Chapter 16! Thank you to everyone who is still here!

Hinata woke up from her place beside him as usual. She sat up and stretched, only to softly shove herself from his hospital bed. She made her way to the closet in the corner of the room, her fingers delicately feeling for the edge so she could open it. She pulled the ebony rabbit from the top shelf and she smiled at it softly. Her thumbs brushed up over its ears and she smiled to herself. She reached up into the closet and grabbed her perfume. She spritzed the perfume onto the stuffed rabbit and she rubbed it in.

If you hadn't seen her do this day after day, you wouldn't understand the relevance of it. she rubbed her perfume over every inch of the bunny, only to then make her way over to the hospital bed and set the stuffed animal in the bed beside Madara, but right on his shoulder because of how small it was. The nurses would never touch the rabbit, not even if they had to move Madara, not if they had to dress him; and even if the rabbit did somehow end up moved they would rush to put it right back where it was. There was absolutely no reason they would move the stuffed rabbit. They understood the relevance of the small rabbit.

However, when Hinata had first started placing the rabbit there, they had removed it. They had continued to move the small stuffed animal time after time until they realized why it was there. One day they had removed it and the tears had begun to fall once more. That was hardly the worst of it, to be honest. After the rabbit had been moved so far from her, his heart had begun to race, and his tears had begun to fall faster.

They hadn't understood the relevance of the small doll until Hinata had begun coming around less and less, which triggered his panic attacks. Hinata had actually been called in one day, they thought he was going tachycardic because of how fast his heart was beating. She had rushed in, despite having at work and had laid next to him, tears streaming down her face in her worry.

The moment she had crawled into the bed with him, his heart rate had begun to normalize, and from that moment on, she had begun to leave the small rabbit sitting on his shoulder drenched in her perfume. It seemed to calm him, but he was never as calm as he was when she was lying next to him. When she were laying right beside him he seemed so content. She figured it was her perfume keeping him content so she decided on what to do.

Hinata placed a kiss on Madara's forehead as she made her way into the bathroom and showered and got herself dressed. This was her daily routine now. She would get up, shower, get dressed, then go to work. All after she would say her good mornings and goodbyes to him of course. She couldn't leave without saying her greetings to him. She towel dried her hair, which was now about jaw length. She walked over to Madara and brushed her fingers over his cheekbones as she brushed her teeth using the other hand.

His hair grew much slower than hers did, and she guessed it was because he wasn't as healthy as he once was. "Time for physical therapy, Hinata." The nurse called and Hinata nodded with a small smile. She wanted him to be as close to the shape he had been in when he had come in as possible. she brushed her thumb over his cheekbone one last time before she made her way out of the room.

She pulled on her apron and tied it in the back. Her eyes were dull but to everyone else they seemed bright. She knew she needed to smile more, but she just didn't feel it in her to smile at the moment. Five months... five. It had been five months since she had heard his voice say her name. She caught her lip trembling and she bit down on it as she slipped into his car. Her fingers brushed over the steering wheel lovingly and she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. The car still smelled just like him, and she supposed that was because she hadn't started using it until lately.

Aurora and Tajima were slightly put off by the sight of her using his car and not her own. She supposed they thought it meant she was giving up. She wasn't. She was not going to give up on him. She pulled up into the bakery parking lot and a small smile settled on her lips. She parked his car out front and made her way inside. "Good morning Hinata." Samui said and she smiled at her.

"How are you today Samui?" Hinata asked as she began kneading the dough. "I'm tired. It's been a long morning already." Samui sighed and Hinata smiled. "You've been here five minutes." She said and Samui sighed deeply. "I know, but it feels like I've been here five hours." Samui said and Hinata smiled softly as she looked around the empty shop. It hadn't been getting as much business as it had been and she'd actually had to pull money out of her savings account to keep the place up and running. "If no one comes in by eight you can go home." Hinata said and Samui looked at her in surprise. "Hinata?" she began but Hinata smiled at her.

"I promise, it's ok." She said and Samui nodded with a frown. Hinata continued to make the pastries and Samui kept watch. Eight came around and they hadn't had a single customer. Hinata noticed Samui still sitting in her swivel chair and she dusted her hands off. "Go on home. I promise... the shop is in good hands." Hinata said and Samui frowned at the younger woman. "I know... I know that very well." Samui said and Hinata smiled at her. "Then go on home." Hinata urged but Samui watched her with saddened eyes.

"Usually... on Halloween... Madara would dress up and he would stay dressed up all day... and the pastries would be orange and look like pumpkins or monsters." Samui said and Hinata's fingers trembled slightly, but then she grabbed a new pair of gloves from under the counter and pulled them on. "On Thanksgiving... Madara would make half the pastries in the shop look like tiny turkeys or cornucopias." Samui said and she watched Hinata as she rubbed the back of her fingers with her thumbs.

"It's Christmas Eve, Hinata... no one is coming today. Even though Madara would always be here on this day, no one would ever be here..." Samui said and Hinata frowned at her. "He would come here because the only person he knew that would come here on Christmas Eve... was you." Samui said and Hinata sat down in the swivel chair. "Turn off the ovens, freeze the dough... and follow me back to the hospital." Samui said and Hinata shook her head.

"Hinata please... it's his birthday. He needs you by his side." Samui said and Hinata's lips began to tremble. "Please Hinata." Samui said and Hinata hunched over and began crying. "I'm trying so hard..." she sobbed and Samui walked over to her. "I know Hinata, I know." Samui said as she pulled the younger woman closer to her. "I just want him to come back to me..." she sobbed as the tears continued to fall. "We all do... we all miss him." Samui whispered as she released the younger girl. Samui walked around and began clicking off the appliances. She wrapped up the dough and turned to face Hinata who was now hunched over the counter crying.

Samui pulled the gloved from Hinata's hands and she urged the younger girl to stand. "Come on... let's go to him. He deserves more than your perfume today." Samui said softly and Hinata nodded. "Can we... can we go get him something for his birthday first?" Hinata asked softly and Samui nodded. "Of course. Where do you want to go?" she asked and Hinata looked at her hands. "I broke his watch." She said softly and Samui blinked at her. "His watch?" she asked and Hinata nodded. "His pocket watch. It slammed it in the car door." Hinata said and Samui smiled.

"Alright. I will show you where he got it." She said and Hinata offered her a small smile. Hinata pulled on her heavy jacket, as did Samui. "Do you want to take his car?" Samui asked and Hinata nodded. "It smells just like him." Hinata whispered and Samui nodded with a smile. They got the watch and headed back to the hospital. when they got there Hinata shed her coat and crawled back into the bed with him.

"Happy birthday Madara..." she whispered as she snuggled into his side. "My birthday is in three days... will you come back to me for my birthday?" she whispered as she listened to his steady heartbeat. She began to doze off before she even realized it.

:-:-:

The warmth was back and he knew she was there. 'Happy birthday Madara...' her voice came to him softly and a small smile crossed his lips. "Merry Christmas Eve and merry Christmas, Hinata..." he said as he walked through her field of flowers. Every time she lay next to him the flowers would return, and when she would leave they would sink beneath the surface of the inky black liquid below his feet.

He knew exactly when she would leave, but the smell of her perfume would still linger. A sigh escaped him as he thought of how long it had been since he had been forced to endure one of those nightmares. He was grateful for the fact he didn't have to suffer from those damnable nightmares any longer. He sighed as he relished in her warmth. "I love you Hinata..." he sighed a small saddened smile on his lips.

"I want you to move on if it takes me too long to escape this darkness..." he sighed and he felt her warmth shift. He had learned to count the days by the fact the flowers seemed to always vanish and reappear at the same time. It had been approximately two months since he had opened his eyes. He had seen a white ceiling and there had been a blonde woman hovering above him.

'Do you know who you are? Blink twice if you do.'

He thought he had blinked twice, he wasn't sure.

'You've been in a coma for three months. We need you to wake up completely; can you do that for me?'

He'd tried so hard to wake up, but here he was right back in this damnable darkness. "Figures. Would be my luck. I manage to get the girl of my dreams to say yes to date me and I go and splatter my brain on a rock." He grumbled as he sat on the surface of the inky black water. "Damn it. why me?" he ground out as he placed a hand over his eyes. The tears streaked over his cheeks and he couldn't stop them.

He wouldn't stop them even if he could. He was wallowing in self pity.

He sat and watched the flowers rise and fall what felt like a hundred more times. He pursed his lips and closed his eyes. "screw it." he grumbled and let the darkness consume him once more. He was sick and tired of watching the flowers come and go. He was tired of trying to count away the days. He was so tired and all he wanted to do was come back to her, but it didn't seem that was going to happen any time soon.

:-:-:

Hinata went through her daily routine and got everything settled for Madara. "Hinata, don't come in to work today, Tajima says you need a break." Samui said from the doorway of the hospital room. "Alright..." Hinata sighed and looked out the window. Flowers were in full bloom outside. She frowned as she turned back towards Samui. "It's only February... how are there already flowers blooming?" Hinata asked and Samui smiled.

"Don't be angry at the flowers. It's the last day of February and just so you know, Tajima said you aren't going to be staying here today either. You spent Valentine 's Day here with him, so you're going to go out and hand out with Hashirama today. He wants to spend some time with you." Samui said as the brunette showed up in the doorway. "Hey Hinata." He greeted and she offered him a smile.

"Alright I suppose I can spare some time to spend it with Hashirama." She said and he smiled at her. "Sorry to pull you away from sleeping bedhead there, but you know true love's kiss could wake sleeping beauty." Hashirama said and Samui smirked. "Then why don't you kiss him, man candy. It's not like you haven't before." Samui said and Hashirama blushed. "That was an accident!" Hashirama yelped with a blush, but Hinata laughed nevertheless.

"It must be something about the Uchiha and the ones who are either married to, or related to the Uzumaki." Hinata said with a small smile. "How so?" Hashirama asked and Hinata smiled at him. "In grade school Naruto accidently kissed Sasuke. It isn't just you. However, I think Madara is a much better choice anyways." Hinata said and Hashirama gave her a look. "He's not so feminine now though. He always had his hair kinda long, but then again Hashirama... you could be the lady of the relationship." Samui said and Hashirama averted the dirty look he was giving Hinata to Samui.

"What have I done to have you both gang up on me like this? I don't remember ever doing anything so rude to either of you." He whined and Hinata smiled. "Don't worry Hashirama, we still love you, even if you have longer hair than Samui and I combined." She laughed lightly as she linked her arm with his. He led her out of the hospital and to the parking garages. "I know you're struggling." He said and she frowned at him.

"I've been struggling even worse since the day he looked at me then fell back out. That was the most traumatizing part of this." She said dully and Hashirama frowned. "I know... it's like a cruel joke. To have him so close and so near to being back and then he just... dropped." Hashirama sighed and Hinata nodded. "It is one of life's cruelest jokes. Which is why Izuna hasn't come around often anymore. He doesn't want to have to see that false hope again." Hinata said and Hashirama frowned as he opened the passenger side door of his car for her.

"I suppose I'm a glutton for punishment." Hinata said and Hashirama gave her a sincere look. "I sleep there, night after night. And I come back, day after day after day. Hoping and praying he will come back to me..." she whispered and Hashirama offered a hand to her once he slipped into the driver's side of his car. "If you are a glutton for punishment then he was in hell. He was there every day and every night, of every week of every month. Year after year. The one time he didn't come back was the day you woke up." Hashirama said and Hinata blinked as she looked over to him.

"I think your absence will send him into a panic." Hashirama said and Hinata nodded. "It does. They can't let him get that way again or he may die..." she said and Hashirama frowned. "I see. Well that's a shame. I wonder if there is anything else that would get him to wake. The only thing I know is that he is terrified of losing you..." Hashirama said and Hinata nodded. "I'm terrified of losing him too." She said and Hashirama smiled.

"I know. Now if only he would wake up. Then you could give him the scolding he needs." Hashirama said and Hinata smiled. "No more large rocks, or Obito near large rocks. That is a double no." Hinata said and Hashirama nodded in agreement. "So where are we going?" she asked and He smiled. "To meet Mito and take her to lunch." Hashirama said and Hinata smiled lightly. "Sounds nice." She said and he nodded.

"It usually is. Mito loves you and I think she has something for you." He said and she nodded. "Whatever it is I will cherish it." Hinata said and Hashirama smiled, but the look in his eyes was one of amusement. Hinata couldn't figure out why he was amused, but she was curious. She really wanted to know what was so funny that it had him smiling like that. "What is it Hashirama?" she asked and he shook his head.

"It's nothing." He said smiling softly.

"It's nothing?" Hinata snapped softly as she scowled at the offensive object Mito had set in front of her then waddled off to the bathroom. "You must be joking." Hinata hissed and he smiled. "I'm not wearing this." She hissed at him and he scratched the back of his neck with a blush. "It's lingerie Hashirama!" she squealed and he offered a sympathetic smile. "How does Mito think she got pregnant in the first place! I'm not even married to Madara and she is giving me lingerie!" Hinata hissed at him.

"I find it funny that you think it is for you and Madara." Hashirama said and she pointed an accusing finger at him. "I am not giving up on him! And if he never wakes I will die the angry unholy virgin." She snapped and Hashirama laughed at the dark red blush on her face. "Unholy virgin?" he asked and she sneered at him. "I'm going to take it there were many dirty filthy thoughts going through that innocent little mind of yours." He said and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Madara put very dirty thoughts in my mind." She hissed and he shoved the lingerie towards her, it's sparkling purple packaging crinkling with the movement. She slammed her hand down on the packaging and tried to shove it away but he held his ground, a gentle smirk on his lips. Hinata blushed darker and snatched the wrapped item up. She crammed it into her purse, but this did not halt the glare she gave him.

"You're dirty." She hissed and he smiled at her brightly. "You need to lighten up, you might actually like it." Mito said and Hinata sputtered at her. "Mito, she will figure out what she wants when Madara finally wakes." Hashirama said and Hinata glared at him. "I thought this was supposed to be a civil lunch, all you're doing is pestering me you perverts." Hinata mumbled as she looked away. Hashirama smiled at her apologetically.

"It wasn't exactly our idea. It was Tajima's." he said and Hinata stared at him in an appalled shock. "But it's not what you think." Mito said with a smile and Hinata narrowed her eyes at the older woman. "How so?" she asked and Hashirama smiled. "Tajima wanted to see you smile again. He wanted to see you blush. He wanted you to come back to us." Hashirama said and Hinata furrowed her brows at him. "Come back to you?" she asked and the red haired Uzumaki nodded.

"Hinata, you had become something of a hermit already. The only place anyone would see you is at the bakery or in Madara's hospital bed asleep. It was the same thing every day. No smiles. No laughs. Just tears and a routine." Hashirama said and Hinata looked down at her hands. She knew what he was saying was true. She had been avoiding everyone because she didn't want to have to deal with the questions. She didn't want to have to see the sympathetic glances that came from everywhere it didn't matter who saw her, they all seemed to hold the same look in their eyes.

Her heart ached with the feeling of loss that dwelled there, eating away at her soul. She didn't want to have to wonder, she didn't want to have to sleep next to a man who wouldn't wake the next morning, she didn't want to cry anymore. She was so sick of crying she was surprised her tears still flowed so freely. She just wanted to see his red and black eyes, their unique pattern making her heart flutter every time she saw them. She wanted to hear his deeply amused tone when he would comment on something she wore, eliciting a blush.

She wanted for him to come back to her, but all the while in her depression she was no more there before the others as he was. She felt hollow now. She felt as if she had been avoiding everyone and it made her want to cry more. They were all suffering the same as she was and yet she was the one pushing everyone out. "I'm sorry." She whispered and Hashirama grinned. "Don't sweat it. we understand that you've been taking this hard. Which is why we brought you out today." Hashirama said and Hinata nodded.

"We wanted you to think of Madara in the way you had before this. They say the only way to truly understand someone's pain is for them to have gone through it yourself... when he wakes you will both know the struggle." Mito said and Hinata nodded. "I miss him..." she sighed and Hashirama held out a hand to her from over the table. She placed her hand in his and he squeezed it lightly. "I fully understand. He's my best friend and I want him back. I miss him terribly, I grew up with him and since we were about eight he's been my best friend." Hashirama said and Hinata listened intently.

"I have never seen him act the way he does with you, with anyone else." Hashirama said and Mito smiled as well. "When we were kids, we would find somewhere to hang out, but he was always distracted. I could never figure out why." Hashirama said with a small laugh and Hinata smiled softly. "Well one day I did. We were at the playground and this little girl ran by with her older cousin. We were ten at the time, so I couldn't figure out why he was so distracted. I understood once you turned in our direction." Hashirama said as Mito sat beside him.

"Your eyes are captivating. Especially to Madara. He told me he had never seen such beautiful eyes, and I used to pick on him for it, but as we got older and he continued to fawn over you I couldn't help but feel that he were serious about you." Hashirama said and Hinata smiled lightly. "I have never seen a grown man so confused as to what to do. He never dated that I know of, Izuna claims he tried but failed. And I believe it is truly amazing for a man to fall so deeply for a girl that had no idea." Hashirama said and Hinata blushed.

"Neji always wanted me to talk to him... but when I woke from the coma all I could remember was that he was rude and that was what stuck in my mind." Hinata sighed and rubbed her hands together softly. "When I had gone to get Tsunade, I started to remember everything. The one memory that stuck with me the most was my high school graduation." Hinata said and a grinned found its way to Hashirama's lips. He released a laugh and Hinata watched him in curiosity.

The mirth in his eyes confused her. "I have never, ever, in my twenty four years of life seen a man so visibly troubled and confused. When you hugged him he couldn't figure out what to do. He just stood there like an idiot looking around. I swear if I could read minds all that would have been going through it would have been something along the lines of 'do I hug back?' 'where do I put my hands if I do?' he was so confused and flustered." Hashirama laughed and Hinata smiled softly.

"He was absolutely terrified. He was absolutely distraught. It was obvious to anyone who passed that he was panicking, and he never panicked." Mito said and Hinata folded her hands together. "We could spend all day talking about how you changed him without you even knowing it, but I want you to think." Mito began and Hinata looked up at her in confusion. "I want you to think it over and send me a message later. I want you to go back to the hospital and I want you to make me a list of the things you love about him." Mito continued, making Hashirama turn to face his wife in confusion as well.

"I want you to tell me exactly what makes you love him so deeply. I want you to tell me why you love him, and it cannot be because he loves you." Mito said as she finished off her tea. Hinata continued to think what she had said over and she pursed her lips as she slipped into Hashirama's car once more. "I'm curious to figure out what she means as well, so you're just as stumped as me." Hashirama said and Hinata smiled.

"I think I will figure it out when I get back to the hospital." Hinata said and Hashirama nodded. "So, the bunny lingerie. Are you actually going to use it?" he asked and she sent him a scolding look. "No!" she snapped and he laughed. "I am never wearing that!" she hissed and this only made him laugh harder. A small smile crossed her lips and he looked over at her. "It looks like you're pondering it." he said and she blushed.

"I was not even remotely thinking of that!" she hissed and he laughed. "Of course not." Hashirama managed in between laughs. "Maybe I should get Izuna to-" Hashirama began but Hinata's phone blared loudly. "It's Madara's phone..." she said and answered it. Her face held worry and Hashirama couldn't help the frown that crossed his lips. "Hello?" she asked and he heard Tajima's voice on the other side of the line. He also saw the defeat in Hinata's eyes.

'You need to come back to the hospital.'

That was all Hashirama had to hear and he decided the speed limit meant very little to him at this moment. Itachi would understand if he were to be pulled over. Hinata jolted and looked at him seeing the speed at which he was going and he frowned apologetically at her. "You need to be there. If Tajima thinks you should be there, I think you need to be there as soon as possible." he said and she nodded, taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves.

"Tajima is everything ok?" she asked and her eyes widened as the man spoke. "Really?" she asked and he could hear the man speaking from his distance, but he couldn't understand what was being said. He could see her eyes watering and he was hoping she was getting good news. "Alright, thank you for calling Tajima." She whispered and the man on the other side told her he would talk to her when she got there.

"Are you alright?" he asked her and she nodded gently, as if the unshed tears would flow forth if she were to nod as swiftly as she felt like. "What's going on?" he asked softly and she glanced over at him with her lips trembling. "They are going to try and wake him once more." She whispered and he nodded. "Then let's let him see you, shall we?" he offered and she nodded. They pulled up to the hospital and Hashirama dropped her off up front so he could go find somewhere to park.

She raced to the elevator and made her way up to his floor. When she got there everyone was waiting for her, they hadn't tried yet because they were waiting for her. She made her way over to his bed and grabbed his free hand in hers. She nodded to Tsunade who offered her a reassuring smile as she stepped forth with the syringe. Tsunade injected the liquid into his I.V. and stepped backwards. They could see his eyes moving from beneath his eyelids and everyone was extremely hopeful.

The movement behind his eyelids began to slow after about fifteen minutes and the sadness that fell upon the room was unanimous. Hinata slowly crawled into his bed and crammed her face into the crook of his neck and she wrapped her arms around his waist as her muffled cries echoed around her. "We will try again in a few months, maybe he just isn't ready to wake and this is how his body is telling us." Tsunade said as the room began to empty except for Hinata and Madara.

"Leave the door shut and let them be tonight. She needs some time." Tsunade said and the nurses nodded. "Be sure to crack the door and peek in on them, but do not disturb her tonight. I thought today would be the day, but I was wrong and I just caused her unnecessary pain." Tsunade said softly and the nurses nodded with sadness clouding their eyes as they watched Hinata cling to Madara for dear life.

:-:-:

His eyes fluttered and he sighed deeply. The warmth was back. She was so close, yet so far. Madara took a deep breath and sighed deeply once more. He could smell her tears. Her tears were so close and he could only guess that she was near. The warmth started in his hand, which he figured she was holding. He hissed as he stared at his arm. A small pinpoint bleed started where he figured his I.V was and he furrowed his brow. This was new.

He felt like something was travelling up through his arm and he grabbed for his arm, only for it to hurt worse. The burning spread from the crook of the inside of his arm up towards the nape of his neck and then his head began to hurt, he couldn't figure out what this damnable pain was, but he knew he wanted it to go away. After a while of the burning, it started to fade, but it only faded once the warmth came closer to him.

It only faded completely when her tears invaded his mind. Her soft sobs. Making him want to do nothing more than embrace her tightly. Everything flashed before him and he looked around. The ground beneath his feet was no longer the rippling surface of water, but instead it was now a tiled floor. The walls around him were familiar. His high school. He looked around and saw that he was being followed by Nagato, Yahiko... or Pein as he called himself, Konan, Obito, Deidara, Kisame, Itachi, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Sasori. "What's the plan this time?" Yahiko asked and he stared at the auburn haired male for a moment.

"We have to do something. She is a distraction, and so is the blonde brat." Nagato said and Madara furrowed his brows. "Nagato... you can't be serious." Konan ground out and the red head looked back at her with an angered glance. "He turned us in! He is the one who has the police on our tail." Nagato said and Konan glared at him. "No, Nagato that was you." The blunette ground out before she vanished.

"Pein. You know what to do. She will protect the blonde boy, get rid of her and maybe Madara will come to his senses." Nagato said and Madara stared angrily at the group. Itachi and Kisame backed out, same for Kakuzu, Hidan, and Sasori. But Obito and Deidara stuck around to see what was going to happen. Madara knew Deidara and Obito weren't in on whatever Nagato had planned because they had told him of what Nagato was forcing Pein to do. Pein hadn't wanted to do it, but Nagato wasn't listening to reason.

Everything in the background faded away but Nagato stood there, his white ringed eyes staring back at him. "So you've fallen for her." He said, disdain in his voice. "You were a druggie and a thief Nagato, I wanted nothing to do with you." Madara snapped and Nagato rolled his eyes. "You are trying to say that you were no different than I. Which I find amusing." Nagato said and Madara glared at him. "I am nothing like you."

"Oh but that was where you were always wrong. People have many drugs, you see. Yours was everything you did to try and get her out of your mind. Yours was your drinking and your fighting." Nagato said and flashed an amused glance at Madara, whose face flashed with shame. "Ah see, you didn't think I didn't know about the fighting. Madara. I knew, but your family did not. See, I wanted to get rid of her because when you stopped fighting, I stopped getting paid. You were my meal ticket, so to speak." Nagato said and Madara glared at him.

"She was the reason I stopped fighting, because I didn't want this to happen. The one time I get a concussion from something other than a blow to the head in a fight." He snapped and Nagato shrugged. "Fate is telling you that you screwed up, my friend." Nagato said and the sneer that tugged at Madara's lips was fierce. "See, you have a choice here. Either you come back from this or you don't. I believe you should just give in. Stop fighting for good." Nagato said as he circled Madara.

"I mean, you already gave up on me. what's so different about her?"

"I love her." Madara hissed and Nagato clicked his tongue.

"I loved you, you were the brother I never had. But you chose her over me." Nagato said and Madara glared at him. "I gave up on you because I saw your decline. I didn't want to be involved with someone so dependent on drugs for happiness." Madara snapped and Nagato rolled his eyes. "And she isn't a drug? You don't depend on her for happiness?" he asked and Madara shook his head. "I do not. I only depend on myself for her happiness. That was something you never learned. Konan depended on you, she loved you, and you chose drugs over her; so she chose Yahiko over you." Madara said and Nagato smiled.

"I learned that in my last moments." Nagato said as he stopped circling Madara. "Tell me Madara, why do you love Hinata so much?" he asked as the room brightened and his eyes began to hurt. His eyes fluttered shut and he grimaced as he tried to look around. In his view, Hinata lay. Her hair was as long and silky smooth as ever and a small smile graced his lips as he allowed the darkness to consume him once more, but not before he wrapped his arms tightly around Hinata and pulled her close.

This was the first decent thing in his hell of darkness.

:-:-:-:

Hinata's eyes fluttered and she sighed in content. She was warm, so very warm. She loved waking up next to Madara, he always made her mornings so much more... appealing. She used to hate getting out of bed because she was always cold, but he was always warm and she felt like she belonged right there beside him. She couldn't help the way he made her chest flutter. A frown crossed her lips and she nuzzled her head back down in towards him.

'Tell me what you love about him. And tell me what makes you love him.'

She could understand why Mito was asking. She didn't want Hinata saying she loved Madara because he had saved her that night, and to be completely honest, she was forever grateful he had, but that wasn't why she loved him. And she didn't love him just because he loved her and she was settling. That would never have even been a valid thought in Hinata's mind, but she understood why Mito asked.

A small smile crossed Hinata's lips while she thought it over. She loved his hair, the way it fell so carefully over his forehead. She loved his extremely expression filled eyes. She loved the way they had seemed to always be filled with wonder and they had always followed her like she were the only person in the world. She loved the way he treated her. Sure, they had run off and bothered people that they didn't like and had actually pulled a few pranks on Izuna more often than not; but it was all in jest.

She loved every expression his face made. Every single one. Her heart would flutter when he were angry, her heart would jolt when that flirtatious gaze of his would land on her. Her heart would race every time he would brush the hair out of her face with that small amused smile. And when he grinned, not like a sarcastic or trouble making grin, but that huge smile he would flash when he saw her... her felt as if it would beat right out of her chest and her face would flush.

She could point out all the things that made him attractive, but it was the little things he did that she absolutely loved. He was rebellious, he had swiped her from her home more often than not and all they did was go to the park and swing. No doubt her father had thought Madara was trying to get into trouble. However, they never did anything illegal. Madara only took her around to show her off to all his friends and introduce her to people he felt were family, like Touka.

A small smile crossed her lips as she pondered Mito's question. There was no real answer, not one that would make it seem like she was picking her favorite qualities and overlooking whatever flaws he may have. Just as she was about to drift back off she felt movement, so she slowly tried to open her eyes, expecting the nurses to be moving around in the room. She felt something wet hit her face and the movements only proved to be closer to her than before. She squeezed her eyes shut and her lips trembled as tears welled up in her eyes.

The droplets only proceeded to fall faster onto her face and she forced her eyes open, ignoring the bright flash of light that was caused by her not giving her eyes enough time to adjust to the overhead lights. That was why she felt so much warmer than usual. Her breath hitched as she looked up to see him crying his eyes out. His tears fell all over her as he held her tightly. Her lips trembled and she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"You came back to me." She whispered as her tears fell. She nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck. "I came back to you..." he whispered and she sobbed loudly as she angled her head up and pressed her lips to his. "I was so scared." She sobbed against his lips and he pulled her as close to him as he could get her. "I know, I was terrified. I didn't want to leave you alone. I never want to leave you alone I'm so sorry." He whispered against her lips.

He pulled away from her slightly and he ran his fingers over her cheeks. "What happened to your hair?" he asked and she smiled at him through her tears. She hugged him tightly and pressed her lips against his once more.

"Just wait until you see yours..."

Ah! I couldn't do it any longer. I couldn't keep him comatose. The plot for the next chapter kept biting me! It's no normal plot bunny guys, this next chapter's plot bunny became rabid and told me I had to write it soon or else I was going to get it for real!