Mshinata: I'm really, really sorry for the late update! I actually want to update when there's a break for me. I can't handle updating every week. I'm sorry. –Bows-

Sasuke: No, no. Don't make school an excuse. It's SHINee.

Mshinata: WHA…WHO…HOW…NO!!! How can you accuse me of not updating because of SHINee?!

Sasuke: Oh, I don't know…they're new MV came out…and they just had their comeback stage.

Mshinata: -sweatdrops- I can't help it…they've turned into mature cute men. –More sweat drops-

Sasuke: Have you seen the music video. It's like…they have wings at the end.

Mshinata: -laughs- Yes. That part made me laugh. IT WAS SO ADORABLE! But I gotta admit…no offense, but SM Entertainment (the company that they're under) has the weirdest clothes for their boy groups. I mean…they dress up Girls' Generation just fine but make DBSK and SHINee "different." –Endrant- Omg…I fell in love with SHINee's Jonghyun…-gushes-

Sasuke: I thought your love was Jaejoong…

Mshinata: …I can have more than one love! Don't judge me!

Ino: Mshinata-chan doesn't own Naruto or anything Naruto-related. She only owns a Sasuke plushie doll.

Karin tugged on Sasuke's arm even harder.

"What is it." Sasuke stated calmly. She pouted and hugged his arm tightly.

"You know what I want." She said while pouting. He sighed deeply and untangled her arm from his arm. He looked her in the eyes seriously without any emotion. Somehow, it made her heart move.

"I can't kiss you." He said seriously, lightly touching her pale cheek with his fingers. She almost fell for his seducing act and stomped. She pouted even more.

"That seducing thing isn't going to work anymore! Kiss me!" She demanded, stomping her feet like a child. He shook his head no. "You know…I liked the other Sasuke-kun that didn't want to be seen with me…he was more fun to chase after. Now that you're mine, you don't even dare to kiss me on the cheek!" She complained. He inwardly rolled his eyes.

"Why would you care? This marriage is only for your father's company's benefit." He said coldly. She rolled her eyes obviously and flipped her hair.

"Hey…just play along. I at least want to act the part as your fiancé." Karin said, looking the other way. "I want to see what it feels like…to kiss someone like you." He sighed once more.

"You wouldn't feel anything anyway," Sasuke shrugged, "since I don't like you." An angry mark appeared on her temple. He smoothly took out his phone. "I'm late for an appointment." Karin blinked at him. "That's right. I have other things to do other than spending quality time with you." He said bluntly. She glared at him, but he ignored it.

Sasuke walked away from his fiancé, not even caring to walk her home or anything. He was tired of love and all that crap. He was ready to live a life of being single and inheriting the title of vice president of the Uchiha business. Maybe he could adopt a child or two.

He flipped out his phone again and texted to whomever reminded him of his appointment. He stopped near the sidewalk and a limo came to a stop in front of him. The window of the limo rolled down and Ino was sitting there prettily with her cool sunglasses on.

"You ready?" Ino said and smoothly took her sun glasses off, just like in the commercials. Sasuke rolled his eyes. He opened the limo door and slid next to Ino. The limo started up again and they were off. "Okay, for today, you are to take Itachi's place at the meeting." He grumbled. "What?"

"I don't like replacing Itachi. It's like…that old man is comparing me to him." He said it as he looked out the window. She rolled her eyes.

"It's because you share the same blood…if you haven't noticed." She said.

"Who's going to be at the meeting." Sasuke suddenly changed the subject. Ino sighed with a weak smile on her face.

"Not today." She replied. He was as still as a statue.

"Might as well blow off the meeting then." He said quietly. Ino gaped.

"You can't! This meeting is WAY too important to miss!" She retorted.

"Then why can't Itachi just go then?!" He whipped his head around to face her and glared at her. She shivered.

Ino regained her composure and cleared her throat, "Itachi has other things to attend to. He does go to college…if you remember. Oh, he stopped ditching classes. He's really serious about college now. He said something about not wanting to inherit the stupid company."

"Selfish brat." Sasuke muttered. Ino frowned.

"You're also being selfish for not accepting your brother's place at the meeting table. Be happy…you could earn yourself a good name." She said.

"It's only been a few months since that incident with her and you guys already treat me like an adult. Ever since my parents hired you as my 'supervisor,' you're really just baby-sitting me." He said. "Driver, stop here." The limo stopped and Sasuke literally just ran out of the limo.

"HEY! SASUKE-KUN! WAIT UP!" Ino rushed out of the limo, but there was no sign of Sasuke. She sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"

Sasori kissed Hinata's temple and trailed his lips down to her cheek.

"You're not getting any closer." She said, backing away from him. He looked a bit disappointed but smiled.

"I must be going now, Hinata." He said as he backed a few steps away from the entrance door of the Hyuuga estate. "It was nice spending time with you." She smiled at him. As soon as he left, Hanabi ran out of the estate and hugged her sister's arm.

"Eeeek! You and Sasori-san are getting pretty serious." Hanabi nudged Hinata. Hinata laughed.

"It's nothing." She shrugged off her sister and re-entered the estate. Hanabi gaped.

"How is it nothing?! I've never seen you so comfortable with a person like that!" She shouted.

"Please stop shouting, Hanabi-chan. It's not polite." Hinata said gently and continued, "It really is nothing." She laughed a bit. Hanabi pouted.

"Alright…whatever you say." She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to be out for a bit. Do you mind, Onee-chan?" Hinata shook her head. "Okay. Ja ne!" And just like that, Hanabi left. After Hinata made sure Hanabi was not on Hyuuga grounds anymore, she deeply sighed and laid her head down on the kitchen counter. She took one hand and felt her temple and trailed it down to her cheek. She felt nothing…no hotness.

She took her hand again and placed it over her heart. It was its usual heart beat.

Hinata knew the truth. She knew it very well. Her heart would only beat fast for one person only…the person that she rejected a few months back. Suddenly, she felt her heart drop. She inwardly scolded herself for letting her heart associate anything with him. After all, she had a wonderful fiancé that completely adored her. Who would want more, right?

"Hinata? Why are you laying your head down on the kitchen counter?" Her father, Hiashi, asked her, coming in from the upstairs. She immediately jolted her head up.

"U-um…it's nothing! Just really tired. I didn't get enough sleep. Can you please tell my homeschooling teacher to lay off the homework?" Hinata somehow covered up her sadness. She laughed nervously. Hiashi raised a brow.

"I guess…of course, that teacher will not go any easier on you, Hinata. I've already talked to her several times. You're a smart girl. You should have no problem." He replied, entering the kitchen and then exiting the estate. As soon as he left, she sighed once more.

She took out of her jeans a picture of Neji. She hadn't seen him for so long. Right after the talk about Sasuke with him, he didn't live in that part of the estate anymore. It seemed like he personally asked for it as well, according to the maids around there. She sighed again. What did she do wrong?

She extended her hand and observed it. On her left hand on her pinky, there was a cute little silver ring with a silver heart. It was given by Sasori.

That reminded her…Sasori had tried to kiss her several times. At first, he asked her permission several times but she had always said no. Then, he tried to act on his own (of course gently) and tried to kiss her; though, she wasn't stupid. She'd only let him kiss her on the cheek or on the forehead. That was it.

Hinata was tired of moping around and gathered up her positive energy. She put on her smiling face and decided to go out for a walk.

She thought about positive things like having less homework from homeschooling and going to the amusement park with Hanabi soon. She also thought about maybe running into Sasuke-

She stopped in her tracks.

That was ridiculous. That wasn't anything positive. It was something…something horrible! She shook her head to get rid of the thought. She closed her eyes and imagined bunnies, rainbows, and other happy things that would make her smile. Even though her ears were not closed, she could not hear the footsteps coming towards her. They were coming towards her faster and faster.

Suddenly, she was pushed down to the ground. She didn't scream for she was too shocked. Instead, she kept her eyes shut and hoped it was just a dog or maybe even a wolf. She just didn't want it to be-

This person was practically on top of her. She wanted to open her eyes, but she was afraid. She started to breathe heavily and the person noticed. The person on top of her lifted his/her weight off of her but was still on top of her. She could somehow see the shadow through her eyes. Then, something unexpected happened.

Whoever that was on top of her, kissed her lightly on the forehead. Her heart started to race like never before. After just a few seconds, the weight was completely lifted off of her. She quickly opened her eyes, but there was no one there. She sat up and looked around. There was no one.

Itachi walked home from school with his hand bag over his shoulder. He actually liked school nowadays. He learned a lot of new things, and he started to get interested in volunteering in the hospital. He smiled to himself. He also actually started talking to some of the college girls. Actually, he was interested in this one-

"Sasuke?" Itachi blinked as the running figure of Sasuke came closer and closer. "Sasuke!" Sasuke apparently didn't hear him until the last second and slid to a stop. He hyperventilated and was surprised to run into his own brother. "Are the cops chasing you for being an idiotic brother?" He asked wittily. Sasuke continued hyperventilating and bent down to catch his breath. He totally ignored what Itachi said. "Wow…you completely took in that put-down. I'm amazed."

"Hi…na…ta…saw…pushed…kissed…" Was all Sasuke could say. He kept breathing in and out. Itachi's eyes widened.

"You…saw her kissing another man?!" Itachi shook his brother's shoulders. "See! I told you! If you didn't make your move, she would be kissing some other guy! You stupid, stupid little boy!" He scolded him. Sasuke's sweat dropped.

"No." He had finally caught his breath. "I mean…I kissed her." Itachi's eyes widened.

"Woah." He stepped back. "You have a fiancé, and I thought Hinata-chan rejected you." He said.

"No. I accidentally ran into her. I accidentally pushed her down, but she shut her eyes closed so she didn't know who kissed her…I hope." Sasuke said worriedly. Itachi shook his head.

"Tsk, tsk, Sasu-chan. Control your hormones." He continued to wittily say. An angry mark appeared on Sasuke's temple. "So how long was the kiss? Ten…thirty…seventy-five…" Itachi's mouth turned into a devious smirk. Sasuke glared at him.

"No. I kissed her on the forehead…nothing more." He shrugged and put his hands in his pocket. Itachi gaped. "What?"

"And WHY are you so stupid?! You should've taken advantage of the moment and kissed her fully on the lips! UGH! WHY ARE YOU SO IDIOTIC?!" He practically shouted at his little brother. Sasuke shrunk and raised a brow.

"It's not like you care. I just did whatever I felt like doing." He said nonchalantly. Itachi sighed.

"Do you want me to help you get back together with Hinata-chan?" He finally asked his little brother seriously. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Like I said…it's not like you care. Just back off. I'm perfectly fine with the way everything is." He continued nonchalantly. Itachi calmed down and sighed.

"Okay…I'm only going to say this once…so listen up, idiot." He looked around, making sure nobody heard their conversation. "…you're my brother. If I'm happy and you're not, it's not fair."

"Try telling that to Otou-san." Sasuke snapped back. "It's your fault that I keep going to meetings. It's your fault that I have a fiancé just in case. It's your fault that I'm in this situation." He glared at him. Itachi wasn't hurt by his words, but he only smirked.

"Yes…I'm not a very good brother, am I?" Itachi asked him seriously. Sasuke's eyes widened. He hadn't seen this kind of look on Itachi. Itachi's eyes were very worried and sad while his smile was weak…and fragile. It was the opposite of Itachi…the weak side of him. "That's why I have to do this. I feel like…once I go off in my life by myself, I won't be able to help my brother anymore. That's why…that's why I'm going to help you."

"And how are you going to do that?" Sasuke said, finally obliging to his brother's help.

"In a very complicated way that I cannot even tell you." Itachi smirked.

Hinata sat down at the window and looked out of it. It was dark and no one was in the streets. She recounted of what happened that day. She put her hand over her chest and felt it beating hard and fast. She blushed unconsciously and clenched her chest.

She knew who had kissed her on the forehead…she just denied it, because it was all too ironic…too…impossible. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest.

She wondered about how Ino was doing. She hoped from the bottom of her heart Ino wasn't mad at her. She hoped Ino still considered Hinata a friend…because Hinata hadn't forgotten about Ino…or Naruto…or Gaara…

She wondered if Naruto still had 'loved' her. She wondered if he had given up on her and moved on or something.

She wondered if Gaara still was…well Gaara. She hoped everything stayed the same…for deep down inside her heart, she longed to go back…

Go back to what though? To the Uchiha estate? No. She couldn't do that.

She could just imagine the look on Mikoto's sad face. She instantly felt guilty. She imagined Itachi hating her guts forever, since hewas his brother.

Which reminded her, she also missed Neji a lot. It seemed like Neji wasn't there for her anymore…it seemed like he abandoned her. But of course, she knew it was her fault for making him leave.

She sighed to herself.

"Hinata-hime being sad? Wow…that's a first." Hinata instantly turned around to see the smooth as ever Neji standing in the door way. She dropped her pillow.

She stuttered, "N-Neji-niisan?!" She practically glomped him. He almost fell but kept his posture. He laughed at her.

"Shhh. Don't be so loud. Hiashi-sama and Hanabi-sama are sleeping." Neji whispered to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Wow…you seem…different." He observed.

"Is that a compliment?" She slightly laughed. His face turned serious.

"Hinata-hime…I want you to live with me." He said, getting straight to the point. She blushed.

"A-ah…Neji-niisan…I don't really like-"

"No, no." Neji rolled his eyes. "Not like that. What I meant is that…I want you to come and stay at my apartment." Apartment? Her father didn't say anything about that.

"An apartment?" She asked. He nodded, putting his hands off her shoulders.

"Ever since you rejected Uchiha, I moved out of the estate. Hiashi-sama didn't mind it either. He really doesn't find a use for me anymore…since you're back here, Hinata-hime." He chuckled. She flinched when he mentioned him.

"I'm sorry…" She said, feeling guilty again. Neji smiled worriedly at her.

"I didn't mean to make you feel guilty, but…I really want you to come stay with me." He said.

"But Otou-sama would never allow it. He doesn't even let me out of this house unless Hanabi-chan is with me or if Sasori-san is with me." She said worriedly. "But I would gladly come live with you…if Otou-sama obliges." He rolled his eyes.

"You're such a good girl, Hinata-hime." He said. She was confused. "We're not going to tell him. If he wants to know where you are, he has to actually look for you. Let him do the dirty work for once." He said strongly. "For months, he made me chase after you…not like I was displeased with seeing you." He quickly said the last part. She giggled.

"Fine. I'll do it. When will we do it?" Hinata asked. Neji headed towards her closet and threw clothes into the closest bag he saw.

"Now." He said and threw clothes at Hinata for her to change.

Sasuke had wandered through the city the whole day, doing whatever he wanted to. He bought a takoyaki and took a bite. It was warm and delicious, just like he had imagined it. He smiled cutely to himself. He never knew a pastry would make him so happy.

Before he entered his house, he stuck the takoyaki in his mouth. He opened the door to find his father staring right at him.

"Hello, Sasuke." He said sternly. Sasuke shut the door and took the takoyaki out of his mouth. "I've heard rumors that takoyaki is very delicious…did you enjoy it?" Sasuke looked at his father weird.

"Yeah…it was good…" He said carefully. He knew that if he said something stupid, his father would surely find a chance to attack him. "You should try one…you never did know how to live a life." He said coldly. Fugaku glared at him.

"Sasuke…" He started off slow, "…where were you? Why weren't you at the meeting?" He demanded. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. I was everywhere." He said bluntly. "And I didn't feel like going. You put more pressure on me than you do for Itachi." He said truthfully. Fugaku sighed and rubbed his temples.

"It's because you have a more distinct future. Your brother is too stubborn and yells at me every time I try to convince him to go to the meetings. We made a deal. He goes to school, and I don't make him go to the business meetings." He said. Sasuke's eyes turned into slits.

"You're so…unfair!" Sasuke finally shouted. "You were never like a father to me! How can you pressure your children to do whatever you want?!" He had lost it. He stormed into the kitchen and threw the takoyaki in the trash.

"Sasuke, don't you dare raise your voice at me." Fugaku pointed at his son. Sasuke froze and did nothing.

"Look old man…" Sasuke started, "…just stay out of my life." He said quietly. Fugaku's eyes widened.

"Do you know who I am?" Fugaku approached Sasuke. Again, Sasuke was frozen. He knew that when his father's anger flared up, he was too scared deep down inside to move. Fugaku grabbed his son's shirt and lifted him up. "I'm your father. We're not losing to anybody. I need you to inherit the company…I know your skills…your strengths…and your strong points. If I lose you to some stupid career like being a doctor, I wouldn't call you my son anymore." Sasuke slowly smirked.

"I guess Itachi and me aren't your sons anymore, then." He said, continuing to smirk. Fugaku couldn't take it anymore and dropped his son to the ground. He punched Sasuke across the kitchen. Sasuke hit his back against the counter and fell to the ground.

"You're going to listen to me…you got that, you brat?" Fugaku approached his son and slowly lifted him up with his shirt. "I've raised you…given you everything you've wanted…so don't complain, boy." He said. Sasuke's back was hurting a lot. He was thinking about the bruises he was getting, trying to distract himself from being afraid of his father. "If you go the same pathway as Itachi, I will definitely get rid of you. You got that?" Sasuke couldn't respond. He could only try to struggle to get up.

"Otou-san," Itachi entered the kitchen and dropped his bag on the ground, "what are you doing to my brother?"

To be continued…

Mshinata: Okay. I'm super duper sorry for updating late. Of course, I always apologize when I update. –Sweat drops- I'm truly sorry. –Bows-

Sasuke: Again, SHINee is distracting you.

Mshinata: …yes. What's wrong with that? –More sweat drops-

Sasuke: Uh I don't know. You don't update?

Mshinata: But Jonghyun is so amazing! And good at singing…and good at dancing…and good…-goes on and on about Jonghyun-

Sasuke: BLAH. Stick to one person only!

Mshinata: I AM! Jaejoong really isn't…well…I kind of moved on my obsession to Jonghyun. –Sweat drops-

Sasuke: -sighs-

Ino: Key ftw!

Mshinata: Thank you my lovely reviewers and readers for always supporting me. This was the chapter you've all been waiting for! –Smiles- Hopefully, I can update a lot this week since I don't have school the whole week. YESHHH! –dances- xD.

Edit:

Okay. Thank you. I've fixed all mistakes. Lol.