It was a seemingly normal day at the Red cloud bakery; Samui was spinning happily in her rotating chair as she waited for the customers to make up their mind on what they wanted. Occasionally she would stop spinning and chatter amiably with them until they left. She would peer into the back of the shop where she knew Madara was hiding out today for some reason. She supposed it had something to do why he had been so amiable as he stopped by to see how everything had gone yesterday... A smile crossed her lips as she thought about how happy he had seemed. Perhaps it had something to do with Neji and something he had said, because she had never seen them act so friendly with each other, much less she had never seen them hanging out.

Madara's fingers picked away at the strings of his guitar with a contented look in his eyes as he leaned back against the wall in the back of his shop. "Have faith in me..." he began, "Cause there are things that I've seen that I don't believe.'' He sang and Samui knocked on the wall from the doorway. "Something has you in a good mood..." She said and he sent her a glare. She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest with a saddened look in her eyes. "Listen," she began and he looked up from where he was picking off a tune.

"You may not find me attractive in the slightest, but I don't care. I do, however, see you as a friend and would prefer to keep you that way." She says and he actually set his guitar down to listen to her. "The only thing I want, is for you to be happy, happy in the way you never have been. And I want this because you're a close friend, although you've tried to push me away. Sure, we bicker and argue, we cuss back and forth at each other; but it's all in good fun." She says and nudged him with the tip of her shoe. He raised a brow at her and repressed a smirk.

"You're a very interesting woman, you know that..." he said and she laughed. "Get out of here, there's a hospital bound young lady that needs your attentions, as much as she denies them and tries to avoid you." Samui laughed and he rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should sing to her, she might like it." Samui said and he snorted. "I haven't sang in years..." he said and she smiled. "You did today, and that tells me that you have, but refuse to mention where and to whom you were singing to. Maybe you should get the group together for one more song, just for her." Samui said as she slipped around the doorway and it off sight. Madara shook his head in amusement, but he did agree it would be a good idea, he would sing one of her favorite songs when they held her birthday bash.

He pulled out his phone and called his second cousin, Obito, and explained the situation to him. Obito was ecstatic, and before long he received three more phone calls. One from Konan and Pein, one from Deidara, and one from his younger brother, all with the same reaction: You're pulling the band out of retirement?! He sighed and rubbed his brow. "Yes, and I will explain later." He said to each of them, but Izuna had this tone in his voice and wouldn't let it go.

"It's for her, isn't it?" He asked and Madara sighed, he loved his younger brother but he was too nosy. "Izuna... not everything is about her. It's a favor for a friend, and if you hadn't noticed she's not really my friend." He snapped and Izuna frowned, Madara knew this because he heard the noise of irritation that usually followed. "So you don't see her as a friend in the slightest? Then why do you visit her, why do you lead her on like this. It's cruel." Izuna snarled and Madara clenched his fist. "You don't understand dammit! I don't know what to call her!" He snapped back and he could hear the unamused scoff from the other side of the phone.

"What I don't understand... is why you're going to continue to confuse this young woman. She doesn't understand why you have directed your attentions on her, but I think she thinks you're a friend to her. So for you to just say you aren't actually friends... it's cruel. I would step in and tell her, but I'll let you break her heart and let her hate you all your own, just so you can be sad and alone forever. Goodbye brother, if you decide to ever explain, just give me a call." Izuna said then hung up. Madara released an angered yell and threw his phone against the wall. He didn't even care when he swiped out off the floor and there was one long crack going down the screen.

His younger brother had absolutely no right to be that way. He had no idea what exactly Madara was going through and for Izuna to be so judgmental like that wasn't helping anything. He knew arguing over the phone wasn't going to settle anything so he was going straight to the source of his current problem; he was going right to Izuna. He didn't even bother explaining to Samui what was going on, because it seemed she already knew what was going on. She frowned and knew she was going to still end up taking over the shop today, but not in the way or for the reason she had been hoping.

He didn't even bother getting into his car either he just continued his trek down the street because deep in his mind he hoped he could chill out a bit before he reached his younger brother and attempted to choke his for his lack of listening to him. He continued down the street at a brisk pace he had about a two mile walk from his shop to Izuna's, so he really hoped his anger would dissipate before he arrived. He didn't want to cause too much of a scene in his brother's shop.

He knew he was almost halfway there when his eyes darted up to the large structure in the middle of this little business community, the hospital. He could see Hinata's hospital room from where he was and he sighed, he was caught in between forgetting about everything his brother had said, and going to her. If he did the latter he knew his brother would only start more shit, so he decided against visiting her just yet, after he settled things with Izuna he would go see her. When he stepped foot onto Izuna's property, some people who recognized him began either leaving, or huddling in the back of the store, most likely having heard the majority of the yelling from Izuna's phone call.

He opened the door and Izuna shot him a look. "Not here." He snapped and Madara's dissipated anger began to rise once more. "I have nothing to say to you, especially not here because it's bad for business." Izuna snapped and turned away from him. "Bad for business?!" Madara snapped and Izuna turned to face him once more. "You know what! Fuck you, man! You don't know shit! You think you do but honestly you know nothing of what I'm struggling with!" Madara snapped and Izuna frowned at him.

"Get out, Madara." He said and Madara released an angered laugh. "Absolutely not, I was in such a good place lately and you had to go an open your mouth because you can't stay out of everyone else's personal life!" Madara snapped and Izuna slammed his hands down on the counter. "Of course not! Of course I'm not going to stay out of this! You're leading her on! you're going to destroy her heart! I can't let you do that!" Izuna yelled and slammed his fists on the counter once more. Madara grit his teeth and made his way closer to the counter.

"And pray tell, just how in the hell are you so damn sure of this!? Huh?! Just what evidence do you have!" Madara yelled angrily, not caring in the slightest about the growing whispers behind him. "I know this because I'm your brother, and I've seen you in action! You're such a man whore I'm surprised you don't have any diseases yet because it seems as if you've screwed just about every woman in this town!" Izuna yelled and Madara lunged at his younger brother and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and drug him over the counter.

"And how the hell do you know that!? Have you seen me with any of them?!" he yelled and Izuna glared at him. "I've seen you leave bars with so many women it's ridiculous! Of course I haven't seen you screw them because that's none of my business! But she is! She is one of my closest friends and I refuse to let you break her heart and use her like you use all those other women!" Izuna yelled and Madara gripped his brother's shirt tightly. So tightly in fact, that his knuckles turned white. "But..." Madara began, his voice cracking slightly. "Have you ever seen me... with any of them?" he asked and Izuna frowned as he saw the hurt and betrayal in his older brother's eyes.

"Everyone makes assumptions about me, because I'm cocky, I'm flirtatious, and I hang out at bars more often than not. But I do not screw every woman I see... please... don't make assumptions about me that even you don't know the truth to. Because you have no idea who I've become... and you never stopped enjoying yourself and your life, to pay attention to my struggles. And I respect that, I don't want you to worry about my pain, I just want you to live your life the way it needs to be lived. I just don't want you going around, spreading rumors that I'm a man whore and that when I leave bars with women, it's to take them somewhere to screw them. Maybe you should stop by the bar I frequent, and ask the bartender why I'm always escorting women out. Maybe you would make less of an ass of yourself that way..." Madara said and shoved Izuna away, only to turn and make his way out of the shop.

"Madara wait!" Izuna called and he stopped and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm sorry..." Izuna said and Madara forced a laugh. "No, no you're not. You're just upset you've made an ass of yourself. Come apologize to me when you actually know what you're sorry for." Madara snapped and walked off, leaving Izuna to stare at his brother with a saddened look. "You made him mad again..." a familiar voice sighed behind him and he turned to see his younger cousin standing there. "Hey Obito." Izuna greeted with a frown and his younger cousin started off towards the store and once he stepped inside he eyed the people that had been listening to the entire argument. "Alright, so... every last one of you is going to show me your videos, because if you recorded this familial issue, I will smash your phones. I promise you this. I understand, you've never seen Madara or Izuna yell at each other before, but if you honestly want to record them, you can record them when they are performing, not while they settle this issue." Obito said and a line of phones formed on the table before him, everyone having either erased the videos or hadn't taken one.

"Alright, now, I'm going to make you all some amazing snacks since I had to do that and you almost saw blood in this spat." Obito laughed and the group cheered. They all knew who Obito was and they all loved it when he came back to town. Izuna sighed and slumped into the corner booth in the restaurant, his head on top of his arms as he slumped over onto said table.

:-:-:-:-:

Hinata was lying in her hospital bed just staring up at the ceiling, she couldn't remember how her gamer box ended up put away because the last thing she could remember is that she had begun to drift off while playing destiny. Madara had left what felt like hours before, so she didn't think he had done it. Her nurses preferred not to touch the expensive gamer box, because none of them felt like having to replace the contents within, and anyone else who would have visited her would have woken her up, so she was blatantly confused. She puffed out her cheeks in thought but was surprised when the nurse brought her breakfast in.

Hinata offered her a brilliant smile and the nurse gave her a sly look. "Your boyfriend is quite the looker young lady." She said and Hinata blinked. "Boyfriend?" she asked and the nurse laughed. "Oh you don't have to worry! I won't tell your father." She said and Hinata blinked. "But..." Hinata began and the nurse gently moved the gamer box so she could sit down. "Oh he's just too sweet for words. You had fallen asleep hunched over your game by the time he had returned." She said and Hinata eyed her with a confused look, although she couldn't say anything with a mouth full of cereal.

"He readjusted you as carefully as he could and even tucked you in after, if my husband cared that much I think we would be much better off." The older nurse laughed and Hinata watched her with curious eyes. "I don't actually have a boyfriend, though, Mrs. Lily." She said and the nurse gave her a surprised look. "We all thought he was like your secret boyfriend or something, since he was always here of the night while you were in a coma, he just seemed so defeated that you were gone. He's all the other nurses ever talk about because he was always here." The nurse said and Hinata blushed.

"But I had no idea... he always seemed so... distant and rude." Hinata said and the nurse laughed with a roll of the eyes. "Guys are like that, they don't know how to express the way they feel face to face." She said and sighed as her pager rang. "Well, I suppose I will have to go. I'll talk to you later Miss Hyuuga." She sighed and waddled off to go assist another patient. Hinata stared off out the window with furrowed brows, her mind swimming with confusion. She didn't understand Madara in the slightest; he was the most confusing person she had ever met.

She slipped out of her bed, but not before turning off the patient alarm; she had watched the nurses do it enough when she had needed to use the restroom. It alerted the nurses if left on long enough. They had gotten smarter when dealing with Hinata. She walked over to her window and leaned against it with a sigh. It was such a lovely day outside and she was trapped in here. "Hello Hinata-chan!" Izuna called out and she turned to face him and his company with a small smile. "Obito, Izuna how are you?" she greeted and they offered her troubled smiles. "Have you happened to see Madara today? He's upset and... it's my fault for assuming things that I should have made sure I had the facts about first." Izuna said and Hinata frowned as she sat in her windowsill.

"I haven't seen him today, I'm sorry..." she sighed and Izuna nodded. "Alright, well... I'm going to go try to find him." Izuna said and the two Uchiha waved as they turned to leave but Hinata cleared her throat lightly. "Izuna..." she called, and he turned to her with a questioning look. "Why did you think to come to see if he was with me first? I know you haven't stopped anywhere else, just because you would have changed first, but it's me, so you didn't. So why me?" she asked and he frowned. "I'm not sure if I'm at liberty to say Hinata, forgive me, because I'm not even sure if I actually know anything myself." He said and she nodded.

"I'm coming with you." She said and Izuna blinked at her in surprise. "Why?" he asked and she looked over to the picture of her and Neji from her graduation, knowing full well there was a second picture behind it. "I want to make sure he is alright..." she said and Izuna shook his head. "He will be fine I promise, I will tell you when he gets home." He said and she nodded. She watched Izuna go and she leaned back onto the window and tried her best not to squeal as she fell straight out of the window. Deep rumbling laughter echoed from the tight embrace that held her.

"Why hello, I didn't know angels were just falling from the sky all over today." He laughed and she huffed and sent him a look. "I was worried about you, you know. Izuna said you were upset." She said and he nodded with a sigh. "Yeah... sometimes I wish people wouldn't judge a book by its cover" he sighed and she gave him a look. "You happen to make it so easy though." She said and he shrugged. He then grabbed her up and put her back into her window. "I came to see how you were doing." He said and she frowned. "What, no kidnapping scheme? Everyone else has one." She said with a smile and he smirked.

"So you're saying you would run off with a stranger?" he asked and she raised her brow at him. "Since when are we strangers, you went to my graduation." She laughed and he stared at her wide eyed. "You remember that?" he asked and she shrugged. "Not really, but I saw the picture you left behind Neji's." she said and he sighed deeply. She watched him carefully. "It looks like you were a really close friend to me, but I don't understand why all I remember is you being mean to me..." she said and he pushed his back against the wall and slid down to sit on the ground. "Because we were never friends." He said and she watched him carefully.

"Oh..." she said as she let her legs dangle from the window. "Is it my fault we were never friends?" she asked after a few minutes and he looked up at her. He thought for a moment then shook his head. "No, no it was never you." He sighed and she stared down at him in confusion. "Was there a reason you didn't want to be friends with me? Was I too obnoxious with my stammering? Or was it something else?" she asked and he grit his teeth. "It wasn't anything you did." He snapped and she watched him carefully, she didn't flinch away from him at his tone because she knew he didn't mean to be that way.

"Then why?" she asked softly and he jumped to his feet. "Why can't you just leave it be! I have my reasons, please just let them be!" he snapped as he turned to her. "But I would like to understand why, especially when we seemed to have had so much fun in that picture. I just can't understand why..." she said, still not fazed by the angry look in his eyes and the tone of his voice. "Because I have no idea how to explain it dammit. I'm tormented by you, the memory of you, and who you are now! I'm suffering because of my thought and my memories! Neji said not to think of you the way you had been but I find it impossible not to! It was horrifying!" he snapped, slamming his phone down on the windowsill beside her leg before he turned away from her.

"I'm leaving. Don't follow me." he snapped as he walked away from the window. "Madara wait!" she screamed after him and he stopped. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pressed the matter... please come back and talk to me..." she said softly and he shook his head. "I can't, not right now. Because, this has just been too much for one day. Way too much stress for a single week." He said and continued on his way. Once he was out of sight she noticed a shiny object lying on the ground. She reached down and grabbed the object. It was Madara's phone, it was cracked and not just from him slamming it against her windowsill either.

She looked behind her, only to see her sitter was asleep. She then jumped out the window landed softly on her feet. She ran to the edge of the street and looked both ways, seeing no dark haired man either way. She then thought about everything she knew about Madara which she had learned from everyone around her. She attempted to unlock his phone and she went through his pictures, which were mainly of him and his group of friends in a bar. She found a few pictures of her in there and was surprised, she didn't have any idea that he had taken those while she was sitting in his shop. They looked a lot like those times where she was stuck there without a car.

She clicked off the screen with a frown, she had no right to be this way. She had no right to go through his things. She decided against going to find him because he needed his space and if she went after him it would more than likely cause more issues than it would solve. She climbed back up through her window, only to come face to face with her cousin. "Ahem..." he cleared his throat and she frowned and handed him Madara's phone. "Ah, I take it that pressing him with kindness didn't fare too well." He sighed and she frowned up at him.

"He got mad at me and then left. He said I was tormenting him and that you told him not to think about it. What exactly am I missing." She snapped as she went over to her bed to lie down. "There is a lot you don't know, and some I can't tell you, but I can tell you that... you need to listen to him when he speaks, watch him when he talks to you don't speak just watch." He said and she sighed. "I don't understand anything anymore. That picture makes me think we should be some sort of friends, but he pushed me out." She said and Neji chuckled.

"He pushes everyone away because he's scared and emotional, he has never been fully able to understand what you mean to him. But you mean a lot to him, and I know you want to know why he gets so irritable when it comes to you. Speaking of that, you were the reason he and Izuna were fighting. Izuna thought Madara was going to hurt you, and Izuna was completely in the wrong. Because despite how rude Madara might be, he would never intentionally hurt you. And I can promise you this." He said and Hinata watched him with saddened eyes. "And I can guarantee you this, if you were ever in trouble... he would give his life to save you." He said and she bit her lip.

Before she knew it, it had been a week and yet she hadn't seen Madara once. She stared out her window with a saddened look, she missed his company greatly. Even if they had just sat around and played games, she missed him. She eyed his broken phone, which had been receiving texts of 'hey man, where are you?' from Izuna, Obito, Konan, Pein, Kisame, Deidara, and even Hidan; all week long. She was beginning to worry and their constant texts were doing nothing to console her worried mind.

:-:_:-:

The man behind the bar stared at him with worried eyes. "Are you going to go home Madara?" he asked and he shook his head slowly, thinking that if he shook his head too fast he may fall over. "You've been here for days, the lady bartender sighed and offered him another beer, which he took without even reading the label on the bottle. He didn't care anymore, he was numb and the stress was gone. "I'm ashamed of you, normally you're the one escorting those poor young women home, but now we are going to have to call someone for you because I highly doubt you can walk." The owner sighed and Madara looked up at him with tears in his eyes.

"They all think so little of me... they think I'm a womanizer... I'm not... I'm truly not." He said and the bartender ruffled his hair softly. "Don't worry dear, they will understand that you are the good guy..." she said and he shoved the beer away from him. His head hit the counter top and he just lay there, unmoving for a while just staring at the movement of his fingers and enjoying the sight of them on his blurry eyes. "Madara... may I ask a question?" she asked and he peered up at her with unfocused eyes.

"Hm?" she frowned and patted him on the head. "I need to ask a few actually, is that alright?" she asked and he nodded. "Alright." He muttered and she smiled softly as she patted him on the head ever so gently, this seemed to soothe him and she supposed this was how his mother had always comforted him. "What exactly has you so upset lately that you've pretty much moved in here?" she asked and he leaned his cheek against the cool counter top.

"Because she's so beautiful..." he whispered and she watched him carefully. "Who is?" she asked and a small smile crossed his lips. "Hinata..." he said and the bartender smiled slightly. "Then why are you here? If she's this beautiful, why aren't you with her." It was a statement, more so urging him to go to her. "Because she will never love me. I've been selfish..." he said with an saddened sigh. "She never liked me, but I always liked her... she was always so gorgeous... even as children, the only way I thought I could talk to her was by being mean... but it never got me anywhere." He sighed and spun around on the bar stool only to lean back against the bar once more, but now the back of his head rested atop the counter.

"Why is that?" she asked and he sighed again. "Because she's too beautiful for an ass like me..." he said, but a look crossed through his eyes and he sighed. "And also it is because the first time I even got close to her, she hugged me at her graduation, not even an hour later she was hit by a truck four times larger than her little bitty vw bug..." he said and the bartender's eyes softened and she tucked his hair behind his ears. "I pulled her out of that car and... she fell into a coma..." he whispered and she frowned.

"But how is this your fault. There was nothing you could do..." she said and he hmph'd. "Every time I touch her, she gets hurt. I think I have even made her cry... I don't want to make her cry." He said and she nodded. "She would be so lucky to have you... so very lucky, Madara." She said and he shook his head. "Nah... I've only ever caused her pain. I think I should stay away from her." He whispered and she frowned. "Alright then... I need to ask my second question." She said and he looked at her.

"How dare you come in here like this... What on earth makes you think any woman would want you if you were dead, and had died by drinking?" she asked and a chuckle escaped his lips. "No one. Just like no one wants me now." He said and she frowned. "You have no idea exactly how wrong you are. There are so many women who would break their bank, just to sleep with you. Hell more of them would give away all of their belongings just for you to carry them home after they have been drinking, but you do that for them because you are a good man." She said and he glanced up at her.

"Do you have any idea how much it would mean to someone, to have you by their side? It would mean everything to them. And for you to have been chasing the same girl for all these years... you're a rare type of man, Madara. And now if you don't get up, get yourself sober, and go either blatantly ask this young woman to have your babies, or just as her to hang out with you... I promise you I will burn down your store." She said and he laughed, a real genuinely amused laugh.

She smiled at him as he continued to laugh. "So what is it going to be?" she asked and he grinned at her. "I'm going home... but first I have a stop to make." He laughed and stood on shaky feet. "I just want you to go home tonight..." she sighed but he crammed a hand in his pocket and laughed. "No... I don't think I will." He said and she shook her head. He reached for the doorknob on the front door to the bar, but it opened right in front of him and he was met with the tired eyes of a young woman. "Hinata..." he began and she looked up at him with her saddened eyes.

"I've searched every bar in the leaf... this was the last one... I'm just lucky it wasn't Izuna tasked to it." she said and he wobbled on his feet but she tucked herself under his side and held him up. "When did you get out of the hospital?" he asked and she looked up at him with a frown. "Not even five hours ago, I've been searching for you ever since I got out." She said and he stopped moving with her. "You were searching for me all this time? Why?" he asked and she offered him a small smile.

"Because I worried about you. I missed you, you see..." she said and he blinked at her in surprise, but then his cheeks seemed to darken in color more than they already were. "Why would you worry about me?" he asked and she tucked herself closer into his side. "Because I've always wondered about you. I've always wanted to be your friend... but I was too shy to talk to you. Even when you were mean to me I had only wanted to understand you." She said and he looked at her with a small saddened smile.

"But I'm an asshole..." he said and she smiled. "Yeah... I know that..." she said and he blinked at her. "So even with the way I snapped at you, you still want to be my friend?" he asked and she smiled. "Of course. You've suffered enough on your own, I am here because I don't want to see you suffer anymore." She said and he hugged her to him tightly. "Thank you..." he said and she smiled. "I don't need thanks, because I knew you were suffering even when I wasn't awake." She said and he looked at her curiously.

"You're so much different from the version of you that was in my comatose dream. He was perverted, overly so... he was rude... and the only thing he wanted to do was be perverted towards me. In the dreamscape I hated that version of you so much, but I couldn't help but care for him." She said and she smiled up at him, whereas he was staring at her in confusion. "You are actually everything I had ever wanted to be... I wanted to be brave, to be confident, to be able to fend for myself and not care what others thought... you live that way and yet I'm nothing like what I wish I could be." She said sadly and he laughed.

She glanced up at him as they walked down the street. "You are everything I could ever want you to be..." he said with a yawn and she blushed darkly as his weight fell upon her. "Oh my god Madara you're so heavy!" she squealed as they slid to the ground a few feet from his car. He chuckled tiredly and pulled her closer to him. "We are going to rest here for a moment, no one cares. I mean really. I'm just a drunk sitting by my car with my lady friend." He laughed and she frowned. "Trust me, Izuna will find me, Touka is going to call him even though you came to get me." he laughed and she smiled.

"You're weird Madara." She said and he laughed as she sat against the driver side door to his car, although she was not expecting him to flop over and rest his head in her lap with a smile directed towards her. She blushed darkly as his eyes met hers and didn't break away. "I'm not being perverted Hinata-chan... does this mean I win?" he asked and she released a laugh. She knew this game now. "If I say yes, what did you win?" she asked and he offered her a smile. "The ability to lay here and stare at your beautiful eyes until I go to sleep." He said and she blushed even darker, causing him to grin sleepily and reach up to brush his fingers over her cheek, only for his hand to fall and hit him in the chest with a thump.

His eyes fluttered sleepily and he muttered something to her that made her smile. "Thank you for worrying about me, I'm sorry I've made you worry." She reached and began running her fingers through his hair gently with a soft smile. "It's no problem, Madara... I'm sorry I worried you all those years..." she said and ran her fingertips gently over the stressed wrinkles under his eyes. "I made you worry so much, and all I did was invite you to my graduation." She said and he smiled in his sleep.

"That isn't all you did for him, you know..." Izuna said and she looked up at him. "You gave him his voice back... you gave him everything back, just with that simple act of kindness. And then... you vanished and it all went away again..." he said and she smiled down at Madara. "You showed him the kindness he had always craved, but never received because the only thing people wanted from him was his looks. You showed him that night that you asked him, that there are people out there who want him to be around for more than just being a pretty face." Izuna said as he grabbed Madara's arms and lifted him from Hinata's lap. She smiled and stood, tucking herself back under his side to assist in carrying him to Izuna's car.

They set him in the back seat and Izuna handed her Madara's keys. "Will you follow me in his car so no one tries to steal anything from it?" he asked and she nodded and hesitantly grabbed the keys. "Alright, ill follow you to your house." She said and he nodded with a smile. She slipped into the driver side seat and buckled up. She looked at the passenger seat and saw a wilted rose, a box and a receipt dated for the other day, the one where she had ended up making Madara upset. She moved the top of the box and saw it had stale cinnamon rolls in it. her lip trembled and she put them in an empty bag so they could be thrown away properly before they got moldy.

She knew that those had been for her... she absolutely knew it, because Samui had told her that he had asked her to put those in the seat so that when he left to go visit her, he would have them... but when he showed up he had showed up on foot and distressed. She really didn't help his situation any either. Izuna honked the horn and sent her a smile, which she returned and started his car. She pulled out behind him and kept right behind him the entire way to Madara's house.

She parked Madara's car right beside Izuna's and she helped him pull the groggy Madara from the seat. He looked at her through half lidded eyes and flashed her a smile, which she returned with a softer one. "Come on Madara, I understand you're tired, but we need to get you inside." She said and he attempted to stand to his full height but he knew he was having trouble. He laughed and she shook her head with a smile as he walked with heavy as lead feet.

Hinata turned to make her way back outside as soon as Madara had flopped onto his black couch, but he called out to her. "I'm sorry..." he began and she opened her mouth to speak but he then continued. "I'm sorry I said you were tormenting me... it wasn't you... it was the idea that it was somehow my fault that you had fallen into that coma..." he said groggily and she frowned. "It wasn't you Madara..." she said and he shook his head slowly. "You don't understand..." he whispered and she walked back over and crouched next to him.

"What do I not understand?" she asked and he turned to face her. "I thought I was going to lose you that night... I thought I would never see those beautiful eyes that tug at my soul, ever again... I was so scared... because I was there that night... I was right behind the both of you..." he whispered and she frowned at him and brushed the bangs from his face. "If only I had pulled out of the parking lot first, then it would have been me there... and not you." He whispered and she bit her lip.

"It is what it is, Madara... you can't change it... and who knows what would have happened... if it had been you, you could have died..." she said and a smile crossed his lips. "But you never would have gotten hurt, you never would have wasted time of your life trying to find me, or even talk to me... because I never would have been here to upset you so much." He whispered and she clenched her fists. "That's a lie... because then I would have had to remember that the last thing you ever did was go to a graduation that had absolutely nothing to do with you and I know you never even wanted to be there." she snapped and he smiled.

"If the last thing I had ever done was be that close to you... I could die a happy death." He whispered before his eyes slipped shut and gentle snores escaped him. She couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes, this man aggravated her and made her so worrisome, all while making her feel like such a special person. She couldn't stand how he spoke so easily about her and the way he would admit the things he did to her, she wanted nothing more than to just have fun with him once more, but she knew there would be times like this, but there would also be the fun ones.

She brushed the hair form his forehead away with gentle fingertips and she placed a delicate kiss there, because she knew he needed the comfort.

"I'm going home Izuna, make sure Madara gets all covered up and taken care of, alright?" she asked and he nodded. "He really cares for you... I didn't believe it at first, but... I do now. When he wakes up he will most likely come seek you out." He laughed and she smiled. "I can tell, although the Madara in my dream was much more straight forward about what he wanted, I think I will take some time to get to know him for who he actually is, not for who I thought he was going to be." She said and he smiled.

"So when can I expect nieces and nephews?" he asked and she glared at him. "I never said marriage." She said and he laughed. "But I'm sure your cousin did at some point." He laughed and she blushed darkly, only to turn and see an amused Neji by the doorway, him having been there for a few minutes at best judging just by how comfortable he looked in the recliner. "Take me home. I want to go to bed." She whimpered and Neji shook his head with a soft chuckle as he tossed an arm over her shoulder and hugged her to him tightly.

"You two are going to make a perfect couple, I have high hopes for the two of you." Neji said and she blushed darkly. "Oh... and father said something about visiting the beach and having fun to make up for those birthdays you missed, would you like that?" he asked and she smiled. "Yeah... that sounds like a lot of fun. Especially if I bring all of the gang." She said and he chuckled. "It does sound like fun, although Tobirama, lee, Hana, and a few others won't be able to make it I'm sure if they can make it, they will." He said and she smiled.

"That sounds fun..."