It was hot. Too damn hot. The sun glared down on them something fierce as sweat dripped into Sasuke's eye for the fifth time in the past hour. Not only was it hot, but Hinata was on his back, which made him even hotter. The poor woman couldn't even walk, even though she tried to prove she could and failed miserably. He had offered to carry her.

The entire way to the Land of Earth.

There wasn't even a breeze in the air. Nothing. Just dry humidity and the worse part of it all was they had run out of water a few kilometers back.

"A-Are you sure you're okay?" Hinata's voice chimed in for the third time. "I can try to walk. I don't want to bother you in case I'm too heavy," her breath was hot against his neck every time she spoke making it worse.

He grunted. "It's fine. Stop asking."

It was hard not to snap at her. This heat was driving him-

Air on the back of his neck made him stop in his tracks. Was she blowing on his neck? He turned his head slightly, opening his mouth to ask the question, but couldn't get the embarrassing words to come out.

"Your neck is turning red. You'll be sunburned. I know this won't do much but," she paused for a few moments, "I thought I could help out in some way," she said as she continued blowing.

He felt even hotter. This wasn't good. It wasn't good at all. Not only was the woman he was starting to fall for on his back, but she was blowing gently on his neck. Something about it turned him on in ways he didn't know if he should be happy about or ashamed.

"You're much more fair skinned than I am, I can only imagine what you must look like right now." He continued walking, hoping to see the county come into view. It felt like he'd been carrying her for eight hours, which probably had been the truth, a little more or less. He had been too weak to even summon his hawk to fly them there.

"I have sunscreen," she said.

Sasuke nearly dropped her as he stopped in his tracks. "You have sunscreen and haven't offered any to me?"

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Tch. If my skin looks like a tomato by the time we arrive in this country, I'm blaming you."

She laughed, but he didn't find it very funny. At least not now. Not when he felt his skin felt like it was on fire. This damn heat! He just wanted to jump in a body of ice water.

"I can give you some now? It's in my bag," she said.

The raven-haired man sighed, looking at their surroundings to notice there wasn't much shade, just an opened field of yellow roses. He had to admit the sight was beautiful. It reminded him of Sakura. They were the same flowers he had gotten her for her birthday, reminding him that he'll have to talk to her once he returns. A talk he desperately did not want to have.

He hadn't told Naruto he left the village, which he usually did whenever he was going off to travel. With Hinata on this solo mission and him suddenly missing, he hoped the blonde wouldn't put two and two together. Over the years Naruto had gotten smarter and although he wouldn't willingly admit it aloud, Naruto was probably smarter than him now with all the studying he had to do to prepare him for becoming the Hokage. It would be just his luck if Naruto noticed it, especially if Sakura mentions anything to Naruto about the note he left behind.

Kneeling down, he sat Hinata on the grass and sitting in front of her with crossed legs. His black eyes watched Hinata carefully while she dug inside her tan bag searching for what he assumed was the sunscreen.

Surprisingly enough when he looked down at his exposed, he wasn't as red, but it was getting there. Of all things not to mention, the sunscreen should have been the first thing said especially how hot it was.

He'd woken up in the middle of the night sweating and wanting nothing more but to remove his clothes to relieve himself of the oncoming heatstroke he knew he'd have if he didn't get some cool air. Hinata slept like a baby the entire night. He envied her for almost four hours until a wind child swept across them and he was finally able to get some sleep. What he hadn't counted on was waking up in the morning to one hundred degree weather.

"Ah, here it is." She pulled out a white tube and shoved in Sasuke's direction. "Here."

Sasuke took the small bottle from her, eyeing it for a moment. "Can you help me?" He felt rather silly asking, but he knew he couldn't do it on his own. It was hard to even meet her gaze, because he felt so stupid and embarrassed asking something so simple and innocent, but it just felt so wrong in his head.

She didn't seem to question it and merely took the sunscreen back and squirted some of the white substance into her hands. The moment her hands made contact with his skin his heart skipped a beat. The lotion was thick and it took a few rubs for the whiteness to disappear as she glided her hands up and down his arm. Her movements were so steady and sensual it made him feel flustered.

When he snuck a glance at her, she was too focused on what she was doing to even notice the blush on his cheeks. He felt like a schoolgirl. Was this how Sakura felt whenever he touched her?

Once she finished his arm she moved her hands towards his neck but Sasuke quickly stopped her. "I can do my neck and face on my own. Thanks," he muttered. "Just squeeze some in my hand."

That would be the last thing he needed. She was already too close as it is. If she got that close he didn't know what he would do.

Once he applied some on his neck and face, he felt a bit cooler but he wasn't sure how long it would last. They really needed to get out of this weather or they'll both be found dead of dehydration or heatstroke.

"Come on, let's hurry up. We should be arriving there in the next thirty minutes," he turned around motioning for her to get on his back. "Can you manage?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry I drank the last of the water," she whispered.

He wasn't mad at her about it. After all, he was the one that told her to finish it but he was thirsty as hell. His mouth felt like cotton. "You can repay me by continuing to blow on my neck to cool me off," he said as she finally got on his back.

She didn't say anything, but the moment he felt that cool air once again he felt satisfied.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The moment they arrived Sasuke was relieved, well somewhat relieved considering it was still hot and his clothes were sticking to his skin even more with another body hanging on his back, he was still happy. The gatekeepers seemed to have been expecting Hinata and immediately assisted her off of his back and to a hospital to fix her foot.

The medical ninjas in the country are a bit more advanced than Konoha. Yet, he had to admit that his wife was and is one of the best medics out there.

He watched as the swelling around her ankle started to go down.

"There. You might still feel a bit of pain, but you should be able to walk on it now Lady Hinata," said the nurse. Giving a curt nod, she walked out of the room.

Hinata looked at Sasuke, amusement dancing in her white eyes. "I guess you're free of your piggyback duties," she giggled.

"Just when I was beginning to enjoy it," he sarcastically said with a smirk.

"I suppose I should give this letter to the Damiyo," she hopped down from examination table and started walking towards the entrance. She paused at the doorway for a moment, her hand on the doorknob as she looked over her shoulder. "Thank you." She smiled.

He said nothing in return, but offered a smile of acknowledgement. Had he not arrived when he did, whose telling how long it would have taken her to get to the village.

As he followed her out the door and back outside in the heat he was suddenly reminded that he had forgotten to ask the nurse for a cup of water. Glancing over at Hinata, she seemed to be thinking the same thing as she fanned her face with her hand.

"Lady Uzumaki!"

A voice male voice called out from the distance. They both turned around to see a brown haired male running towards them, arm swinging in the air trying to get their attention among the crowd.

Once he reached them, he hunched over with both hands resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Lady Uzumaki, I'm so sorry I wasn't able to make it in time to greet you at the gate." He still had his head down, breathing as if he had just ran a marathon.

Sasuke shared a look to Hinata, who merely shrugged.

"Um…" Hinata scratched her cheek, smiling nervously.

The man then straightened his back and extended his hand out to Hinata. "My apologies, my lady! I'm Kuro. The new assistant to Danjo-sama." His hazel shifted to Sasuke, his eyebrow arched. "You must be Sasuke Uchiha. We weren't expecting you to be accompanying Lady Uzumaki."

"Hn."

Kuro chuckled. "A man of few words, I see." He turned his attention back to Hinata. "Anyways, I'm sure the trip was a long one. Why don't we set you up with a room at our hotel suite for the night. Danjo-sama is currently in a meeting, but by the time we set you up in a room he should be finished. Follow me," he said.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto started at the note on his desk that was slammed on his desk moments ago.

Something came up. I'll be back in four days.

Sakura nearly destroyed his office asking what was the meaning of the note Sasuke left behind and why she hadn't told her that he was sending her husband on another mission. It caught him off guard. He hadn't talked much to Sasuke in the past couple of weeks. In fact, he was doing his very best to avoid him at all cost.

Blue eyes reread the note for the sixth time. Sasuke always, without fail, notified him if he were ever leaving the village for something. What could could have come up where he couldn't even face his family to tell them—

"Son of a bitch!" He gritted his teeth. Those blue eyes started to shift red as he stood and walked around his desk, getting ready to leave the office and track down the bastard he had a sinking suspicion was with his wife. And so god help him if he is because the Uchiha would need it.

"Whoa, Naruto! Hey, are you okay? What happened?"

Naruto looked to Kakashi who stood in front of the door he was seconds away from leaving. His eyes held concern that he currently felt for his wife even being a foot near Sasuke.

Kakashi walked inside the office, closing the door behind him. "What's going on?"

Naruto raised his hand to his head, trying to alleviate some of the pressure that was building in his head. "Sasuke…" was all he could say.

Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed. "Sasuke? What about him? Is he in trouble?"

"He will be once I get my hands on him." Naruto's hand curled into a fist so tight that his knuckles turned white.

"You aren't making any sense. What's going on? What did Sasuke do?" Kakashi places his hand on Naruto's shoulder, hoping some contact would calm the blonde down.

His eyes slowly started to revert back to his natural cerulean color. Shoulders hanging low, he kept his gaze to the floor.

"I think Sasuke is with Hinata on the mission I sent her on," he mumbled.

Kakashi dropped his hand back down to his side, confused. "Okay? I still don't see what the issue—"

"Sasuke has feelings for Hinata."

Silence swept through the room as Kakashi stood in shock at the news.

"What? Are you sure?" The masked man questioned. Surely Naruto was just over thinking things and speculated incorrectly.

A bitter laugh escaped his mouth. "I'm positive. I sent Hinata on a mission yesterday and today Sakura came into my office demanding why I sent Sasuke on a mission without telling her," he raised his head to meet Kakashi's eyes. "It's definitely not a coincidence that he's suddenly not here while Hinata is away."

Kakashi sighed. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Hinata really loves you and she wouldn't do anything that could jeopardize your marriage."

"We're getting a divorce."

"What? Kakashi started wide-eyed at his former student.

Naruto pressed his lips into a thin line. "It's my fault really. The divorce," he paused as flashes of the night he'd seen Sasuke with his wife the snowy night he walked her home with his children months ago. It was the first time he witnessed Sasuke show kindness to someone outside of their old team seven.

It may have been a brief moment, but it was the day Naruto knew to keep an eye on Sasuke.

"It's not public yet. Once Hinata returns, we'll sign the papers." Naruto said.

"Does Hinata have feelings for Sasuke?"

Naruto shook his head. "I doubt it. I'm sure she still loves me, but it's not her I'm worried about. It's Sasuke." He could feel himself getting angry all over again. "How could he do something like this, Kakashi? He has a wife and daughter! Why would he chase after someone that doesn't belong to him by betraying his friend and family? It just makes me sick thinking about it."

Kakashi remained silent, all too shocked to say anything.

"Hinata should be in the Land of Earth by now. I'm going to–"

"Don't be stupid. What you need to do is stay here and wait until she returns. For all you know, you could be assuming things. I'm sure it's just all one big coincidence," he said with a reassuring smile.

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek. He wanted to believe it to be true, but his gut told him otherwise.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The first thing Sasuke and Hinata did as soon as they arrived in their two bedroom suite was go straight to the refrigerator and pour themselves a tall glass of water. After a few too many glasses, (and bathroom trips shortly after), the two were sat on the couch of the living room area.

He hadn't expected the hotel room to be so big. He assumed they would have separate rooms, but it worked out well considering the suite they were in at two rooms with a single door that separated the two. They were probably given the best room because Hinata is the Hokage's wife (soon to be ex-wife).

Moving his hair out of his eyes, he sighed. "I suppose you should let Naruto know you made it here safely." He wanted to add not mention he was there, but figured that should be obvious.

Hinata nodded.

He watched as she walked towards the desk near the window, opening the drawer to search for paper. After a few moments she found some paper and began jotting down something on the paper. She rolled it up and looked around in a daze.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I need a messenger bird."

He stood up, walked to the window and whistled. A hawk flew in as it landed on his arm. He stuck out his hand waiting for her to place the rolled up paper into his hand. He placed the note into the black tube and watched as it flew back into the air. "He should get it soon enough."

"Thank you...for everything." Hinata smiled.

That cute smile would be the death of him. The emotions she made him feel were like nothing he'd ever experienced in life before. The more time he spent with her, the more flustered he felt. Growing up, Hinata had always been the one who easily blushed at just about anything, but lately it seems he's the one that can't stop turning red.

"You don't have to thank me for anything," he said, turning away from her all seeing eyes. "I'm going to walk around for a bit. Can you manage to meet up with the Daimyo on your own?"

Hinata brought her hand up to her lips, laughing.

"What's so funny?" He frowned.

"Nothing. I'm sorry." She cleared her throat and leaned against the table. "I can manage just fine. Don't worry about me, Sasuke."

He grunted, but said nothing more and made his way out of the room. What was so funny? Was he being overbearing by worrying about her wellbeing? He moved his hair out of his eyes as his fingers ran through his hair.

"Stop being so stupid…" he muttered to himself.

He was overthinking things. Sasuke Uchiha didn't overthink. Calm and collective was his persona. He has become a love struck puppy over the past few months and it's getting worse as the days went on.

The part that killed him was the wife he knew was waiting at home for him to return.

The wife that had loved him ever since they were children.

The same wife that would do anything for him to ensure his happiness.

The same wife that gave him the greatest gift in the world: his daughter.

The same wife who had no idea he was no longer in love with her.

Not to mention his daughter went from adoring being around Boruto and Hinata to wanting nothing to do with them. Though that was his fault for being as obvious as he had been or maybe his daughter was more perceptive than he realized.

Looking around the village he couldn't help but notice how colorful everything looked in comparison to Konoha in terms of fashion. While he's here it's probably best to buy something for Sarada, but he had no idea what she liked.

Maybe a bracelet? Girls like that sort of thing, right? Though his daughter didn't seem to care about things like that. Maybe she might like it. Her mother on the other hand loved receiving jewelry, despite rarely wearing any of it. The amount of money he had spent on necklaces and bracelets for Sakura could buy Naruto a year's worth of ramen.

Casually scanning various street vendors, he searched for the perfect gift for his daughter. Black eyes continued to search the area until he landed at a book stand.

Sarada had tons of books in her bedroom. Maybe if he bought her one or two it would make her happy. The next question that came to mind was what type of book.

After sifting through a few books, he settled on two mystery books after remembering it was one of her favorite genres.

Proud of himself, he decided to continue on his way. The weather was still hot and muggy, but with his cape not draped around his shoulders he felt a bit cooler. The citizens didn't seem bothered by the heat. Konoha never got this hot, though he could only imagine how Suna was at the moment.

"Would you like to buy a rose for your girlfriend?"

An older woman suddenly jumped in front of him holding a bouquet of roses in her hand, while the other hand held a single rose as she stuck it out towards him.

He wanted to tell her that he didn't have a girlfriend and maybe she'd leave him alone. The only gift he planned on buying was for his daughter. Buying Sakura anything would be too awkward, especially after the impending talk. Then there was Hinata…

It'll be as if he were pressuring her if he suddenly showed up with a flower in his hand and gave it to her. How would that look once she returned to Konoha with a rose. Naruto would never stop talking about it. Divorce or not, that man would kill him and he didn't want anymore added stress on Hinata.

Shaking his head, he pushed past the disappointed woman and decided to head back to the hotel. By now Hinata should be finished with the leader of the village.

The next chuunin exam wasn't for another year. Naruto probably just gave Hinata the easiest mission he could think of. Regardless if he trusted in her ability as a ninja or not, Sasuke could imagine that Hinata probably wasn't happy with just delivering a message that could have easily been sent by a hawk messenger.

As he approached the hotel, he noticed Kuro standing in front of a squirming Hinata. Curious he approached the pair, who didn't seem to notice his presence, Hinata's back to him while Kuro was facing his direction but too focused on the shorter woman.

"I must say that the Hokage has good taste. You are quite the beauty, Hinata." One side of his lip raised a bit into a sly smirk as he looked down at her, his hand reaching out to her.

Reaching for what? Sasuke didn't know and wasn't going to let him go any further to find out. He stood behind the unaware Hyuuga, staring at Kuro with a deadly intent at Kuro. Sharingan activated, and tomoe spinning as he glared at the now frightened man.

He retreated his hand and slicked it behind his head. "U-Uh, I better get going. Please enjoy the rest of your stay, Lady Uzumaki!" He bowed and quickly ran away.

"Some balls he has to flirt with the Hokage's wife." Sasuke deactivated his bloodline just in time for Hinata to turn around, startled by his presence.

"Sasuke!" She jumped.

He looked down at her wide-eyed face. "Has he been bothering you this entire time?"

Hinata looked away, embarrassed. "He made a few comments here and there, but I ignored most of them. I suppose when he noticed you weren't around he took the opportunity to be more forward."

"Tch, annoying."

Her eyes glanced down at the books wrapped in a string hanging from his fingers. "Books?" She pointed.

"It's a gift for Sarada." He replied. "Were you going to walk around the village?" He asked, trying to ignore the sun that was beaming on his neck.

Hinata shook her head. "It's a bit too hot to do anything outside. I'm going head back inside." She glanced at his hair. "I haven't realized how long your hair has gotten."

He blinked. "You're just now noticing that?"

She turned red. "Sorry."

Now it was his turn to blush. He looked away, his fingers instinctively touched the ends of his hair that covered his eye. "I've been thinking about cutting it shorter."

"I cut Boruto's hair sometimes. If you want...I can cut yours." She looked down at her feet. "If you want. I don't have to or–"

"I'd like that," he said, cutting her off.

She lifted her head, surprised and then smiled. He had to look away because his face would show everything he was thinking. This woman really didn't know the things that go through his head whenever he thought about her.

Following her back into their suite, she searched around for a pair of scissors. He had offered his kunai, but she looked at him as if he were crazy and just told him to wait in the room until she found a pair of scissors.

He didn't know what he said wrong. He's cut his hair before with a kunai. Sure it wasn't perfect, but it got the job done.

She came back into the room with a pair of shears, instructing him to sit down in the chair in front of the desk. He did as he was told and sat down.

"Am I only trimming the ends?" She asked, running her fingers hesitantly through his hair.

She shuttered feeling her slender fingers through his head. "Do what you want. I don't care, just as long as you don't cut too short. I don't want to look like the idiot."

Hinata laughed. "Noted."

Inch by inch, he started to see his hair falling on the ground. Each time she got close in his face to measure how short she could cut, he had to hold his breath. She was so close that he could press his lips against hers if he wanted. It gave him the opportunity to observe her closer. She was so focused on what she was doing, not realizing that she was giving him a heart attack. The way she bit her lip each time she got ready to cut made his groin stir.

Blushing he averted his gaze elsewhere.

"There." She leaned back, admiring her work. "I hope you like it."

He stood up, dusting off the hair that clung to his skin and clothes as he walked into the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror. She had cut it shorter than he imagined, but the length looked good. It was just above his ears and hanging a bit above his eyebrows covering his forehead. She had actually done a good job. He'd never had his hair this short before. It wasn't exactly as short as Naruto's (he thanked the heavens for that), but it wasn't too far off, just a bit longer.

Hinata appeared in the mirror behind him, smiling nervously. "What do you think? Is it okay?"

He smiled at her. "I like it."

Her shoulder relaxed. "I'm glad."

He turned around to look down at her, opening his mouth to say something, but immediately closed his lips shut when she parted her lips the same time. They both just stood there in awkward silence.

"You go first."

"You can go."

They both stared at each other, red faced and still not saying anything until Hinata finally decided to speak.

"I'm going to take a shower and relax a bit." She said, looking awkwardly off to the side.

Sasuke took the hint and left the bathroom and decided to go to his side of the room, closing the door behind him. It was only six in the evening, but it was still daylight. There was a part of him that wanted to ask her if she wanted to eat the local food by taking her out to eat, but decided maybe it wouldn't be a good idea. Instead, he decided to take a shower also...maybe it'll cool himself down as his member below was starting to stir again and he didn't want to masturbate with her in the next room over.

"Damn it…" he hissed as his hand brushed against the tent that was starting to form.

He might as well take care of it in the shower. The Hyuuga will be the death of him, but he's gladly welcome that sweet death. He smirked to himself as he headed for the bathroom and removed his clothes.

His usual ten minute shower might take a bit longer this time…

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sakura paced the kitchen, her hand under her chin and green eyes narrowed as Ino watched on with concern.

"Maybe Naruto forgot he sent him on a mission. You know how busy he is lately," Ino said, trying to calm her friend down.

Sakura shook her head. "No. Naruto wouldn't forget sending Sasuke on a mission. He tried to play it off, but it was obvious that Sasuke left without saying anything." Sakura stopped to look at the blonde. "Ino, what if he's cheating on me? He's been acting so strange lately. I just can't shake this feeling that something is off."

She tried to stop the tears as they cascaded down her cheeks. Quickly trying to wipe them away, she sat down next to Ino, her shoulders hunched over and face buried in her hands. It was hard not to assume the worse when things haven't exactly been the greatest.

Whenever Sasuke left he always told her face-to-face and would be there to give Sarada a hug. Maybe she wasn't as lucky to get a kiss every time, but he at least told her verbally. Was he even really coming back in four days? What did he have to take care of? Why didn't he tell her what it was like he usually does?

Karin flashed in her mind.

Although they weren't friends, they were friendly enough to greet each other and the red-head was there for her daughter. Yet, she remembers Sasuke mentioning to her once that Karin used to like him.

No.

It's easy to put this on Karin.

Too easy.

The one person her husband seemed to always have his eyes lingering on was the one person she didn't want to assume. She was her friend and he knew that. He wouldn't stoop as low to that, would he?

Ino's hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts. Raising her head, she glanced over at her friend.

"I think you're over thinking things. Sasuke loves you and Sarada so much. He would do anything for the both of you because you're his only living family." Ino slid her hand to her back, rubbing gently in circular motions. "He has risked his life many times proving just that. I think the two of you are just experiencing a bit of a rough patch that most married couples go through. Sometimes Sai annoys the crap out of me and I want to kick him out for night. That man can be so oblivious sometimes, but I know he loves me."

Ino smiled as she continued. "Don't give up on him, Sakura."

Sakura looked away, sniffing. "You're right. Sasuke wouldn't do anything like that. I'll just have to talk with him once he comes back."

"That's the spirit! Maybe buy some sexy lingerie and surprise him." Ino wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Sakura turned bright red. "Ino!"

"What? It's nice to spice it up sometimes. He may be a bland guy, but he's still a man with needs."

"Sasuke is not bland, Ino." Sakura frowned.

"Oh?" She raised a curious eyebrow. "In what ways is he not?"

Sakura blushed. "You're being nosy again. Trust me. My husband is the furthest thing from bland."

Ino lightly punched her on the arm. "I'm just teasing you. It got your mind off of that nonsense, didn't it?"

Green eyes widened for a brief moment, as she smiled. "Thank you, Ino."

In three days, Sasuke would return and then she'll talk to him...and maybe surprise him like Ino suggested.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Crying. It was barely audible, but he could hear it. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand it was after one in the morning. He was sleeping peacefully until he had a nightmare about the massacre. It was a dream that he seemed to get a few times out of the year, every year. He'd wake up in a cold sweat, panicking. There were other nights he'd scream Itachi's name so loud, Sakura had to calm him down the best she could which usually took a good fifteen minutes. If he were alone, it'll take even longer.

After calming himself down this night, he could hear the faint sound of crying. Sitting up in the bed, his eyes looked at the wall, knowing it was Hinata's voice he could hear on the other side.

Getting up, he walked towards the door and placed his hand on the knob. Should he check on her? He had remembered that she said she had been crying herself to sleep almost every night. The previous night he didn't notice. Then again he was so focused on how hot it was he probably missed it.

Opening the door, he walked into the dark room with the only light being the moonlight shining into the room. Hinata sitting in the bed with her knees pulled to her chest and face down. His heart wrenched at the sight.

Walking towards her, he gently sat down on the bed next to her. She didn't seem startled by his presence only shifting a bit to lift her head.

Tear stained cheeks and red eyes as she smiled weakly at him, she spoke. "I didn't mean to wake you."

He pressed his lips tightly, shaking his head. "You didn't."

"I know it's silly to cry like this, but it just hurts so much."

More tears streamed down her cheeks. It hurt him to see her like this. So broken. He reached out and pulled her into his chest.

"S-Sasuke?"

"Just cry. Let it all out. I'm not going anywhere." He murmured into her hair.

And so she did. She cried and she cried loudly into his chest with her arms wrapped around his back, holding onto him tightly. She hadn't even noticed that he was shirtless, nor did he care that his chest was now wet with her tears and snot. The only thing that mattered in this moment to him was being there for her.

He definitely wasn't going to go anywhere. He'll always be there for her no matter what.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Hinata and Sasuke's return…

"Hinata should be coming back in the next hour," Shikamaru said.

Naruto stared down at the letter she had written him, not really paying the shadow ninja much attention. She said that she had sprained her ankle, but she was safe and would return back home a day later than anticipated. Sure enough, she was a day late. Nonetheless, he was glad she was finally returning.

He stretched his arms into the air, slipping the note into a drawer. "I'm going to go meet her at the gate."

"She won't be here for another hour," Shikamaru said.

Naruto grinned. "I know, but I just want to be the first face she sees when she returns."

Shikamaru smirked. "I see."

"I'll be back a bit later. Please cover for me for a bit, please?" He walked past Shikamaru and headed out of his office.

It wasn't a lie. He really did want his face to be the first face she saw once she returned, but he really wanted to see if Sasuke had the guts to show his face. Kakashi wanted to reassure him that he was overthinking, but he knew deep in his heart that he wasn't. That bastard was definitely with his wife.

Leaping from rooftop from rooftop, he landed in front of the gates as he stepped in front of the guards.

"Hokage-sama!" They both straightened their posture at his presence.

"I want you two to leave. Return in two hours." He spoke, never turning to face them, his blue eyes glued to the walk pathway where Hinata should be walking down shortly. He cut his attention to the two guards that have yet moved. "Now," he warned, his voice deepened.

The both scurried away, not wanting to anger the Hokage leaving Naruto alone, just the way he wanted.

It didn't take long until he saw a figure approaching. A lone figure. The closer it got his eyes narrowed. It was Sasuke with much shorter hair than he remembered. Just as he thought, but on his back was a sleeping Hinata. If he doesn't calm his anger down, Kurama will wonder what's going on. Inhaling, Naruto crossed his arms and waited until the Uchiha was finally standing in front of him.

Blue eyes met black.

"What are you doing, Sasuke?" Naruto glared.

Sasuke stared him down just the same, but his tone was calm and smooth like water flowing down the stream. "What do you mean?"

That pissed him off even more. Naruto bared his teeth, his eyes flashing red. "Now isn't the time to play stupid. Why are you with Hinata? Sakura came to me looking for you wanting to know why I sent you on a mission that I never gave you." He glanced at his wife, who seemed to be in a deep peaceful sleep. His eyes softened for a flicker of a moment looking at her, before returning back to Sasuke. Glaring. Hard. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Why are you with my wife?"

"I have feelings for her."

There. He said it. Something he had already known, but hearing the confirmation just made it all the better...or worse. He created a shadow clone and nudged his chin in the direction of Hinata to the clone. "Take her back home." He said, his eyes never leaving Sasuke.

The clone grabbed Hinata and cradled her into his arms as the clone leaped up into the air, leaving just the blonde and the raven. Naruto didn't waste any time as he thrust his fist towards Sasuke who blocked it, but Naruto quickly rounded off with a kick which the Uchiha didn't catch. He flew back into the trees off to the side knocking him through a few as they collapsed the moment Sasuke's body flew through them.

In a flash he was in front of Sasuke and punched him in the stomach. This man will learn today not to interfere with his wife, regardless if they're divorcing. He won't allow him to get close to her. Punch after punch, Sasuke never blocked anything. He almost wondered if Sasuke was allowing himself to be beaten until a hard fist socked him on his left eye.

He tumbled backwards onto the ground, but quickly jumped back on his fist. "You're my best friend! You have a fucking wife and daughter, Sasuke! Why would you do this?"

"I can't help the way I feel whenever I'm around her! I'm sorry. It's your damn fault for abandoning her all this time." Sasuke yelled.

"Don't you dare. You were barely around for Sakura while Sarada was growing up and you're going to throw that excuse in my face? At least I was here with my family!" His eyes were full of rage, as he stalked towards Sasuke and grabbed him by the collar. "I told you before to go be with your wife. Leave mine alone," he growled.

Sasuke bashed his forehead against Naruto's nose. Blood spluttered in his face as Naruto stumbled back holding onto his nose, looking at him with dark eyes. If looks could kill...they both would be dead.

Red eyes met a glaring Sharingan.

"You had all the chances in the world to strengthen your relationship with Hinata, but you didn't. You're only upset because you're jealous. Another man had to give your family attention for you to start noticing." He spit out some blood from his mouth onto the ground. "I'm not going to continue fighting. It's pointless."

Naruto watched as Sasuke turned his back on him, pausing for a moment. "You're like a brother to me and I'm sorry for betraying you like this. I really am. But I'm beyond the point of trying to push my feelings for Hinata down. I care about her too much."

With those words he disappeared, leaving the Hokage lost in his thoughts.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto gazed down at the sleeping Hyuuga whose eyes started to flutter open. A warm smile spread across his face as he moved some of her hair out of her face.

"Na-Naruto?" She sat up, looking around, confused.

"Welcome home," he whispered.

She stared at him for a few moments, her white eyes narrowed. "You aren't really Naruto, are you?"

He shook his head. "The real me is a bit busy at the moment. How is your ankle?" his eyes drifted down her leg, examining both ankles trying to figure out which one she hurt.

"Much better thanks to the medics there," she smiled softly.

"Hinata...did something happen between you and Sasuke? He carried you back here." It was hard to look her in the eyes when he asked, but he needed to know. His heart raced as the silence loomed over them, waiting for what felt like forever until she finally spoke.

"Nothing happened, Naruto." She paused. "He...mentioned his feelings, but that's it."

Naruto frowned. So he had confessed to her already. He didn't know how to feel about it. "Do you like him?"

"I care about him, but there's too much going on right now. I still love you. We're divorcing. The kids...I don't have time to consider someone else's feelings at the moment."

There was a part of him that felt his heart dance when she announced that she still loved him. If only he could convince her that he wanted to keep the marriage, but he had tried that once already. She was adamant about it no matter how she felt about him.

"I found a house I think you might like. It's basically next door. I can buy it for you," he trailed off. He wanted them as close as possible, because once they leave he'll be alone again. At least he'll have some solace knowing they are close.

Hinata's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at his clone. "I did agree to you choosing the place, but I can't allow you to pay for it, Naruto. What happens when you remarry? You can't keep paying things for me like that. It wouldn't be fair to your future wife."

Remarried? He hadn't even thought about getting married again. Hinata was the only woman he loved and he couldn't imagine himself with anyone else if it wasn't her. No. Getting married again wasn't in his near future or distant future. Besides, he'd hate to ruin yet another marriage due to his busy life as the Hokage.

The thought of Hinata marrying again didn't sit well with him because the image of her groom kept popping up as Sasuke in his mind. Shaking his head, Naruto inhaled and exhaled to calm his rattled nerves.

"I'm not going to get married ever again. My heart only belongs to you," he leaned his face down and pressed his forehead against hers. "Even after we sign these papers, I'll never stop loving you. Not ever."

"Naruto…" She gazed into his eyes.

He grabbed her chin, his eyes started to close as he got ready to press his lips against but suddenly his clone disappeared leaving the Hyuuga alone in the bedroom.

Somewhere in the distance the real Naruto laid on the grass, his eyes covered by his arm with a sad smile on his face as tears streamed down the corner of his eyes.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It was quiet when he came home. Eerily quiet. Or maybe it just felt that way to him because of what he had to prepare himself for.

"I'm home," he said, slipping off his shoes.

He walked into the back of the house, stopping in front of Sarada's closed bedroom door and knocked. No answer. He pushed the door open pulling the books out of his pouch as he placed the books on her bed. Hopefully she would appreciate the gift. Turning back around, he walked to his bedroom nearly stumbling back out in shock when he saw Sakura sitting on the bed wearing a pink see through lace bra and matching panties. She was twirling the ends of her hair with a dark red tint on her face.

"Welcome home." she smiled shyly, her eyes widened when she stared at his head. "You cut your hair? It looks...good. You're even more handsome," she said, her blush darkening even more.

Shit. How could he bring it up now? She'd never done this before. Why now of all times? Would he be a jerk if he turned her down? A part of his mind told him to just wait because the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel embarrassed. Here she is trying to seduce him and he's trying to talk about getting a divorce.

He walked towards his wife and sat down on the bed as she crawled towards him and placed her hands on his shoulders, massaging the muscle tension.

"I was thinking maybe…" she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his ear. "I could give you a little welcome home gift." Her voice was seductive as her tongue licked the rim of his ear.

If this were the beginning years of his marriage he would be all for it. She knew the art of seduction and knew all the things that drove him crazy. The spots that could make him cum in seconds. All the words to make him make him hard and want to take her right then and there.

But here at this very moment, that version of himself died and wasn't coming back. Those heartfelt feelings that he held for her were no longer there and he couldn't allow himself to hurt himself or her any further. He needed to be honest with not only her, but himself.

"Sakura, we need to talk."

She continued her actions, crawling around him as she sat in his lap wrapping her legs around his waist. "I'm listening," she whispered as she kissed the corner of his lips.

He turned his head away. "Sakura. This is serious."

That seemed to have gotten his attention because she pulled back and stared at him with widened eyes. Slowly removing herself from him, cheeks still pink, though he didn't know if that was from embarrassment or what. She sat beside him with her hands in her lap, silent.

"This isn't working anymore." He said, bluntly.

She didn't say anything and he was almost too afraid to look at her. When he finally had the courage he immediately regretted it. Her head was down, but he could see her eyes brimming with tears. Drop by drop, they fell on her lap.

It felt like someone just ripped his heart out as he watched his wife cry.

He hated himself for it.

"W-Why? I don't understand." Her voice cracked, still not meeting his gaze.

He wanted to reach out and touch her, but something told him not to. So he kept his hand to himself, averting his own eyes to the wood flooring.

"I…" this was harder than he thought it would be.

"Are you cheating on me with Hinata?" She then lifted her head to look over at him. "Hinata had a mission and you left the same day she did. Were you off with her?" Her voice got louder as the tears started falling even more.

"I was with Hinata…." it was all he could get out when she started crying uncontrollably, her face buried in her hands. "Sakura, I haven't done anything with her. I promise you I haven't. She doesn't…" he paused, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. "...she doesn't have feelings for me, but I do like her. I'm sorry."

He could feel his own eyes tearing up, he had to look away. It hurt too much. Why did this hurt so much? He clutched his chest, trying to calm the discomfort of the way his heart pounded hard.

"Are you leaving me because of her?"

He took the moment to look her in the eyes. His dark eyes met her tearful green gaze. "A part of it, but my feelings for you aren't the same anymore. It's not fair to keep this marriage alive when my love isn't romantic anymore. Plus," his eyes flickered to the side and back to Sakura. "I really care about her."

He knew it would hurt her because it hurt him just as much. This was the mother of his child and the woman that he grew up with and shared some of his most cherished moments with. They had come a long way and now…things were different.

"Do you love her?"

"Not yet…" Maybe he should have selected better words instead of that, especially with the way she was looking at him now.

Broken.

The same tearful look Hinata had the previous night when she cried in his arms.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." He really meant it.

She wiped her eyes, sniffing. "Does Naruto know?"

Sasuke pointed to the bruise on his forehead. "You hadn't noticed, have you? I'm sure my stomach is covered in bruises too," he chuckled bitterly.

Sakura didn't laugh nor did she crack a smile.

It was awkward.

Very awkward.

Yet, she did look at his forehead and placed her hand over it as a green light emitted from her hand. "You don't think we can work this out?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard it loud and clear.

"No."

"I see."

For the next few hours the two didn't speak to each other. It was so uncomfortable in the house that Sasuke had to leave. He did what he needed to do, but his heart ached so much. Was this how Naruto and Hinata felt? If there was anything he could do to ease Sakura's pain he would do it. He broke her heart when he told himself once upon ago that he'd never do it again. Never did he want her to cry because of him.

He could only imagine how his daughter would react to the news. As he walked throughout the village he came across his daughter and Mitsuki walking together. She looked so happy, but he knew that smiling face that he loved dearly wouldn't be there after he told her the news.

Turning down an alleyway, he was surprised to see Kakashi leaning against the wall with his book in his hands. He briefly looked up at him before looking back down at the book.

"Yo."

Sasuke nodded getting ready to walk past him but his next words made him freeze in his spot.

"Do you have feelings for Hinata?"

He spun around on his heel and stared at his teacher. "W-What?"

Kakashi pushed himself away from the wall, closing his book and placing it in his back pocket. "I had an interesting chat with the Hokage a few days ago. I didn't think it was true until I saw him a few moments ago covered in bruises," he looked him up and down at his tattered clothes, "you aren't looking too good yourself. I assume it had something to do with a certain Hyuuga?"

Although he was speaking calmly, there was a stern tone in his voice that reminded him of his genin days whenever Kakashi would reprimand them. Unable to look him in the eyes, what he's been finding himself doing a lot these days, he looked away.

Kakashi sighed. "I don't know the details behind it, so I can't say too much but...I assume you know what you're doing. Whatever is meant to be it will happen. I just want my old students to be happy." He walked towards Sasuke stopping beside him as he patted his shoulder. "Follow your heart, Sasuke. You only live once. By the way, your hair looks nice."

With that he walked away leaving Sasuke alone in the alleyway. He hated what he did to Sakura and Naruto, but his heart knew what it wanted and it wanted Hinata.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Hey everyone! I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I've been working on my novel, finishing up the final chapter of Abandoned Love (which is finally posted, go check it out!) and also a SasuHina one-shot, which will be updated within my Collections Of One-Shots story. That might be updated tomorrow or this upcoming week.

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Once again, I tried to make it as long as possible to keep my unspoken promise to create long chapters. Originally this story started off with really short chapters, but things change, haha. For those of you curious about what Sasuke's hair looks like, just Google "Sasuke with short hair" and go to images and it should be the first picture. I just know it's a Pinterest post. When I saw that, I wanted to make his hair short like that and I had the idea to make Hinata cut his hair.

I tried to include everything that I intended with some scenes I didn't plan at all and just happened while I was typing. I'll update Spectacular Act soon, but most likely the SasuHina one-shot will be up before that update.

Did you guys enjoy the chapter? If so, please let me know in a review! If there is anything you're curious about seeing for this story, let me know in a review and maybe I'll add it to the story. Also, the next chapter will be a time skip! Possibly a 6 month time skip with Hinata and Naruto already divorced, Sasuke and Sakura separated and we'll get to see how the kids are handling the situations.