Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. All rights belong to its original creator, Masashi Kishimoto. Any likeness or similarities to real life, fanfiction, or other published material is by pure coincidence. Copyright infringement is unintended.

Hey all! This will be my first update on this story since...2010, man, does time fly or what? I apologize once again for the lack of updates, and also because I am extremely rusty since I haven't written in ages. I'm hoping to finally get back into the groove of writing again (which I always say, I know), but I hope that you'll please stick with me! Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy! (And a special thanks to any readers who are returning after reading this when I first started it back in 2009!)

Dear Diary

Chapter 03: Logic

The pillows made my head ache, and the blankets itched like wool at night. I hadn't slept much since he'd visited, and each day dragged on like a broken record, seemingly without end. These were the days I had always lived. This was my routine.

Why then, did everything suddenly feel so different?

When I woke up in the morning, the ambiance of dawn had turned into a stifling, smoky, haze. The gossip of distant relatives and Hyuuga housemaids in the courtyard scraped at my patience, as it never had before... and eating meals with my family had become an ordeal when it was once just another task to be done in my usual routine.

Nothing has changed, I'd convinced myself. The air around me grew thicker and heavier-suffocating, in the confines of my room. I felt the need to write in my diary; take the confused thoughts swirling around in my head and wrangle them onto the paper... but I couldn't do it.

There was an unsettling feeling bubbling up from the pit of my stomach-denial.

Is this who I'll choose to be? Could this even be called...me?

The rain hadn't let up for days, and it only reminded me of him. I shouldn't have given him any thought at all. His offer was outrageous, and there should have been nothing to think about. He was awful, selfish, arrogant-just as his reputation had built him up to be. He was all of those horrible things, and yet that strange, mysterious, feeling still hadn't left my chest.

What is this?

It wasn't love, that much I felt sure of. The feeling was light, and hopeful-but muddled in confusion and discolored by the waves of anxiety pulsing through my veins. I didn't know what it was, but I wanted to keep it locked away.

"Do you enjoy it?"

"What?" I looked over at Naruto. He was adjusting his sandals as he got up from his seat at the Ichiraku counter. The old man gave a hearty yell to thank us for our patronage, and I waved in acknowledgement. "Enjoy what?" I asked again.

He set his foot down and tapped the front tip of his sandals against the ground to test his adjustments. "Teasing Hinata; that's what you did after I left, wasn't it? Isn't that how it always goes with you?"

I glanced up at the sky. The rain was coming down in torrents, and the black stains on the clouds continued to grow as night fell. "Teasing someone like her? Hardly."

He grunted in disbelief and squinted his eyes at me. "Then... what?"

I pulled out my umbrella and opened it as we left Ichiraku. "It was strictly business." Nothing more, nothing less. It was mostly truth, hardly a lie... not that it mattered much. From the look she gave me as I left, I knew that I'd left a asting impression on her, but the days went on and it made me wonder just a little. Surely by now, the things I said and did are festering inside of her.

Naruto nudged me and huffed to express his disbelief. "If you say so!" he shouted. "Just remember, I promised that I'd be looking out for her, y'know!"

His voice was grating on me. I jabbed him with my elbow and lifted the umbrella so that the rain would hit him.

"Sasuke, you jerk!" He elbowed me in return and wedged himself under the umbrella. He was scrunching his face together and growling.

I shoved him away from me and put the umbrella back to normal so he'd back off. Sighing, I explained vaguely, "It was a business proposal from the last member of the Uchiha clan in Konoha, to the Hyuuga heiress, and that's it."

Naruto visibly relaxed. "Ah! I see, I see!"

As always, he was easily satisfied. Idiot.

"Well! Thanks for the umbrella, Sasuke. We're still sparring later this week, right?"

I blinked.

It felt like we'd only walked for a minute, but somehow we had already arrived at his apartment. "...right, yeah. I'll see ya," I muttered.

He bounded up to his apartment and I shook my head.

The wind was picking up and the umbrella felt like it was about to give out, but I didn't feel like going home. I kept walking in the rain, taking the long way home through the smaller streets and alleys. My sandals were starting to feel damp, but the thought faded as my mind drifted back to Hinata.

When I decided to make a play for power, I'd gone through a list of possible targets. There were many who would have been easier to manipulate, and who had a greater monetary inheritance to speak of... but there very few candidates who satisfied the requirement of true physical and political power.

My top choices had never included the Hyuuga heiress, until I'd seen her confess to him... to Naruto.

For as long as I could remember, she had remained in the corner of my vision. I watched her, though I had never cared to analyze her... still, I could tell that she was always waiting and wishing, never wanting or taking.

Her eyes had always looked so blank and unfulfilled, but that day... she was hurting so much, and there was something about her pain that I relished in.

End of Chapter 03

Rusty writing? Yes, yes, but I'm aiming to get back to 100% soon! As always, I love knowing what you guys think, so please review~

Also, for anyone with a tumblr, please check me out at ( .com) for my art stuff! If you send me an ASK or message via tumblr with a drawing request (Naruto fanart only) and mention "Dear Diary" then I might sketch it for free and post it as a special thank you! :)

Otherwise, feel free to chat me up about whatever else because I always love meeting new people!

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