A/N: Hi guys! Sorry about this, but a kind reviewer (frubiafan) pointed out that a piece from this oneshot was uncannily like another piece from another fic. I assure you this was not done on purpose, but because I have no wish to be seen copying another's work off this site, I decided to rewrite it a bit. Enjoy!

DDEC

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto.

PART ONE: Mission

Sasuke growled to himself as he stalked down the hall to the Hokage's office. Why call him now?! He just got back from a mission and now the old drunken bat wanted to send him on another one? Sure, he'd do it, but he was looking forward to a little time off!

Without bothering to knock Sasuke slammed the door open and stepped in to the room. He was surprised to see the timid Hyuuga heiress, Hinata, there. His stomach dropped a bit and he began to feel warm. He met her eyes and she looked at him, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. She was so beautiful...

Hinata could hardly believe he was staring at her. She couldn't look away, even when she felt her cheeks getting hotter.

They were locked eye-to-eye as Tsunade scowled at Sasuke, though she was trying to hide a smirk.

"What the hell is your problem? You don't just barge in here! Ah well, never mind. Have a seat."

He didn't answer, merely glared and took a seat. He tried to hide the unbalanced feeling he got from being in such close proximity to the one female who he had ever admired from behind a scowl. Tsunade sighed a bit exasperatedly; why couldn't young people just see what was right in front of them?. She rubbed her temples.

"Now," she began, pinning the both of them beneath her stern gaze, "As you have probably guessed, I have assigned you two a mission. It's an A-rank mission and must be completed as soon as possible."

Hinata nodded and Sasuke scowled. Hinata was a bit surprised to have been paired with Sasuke, but an A-rank mission might require both their bloodline traits.

"S-so it's r-really urgent?" Hinata asked. Sasuke frowned in annoyance, a woman her age shouldn't stutter like that, even though she was adorable when she did.

Tsunade sighed and folded her hands on her desk, "Yes, this mission is pretty urgent. I put you two on a team to get it done quicker. The objective is to track down a thief who has just recently acquired an object of great importance. The object was being delivered by another ninja of ours, but unfortunaetly he was attacked on the way here and the object was stolen. It is your job to track her down and get the object back before they reach the borders. And I don't think I need to remind you that this is all very hush-hush, eh? This object, well I don't want it getting out that it was stolen. Any questions?"

"What is the onject exactly?" Sasuke asked. It had to be pretty important to gain A-rank, either that or the thief was quite powerful.

"It was a ring actually. The details are in your scroll. Anything else?" she asked, handing their mission scroll over to Sasuke, who frowned and opened it, reading its contents.

"Ano, but where was the ring stolen Tsunade-sama?" Tsunade shook her head, looking regretfull, "I'm afraid we're not sure. Our ninja was found incapacitated near the gates, but he could have been just left there. He hasn't come around yet, and we have no time to lose."

Hinata nodded and Sasuke grunted, and turned his atention back on the Hokage.

"All right. I want you to head out immediately, and return within the next week or so. If you are not back or have not sent word, then I will send another team out to find you. Is that clear to all of you?"

"Y-yes, Tsunade-sama." Hinata said

Tsnuade smiled at her and winked, "Good luck, Hinata-chan. I give you permission to hurt Sasuke if he bothers you."

Sasuke glared at her.

Hinata blushed a dark shade of red and ducked her head to stare at the floor, "I-I don't think that'll b-be necessary, Tsunade-sama."

The older woman shrugged in faked nonchalance. "Okay, whatever, get going. Don't fail me, or it'll be your heads!" She smirked at Sasuke, who returned it with a death-glare. Ah, one of the perks of being the Hokage! She got to raise some really stubborn ninja's blood pressure without the fear of getting killed.

They both got up from their seats and turned to leave, but stopped when Tsunade waved at them to gain their attention.

"Oh and one more thing. There is supposed to be a really bad snowstorm coming in within the next week or so. Dress warm and bring some extra supplies, I don't think you'll be caught in it, but be prepared, just in case."

Sasuke nodded once, and turned to leave, not bothering to see if Hinata followed him.

Hinata thanked Tsunade and left the room in a hurry, trying to catch up with Sasuke.

"S-Sauske-san!" She called after his retreating back, hurrying along the hall after him. He paused a moment and turned to look at her, his dark eyes regarding her coolly, though inside his chest his heart beat rapidly against his ribs. She panted as she caught up, "Ano, I just, j-just wanted to a-ask wh-when you wanted to m-meet?" she asked, her silver eyes wide, her heart was beating no less rapidly then his.

His stoic face betrayed nothing of his emotions, and he remained silent. Hinata blushed again and started poking her fingers together, obviously nervous. 'Damn, is she that scared of me? Keh. What a foolish woman. But Kami, she is so cute.'

"Meet me at the gates in an hour." he started to walk down the hall.

Hinata nodded to herself and asked, "W-what should I b-bring?"

Sasuke paused. "Pack the food and your stuff. I'll take care of the tent." With that, he continued walking until he was out of Hinata's sight.

'Wait, did he say "tent" as in only one tent?'

Hinata sighed and glanced again at the back of her silent teammate. He had hardly said two sentences to her since they had gotten the scroll back. But he looked at her, constantly. And she couldn't help her racing heart and easy blushes when she caught him at it. His eyes always seemed kinder, softer somehow, when he looked at her. She wondered whether it was just her imagination, or whether the handsome Avenger might actually like her.

She knew how she felt, she had long ago given up on her crush of Naruto and switched over to his raven-haired teammate instead. Even though she detested the idea of being just another fangirl. But being Hinata she hadn't gathered up enough courage to confront him about it yet.

She remembered when she first began to think about Sasuke.

It had been when Naruto had dragged him back. A nostalgic smile lit her face, she remembered how she had been happy that they'd gotten back safely. She had still been in training then, and she had been one of the few trainees to help treat Sasuke, much to the envy of many other girls. He had been beaten up pretty bad, compliments to Naruto. He had defended his actions by saying that it was the onlyway he could have gotten Sasuke to come home. And that was what got her thinking.

It was amazing, this man's dedication to a goal. And then she started to remember other things, little things. But in every way he started to grow in her estimation until she had fallen in love with him. Naruto was still her best friend of course, but now she didn't cry when he ignored her in favor of Sakura.

She really did fall in love easily, she thought ruefully. The guy never even had to put out any effort and she had fallen for him.

She sighed shook her head. She reminded herself she was still on a mission, and that she should keep her head on it. Not up in the clouds with a very sexy Uchiha.

The mission had been relatively simple, and now the thief was dead and the ring secured and in Sasuke's possession. Their journey had taken longer then they had expected though. The thief had proved quite slippery and hard to track. They had almost run out their deadline, and had sent a message ahead to Tsunade to let her know they'd be late.

They were worn out from the fight, but when Hinata suggested that they stop for the night at the nearest village's inn, Sasuke had grunted and told her they'd try to get back as soon as possible; they'd wasted enough time already. Hinata was a little worried about the promised storm, some merchants on the road had passed them and warned them, but Sasuke had ignored them, so Hinata kept quiet.

They hadn't really slept well the past week, one or the other stood watch while the other got some sleep. Neither of them slept well though. The temperature had dropped every evening and both of them virtually froze. Hinata was still relieved that she hadn't slept with Sasuke in the tent with her, she was just too shy, but now she was a little apprehensive. After all, there was no need to set a watch now, and they both needed the rest. It was starting to get dark they'd stop pretty soon. Her face was painted red, and not just from the weather.

"Ano, Sasuke? W-we should stop s-soon, it is getting d-dark." Sasuke stopped walking and stared ahead, not looking back.

"Hn."

Hinata took a step forward and, in a bold move, placed her hand on his arm. "D-do you want m-me to look f-for a good spot?" she asked peering up at his face. He shifted a bit, and her arm slid from his. He looked down at her, "If you want."

She took a deep breath as he took a couple steps off the path to lean against a tree. She tried to ignore the tingling in her belly as he stared at her while she activated her Byakugan and searched the nearby forest for a secluded and sheltered spot. They were lucky.

Deactivating her blood-line trait, she turned to him, "Th-there is a little cave, not f-far from here." He nodded, pushed away from the tree, and gestured for her to take the lead. She did so with a deep breath to calm her jittery nerves. She would be alone with him, yes, but at least they wouldn't have to share a tent. Tonight, anyway, that is.

Hinata spread her sleeping bag on the opposite side of the fire that Sasuke had spread his. He had already bunked in for the night, and was lying on his side, facing away from her. She quietly slipped in and closed her eyes. The wind outside the cave was picking up, they had gotten to shelter just in time, it seemed. The wind didn't reach them though, the entrance of the cave was small; they had to crawl to get inside, and it also curved a bit before opening up in to a small area that was just big enough to hold them and their supplies and still have space for a fire. She fell asleep.

Later Hinata woke up shivering, the fire was out. She coughed, her nose was all stuffy and her throat was scratchy and sore, and then she coughed again. Her body suddenly felt horribly achy and weak. 'Oh no! I got a cold?!' She sat up and tried to look around, but the darkness was so absolute, she could see nothing.

"Sasuke?" her voice was so raspy, she could hardly believe it.

She slithered out of the sleeping bag at his grunt. A muffled curse and the sound of somebody stumbling in the dark reached her ears.

"I'll get more firewood." she nearly jumped at the sound of his voice. She froze as she felt him brush past her. She blinked her eyes, trying to adjust to the minimal light.

"Damn!"

Hinata jumped again and coughed. Shivering she swallowed and called out, "Wh-what is i-it?"

She heard him make his way back to the dead fire and start fussing with it. A small spark burst in to being, followed by a small flame. She blinked against the brightness of the dancing flames after so little light. Sasuke was facing towards the fire, with an armload of wood. She could see the large pile they had stacked earlier against the wall. She shaded her eyes with her hand and watched him stoke the fire to a good blaze.

Eventually he turned and grunted, "The cave's blocked. The snow is covering the entrance. We'll have to stay here for a few days and wait for the storm to calm down."

She nodedd and coughed again, a raspy wheezing, hacking cough that made her dizzy. She groaned, leaned over, and clutched her throat. She felt really weak all of a sudden, her head was spinning and the cave walls didn't seem to want to stay put.

Black eyes regarded her with concern, "Hey are you okay? Hinata?!" Sasuke moved to her side and gripped her arm, "Hey are you sick?" She gasped and nodded weakly, her head still bowed. Sighing, Sasuke gently lowered her back on to her sleeping bag. "You just stay put, alright?" he said, pulling the covers over her again with another sigh.

'Great. Now he'll think I'm a weakling too, just like my clan.'

She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing, but another cough tore through her body, causing her to shudder violently. He frowned, though Hinata, who still had her eyes closed, didn't see. It was a frown of concern, not annoyance. He tucked her in and shifted her a bit closer to the fire.

"You rest, I'll see if we have anything for your cough."

He got up and went over to their bags, and began searching for some medicinal substance that would help Hinata. He found what he was looking for and returned to her side.

"Hey," he shook her gently, and then jerked his hand away. Her skin was on fire! She had a raging fever. Cursing, Sasuke got up and went to the entrance of the cave. He needed to cool her down, and to do that he would need ice. Or snow, which was the most handy at the moment. He scraped some away from the entrance and took off his shirt, carefully, he transfered the wet stuff in to his shirt and wrapped the cloth around it. He tied the arms together, returned to her side, and placed the bundle on Hinata's forehead.

He then got up and grabbed a spare shirt from his pack. He returned to Hinata and sat next to her, leaning on his knees by his arms and watching her.

He had lost track of time when Hinata's fever broke. He had stayed with her the entire time. But now she was shivering. Sasuke knew he had to warm her up, but even with the extra blankets, she still didn't seem warm enough. He guessed that at Hinata's size, it would be very difficult to retain body heat for very long. She was just so petite. Sighing, he pulled the covers up and slid in next to her. She didn't stir, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to find out what would happen if she woke up to find him cuddling with her.

He smirked at that thought. He wouldn't mind in the least. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled her small soft body against him. She murmured and turned to nuzzle against his chest. He froze, but all Hinata did was take a deep breath and sigh. She was still asleep.

Under the blankets it was very warm. And although Sasuke had promised himself to stay awake, he had been up for too long to do that effectively. He caught himself starting to doze off and jerked himself awake. And then again. Until he finally drifted off to join Hinata in slumber.

Hinata woke feeling warm. She felt cozy and safe. A soft weight was pressed against her face. The warmth seemed to emanate from all around her body, enveloping her in a cocoon of heat. She didn't want to move. She just wanted to lay there and relax. It felt so peaceful. There had rarely been any moments when Hinata had felt truly at ease and happy. She did now. Even her throat felt better, a little dry, but not nearly as bad as it was. She snuggled closer to the warm blankets, but to her surprise, they didn't move the way blankets should move. Opening her eyes she found herself staring at a chest. A very masculine chest.

Her eyes widened and she sat up quickly. Sasuke was sleeping right next to her! And then she realized.

She had been snuggling up to him!

Hinata felt horrified. What would her father think? Oh, she knew quite well! Sure it was one thing to let Kiba or Shino cuddle her when they went on a mission, but Sasuke was pretty much a complete stranger! She stared at him, wondering why he had decided to sleep next to her.

He looked so young, fast asleep. Vulnerable. Looking at him, she could almost get a glimpse of what a carefree boy he had been before the Uchiha massacre. The scowl that was ever present did not stain his feature in sleep. His hair was mussed. All in all Hinata felt her heart beat faster just by looking at him.

His arms had been wrapped around her, she realized. One of them was still resting around her waist. She gently tried to move it off, but a scowl fixed itself on Sasuke's face. She held still, as still as she could. She didn't think he had woken up, but his hold on her was restrictive. He just would not let go!

"Aah!" Hinata let out a surprised yelp. Sasuke was awake, and staring at her. But what had caused her to yell was the fact that he had pulled her back down and then against him. She didn't know what to do. She was inches away from his face. Eye to eye and she could almost see the heat radiating from her face.

Smirking Sasuke decided that this was a most pleasant way to wake up. He leaned closer, one hand trapping Hinata's head so she couldn't move, and whispered in her ear, "You should be resting." She just gaped at him. How could he just...? He was teasing her! Her eyes widened in shock. He was teasing her!

Sasuke chuckled at her obvious surprise. She was so adorable. Hinata blushed and looked away. She struggled faintly against his arms. She tried to push him away, but Sasuke just held on tighter.

"Stop that."

She froze again, and turned her head to look at him, "Wh-what are y-you doing?"

"It's cold. And if you get up now, it'll be colder. I don't want to get up just yet, so I think you should stay right here."

She just looked at him in disbelief.

He smirked again, "What, you aren't uncomfortable, are you?" Hinata's cheeks turned a darker shade of crimson and she shook her head. His voice rumbling in his chest was doing odd things to her body. And...she didn't feel uncomfortable. Just a little embarrassed.

"Good." Sasuke mumbled, closing his eyes again. She watched him for awhile, and listened to his breathing slow down and felt his body relax. She sighed and cuddled up closer to him, closing her eyes. She might as well make the best of it. Her mind was still in shock of course, but she was tired and soon enough, she too fell asleep. Not before she noticed his scent though. It was intoxicating, and comforting. Citrus and warm. Very manly...she thought before she drifted away in to the hold of sleep.

Sasuke opened his dark eyes to a quiet cave. Hinata was sleeping peacefully at his side, snuggled against his chest. A smrk crossed his features. He had actually been surprised at his reaction to her reaction of them sleeping together. A flash of dirty images washed over his brain and he grunted. Damn! He was going to be just as bad as his sensei if he didn't watch it.

He shifted his head around so he could gaze at the woman by his side. Hinata's eyes were closed with her dark lashes lying curled upon her slightly tinted cheeks. The warmth of the fire washed over them, and with the glow of it, which made Hinata's ivory look pink. 'Like a rose.' Sasuke mused.

Hinata was indeed a lot like a rose. She had always held herself closed off to the world and hidden from it, and also like the flower, she had blossomed in to something truly beautiful. She had her thorns too, of course. Like any Hyuga, she could pack quite a punch. But as Sasuke lay there and gazed at her, it was hard to believe that such a fragile looking angel could hide a thorn. Of course, that was probably what the first human who had been pricked by a rose had thought too. Even when he had seen for himself what damage she could inflict with her hands. She had an innocence about her, a glow. An aura that was pure, lovely, and as fresh as the newly fallen snow.

He scowled.

Newly. Fallen. Snow.

Damn.

They were trapped.

'But then again...' he thought as he watched Hinata shift slightly in her sleep, 'That may not be such a horrible thing after all.'

PART TWO: Together

Hinata woke again to the quiet darkness of the cave. Her mind was still fuzzy with sleep as she sat up and yawned, she felt almost one hundred percent better. She wondered how long she had been sleeping. She smiled to herself and stretched a bit before her hand made contact with a warm body. Her eyes widened as the fuzziness cleared. 'Sasuke!'

"Eep!"

A small voice jolted Sasuke from his sleep. A scrambling by his side and the panicked breathing told him that Hinata had finally had the few hours past events sink in. He groaned and rolled open an eye, She had scurried away from him, a dark shadow in an even darker cave, and was crouching a few feet away from him. The fire had gone out completely. He had not a doubt that her eyes were wide in disbelief and quite possibly fright. 'Damn' he thought. "Hinata?" he said. How the hell was he supposed to handle this? 'You should have thought of that sooner...' a little voice nagged in the back of his head. 'Shut-up' he thought back at it. 'Make me 'He was talking to a voice in his head. And it was talking back, sounding oddly like Naruto...

"Ano, S-Sauske-san?" a timid voice, interrupted his mental dilemma. He groaned again and sat up, kneading his eyes with his fists. He was frantically searching his mind for a way to make Hinata not freak out.

"Good morning Hinata, didn't I ask you to call me Sasuke?" he said with a smirk. He allowed his eyes to drift over to where she sat, watching for her reaction. Her body was still, and he got the feeling her mouth was hanging open in shock.

"Gomen...Sasuke...I-I ano, I...w-why were you...ah w-why..." she stumbled over the words, and even though he couldn't see her face, he was certain that it was an interesting shade of red right now...

"You were shivering. I couldn't seem to keep you warm...I trust you have no objections? I don't think you would have liked to have gotten hypothermia..." He trailed off, biting his cheek to keep from chuckling. 'You sick bastard...' The voice growled in the back of his head again.

"Ano, th-thank you Sasuke." her gratitude was clearly overcoming her embarrassment. He nearly grimaced; Hinata was really way too easy to mess with.

Hinata for one had been shocked, but she accepted Sasuke's half-truth and went on as usual. The first thing she checked on was the snow, it was still blocking up the entrance, and when she checked, she could see that it was still falling thickly outside. If it hadn't, they might have tried a fire jutsu to melt their way out and continue on to Konoha, but there really was no point with the weather this bad.

She told Sasuke this as he stroked the fire back up. He grunted at her and asked if she would inventory their supplies. She checked them swiftly and found that they would last for well over two weeks. She just hoped that they wouldn't be stuck that long.

A shuffling from beside her caused her to look over and see Sasuke getting changed. Her breath caught in her throat, he was completely naked from the waist up! A thickly muscled back was the view she was presented with, and she was unable to tear her eyes away from it. As she watched, frozen in place, he turned slightly giving her a view of a well muscled chest rippling with power. She flushed a looked away. 'Bad girl. BAD girl. Don't think that'

Sasuke smirked as he noticed her discomfort, it was really cute. Her cheeks were suffused with a red glow, but she was still watching him. 'Might as well giver her a show' He carefully stood up,

slowly and stretched out his back, with his hands high above his head. Then, as if Hinata wasn't even there, he began to change is pants. He heard her gasp, and he smirked, looking back over his shoulder, she was blushing an even brighter shade of red now.

He watched her as he finished dressing. She had turned to her own bag in order to avoid looking at him, and had started to pull out her own clothes. A tiny glimpse of lacy underwear peeked out of her bag, and she stopped to stare at it. He saw her blush harder. He almost chuckled.

He had a pretty good idea of what she was thinking.

A thought had just occurred to Hinata.

Where was she going to get dressed?!

It was all very well for guys, they didn't have as much to hide. She thought briefly of setting up the tent in the cave, but of course, that wouldn't work, it was too small in there, and the ceiling was too low.

So what now?

She thought about it for another moment and then smiled as a thought came to her. Quickly, she gathered up her things and dumped them next to the cave wall, where a small protuberance of rock made a hand hook. She picked up one of her blankets and started to drape it on the hook, she tied the one end and went to the tent supplies and took out one of the poles. She carefully extended it and set it up on an angle from one wall to the other and then draped the blanket across that. She then turned to meet Sasuke's inquisitive gaze.

"D-don't p-peek, please." she said, ducking her head to hide another blush. She scurried back behind her makeshift curtain, as Sasuke smirked. There was one small detail she had forgotten, he wouldn't need to peek. Not when her shadow was clearly visible with the fire lighting her figure from behind the curtain.

He watched as she stripped her clothes, pausing every now and then; embarrassed no doubt. He enjoyed it immensely. Especially the way she moved when she slithered in to her clothes. He was disappointed when she was fully clothed and emerged from behind the curtain. Her murmured 'Thank you' made him feel guilty, but only for a minute.

Hinata couldn't meet Sasuke's gaze. So she busied herself with preparing a meal. He thanked her (most politely to her surprise.) In fact; he was very polite to her throughout the entire day. They chatted about commonplace things and every minute she found herself growing closer to him. It wasn't long before she started spilling her secrets, her horrible life at home under her father. Her sister, her cousin...and even Naruto. He had been surprised to hear that she didn't love him anymore (and pleased too) but when he asked if there was somebody else she liked, she dropped her gaze and blushed, squirming under his gaze. He dropped the subject and went on to something else, and she was only too happy to grab at the new subject to cover her embarrassment.

They went to sleep early; there wasn't much else to do after all.

And then the nightmares began.

DREAM SEQUENCE

Hinata was running.

From her worst nightmare. The one that had tortured her for years.

"Beg," he whispered. She gasped and tried to move away from the voice, it was him. She struggled but found that she was chained to a wall. Blood ran down her naked body. Moonlight pored through an open window, but even its' beauty seemed to mock her. The shadows were pressing around her, suffocating her, waiting for the moment when she fell and would be theirs. You are pathetic, they taunted her, making themselves heard over her panicked noises. Small wonder your Father does not love you anymore. You are weak! A kunai embedded itself in her side, and a scream of agony tore through her lips.

A phantom with yellow eyes appeared, twirling another kunai knife in his fingers. A sadistic smile on his face. A dark wraith. She whimpered as he drew nearer. "You are weak. Worthless. You will never be worth anything! You should have been slaughtered the moment you entered this world." it hissed. Sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight. "Perhaps I will finish the job..."The knife came down towards her throat. Hinata screamed again. But nobody was there to listen. They didn't care about her anyway.

"HINATA!"

A loud, familiar, and slightly panicked voice roused her from her sleep. Tears ran down her face as she began to sob uncontrollably. She had thought that that dream had long since stopped haunting her. A strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her unresisting to warm chest. Sasuke held her, stroking her hair, until her wracking sobs subsided. She still cowered against his chest, hiding from who knew what. He wondered what she had dreamt of that had caused her to panic so. She had been thrashing in her sleep, screaming. Finally she had woken up.

"Now..." he said, lifting her tear streaked face to meet his. "What was that all about?" Tears filled her silver eyes, making them sparkle like two pieces of crystal.

"I-I am worthless! Weak! No-not a-a-a K-kunoichi a-at all!" she sobbed, burying her face back in his chest. Her small hands gripped at his shirt. He had to calm her down again so that he could speak. He slowly continued to stroke her hair until she was quiet again.

"Hinata, hey Hinata, listen to me." He said, forcing her to look at him again. Her eyes were dry again, if puffy, red, and swollen, but she was still on the verge of tears. "You are not worthless, or weak. You are worth more to me than any kunoichi in the village! You have proved that time and time again, and anyone who says otherwise will have to answer to me!" he said. There was a fire in his eyes, strength, and a strong determination to defend her at all costs. He smiled a soft smile, "So no more crying, alright?" His kindness made her cry again, but this time it was silent tears. He cared about her! She tried to look away but he caught her chin again.

"Hey, I thought there'd be no more of that." he said, and leaned down to gently brush his lips against hers.

It was intended to be a chaste kiss.

It didn't stay that way for more then a second.

"Kami..." he breathed.

Hinata buried her head back in his chest. She was surprised at the intensity between them. She had shocked herself, and she could not deny the attraction she felt for him. So it was with a clear knowledge of what would happen, that she made her next move.

She kissed him.

And he returned it.

He was surprised when Hinata kissed him of her own accord, and even more surprised when she nibbled his bottom lip. He opened to her immediately and stroked the inside of her mouth with his tongue. He was rewarded with a delicate shiver and her small hands winding around his neck. He ran his own hands up her back and in to her midnight shaded hair. He held her face to his and deepnded the kiss until they both had to break away, gasping for breath.

Hinata's eyes were barely open, glazed with desire. Sasuke was breathing hard as he pulled her back to him for another kiss. Hinata carefully slid her hands under his shirt and caressed his skin. She was a little surprised at how smooth it seemed under her touch. Sasuke felt as if his skin was on fire, every soft, hesitant touch seemed to drive him mad. He broke away again and ran his lips over her shoulders and neck, she held him to her, eyes closed and lost herself in the new feelings. He nibbled at her ear and sucked on the pulse at her throat, the tiny mewing noise that escaped her mouth made him smirk as his lips sought hers again and locked them together.

He began to move his shirt, and Hinata shifted to help him. She pulled away this time, and gazed with admiration at the perfectly sculpted chest. "Like what you see?" he teased her with a chuckle. She blushed and smiled, "Yes." She whispered softly, before running her hands across the thing she admired so much. He caught her hands, "Now it's your turn." he whispered, his voice husky. He ran his own hands around her back and gently tugged at the fabric and pulled it off her. She was blushing again, and looking up at him from beneath her thick lashes. She presented such a demure picture that Sasuke's breath caught in her throat to see it.

She was wearing a rather sexy bra, he noted, before unhooking it and tossing it aside. She was quiet as he gazed at her. Then he pulled her against him and tumbled them down in to the blankets, with Hinata on top.

He moved his hands all along her silky soft skin as he claimed her mouth again. He tweaked her hardened nipples with one hand and pulled on her pants with the other. She moaned in his mouth as he stroked her. She was so soft, so warm...'Like a Rose.' he thought. She returned his attentions with some of her own, running her hands along his chest and back and nibbling and sucking on his lips. She had been shy at first, but now instinct and desire drove her.

It wasn't long before they had divested each other of all their clothes. Sasuke rolled her so that he now was on top and continued kissing her. He'd have to handle the next part delicately. Hinata was obviously still a virgin. And though he had had plenty of experience, he had never slept with a virgin. But she seemed to be acting by what her body told her.

"Are you ready?" He asked her, whispering in her ear. She gasped as his breath tickled her ear. She nodded to his question and closed her eyes. Her muscles tightened automatically, but she forced herself to relax, knowing that it would be worse for her if he didn't. She spread her legs and he entered her. It hurt, as she knew it would, but soon she forgot about any pain as he thrust inside her. Her breath came in short gasps and his in grunts, She began to move with him, wrapping her legs around his waist and clutching his back, raking her nails along it. He didn't even feel it. He was so lost in what she was doing to him. Every motion every time she touched him, he felt like he would explode. She felt the same way.

finally she shuddered, a deep fire blossoming within her body. She rode out the delicious feeling to it's end, and Sasuke followed her right after.

They collapsed together, though Sasuke rolled off as soon as he fell, so as not to crush her. He gathered her up in his arms as she rested her head on his shoulder. The perfect glow of the moment was interrupted when Hinata shivered. Their bodies were coated in sweat, and it was very cold in their cave, despite the warmth of the fire. She snuggled closer to him, and he pulled up the blankets to cover them both.

They slipped in to sleep together. Both of them were content, for the moment. They would explore this new relationship when they awoke.

After all, both of them were quite sure of what they wanted of the other.

PART THREE: EPILOGUE

Hinata woke with a gasp, and tear pricked her eyes immediately. It had been 18 years since that dream had last visited her. 18 long and wonderful years. She clutched the covers to her chest and breathed deeply. Why did the dream visit her now? Was it because Sasuke was on an extended mission?

Hinata sighed and glanced at her clock. It read 2:37 am. She shivered and lay down again, but soon she got up and pulled on her cotton robe that lay strewn across the foot of her bed. She just knew that sleep was impossible now.

She plodded carefully down her darkened hallway and opened one of the doors leading off of it. Inside were two little girls, fast asleep. Hana and Yuki, her second and third born, twins at age three.

She quietly entered their room and sat on the edge of one bed and stared at her daughter, a tender smile lighting up her face. Yuki was so rambunctious when she was awake, it was nice to see her quiet for once. She smoothed a lock of unruly hair from her little one's face and then turned to check on her other girl. Light gray eyes were open and watching Hinata when she knelt by Hana's bed and pulled the covers up and tucked her in more securely. "Go back to sleep little one." she whispered, placing a kiss on Hana's forehead. Obediently, the little girl closed her eyes and rolled over. Hinata got up, but waited until she wa sure Hana was fast asleep before going on to the next room.

She peeked in the room and smiled as she saw her first born sprawled all over his bed. Manga and and other reading materials were strewn across the floor. Loud snores reached her ears. She tiptoed in to the room and gathered a few piceces of dirty clothing from the floor to put in his laundry basket. She frown as she found a kunai knife under a dirty sock. She sighed and picked it up and laid it on a desk set aside from all the clutter. An array of weapons were already laid out there, as well as a village headband and a jounin vest that was draped over the chair.

Hinata slipped out of the room with one last loving look at her son, the sixteen year old.

She made her way to the empty kitchen and started to make herself a cup of tea. When it was ready, she picked it up in her cold hands and went to the kitchen window. She pulled back the drapes and leaned against the wall to sip her tea. Out of this window she could see the sun rise, though that was away off, but it was an absolutely gorgeous night. Snow had fallen on the ground since she went to bed so the world wwas blanketed in a blanket of white. The stars seemed brighter tonight, and they shone brilliantly off the soft snow. She relaxed against the wall and just watched the stars.

Hinata didn't know how long it had been since she first started watching the sky, but her tea was all gone the empty mug was now on the window sill. A pair of arms encircled her waist and pulled her close. A pair of familiar lips brushed against her ear and whispered, "I love you, and I missed you." Hinata smiled and turned her head to see her husband's dark eyes watching her intently. "I love you too." she murmured, bringing his head down for a kiss.

They made their way slowly to their bedroom, heated kisses and caresses ensued and they made love. Afterwards, as they lay in each other's arms Hinata turned her moon-bright eyes on to her beloved and asked, "Any regrets?" Sasuke smirked and pulled Hinata on top of him, she squeaked and flailed as he ran his hands teasingly up and down her sides. "None." he whispered in her ear, "I will love you forever Hinata, nothing can change that." and then he sealed his vow with another kiss.

A/N: The end.