Author's note:
I finally decided to write using Google Docs since I do not have Microsoft Word on my computers. I had been using… notepad and word doc (the default program on windows) so that would explain all the spelling and grammar errors that weren't caught by the flags when I posted onto FF or AO3 xD Although, if I properly edited , I would have caught a lot of my mistakes, but that's neither here or now. I'll post revised chapters in the future with all the corrections and maybe better sentence formatting (a lot of it sounds awkward reading back lol).

Anywho! Thank you all who reviewed my story! It really gives me the encouragement to go on ;o; Thank you!

…

About an hour had passed when Hinata heard gentle knocks coming from the main door. Although she remained unmoved from her position on the seating pillow, an invisible current rippled through her- her fight or flight response igniting within her like a silent alarm. The person had not identified themselves, and, clearly, it was not Sasuke for why would he be knocking on his own door. The lack of response prompted the person to knock again, but this time they spoke.

"I'm sorry to intrude, Lady Hinata." The sound of Kabuto's voice sent shivers down her spine. The memory of him performing his invasive exam on her was still fresh on her mind, and so she refused to acknowledge his presence, but that didn't stop him from continuing. "I only wish to speak to you and offer a peace offering, if you will. Now that the both of you are official, I only wish to stand in your good graces, and I mean no harm."

Hinata felt highly skeptical of his words. Their first encounter was reprehensible, and she remembered how deceptive he could be despite how sincere his words sounded. His eyes were kind and soft; they were the eyes of someone gentle, someone non threatening, safe. Those very same eyes belonging to the hands that touched her, violated her. Her gaze landed at the table in front of her as she waited to hear the sound of retreating footsteps.

"I see you wish to not be bothered. Just so you know, I brought you some tea that I'm sure you will enjoy. I will leave it in front of the door for you." The sound of a metal tray and its content rattled as Kabuto placed it near the door that separated the two. "Good day, Lady Hinata."

Her heart relaxed as she heard the man's footsteps fade away as she now stood with her ear against the door listening intently to ensure he was long gone. Since she's sequestered herself in Sasuke's chambers, she only had what Sasuke possessed to sustain her physically and mentally from the food he brought back for her to eat to his belongings that she used to pass the time during his long absence. So it came as no surprise to her that she was seriously contemplating opening the door to retrieve the tray Kabuto left behind. Just imagining the subtle sweet taste and the comforting feeling a nice cup of warm soothing tea brought coax her fingers to unlock the door and swing the door slightly ajar. Once she was sure no one was approaching, she quickly picked up the tray and locked herself back in the room.

Inside the metal tray was a teapot, two white teacups, a teapot size metal plate, and a metal tin that she assumed contained the aforementioned tea. With the tray settled on the table, she inspected its contents further since they came from Kabuto afterall. The metal plate appeared to be a heating tool for the teapot, and she gave the tea cups and pot a proper wash in the sink just in case they were laced with something nefarious. As for the metal tin, inspected it last as she carefully pried the lid open, lifting it slightly and cautiously. A sweet, floral fragrance enveloped her senses, transporting her mind to the serene gardens of the Hyuuga compound filled with an assortment of flowers, where she and her sister would visit to find a soothing reprieve from their strenuous training. She lifted the opened tin to her face, instantly recognizing the delicate fragrance of lavender tea.

Not detecting anything questionable, she soon prepared and served herself a cup of tea. The steam danced in the air as if performing an ethereal dance, swirling and rising in gentle wisps that carried the soothing aroma of lavender. Every breath of the floral steam pushed away all the stress and anxiety she carried the last few days, and replaced it instead with a sense of relaxation and tranquility. She brought the cup to her lips, allowing the warm liquid to envelop her in its comforting embrace.

With the combination of taste and smell, her thoughts wandered. They wandered to the ceremonial events she attended as the heiress to her clan, dressed in elegance and grace that brightened the stern surroundings that did little to encourage warmth. They wandered to the late night hangouts at the gardens where she, her sister, Hanabi, and her cousin, Neji, would meet, unwind, and speak freely about their passions and woes. They wandered to the many get-togethers Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru would have as they celebrated all the moments of their lives, often inviting other comrades and friends to participate in the joyous occasions. And they wandered to the much needed girl time she had with Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and - surprisingly - Lee, who turned out to be a lovely addition to their gatherings. All those memories, though cherished, brought a bittersweet smile to her face. Her heart yearned to be home, surrounded by all her loved ones, yet all those memories did was remind her of what she was missing. A solitary tear traced its way down her cheek, softly caressing her skin despite its sorrowful presence.

Just as she was about to break down at the hopelessness of her situation, the words of Sasuke echoed in her mind from their first encounter: I'll try to get you back to Konoha… you are safe with me. Sasuke's voice, though deep and resonant, calm yet intense, surprisingly, carried a subtle warmth and kindness that contrasts with his stoic demeanor. A blush threatened her face as she thought further of his voice, that same voice that released vibrating moans down her neck, that voice that came out of his defined masculine lips that sought out her own as hers did. And his eyes... His eyes, his once serious and stoic eyes, had looked at her not only with desire but with such intensity, as if they were searching for something more than just pleasure. She couldn't help but admire how handsome he had become as he laid on top of her, inside of her, both of them revealing themselves to one another. And even though she knew nothing of him besides old memories and stories she'd heard, even as entered her, as he looked at her, as he touched her, kissed her, she felt safe.

Feeling herself getting flustered, she drew her attention back to his words. She thought about the day she would make her escape with the help of Sasuke. There was a possibility she would have to engage in battle, but Sasuke was confident she would win despite never seeing her fight. If she recalled correctly, he wasn't present for her match during her preliminaries at the Chuunin exams, besides she lost that match, so how could he be so confident in her abilities? Although… While Sasuke was known as a prodigy, he also possessed a strategic mind that rivaled Shikamaru's; it might be that his faith in her abilities was rooted in something deeper. Nevertheless, they had the beginnings of a plan, and that gave her hope that she will be reunited with her family and friends, leaving the likes of Orochimaru and Kabuto behind

… and Sasuke… She sadly thought as she took another sip of her tea, feeling her body relax and her mind zoning in and out of consciousness. Her last thought was Sasuke abruptly leaving her alone when she thought they were opening up to one another. She let out a somber sigh. I'll be home soon…

….

It goes without saying that Sasuke is not in tune with his feelings; his emotional landscape is often obscured by his relentless pursuit of his goals. This disconnect manifests in his stoic demeanor and difficulty in expressing or even acknowledging his emotions. This leaves him feeling isolated, a situation he claims to accept without complaint. However, deep inside, where he is reluctant to admit it, this isolation also distances him from himself. He had been content with the way his life was progressing, devoid of sentimentality which only breeds weakness, and solely focused on what truly mattered most. Power. Strength. Revenge. That mantra was like a broken record to the Uchiha, but one he never grew tired of hearing. It filled him with a relentless drive and fierce determination, propelling him forward and solidifying his sense of purpose in life. Nothing else was of any significance to him. Nothing.

Until she came along…

The delicate features of her face were etched into his memory. Her pale eyes glazed over from the intensity of their liaison, her soft cheeks radiating pink under the trails of dried tears, and her parted lips- lips so gentle and delicate yet so warm and inviting- singing him sweet praises with every alluring moan.

Everything about her face was beautiful, he found himself musing as he strolled around the compound. So he admitted to himself that she is, indeed, a beautiful woman, and there is no more denying that, but why is he finding himself distracted by something so trivial? Has he really fallen so low that he's on the same level of lechery as Orochimaru? He shook his head, rejecting the notion entirely; there was no way he could be compared to that snake-ish man. If anything was at play, it simply had to be teenage hormones. He barely knew the woman, and it was his first time bedding one. There couldn't possibly be anything more to it…

After spending the last few hours training and then investigating the cause of Hinata's chakra suppression, he finally decided to head back to his room. He felt at ease, now attributing his newfound sentiments to a mere swing of hormones. As he entered his chambers, his gaze fell upon Hinata, who was seated cross-legged at the table, staring off into the distance, lost in a trance with a teacup in her hands. She didn't seem to notice his arrival as she remained still and silent, her eyes remained fixated on the wall in front of her. It wasn't until Sasuke cleared his throat that she jolted, bringing her back to reality.

"S-Sasuke… Welcome back," Hinata squeaked. Her face carried a surprised expression at his presence; her pale eyes, though wide, were staring right at him as the startled expression quickly dissipated away. Soon, her eyes retained their soft expression and he strangely found himself thinking he never wanted those eyes looking at someone else. They remained staring at each other for a while until Hinata broke the silence. "Would you like some tea?"

Sasuke hadn't noticed the metal tray and its contents until she mentioned their existence, having been fixated by her a moment ago. Curiosity struck him, "Where did you get that?"

"K… Kabuto stopped by and left it outside for us. He meant it as a 'peace offering'. Something about wanting to be in our 'good graces,' although I think he meant yours." Hinata explained.

"Ah…" Sasuke was about to chastise her for willingly accepting the offer. Kabuto knows that Sasuke dislikes tea and, therefore, wouldn't be drinking it, and the thought of him lacing it with something harmful crossed his mind. But before the words left his mouth, he stopped himself. Kabuto wouldn't do anything to cross Sasuke, lest he wants to find himself gurgling for air as he drowned in his own blood. "No, thank you." He walked past her as he headed towards the bathroom. "I'm not fond of tea."

Before he crossed the threshold to the bedroom, her soft voice captivated him, halting him. "That's surprising."

He turned around to meet her stare, her gentle eyes danced over him, coaxing him to engage in her idle conversation. He relented, "And why's that?"

Not expecting him to reply, Hinata gasped in surprise as she sheepishly looked down at her hands to hide her growing blush. "W-well.. It's just that…" and she began fumbling with her words.

Feeling amused, Sasuke walked over and sat adjacent to her, causing her to stiffen in his presence. Something compelled him to speak with her, maybe his mind was reminiscing the sounds of her gasps and moans from the night before. "Well?"

Taking a deep breath, she finally managed to compose herself as she turned towards his interested gaze. That brought back the blush. "I thought you'd like tea, given that you come from a prestigious clan. It's customary for clans like our own to drink it for all sorts of occasions, so I thought you'd have a liking for it."

It was Sasuke's turn to turn his gaze away, his expression giving off a hint of sorrow as pieces of his memories from his childhood flickered through his mind. "You're right. I used to enjoy drinking tea when I was young. But after everything that happened, it just brings back painful memories. So, I avoid drinking it altogether."

Hinata found herself reaching over towards his hand, gently placing her comforting hand on top of his. Her eyes wavering with an apologetic look that was filled with regret, and yet she spoke so elegantly, as if the years of her heiress upbringing took hold to remedy her perceived blunder. "I understand. I didn't mean to bring up something painful. I'm sorry if it caused you any discomfort."

Sasuke held back a laugh as he placed his free hand on top of her's, expressing the same comforting feeling she gave him. But then a mischievous thought sparked, causing him to slightly smirk, his eyes deadpanned. "I don't accept your apology."

The feeling of mortification flared all around her as her face instantly grew three shades pinker. Her eyes slammed shut as she moved to retract her hand back to cover her face in shame- but found her hand being gripped tightly by Sasuke's firm, calloused, yet warm hands. With her free hand, she covered her eyes as she began to stammer, "S-Sasuke… I-I'm so… sorry… I… You can't begin to understand how… oh my goodness… I'm so sorry…"

A charming laughter floated through the air, confusing the mortified Hinata as she peeked at him through the gaps of her fingers. With his laughter subsided, he leaned over to her until he was inches away, meeting her gaze from in between her fingers. "Hinata." She made a subtle squeak in response. He reached over to the hand covering her face and gently pulled it down, revealing to him a face that almost made him smile - despite her cherry expression, she still radiated with beauty and elegance. "I don't accept your apology because there's nothing to apologize for."

"Sasuke Uchiha! That was so cruel!" Her hands broke free from him as she lightly smacked him away, hiding back the laughter as she feigned offense at his teasing. If anything, she felt relieved that she didn't upset him, while also amused at his childish behavior. Despite her playfully pushing him away, he remained unmoved, his face remained ever so close to her's, eyes locked on hers when she finally looked at him. Her heartbeat quickened, feeling both nervous and excited at his close proximity, but she did not move away.

It had been years since Sasuke had spoken so openly, and he couldn't fathom what had driven him to be so candid with her. Yet, there he was, surprisingly drawn to her like a flower to sunlight, chasing the radiance of her presence in sharp contrast to his own dark, emotionless demeanor. He glanced at her slightly trembling lips before quickly shifting his focus back to her eyes, which fluttered with nervous anticipation. But before either of them were tempted, the two simultaneously pulled away from each other.

A swift clearing of his throat helped Sasuke regain his stoic composure as he brought their attention back to more pressing matters. "I discovered the reason you can't use any chakra." The overwhelming color began to fade from her face, her expression urged him to go on. "It appears your chakra pathways were blocked the night you arrived here, presumingly by Kabuto as I can't think of anyone else outside the Hyuuga clan that had that capability."

Hinata let out a wry laugh as she looked down at her folded hands on her lap. "And my lack of chakra makes it impossible for me to reopen them… and I have this awful feeling that all of them have to be unblocked to restart my system" But then an idea came to her, "But you could do it, Sasuke."

"The Sharingan does not offer me the ability to see chakra pathways like the Byakugan can," Sasuke reminded her.

"I know that. What I mean is that I can show you where all 361 pressure points are so you can unblock them using your own chakra."

Sasuke smirked at her confidence in him. "You really do believe I can replicate your Hyuga techniques."

Hinata smiled at him as she playfully punched him. "Of course. You are a genius afterall." The pressure points were located all over the body, including in sensitive, intimate areas where she would have to expose herself even further to show him. Even though the two have been intimate, there wasn't an intense focus on her body, and in order for Sasuke to learn the location of her pressure points he has to study her body without any clothing to obscure his vision so he can get the exact location. Hinata's cheek began to flush at the thought. "Um… we can start tomorrow after you return."

"Alright, in the meantime, I think you should come spar with me tomorrow." Sasuke's suggestion caught her off guard.

"We are leagues apart, Sasuke. I don't think you'll get any benefit from training with me," Hinata laughed while Sasuke stared at her intently.

"It's advisable to familiarize oneself with their comrade's fighting style, don't you agree?" There was a glimmer behind his eyes as he spoke. "Besides, aren't you bored from being locked up in here?"

…

"How exactly does this work, Kabuto-kun," Orochimaru asked as he stared at the warm cup of lavender tea in front of him. Somehow this floral tea was the key to Kabuto's new form of genjutsu, one that will allow him to not only dream of his desires but to actually physically experience it.

"The tea, one that I specially created for this technique, is the link between the two bodies. I have mixed in innocuous herbs along with microscopic granules of your chakra, my lord. The caster will be able to cast a remote genjutsu to anyone who drank this chakra infused blend of tea." Kabuto explained to his petulant master. "If my understanding of human psychology is correct, she should have drunk the tea by now since I tailored it specifically to her taste."

Orochimaru's tongue slithered over his lips in anticipation. Although it wasn't how he envisioned his pleasurable experience with the Hyuga, it was a worthy consolidation. He took a sip from the cup of tea, his wicked smile reappearing: This is what the inside of Hinata's mouth must taste like. "Teach me how to activate this genjutsu."

"Of course. First, you must form the correct hand seals." Kabuto slowly weaved the signs needed as Orochimaru remained focused. "Afterwards, you will enter a sort of sleep-like state and so will Lady Hinata, wherever she may be. But be careful, my Lord. If Sasuke is around when the genjutsu is activated, he will surely notice and, therefore, put a stop to our little scheme."

"Your performance has been quite satisfactory, Kabuto-kun." Orochimaru dismissed him with a wave of his hand, and Kabuto bowed respectfully before leaving the room. Sasuke was spotted at the training grounds not too long ago, and as Kabuto said, his prize must have already ingested their special tea. He wasted no time and quickly performed the necessary hand signs, and he soon found himself opening his eyes to find himself standing in the forest near a rolling waterfall. He walked towards the sound of the running water, feeling drawn to it. He stopped as he neared the clearing, standing behind a tall bush. As he peered through the leaves, he saw her- the Hyuga heiress - sitting on a rock by the edge of the basin, her feet gracefully skimming the water's edge.

Orochimaru held back his impatience as he quietly approached the woman, and he continued unnoticed even as he stood behind her. He swiftly sat down with her positioned between his legs as he wrapped his arms around her small waist, drawing her close to him, and it was this action that made him fully tangible to her. She began to squirm against him, trying to escape his grasp. This was his dream, and she wasn't going anywhere.

Not feeling rushed, he decided to take his time. He softly brushed her hair to the side, exposing her bare neck to him. It was then when he realized she couldn't scream or protest him, and this made him smirk with delight. He squeezed her tightly against him, his hardened member pressed against her, causing him to moan into her ear. "You can't possibly understand just how much I want you right now, Lady Hinata."

He then leaned down towards her neck, his tongue slithering up and down as he tasted the salt on her skin. Even the taste was realistic in this genjutsu! He proceeded to suck on her neck, occasionally giving her hungry bites as he trailed up her neck as her squirming, though futile, continued. Soon, his hands started to slowly trace their way up her shirt, lifting it in the process.

Ahem…

Orochimaru snarled at the sound of Sasuke clearing his throat. With him being in close proximity to the physical Hinata, it was only a matter of time before he caught a whiff of the genjutsu. He quickly, but reluctantly, ended it. And once again, he found himself alone in his room, unsatisfied.

Lying on his bed, the pale frustrated male began reflecting on his experience. Though they were interrupted, again, this short excursion proved to be worthwhile for it proved the one thing that mattered to him right now: It truly worked. Orochimaru smiled, eager for tomorrow to come.

Author's note:

Sorry this took long to update. Life kind of got in the way a bit, so if the quality of this chapter dropped, it's because I rushed to type it up today. But hopefully google docs helped with the grammar mistakes at least haha Anyhow, please leave a review if you enjoy or hate it. I thoroughly enjoy reading them.

Just an FYI: I will be leaving the country towards the end of September/ early October, so I will try to post two more chapters before I go on my 2 week vacation. :)