Fated Promise

by Purpleskiesupwards

Konoha misunderstood Sasuke. Sakura supported Sasuke. Naruto trusted Sasuke. Kakashi looked out for Sasuke. That is typical, right? But... Hinata Hyuuga hated Sasuke Uchiha. Loathed him. Detested him. Wished death upon him with every breath she took. Sasuke couldn't bear the hatred and accusations lingering in her pretty lilac eyes. SasuHina - Romance/Angst. POST WAR

11. FATED DILEMMA (PART TWO)

FIRST ARC FINALE - CHAPTER 10: FATED DILEMMA (PART TWO)

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Sasuke paced around the living room, his eyes flitting to the clock—they were not late, but they weren't on time either. Sighing, he sank into the couch, unbuttoning his coat and slumping back, his eyes locking onto the ceiling—a blank canvas accentuated with soft, glowing lights. The waiting felt interminable, only deepening the uneasy churning in his chest.

Lost in the thoughts, he tried to pull up the memories of any wedding he had attended, but the memories remained obscured by the dark shadows. His bloodstained past, scarred by horrors and uncertainty—remained like a distant fogging vision of another lifetime. The brimming surge of the pain of his blood-seared life was straining within him, eclipsing the flickering happier past—if he had any.

His thoughts circled back to Hinata, awaiting her.

Time ticked by, and Hinata still hadn't come downstairs. He and Hinata hadn't talked for the last two days; the last encounter was when he handed her the dresses. He blinked in consternation, realizing he wasn't even certain if Hinata would attend the wedding or remain hidden away.

She could be sleeping upstairs or worse…wallowing.

He gasped, rising from the sofa. With heavy steps, he managed to walk upstairs. His chest rumbled; his head throbbed. The impending disappointment wasn't scaring him but ignited a myriad of emotions which whorled inside him.

The idle hope to see her driving herself towards her life stayed like a stone in his chest.

As he stood before her door, he huffed a deep sigh. His hand curled into a fist at his side, and he raised it to rap on the door. But before his hand could touch the wood, the door swung open, and there she was.

Hinata was at the door.

No, Hinata wasn't.

Or at least, the Hinata that he had been witnessing, wasn't there.

Perhaps it was Naruto's Hinata—the woman who he believed was just a figment of his best friend's hyperactive imagination.

He stood with his mouth slightly agape, hand still lifted in the air.

Blood pounded heavily in his ears, he could not believe that the woman who was frail, fragile and white as a sheet, had transformed herself into that.

She pulled the door open fully, revealing herself.

She was draped in that midnight blue dress that he had bought, by some miracle, it fit her like it was stitched specifically for her, hugging every line, every dip and every curve of her as if Sasuke knew her inch by inch…and perhaps he did. Off-shoulder sleeves skimmed her arms, revealing the delicate collarbones and shoulders that had been hidden for so long or were strained with her self-destruction. The neckline was—

Sasuke bristled at his drifting stare and lifted his gaze to her face.

Her hair, usually flowing, was styled into an elegant bun, with a few soft curls framing her face. Her face was surprisingly not empty. Her cheeks were blushed with crimson, her eyes were shaded with silvery shimmer which reminded him of a moonlight. Fitting for her eyes which resembled lilac moons anyway.

Her pink lips were pursed into a thin line as she stared up at him, those eyelashes of hers fluttered as she blinked anxiously. She glanced down, smoothing the fabric of her dress nervously, her fingers twitching as if to release some invisible tension.

He swallowed, but words didn't come. He was pinned to the spot by the wave of silence crashing onto him.

She sighed, her lips parted and he held his breath, hoping to catch any words but he heard her soft gasps only. The silence was too loud, the air was charged around them as if probing them to make a mistake. What mistake?

Her bare shoulders were tensed instantly, and the shade of vulnerability shadowed her face as she brought her stare to the ground. Her fingers fiddled with each other, he wanted to reach out to her hand and pull them apart because the constant fiddling was bothering him.

But he didn't. He couldn't.

He was acutely aware of the heavy silence continuing to creep around them, adding melancholy as well as dread in the air. He grappled for words to convey his thoughts. His thoughts were empty.

She wasn't looking like the Hinata he knew, and that made him forget how to act around her.

There were no words from her mouth which were biting him, her cheeks were flushed red with the tint of her makeup not the aftereffects of her constant weeping, her body wasn't rigid and ready to pounce on him to attack but rather tensed and submissive.

She wasn't the Hinata he had been living with for the last four months. The new reality began to slam him at the back of his head. She was Naruto's Hinata right there.

Naruto's Hinata was unrecognizable to him. She wasn't chilling him to the bone, her quietness was clawing at his existence, he wanted her to speak first because he had suddenly forgotten how to speak.

She lifted her head, her eyes, devoid of any tears locked with his wide ones. Her eyes carried a tenderness that only Naruto had possessed for him, but then she blinked and it vanished, clouded by the bewilderment swimming in her eyes.

For some reason, the moment she began speaking, her voice sounded foreign to him, "You said that…Haru likes blue." She bit her lip, a subtle gesture that drew his eyes there once more before she self-consciously glanced down at herself.

He pondered the words, and the memory of Haru choosing the blue toys over others flashed in his vision. So that is why she chose this dress, he pushed his hand into his hair and let his eyes skim over her one more time. Sasuke forced a breath, his gaze lingering on her yet again.

The blue was stark on her pale body, strikingly opposite yet fitting. The silver necklace, the toad-shaped pendent, rested glimmering on her neck and that reminded him of Naruto, her fingers were lightly twirling the pendant.

"Where is he?" he finally managed to coax words out of himself.

"Ah, he is having his milk," she replied, backing away from the door to let him in. "We can leave once he is finished?" Her words were like a question, another jolt of shock slithered up his spine because the Hinata he had to endure hardly asked him for anything, she used to just do whatever she wanted.

"Hn," he grunted. His steps betrayed him because, in his mind, he had to rush back downstairs and get his brain to stop blanking out. But he was suddenly inside of her room, standing beside the crib.

Haru lay there, clad in a fluffy white romper, eyes wide and unblinking, his chubby hands wrapped around his bottle. As if on cue, Haru dropped the bottle and stretched his arms toward Sasuke, a little pout forming on his lips. His golden hair peeking out of the hood of his romper, made him look like a white bear with golden hair.

A rare smile curled up on Sasuke's lips, and he bent down instinctively, ready to lift the child, but Hinata's gentle hand on his arm stopped him.

"No," she denied. "He will cry throughout the event if he hasn't finished this." She rubbed that baby's tummy and then picked up the bottle, offering it to his mouth again but Haru let out a stubborn wail, attempting to swat the bottle away.

"Haru, drink!" Hinata sternly added and the pouting baby's resistance faltered as he held his bottle again and diverted his attention from Sasuke.

Hinata was beside him, his arm brushed against her bare one, and she quickly pulled away at the mere touch, eyes still focused on her son. He gulped the heavy lump lodged into his throat since the moment she opened the door.

He turned to her, his hand rubbing the back of his neck, he stepped in closer to her, and her breath hitched as she looked up. Her softened look drew him in and sucked him into a trance that rendered him defenceless.

The scent of familiar lavenders mingled with his scent of fiery coals, grounding both of them to a spot, unwavering.

His hand lifted to rest like a feather on her arm as he asked, brows frowned, "Are you sure about—"

She interrupted, decoding his question, "Ino came to me herself, I can't keep on choosing myself and be selfish–"

His light touch on her arm turned to a firm grasp as if he wanted to shake her shivering frame and feed some sense into her veins, "Do you take your self-destructive isolation as selfishness, Hinata?" His voice was low and measured as if any decibel higher would have broken the fragile calmness hanging between them.

She looked away, her eyes fixated on her cooing baby in the crib, "I think so…"

He took a deliberate breath, fighting the urge to shake some life into her, to get her to see herself the way he did. "Isolation isn't selfish, Hinata. It's… a reaction. An unhealthy one, but not selfish." His words hung heavy between them, each syllable carefully placed.

She drew back, his hand slipping from her arm. Her fingers nervously tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and she eyed him from beneath long lashes, trying to read the sincerity in his face. "And how would you know?"

"Personal experience as well as…books." He shrugged, catching a faint upturn on the corner of her lips. He moved to the side, his attention focused on Haru, he pulled away the almost empty bottle latched on his mouth and handed it to Hinata while his eyes remained on the baby who lifted himself and sat up, extending his tiny arms at Sasuke.

Sasuke took the invitation and welcomed the baby in his embrace with practised ease.

Haru settled into Sasuke's arm. Sasuke felt the fluttering in his chest as he eyed the baby in his arms, Haru was growing up well. His cheeks were rounded, whiskered and flushed. His eyes looked bigger, gleaming. His tiny hands had learned to grasp with newfound strength.

Did Itachi feel the same? He wondered about his brother's dedication to the infant Sasuke. He wondered if Itachi's heart was filled with bubbling emotions too when Sasuke was growing up.

Hinata called out to him, scooting closer to him, waking him up from the trailing thoughts, "Sasuke…"

His gaze shifted to her, but before he could ask anything, Haru began giggling while latching onto Hinata, leaning away from him. His little hands were grasping at her draping sleeve straps on the arm. Hinata's eyes brightened, glimmering affection simmered behind her pale gaze. Her lips stretched wide, tenderness softened her face, her elation visible in the budding smile on her face. Haru hopped into his mother's embrace with ease and sputtering squeaks of joy.

He had never seen her smile. The girl before him looked as if she was made for happiness. Unlike the girl who had been enduring the brunt of a cruel fate for months.

That smile was confounding.

Her cheeks turned a shade darker, the corners of her eyes crinkled and the light sparkled in her eyes. Her baby was attempting to kiss her cheek, an open-mouthed and saliva-dripping kiss, which soothed her and the tension in her body vanished the moment Haru cooed in her ear and showered her with his love.

He was an observer; a distant figure who witnessed something he knew he shouldn't have been privy to.

Even without the alcohol in his system, his inhibitions were lowered, he basked in the scene unfolding in front of him. His eyes were absorbing each twitch, each turn, each touch. His memory continued to keep the records of the mesmerizing sight of a mother and a son being happy, being complete. His crimson eye was an unbidden guest, which committed a theft.

A theft of memory, which didn't belong to him. It belonged to Naruto. The dilemma pulled at his core, almost rendering him dizzy.

Hinata covered wriggling Haru's head with the hood of the romper, which had bear ears that added to the cuteness of Haru, Sasuke never thought he would be calling anyone cute in his life, but fate. He heaved a sigh, his Sharingan swirling back to the pool of black.

Hinata uncurled Haru's hand from her draped sleeve straps on her mid-arm, her twinkling eyes lifted and met his amused ones, "You were right, he loves blue."

Unexpectedly, he blurted, "Me too."

She blinked, startled by the sudden admission.

Her eyebrows lifted, and her barely audible response was a bemused voice. Since he was an inch away from her, he could hear her steady breathing, which quickened at his response. Her smile vanished, dimming with each passing second. He tried to remain unaffected by the tension weaving in the air, but something raw made him shudder at the spot.

Another beat of silence stretched, cloaking them with a dilemma, unfathomable to both. The sparkle in her eyes whited out, the shine of lilac dulled and the pale eyes of the Hinata he often encountered, stared back at him. Yes, finally, the Hinata he knew. Her hands snaked around Haru with a tight grasp, her knuckles turning white and her breathy gasps were the only noise in the deafened room. Her faltering guard was pulled up, she drew herself back like a tide retreating from the shore it willingly crashed onto.

He was once again…absorbed.

Naruto's Hinata rattled him, he couldn't comprehend her. His blood stirred, his veins screeched in pain as he was crumbling inside. He dreaded being in front of that woman, who didn't look like the Hinata he was dealing with.

Naruto's Hinata was someone he could only watch from a distance, for she was too unknown, but there was one shade of Hinata, that belonged to him—to Sasuke—for she was too broken like him and he could always feel the familiarity acutely.

He gulped, inhaling a sharp breath. He stepped back from her engulfing presence, the scent of Lavender and Peaches coiled around him, clinging to his dark clothing like a shimmer.

He could feel her presence on him, even if he turned around and darted towards the door, saying, "Let's go."

The stern edge in his voice carried the unfathomable shade erupting from beneath the surface, changing the course of his life, and adding a new angle to the life he had to endure. Things began to shift, the last four months prepared him for nothing.

His arsenal was empty against her. He wanted her to go back to being the woman his best friend loved and cherished, but that woman was way more punishing than the one who had wailed in his arms, slapped him, yelled at him and attempted to kill him. Naruto's Hinata seeped into his skin, senses, blood, and thoughts—he couldn't let himself be consumed by her.

But he had already chosen the path which led him to her, no matter what. His weapon which was always sharp, couldn't have worked against her. For his best weapon—distance—meant breaking the promise.

And it was too late, he couldn't back off, he was tangled in her life.

But he wished he could return to those bitter, exhausting nights where she'd shouted, struck him, sobbed against his shoulder—a version of her he could handle, one that didn't send his heart skittering in a confused rhythm.

Because even a mere glimpse of the real Hinata devastated his existence, unsettled him, and made his soul shudder.

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Hinata walked slowly, a couple of steps behind Sasuke who walked ahead with Haru in his arms. Her fingers twisted the silk fabric nervously as she trudged ahead. Her heels dug into the grass, slowing her steps. Her heartbeats quickened as they drew closer to the wedding venue.

The wedding venue was a page from a romance novel that Hinata once read. Beyond the stream, the vast greenery was adorned with warm lanterns and flowers. The lush grass was covered with a blue carpet, veiled by the textured blue fabrics, creating a wide tent-like enclosure. Under the dipping sun, the golden light casts a dreamlike glow over the venue. Her heart sank, the wishful urge pulled at her insides.

With deliberate steps, she climbed over the arched bridge, beneath it, the rippling stream flowed and glowed. The wood lightly creaked under their steps. Her hand clutched the bridge rail, which was draped in star-shaped fairy lights. Her steps halted, pausing her at the middle of the bridge.

The deepening dusk overhead seeped into her, the weight of something pressing onto her. Hinata's eyes were downcast, focused on the darkened wood, her breathing was low and unsteady. Her legs trembled, almost on the verge of giving away. The strength that she had mustered betrayed her and vanished in the air.

The laughter echoing from the open field past the bridge, the shadows of familiar figures ahead and the lost connection with those people gnawed at her resolve, nagged at her and filled her mind with doubts. A sob tightened her throat, her gaze lifted and followed how Sasuke was moving ahead, with her son.

His retreating figure paused, turning around and his dark eye fell onto the crumbling figure of Hinata, stuck in the middle of the bridge, unable to move and unable to melt.

"Hinata?" He walked over to her, her son's gleaming eyes followed Sasuke's stare and locked on her too.

"There…there will be so many p-people–"

"You are doing this for Ino, right?" his frown deepened, "It is her day, you wanted to be there for her, right?"

Hinata's heart dropped, "Y-Yes, but–"

"You can restart your life from this moment," he commented. "There will be so many people, but some of them are your people."

"I am not the same person as I was before!" she protested, squeezing her eyes shut.

She felt his presence close in on her, his finger tucked under her chin as he lifted her face, her eyes fluttered open and welled up with tears. "They will accept you, just the way you are," he assured, her eyes drifting from him to her son who was bouncing in glee, "They are going to be in your life, the ones you have lost—Naruto and your family—they are gone, Hinata. But the ones who are here," his finger pointed to the venue, "they are your future, don't lose your future."

Her chest rumbled in agony, her losses were thrown at her so loudly, yet it was the ultimate truth. Every word he spoke, was nothing but her dwindling reality. She was damned, for the one man she willed herself to detest completely, brought her closer to the much-needed reality.

Her dilemmas of her present and future were eating her up from the inside, chipping away at her stubborn motivations and making her bow to the fated future ahead.

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Sasuke entered through the flower archway, with Hinata trailing behind quietly. The entrance pathway was glowing with lights strung overhead, stone vases lining on either side blossomed with peonies, lilacs and roses. The distant noise of the babbling stream blended with the soft tunes of musical instruments and the chatter echoing from the venue.

Hinata's soft grasp on his back alerted him, he glanced over his shoulder, "Yes?"

"Sasuke…" she whispered, her face blanched.

"How about you begin by gifting Ino?" he suggested.

She nodded, walking ahead, side by side with him. As the entrance pathway ended, the expansive venue sparkled before them. Low wooden benches circling the tables were arranged, and small leaf-shaped charms hung on the benches, inscribed with Kanji symbols of love. Sasuke's memory couldn't travel that far back when he had seen such a lively atmosphere in his village ever before, perhaps, if Naruto were alive and married, the view would have turned out even more grand.

Suddenly some heads were turned towards them due to an overenthusiastic giggle of Haru at the sight of dangling lights. A familiar group of people darted towards them, a muscular boy at the front was rushing with his arms wide open and Sasuke had the urge to roll his eyes.

Hinata beside him stirred, letting out a string of gasps. Her breath was knocked out as her ex-teammate lunged at her, engulfing her in a bone-crushing hug. "Hinata-chan! You came!" One of her hands was still grasping Sasuke's sleeve, while the other hung limp at her side. Her breathing became unsteady while she was being feasted on with a forceful embrace.

Sasuke groaned, stepping closer to Hinata, his hand grasping the small of her back to pull her away, "Leave her–"

"Who the hell are you to stop me, you bastard?" Kiba pulled away abruptly, closing in on Sasuke with jaw-clenched and fierce eyes. Haru bristled in Sasuke's arm as Kiba's hyper energy rattled him, "After what you have done to her at Ino's house, who do you think you are—"

"Kiba, stay back!" Shino grabbed Kiba by the shoulders, and pulled him back, "Don't make a scene here! Haru is getting affected too." Shino's words grounded Kiba, who huffed and puffed with nose flaring and frown deepening.

"I didn't think you would come," Shikamaru added.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. Hinata's eyes dropped to the ground, her body pressed to Sasuke's side. Her fingers grasped his sleeve in a tight grip. "We have to meet Ino and Sai," he gruffly added, his eyes locked on an Inuzuka, his glare darkening to repel that insufferable boy away from him and her.

He pushed past them, Hinata's frail figure followed him, her fingers curling around his sleeve tightly as she bowed her head and without any word, walked side by side with him. Muffled protests from the dog owner were left behind, her stiffened body lightly leaning against him as they moved towards a platform lit up by golden hues and decorated with star-shaped lights strung at the backdrop.

His replacement, Sai, dressed in a colour resembling his eyes, was glued to a woman dressed in a long white dress that he remembered seeing in the shop when he was picking a dress for Hinata. Before they could reach the edge of the platform, Ino's eyes fell upon their approaching figure and widened, for a moment, her mouth remained agape but then she shook her head and a grin erupted on her glimmering face and she rushed down the steps of the platform and embraced Hinata.

For that hug, Hinata's grip from his sleeve dropped as her trembling hands clutched the small of Ino's back. "I am so happy you came!" Ino's shrill voice, laced with elation echoed. She melted with Hinata, swinging left and right while holding her close as if she was making up for all the lost time.

Sai stepped down the stage, his eye-crinkling smile plastered on his face. "Thank you for joining us on our precious day, Sasuke."

"Congratulations," Sasuke uttered, his face impassive. Sai let the seriousness of his face go unnoticed and mumbled a thank you, he leaned forward to caress the cheek of Haru who looked at the man with wide suspecting eyes.

"Hinata! Thank you so much for coming—" Ino gushed as she pulled away.

Hinata stammered, her eyes narrowing, she folded her arms across her chest to hold her shivering frame, "U-Uh, no need."

Ino's smile stretched, "How is our little prince doing?" she cooed as she moved towards Sasuke and rubbed Haru's tummy. Haru let out a squeal, then buried his face in Sasuke's neck.

"I-Ino," Hinata's whisper-like voice caught her friend's attention again. "This is for you," she offered a rectangular box, packed with a shimmering wrapping with a red ribbon tied as a bow. "I-I was working on this while w-we were pregnant, i-it's for Inojin. I couldn't get anything for you both…I am sorry–"

Ino grabbed the box and her eyes softened, and moistened. "Oh Kami! Hinata! Thank you so much." She hugged the box, and shared a breathy look with her husband with a sad smile dancing on her lips, "This is the best gift!"

She bit her lip, her hands intertwined and squeezed, and breathed, "Congratulations to both of you." Hinata managed to smile back, her cheeks reddening.

"Thank you, Hinata-san!" Sai wrapped his hand around his wife, holding her steady as she was brimming with tears while her eyes roved over the gift Hinata had given her. Hinata nodded, stepping back from them, almost behind Sasuke.

He could let her use him as a shield from people, a wave of something pooled and crashed at his insides at the realization. Her gaze remained on the ground, anchoring her to the world, saving herself from giving herself away to the need for isolation.

"Sasuke-kun!" A familiar tender voice shook him, he glanced to the source and saw Sakura, clad in red darting towards him while Kakashi, dressed in his grey suit of mint condition, followed behind her with his lazy droopy eyes squinting at him, suspiciously. "You came!" Sakura almost lunged at him but retreated as she saw him holding a baby in his arms. Instead, she rubbed Sasuke's arm, behind which Hinata was almost concealed.

"We will see to other guests! Hinata, I will come back to talk to you again," Ino sighed with her face beaming. Hinata nodded and then Sai's arms interlocked with his wife and they both drifted away from them.

"Hinata-chan," Kakashi acknowledged Hinata, she peeked at the audience from behind Sasuke and then emerged out of her sanctuary. "Glad to see you! How are you doing?" he inquired.

Hinata's hands clenched into fists, she looked fallen as if Kakashi and Sakura had come into her orbit and whipped her sanity. She was rooted in her spot, frozen. Sasuke could read her with ease at times, and that moment was the time when he could see the fogging thoughts blurring her vision, rendering her senses dull. The life around her quelled, the noise around her was nothing but a silent hum and the focus on her was a trepidation gnawing at her being.

She yearned to fall to the floor and succumb to the fall, hiding away from the people who made her face her inadequacies. He wasn't sure how Kakashi and Sakura became the reason for her unease and why, but the lingering worry inside her crushed her.

"Hinata." Sakura approached Hinata and touched her arm, jolting her awake.

Hinata was visibly startled, flinching at her touch as if it burned her, taking a step away while holding the spot on her arm where Sakura held her. "Fine. I am fine." The venue seemed stifling for her as if the air was sucked out of it, he could see her chest rising and falling rapidly and her parted mouth grasping for any wisp of air to inhale.

Sasuke closed in on her, his voice low but calm, "Hinata–"

"I'd like to see around," she breathed as she angled her face up, looking straight into his eyes and keeping up the veneer of mock strength as if Sasuke didn't know the vulnerabilities holding her brain hostage, as if Sasuke couldn't notice the tremble of her brows or the threatening tears behind her pale and empty gaze. She reached out to brush her hand on Haru's cheek and rushed away, vanishing amidst the throng of people bustling in the venue, sipping drinks and cackling.

Sasuke's eyes were glued to the crowd, following her hunched frame wherever she moved, her steps pausing at one corner but quickly retreating once any familiar approached her. Her need for silence urged him to follow her, but he was held back because she left his side and he did not intend to be an overbearing figure.

"What happened to her?" Sakura asked, holding his arm firmly to catch his attention.

"Probably overwhelmed," he huffed.

He felt the gaze of Kakashi on the side of his face, he turned to him and with narrowed eyes, glared back. The tension thickening between them, rebuke shadowing the Hokage's face as he inched closer to Sasuke, "I received a written report and complaint against you from Kiba…two months ago, your behaviour with Hinata was out of line–"

"He wasn't at fault, they were just fighting, Kakashi sensei!" Before Sasuke could defend himself, Sakura jumped in the conversation, standing before Sasuke, against Kakashi with her hands on her hips and eyes trained on Kakashi with retribution.

Sasuke remarked, taking the brunt of Kakashi's stern gaze upon him, "I was at fault. I apologized."

Kakashi had the air of grim condemnation coiling around his bold words, "I have told you before, you are not the right person—"

Sasuke surged forward, Sakura's hand pressed on his chest stopping him from lashing out at his ex-teacher and present Hokage, "She accepted that she needed me, not you, not her friends, not anyone…but me! Who the hell are you to stop me? Naruto entrusted her to me, don't you dare–" He gritted out his words, seething at the Hokage who felt that he had any right to question Sasuke.

Kakashi clicked his tongue, his eyes flooded with a mocking nonchalance, "Will Naruto accept that you raised your hand against her—"

Sasuke almost staggered back at the accusation that scorched his brain, "I didn't raise my hand on her!" Haru babbled in his arms, sensing the discomfort in the air and the tension closing in on Sasuke.

Sakura defended, her voice curt, "He didn't raise his hand at her, Kakashi sensei!"

Sasuke's voice deepened, and he seethed with a low voice so Haru didn't stir, "That filthy Kiba exaggerated! I hurt her, yes! But I didn't intend to. I didn't raise my Chidori against her!"

Before their conversation could steer in the wrong direction, Kurenai approached them. Kakashi schooled his expressions into his casual empty expressions and Sakura breathed heavily, looking petrified and angered at the same time as she threw stern glances at Kakashi. Sasuke exhaled a sharp breath, patting the back of Haru who was fidgeting in his arms, distressed.

"Ah, Hokage-sama finally seeing the light of the day…or the evening!" Kurenai smiled at Kakashi. "Hello, my student, how are you?" She turned to Sasuke, tapping on his shoulder.

"Fine."

"Student?" Sakura asked, rubbing her chin.

"Yes, and a good one by the looks of it." Kurenai eyed Haru in his arms, "You haven't been visiting for almost two months, Sasuke." There was a question lingering in her observation.

Sasuke licked his lips, "Haru began teething, then he had constant fevers…" Kurenai cooed at Haru while Sasuke explained, "He started crawling which was something I wasn't prepared for at all," his tone carried the casual air, which he often used with Kurenai during their sessions. His exhaustion peeked through his words, "He is really active."

Sasuke noticed the questioning look Sakura threw at Kakashi who merely shrugged, sipping on the glass of wine through his mask. Gross. He knew what Kurenai meant, he was just being lazy about announcing it to Sakura, who seemed perturbed by the unawareness of the details.

Kurenai nodded as she attempted to urge Haru to come to her arms but Haru simply denied it by holding Sasuke's neck tightly, she said, "But you handled it."

Sasuke heaved a sigh, Haru's hands were ruffling his hair while he tilted his head to the side and answered, "Sai's books helped. I wanted to consult you…but Hinata was coming around, so she was dealing with his developmental changes with her superior knowledge—"

Her smile faded with her question, "How is she now?" Her eyes drifted towards the crowd, searching for her beloved student.

Sasuke followed her gaze and searched for Hinata in the crowd, for a few seconds, his body stiffened and his mind alerted when he couldn't find her. But then the spark of midnight blue and pale gleamed at the far end of the venue, Hinata stood alone at the corner, leaning against the bark of the tree with coiling wires of lights around the trunk, casting soft glows on her.

Her eyes were stuck on the ground, she was huddled with herself, and her frame looked smaller than it was. Her arms crossed on her chest, held her arms with a tight grasp that left crimson hand prints on the pale skin; his Sharingan raked over every inch of her, to check if she was hurt. But even without his Sharingan, he could see the burden she carried on her trembling shoulders, the agony she welcomed in her heart and the tragedy that devoured her mind.

The venue was filled with people, dressed in their shiny clothes, adorned with gems—but his eyes remained fixated on her as if the entire venue held the remnants of her at every corner as if nothing and no one was there but her.

He only saw her.

His mind raced, prompting him to go to her, unshackle the bindings which were yet again anchoring her down the spiral. But he was himself shackled to his spot, as if the ground beneath him held him hostage, stopping him from rushing to her.

Sheer panic jolted her as he saw her hiccupping with her shallow, ragged breathing. Her knees crippling her, she held herself with her waning strength to not succumb to the weight of piercing realities dawning upon her.

At that moment, when she exhaled a sharp breath and muffled her sob, he realized that he was beginning to know her.

And Naruto's Hinata, who scared him, haunted him and boggled his mind…was a figment of her past reality, often peeking through the haze of the new version of Hinata, who was being honed by fate, in front of him and with him.

Her presence left a mark on him, searing the inner corners of his being as if she owned him. Her ability to pulse through his blood was an invasion, a breach…a violation. But he was the man who was rendered useless against her and willingly.

"How is she, Sasuke?" Kurenai pressured, breaking him out of his trance with a firm squeeze on his arm.

He jerked away from her touch, "What do you think?"

Kurenai shared a look with Kakashi which he didn't want to ponder upon, then she muttered with a small smile playing on her painted lips, "If she wasn't better, she wouldn't be here."

He argued and felt the heart within his chest begin to thump louder, "She is still—"

She swatted her hand in the air pausing him, "Of course, she is still struggling, but at least she is trying." She then patted Kakashi's arm to lighten the mood, "Your student is quite obedient."

Kakashi snorted, Sasuke scoffed and Sakura gawked at the unfolding interaction, looking discombobulated.

His ex-sensei was still salty, "He is stubborn."

Kurenai chuckled, "I'd say determined."

Kakashi nudged Sasuke, mumbling under his breath, "And mindlessly driven."

Kurenai took the glass from Kakashi and sipped on the amber liquid, "I'd say passionate."

Sasuke groaned, raking a hand in his hair, and sweeping the dark locks back, which made Haru squeal in ecstasy at the glimpse of his mismatched eyes. He grumbled at his seniors, "I am here, I hope you both know."

"Sasuke-kun, fill me in about all this!" Sakura took a few steps to stand beside him, "There will be a dance after the dinner, would you like—"

Sasuke gritted out a response, his eyes wandering around the view, "It is not my thing, Sakura."

Hinata wasn't amidst the crowd, his mind blanked out, and the chatter from Sakura became a noiseless hum of his surroundings. His eye stung as the crimson swirling sight engulfed the dark orb, her chakra signature was glinting outside the venue. His Sharingan retreated as he turned around, facing Kurenai and Kakashi who were in the middle of their conversation.

His eyebrows snapped together, "Hold him," he offered Haru to Kakashi, Haru resisted with his familiar wail, "I will get her." Kakashi leaned forward to unlatch Haru from his comfort, Haru's arms stretched towards Sasuke with his lips quivering, "I'll go check on your mom, little one." Sasuke's warm fingers flicked over his whiskered cheeks and Haru shook his head, unfathomable words of his dearest felt like a betrayal to him. His hands twitched with the compulsion to take the needy baby back into his arms, he fisted his hands and shoved them under his pockets to not give in to his desires.

Kurenai suggested, "There is a playing pen that Ino has arranged at the corner, we can take Haru there, Mirae and Inojin are there too—"

Sasuke's eyes darkened, he shook his head, "No! You hold him, Kakashi…until I come back. Haru is not accustomed to a crowd—"

"Fine, Sasuke." Kakashi nodded. Sasuke followed the faint Chakra signal as he navigated through the throng of people of Konoha gathered under the glittering canopy. He glanced over his shoulder at Kakashi rocking Haru in his arms, Haru was swatting his hands in the air and kicking his feet at Kakashi's chest while letting out screeching wails.

The concern for both Haru and Hinata raged deep within his bones, but at the moment, he needed to see to Hinata more, hoping that Kakashi could tame the little ball of chaos. Without poring over another string of conflicting thoughts, he rushed out of the venue.

As he reached the entryway, his eyes darted around to catch the flicker of her purple chakra, and he successfully caught the gleaming energy at the bridge. She stood, hunched over the railing, the cool night's breeze whipped past her and whipped at her loose strands.

He began walking over to her.

.

.

.

Hinata was hunched over the bridge's rail, her body shuddering due to the cold breeze whipping at her. Her hands held the wooden rail with a force, whiting her knuckles—it was as if she held to still herself. Her eyes glowered at the rippling water under the bridge, splashing at the rocks at the side—as if she was pouring her complaints, her miseries and each drop of her despair into the sparkling water.

The darkening sky above had taken away the colour from the water, making it appear darker, engulfing and so utterly consuming.

He stands behind her, his shoulders curved as his coat slides down his arms. "Hinata," he whispered as he draped the coat over her back.

"Go away," her voice was weak as she responded with a shake of her shoulder to swat away the fabric. But he held her arms and steadied her, her back facing him as she straightened up and squirmed under his hold. "Go away please…" her words trailed off, followed by a light sob.

"It is cold out here, don't resist," he mumbled as he leaned down to her ear, his warm breath tickling the shell of her ear. He then again covered her back with his coat, her body didn't back away, letting the warm fabric sit on her cold shivering back.

"You…Y-You took this away from me," she began, Sasuke remained frozen behind her, his hands dropping from her arms. "I was to be married to…N-Naruto-kun when Haru would turn six months old," she sniffled. Sasuke felt the pang clutching his insides in a brutal grasp at her words. The shine of his best friend's cerulean eyes flashed before his dark eyes for a moment, jolting him.

She turned around, her body a couple of inches away from her, bathing under his warmth. She angled up her face, he looked down at her misery-struck face. Abandoned tear drops clung to her long eyelashes, her lips parted and let out cool gasps with a quiver, her rose-coloured cheeks had an ashen shade.

"But instead of what I wished for…you came into my life when Haru was six months old," she let out a dry chuckle, her eyes betraying her nonchalance as tears pooled in them.

"I wanted to marry too, I wanted to dance too, I wanted to have my child be with his father too, I wanted…I w-wanted…so much…but…" her words continued until her strength faltered under the weight of her pain, and she stumbled back, her lower back pressed against the railing and her palms clutched the wooden frame again as if her life depended on it.

Sasuke's mind was thundered, he rued every moment of the fight with Ishikki, wishing that instead of his Chidori in Naruto's chest, it was his Rasengan against the existence of Sasuke. A shiver ran up his spine as she gazed into the lilac eyes which softened as soon as his words captured the attention of the air she breathed, the fireflies buzzing around her, the water beneath her carrying her tears and the life echoing in her. "I am sorry."

Her brows pinched together; her lips pursed into a thin line. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her breathing faltering as she questioned, "Do your apologies still hold sincerity?"

Hinata had burned him several times through her words, but the softness in her eyes and the calm in her query that moment scorched him in the true sense, paralysing him, he managed to speak, almost losing his voice, "I wouldn't repeat it if it didn't."

"I still want to blame you." She looked down, squeezing her eyes shut. Her hands slipped away from the railing at her back and she brought her hands to hold her arms as she steadied her frame. "I can't stop—-"

He cut her off, stepping one step closer, his coarse hand cupped her tear-soaked cheek and lifted her face, "You can, I am not stopping you."

Her eyes fluttered open, tears streaming down her face. She heaved a sigh, her minty breath fanned across his mouth. Sasuke felt the surrounding air smothering him, tensing his muscles and snatching away the force from within him which helped him to breathe. It was the first time when she was breaking down in front of him, without throwing her hands at him, hurling insensitive words at him or scratching his fresh wounds.

Her sobs were silent, her approach was dulled, her words weren't biting him and her presence was dimmed—Naruto's Hinata dealt with pain like this, he supposed.

Once in a while, Naruto's Hinata used to appear and startle him. He was habitual of being burned by his own Hinata, but Naruto's Hinata was too kind to him and he didn't deserve that.

Sasuke's Hinata was a punishment, and Naruto's Hinata was a blessing. Sasuke wanted to be burned, to be punished, to be driven mad…to lose himself for once, to quell the voices inside of him which his Hinata did with ease.

But Naruto's Hinata was like a balm, whilst he needed more wounds.

Sasuke's Hinata would have wounded him without remorse, but she was gone, she was vanishing in the air and chatter buzzing around them, she was melting under the heat of her fate.

Perhaps the Hinata Sasuke lived with and the Hinata Naruto loved, both were nothing but a farce.

And someone else resided in her body, someone equally merciless as his Hinata but clashingly kind like Naruto's Hinata. The dilemma of the identity of the broken girl in front of him was nerve-wracking. His insides churned.

Her trembling hand lifted and pushed his hand off her face, "Why don't you leave, Sasuke?" her hand pressed into his chest, a light force applied to push him away, but he didn't budge, "Naruto-kun told me that you want to travel—"

He tilted his head, contemplating her mercy, "When I gave you the chance to choose, to let me go…you told me that you needed me."

Her eyes darted upwards as she scanned the star-dotted sky, moonlight piercing through the clouds and reflected upon her skin, and faltering, for her pale shine was brighter than the moon itself. She offered, breaking him out of his trance, "What if I want to free you from this promise? What if I…What if I don't need you—"

He stated, as if he possessed all the truths of her, "You'd be lying."

"But—" she began protesting.

"Kill me if you want me to leave you…otherwise, I won't—-"

She pushed him away with a force he knew all too well, "Then I will kill you." He stumbled back, the other side of the railing held him from toppling over and drowning in the measly stream beneath.

She raised her hand, her fingers glowed with a fierce bluish-purple Chakra, enraged. "You took my dream of being with Naruto away from me, I deserve to kill you." Her words lacked any stammer, any remorse—there she was, his punisher, his Hinata.

A smirk budded on his lips, with an incomprehensible speed, he reached out to her lifted hand and held her forearm, bringing her close to her. She writhed under his hold; her eyes had a shattered look as if he had betrayed her.

His hand slid upward from the crook of her elbow to her wrist, leaving traces of his fiery warmth on her ice-cold skin. His fingers mapped the veins on her wrist as he gripped her hand tighter and pressed her Chakra-laden fingers on his jaw, hissing with each spurt of burn scalding his skin.

Her eyes lost the light in a moment, her chakra dimmed and her fingers weren't burning him anymore but grazing the burnt skin of his face, she yelped as her frowning eyes scanned the damage on the side of his face, "Sasuke…" she gasped as she swatted his hand off her and both of her palms took his face in her hands.

The soft, delicate and refreshing Chakra pulsated through his nerves as she began healing, he muttered, "We are even now! I burned you before, I allowed you to do the same—"

She protested, shaking her head vehemently, "I d-didn't mean to—"

He forced out a snicker, "But you said that you wanted to kill me—" A slight sting pierced him as his skin stitched together under her tender touch.

"Shut up! Shut up." Her hands gripped his face tighter, pulling him closer to hers, and her rattled chakra oozed out of her. Her Byakugan pulsed and inspected the scarred skin of his face, which as per the cooling effect through the light brushing of her fingers, was healing with each passing minute.

Noticing how she pounced on the chance to heal him, he remembered something his best friend always bragged about his lover, "He always called you a healer—"

"Just shut up, Sasuke." Her hands dropped from his face and she stepped back. The entrancement of Lavenders still clung to him. The cheering from the wedding venue made her head turn to the decorated tent, "Just leave us!" she gritted her teeth, her slow but deliberated voice reverberating through his entire body.

His eyes glued to her side profile, bathed in moonlight, while her eyes reflected the golden hues reflecting the warmly lit decor she was peering at, "Once Haru knows the truth, I will leave. Okay—"

Her head jerked towards him, her voice raised, still not as loud as his punisher Hinata, "Then I will tell him right away!"

He rolled his eyes, approaching her. His hands reached out to fix his coat which almost slid off her frame.

"If you were a cruel woman, I would have believed you."

She gazed upwards at her, through her lashes. Her eyes swimming with guilt which he never saw in them before as she continued to chew her bottom lip, she rapidly blinked to not let the newly formed tears soak her face again, "Aren't I cruel to you? Isn't that what Hokage-same or Sakura-san would say to you about me—"

His hands froze on her shoulders, and after a moment, he squeezed them as he pulled her closer, gritting his words, "What goes between you and I isn't anyone's business, Hinata!" His eyes darkened, causing her to shrivel and curl in her fear. Sasuke's insides roiled and his hands dropped from her shoulders to her arms, grasping them with a tight grip, as if he meant to brand her.

His jaw clenched, the moment of Hinata's immediate overwhelming reaction to Kakashi's and Sakura's presence flashed before his eyes, filling him with a force, churning his insides with a tempest.

"Sasuke—-" she murmured, lips turned down.

He snapped, his rage rushing inside him, "Is this why you didn't want to meet them…"

Her head lowered, her voice was low and on the verge of breaking, "I can understand what they'd think of me—"

His hand gripped her chin, angling her face upwards towards his, his words attempted to mend her anxiety and calm her down, "What happens between you and I shouldn't be a reason for any contempt against you!"

"They are looking at us," she informed him, his eyes widened and momentarily, he was shaken. Then he turned his head towards the venue and saw the two familiar figures standing in the entryway, their eyes glued to him and Hinata.

His Sharingan blared to life, hoping for them to take the hint. His nerves pulsed with raging blood, pumping him with enough fervour to speed towards them and hold both of them accountable for being the reason for her fear.

But he couldn't dwell on his fury, everything quelled.

Her head was pressed to his chest, her hands wrapped around him and clutching his back with a fistful of his shirt in her strong grasp. Her silk-covered body mingled with his, consuming him and shredding every thread of fury that was snaking around his being. His eyes widened, and the swirling red dimmed into a deep onyx shade, birthing a fluttering inside him which possessed no name. His eyes drifted away from the two blurry figures and fixated on the frail figure holding him.

His head craned upwards and the moon above peered down at him as if pouring a sense of mercy on him which he didn't deserve. Her tears continued to soak into his shirt, staining his skin under the layers. His limp arms lifted and wrapped around her waist; the cold of her body collided with the warmth of his. He held the back of her skull and ran his fingers in her soft waves.

The emptiness of his existence couldn't provide her anything, yet she still clung to him as if he could sate her every thirst. He stood still, while she writhed in his embrace. The wings her hands searched on his back weren't there, for they were burned by his sins, for they were taken away from him when he fell.

Her breathing was rapid while his was hitched. She smelled sweet and fresh while he smelled of ashes and blood. Her heartbeats thudded wildly while his echoed in a fragile hum. Her tears poured a new madness into him while his embrace held the fraying threads of hers together.

"P-Please…" she sobbed, "Bring h-him back, I will f-forgive you!"

His hold on her loosened while hers tightened as he denied her, "I wish I could."

"I don't know how to live like this…I fear this life…" She pulled her head away from his chest and looked up, pleading, "Do something about this fear, Sasuke."

"Bravery begins with fear," he licked his lips as he offered the words that his mother had once uttered to him while cradling him. His head dipped as he pressed his forehead on hers, closing his eyes, "You are brave."

She denied, her voice croaking, "I a-am not—"

"Ssh," he shushed her, his arms tightening around her. "You are. Believe it." His words touched her and ached her as she shivered. "You are his Hinata, he would not have cherished you the way he did if you weren't brave…brave enough to have his child." He pulled away from her, his forehead carried the mark of her cold skin, and his hands carried the softness of her body as he backed a few steps away from her.

Time seemed too slow around them.

He rubbed his face and sighed while looking up, searching for the moon again. But it was hiding away from him now that he didn't embrace her anymore, as if the mercy was showered upon him only because he had her. Perhaps the mercy wasn't for him but for her.

Even the Gods above knew who was worthy.

And who wasn't!

His eyes drifted from the empty grey sky to her, and he winced as he faced the two moons glinting in her eyes. The difference was that the moon above them had a stain, while hers were untainted and gleaming, sparkling with tears.

"My brother often mentioned about grief. I never understood it until…" his words trailed off, the memory of blood-stained streets and fallen bodies, gutted him. "But now I think I understand it way more than when it was my time to grieve…Hinata, you can keep him with you through your grief."

She countered, clenching her fists at her sides, "Grief ends. I don't want him to end!"

"It doesn't end. How can one stop mourning over their loved ones?" Something inside him flared, "Grief is a responsibility one carries forever. Grief is simply a memory of our loved ones that we have to keep alive…so for me, it is endless."

She tucked the strand framing her face behind her ear, "Even during his funeral prayers, people were whispering about how I should handle my grief and let it go—"

"You want me to do something about your fear? I can't. People can't. Only you can." He stated, taking steps towards her again, his hand pocketing and fetching a handkerchief which he extended towards her. "You can keep your grief, Hinata. That's the last of him…nobody should try to take it away from you. It doesn't matter if your pain is the last link to him? We are ninjas, we are bound to live with pain."

She took his handkerchief and wiped her face, "People will tell me to lose it."

He hissed, seethed and continued, "Where will you keep it, if not inside you? Our grief is ours as much as our love is! No one can tell us to not hold our loved ones in our hearts forever…I am sure you are better than me and you will not let it consume you; you will treat it like a memory unlike I, who treats my grief like a nightmare." Hinata sucked in a sharp breath, bristling at his words.

She shook her head and sounded winded, "Your trust in me is flawed."

"No. You are brave, Hinata."

She meekly asked, "And you are not?"

He shrugged, looking away from her and towards the way ahead, where life hustled and bustled, "No! I am a coward."

"What—"

Without glancing at her, he composed himself and picked up the crumbs of his control off the ground. His hand snapped towards her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards her son. "Let's go inside. Haru gets agitated without you." Her slow steps followed him as he brought her away from the moonlit darkness that cloaked her.

.

.

.

Hinata cradled Haru in her arms after dinner, strolling in her corner, patting her baby's back while cooing in his ears to calm him down. Haru was distressed; balling his fists, squeals of annoyance and forehead marred with a frown. Hinata's heart sank at the realization that she had kept her baby in a house mainly for ten months and because of her, Haru was struggling to be accustomed to the crowd of people.

While she was walking from one corner to another, she could feel the hardened gaze of Sasuke on her. Mortification coiled around her as she remembered her tears soaking into his shirt, her helplessness of inability to tackle her fears exposed in front of him and her suppressed rage to blame him for her significant loss. Haru babbled in her ear, halting the train of thoughts which were dizzying for her.

The table where her friends sat bloomed with life when one game ended after another, the loud cackles of Kiba and protests from Tenten and Sakura indicated that her teammate had won. Shino's shaded eyes were on her, her Byakugan was weak but not dead, she knew how his eyes followed her every moment. It was different from Sasuke's—he watched her with need, need to protect and need to hold. Shino looked at her with brotherly concern, his stare was not all-consuming, his stare didn't burn her, didn't make her breathless like Sasuke's did.

She felt suffocated with Sasuke's eyes on her, but even for one second if he had shifted his gaze, she felt empty and bare. Exposed and unarmed. He was right, she'd be lying if she said that she didn't need him. She needed him. But she loathed that.

"Hey, Hinata!" Her teammate waved at her. Kiba had been trying to engage with her all the evening; by filling up the glass of her juice or by adding meat on her plate not so sneakily or by simply involving her name in random conversations to keep her alive in their circle. "Come here, bring your little bear…I want to play."

Everyone had been vigilant about approaching Haru because he was not leaving the side of Sasuke until she came, her friends could only caress him while he was in the arms of Sasuke.

Hinata approached the table and sat down, everyone's eyes were on her, "Can I hold him?" Kiba asked, breaking the thick silence that was draped over them.

"Sure." Hinata shifted Haru in her arms and leaned in to pass him to Kiba.

Haru let out a squeak, his eyes boring into Kiba as if he were a stranger. He was, for Haru. "Hi, I am your uncle!" Kiba beamed as he took Haru in his arms and rocked him, "I am the coolest one."

Sasuke snorted. Hinata shot him a look which made Sasuke lower his gaze from Kiba, who fumed for one second but Shino's hand on his shoulder reined him.

Hinata saw Haru squirming in Kiba's grasp, his bright eyes wandering around, searching for familiarity. "Hinata-chan, why isn't he laughing?"

Sasuke added with a lopsided grin, "Because you are not funny."

"Don't be rude, student," Kurenai interjected while patting the head of sleeping Mirae on her lap.

Student. Hinata's eyes focused on Sasuke who leaned back and craned his neck sideways, easing the tension. Hinata's questioning look about Kurenai's comment was unattended by Sasuke who had to engage with the raging Kiba, "Do you think you can make him laugh?" Kiba challenged.

Sasuke huffed as he stood up, the chair scraping the wooden platform set up on the grass. "Of course! After all, I live with him." Sasuke extended his arms towards Haru who bounced on Kiba's arms, yearning to jump into Sasuke's arms. His small arms extended towards Sasuke and Haru leapt towards Sasuke while Kiba groaned.

"It is okay, Kiba-kun," Hinata reassured.

"It is not! Your son hates me." Kiba sat back on the chair while Sasuke carried Haru, rubbing his forehead which usually calmed Haru's impending wailing.

Kakashi offered, passing a masked smile at Hinata, "He just doesn't know you yet."

"He knows the bastard." Kiba glared at Sasuke, who returned with a shrug and a slight smirk spread across his face.

"It is very easy to make him laugh," Sasuke commented, sitting down on the seat beside her. His arm brushed against Hinata, she stiffened and he seemed to notice as he shifted away, keeping a minimal distance.

"Just do this." Sasuke tapped Haru's chin a couple of times and then tickled him under his chin, "and then this." Then he rubbed Haru's tummy lightly, earning an earful of giggles that echoed. Haru bounced on Sasuke's lap, with his fist raised in the air, his eyes shutting and a gummy smile brightening up his face.

Hinata's heart fluttered at the elated humming and babbling of her baby, her smile spread widely on her face when she watched Haru leaning in to give his open-mouthed kiss on Sasuke's cheek. He groaned but snickered under his breath at the show of affection.

"You have learned well," Kurenai chipped in, "You do look professional now."

"This time I had an accomplished teacher." Sasuke threw a mocking glance at Kakashi who shook his head with a chuckle.

Hinata could feel the tension bubbling inside Kiba, but before he could say anything else, music cut through the noise and chatter with an announcement from Ino inviting everyone in the center, to dance and relish the end of the wedding festivity.

Tenten nudged Shino, "Hey, Be my partner. Not a request." Shino passed a questioning look around the table but was subdued as everyone got off the table right away, motivated by the soft harmonies lulling them into a swaying motion. Hinata realized that only she and Sasuke were sitting and the rest had their eyes glued to the lights shadowing the dance floor.

Hinata stirred at her spot, her hands fisted and limp in her lap. Her nails dug into her palms, whiting the knuckles. Her left foot continued to tap the wooden platform beneath, her chest heaving up and down while her shoulders slumped. "Hinata-chan!—" Kiba turned towards her, his shoulders squared and a wide smile crept up his face as he began.

She hesitatingly lifted her head to regard her friend, whose mouth parted while he rubbed the back of his neck, clearing his throat.

Kakashi rounded the table, inching closer to them, "Give Haru to me, you can enjoy the dance, Sasuke." Kakashi leaned down, picking up Haru from Sasuke's arms as Sasuke gawked at his ex-sensei with fuming confusion.

"Hinata-chan, would you like to—" Hinata's attention drifted towards Kiba whose eyes darted towards the retreating figures of Tenten & Shino, followed by Shikamaru & Temari towards the dance floor, "I mean to say—"

While Kiba struggled, Sakura's eyes fluttered at Sasuke who remained seated beside her, jaw clenched and his forehead creased. Hinata scanned his unaffected being, her face blanched at the prospect of Kiba's impending offer once Sakura was done, "Sasuke-kun, would you like to refresh your mind?"

Hinata gulped, her throat felt as if it was being choked, and her breathing was ragged gasps. Hinata stood up abruptly from the chair, hoping to vanish again in the crowd or find a corner to sulk at the miseries clawing at her insides.

Sasuke rose from the chair, his eye's slanted look at her was not unnoticed. Kakashi remained beside them, cradling her son, rocking him left and right to calm his itching to jump onto Sasuke. The momentary silence carried the intensity of wait from a pink-haired lady tucking her hair strand behind her ear and the hesitance from the offering of intimacy by a bulky boy standing with a trembling stance.

As Sasuke and Hinata stood side by side, she felt the slight brush from the back of his hand on his quivering palm hanging at her side—something inexplicable rippled through her body at the mere phantom touch.

"Um, you like dances at the festivity so—" Kiba trailed off, rubbing his chin and averting his gaze. His search for another set of words let the charged distance between Hinata's hand and Sasuke's consume the tension.

Hinata began to breathe with struggle, a shudder coursed through her nerves, her face contorting with worry as restless shone naked in her pale eyes. Hinata had no doubts about Kiba's intentions towards her; her teammate and friend intended to welcome her back to a life which was unknown to Hinata after months of dark thoughts and regrets.

But her frame bristled, terror overtook her eyes, dimming the shine in them.

Sasuke's hand bumped into hers, and her breath hitched. The boy beside her inhaled a sharp breath. His hand hovered beside hers, his knuckles grazing the veins on the back of her hand. Both of their heads lowered slightly, Hinata chewed on her bottom lip while Sasuke shut his eyes and panted.

Hinata felt the twitch in his hand, then her heart leapt and her consciousness startled at the way Sasuke's hand crept and slowly curled around her fingers. His grip wasn't forceful, it was even feather-light. Her cold fingers were under the hold of his warm, calloused and rough hand. His hand enclosed her hand as if he meant to steady her and protect her.

As if he was who he wasn't.

A cool breeze whipped past them, the lights overhead changed their colours and the music blared around them with a thumping vibration.

She stood stiff, her hand at her side was in his trusted grasp—with an option to pull away, to jerk his hand away or to hold on to it and seek it.

She chose to relax under her touch and let her nerves drown in a serene energy rushing in her blood. Noticing the lack of distancing and pulling away, Sasuke's hand pried open her fingers and interlaced his fingers with you, squeezing her hand in a firm grasp, pausing the offering from Kiba whose eyes drifted below at their entwined hands.

Hinata finally turned to her side, expecting to catch the stoic indifference on Sasuke's features but instead, she met an onyx eye, a light smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth but his shoulders remained tight as if burdened.

"Let's go, Hinata." His voice was firm, unwavering. He strode past Kakashi, weaving around the table and moving right by Kiba, who looked utterly stunned, and Sakura, whose expression was equally bewildered. Sasuke's grip on her hand was solid, unyielding, as he led her onto the dance floor. Her eyes widened as he helped her step up onto the platform, the sound of her heels tapping against the wood as they found themselves amidst couples swaying to the gentle rhythm.

Her voice cracked, "Sasuke—"

He tilted his head slightly, intent flickering in his dark eyes. "You wanted to dance, didn't you? So… we'll dance."

"But—"

He cut her off, casting his gaze downward, studying their feet with a mixture of concentration and awkwardness. "I'm not exactly skilled at this," he admitted, a hint of self-consciousness breaking through. "But I can manage. My Sharingan picked up some steps from watching Sai and Shikamaru."

"Kiba-kun and Sakura-san wanted to—"

A quiet sigh escaped him as he slid an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. His voice softened as he murmured, "Your team and you have to go a long way to be...normal again. You still need time. I am just buying you that time." He shrugged, lifting her hand and intertwining their fingers, his movements unexpectedly graceful as he began to guide her in time with the music.

The world around them faded as they settled into the rhythm, his lead steady and assured.

Hinata's heart pounded along with the thrum of the music, however the rush of her pulse was louder than the soft hums of the instruments. His fingers dug into her flesh, tightening their grasp on her waist as he led her through the first step to the left, then to the right, subduing the worries of life with each waltz.

The blurred world around her was vibrant, but they were colourless, a picturesque view of two human beings, harmonizing their steps in a flash of black and white.

His darkness melted with her white, and the vibrancy around them couldn't compete with the emptiness they possessed, they were like canvas, willing for the world to colour them.

Hinata released a deep breath, steadying her palpitating heart, on edge with a torrent of emotions swirling inside her. Her eyes kept dropping to the space between them, focusing on his chest, instead of his eyes as she was unable to meet the cold impassivity on his face. Yet, even in her reluctance, she could feel him steadying her with every subtle adjustment of his hand, each silent cue as he navigated her through the dance.

They turned, his hand firm at her waist as he guided her into a spin. She let out a shaky breath as she twirled, her skirt fanning out briefly before she returned to his embrace. The spin brought her closer, almost face-to-face with him. His expressions were unmoved, his eyes averted and focused on a distant point over her shoulder.

His indifference stung, a reminder that this was just another motion for him, honing the agility and grace of his shinobi training rather than the unfaltering emotions she expected in her desires to dance and relish in the pleasures of intimacy with Naruto.

Not that Hinata expected Sasuke to fill that space, offer those endless affections like Naruto or anything even closer to Naruto—but it still prickled her, his presence was still a sore sight despite his attempts to offer her the world in his ways—but she intended to not be ungrateful about it, for her son was her priority and Sasuke kept Haru safe.

They moved into a gentle sway, her hand still in his, his fingers never faltering. "I never thought I would suck at something like this," he whispered, leaning closer, his chest brushing with hers making her breathing shallow.

His eyes fell on hers as she looked at him, befuddled. "I-It's fine," she offered a response, turning her head towards the audience. She caught Haru attempting to climb up Kakashi's shoulder with his futile attempts, Kurenai offering the soft pats on his back. Sakura slumped next to Kiba, both of them had their stares locked on Hinata and... Sasuke, as expected.

Her hand involuntarily tightened around his, clinging as if to balance herself with a sudden wave of dizziness hitting her at the back of her head. His fluid and almost robotic movement spun her and drew her closer, she yelped and her feet shuffled and she almost stepped on his shoes, his arm enclosed around her waist steadied her. He asked, his eyebrows cinched together, voice low with a twinge of familiar worry, "Are you okay?"

"It is enough, Sasuke..." she breathed out, her eyes drifting to fallen expressions on her teammate and his teammate, his gaze followed her and he almost interrupted her but she pulled back, distancing from him, "I wanted the dance, I got it, now...let's stop." Her head lowered.

"If you want." His hand slipped from hers, even though the music continued and the couples around them reveled in the soft rights, rhythmic music and whispered love confessions in intimacy; Sasuke and Hinata were bathed in the silence of their equation, stepping away from each other.

Hinata gulped, lowering her gaze, sputtering and stammering, "I think...I think Haru is being restless with Kakashi-sama...I will just...go." She stepped down a couple of stairs of the dance platform, her fingers clutching the dress, hitching it up as she trudged down and sped towards Kakashi. She could feel the burn of Sasuke's gaze on her back and the intense questioning eyes of Kiba and Sakura following her every step.

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Sasuke was standing in front of a mirror, and a makeshift wash basin at the end of the flowery arrangements. He splashed cold water on his face, attempting to release the tension coiling and clawing in his head, his hands clenching and unclenching as he let out a sharp breath. His eyes stung, astounded by the sudden pain; he shielded his eyes with his palm to soothe them with the darkness.

The continuous use of Rinnegan for travelling had taken a toll on his vision, darkness often flashed in front of his eyes in the past four months.

A few deep breaths later, the colour returned to him, he cracked open his onyx eye then the purple one, the view stitching itself back together. His familiar reflection looked back at him, the momentarily lost consciousness retuned and washed over him like a wave.

His insanity must have doused whatever the burning self-awareness he possessed because nothing explained why he dragged Hinata to the dance floor to try to give her something that she didn't expect from him. Not that she expects anything from me. He snorted.

He gripped the tin slab of the basin before him and leaned forward, squeezing his eyes shut and groaned in exhausting embarrassment. Transfixed by the memory of Hinata's puzzled face; eyes wide, mouth parted, cheeks ashen and forehead creased, Sasuke mumbled a few curses under his breath for himself.

He only did that because she was trembling at Kiba's offer. He was not a heroic person, he reiterated to himself, but his actions had thrown him in the middle of situations where he had no other option except to allow himself to fall under her spell. He desperately hoped to any Gods above that Hinata didn't take offence to that, because the heaviness in his chest was already pressing down on him and pulling at his last vestiges of strength.

He straightened up and with one last glance at his reflection, he drew the thin curtains and walked back to the gleaming vast expanse, but it felt dull, his honed hearing couldn't catch the giggles of Haru. He circled multiple tables to reach theirs, but it was empty. Only a brunette girl with twin buns on her head sat there, fiddling with a charm from the chair.

"Where is Hinata?"

She looked up, startled and the charm fell off her grip, "Her son began crying, she took him outside."

An unspoken pain closed his throat as he rushed outside, a frenzied crowd of Konoha's guests were pushed and pulled with his quick movements.

He exited the blossoming entrance and saw a small circle formed, familiar wailing were audible. He moved towards it with the speed of light, his feet glowed blue-purple as a thread of lightning rolled around his ankles and heels.

"Get away!" he seethed, pushing away Kiba who was beside Hinata.

Hinata's tear-filled eyes found him and she leaned towards him, gasping, "Sasuke...I don't know what happened, he began crying and continued to do that but I checked everything..."

"His seal?" he inched closer to him, the hum of the people around him was a noise he muted in his head.

"It is fine," he heard Kakashi's voice, but he didn't turn around. His eyes were fixated on the girl in blue, heaving and stuttering. Haru's small body shook with his loud wails, his hair damp with sweat and his cheeks and nose were small. Hinata's possessive grip on him held him, though she still struggled as Haru was frenzied, swatting his hands in the air, tugging at Hinata's hair, unbinding her bun letting the flowy tresses fall down her back.

Haru was kicking his feet and as Hinata rubbed his calves, he wept louder, screeching cries echoing. His eyes were squeezed shut, his small hands hitting the chest of Hinata with stubbornness.

Sasuke could feel the rattled chakra pulsing within Haru, Hinata's hand reached out to hold Sasuke's arm as she quivered and whispered with tears flowing down her face, catching the moonlight, "I checked everything; he is clean, he is well-fed, he is not hurt anywhere...he has never cried like this...I promise I didn't neglect him this time, Sasuke—"

"Ssh," he narrowed his eyes and glared at her, "Give him to me."

Kiba barked, "He should be with a doctor—"

"A doctor is here already, genius." Sasuke's head snapped towards Kiba, "If she can't figure it out then I will see to it myself." Kiba furrowed his brows and looked at Sakura's blanched face.

Sakura began explaining, anxiousness etched onto her face, "His vitals are fine, he is—"

Hinata mindlessly interrupted as she passed Haru over to Sasuke, "My Byakugan can't see anything wrong either except the disturbed Chakra!"

"It is common?" Sasuke turned to Kurenai who was rocking her sleeping daughter in her arms, "You told me that Haru might react severely in a crowd..."

Kurenai squinted her eyes at Haru who was crying into Sasuke's neck, clawing at his cheek, "He may be just affected by the influx of strangers, he is at the age where he'd struggle with new people and separation from familiar faces."

Sasuke nodded, but he could feel the nipping painful mourning elicited by Hinata, "Is it my f-fault...that I l-left him?"

Kurenai shook her head, her expression softening at her former student. Hinata's body pressed at Sasuke's side as a sob wracked her body.

Kiba attempted to hold her, but Sasuke was in his way and blocked, "Hinata-chan—"

"It is not your fault!" He glanced over his shoulder and saw the shivering presence of Hinata with her head bowed.

"Let's go home," she mumbled, her hand clasping his arm as she sniffled. Her deep blue dress appeared dark in the night. With a free hand, she clutched the dress over her thighs as if ready to run away from there at full speed.

"Sure."

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After two gruesome hours, Haru settled down, back to his usual self. The tears abated, the anxiety roiling inside his heart calmed down in the familiar setting of their warm house, Hinata's humming and Sasuke's professional and successful attempts of eliciting a giggle from Haru.

Sasuke leaned back on the sofa; his coat abandoned on the back of the chair at the dining table. His tie trampled under the weight of Haru's toys scattered on the ground, amidst which he was gleefully engaged and crawling to catch the moving cat toy. Sasuke caught Hinata at the doorway, leaning against the wall, clad in comfortable nightwear instead of the dress that revitalized her entire existence.

In her white button-down shirt and black trousers, with flowy hair billowing around her like a halo and her face bare of any artificial colour except for the natural crimson on her cheeks, with shaking hands entwined together and stiff on the front, bottom lip jutted out with a light quiver —she looked like his Hinata.

Sasuke huffed and peered down at the ground; Haru slapped his hand on the musical board before him, getting different tunes at each hit, causing himself to babble a few incoherent words.

"W-What happened to him?" Hinata entered the living room, crouching down on the ground near Haru, carding her fingers into his golden locks.

Sasuke downed the glass of water, then explained as he shifted to the side to put the glass on the side table, "Babies tend to feel overwhelmed by new crowds, especially their first times...also...we both were away from him a few times during the wedding so he probably didn't feel comfortable with strangers—"

"He didn't feel uncomfortable with you...when you first came," her voice was low and brittle as she mumbled. There wasn't any poisonous edge, there wasn't any contempt, it was a mere statement that she pondered and couldn't figure out.

"That is because he is Naruto's son." Sasuke shrugged, a smirk dancing on the corner of his lips, "He probably took after his father." Sasuke let the cheeky undertones of his words cut through the tension held still in the air.

Hinata looked up from the ground, towards him and stared at him. A few seconds passed, turning into a minute, turning into a few minutes before she broke the trance herself and accepted, "Perhaps you are right." She refocused her gaze on her son and caressed his cheeks, eyes misty and wistful.

Haru joined in the conversation, waving his rattler towards Sasuke, "Ah...Ba...Ma..." Haru then crawled towards the sofa, at the bottom of the sofa, he sat up on his knees and raised his arms. Sasuke grinned, he was surely Naruto's son, extremely clingy. He leaned down and picked up the expectant baby, feeling the graze of pale eyes on him.

Sasuke settled him beside him, and then slipped off the sofa, crouching in front of the baby. Haru leaned back on the back of the sofa, stretching his tiny limbs and his mouth parted as he exhaled milk-scented gasps, Haru's striking eyes fixated on Sasuke as he bounced on his pout, ragged empty gasps escaping his mouth continuously. His lips turned into shapes as if Haru was attempting to communicate.

"Hinata..." Sasuke's face contorted into an amused expression, his stoic and impassive mask was shed in an instant.

Her meek voice, low and calm, "Yes?"

"Come here, I think he is trying to say his first word..."

"What!" she almost shrieked, landed herself beside Sasuke, crouching beside him and in front of her son. "Haru," she whispered to her son, while her hand flicked his cheeks.

"He is ten months old, he should be saying his first basic word," he announced his bare-minimum knowledge, knowing well that Hinata had done a medical training which made her overly qualified against him.

His thoughts had paused, anticipation consumed his veins, and his eye despite the burning and ferocious pain at the back of his eyes, instinctively turned to its carmine glory. Haru continued to babble, under his breath, searching for a few syllables to form a word.

His mouth turned into an O shape, then he closed his mouth, then he licked his lips, then he kept on drawing his bottom lip under his teething gums. The wait gnawed at his chest, he could feel how Hinata was breathless beside him, her hand clasping the armrest of the sofa to steady her frame.

"Ah...Ba.."

Sasuke and Hinata both nodded at Haru, expecting some improvement.

"Mm...Nn...Da.."

Sasuke could feel the thumping in his chest as if there was nothing around him except just a breathless Hinata beside him, a cute baby on the sofa before him with his miserable existence cleansing itself in the beauty of the moment.

The air charged up, thickening.

The absurdity of his presence in that scene, in that space, in Naruto's space attempted to prevent him from revelling in the fragrant reality unfolding before him—but he let the moment pass, he let his dark thoughts dissolve into nothingness for the time being and he let himself in the drowning facade of a life he was living.

He was not sinking into it, keeping his delusions in check. Sasuke let the dilemmas of his life simmer, and he made the choice to embrace the breathlessness of the unfamiliar life he was living.

But then Haru leaned forward, his hands flat on the cushioned seat of the sofa and his eyes darted between his mother and Sasuke, followed by a squeak and a giggle. He pushed himself forward, towards Sasuke, his hand catching the bangs covering the Rinnegan.

He let out, "Dada!" He leapt into Sasuke's arms. With practised ease, Sasuke let his tiny arms wrap around his neck as he cooed to himself, "Da-da!"

And with that, Sasuke sank, delusions breathing new life into him as he sunk deeper and deeper.

Miraculously, Haru's one word healed something inside of him that Itachi had mercilessly broken years ago. Something that he used to consider unrepairable. He thought he would be damned before he could find any cure to squeeze out the poison sitting in his chest.

But Haru was a miracle. His miracle.

Still dwelling in his haze, sinking in the delusions; Sasuke looked to the side and saw Hinata almost fall back, her eyes wide and staring at the nothingness before her. Her eyes filled with tears, her chest heaved up and down releasing the breath she had paused to relish the first word of her son...but it had snatched the ground from beneath her feet. Her trembling hands pushed on the ground as she picked herself off the ground, her frame dwindling as she turned around and bolted outside the living room.

Then it hit him. Once again.

That he had been living in a lie. That he had been seeking comfort from the place where he didn't belong. That he had been loving a child whose blood wasn't Uchiha's.

Sasuke turned his eyes towards the baby and Haru was already elated, looking at him, tugging his hair, nipping at his jaw—as always.

The sky-blue eyes, the golden hair, the whiskered cheeks, the olive complexion—he was not a Uchiha, but it didn't matter to Sasuke.

Because he loved Haru. He learned to love through Haru. After years of solitude, he opened his heart. He did it for Haru, and the purest little thing, his little one, didn't disappoint him at all, he loved him back without any conditions.

Sasuke.

The voice inside him woke up from his selfish delusions.

Oh, Fuck. Hinata! His thoughts circled back to her and the implication of Haru's first word on her. Fuck the fate!

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Hinata lay curled in her bed, the silence of her room closed in on her, suffocating her as she let out shallow and trembling breaths. She pressed the red scarf she had knitted for Naruto to her face and let his fading scent anchor her to some semblance, but everything hurt...her limps gave up, her soul churned, her mind was blanking out and her heart was shattered. The cold dread spread across her chest like a cold, venomous slithering snake—the ache of losing Naruto intensified.

Haru's soft voice whispering his word, Dada, at Sasuke—she was devastated, she was thwarted into an abyss yet again, she had just climbed her way out of that depth of darkness but a mere word drove her into a maddening frenzy.

The way her son had looked at Sasuke; with affection and trust in his familiar blue eyes, the way his little arms were reaching out to Sasuke; innocence and love prompting his little limbs to hop on the man he considered his dad—she shook her head, trying to erase the picture, trying to downplay the severity of the emotional turmoil but her feigned ignorance felt like an open wound that refused to heal, festering beneath her facade of patience.

It is natural, Hinata. It was bound to happen. Sasuke is here, Naruto isn't. It was bound to happen.

No!

No!

A quiet sob escaped her, and she buried her face in the scarf, muffling the sound as her body shuddered with each breath.

Her mind reeled, replaying all the beautiful memories she had spent with Naruto and then the sting began to form in her chest, chiding her for failing Naruto. Her thoughts twisted her gut, she was incapable of tolerating her despair, her grief. Her memories with Naruto were sharp but they were slowly slipping into a hazy blur, making her heart clench at the prospect of Naruto leaving her again.

The flames she shared with Naruto were flickering, faint and fading—her tears slipped down her cheeks, blurring her vision as she clung to the ashes that remained of her and Naruto. The edges of her memories were fraying, and the threads that held Naruto's bloom in her heart were weakening—his warm eyes, his reassuring words, his sweet voice, his loving touch—everything seared her mind, but they were slipping farther from her reach as if Naruto was dissolving into a distant memory.

She was losing Naruto all over...again.

She wanted to yell at someone, wanted to break anything, burn something, destroy everything — but she was anchored to her bed, in her helplessness, in her dilemma to either move forward, leaving behind Naruto or stay stuck in her present, clinging to her past.

She had to make a choice. She wasn't ready though.

Sasuke's voice pierced through her dilemma, propelling her towards a choice of keeping Naruto but as grief. "Our grief is ours as much as our love is! No one can tell us to not hold our loved ones in our hearts forever" His words hit her every nerve, even when he had said them and even now when she reminisced the memory of Sasuke being the only person in the world to understand her grief, her need to hold the grief...because that was all she had from Naruto.

The quiet creak of the door startled her, and she stifled her sobs, holding her breath. Sasuke stood in the doorway, cradling Haru in his arms, his gaze drawn to her even in the dim light. She turned her head away, pressing her hand to her mouth to hide the trembling that still hadn't stopped.

Sasuke took a hesitant step into the room; she could feel his glances at her frail and fallen state. Wordlessly, he moved to Haru's crib, lowering the baby gently, his movements slow and careful, as though sensing the fragile stillness of the room.

"Hinata..."

She responded, her voice stuck in her throat, coming out as a pitiful sob, "Leave."

She could hear the silent acceptance, his boots scuffed against the polished floor as he retreated and decided to leave her—something that she always wanted Sasuke to do. Without thinking, her hand shot out, her fingers catching his and her hand clasped around his hand, she pulled herself up and sat up straight as she flung the blankets off her.

Sasuke's warm skin sent tingles down her nerves; she gulped as she eyed the way her desperate fingers held on to his hand. She angled up her face, and saw Sasuke looking down at her with his expressions softened but puzzled.

The room was still, a faint hum of the insects and the skittering cats in the bushes echoed from her window. In the dark, she could see his pale skin glinting under the silver of moonlight lingering inside her room, through the thin curtains.

Hinata let out a shuddering breath, her mouth parted but her words were too cowardly to tumble out and bare the tempest inside her heart. For a moment, he said nothing, only looking down at her hand encircling his wrist, her fingers trembling slightly. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing the silent plea she couldn't bring herself to voice.

Her hand began slipping from his, the link tethering her to him was faltering, vanishing like the breath at the moment of death but his hand grabbed her slipping hand, threading their fingers together and breathing a new life into her.

The ache in her chest blinded her, the anguish in her blood rendered her body frozen, and the dilemmas in her head choked the sanity out of her—Hinata was a stranger in her own body, a culprit in her mind and a graveyard in her own heart.

"I-I don't want to lose him." Her head dipped, "I don't w-want Haru to lose him...to forget him." Sasuke squeezed her hand, sitting on the edge of the bed, inching closer to her as he leaned forward, his dark eye looked as if he owned the entire night in his one eye and the immense fate in his other. His mouth parted open, he was prepared with a response but she chuckled, "Forget? How can Haru forget someone he never even knew."

"You can make him know him—"

"It won't be enough!" she shrieked, "He won't know his actual dada like he knows you." Her words twinged with distaste and envy, piercing through Sasuke's resolve, evident by the way he hissed under his breath.

Hinata's body wracked with a heartbreaking sob, she attempted to pull away her hand from his grip but he harshly pulled her to him, making her face an inch away from hers. His eyes sparkled with a sheen, unshed tears or unexpressed rage; she couldn't read that. She winced as his free hand cupped her face, his warm touch brushing on his cheek, his warm breath fanning her mouth and his warm chakra slipped through his fingers to hers—everything about him was suddenly warm, not scorching hot, even if he wasn't her sun.

His thumb grazed the back of her hand while clutching her hand tightly, "I am not Naruto."

She looked on, eyes widening.

"I won't be Naruto." He cocked his eyebrow.

She gulped, knowing with firm faith that he was right, Naruto was irreplaceable.

He heaved a sigh, his eyes almost shutting close, "I can't be Naruto."

Her distaste dissolved, faded into the charged proximity between them and a promise cloaking them.

"And...I do not want to be Naruto." His final nail in the coffin. His admission of never desiring to be Naruto. A prickled, venomous and petty part of her that she had been trying to bury inside her ever since their fight, wanted to spit at his face that he had nothing that could make him like Naruto, anyway, but the broken but dignified part of her pulled back the biting and insecure Hinata from ruining anything further. "He will grow up to know the truth, Hinata...he will know his father."

His assurances seemed sincere. She relaxed, her face relaxing in his hold, her eyes still glued to the man before him promising to fight the plans of fate for him with her hand entwined with his.

"T-Then what do you want to be?" she asked, tilting her head and almost leaning in his touch, her lips quivered and betrayed her resolve of acceptance.

"Just Sasuke." He pulled away his hand from her face, "No matter what, just...Sasuke." His hand slipped from hers, and her cold skin desperately clung to the last specks of warmth on her hand and cheek.

He got off the bed, turning around without another word or another glance. Just as he reached the door, she felt the inexplicable pull in her chest, she croaked out, halting his departure, "Sasuke..."

He didn't turn around, instead regarded her with a look over his shoulder and a grunt, "Hm?"

"Nothing."

He left as he heard. She was empty.

Her heart's dilemmas shattered, pushing her to live, despite the games of fate. Now, all she had to do was to make a choice...about how to live her life, with whatever she had. Her stubborn fixation with whatever she had lost had cost her so much, that she didn't intend to lose her sanity anymore.
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THE FIRST ARC HAS ENDED, FROM NEXT CHAPTER - THE SECOND ARC WILL BEGIN!
A/N: Your FAVS AND REVIEWS keep me going!
Okay, this chapter was heavy in various ways! I had to show a lot of depth of characters here, as this was the finale of first arc, I needed to show a conclusive picture of all that had went down from chap1 till now. I hope I did a good job for yall!

What is your favorite moment? What is your take on the route of the story?

What do you think will happen?

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Ella!