Feelings are unpredictable and…can be hard to explain.

How do they form? Why do they change?

And what do you do when your forced to confront those feelings?

Love's Sorrow

Kabuto leaned against his chair taking a short drag from his cigarette as he watched the monitor screen.

Nothing special today.

Kabuto thinks back to when he first started work as a PR under the apprenticeship of the brilliant Orochimaru. Back then he was a prodigy, one who could move in the shadows as good as any assassin and who could trace a person's whole life story with as little as their *LIME ID. Even those who thought they were off the grid weren't able to escape his trace. He could ruin anyone's life with a click of a button if he wanted to once he had all their personal information in his hands. But now he was reduced to being paid to follow some spoiled heiress who was as boring as a girl scout.

He had been watching surveillance from the hidden camera he placed in the hallway for almost an hour. Kabuto couldn't help but feel irked about using his top-notch high quality minute camera he camouflaged white to match the color of the walls he placed near the ceiling, just for this! He wasn't worried about the other tenant's privacy been violated since Hiyashi owned the building but if his daughter caught wind that her father sent him to spy on her he knew he would never have their business again.

Kabuto started to contemplate taking a quick nap when a figure came onto the screen.

"Heh…what do we have here? Looks like lover boy finally showed up again." Kabuto grinned as he leaned back and adjusted the audio sound on his military grade bionic headset to make sure not to miss anything.

Sasuke stood rooted on the spot as he stared at Hinata's front door. Apartment 304.

"304,304,304,304, 304,304,304…" Sasuke repeated the numbers inside his head until it started to sound weird. Shaking himself out of his thoughts he took a deep breath and thought again about what he was going to say.

"Hey. I know what happened, happened. I didn't mean anything by it and I didn't do it on purpose. I'm not gonna ask you to overlook it but should I not come around anymore?"

Sasuke knew that wasn't much of an apology but he thought it was matter-of-factly enough.

"Really? You call that an apology little brother?" A voice that annoyingly sounded like Itachi echoed inside his head. "Didn't you rush over so you could ask for a second chance?".

"…I never really thought about it and I didn't rush over" Sasuke argued back, slightly frowning.

"Fufu…then why did it take you less than 20 minutes to get there? And why did you choose that particular coffee shop that's so close to her apartment?" the voice said lightly.

"I just wanted to get far away from you and your freak of friends"

"While being less than 2 miles away from her?"

Sasuke ran a frustrated hand through his hair trying to suppress a growl from escaping. He wiped his face with his hand, breathing hard through his nose. Air in and out. In and out until he thought his face was composed, only his eyes showing the slight distress he felt.

"Ok...let's try again. Hinata I'm sorry about what happened the other day. Your anger is completely justified and it was not my intention that anyone would see you. I understand if you want to end our arrangement and I wish you the best".

"…"

"I didn't know you became a robot Sasuke. Or are you practicing for a conference room call with a client?" Itachi's voiced rang out again in his head making him feel incredibly stupid.

Sasuke didn't know if it was sane or not to want to yell at the voices inside his head but he felt really tempted to do it right here in the hallway. He took a deep breath as he glared at nothing and everything.

"Screw it, I'll know what to say when I see her" he thought firmly deciding to just get it over with.

"Sasuke?" a soft voice called out to him from behind as he reached out to knock on the door.

He whipped his head around quickly feeling a sense of déjà vu. He saw Hinata standing behind him wearing black fitted Capri sweats with an oversize beige sweater and black flats. She looked surprised to see him but he could tell that she wasn't very pleased he was here. Sasuke suddenly found himself regretting not coming sooner. Having had many unpleasant conversations with other women before he knew the longer he waited, the more awkward it would be when he inevitably saw them.

.

.

.

.

"Hi" Sasuke said feeling his spine straighten and freeze automatically as he took a step toward her.

"What are you doing here?" Hinata ask, her voice a shaky and quiet, as if she wasn't sure if he was really in front of her door right now...again.

Sasuke knew that there was so much that needed to be said between them but found himself speechless in that moment. His mind began to think back to the day she left his apartment in anger, how he had just gotten back from the bakery a block away from his house where he bought her some cinnamon buns, and the last kiss they shared after their hot and heavy nooner together.

And now he was here outside her door again, kinda like how everything began. Only now he wasn't sure how he wanted this to end…

"Let me in. I have to talk to you." He says sounding more obnoxious and demanding than he meant to.

"Sasuke, you're there to apologize, remember?" said Itachi's voice inside his head again. He tries not to scowl again and felt the weight of his mistake as Hinata's face went from innocently quizzical to stern with cold eyes to match.

"Your audacity amazes me sometimes little brother" the voice rang on.

"Sorry." Sasuke said quickly before she could flat out refuse him "Can we talk…please?"

Hinata gripped the straps of her purse tightly. Ever since she walked out on him after Naruto had seen her naked she had firmly convinced herself that she never wanted to see him again. She avoided his calls and for the first time in her goody two shoes strive to be a perfect heiress life, thought she would burn this bridge that she built with him. But now that he was here she felt her heart beat for one millisecond with an ache she can't remember feeling, followed by a sinking sensation of him intruding on her life again after she decided to adopt the avoidance techniques of ignoring it, never speaking of it again.

But apparently that wasn't his game plan…

"I…no….I don't think that's a good idea" she said not coming off as iron-willed as she wanted.

Sasuke felt indignation swell inside of him but it quickly faded into a puddle of mush when he looked into her pearlescent eyes…eyes that still reminded him of shooting stars and evening twilight. It made him realize that not seeing her for a while makes her so much cuter when he finally gets to see her. The mush inside his chest began to bubble into a small panic at the thought of just leaving…one way or another he had to convince her to let him in.

"Look…I know you have every right to be angry with me but I can't stop thinking about you…about what happened. I don't mean to be forceful about this but I don't like leaving things unsettled. If I just let it be for some reason my chest will feel strange" he said hoping he didn't come off as weird or childish.

Hinata bit her lip trying to weigh her options. On the one hand she was still mad at him and didn't want to see him but on the other hand she understood the feeling he was talking about. It was a part of the Hyuga family tradition to never turn down a request from someone their indebted to and he did help her as far as she could tell, when she hit her head.

"I can't stop thinking about you…about what happened…"

Considering everything, Hinata thought he was probably feeling guilty (And with good reason!) and wanted to at least say sorry….right?

"R-Right! That has to be it, Sasuke has always been very upfront and clear about his boundary rules" she thought as she snuck a quick glance at him to find him staring at her with an unreadable expression on his handsome face.

Choosing not to dwell on any deeper meaning to Sasuke's words Hinata reluctantly decided to go against her original plan.

"A-All right". She turned the key to her lock and open the door, "I at least owe him a conversation" she thought as they made their way inside.

Sasuke took a quick look around her apartment as Hinata went to set her stuff down at the table in the kitchen. Nothing had changed since the last time he was there, but that didn't really surprise him. What he was really looking for, which he would later deny to himself, were any signs of a guy being there.

"How can you think that way about her little brother? She's a nice girl." Itachi's voice said again.

Sasuke hoped his expression was still composed as he shouted at the voice to shut the hell up inside his head, he turned to Hinata who had breezed past him to sit on the couch. Without asking if its ok first he sat besides her.

"Why are you here Sasuke?" Hinata asks wanting to get straight to the point.

"I know I fucked up…with you. I shouldn't have invited you over my place without making 100% sure we would be alone." Sasuke said feeling that it would be better to own up to the fact that it was his fault alone. The last few days apart had given him time to think of all the things he could have done differently like texting Naruto not to come home for an hour or two, or he could have stayed with her until she finished her bath and they could have gone out together. But thinking in hindsight wasn't going to help him now.

"I don't know if it matters now but I really am sorry." Sasuke said finally looking away, hating how…just hating how he sounded right now.

Hinata sat there for a minute fidgeting with her fingers in her lap. Her eyes were wide and filled with combating emotions. A part of her couldn't help feeling happy that he came all this way over to apologize to her but there was still a big part of her that wanted to stay mad at him…for a little while longer. She wanted him to know that she was pissed beyond reason and that he should try and offer more than just an apology for her forgiveness!

But now that he was here she felt all that anger dissolve. It didn't help that he grabbed her hand…and that she didn't pull away. "Damn it" she thought as she sighed already knowing she was going to accept his apology. Her father was right; she was too kind sometimes.

"O-Ok." she said somewhat shaky looking down at their clasped hands feeling a blush on her cheeks.

"Hm?" Sasuke wasn't sure he heard her right and tilted his head to get a better view of her face that was now a pretty pink.

"I…I-I said it's alright. I do understand that it wasn't really your fault but…..I was really….really embarrassed and angry." She said putting emphasis on the word.

"I know. And I really am sorry." He said with as much sincerity as he could.

Hinata gives him a small smile not knowing what else to say or do. She still feels like she let him off to easily but feels better about ending this whole thing in peace. Sasuke held her gaze for half a second and took her smile as a good sign before he encircled his other arm around her trying to pull her in for a kiss. Realizing what he was about to do as he began to close his eyes, she grabs a hold of his shoulders pushing him away just as he lightly teased her lips.

"W-Wai-, Sasuke hold on a bit!"

Confused Sasuke opens his eyes wondering why she felt the need to interrupt just as they were making up.

"What?"

"I…I…." Hinata but her lip as she became more and more flustered about what to say. "I'm happy you apologized and don't get me wrong, I'm not mad at you anymore but….but I think we should stop, this."

Raising one eyebrow Sasuke looked at her face before slowly letting go, knowing what she meant and saw that she was serious.

He didn't understand.

If she wasn't mad at him anymore because of what happened, then why couldn't they pick up from where they left off?

"How come?" he managed to ask without letting her see the small pain of hurt he felt.

Hinata took a deep breath trying to brace herself. She hated confrontation on her end of anything difficult. It was one of the reasons she never thought to work with her Father at Hyuga Corp. There was no way she'd be able to handle all those litigators and media personnel.

"I think that after everything that's happened, now would be a good time to stop. We already broke one of the rules and now that Naruto knows about…us I think its best to just end it with no hard feelings." She said her voice quiet but steady.

Sasuke could see the logic in what she said and even though the old him would have agreed with her no questions asked…he couldn't. He told himself that he didn't know what to expect by coming her but in truth he knew he came here so he could get her back. When he saw her…he knew he wouldn't be able to just walk away from her, not when she looked too innocent and cute for her own good. But remembering all the times they shared together in her bedroom only a few feet away he knew that she was anything but "innocent".

"I know that Naruto knowing about us is bad and I get that I was the one who broke one of the rules but…I….like you…I like this." He said gritting out the last part painfully and blushing across his face.

"He's blushing!" Hinata thought surprised as he looked away from embarrassment. When he finally did return to look at her his gaze was so intense that she felt bit taken back by it. She knew Sasuke was forward but could he really be serious…about her?

"O-Oh, I….I-

"Hinata" a voice said interrupting and snapping them out of their trance. Realizing they must have left the door open, they see a guy with messy brown hair and two deep red triangle tattoos on the sides of his face standing in the door way staring in Sasuke's direction.

"Who's this guy?"

AN: Done! I really didn't realize how long its been since I updated. Has it really been 2 years?! I'm sorry I had no idea and while I an give you guys a million excuses the real reason I haven't updated was because I didn't have any creative juices for this story anymore. Don't get me wrong I thought about it constantly wondering what direction I wanted it to go but now I think this chapter and your reviews can get me back on track. It wont be that long for another update but I am going to go back and make some changes and revisions for this story so be on the lookout. I'll also be writing more chapters for my other stories so I can release more chapters for each of my stories together. I've missed you guys and I'll be coming back to stay so please review and let me know what you think. Sorry about the cliff hanger ;) and Happy reading!