Hi everyone! This is my first story here and I hope you enjoy it! Please rate and review! =)

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

Warning: CONTAINS SPOILERS. You have been warned.

Her heart pounded violently in her ears as she ran as fast as her limping legs would carry her.

She had to get away.

Find somewhere safe.

Anywhere would be fine.

Anywhere but there.

Tonight would be the last time he ever raised his hands to her.

There was no honor in this type of marriage. A marriage of convenience and polite indifference she could live with, but certainly not one where she feared for her life from the very man who had sworn to protect her.

He really had done a number on her this time.

Her chakra levels were extremely low and her injuries made it difficult to even breathe, let alone move. Right now, she was surviving on pure adrenaline and instinct and she prayed with all her heart that he wouldn't catch up to her. Otherwise he might finish off the job. Tonight.

She needed help.

And a safe house where he couldn't find her.

But where?

And who would take her in?

Konoha was a small, close0knit village where everyone knew everbody's business and she hadn't talked to Kiba and Shino since her wedding.

Hiro had forbidden her to have contact with any man other than himself.

Two years ago when she married him, never in her wildest dreams did she ever consider that something like this would happen to her. At the start of their marriage, Hiro had been a kind, almost-loving husband who had treated her reasonably well and for the first time in her life, Hinata believed that the clan had finally made a decision that took into consideration the clan's best interests as well as her own.

And although she didn't love him, she genuinely thought she would be happy.

Oh, but she was wrong.

Her 'happiness' with Hiro had an unexpectedly short expiry date as Hiro's true nature came to light months into their marriage. Suddenly, small insignificant things held great importance and matters quickly escalated out of control. To Hinata's horror, Hiro was never reprimanded – the Hyuuga turned a blind eye to the occurrences within the main household, and even her own father saw all but did nothing. Hanabi was powerless and her only protector, Neji, had unknowingly taken her only source of safety with him to his grave.

The council believed that just as she had failed as the heiress, she was now failing as a dutiful wife. They weren't surprised – given her significant short comings over the years, it was expected. They went so far as to sympathize with Hiro for staying with her and trying to change her for the better of the clan. For a long time she believed them. She believed that the punishment she received at the hands of her husband was justified because she somehow deserved it.

Because she was weak.

Because she was undesirable.

Because she couldn't get anything right.

Because she wasn't a good wife.

But not anymore. This all stops now. Her eyes winced as a searing pain ripped through her body. With one hand clutching her abdomen, she paused to lean against a wall to regain her breath when she saw …a fan.

An Uchiha fan.

Ah. She was on the outskirts of the infamous Uchiha district. She didn't know whether this was good or bad, but it certainly couldn't be worse. Now, if she could just muster enough chakra and leap across onto the other side of the wall.

It was now or never.

Flinching horribly, she hoisted herself up off the ground and drew chakra to the soles of her feet. She succeeded in jumping over the towering wall but sprained her ankle during the process. Hinata bit back a terrifying scream as tears rushed down her cheeks. She didn't have enough chakra to heal her ankle but she would have to keep moving regardless.

The Uchiha compound was deserted as usual. As she stumbled about in the dark, she noticed that not a single lamp was lit within the compound. Of course, why would they be? No one had set foot on the establishment for years and the only ones that lived here were the Uchiha ghosts.

It was absolutely perfect. No one would think to look for her here.

Running her hand along the nearest building, she traced the outline of a doorknob and breathed a sigh of relief. All she had to do now was use a simple jutsu to open the door and stay inside and regain her strength.

She was safe.

For now.

Sasuke was on his forth shot of whisky when he detected a faint foreign chakra presence within his compound. "Hn, that's odd," he thought absentmindedly as he downed the shot in one gulp, letting the wonderful liquid seer down his throat.

Well, whoever it was – he was going to humor them.

He poured himself another drink; disgusted that it would be the last one he would have tonight. He then threw the empty bottle across the room and into the bin where it landed with a satisfying clank.

He had taken to drinking upon his return to Konoha and it was the best man-made invention in his opinion. Not only did it numb him, it was also available in constant replenishable supply.

Sasuke loved the scorching sensation the alcohol created as it traveled down his throat, punishing and pleasuring him simultaneously as it filled him with indescribable warmth. It granted him temporary leave from his senses and reality for a short amount of time and the constant dull ache that plagued him throughout his life quieted down to silent whisper within seconds of ingesting the magical liquid. All of his problems vanished in an instant and unlike like his family, no one could take it away from him and even if they dared he would always be able to get it back somehow. Heh. Take that dobe.

He raised the glass containing the small remaining quantity of booze and frowned. Depending on the outcome of his investigation, he reasoned that he might need to save it for later. Begrudgingly, he got off the stool and headed towards the foreign chakra.

They'd better have a good reason for trespassing on his property.

He wasn't in a particularly forgiving mood tonight.

She felt sinister chakra approaching slowly, almost leisurely.

It was not Hiro's and that much she was certain.

She had become so attuned to Hiro's chakra that she was able to detect his mood based on the minute changes in his chakra signals, a basic tactic she had unfortunately developed so that she could survive in her own home.

No. This chakra was different.

It was a silently lethal, almost suffocating energy leagues above Hiro's.

Then, her mind came up with a dangerous conclusion as to who it belonged to.

Back pedaling to the end of the musty room, she hid within a small crevice trying to breathe as silently as she could. Her head was pounding as she tried to concentrate while the rest of her body screamed in agony. The doorknob turned with a soft clink and she could see the vague outline of a figure stroll into the room. Her breath quickened.

Slowly, the lights flickered on, obviously out of use for years. There was no doubt about it: he was playing with her. No ninja would turn on the lights when stalking out an unwelcome target. The smell of strong alcohol assaulted her senses when two feet suddenly appeared in front of her and she resisted the urge to hurl.

She curled up and braced herself for the impact as she felt her world spiraling out of control.

It was a woman.

FUCK.

Not this again!

How long would it take for them to get the fucking message?!

He wasn't interested!

He thought had made himself painfully clear throughout the years and once again when he returned. Sasuke scowled. Curled up in the corner of the room was impossibly small woman shaking uncontrollably. The stench of blood and sweat filled his nostrils as he listened to her panicked breaths as she desperately (and unsuccessfully) tried to keep her fluctuating chakra under control. Her pale lavender kimono was stained crimson, her long midnight blue hair was matted with caked blood and the pale skin of her arms and legs were littered with hideous purple-red bruises.

She looked familiar.

But where had he seen her before?

He crouched down to get a better look at her. She quivered under his gaze.

Well, this was certainly out of the ordinary. It was a Hyuuga, hiding out in the Uchiha territory. The two clans had been at odds for years.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow despite himself. His night had suddenly become a whole lot more interesting that was for certain. The question of whether it was a 'good' or 'bad' interesting was yet to be determined.

As he reached out to assess the extent of her injuries, she cried out, "P-please stay a-away! D-don't touch me! Please…"

Sasuke immediately withdrew his hand.

"You're trespassing on my property and you have the nerve to tell me to piss off?" He spat.

"I-I'm s-so s-sorry," she choked in between sobs, "P-please d-don't let him g-get m-me! Don't s-send me b-back to h-him! I'll do a-anything, I-I s-swear!"

Sasuke's eyes widened in response.

Sasuke hated it when women cried and it irritated him to no end and it was usually over something trivial. Yet, when this woman cried he felt like a monster even though he hadn't done anything wrong. His stomach churned. Domestic abuse, his mind told him. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Wait, what if it was all a rouse? A trap?

No – the sharingan would have detected a lie from the get go.

If his suspicions were correct, there was an abusive son of a bitch out there somewhere looking for his victim. All he wanted to do was to drink until he lost track of his senses and drowned in a deliciously warm sleep. And now, he had to deal with this shit.

He was nobody's hero.

…But he wasn't heartless.

"Come on, I'm taking you to the hospital."

Then she would be Sakura's problem.

"N-No! I mean I'm o-okay, r-really. I just n-need s-somewhere to stay t-tonight, I'll be out of h-here before you k-know it!"

Sasuke shot her an incredulous look.

She looked like she had just been used as a human punching bag and her response confirmed his suspicions. He sighed and lifted her up bridal style and headed back to the house. She flinched terribly as he held her and trembled nervously in his arms. Sasuke bit down the bile that was slowly forming at the back of this throat. True, he had no care for women, nor was he a gentleman, but even Sasuke had standards. His mother had drilled impeccable manners into him as a child and although he deliberately ignored a large number of them throughout his lifetime, not raising your hand to a woman was one of the few 'rules' he held onto. Even his abundant, proliferating fan girls couldn't say he was a brute.

"Look, settle down will you? I'm not going to hurt you." He said tonelessly but she hadn't heard him.

By the time they got home, she had drifted in and out of consciousness several times. The snippets of conversation they shared were largely unsatisfactory and her answers were guarded. He already knew that she was Hyuuga heiress by the absence of the curse seal, but the question remained as to who had inflicted these injuries upon her. The fact that she had sought shelter at a place other than the Hyuuga compound was alarming in itself but Sasuke didn't want to jump to any conclusions.

Sasuke set her down carefully on the couch and went into the kitchen to fetch the first aid kit, some warm water and washcloth. She appeared to be in a comatose state but at least she wouldn't flinch when he cleaned her wounds and treated her. His palm glowed green as he tried his best to heal her superficial injuries with his limited medical knowledge. He only knew a few basic medical ninjutsu and broken bones, sprains and internal bleeding required special attention. He would have to call Sakura.

Pausing at his kitchen counter top, he briefly contemplated whether he should finish his drink. Then, he shook his head and thought better of it. Right now, he needed to be in full control of his faculties. As he reached for the phone, he sensed a large number of foreign chakras at his door. A series of hurried raps followed on the door.

They've found her it would seem.

Time to see who the bastard was.

Sasuke schooled his features into an expressionless mask and opened the door.

Showtime.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please Review and message! I'd love to hear what you think!