We're back! I just want to get back to the basics with this chapter. Give you fluffy love and some romance progression. I'm still working out the central conflict to this story but...Sasuke and Hinata are not a problematic couple in the slightest so...It's okay we'll get there when we get there. Welcome back to the world of Lack of Resistance.

Loyalty wasn't something Sasuke ever considered.

It was an unspoken vow in his mind. The whole notion of cheating was lost on him. If he wasn't happy wouldn't he simply end his current relationship and move on? The drama that occurred in such selfish actions as an affair was masochistic in his opinion.

"Can you believe Choji of all people cheated on his girlfriend?"

Slender fingers shook out a cigarette from its cartridge and made an offering motion toward Shikamaru. Of course, he accepted and plucked the box from his fingers.

Hinata leaned into the table and accidentally opened her deck of cards in Sasuke's direction. With a sigh of self-defeat, she eyed Sasuke with squinted eyes. He returned her gaze with a cocked eyebrow and a bemused side smile.

"What are you glaring at me for?"

"Did you see my cards?"

"No," Sasuke drawled coolly, pursing his lips in the other direction before quickly snapping his head away from her searching gaze. "No, no, no, no…"

"Liar."

"No, no, no," The fluffy haired male continued, a lilt to his voice as he flicked the ace in his own deck triumphantly. He placed the card down with a gentle snap and smoothly slid it over toward Shikamaru. "Why would I need to cheat when I've already won?"

Shikamaru and Hinata clapped twice with attitude to celebrate Sasuke's victory. They had both lost a record amount of times to Sasuke's questionable good luck.

Draping a blanket over her shoulders from the couch behind her, Hinata shivered to herself. "What were you saying, Shikamaru-kun, about Choji-san?"

"How nice of you to remind me, Hinata-chan," Shikamaru nodded in appreciation before shaking his head in Sasuke's direction. "Your boyfriend usually won't even bother to ask a polite follow-up question when I give him new gossip."

Sasuke rubbed his eyes with the back of his left hand gently and wiped at the inner corners. "I don't care about gossip. That's why."

Large opal eyes drifted from her lover back to Shikamaru. An unamused twitch to her cheek. "Please continue."

"Well, Choji cheated on his girlfriend with some poor broad he met in Suna."

"That's awful. How is Karui-san?"

"Distraught of course," Shikamaru started, a huge yawn following his words. "He claims it was just a kiss but Karui says she's sure they slept together."

Taking a large sip of his cigarette, Sasuke exhaled a small plume of smoke away from Hinata. He drank in her profile, interested and pert. In all honesty, he never took her as the gossip type, but when relationships were on the edge of being destroyed he supposed it was only natural for most women to be interested.

"Why does she think that?" Hinata rubbed her frigid hands together quickly under the blanket and wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"Not absolutely positive on anything…she never confirmed anything. I'm sure you could guess why she thinks that though."

After a few more hours of coffee and card games, Shikamaru took his leave of them and padded out carefully from Sasuke's snowy walkway.

Sasuke had stood in the doorway watching Shikamaru leave with weary eyes. He pushed the door till it closed and turned to faced Hinata. She watched him with a sincere, tired smile that reminded him vaguely of a sweet aunt. Her wavy hair was tussled from the constant rearranging of her blanket.

"It's shocking, isn't it?"

He placed his hand on the top of her head and shook it lightly, playfully. "What is?"

"Choji cheating on Karui-san…"

"Oh," Sasuke sounded absentmindedly, dropping his hand and plopping down on the couch of his living room. "Whatever, I guess."

Hinata followed him with her eyes before deciding to follow suit. She sat beside him and shivered to herself.

"Is it that cold in here?"

"I think I'm catching the flu," Hinata dismissed, her voice now noticeably a bit more congested. "But other than that, I would consider it freezing in here."

Sasuke scooped her into his arms and with a smooth readjustment managed to make them lay down with Hinata on top. She quickly scrambled up and managed to awkwardly straddle his stomach, her hand on his chest for support. Slightly curled hair fell from her shoulder to frame the side of her face as she observed Sasuke's small smile. Leaning forward she pressed her forehead to his and breathed deeply. The smell of his generic shampoo pleasant and subtle.

"Quit breathing on me," Sasuke murmured, running his hands up her sweater and down her quite warm sides. The blanket had managed to cover both in this position somehow. "You're going to get me sick."

Based on the lack of serious facial expression, Hinata concluded that he was simply joking with her. She sat up and began to braid her hair absentmindedly from the side. "I wonder how Karui-san is feeling…"

Sasuke tsked from his lack of patience and folded his arms behind his head. "Why do you care so much?"

"Well," Hinata started before quickly halting. She looked down at him pensively and bit the inside of her cheek. "I guess it's just so awful I can't comprehend it."

"You won't ever be able to comprehend it," Sasuke emphasized, speaking from the corner of his mouth, eyebrows pressed in annoyed thought.

"I hope not…"

"You won't," he reaffirmed more patiently this time. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Feeling Hinata's weight shift on his stomach a bit caught his attention yet again however.

Her arms were crossed over her body and the blanket had fallen off her shoulders, now resting on Sasuke's crotch. Her entire midriff was exposed from the action. He watched quietly, his face open, no cockiness, no judgement, and no expectation. She undid her bra and slid the straps of her bra off her shoulders and out the sleeves of her sweater. Reaching underneath her sweater once more, she successfully pulled out her bra. Her plump breasts bounced a bit with the motion. Their own weight causing them to depress a bit. From the cold in the room he could faintly see her nipples erecting and Sasuke knew he was sexually done for.

"Sasuke," Hinata started with a giggle before grabbing onto his cheeks and kissing his lips, slightly pulling his head up with the movement.

She stood up beside the couch and quickly shimmied her leggings and thong off. At this, Sasuke unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. Just the act of watching her undress managed to excite him, no matter how frantic and shivery her display was. Hinata whined about the cold and quickly went back to straddling Sasuke's stomach, pulling the blanket over her exposed legs.

With a practiced cool, she brought the hem of her pink knitted sweater to the cup of her breasts, right below the nipple. Sasuke was rubbing the toned face of her thighs, appreciating her bold display with brilliant red eyes. He subconsciously grinded upward as she revealed her breasts completely to him. He grew hard, and his rolling motion caused Hinata to sway in the air lightly. She tossed a hand through her hair, flipping it at an angle over her head.

Sasuke began to sit up and this caused Hinata to slide down his stomach onto his crotch area. She could feel him flexing his cock underneath her in most likely frustration so she sighed so hard she shivered. Something about the cold of the room managed to turn her on even more. Sitting up, Sasuke seemed to tower over her, a good head above her. He leaned down a bit cupping her face and neck, kissing all sides and angles of what he held. He kissed her most ticklish area on her neck near fifty times. Hinata laughed with abandon at this, tossing her head back with the loveliest blush thrown on her cheeks; tears at the corners of her eyes. Sasuke smiled between each kiss, his slightly curled hair tickling her jawline with each teasing kiss he stole from the crook of her neck.

Her laugh was pleasant, and the blush that adorned her cheeks caused an anger in him. How dare she ever think about something like cheating. He wanted to call her dumb in the head in that moment. However, that would probably end up with Sasuke having blue balls for the rest of the night.

"Don't doubt me again," Sasuke mumbled as he rested his forehead on the slope of her shoulders. He moved his hand to her lower warmth and delved in further to touch the outside of her center. She was moist and his fingers were instantly slippery. The handsome male pulled back his hand and removed his shirt quickly.

She placed her hands on his shoulders before gently sliding them down his chest. "I'm sorry."

This was said through half-lidded, heavily lusting eyes. She blinked slowly, flirtatiously, and pressed her breasts into his chest.

"Idiot," he pressed, gazing down his nose at her before kissing her forehead. He leaned back a bit and massaged her breasts in his large hands. Slipping his hands to the nipples, he pinched and twisted them with just the right amount of force. Sasuke could feel her shudder in his grasp and he pressed his forehead to hers.

Placing his hands on her back he leaned her back at an angle. Supporting her easily, he latched on to a nipple and sucked. The smell of her perfume wafted over him and he only wanted to dick her down harder. She wrung her hands through his hair as he tended to her now slippery, rosy nipples.

After a few more moments of foreplay, Sasuke managed to push his pants down and reveal his length. Hinata grinded on this quickly with no hints from Sasuke. She pushed herself up and down his length, her lower lips coating him in juices for their next act. A tight facial expression was present on the Uchiha's face. He had no idea sex could be so wonderful until Hinata and him had started being sexually active. With a low groan of horny anticipation, Sasuke flexed his cock right when she slipped her opening over the head. They both tensed at the near-penetration. She quivered and he raked a hand through his wild locks in sexual frustration.

"Get on top, love," Hinata said more than asked.

At this Sasuke had no objection. When he was on top, he could really make her see stars (and himself too but that wasn't his main goal). He nearly jumped up from his position and threw Hinata onto her back. With tightly shut eyes and a pleased smile, she began to play with her tits. She pushed them up from the sides and fumbled with the nipples between her middle and ring fingers. He ached at this display and tapped his cock roughly several times on her clit. Hinata bucked her wide hips upward at this, thick thighs moving so that her knees were bent and about level with her breasts. This position exposed her pussy more and allowed for maximum penetration. He held her legs down by her chest where they bent.

As usual, entering for this first round was tight. Poor Hinata was so sexually excited she was too tight to allow him in. He spat into his hand and rubbed her opening and clit. Sasuke begged her to relax. With the added spit and effort from Hinata, Sasuke pushed through deep into her inner warmth. Sasuke cursed and Hinata moaned quickly. Giving no warm-up strokes, Sasuke began to pound away. Her wetness quickly crept onto his balls and with each thrust, the slap of his balls on her ass sounded loudly. The sound only worked to emphasize just how hard Sasuke was thrusting.

His eyes were half-lidded and he panted with each thrust. With care, Sasuke made it so that the skin above his cock grinded against her clit at least a little bit with each thrust.

"Harder, harder, harder," Hinata pleaded in her horny haste. She tried to spread her legs apart farther, essentially achieving a full middle split.

Sasuke complied, feeling as if his head was going to explode. He came in her and yet continued to thrust fervently, placing his hands on the shoulder rest of the couch. She wrapped her arms around his torso and shivered in unadulterated pleasure.

"God," long raven bangs tickled Hinata's forehead. Sasuke growled/groaned from deep within his throat as he could feel her squeeze on his length. Looking down, her loving eyes froze him. He slowed his strokes just as he became fully erect once more. After a few pecks from Hinata on his nose and lips, he resumed. Never once did his eyes revert to black during this interaction.

He flipped her over onto her stomach, the angle making her so much more vulnerable. The penetration was also a lot tighter from here. He slammed into her fluidly, silently marveling at just how wet she could be. Milky white juices from Hinata mixed with his own previous orgasm and allowed for a slippery speed that numbed their senses. Hinata buried her face in her hands as her legs quaked. Sasuke came violently, overcome by territorial instinct, he picked Hinata up from behind, supporting her from underneath her bent legs. Her tits bounced with the movement and she was so overwhelmed by the joint orgasm that the petite princess could've been proclaimed dick drunk.

His thick cock throbbed in her as he shot his spunk. Kissing Hinata on her neck, he roughly slid her up and down his cock easily. She began to scream from the powerful sensation, her pussy nearly beaten raw. In malicious delight, Sasuke began to rub at her clit furiously, nesting his face in her hair all the while.

Rolling over onto her side, Hinata pulled the sheets of his bed up to her chin. Sasuke's arms were folded behind his head and he eyed the ceiling with an inquisitive expression. His jaw clenched and released several times before he caught Hinata staring at him from the corner of his eye.

"What's up?"

Hinata propped herself up by her elbows and placed a warm hand on his sternum. She blinked at him inoffensively and moved one of his long bangs away from his face. Their bare bodies shared a heat on that chilly day in January.

"What are you thinking about?"

Sasuke managed to avoid the question and flicked Hinata on the nose. "Are you hungry?"

"It's three in the morning," she responded, placing her chin on his muscled chest.

"And?"

Casually rolling her eyes, Hinata sat up and leaned her back against the headboard. Sasuke watched her facial expression carefully, taking in her long eye lashes and pouted rosy lips.

"I'm not really hungry right now."

After an hour of absolute silence, Hinata knitting a new scarf for Sasuke and the rugged man reading a bland fantasy novel, the Uchiha rose from the bed. Placing a firm hold on Hinata's wrist he pulled her up with him. She followed after a few patronizing words; an understanding smile signaling her true emotions.

They showered quickly, taking no time to linger in the shower when the rest of his house was freezing. Rummaging through his dresser he threw her some thermal pajamas and a pair of extra underwear she'd stored in his designated drawer. Once they were bundled up once more, they returned to the bed and Hinata threw her hair on top of her head in a messy half-bun.

More silence followed as they resumed their previous activities. Sasuke reached a dull part in the novel and he folded the ear of the page and set the book down on his night table. His love glanced over toward him for a brief second, his sudden movement grabbing her attention.

"I love you," Hinata said, her eyes steadfast on her knitting.

Sasuke moved quietly to cook them breakfast.

Once more, Sasuke was stuck participating in an activity he had no desire to be involved with.

Shikamaru nudged Sasuke in the side and motioned for Naruto to push Sasuke along. The blond cursed Sasuke a good few times and managed to repeatedly kick Sasuke in the butt, shoving him in the direction of the noisy door. The sounds of children hollering and crying bloody murder was audible even from outside the thick, supposedly "sound-proof" door.

The ponytailed male opened the door and shuffled in, Sasuke and Naruto filing in behind him. "Listen up kids!"

The toddlers snapped their heads in their teacher's direction. Some of the kids were stuffing their faces with snacks, crumbs evident over their chubby cheeks. Others had played roughly with each other. Pulled t-shirts with fresh wrinkles and reddened noses signaled the roughhousing. Naruto began to cheese at the kids, hands on his hips as if he were some sort of superhero. The cerulean eyed male nudged Sasuke with his shoulder, a motion meant to prod his best friend to act out. Instead, the bored Uchiha coughed into the neck of his turtleneck sweater and crossed his arms, throwing a courtesy nod to all the drooling babies.

"I brought two very special guests today. You all've probably heard about them from your parents. Can anyone tell me their names?"

One adorable brunette with a runny nose raised her chubby arm excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Yes, Fuuka-chan?" Shikamaru pointed at her, a patient smile on his face that didn't match his permanently sarcastic eyes.

"Uch-chi-ha-sama, and— "

Another ginger boy cut her off and pushed his hand into the side of her chubby face. "UZUMAKI-SAMA!"

"Behave yourself, Ryuji-kun!"

"Sorry, Nara-sensei!"

The brunette girl smacked the ginger boy in the square of his back before sitting back down. Ryuji howled silently and grumbled as he returned to his seat. Naruto turned around to snicker and Sasuke hid his smirk by pulling up his turtleneck.

After all the introductions were through, the tots were meant to work on a coloring sheet for chakra points. Naruto moved about the room, chatting up the toddlers and spreading smiles. Sasuke's head pounded from the noise level and he remained seated by Shikamaru's desk, drumming his fingers at an awkward level from his place in a toddler chair. Even though he refused to stand up and mingle, the kids fearlessly approached him, waving their colorings wildly in his face in their excitement. Their wide eyes sparkling with the desire for praise.

One coloring was sloppy, but when Sasuke snatched it from the jumping child, he offered praise. "Good job…" He squinted to read the name. "Joji-kun."

"Thank you!" the toddler squealed, nuzzling Sasuke's knee. The slight lisp in the baby's voice almost warmed Sasuke's heart. He awkwardly patted the child on the head and passed back the paper.

After all the children had been settled for naptime on various mats thrown about the room, the three men sat in the corner whispering amongst themselves.

"So, this is what you get to do all day," Naruto whispered in a raspy way, forearms resting on his knees. He scanned the softly snoring room before turning back to Shikamaru for a response. "This is nice."

"It pays the bills," Shikamaru offered, scratching the back of his neck. With a casual motion, Shikamaru signaled that he needed a smoke so he left to take his break.

Sasuke leaned back against the wide paneled window, allowing the back of his head to bump against the glass lightly. The sun seemed to be wasting its efforts, as the rays did no good in warming up the avenger's back. In fact, the window pane was cold, so Sasuke readjusted himself after a few moments.

"Kind of crazy…people are having kids…" Naruto mumbled, watching a snot bubble form from a kid's nose in the corner. The greenish tinge to it caused the pair of friends to cringe and shift their gaze elsewhere. "Are you planning on having kids one day?"

"Psh," Sasuke breathed deeply and tensed one side of his mouth in thought.

"I'd like to have kids," Naruto filled in the quiet space. "A family of my own."

"After everything we've been through?" Sasuke spoke carefully, eyes stained with pure confusion.

"Well yeah…" Blond locks were smoothed backward by his tanned hand. Naruto leaned forward once more and pouted in his equally as confused manner. "Don't you think we deserve it? Especially after everything we've been through?"

Brushing his nose with the side of his hand, Sasuke promptly rubbed his temples before humming in response. Simply to make sure Naruto knew that he was listening, as his eyes were closed.

Suddenly, the image of a dark haired baby running up to him with black or light purple eyes was dropped in his mind. Chubby fingers reached out for him to pick them up, and all he could hear was squealing laughter. There was a happiness Sasuke was certain he would never be able to fully understand through his imagination alone.

"I suppose you're right, Naruto."

"I know I'm right, you dick."

"There are kids around you fool."

"They're asleep—" Naruto sweat dropped and tapped his foot nervously. "I'm sure they hear worse things at home."

"Oh stho that's where you went this morningth," Hinata chirped with her mouth full of lollipop. "I beth the kidths were stho cuthe."

Sasuke shrugged at this and picked at the leftovers Hinata had made him. They sat at his dining table, Hinata resting her head on her folded arms, watching him from behind her fluffy bangs. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, a few bobby pins holding back her longer side bangs. The only sound for a few beats was the lollipop clacking around in Hinata's mouth as she moved it around with her tongue.

Her boyfriend gave a half-hearted chuckle after a beat and laid his chopsticks on top of his bowl of udon. He rested his chin on his hand, a contorted expression on his face. "Do you want kids?"

Hinata quickly shook her head in disbelief. She popped the lollipop out of her mouth and huffed in incredulous fashion. "Kids?"

"Hn."

"Why?"

"Do you or do you not?"

"Well," Hinata placed the blue sucker back on her tongue. "I gueth."

The Uchiha snorted at her nervous demeanor and the anxious blush gathering on her cheeks. "You guess…"

A pointed gaze from his love dug for an explanation.

"I'm just asking," Sasuke resigned, blinking slowly. He picked up his chopsticks and swirled the soup around a bit.

Hinata laid her head back down on her outstretched arm. A humbled blush lingered on her cheeks and she was mesmerized by the long curve of his nose. The cute, rounded tip of it. He caught her eyes briefly before resuming his thoughts in the swirling broth.

"Are you asking for future reference?"

Sasuke merely looked at her, an exhausted expression in his eyes. The knowing smile that jerked at his lips however betrayed his intended expression.

Sasuke was of the sort to rarely tell Hinata he loved her.

He simply didn't find it necessary. He felt the same as he felt yesterday. As any other day. Therefore, he found no fruit to repeatedly declaring his love for her. Sure, when Hinata surprised him some days with a confession of love he felt a little something in his stomach. A toss or two that seemed to light a small fire under his frostbitten heart. But nevertheless, Hinata never asked for reaffirmation. She'd asked him once on New Years and was reasonable, in Sasuke's opinion, to not request again and again of his affections.

So, when Sakura approached Sasuke on a night that he was home alone, Hinata being gone on a retreat with her father, Sasuke was hesitant to allow Sakura past the front door.

A small cake in a folded white box was gripped tightly by its handle, mostly resting against Sakura's lower thigh.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun! Is Hinata-chan here?"

"No," Sasuke responded, flexing the door knob in his hand.

"That's a shame, I brought this cake for her and me to share, since I know you don't like sweets," Sakura laughed into her hand good naturedly and played with the hem of her gray sweater. After an awkward pause of Sasuke's eyebrow twitching and Sakura shifting her weight from leg to leg, she glanced back up at him. "Are you doing anything right now?"

"Sakura— "

Sakura raised a hand in her defense and she shook her head violently, a mortified blush suddenly flooded her face. "I'm not trying to make a move I just want to talk! I haven't spoken to you in a while!"

Sasuke snapped his tongue against the side of his mouth and took a long silent breath. The cold rushed into his home, taking advantage of the gaping doorway. He made a motion for the cotton-candy head to hurry on in. She quickly walked over to his dining room table and shuddered from the transition of cold to slightly less cold. Sasuke paced over to the kitchen and asked if she would care for some coffee, of which she gladly accepted. His signature inky turtleneck sweater and coal-black jeans were all he needed to stay warm.

"You've been growing your hair out!" Sakura pointed to the back of her head for extra emphasis. "It looks good."

Indeed, Sasuke had grown his hair out a bit. It sill spiked and curled wildly, framing his face in an impossibly handsome way, but now there was a small ponytail held back by one of Hinata's spare hairbands. He hummed in thanks.

"So where is Hinata-chan?"

"Hyuuga retreat."

"Ne, busy girl, huh?"

"Hm," Sasuke set down her cup of coffee and pulled out his own chair. The smell of the drink calmed Sasuke's agitated nerves a bit and he made up his mind to be a bit more cordial. This girl did try to save him when he had departed from the village. "What's new?"

She smiled at him sheepishly and scratched the back of her neck. "Oh, you know, same old story different day. Running a hospital is tough…but if I don't do it who will? Tsunade-sensei being on vacation and all."

Sasuke took a sip of coffee to clear his throat. He had pushed into the recesses of his mind just how hectic the ninja world could truly be. Even after his and Naruto's epic finish, evil stuff still happened every day. Babies were being murdered, entire clans wiped out, and yet in Konoha the baddest, toughest villain of them all drank coffee and played card games with friends. Joking and talking for long periods of time with his girlfriend before eventually getting laid or piping down his lady. This was a continuous cycle as well. A cycle Sasuke had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

"How is the hospital doing?"

"Still super busy. More so with baby deliveries however. We're experiencing a baby boom, I swear…"

"People are procreating more often than ever I suppose," Sasuke shook his head patronizingly. All this reoccurring baby talk made him sick. "A fake moment of peace and people take advantage of it."

Sakura hummed in agreement and began to serve herself a slice of the milky cake she brought.

"I know my coming here is a bit awkward, but I don't want it to be that way," Sakura started, shining emerald eyes revealing no mal-intentions. "New Years was awkward. I was way too emotional."

Sasuke cocked his head, promptly resting it on his palm.

"I'm happy you and Hina-chan make each other so happy," She rationalized. Her light hair grew a bit past her shoulders and was maintained on top by a simple beret. "I've had some time to reflect on my actions that night…and I just want to apologize."

He nodded languidly.

For the first time in a while, conversation with his estranged female friend was no longer awkward. Her motions spelled platonic motivations and Sasuke was satisfied with that. When every topic in Sakura's head was run dry and she rose to take her leave, she inquired on something that had preoccupied Sasuke's thoughts as of late. "Do you think you'll marry Hina-chan?"

He rolled his shoulders at the thought, balancing his cigarette between his lips. "As of right now, no."

"Why is that?"

"There's some stuff I have to worry about first."

"Sure," Sakura said, a look of distaste spreading over her. "Maybe not marry her right now, but, later right?"

"I don't know about that," Sasuke murmured twisting the cigarette and tapping its ashes into his auburn ashtray. "We might have completely different realities by then."

"Don't waste her time if that's your mentality, Sasuke-kun."

"Waste her time?" He groaned, patience whittling down. "I'm not forcing her to be with me."

"That's a gross mentality to have."

"What are you on about?"

The sweater shifted over her shoulders as she threw her arms down in irritation. "Look, Sasuke-kun, Hinata-chan dates for the long haul. She's a bit traditional like that. I know she wouldn't be with you if you didn't consider marrying you one day.

Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, stretching out his long legs. "You shouldn't talk for people like that."

"Don't be hard-headed," Sakura gripped onto the back of the wooden dining chair where she once sat. "If she makes you happy why wouldn't you consider marrying her."

He remained silent. A glare pressed his slender eyebrows toward the center of his face, and his almond shaped eyes seemed to poison her confidence. However, Sakura wasn't one to back down either.

"I'm just saying, if you can't see this going past the boyfriend-girlfriend stage, why waste her or your time?"

A tense goodbye sent Sakura on her way, her own scowl etched onto her face. She cared for Hinata deeply, and Sasuke's response to her questions worried her.

Sasuke lounged on the couch, gulping heavily, body slightly overheating. In his opinion, he didn't owe anyone an explanation. Not even Hinata. He loved her and that was that.

The feeling of soft, plump lips on his forehead woke him gently. He had fallen asleep on the couch after Sakura left.

Fond eyes stared down into his inquisitively. "I'm home."

"Welcome back," Sasuke responded, his voice gravely from his previous state.

She sat down gently on the armchair across from his couch, draping a blanket over her lap. Loose curls from her curling wand still resided in her hair, framing her face in a sweetheart fashion. She held many thin pieces of colorful paper. Dropping them in her lap she reached for a cream-colored square and began folding it with focused intent in her brows. He queried if she were thirsty and she thanked him when he set down a black tea with the leftover cake from Sakura's visit.

"How is Sakura-chan?"

"Fine," Sasuke scratched into his journal, testing the ink. "How was the retreat?"

"Ah," Hinata bit into the cake and hummed a song in delight at the taste. "It was boring…but this cake is amazing! Sakura-chan knows this is my favorite."

"Your favorite?"

"Mm," she swallowed and took a small sip of the bitter tea. "Sweet rice milk cake. I tried it out a couple years ago for the first time."

For some reason, Sasuke's stomach dropped at seeing this unadulterated happiness. He didn't even know what kind of cake was her favorite until now. It was lost on him as to why he would care about something so insignificant, but not knowing served to distress him. What if someone had asked him? He wouldn't have an answer.

In that mundane, irrelevant moment, Sasuke knew what was up. He couldn't marry her. At least not yet. Her rosy cheeks and nose. The way she could make him speak for what seemed like monologues. That miraculous ability to make him laugh.

He felt that he did nothing for her.

Hinata was retelling a story about Hanabi's prank on their father at the retreat. Sasuke, however, was too busy admiring her image to notice she was talking.

"Hinata," He started, his voice catching in his throat. He leaned forward a bit, his hair tickling the sides of his face.

She stopped her folding in surprise and glanced up, leaving her origami bear unfinished.

"Are you happy?"

"Yes?"

"With me?"

"Mm," Hinata nodded happily, a lick of worry painted in her eyes. "Why?"

"Where do you see us going?"

"In our relationship?"

Sasuke nodded, his stomach rolling more so than usual.

Call it woman's intuition, but Hinata knew exactly why he was asking and how he felt asking this. She stood up and sat close beside him. Grabbing on to his hand, she squeezed and rubbed the back of his hand with her free one. Kissing the space besides his ear she noted the peculiar look of pain in his murky depths.

"I'm going to give you a lot of cute babies," Her laugh rang out, and she buried her head into the side of his bicep. "That's where I see us going."

Now that his lady had said her final piece on the issue, Sasuke knew where he stood. He'd marry her. He'd marry her and give her the best he could offer.

"What else do you like?"

"Besides cake?"

"Besides cake."

Right as Hinata opened her mouth to list off her favorite things, Sasuke kissed the apple of her cheek gently. "I love you, Hinata."

Hinata tapped the side of his stubbly face. "I know, I know."

I'll see you guys in the next chapter. Dis story not over lmao! Relationships can just be really happy at times! Enjoy this wading chapter as we get back into a much less bleak world than where we were going previously

Please review man, I just came back from a year long hiatus, show me some love man! Oh and to whoever asked, yes my new username is inspired by A Tribe Called Quest :) U a kool kat for katchin that!