- 8 Days -

Sasuke checked his watch, Seven twenty... I've still got ten minutes. He headed up to the front porch of the Hyuga household, then knocked on the door and waited for a response. Finally, after a few minutes, Hinata opened the door.

"S-Sasuke? What are you doing here?"

"I need to ask you some questions." Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "Neji's..."

"Out with Naruto."

"That's what I thought." Sasuke nodded, "can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Hinata stepped aside to let Sasuke walk past her and into the kitchen, "can I get you something to drink?"

"Eh, I'm good." Sasuke looked around, "nice place."

"Thanks."

He pulled out a bar stool and sat down, ready to hear the whole story, "so what's going on?"

"Did Sakura send you?"

"No. I came all on my own."

"I'm fine, Sasuke. Trust me."

"I don't." Sasuke looked at her seriously, "Hinata, something's going on. You've changed a lot. Ever since Naruto said those things about you. You've completely removed yourself from our group to hang out with... Them. Is it after what Naruto said? Because, we could tell you for the hundredth time: That never happened, and it never will. Hinata, for goodness' sake, he lo--"

"Sasuke, I don't need to hear it..." Hinata looked away, "Hidan had the proof, the evidence. It's final. And now..."

"Now, what?"

Hinata rubbed her elbow, "I can't go back."

"And why not?"

"It's hard to explain, Sasuke. It really is." Hinata sighed, "becoming Hidan's girlfriend was just a simple step for me. But then... Things happened, and now I can't go back."

Sasuke stood up and set his hands on her shoulders, "Hinata, if something's going on, you need to tell us. Now. If not them, then me."

"Nothing's going on!"

"Hinata!"

"Sasuke, you don't need to worry about me! No one does!"

"Yes we do, Hinata. Because..." Sasuke looked down at the floor, "if something happens to you... Naruto... He'll..."

"I don't care what Naruto thinks about me anymore." Hinata looked up at him sadly, "Even if he can't gather the courage to talk to me himself."

"Why would he? He knows you hate him."

"Yes..." Hinata looked away, "I guess you're right."

They stood in silence for a while, before Sasuke just stepped back, "Hinata. I can believe you only for some time, but I swear. If something happens, I'll never forgive you." He walked out towards the door, ready to leave.

"Wait, Sasuke!"

He stopped and turned to her.

Her voice suddenly dropped silently, "I... I have..."

"What?"

Hinata stopped and stared at the floor, "i-it's nothing..."

Sasuke took one last look at her before heading out and walking to his car.

She sighed as she watched him drive off, then made sure no one was looking before she ran up to her room, to her bedside table, and grabbed a hidden, orange pill bottle labeled Fentanyl. She took two pills and swallowed them down quickly, hiding the bottle again among the other empty and filled pill bottles.

She looked out at the empty driveway as she thought back to the news she had gotten.

_____________________________

- 7 Days before the Party -

"Vlog number... Six. So... It hasn't been long since I found out the good news. It's been like this for about 3 months. I think that they've seen through me. Sasuke, Sakura, maybe even Naruto. But I can't let anyone know. I won't let anyone know. About any of this." Hinata shut her laptop early and headed out to school. She knew that Neji was still sleeping, so she would have to take the bus.

"Hey, look who it is."

Hinata turned to see Sasori and Deidara walk up to her, "Hi Sasori, Deidara."

"So, you going to Kiba's party next week?"

"Oh, um, about that..." Hinata fiddled with her fingers.

"If you're not going, Hidan is going to have a fit again. Hm." Diedara chuckled, "you should've been there. Yesterday after school, he--"

Sasori elbowed Deidara in the ribs, "will you shut up? Remember what he said, he didn't want her to know..." Sasori coughed, "sorry, Hinata."

"It's alright." Hinata sighed, "I'll think about going."

"Yeah, he's really going to be pissed if you skip out. He was really excited about it, too."

"Ah." Hinata nodded, then let felt a wave of relief come over her when she saw the bus. As soon as the doors slid open, she ran in, taking the seat furthest from everyone else. She still managed to overhear Deidara and Sasori not too far in front of her.

"Man, I can't believe Hidan..." Deidara snickered.

"What does he see in her?" Sasori chuckled.

"You're one to talk. Hm." Deidara sneered, "you're the one who dated that annoying pink-haired whore..."

"True..." Sasori shrugged, "the two of them are friends, after all."

"I mean, anyone gullible enough to fall for Hidan's antics are just... Wow." Deidara chuckled.

Hinata felt her stomach drop just as she got a text from someone.

Hinata. It's me.

She groaned at the sight of the ID.

What do you want, Naruto?

Look, Sasuke told me he went 2 visit u last night.

Hinata chuckled, So what if he did?

He didn't reply until a few minutes later, Hinata, please believe me when I say that I never said those things. Hidan's the one who's lying.

Hinata glanced back up at Deidara and Sasori, who were starting to make fun of Obito Uchiha, Sasuke's cousin but still the clown in their friend group. She sighed as she looked back down at her phone. She didn't even want to reply. She wouldn't know what to say. She didn't know who to believe. She's been confronted by her three closest friends, but who to believe is what's tearing her in two. She shut her eyes and felt herself drift to wherever she needs to go. But she never drifted to anyone. Not to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, not to Hidan either. Before she knew it, she had drifted into a dream.

"Mommy!"

"Mommy, wake up!"

"Wha--?" Hinata looked around, then saw two children jumping on her bed. She woke up in the same bed she always woke up in, however there were never any children, "wh-who...?!"

"Mommy! Breakfast!" The little boy cheered.

"Mommy, I want pancakes!" The little girl added.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second!" Hinata stopped them as the two children looked up at her with confused expressions.

"Mommy?" The boy tilted his head.

"You..." She whispered as she touched the little whisker marks on his cheeks, "your hair..."

"What? I washed it last night! Like Daddy told me!" The boy pouted.

"Daddy!" Hinata gasped, "where's your daddy?"

"Downstairs." The girl answered.

Hinata didn't know what to say, "wh-what does Daddy look like? Wh-white hair?"

"No! Why are you asking?" The boy laughed, "looks like me!"

"... You look like..." Hinata felt the blood in her face drain when she saw HIM in this little boy.

"Hey, Hinata!"

She froze, then looked up at the doorway to see who her husband is.

Suddenly, before she could get a glimpse of anyone, someone came up behind her and shoved a knife right into her back.

"Mommy!!"

"Daddy!! Help Mommy!!"

The screams of the children were the last things Hinata heard as her vision blurred and she fell onto the floor.

"No." A voice shrilled from behind her. A familiar voice.

"Hinata!!"

"Who..." Hinata coughed as she saw a blurred man run to her side.

"It's okay, Hinata! You'll make it! Just... Hold on! Damn you!"

She watched as the two blurred men fought for her life. She watched horrified as her assaulter stabbed her husband, too.

"N-No!!" Hinata gasped.

"You know what, Hinata?" The voice returned and sent chills down her spine, "I never loved you."

"HINATA!"

Hinata jumped in her seat at Deidara's call, "D-Deidara... Wha..."

"You fell asleep." Deidara chuckled.

"Oh..." Hinata rubbed her eyes.

"We're here." Sasori said as he and Deidara got up and left, following the rest of the students.

Hinata stared, then shook her head and quickly followed them.

That... Seemed too real to be a dream... Hinata felt insecure about herself now, How long was I asleep? When did that dream start? What... Happened before then? The questions continued to run through her head until someone grabbed her shoulders.

"Hinata!"

"Hm?" She recovered herself and averted her attention to her pink-haired friend, "oh, hi Sakura."

"Hinata, are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Sakura looked away, "Sasuke told me about visiting you."

Hinata sighed in annoyance, "I'm fine... How many people has he told?"

"Just the two of us." Sakura reassured her, "we're just worried, you know?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." Hinata patted Sakura's shoulder.

Sakura chuckled nervously, "so how's Neji? I heard about that fight with Hidan."

"He's fine, too. I guess he just had a bad experience with Hidan."

Sakura scoffed, "oh you bet he did. It all must've started with Hidan in the first place."

"Not... Necessarily..." Hinata muttered.

"Okay, listen, Kiba's party is, what, next weekend? I was thinking that we'd need to go out and get something for him." Sakura smiled.

"Oh, sure." Hinata nodded, then paused, "who else is going to be there?"

"Well, you know I love you, Hinata. But I'm not going to let Hidan come with us." Sakura added, "nor will I let any of your 'posse' come along as your bodyguards. No buts."

"Bu--"

"What did I say?"

Hinata rolled her eyes, "alright, fine. I'm just worried what Hidan would say."

"Who cares what he says? Sisters before misters, right?" Sakura chuckled.

"Yeah." Hinata shrugged. She gazed behind her as she walked off with Sakura, Sasori and Deidara headed in their usual direction with the others.

"Don't worry about them." Sakura demanded her attention, "you'll be fine with me!"

Hinata chuckled and nodded, still insecure about what she was going to do. At that point, however, it didn't really matter to her anymore.