Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and/or its characters.

Dedicated to…::drum roll:: Whooshing-san! n-n Happy (belated) Birthday!

My Cup of Coffee

Coffee. Once you began to drink it, you get addicted. A lesson one Hyuuga Hinata learned after she had her first cup during a long mission to help keep her awake.

She smiled shyly as her eyes looked over the brim of her cup into the ebony ones of her husband. It was ironic. Instead of her liking her coffee like she liked her men, it was the opposite. She found out she liked her men like her coffee: dark, strong, and warm. Later on, she found she liked Sasuke.

Dark. Oh boy was Sasuke dark. Down right angsty at first. A black cloud of angst always followed him, even to this day. He betrayed Konoha by leaving to join Orochimaru. Many said he would become like his brother and slaughter them all. But Hinata knew that was not true. One of the differences between the two Uchiha brothers was that one came back while the other fled. Sasuke came back to Konoha with presents: the dead bodies of Orochimaru and Kabuto.

The other was that Sasuke couldn't kill his own kin, no matter how angry he was with them. All of those times he swore to kill Itachi… even when he met Itachi when Akatsuki wanted Naruto; his heart wasn't in it. He still loved his older brother who always cared for him and tried to make him stronger. He couldn't use his full power and that was why he still stood no chance against his older brother. So when the time came against the Akatsuki, he let the ANBU take care of Itachi. Hinata admired that he still visited his brother's make shift grave (1) often.

Strong. No one questioned the great Uchiha's strength after he defeated Orochimaru. He had also had many strong opponents before that fight, including Naruto, their present Hokage. She thought he also had great mental and emotional strength. He stood up for what he believed to be right and for those he cared for. She believed that was his true strength and always admired it.

And warm. Warmth is something that is usually not associated with the Uchiha, but it was there, hidden behind icy walls. He would let it out once in a while for his companions: a smile here, a compliment there… But for her, he would succumb to it. He would always be there for her… and for that, she was thankful.

The black coffee left a hint of bitterness on her tongue at first, but the more she drank, the more she liked. When she first met him, he was very bitter. He tried to lock everyone out of his heart and only 'wished' to kill the man responsible for the massacre of his clan: his older brother. But then the more she saw him (while she was watching Naruto); the more she wanted to see him. The more she wanted him…

She finished her cup of coffee and placed it on the small kitchen table in front of her. He looked over at her from above the rim of his own cup. White met black. She smiled shyly at him and he warmly smirked at her. She blushed lightly as the warm feeling reached her heart. No words were exchanged. They weren't necessary. It was a quiet only the two of them could appreciate, and they did… every morning that they were together.

His hand found hers and intertwined their fingers together as they smiled/smirked lovingly at each other once more, both glancing at the silver wedding bands they wore. He gave her a reassuring squeeze before leaving the table and then the estate to go on a dangerous mission. He knew that she would wait for his return and she knew he would always return to her.

No one would have figured the 'worthless' Hyuuga girl and the 'heartless' Uchiha boy would get together… let alone married. It was a mystery to those that had not seen it for themselves. They knew why Hinata could fall for him, but why would he love her?

He smirked at that question. He liked her because she was sweet, light, and simple kind of girl. Just like the way he liked his coffee.

(1) Make shift grave because Sasuke made it himself. There is nothing in the coffin that is buried there because Itachi's body was disposed of so that no one could get his Sharingan.

It's a birthday/contest fic… :P Either use only conversation or no conversation at all between a couple. The contest also required (earlier on) the use of coffee as the first and last words… Sorry if it's bad… n-n;;; The title's a play off of the phrase "My cup of tea"… stupid, I know… -.-;;;

Again Happy (belated) Birthday, Whooshing-san!!!!!!!

-minimerc