily wait all day in the cold for Hinata to find her words. That he had matured enough to treat Hinata as gently as she deserved, a kindness he wouldn't have though himself capable of.

Finally, Hinata spoke. "It's not that you shouldn't say how you feel. In fact, I think Naruto-kun needs to hear it. Making a big change like this will be difficult and it's not something anyone can do alone. We need to help each other, watch each other's backs and keep each other on the right track. So if you think something isn't right, you should say it. But the purpose behind it shouldn't be to tear each other down." She paused here, fingers tensing again under his.

As much as Sasuke wished he could see her face, he let her keep her head ducked down for her own comfort.

"Sakura-san…she seemed really upset," Hinata said quietly.

Sasuke tilted his head, thinking. Sakura had gotten a little teary at one point, but she'd seemed fine by the time Hinata had entered the room. It wasn't something he wanted to dwell on, but if Hinata had brought it up… "Did she," he said tonelessly.

"Mm." Hinata nodded, nearly bumping into his chest. "I know it's none of my business, but…did something happen?"

Annoyance at Sakura's words crept up on him again. "She said something inconsiderate and presumptuous. Seems like she has as much tact as she did as a genin," he grumbled. "She tried relating the Fujiwaras to my family."

Hinata made a thoughtful noise that had Sasuke furrowing his brows. "What?" he grunted.

"Ah, it's nothing," Hinata said quickly.

Exhaling heavily, Sasuke watched his breath condense in the cold air. "If I ask for your thoughts, it's because I want to hear them. If have to tell you that every time, I will."

"…you might have to," Hinata admitted, self-deprecation colouring her voice.

Sasuke couldn't hold back any longer. Releasing Hinata's hand, Sasuke cupped her chin and tilted her head up. Hinata looked up at him from beneath her lashes before averting her eyes shyly.

She was much better at holding eye contact with him than she had been, but every now and then the habit resurfaced.

"It's just that…" Hinata trailed off, nibbling on her bottom lip fretfully. "Back then at the Daimyo's party, how angry you were at Fujiwara-san…I don't think Sakura-san is the only one making a connection between Fujiwara-san and yourself."

Sasuke nearly jerked back. It was only the expression on Hinata's face that kept him in place. She looked like she was bracing for a hit, an engrained reaction. His gut twisted.

The way she spoke, carefully choosing her words, second-guessing and downplaying her opinions, it was unpleasantly recognizable to Sasuke as the result of an overbearing and unforgiving father. This quality in Hinata had called to him as a child, though he hadn't completely understood it at the time. Like a distorted reflection of the inner workings of a young Sasuke's mind as he navigated a minefield of a conversation with his own father. Always threading the line between conviction and over-eagerness, disciplined and uninspired, passionate and emotional. Never quite landing on the right combination to live up to Itachi's effortless genius.

But for all that Itachi had been their father's unreachable standard, he had also been the guiding hand, the encouraging voice, the teasing poke that had, paired with their mother's straightforward support, prevented Sasuke from shrinking into himself.

The ghost of Fugaku's disregard still clung to Sasuke's shadows, but it was the least threatening of the phantoms that haunted him.

Hinata was battling her own ghosts and the pride Sasuke felt seeing her push them back little by little, day by day overpowered any other emotion.

Sasuke's voice was low but calm when he said, "Fujiwara isn't Itachi."

Lavender eyes locked with his own, shimmering in the light. Reaching up, Hinata pulled Sasuke's hand away from her face and held it. "You're right," she said kindly. "He isn't."

Sasuke slumped forward, his forehead grazing against Hinata's bangs. The weight he'd been feeling since walking into the Fujiwara house suddenly felt tangible, sitting on his shoulders. But there was relief in acknowledging it and giving it a name.

There was relief, too, in sharing it.

More SasuHina relying on each other even when it's a bit emotionally difficult.

Thanks everyone who continues to read and leave a review ^^ it's really fun reading your thoughts!

MVH