"Had you any other name," murmured words were near drowned out by the rain, "any other name than Hyuuga, I would dare to call you mine."

She heard them all the same.

"If only you no name had – then I would stop at nothing."

A slight smile found her face. Whether bitter or longing, was unclear in the rain.

She said nothing. There was no need.

For that was not the world in which they lived.

Her all-seeing eyes had spotted him many leagues earlier, before his slow path took him past her. Somehow, she had known that his way would twist by her.

She had also known that he had never come along these parts before.

Why she had waited, she didn't know. There weren't many stray travellers on these parts, to be sure, but he was not the first and he would not be the last. There was seemingly nothing extraordinary about him; simply a man with a sword at his side and a little spark of the chakra her family treasured so.

There were many with this spark, many people unknowingly walking around with a small divine gift. Few had the kind her own family wielded; as direct descendants of the giver of the power, it was only right that they should have extraordinary amounts and control of it.

Another family, not far from there, had something like it, she knew. But large amounts of chakra was not the only gift her own family had been given; unlike any others, they had been bestowed with the eyes of gods.

With them, her clan could pierce through all layers of the world and see it, more clearly, in all its parts and as such, understand the truth of it.

Because of this, the dense forest suited them better than most. They could easily watch the world around them, while being hidden from the eyes of all others.

She herself could see further than most of her family. All the knowledge her eyes could give her in an instant, only made her seek more. Therefore, she often sought out the places her eyes only just reached, just to stand at the edge of her little world and peered out at the unknown. Most of these times, she found herself here, at the edge of the forest, looking out at the rocky landscape ahead.

Where he came from.

He had taken his time. And for all her godly visions ability to see the world in its truest form, she could find no trace of where he had come from. To her, he was a man with no past and no mark, travelling through her field of vision with no clear purpose and no ties.

The sun was setting when he finally came to her.

He had the warm light on his back, framing his silhouette as he crested the hill and set his eyes upon her for the first time.

She watched him with eyes devoid of power. She knew intimately all of his parts, now she would experience only the sum of them.

His eyes held hers for a small eternity.

She stared boldly back.

"How long have you been watching me?"

"Forever."

When the moon had overtaken the sun, she returned to the trees, knowing that he would not cross the raging river to follow her.

He stayed there, somehow knowing to, just at the edge of her extended vision.

She watched him, knowing that he knew, but did not return for several weeks.

When she finally came back, he did not seem surprised.

He came to meet her at the riverbank and when she stopped on the other side, he held out his hand.

With steady strides, she stepped onto the coursing waters, walking atop the currents to reach him.

His hand was warm like nothing she had ever felt.

"I first thought you to be some sort of magical creature," he let her silky hair slip through his fingers, "something other-worldly and different."

"And now?"

His black eyes shone red in the firelight as they met her white gaze.

"Now I see that we are the same."

The first time he met her was at the bi-annual gathering of the clans. He was five and had been allowed to come along for the first time. He had never seen most of the big and mighty people gathered before but somehow, she had stood out.

There had fallen a hush on the murmuring crowd and all gathered had turned to the forest.

Moments later, a large group of tall men and women with long, dark hair flowing freely down their backs, sleek and silky, breezed out from the trees. They strode purposely forward, passing lesser clans to take their place at the centre of events. There had been a few children of different ages, but she was the first, tiny with her father's hand heavy on her shoulder.

All gathered eyes had been trained on her.

Even among noble clans, the Hyuuga were apart, standing over the rest like royalty.

And she was their princess.

The little hime was being brought to the gathering for the first time, as well, her wide, white eyes taking in all the new faces and symbols, just as his had before she had come. Their eyes met and he felt a jolt, slow as water in a lazy river, run through his veins. In her eyes he saw latent, ancient power, childish curiosity and all the secrets of the universe.

Since then, he saw her twice a year, every year, for the gathering of the surrounding clans. They never spoke, even when their clans discussed matters in private. But he would watch her, as she grew into herself, becoming more and more beautiful as time passed. And she watched him back, with eyes so like the moon, he was sure they would shine in the dark.

Before he was quite a man and she quite a woman, their clans entered an alliance of sorts and suddenly, she was everywhere.

While the Hyuuga still kept their distance, he soon learned that she was kind, gentle and fierce. At these smaller gatherings, she was less reserved and it quickly became clear why her father and the elders let her speak. While her voice is soft like wind chimes, her words are polite and sharp, accurately getting her points across. And she made people listen. How could they not, after all, when such a creature was in their midst.

All the Hyuuga held some sort of ethereal beauty but she was divine.

Their white eyes were ancient and powerful, revealing nothing but taking everything in. They all wore their hair long, dark, sleek locks falling down their straight backs. They were homogenous with high brows and straight noses, all alike and handsome. Yet, she was different.

Her eyes were particularly captivating, even among others with the same godly eyes, with tinges of lavender, brought out by her shining blue-black hair, so like the night sky.

She was the only one with hair like that. His mother told him that it was rare amongst the Hyuuga but basically a dormant trait in all of their genes that only awoke in rare cases.

It made the hime even more sought after than the average Hyuuga.

This was clearly something the Hyuuga were aware of and wary of, as well.

They were so desired because it was known that their blood held great, great power, power that they themselves didn't even fully express. Ever since the Uchiha clan was formed, all had hungered after Hyuuga blood to make their own clans immensely powerful.

"The first Uchiha was a Hyuuga with unruly hair" one of his third cousins had once joked. It was a common joke amongst the Uchiha, one they all knew held little truth.

The Uchiha had been born when the blood of a Hyuuga had awakened dormant potential in an ordinary man, back in the days before the ninja. The Sharingan had been born from the Byakugan and who was to say that a new dojutsu couldn't be created from Hyuuga blood?

The Hyuuga kept to themselves, for this very reason. They lived apart from others, protected by dense forest that only they could easily navigate, and had even begun sealing the eyes of those who left for longer periods, protecting them from poaching. And they kept their bloodline pure by marrying within the clan.

It was extremely unlikely that they would let their hime leave the clan, thereby not only losing her but also opening up for the possibility of a new, powerful dojutsu to be created unwittingly. Yet all the lesser clans still hoped and tried.

Many of the clans in the surrounding lands had borne children just after the peacetime alliance was initiated, which was seen as a sign of good fortune. Both he and the hime were part of the new generation, the hope for a future of peace and prosperity for all clans. It was revolutionary and set the foundation for future cooperation and maybe even peaceful belts of common land.

With many same-aged clan children, the air was heavy with the potential of different clans making matrimonial alliances and as many of the most prominent and noble clans had been gifted boys, competition was fierce. All eyes, of course, were on the real prize; the Hyuuga princess.

As she sat at his family's table, smiling at something his mother said, he could only envy the young men of the clans that sought to marry their sons to the Hyuuga princess.

She was grace and beauty and fully unobtainable; not only did the Hyuuga keep to themselves, his own clan was also loathe to let too much Hyuuga influence into their ranks.

His elder brother had even pulled him aside and advised him not to get any silly ideas, "Even if the Hyuuga were willing to let her go, Father would never consider such a match." He had smiled softly at his younger brother, "Don't set your heart up for disappointment, little brother. She may be beautiful but there are many others out there whom your chances with aren't doomed from the very beginning."

He was right, of course. Young women and girls frequently threw themselves at him, offering their bodies and professing their love for him. Many of them were beautiful and some even came from reputable ninja clans. As the second son of the head of the clan, he even had many options within his own clan, where powerful kunoichi were plentiful. Yet none tempted him, none made him look twice. For the most part he found them annoying, their behaviour disgraceful.

He could desire no other woman when her eyes tortured him so. Moon-like eyes that he could never be sure whether or not reflected his own feelings back to him. She was fully unobtainable, yes, but even the shred of chance that her heart might not be, was more painful than anything else.

He only vaguely remembered her. She didn't seem to mind. In fact, she didn't seem to mind his presence much. Nor especially care for it. It was… strange. Everyone he met had very strong, even dramatic, reactions to seeing him back and out and about in the village. Both good and bad. So for at person to be so incredibly neutral was very strange indeed.

She didn't look at him much, nor did she avert her eyes when she finally did, however. He supposed she didn't need to; with those all-seeing eyes of hers, she could study him in detail as much as she wanted to, whenever she wanted to. But Sasuke had a feeling that she didn't.

Her uninterested attitude towards him was… nice, in a way. Refreshing but also relaxing. He had nothing to prove; she was thoroughly unimpressed and unbiased from the get-go.

She didn't even try to hide it. He knew her to be horribly sweet and polite to a fault, to almost everyone around her and she was basically the same to him but at the same time, it was clear that she had no relevant desire to make him like her. He appreciated her lack of ulterior motive and that she didn't get caught up in irrelevant things or hold grudges. It made him request her for partnered work and missions more often than not and she didn't seem to mind. They were both quiet and reserved and it worked.

When he had returned to the village the Hyuuga clan had, surprisingly, been some of his biggest supporters. He knew it was nothing personal, per se, but they maintained their stance on his reintegration being a positive thing for the village. At the council and clan hearings, the Hyuuga had argued that the genocide of the Uchiha had left a power vacuum in the village, which had allowed for several unsavoury factions to emerge and grow within their walls, and that the Uchiha, as well as the Sharingan were valuable assets to Konoha, both from a militaristic ninja view-point and for the community.

There should be ramifications and consequences, of course, as well as limitations, they said, but in the long run, it would benefit Konoha far more to have Uchiha back in the village.

Their speaker, Hyuuga Neji, had presented this factually and precisely with little inflection and then simply ended their turn. The Hyuuga said little else during the debate. Even without them interjecting constantly, the other clans had heard them. The Hyuuga still held quite a bit of respect in the village as a whole and especially amongst the other clans. It was not often they inserted themselves much into village debates, so when they did, people listened.

It hadn't hurt to have the words delivered by a war-hero and rumoured successor of the clan.

Sasuke had sought Hyuuga Neji's eyes once he had sat down again and gave him a slight nod when the other man looked his way. Neji inclined his head slightly and otherwise looked very little at Sasuke for the duration of the debate. No, it definitely wasn't personal.

He sort of liked that about the Hyuugas. They were very pragmatic. Neji argued to let him stay and re-establish his clan, not because Neji himself personally wished for this or liked Sasuke, but because it was what was best for the village.

Hinata was the same. She had at some point concluded that it was better that he was in the village and got the help he needed, rather than killing him or letting him go off to wander the world or cause trouble. It didn't directly affect her in any way and it didn't truly matter to her what happened to him, but it was better that he was there and so it made sense for her to help him.

It began with her monitoring his eyes. Someone had to do it; he had troubles with them and both the Sharingan and the mythical Rinnegan were valuable assets that the village could not allow to deteriorate. Both she and Sakura had volunteered but ultimately, Hinata was better suited with her extensive knowledge of dojutsu and her ability to examine the delicate and complex chakra network around the eyes.

She had been polite, effective and focused. She was there to heal his eyes, not to make small talk or make friends. She checked him out, gave him instructions on how to take care of them and went on her way, scheduling another check-up two weeks later. In the meantime, they were paired up for several missions and different in-village assignments. It turned out to be a good and reliable partnership and Sasuke enjoyed working with her for her reserved nature and capabilities as a kunoichi. With the check-ups interspersed with missions and partnered work, Hinata became one of the people he saw the most, aside from Kakashi and Naruto, and yet, he barely knew her.

At the fifth check-up, he asked her if eyes born with dojutsu were different from those that were not.

"All dojutsu Kekkei Genkai can be transplanted, as you know," she had only hesitated a moment before continuing, "but those who are born with dojutsu seem to have slightly different ocular chakra networks. Obviously, I have not studied many examples of born Sharingan-users, but your chakra network is certainly closer to that of the Hyuuga than a non-dojutsu users."

Her Byakugan was active, studying him as she spoke. He examined her bloodline limit, having never seen it in such close proximity before. Her eyes were whiter like this, somehow. The bulging veins around her eyes seemed to almost glow beneath her skin.

"And what makes the ocular chakra network of a Hyuuga different to others?" Her shoulders tightened slightly.

"It's bigger, mainly. More chakra paths leading to the eyes and the receptors are also keener. Even the optic nervous system is changed, expanded to allow for a much, much larger field of vision."

Only when her eyes met his did he notice that he had activated his Sharingan. Her face glowed, chakra flowing upwards, framing her eyes. She looked ethereal, emitting a soft blue glow.

He watched her for a long time and she gazed back, neither of them moving or turning off their dojutsu.

After that, it was as if the energy between had changed in some imperceptible way. She held eye contact far longer, her voice softer and her touch electrifying.

He replayed it every night to himself, relishing in and cursing the accuracy of the Sharingan for preserving the moment forever in his mind.

Shallow breath fanning his face – blue-black locks slipping over her shoulder – full lips parting slightly in surprise – veins glowing blue – white - lavender –- eyes white as snow, like a blank surface, letting nothing in – in them, hidden away, all the secrets of the universe.

The Hyuuga homestead well hidden by tall trunks forming a seemingly endless maze. There was no real path, no road leading there. It was meant to be a hidden sanctuary and since all the Hyuuga were ninja that could see many leagues in all directions, regardless of obstacles, paths and roads were not needed.

As the Uchiha delegation neared the homestead, he suddenly understood how the Hyuuga could go on living in such recluse. The trees thinned out and they started to see lush fields, previously hidden by the dense forest and genjutsu, surrounding a compound, bigger than the Uchiha's and much, much older.

Their Hyuuga guide landed on the path and slowed his pace down to a stride, leading them up the road to the gates which had been opened before they had even laid eyes upon the Hyuuga homestead.

Seemingly all the Hyuuga were gathered to greet them at the entrance, their numbers reaching the hundreds, and at the front and centre stood the Head of the clan with his daughters flanking his left and a tall young man on his right.

As the gates closed behind them, the two clan heads greeted each other respectfully. The Uchiha delegation bowed in thanks for being let into the near-secret homestead and like a wave, once the daughters of the clan head gracefully bowed in turn along with the young man, all the Hyuuga assembled welcomed them with heads dipped in deference.

His yes swept over the Hyuuga masses and found hers. Even amongst her kinsmen, surrounded by white eyes, hers stood out.

Hundreds and hundreds of pupil-less, white eyes followed the dark-eyed strangers as they were led by the head family into the main building. He felt as though he was drowning in this sea of white and wondered how anyone could find peace here, where everyone could see everything.

The main house was grand, ancient and elegant. The Hyuuga did not make a habit of adorning themselves in finery, flamboyant clothes or shiny jewels; instead they practised and understated dignity and luxury that came with many centuries of power and influence, and their homestead was much the same.

The mansion was made in craftsmanship so fine, it would be no wonder if it had been created by an Senju wood-manipulator. Rice-paper sliding doors and screens were sparsely adorned with delicate paintings of minimalistic landscapes, birds and flowers. The only stark colours found were lush flowers arranged artfully in many of the rooms, the halls were allowed to speak for themselves and food served was simple and sublime. Understated decadence and pomp-less luxury was the Hyuuga way.

When their dinner had been cleared away by Hyuuga servers, warm sake was served to the guests and the screen door at the end was opened to reveal the room to be far more spacious. A magnificent koto was laid out on the tatami, waiting to be played to perfection.

Silently and with untold grace, the hime rose and with a bow to her father, breezed across the room to kneel by the instrument.

The room grew quiet in anticipation as her delicate hands lightly fingered the strings.

Dreamy tones filled the room in a song that he knew would haunt him from this day on. Somehow, he had gotten the seat right in front of her, allowing him to drink up every tiny detail as her fingers artfully danced across the strings.

No man, woman or god could have moved him from his spot, if they had tried, so transfixed was he.

Sleep had not come easily to him that night and it released him earlier than he would have liked, the next morning. From their brief tour of the mansion the night before, he was somewhat aware of where he could find a dojo. The sun had not yet risen, yet Hyuuga attendees already walked the halls with silent footsteps. One of them guided him to the head family's dojo, before hurrying off to perform some menial task.

It was odd, how this revered clan where all had the powerful Kekkei Genkai that all others desired, could be treated as nobles every single one of them, yet lived as ordinary servants, despite being trained ninja.

The dojo was large, with perfectly polished floors and pristine tatami mats. Fresh air was let in through the open screen doors, revealing an inner courtyard behind. As he walked closer, he could hear the sound of palms hitting wood.

There, in the training courtyard, she was, hitting invisible points on a wooden dummy with incredible speed. Her breathing was controlled and her eyes sharp with chakra swollen veins. Her hakama was light grey, practical and unfeminine and her cheeks red and beautiful.

With her Byakugan active, he knew she must have seen him come from far away. She knew he was there, watching her, yet didn't seem to mind.

She continued to beat the pole as he watched her for several minutes, before finally lining her palm with chakra and landing the last, devastating blow, wood splintering as the pole collapsed.

The veins around her eyes retracted and she turned her gaze to him.

"Good morning, Uchiha-san. I hope you slept well."

Her tone was polite, her eyes searching.

"I did not find sleep easily this night, so I hoped to train to get the day started." He stepped slightly closer.

"I hope I did not disturb you then, Uchiha-san. You are very welcome to use our dojo as best you like, I am sure you will find everything you could desire here."

Searching, searching, searching her eyes bore into his.

"Perhaps."

There was nothing coy about her; only words left unsaid.

"I would assist; however, I have already arranged to spar with my cousin, who is so kind as to mentor me in the ways of our clan."

His eyes traced her face.

"I would be honoured to watch. It is not every day one has the opportunity to watch two masters of the Gentle Fist spar."

Her cheeks grew rosy.

"I hope you do; the honour would be mine. And truly I am no master, simply a diligent student."

He matched the quirk of her lips.

"I wouldn't be so sure but we shall see."

When her cousin arrived, he had already found a seat on the veranda, ready to welcome the day by observing a friendly spar. The two men had nodded at each other and the two cousins had shared a smile and gentle greetings before they got into position.

The Gentle Fist was odd to the naked eye. It looked more like a strange, choreographed dance set than a fighting style. It was a deadly dance however, as he knew well. A single, precise hit could incapacitate even the most powerful of shinobi. Several would kill you. And only a Hyuuga could land them. Long, dark hair whipped around them as palms, usually chakra-laden, sought to destroy with light taps.

The hime was very good, even he could tell, but her tall cousin – whom he had heard described as a prodigy – was clearly a master with no equal. Their spar ended with a palm a hairs breath from the princess' throat. The two Hyuugas were still for a moment, expressions frozen, before their Byakugan receded and blank faces of concentration melted into easy smiles.

"Well done, Hime-sama, you are showing great improvement. I am very proud of you, as your sensei and as your loyal protector." The smile on the tall Hyuuga's face was soft proud. The princess beamed back at him, "Thank you, Nii-san, I have only come so far due to your tutelage."

Smile widening, he placed an open palm above his heart and gave her a small bow. Before departing, the young Hyuuga sent their guest a polite nod, receiving one in return.

They were both silent for a time; she watched the sun rise over the trees and the surrounding walls and he watched her in the morning light. In a blink, she turned to him once again. Her cheeks were still pink from exertion, her hair lightly tousled, fell freely down her back and with her back to the rising sun, her eyes shone like the moons last vestige against the new day.

"I hope you were suitably entertained, Uchiha-san. I fear I am not the most prolific fighter amongst the Hyuuga and Nii-san must be gentle and patient so I can keep up. It does not make for the most interesting sparring matches, I imagine." She had lowered her eyes slightly as she spoke these works, tone coloured rueful and almost embarrassed.

He found himself on his feet in less than a second, suddenly closer to her than ever before.

She looked up at him in surprise, cheeks rapidly colouring.

"Please," with a voice softer than he thought possible and a finger almost touching her chin, nudging it upwards without contact, he sought her eyes once again, "do not put yourself down, Hyuuga-sama. I know very little about you and we have spoken almost no words, yet I can clearly see the strength within you. You are as capable as you are beautiful."

He felt her gasps more than heard it, fearing he had overstepped, but she did not shy away, nor did she look discontent. Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes shone with emotion he could not name.

"It is odd, Uchiha-san… I hope you won't think me mad… but somehow, I feel as though I have known you always…"

She met his eyes head on and he knew she understood that he felt the same.

From the beginning, she was curious about the latent chakra inside of him. When she questioned him about it, he seemed to know little of it, citing her as the first person, he had seen perform supernatural feats like that.

One night, as they sat by the fire, simply watching the flames, he told her of dreams he had had all his life, dreams of a spinning wheel, red, purple and black, with little tomoe spinning around endlessly. Dreams of a red and black world and black flames licking the world clean, burning endlessly.

She listened, watching the flames with him. The dreams sounded haunting, more like a promise than simple imagination.

"And twin moons. White like your eyes, looking down at me from the dark night sky."

And she knew it was no coincidence.

Through meditation, she taught him to feel the energy burning within him. The first time he felt it, he gasped loudly and stared at her like she had flipped his world on its axis, before burying his face in her hair.

She found that the chakra within him was similar to her own, hot like the flames her family wore as a crest. Yet where hers crackled and sparked like lightning, his burned and consumed.

She taught him to channel it to his hands and feet and though his technique crude and the lack of control in his chakra-use, he managed to push enough into his feet to be able to jump high, run faster and even walk a little way up tree trunks.

Often, he would simply watch her. Moving through katas, meditating or scouting with her all-seeing eyes.

She fascinated him as he fascinated her, she knew, so she allowed him to look. Despite living amongst those who could see through everything, she had never felt quite so vulnerable, so fully exposed as she did by his dark, dark eyes.

She relished in it.

Their missions together were quiet. Efficient. Almost… nice, even. Sasuke had been told that she was weak and untalented for a Hyuuga, yet he did not see it. Hinata was a silent killer, calculating and intelligent and extremely capable. She had mastered her clan's techniques, yet possessed a humbleness that many shinobi – especially those from clans – lacked, which made her make wiser decisions and more aware of her strengths and limitations than most others. She didn't babble on like most others and was committed to completing missions in good time, with satisfactory results. That alone made her a perfect missions partner for him, along with her neutral and professional behaviour towards him, but it was as much her other qualities that made her his favoured partner. She always brought homemade provisions along; expertly made bentoes for everyone on the team, as well as homemade herbal salves kept in her pack and passed around to injured or sore team mates. She always made sure to debrief after every little scuffle, quietly insistent just as when she forced him to sleep, never letting him stand guard the whole night through.

One time, during their third mission together, he had admitted to her that he had difficulties sleeping regardless, so she may as well rest. Instead she had sat with him by the fire for a few hours, saying little all the while, before eventually suggesting that they just move on ahead of schedule when he couldn't get her to go back to sleep.

Hyuuga Hinata didn't seem to care much for him, nor mind his presence particularly, always simply accepting him instead of being openly hostile or friendly. Yet she was perhaps the person in Konoha that had shown him the most kindness since his return and making him feel the most comfortable, simply by treating him like any other.

Sakura was still overeager, trying her best to make him feel comfortable but ultimately constantly forcing her unrequited feelings upon him. She hadn't understood him when they were 12 and even less now.

Kakashi still attempted to take on a sort of mentor role that seemed grotesquely misplaced, seeing as Sasuke had sought guidance from others long ago and by now had far surpassed his old genin sensei.

Naruto… understood him like no other but had at the same time never accepted who Sasuke really was. These days, Sasuke could see his mistakes, errors and missteps but he still couldn't deny that the reason behind his actions was still very much just. Naruto would never understand why he had to leave or why he would never truly be able to let go of the hatred he felt towards generations passed of Konoha officials.

One thing Naruto had managed to puck into his head, however, was the idea of changing your circumstances and making a better future. This time, Sasuke would not be starting revolutions shaking the foundations of the shinobi world. Instead, he would start with the overgrown ruins in the middle of Konoha where hundreds and hundreds of Uchiha had once lived.

He was going to rebuild his clan and their village. There would never be a massacre or a shadow government in Konoha again if he had anything to say about it. Having your old sensei as Hokage and your best friend next in-line for the title had to come with some benefits, after all.

After the Hyuuga had petitioned for his remaining within the village, Sasuke decided to prioritise making them allies of his new Uchiha clan. There was much wisdom to be gotten from them as well, he imagined; they were one of the oldest clans in the shinobi world and must have other tricks than curse marks up their sleeves when it came to clan and village politics. Having Hyuuga Hinata as a mission partner certainly helped in regards to getting closer to the old clan.

They would sometimes talk about it; how their clans worked, his dead and hers amidst catharsis, and their thoughts on it. These conversations were usually held in moonlight, by the fireside when Hinata stayed up with him. Generally, they didn't speak much, neither of them being particularly talkative. Sasuke sensed, however, that much like him, she could speak at length about certain things, once in a while and under the right circumstances, usually only brought out by the right people. Why they were both the right people to each other was anybody's guess, but much like him, she was very invested in her clan and perhaps this allowed them to open up to one another.

One night, staring into the embers, she admitted that she didn't wish to be heir. He had said nothing, waiting for her to continue, if she so wished to. It was a while before she did, "though I am determined to bring change to my clan, I have no real interest in being clan head." The corners of her mouth twisted up, "I spent so many years fighting to get stronger to prove myself and earn back my title and my father's affection, yet now that I stand richer than ever, I realise that this was never the life I wanted."

He couldn't tear his eyes from her. "What do you want?"

She looked to the moon and then to him.

"I want freedom. For me and all others; freedom to live and decide how to do it."

Her eyes were full of hope yet somehow held none at all.

"So do it." His blunt words brought surprise to her features. "You already fought for that freedom, Hinata, by proving them wrong and becoming powerful enough to change your fate. Now you are in control; so free yourself."

Her eyes had gone wide and her mouth was slightly open. He feared that his words would be less affective due to their deliverer but soon her expression softened into a sweet smile.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun. Really."

He had to break eye contact, suddenly feeling awkward, and nodded brusquely. They spoke no more on the matter that night.

"As awful as it sounds, it is vital for clans to keep their members close and their precious secrets to themselves."

They were in the hall of records, looking into Konoha clan history and Hinata was sharing some of her observations with him.

"A clan is not just a family, after all. The greatest clans are their own communities, separate from the bigger society." She looked reluctant to admit it. Sasuke could only agree, though. He remembered how the old Uchiha district had their own weapons shops, food market and clothing stores. "While villages benefit all in them, the clans must be partially self-sustaining to keep their independence." She pulled another tome down from a shelf before taking a seat opposite to him. "I am sure the Uchiha, being such a large clan, had to partially rely on produce bought from the general village sources, but like the Hyuuga, you must have had your own small fields and such both within and outside of the village." She was unfurling a tome concerning somewhat the same as the one he was reading; accounts of the first clan settlements in the area and the founding of Konoha. "We keep winter gardens, kitchen gardens and even a little livestock within our walls and have our own sources outside the walls, all managed by clan members," she continued.

"I'd rather not end up creating the same kind of secrecy and reclusion that got my clan killed in the first place, though." He hadn't meant for the words to bite so but she winced nonetheless.

"Understandable." Her eyes stilled on the page and she bit her lip tentatively, "I would also not recommend seeking to solve it through sealing or curse marks like the Hyuuga clan has… and of course complete isolation from the extended village is not advisable. However," she glanced up at him, seemingly not really surprised that he was already watching her intently, "clans must have a unity separate from that of the village, a loyalty to the clan and to each other as shinobi as well as family." Her eyes looked beyond him, at the few others in the hall, "People who do not belong to clans and have never experienced that kind of unity and community will never understand that and see this as an inherently bad thing; but it is vital to keep the clan standing. Otherwise, they would dissolve, the genes would be diluted and one would instead simply have abilities spread out amongst villagers."

One might argue that this wouldn't be a bad thing, he thought, but Hinata seemed to be aware of that and also that he would understand why that reality was not to be preferred.

"How would you do it?"

His question seemed to startle her, "Me? What do you mean?" Sasuke shrugged, "How would you go about starting a new clan, keeping all these things in mind, so that it would blend in with Konoha the easiest?"

Hinata stared at him, as if trying to discern if he was making fun of her. He met her gaze head on. She flushed red when she realised that he truly wanted to know her opinion.

"W-well, uh, I would start by identifying possible sources for resources; livestock, fish, vegetables, wood and so on, to become at least somewhat self-sustaining, as I mentioned." She nibbled her lip and seemed to find resolution, sitting straighter and squaring her shoulders.

"Then I would secure alliances. These two things may go hand in hand, but it is also important to have your own resources if alliances ever go sour. But a few, key alliances with other powerful clans or institutions can be very important and useful for any clan, even more so for a completely new one. Third priority is defining your role in the village." Sasuke listened with rapt attention. The heiress was wise and had clearly given clan dynamics a lot of thought. "Of course, this role would be some kind of shinobi work, but making your clan characteristic, giving it a trademark of a kind, is just as important as pure skill. Think on it; all the major and noble clans in Konoha have their own distinct styles and roles in the village, whether it be the Hyuugas' Byakugan used for reconnaissance and defence or the Yamanakas' mind techniques used for interrogation. By carving yourself a place and a role in the village, you become vital, which in turn gives you sway in village matters."

"And how would you make the members loyal to the clan? Obviously, you are against curse marks and extreme secrecy, but what then?" Hinata hesitated then, if only a little.

"In some ways, when you deal with clans with Kekkei Genkai, I am not opposed completely to sealing," his eyes widened at that, "as all bearers of it are at risk of getting their eyes stolen and if the clan is small with many younger members, the risk is only greater. But I would never put a seal meant to control or give a few power over the many on any member of my clan." Her white eyes were cold and hard like a slate of ice as she spoke. She was beautiful.

"So, a seal that will leave the eyes useless if removed from their rightful owner but that no one else would be able to activate either." Sasuke thought of his own eyes, stolen from his brother and thought that it might not be so bad that no Uchiha brothers would ever kill each other for their brethren's eyes again.

They fell silent again after that, both lost in thought.

Sasuke spent a few more hours pouring over old texts before calling it a night.

"Thank you, Hinata," she blushed embarrassedly but answered with a small smile, "I think I shall seek your council again after I have secured an alliance with your clan." He left her looking shocked to mull over his words.

Within the month, Sasuke had secured a meeting with Hyuuga Hiashi and soon after, their new alliance was sealed with fresh blood underneath two, much older drops.

Thoughts of her consumed his every waking moment, leading his mind astray and keeping him fixated on a prize just out of reach. She was everywhere, around every corner and bend yet never where he would have her, never where he could have her. Seeing her brought nervous energy coursing through his veins, quickened his heart beat and lit a fire in his core.

When the Hyuuga visited the Uchiha compound he could not escape her if he wanted to; she took up the rooms, leaving imperceptible traces of her presence for him to anguish over until she was returned.

He always found her during the quiet moments in the Hyuuga compound, an unknown urge leading him to her unplanned yet without fail. Alone in the ancient library, during the noon lull of the gardens, early morning in the training grounds and late night by the pond in expectance of moonshine.

She always said little but her blank, white eyes burned him like no flame ever could, devouring him in all his being. And he let her.

His brother was right; he should give up, walk away and set his sights on another. Only, he doubted he could even if he wished to. She was exquisite torture and he was insatiable.

As the day of her maturity neared, the effort to win her favour and that of the Hyuuga intensified. While most knew it to be futile, it didn't stop them from trying. Only the Uchiha abstained and so they were preferred allies of the Hyuuga Head.

Many brought her flowers, poems waxing words of empty affection and jewels to shine alongside her eyes. He had never seen her wear any trinkets and privately thought them lacking and pale in comparison to her inherent beauty. The pretty words were not suited for her, simply popular compliments given to her by men whom had never heard her speak. The flowers she grew in her own garden were more lush and radiant than any she received.

He gave her nothing.

That earned him a smile that reached her eyes.

He only gave her stories.

Tales of old, of different lands that he had travelled, seen and fought in. Descriptions of places she would never see, impressions of people none would meet again and musings only he had.

He brought her leaves and flowers that she would never have seen, pressed in between two pieces of parchment, books as well as teas from foreign lands and a shuriken made with a design he had never seen before but found ingenious. She had agreed.

He gave her all that he could, attempting to give a little taste of the life she could never have, as long as he was able.

She drank it all in, savoured every part, storing it carefully and he knew she would treasure it all, as long as she lived.

One day, he was gone.

He had left while she was amongst her people and in between periods of her activating her eyes.

The riverside was full of traces of his presence and her eyes could track his footsteps over the hills and away from her world.

For the first time, she stayed the night in his settlement.

A single rainfall took away many of his marks and a single became many and soon there was little evidence of him in the space he had occupied.

Rain had not stopped falling within her, yet his marks did not disappear. Her dreams were filled dual moons and spinning red disks and black flames.

He had left her his nightmares.

Despite having all-seeing eyes and the limitless amount of wisdom they could give her, they could not help her in her dreams, they could not tell her where he had gone or if he would come back.

She took to using them less.

Less and less often would she leave her family's home, choosing to stay inside the forest, hidden away, where before she would be out exploring from sunrise to sundown. It made her restless. Yet she felt too tired to leave, too tired to go out there, to activate her eyes just to see what she already knew.

The snow buried her hopes and dreams, her heart hidden away beneath the cold blanket.

Hinata had told him more than once that he had much in common with her cousin, Hyuuga Neji. At first, he thought she meant to tease him but her soft smile told him otherwise.

Through his new alliance with the Hyuuga clan and his work with Hinata, he came to know the man personally.

She was right, of course.

Hyuuga Neji was proud, stoic and unbelievably gifted.

Sasuke was sure that in a fight, if he didn't incapacitate Neji within seconds, he would not win.

He could see much of himself in the Hyuuga man, saw his flaws reflected back at him and how Neji had overcome downfalls he himself also possessed.

They became friends, not fast or immediately, but easily, still. His friendship with Neji was unlike the one he had with Naruto or even Hinata. Where Naruto and he were brothers and he and Hinata were… partners, Neji and himself just clicked.

Hinata and Naruto both challenged him, in each their own ways, but Neji understood his, perhaps, more unsavoury parts, didn't challenge him to change or reconsider his ways. Neji also made him realise how much he had in common with Hinata.

Hinata had told him a little about Neji's hatred for her when they were younger. He had remembered some of it, regardless, but her focus had been how close they were rather than all the years where they weren't.

Neji was far more candid about it.

He freely admitted to his once deeply felt hatred for the girl he would later come to consider a sister, regretting it but never denying it. Neji also didn't deny his younger self the fact that his hatred, though perhaps misplaced, was not unfounded.

"Though I wish I had never brought Hinata-sama's life in danger and though I am ashamed of the hatred I felt towards another innocent person, I will never relent; never admit that I was wrong to feel the rage, for there was reason, and in some ways, there still is."

They had been sitting in a sushi joint, meeting for a quick dinner and Neji had looked to Sasuke imploringly, "Sometimes, Sasuke, we do the wrong things for the right reasons. As long as we can admit our wrong doings and then find other solutions to the problems, I believe we deserve forgiveness and that we should move forward."

Sasuke felt the words deeply, suddenly feeling a little vulnerable, sitting there with a man who could see everything so keenly that he almost read minds.

Neji smiled lightly, "Hinata-sama taught me that."

And suddenly a lot of things made sense.

As much as Hinata and he had lived almost parallel lives; constantly outperformed by siblings, neglected by their fathers and struggled much of their lives to find their voices and prove themselves, he came to realise that she also reminded him of Itachi.

Like him, she was the eldest sibling and heir to an ancient clan with fathers placing all their expectations on tiny, young shoulders. Like Itachi, Hinata had been a scapegoat, the one to blame for another's misfortune and the end-goal, the one to conquer, to take down.

And like Itachi, Hinata was not only endlessly patient but, according to Neji, had gone to great lengths to keep her younger sibling out of harm's way and out of her father's scheming.

Like Itachi, Hinata hadn't been able to protect her little sister from the world they lived in.

"If I may, Sasuke," Neji put down his chopsticks and turned more directly to face him, "let her help you too." He didn't have to say a name for Sasuke to know whom he was talking about.

"Her heart is bigger than your hatred, I guarantee it. She will accept you for all your darkness – she will understand. And she will help you forgive yourself."

The Hyuuga messenger arrived in the early hours of the morning, a fresh green seal on his forehead. Somehow, someone had breached the Hyuuga settlement and stolen away the princess. No guard had seen anything, but one of the watchers on the southern border had been found dead.

The Hyuuga had immediately sent out forces in all directions, now coming to the Uchiha to call upon their alliance.

He departed his family's compound before the sun lit up the sky, eyes blazing red.

He ran for hours, following any trail of interest, sweeping the land relentlessly.

Whether they came for her eyes or her blood no one knew and he would not let them find out. Her cousin, who had the longest range of vision in the clan had spotted something in his region and was bringing the elite bulk of the Hyuuga forces towards Uchiha lands.

As the sun set, they came upon a group of foreign shinobi who had made an underground lair just outside the Uchiha borders. He fell onto them without mercy, leading the Uchiha and Hyuuga deep into the earth, leaving a trail of blood in their wake.

He found her with a man by her feet, rubbing her sore wrists. Her kidnapper had chakra welts on his neck, arms and, he was sure, every other place she could reach. The man's face was frozen in terror and pain, his heart having combusted.

She trembled and he dropped his weapon by his feet, rushing to her, stepping over her abductor. His hands shook with fury and relief, suspended in the air, almost touching her, as if to make sure she was truly safe and unharmed. Her breath hitched and she stepped lightly into his touch, deadly hands landing on his chest.

Though unharmed, her eyes told him of the terror she felt. It was reflected in every Hyuuga he had seen since her abduction. They were the all-seeing clan, untouchable and she was their treasure. This should never have happened.

Her eyes flitted from his to peer around his shoulder,

"Imouto!"

The tall Hyuuga prodigy rushed into the room, blood splatter heinous on his regal face.

"Nii-san!" The princess flew into her cousin's arms, caring little for blood and other stains. He gripped her tightly, pressing her closer to himself, breathing in her scent, clearly relieved that she was safe again.

The Hyuuga's eyes were filled with the same terror that he felt and the two men found understanding and common ground in the dark room under the earth, without the need of words.

"Thank you, Uchiha-san, for helping us find my cousin, our princess." White eyes bore into him, "I hope we may one day repay the immense favour."

Still clinging closely to her cousin, the princess turned to gaze at him also and looking at the handsome pair, he found himself astonished that anyone could find the will to bring harm to these beautiful creatures. He found himself humbled by the profound gratitude expressed to him by these extraordinary beings.

Responding only with a bow, he knew they understood that he would do it all again and more, in less than a heartbeat, regardless of any alliance or reward.

Hinata was exhausted.

It was plain as day, at least to Sasuke, but surely, he thought, also to others. After chasing down a rogue-nin for the better part of a week, with about a night's worth of sleep for the entire duration, coupled with the massive work-load she had back in the village, it was no wonder that she was tired.

They had finally apprehended their target a day's travel out from the southern border of the land of Earth and were now making their way back to Konoha. They weren't in any real hurry and it was a long journey so Sasuke wouldn't mind taking it easy, but Hinata seemed to be determined to run all the way back in record time.

He found it odd, but didn't challenge her decision.

When she almost fell from a branch on the third day of their return, Sasuke had to put his foot down.

After catching her fall, he sat her down by one of the trees, kneeling in front of her, forcing her to look at him.

"Hinata," she almost flinched at his voice, though it was not raised nor angry.

"Hinata look at me." Reluctantly, she met his eyes. Her eyes were puffed and there were dark circles under them. He held her gaze a little while before continuing.

"There is no need to prove yourself to me, Hinata." Tentatively, he put a hand on her shoulder, close to her neck, in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "I already know how strong and capable you are," his eyes searched hers, "You do not need to show me. You don't need to worry about slowing me down or being a burden; you need to worry about staying healthy and safe. Please, let yourself take a break. I cannot bear to see you like this."

Tears welled to her eyes and suddenly she was sobbing almost silently as if releasing built-up frustration, stress and exhaustion far beyond that accumulated during this mission.

Sasuke pulled her lightly towards him and she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck. He held her gently, scared of upsetting her further and let her empty her eyes into the material of his shirt.

When the tears finally stopped, she made no immediate move to let go and neither did he.

"Sleep now, I will take care of everything." Another tremor ran through her body but she tightened her grip around his neck.

"Rest, Hinata. You've earned it."

He scooped her up into his arms and began walking towards the little town he recalled passing once or twice, during one travel-through or another.

At some point during the walk, Hinata drifted away, finally allowing herself to rest.

He got to the little village in the late afternoon and found an inn, where they could spend the night on proper futons and with a roof over their heads.

Somehow, he managed not to wake Hinata during this time, though she did begin to wake when he made to remove her sandals.

Hinata blinked at him blearily with her large, white eyes, all bloodshot and swollen from her crying and he could not help but smile.

He helped her out of her sandals and into the duvets on the prepared futon after she shucked off her jacket.

"Thank you, Sasuke." Her voice was even softer than normal, indiscernible to ordinary ears. He heard them, nonetheless, and hummed in response. Soon, her breathing evened out again and he slid into his own futon, suddenly feeling the exhaustion creep up on him as well.

At the same time, however, he felt his entire body course with an unnamed energy that battled his mind for control, effectively keeping him awake.

She turned towards him in her sleep and he watched her, captivated.

The energy in his body slowed to a steady thrum, pounding quietly alongside his heart.

He could not say how much time had passed, but night had fallen when her eyes slid open. The white orbs were luminescent in the dark room and she watched him as he watched her.

An entirely different energy filled his core and spread to every part of his body.

Soon after, sleep finally found him and he drifted off into dreams of twin moons on a dark night sky, blue as Hinata's hair.

He returned with the summer heat, slow progression over the hills reminiscent of his first arrival.

She did not go to greet him. He would know that she had seen him, regardless.

He paused by the river as he had once before, unfastening the long katana from his side and laying it on the ground, an air of importance about his movements, giving it a ceremonial quality.

She watched from afar as he stepped to the river and, looking straight ahead into the impregnatable forest, stepped onto the rapid currents. Pooling chakra with slight uncertainly into his feet, he took slow steps across the river, never faltering despite his inexperience.

As he stepped back onto dry land, he took a moment to collect himself, looking relieved, despite his expression never morphing from the determined set of his jaw.

Without looking back, he steps forward, walking into the dense forest.

Few others have ever breached this forest and over the years, her family weaved genjutsu in to scenery, aiming to confuse any trespassers, constantly veering them off course in such a manner that they would never even know that they had been masterfully steered away from the hidden clan's home.

There were no paths and due to the sheer number and size of the trees and other vegetation, ordinary people would get lost quickly, even without the illusions.

He simply walks straight ahead, never veering far off from his original direction.

Soon, her clansmen take notice and many gather to the west side of the compound, where she too is standing, not quite waiting for this mysterious intruder to arrive but not quite willing to make an effort to make sure he doesn't. They are intrigued. They must see what she sees; the fire-laced chakra within him, the sureness of his step and his unwavering eyes.

He arrives at dusk.

By then, the entire clan is awaiting his arrival. Her father stands by her side, saying nothing but somehow sensing that she knows more than any other.

He stops when he emerges from the trees into the clearing where their clan has lived, hidden away, for generations. Hundreds of white gazes meet him. His black eyes find hers.

In a pace that is almost leisurely, he strides directly towards her. No one moves to stop him, too intrigued and sensing no real danger. They are still the predators and here is prey walking into their midst, confidently and unafraid.

He falls to his knees before her. A rush of breath goes through her clan but otherwise they stay silent. She says nothing, only watching him, waiting for him to speak.

"You seem as otherworldly as the first time I saw you." From the corner of her eye, she sees her father look to her. She says nothing, keeping her eyes on the man by her feet.

"As you stand here know, amongst your brethren, in your home hidden away by a magical forest, you seem more goddess than human. And I," the corner of his mouth turns up slightly, "I am but a simple human, graced momentarily by your magic, suspended in a dream-like state in a corner of the world, unsure of what was real other than the fire I felt within you." The smile dropped again,

"I had to leave, re-join the world I knew, just to know that I could, to know that I was under no spell. I had to know that this and that you were real." A tiny, almost hopeful smile finds his lips, "But know I am returned. And," His eyes bore into hers, "If you will have me, I will never leave your side again."

No one spoke, all awaiting her reaction. Slowly, she stepped forwards, letting him careen his head up to look at her. After a moment, she sank to her knees as well, placing her hand on his face.

"At first I thought you were some strange creature, far removed from me and as different as night is day." Her voice was soft.

"And now?" His words were barely above a whisper, eyes searching her face with hope and fear clearly written across his handsome features.

"And now," she smiled "now I see that we are the same."

Hinata wore a delicate lavender kimono with elegant flowers adorning the bottom, a rueful smile on her lips but eyes clear as Naruto married Sakura.

The ceremony was lavish with the beaming groom fumbling slightly with his words and a radiant bride in demure white. People from all corners of the world had come to celebrate the saviour of the ninja world getting married. Sasuke got quite a few sour looks from many of them.

The feast after the ceremony was enormous and the party was a village wide affair. His old teammates were laughing and grinning like the idiots they were, so Sasuke suffered through the prolonged exposure to the masses of people.

They found each other in a quiet corner little ways off from the main festivities.

She smiled at him but said nothing else, simply taking place beside him to watch the spectacle.

"You are doing well."

She seemed only mildly surprised at his words and made a little affirming noise, smile growing slightly.

"This is a joyous occasion, after all, and with two people I hold dear finding happiness, there is little reason to be sad." After a tick, she spoke again, her voice softer, "but thank you."

He hummed.

From the middle of the party, Ino suddenly squealed and threw her arms around Sai. All hell broke loose when Sakura discovered that her wedding was being upstaged by her friend getting engaged.

Sasuke looked at Hinata as she watched the spectacle unfurl. Her hair shone in the light from the lanterns, the warm glow illuminating her face softly as she giggled slightly at Ino and Sakura's antics, eyes soft and luminous in the half-dark.

"Would you ever marry?"

She stilled and her eyes froze in place, not looking to him.

A slight exhale, "perhaps, some day." He waited for her to continue.

"But marrying outside of the Hyuuga means leaving the clan and I could not do that before the wrongs of my ancestors have been righted." She straightened her stance a little more, eyes burning, "I may not wish to become Head of the Hyuuga clan – Neji-nii-san should be the one to hold that mantle – but I still feel a duty to my people and the role I hold amongst them."

"And if it takes all your life?"

She smiled and finally met his eyes, "then so be it."

Sasuke could not help but hope that radical change would come to the Hyuuga sooner rather than later.

He took to walking the forest at night, making his way by the river that divided their lands, under the pretence of needing fresh air, restlessness or even for the purpose of exercise.

She took to meeting him there, by the river and walking with him. The first times, she made a show of stumbling upon him and cited an inane reasoning much like his own.

They always decided, quite sensibly, to walk together seeing as they both happened to be out.

Under the moonlight, she was radiant and there in the dark she allowed herself to speak more candidly, about matters serious and trivial alike. He found himself matching her openness and left most of his reserved tendencies back in the Uchiha compound.

They never acknowledged the real reason they were both there; some words, some truths were too bright, too heavy and too dangerous even for the dark of night.

They never touched, their only contact a helping hand now and then.

After every moonlight stroll, he walked her back along the river, to the narrowest point of it, bid her goodnight and watched her walk back in to the trees, before crossing the flowing currents back into Uchiha territory.

Most nights, he felt even less sleepy after returning home.

Their night-time rendezvous gave his foolish heart hope, despite him being very aware of the hopelessness of his infatuation. But every doubt and hesitation and negative thought vanished from his mind when she came to him, smile blossoming on her beautiful face, cheeks reddening and eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

Even if he could never have her in the light of day, he could never give up their time in the cover of night.

A few weeks before the cherry blossoms opened, she came to their meeting place, looking distraught.

He had been away for three weeks, fighting samurai in north and had brought a fan with delicate lavender petals pressed onto back for her. The gift felt more intimate, somehow, and he was anxious for her reaction.

A greeting died in his throat at the look of resignation on her face.

"Uchiha-san." She remained on the opposite side of the river. He made no move to cross either. "I am glad to see that you have returned safely."

Something was amiss, yet he could not figure out what. From the look on her face; resigned, remorseful and sad, he was not sure he wanted to know.

"Thank you, Hyuuga-sama," she flinched slightly at the formal tone, despite being the one to initiate it.

"The samurai are fearsome foes, though no real challenge for shinobi." He felt himself hesitate, feeling quite out of depth.

"I brought Hyuuga-sama a gift from the northern lands," her face fell even further, "it would be an honour if you would accept it."

He stepped out into the river, stopping halfway, waiting.

She stared at him, clearly torn and conflicted. Slowly, she stepped out to meet him there, leaving an arm's length between them.

He held her eyes and wordlessly held out the delicate gift for her to take. He felt silly, childish, ridiculous for having brought her such a simple thing.

She grabbed it gently, examining it with utmost care. Tears welled up in her eyes even as her lips stretched into a smile.

"It's beautiful," she looked up at him once again, uncaring of the tears streaming down her face. "Thank you so much, Uchiha-san. You don't know how much this means to me."

He said nothing. He didn't reach out for her or ask for the source of her tears.

She squeezed her eyes shut and her smile turned bitter.

"When the cherry trees blossom, I am to be married."

He felt the air being knocked out of him.

Only many years of refining his chakra control allowed him to keep himself standing atop the water.

She wept silently as his world fell apart.

"I see."

He knew this day would come, it was inevitable and he had also known it would be sooner rather than later. It didn't prevent his heart from constricting in anguish or his body from being taken by shock.

He excused laying a hand on her cheek, letting it collect her tears as being an action made in shock, as well.

She leaned into his touch and let the tears flow.

She cried for him, he realised, cried for him, herself and the thing between them that they could never have. She wept for the unfairness of fate and the impossibility of their love.

He said nothing more and left not long after, bidding her goodnight and giving her the perfunctory congratulations.

He did not come back the next night, nor the night after or any other night.

The time of moonlight strolls with loose walks was over, a finished chapter to be swept up by the sands of time.

"Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing."

She sounded tired. He watched her for a moment before settling into a comfortable position beside her. They had been sparring and Hinata had seemed distracted since she arrived.

He let his silence be a prompt for her to continue. After a while, she let out a deep sigh and let her head fall back onto the trunk of the tree with a small thunk.

"Every time I think I've found a solution to something, a new facet, a new problem is revealed." Her eyes fell shut.

"The curse seal?" Hinata's mouth curved down in frustration at Sasuke's gentle prodding.

"I haven't been able to find a good alternative yet," she pushed hair behind her ear in a frustrated movement, "We can't abolish it completely without an alternative that offers protection from poaching but continuing with the current seal is unacceptable."

Sasuke hummed thoughtfully.

"And I don't know how to change the clan dynamics smoothly in such a way that no one is compelled to revolt." A difficult feat, Sasuke imagined, with the current seals still in place. "I've been looking through old records – but Sasuke-san, there are centuries worth of documents, some so old that they are barely legible." She looked over to him, eyes burning, "they do show, however, that the seal was first introduced a generation or so before Konoha was founded to protect clan members from poaching and was fully instated amongst all members after an heiress was kidnapped." An interesting parallel to her own experience, Sasuke noted.

"And did you know, Sasuke-san, that the Uchiha clan was founded after a Hyuuga married outside the clan?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Some of our oldest records describe an incident were a Hyuuga woman's children were born with eyes with a different dojutsu, when she left to marry a stranger."

Sasuke held her gaze intently.

"No wonder, I suppose, that we are called sister clans, then."

She nodded, eyes never leaving his.

He made a quick decision to act on thoughts he had had for a while, then.

"Since you are so insightful in clan matters, I wondered if you would join me in scouting new resource sources, Hinata?" Sasuke hoped she understood what he meant with the offer.

"Of course, Sasuke-san, I would be honoured to assist."

Judging from her slowly reddening cheeks, she had.

Including Hinata in the process of identifying sources of food and income for his fledgling clan had been a good idea, Sasuke soon discovered.

She brought him to the Hyuuga seafood supplier by the coast, with whom he negotiated a deal to be enacted in the future, when things were more settled. The supplier probably wouldn't have made a deal with him without the Hyuuga heiress vouching for him, nor would the farmer from whom he commissioned two fields from, he was sure.

Even more valuable, however, was her sharp assessment of the ruins that would one day become the Uchiha district once again. With the help of her Byakugan, Hinata quickly identified the best places for gardens, both for kitchen purposes and for recreation.

He let her have free reign, letting the assignments he entrusted to her speak for themselves.

She seemed to enjoy it and was clearly excited at the prospects the new Uchiha clan had. Something settled inside of Sasuke and for once, he felt that all would be right.

He began meeting her in the hall of records on his days off, helping her read through all the ancient documents. The Sharingan was especially suited for tasks like these, he reasoned. She agreed.

He stayed in the family compound for a week, plenty of time for her family to asses him.

In truth, their opinion would not have swayed her, regardless. They knew this.

There was no reason to wait; they were both ready and eager, so within a week, they were bound together in a simple ceremony.

Her father gave her a purse of gold to bring with her and the very same night, they left to make their own home. Their feet took them to the borders of the forest and across the river, unspoken agreement to settle near their first meeting place.

They spent their wedding night beneath the stars, sleeping little.

They were on their way as the sun rose, and for the first time, he led her, as they walked out of her little world, into the unknown. There was a great big world out there and he showed it to her, bringing her far and wide to places she could scarce have imagined. Eventually, their path wound its way back to the forests and river.

They settled up-stream, near the river bank, far enough to be out of range for anyone in her family's vision but still close enough to her roots. They built their home there and once her belly grew with new life, she stitched red and white fans into their close and that of the child on its way.

With a soft smile, he had asked what it meant.

"The fan is like a blooming flower; a beginning like our family is and a sign of prosperity, as I wish our children will have." She placed his hands on her belly to feel their child growing within, "and red and white for luck."

They would have five children, all with dark hair and eyes black as coal. Within them, chakra burned bright and one after the other, their eyes shone red as the spinning disks that had haunted their parents' dreams many years before.

Other clans settled in the area and with the fans stitched to their backs, generation after generation, the young clan became known as the Uchiha.

It was a great relief that the fledgling sakura blossoms had not been damaged by the rain.

The heavens had ripped open the night before.

In the wake of the rain, the world looked fresh a new, soft spring sun foretelling new beginnings.

He had ventured out in it, in the cover of darkness. It wouldn't do much good where he was going but this could not be done in the light of day.

All the major clans were gathered, many heads and their sons looking remorseful and disappointed.

She met him in the rain, by the river. He couldn't say if she had looked for him every night or if she had just known that he would come this night.

His own father's stoic face revealed nothing. His mother and brother looked content, excited even. It was an important event politically, leading to the deviation from tradition by having so many in attendance.

Her long hair was drenched, sticking to her delicate face and hanging limply own her back, almost more black than blue in the dark blur of the rain. Her white night kimono was plastered to her body and she was panting, like she had run to reach him.

Despite the excitement clearly shown on many faces in attendance, the apprehension of the union in question lay just under the surface.

Like the night weeks earlier, they met in the middle of the river. They didn't touch but he could almost feel the heat of her body.

The groom stood tall and handsome, regal with a strong jaw, sharp cheekbones and long, dark hair falling down his back. Dressed in fine clothing, his forehead was adorned by a fresh seal, displayed proudly for all to see.

"Had you any other name," murmured words were near drowned out by the rain, "any other name than Hyuuga, I would dare to call you mine."

She heard them all the same.

The young bride was enchanting in her white uchikake, blue-black hair hidden partially by her headdress. Her face was pale but she smiled softly back at the groom as she reached him.

"If only you no name had – then I would stop at nothing."

They make a striking pair and the purification seems almost superfluous. He hears only the thrum of his own pulse in his ears as they share three cups of sake.

A slight smile found her face. Whether bitter or longing, was unclear in the rain.

She said nothing. There was no need.

For that was not the world in which they lived.

She is smiling slightly in the end, as is her cousin beside her. Yet he spots almost imperceptible tears in her eyes as they meet his.

It is enough.

Sasuke brings up the issue of the seals origin and original purpose again, after finding old letters in the Uchiha archives. There are few documents left from his clan's true collection, only those of little use remaining, such as the odd letters sent to an Uchiha several generations ago.
The reason for their preservation had remained a mystery, seeing as they seemingly held little relevant information and overall seemed too personal to be stored by the clan along with official records. Sasuke could gauge that they had been written for a number of years before Uchiha Madara and Senju Harashirama founded the village of Konoha, the correspondence seemingly coming to an end in the year of their fall out.

The sender was unknown and the receiver was only identified as 'Uchiha-san'.

At first glance, there had been nothing remarkable about them, but upon closer inspection, Sasuke had noticed passages containing terminology close to that of texts on sealing.

In these personal letters to one of his ancestors, were clues to the beginning of the Hyuuga curse mark.

He brought them to Hinata, hoping she might gain more from them than he could.

Upon reading through them, A fire seemed to ignite within her.

Sometimes, Sasuke had wondered about the flame symbol of the cold Hyuuga, but when he saw Hinata in all her aspects, it made perfect sense.

Together with Neji, they poured over the old letters and compared them to texts on the seal, searching for the last clues that would reveal the answer to the puzzle that had consumed the two Hyuuga, and to some extent Sasuke, for years.

The sun was not quite peeking over the horizon one morning when suddenly, while Neji was out to fetch more records, Hinata gasped out a raspy "I got it!"
They had stared at each other with wide eyes, before breaking into wild laughter, quite unlike either of them.

When Neji came back, Hinata threw her arms around him and all but danced around him. The Hyuuga prodigy grew quiet, as if in shock, at loss for words in face of the reality that his lifetime of suffering and oppression was about to come to a definitive end.

They didn't spare a moment for victory celebrations, instead rushing back to the Hyuuga compound to reveal their findings.

Neji became the first member of the old branch house to have his seal removed, ceremoniously done by Hinata in front of their entire clan and Sasuke.

When all the Hyuuga had had, their seals removed, they presented the second part of the discovery; over the years, Hinata had developed a far more discrete seal that would not harm the user but make dojutsu eyes worthless, if removed from their owners.
In front of their entire clan, main and branch family alike, Hinata knelt before Neji and let him seal her eyes, tiny, bluish crescent shaped markings forming on either side of her temple.

In the end, they were the last to marry. It was something that had baffled their friends for years; they both seemed to have plenty of reason to marry at a young age, as nobles were want to do. Of course, they were not old – the shinobi life did not permit for marriage late in life, as most could not expect to live till old age. Still, Sakura was pregnant for the second time and Naruto was carrying their first born at the highly anticipated Uchiha-Hyuuga wedding.

Though there wasn't much of an Uchiha clan to speak of at the time, the event was still historical and, in many ways, ground-breaking; since the conception of the Uchiha clan, there had never been a matrimonial union between the two clans and the Hyuuga had married within their own ranks, for the most part, to avoid creating new, powerful dojutsu left, right and centre.

Had Hinata not been as powerful and self-assured as the kunoichi she had made of herself, it still never would have happened, Sasuke knew.

The ceremony was held beneath fresh sakura blossoms in the new Uchiha district, with only family and close friends in attendance.

Hinata was ethereal in white, standing amongst her loved-ones in the garden she herself had sowed the seeds of. Stoic Hyuuga Neji was smiling warmly, even Hyuuga Hiashi found a small smile and Sasuke could also feel his own face settling into a content tiny, smile. It only grew, when Hinata changed into her reception kimono, where a red and white fan had been stitched onto the back.

In the effort to avoid recluse and isolation from the village, they had decided to open the new Uchiha district up to the entire village in celebration of the wedding, to which clans from far and wide were invited. Though it may not have been the globe-trotting event that Naruto and Sakura's wedding was and though many came for Naruto's sake and most were definitely not there to celebrate Sasuke, he couldn't find it within himself to care.

In the years, she had spent revolutionising her clan, he had built her a home with space for plenty of children and with the clear purpose of one day being the centre of the new Uchiha district.
Myth surrounded the mixing of Hyuuga blood and as the first meeting had created the Sharingan, there was quite a bit of anticipation surrounding the birth of their first child.

Hinata bore twins in her first pregnancy. A boy and a girl were born, both black-eyed with a ring of white around the pupil setting them apart from their father's.

Over the years, they would come to have two more, all following the trend of the modified black Uchiha eyes. All the children had shiny black hair that seemed to glint almost blue in the right light.

They were all sealed at a young age, protecting the first generation of the new clan, which turned out to have been necessary, as their children awoke an entirely new dojutsu, marking the definitive start to a new era.

So this was a long one!
The idea has been with me for months, starting with a funny notion that the first Uchiha were Hyuuga with messy hair and then it spiralled from there...

I am very well aware that the timelime and lore doesn't match the cannon verse, but it was never meant to.
One thing about the timeline that I wanted to mention, however, is that the second part takes place about a generation before Harashirama and Madara join forces to found Konoha. They would have been children when the second Sasuke and Hinata were fully grown adults.
I dont really know how all the clan districts fit into this story, but I imagine that the struggle for power between the Uchiha and Senju caused a lot of damage, so perhaps the old compounds and such were destroyed and had to be built anew?

I did a bit of research into Japanese wedding ceremonies as well as fans so if you were wondering if I just pulled all that out of my ass, I can assure you I did not.

I found the third part the most difficult, because I wanted the characters to much nearer and concrete than those from the other parts and because they had to fit cannon more. I realise that Sasuke especially is maybe a little to talkative and kind to Hinata, but to me, a part of the attraction and the potential in this ship is that I can see both of them bringing out new sides of each other and both of them striving to be better for the other.

Lastly, I hinted at a new dojutsu being created - what will it be, do you think?
I am also considering writing more in the modern-day setting of this verse - would that be of interest?

Please let me know what you thought of this story and if you would like to see more like it!