Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc

Special Thanks: goes out to Danish78, HopeoftheForgotten, Sachiko Heiwajima, Kumi, DivineGlory, mzeyang18, WarFlower, misao97, DUH BOMB, Michiyo-chama3, and Tamani for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists!

Author's Note: I really can't believe this is the end. But here we are regardless, and I hope you enjoy this epilogue.

*~Epilogue~*

In the end, there was really no question about it. Japan was the only perfect spot for the couple to honeymoon.

From their hotel in Tokyo, Sasuke and Hinata were able to catch trains to historically rich places like Kyoto and Nikko. They saw the famous "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" monkeys; stepped into the 17th century in the Edo Wonderland theme park; and visited numerous shrines and temples. They had the opportunity to watch traditional Japanese theater performances, plus samurai and ninja demonstrations. They got dozens of photos of Sasuke dressed as a samurai and Hinata as a geisha, for their own memories as well as for the people back home.

They saw Mt. Fuji from a distance and close up, experienced the Yamanakako onsen at the fifth station on the mountain itself, and even inhaled the sulfurous atmosphere of another famous onsen. They enjoyed the historical Kyoto, mentioned several times in Hinata's ancestor's diary, multiple times, from both in the city and above. They shopped and dined and generally enjoyed the sights and sounds in the country of their ancestors.

But what was most breathtaking was when they saw the palace. Getting inside was out of the question, of course, but even standing at a distance and seeing the seat of power in Japan made gooseflesh ripple across Hinata's arms. She knew none of her ancestors had served the royal family in Tokyo, since the seat of power moved after the last of her kin had left the service, but it made her imagine what it must have been like to move down those quiet, richly decorated halls in the old seat of power.

Visiting Japan gave her a hint of what had fascinated her mother so much. Even with all the Western influences, Hinata still sensed the heart of the country, the part of her ancestors' homeland which had inspired them to serve so flawlessly and loyally the families devoted to ruling Japan. In some of the places they visited, if she closed her eyes, she could feel what her however-many-great-times-removed aunts, or grandmothers, or cousins must have experienced, smelled, heard, tasted.

Hinata noticed Sasuke wasn't untouched by the experience, either. Though they enjoyed the more personal aspects of their honeymoon to the fullest, he sometimes stopped in the middle of what they were doing to scribble some notes. At times she woke in the middle of the night to find him hunched over his laptop, frantically typing before the images in his head wisped away to nothing. She did not begrudge him the time; on the contrary, watching him work fascinated her. All during the trip, she was privy to the process Sasuke went through to develop and plot his books, and she never bored of watching him.

By the time they finally left Japan two weeks later, Hinata felt closer to her ancestors - and to her husband - than she ever had before. For her, the trip had brought her mother back to her, in a way, by reawakening Hoshi's passions in her daughter. She hoped she and Sasuke would come back many times in the future, because being in Japan had brought them closer together than she ever thought was possible.

When Sasuke came up with the idea of taking Hinata to Japan for their honeymoon, he'd been forced to do a great deal of research. He dug through the things his mother had collected over the years, poring over timelines and records and other dusty papers to find out the places most significant to his family. Then he did even more research into the Hyuuga clan, finding out what places in the country were most significant to her.

With the results of those exhaustive searches in hand, Sasuke began planning their itenerary. It wasn't long before he realized they would have to spend two weeks in Japan instead of one, but he didn't mind, and neither did she. Spending so long in the country of their ancestors brought them closer together as a couple, not to mention helped him better flesh out his next book (to be dedicated to both their mothers) and give him fodder for several more.

Though Sasuke enjoyed all aspects of the trip, his favorite was being able to dress as a samurai at Edo Wonderland. In the regalia his ancestors had worn for so many generations, holding a katana in hand and housing other weapons over various parts of his body, he felt connected to his clan. He felt proud to be an Uchiha, to have forebears who had served so honorably. Sasuke felt like he was ready to battle the enemy, to save his country, his family, and the woman he loved. Standing there, wearing his samurai gear, Sasuke finally felt like he was worthy of the Uchiha name.

This new understanding of his clan and ancestors enabled him to write his characters with an intimate knowledge he'd never had before. These were real people he was writing about, not just characters out of his imagination. Sasuke was able to crawl into their heads and see everything through their eyes in a way he'd never been able to do with the ones he'd created himself.

At times, though, he felt guilty. He and Hinata were on their honeymoon, and while Sasuke made sure never to neglect her wants or needs, he had a feeling he withdrew into writing mode far more often than was technically acceptable. But the ideas were constantly coming, bombarding him from all sides at all times of the day and night, and he was afraid to let any of them slip by. Anything which fell through the cracks could be a crucial piece of the puzzle he would need later, and he couldn't let it vanish.

But, to his surprise, Hinata didn't seem to mind. When Sasuke would finally emerge from his desperate writing haze, he would find her sitting on a bench, or a chair, or the bed, watching him, a smile on her face, fascination in her eyes. He knew she'd been sitting there for hours, patiently waiting for him to finish so they could do something else. And as they did so, he shared his ideas and observations with her, further strengthening his understanding and, overall, his book by her own additions and insights.

They became a flawless team, and when Halls of Intrigue was published thirteen months after they returned to Konoha from their honeymoon, both of their names were on the cover. And, inside, a dedication which they both felt was perfect for their families and their own story:

Dedicated to:

Hoshi and Mikoto, our mothers and friends.

And to the other Hoshi and Mikoto, our twins.

The Uchiha and Hyuuga legacies live on in you.

*~The End~*

Author's Ending Notes: This was sappy, I know. So sappy. But - I like it. I've had that ending dedication in my head for so long, it really did give me chills to write it at last. (And then, yes, I might have cried. Just a little.) Entanglements has been one of the most challenging fics I have tackled to date, but I so enjoyed writing it and sharing it with all of you. Sasuke and Hinata's journey was not an easy one, but it was an interesting one to explore, and I'm so glad so many of you have liked it. Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope to see you all again for future endeavors!

Author's Announcement: And now for the announcement I've been promising you all! My next project is in the Entanglements universe - but is neither a prequel nor a sequel. It's something I've never done before, but am very excited about: it's a concurrent. Solo Tu (Only You) starts out partway through the timeline of Entanglements and includes several things I so wanted to include in this story, but couldn't for one reason or another. In Solo Tu, you'll see the conversation between Hinata and Neji promised back during the wedding reception, and the conversation between Neji and Konohamaru while Sasuke was looking at books during the dinner at Neji and Tenten's, plus other things I hinted at but just couldn't fit in here. It's been a long time since I wrote a multi-chapter story focused on NejiTen, my OTP, and when they started begging me to write their story in Entanglements-verse, I knew I'd found my next project. I'm very excited to share it all with you, and I hope to see you next Friday for the first chapter! Until then, thank you so much for reading Entanglements, and I hope you enjoyed it!