I don't own Naruto.

When they returned to the village things went about how she had expected them to. He was in custody and she was being interrogated. They were placed in cells right next to one another, they could see and hear each other, which was a blessing but also a curse, because they knew that everyone else could hear every single thing that they were saying to one another as well. She was just happy to be able to see and touch him rather than not know what was happening to him. She reached a hand through the bars and he scooted closer to grasp it gently. He brushed his lips brushed over the back of her hand and she smiled softly. "No matter what happens, I'm always here for you." He said and she nodded. She felt the same way no matter what she was going to be there for him as well.

"So, when you were in infinite Tsukuyomi... you dreamed of me?" he asked and she blushed slightly and averted her gaze. How had he found out about that? His thumb brushed over the back of her hand and he sighed deeply. "I wish I could have dreamt of you..." he said and her blush darkened. "Would you tell me of what you dreamed of?" he asked and she nodded softly. "Yes... I can do that for you." She said and he smiled as he leaned back against the bars and listened to every word she said. She told him all about how she had fought with Kakashi more than anything and he laughed at this seeing as it was accurate in his opinion. She told him all about how she had tried and tried to get him to realize she was in love with him but he was an oblivious fool, to which he agreed with as well. He hadn't realized she was falling in love with him until she had accidently let it slip one day. She had let it slip one day when he was leaving, just a simple be safe, I love you... but she hadn't meant to say it that day.

She told him all about how he had tried to get her to stay with him and that he told her he loved her. she told him that she had left the dream thinking that she was coming back to a version of him who remembered her from the past and was sad that she hadn't actually saved him. He got a good laugh of her dreaming about arguing with the village elders as well. He entwined his fingers with her and sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. "So no matter what, what you wanted most was to be with me and save me from everything..." he sighed and she turned to look at him with curious eyes. "Thank you... for sticking with me, even if this is the end." He said and she smiled at him softly.

"I would do it again no matter what... I hate that this may be the end for us, but at least I had you by my side in my last days." She whispered and looked to the doorway where she saw Tsunade watching her with saddened eyes. He gripped her hand a bit before he leaned his head against the bars. "Hinata... you did save me... no matter what you think, you made me change my ways, even if it were to late to save me from my death." He said and tears filled her eyes as he said this. He was looking towards Tsunade who still had that grim line crossing her lips. "I just pray you don't have to suffer the same fate as I do, my dear." He said and Tsunade turned to leave. Hinata's eyes hit the floor and she couldn't stop the shaking of her shoulders at this point.

The tears poured over her cheeks as she realized what Tsunade's silence most likely meant for her, they were both going to share a similar fate. He released her hand and turned to face the bars fully while he sat on his feet. "Hinata... look at me..." he called and she stopped her sniffling long enough to turn to face him and see he had put both arms through the bars. She wrapped her arms as best she could around him through the bars and continued to cry. "I don't want you to die..." she sobbed and he frowned as he patted her head comfortingly.

"I never wanted you to die because of me..."

:-:-:-:

Tsunade tapped her long nails on her desk in irritation. The elders were demanding the death of both of them, but they were also demanding that Sasuke be spared. She didn't see how that could possibly be considered fair seeing as all Hinata did was heal a missing nin and end up falling in love with him. Her punishment should be the least of all of them but these two old farts wanted the both of them dead, which could possibly be considered a mercy seeing as neither of them would have to live without one another. But to kill Hinata would be ridiculous. Everyone knows the girl wouldn't do anything against the village, nor would she let secrets slip seeing as Obito knows nothing about the byakugan either.

She was trying to figure out some way that she could keep all of them alive rather than having to kill just Obito. She didn't want to kill the man who had saved both Naruto and Sasuke selflessly. She gripped her desk so hard that her fingers left dents in the wood, causing the two old bastards before her to flinch. "Why do they both have to die?" she asked and the woman's face soured slightly. "Because they're both traitors." She hissed and another resounding crack echoed around the room, making the old woman flinch slightly. "Do you want to have the Hyuuga revolt in the same way the original Uchiha tried?" she asked and the old woman seemed to ponder it for a moment but she shook her head.

"That's what will happen if you kill Hinata." She said and the old woman frowned deeply, while the old man stayed silent. "Her age group will hate her for the rest of her life for betraying them." He said and Tsunade slammed her fist down on the desk this time. "You are just making excuses now! Bring them in and ask them what they want to do about Hinata and Obito, then we can make the choice, how about that." She said and the two seemed to ponder the thought for a moment before they nodded. "Fine. That sounds like it could work." The old woman said and Tsunade sighed as she leaned back in the chair. These old geezers made her want to knock them right into their graves.

"Guards, bring me the rookie twelve." She said and they nodded before they set out to bring in the members that weren't too injured to come in. The first up were Kiba and Shino and their responses were as expected. "Are you serious!? What kind of idiot would hurt Hinata because of someone else's mistakes? That's the dumbest shit I have ever heard." Kiba snarled and Tsunade tried her best to hide her smirk as she thanked him for his input. "And what of Obito?" the elders asked and he scoffed. "As much as I never approved of Hinata's romantic choices I knew she had been seeing someone, I never questioned it because her scent always radiated her pure happiness, so who would I be to get in the way of her loving him?" he asked and the smirk on Tsunade's face grew wide enough that she had to hide it behind her hands.

She looked over to Shino and motioned for him to state his opinion and he nodded. "I firmly agree with everything Kiba said. Every single word." He said and Tsunade nodded as she motioned for the two of them to go, but Kiba stopped and turned to face them once more. "If you kill them you're idiots. Obito saved your beloved Sasuke and Naruto." He said but continued out the door before they could say anything to him. "Disrespectful brat." The old man muttered and Tsunade scoffed at him audibly. "Is that how you feel about me old man? Because I agree with every word he said." She said and he glared at her.

One by one they brought in everyone and all of their responses were the same. When Lee and Tenten made their way into her office, she felt like they would be the only odd ones out. They looked like they had still been crying from Neji's funeral, which Hinata had missed due to everyone debating on what to do with her. This had infuriated Tsunade more than anything, the sheer disrespect to the mourning. Tsunade frowned as she watched the two before her, their reddened eyes not even having the chance of relief yet. "Do you think Hinata and Obito should-" "I hate him... I hate him with everything I am..." Tenten began, but Lee reached over and gripped her hand softly and she frowned.

"But I don't think he should die. I don't think either of them should die. Neji wouldn't want that." She said and Lee nodded in agreement. "Neji wouldn't want us to hurt her for his death, even though he died by Obito's hand protecting her. He wouldn't want either of them to have to live without one another... his loss was enough... no one else needs to die." Lee said and Tsunade and excused them to mourn in peace. She looked over to the elders, who both had sour looks on their faces. "Looks like the majority has spoken." Tsunade said as she made a move to stand, only for a soft knock at her door to stop her in her tracks.

"Come in." she called, only to be surprised when Hiashi and Hanabi entered. "We called in some more votes." The elders said, the smugness dripping from their voices. Tsunade knew that Hiashi was having trouble coping with the fact that Hinata had fallen in love with the missing nin, so he had been consulting with the clan to figure out what to do with her. Tsunade knew this meant he was here with an entire clan of votes and not just his own. Those sneaky old bats were going to get on her nerves, she wished they would just eat dirt already.

"Hiashi-san, do you have your clan's verdict of Hinata?" they asked and Tsunade glared at the elders before she turned a pleading look towards the Hyuuga clan head. He offered a small sad smile to her and her heart dropped in her chest at this look. "We couldn't decide on what to honestly do with them, but we came up with a proposition that would benefit all involved and I believe you will agree. It would be better than killing them or keeping them locked away for the rest of their days." He said and Tsunade nodded in slight excitement. Seemed he didn't want to kill them thankfully. As he explained his plan, her eyes widened and her mouth hung open in shock. He was serious...

:-:_:-:

Obito watched as they entered the dungeon where they were being held, he knew it was time for their verdict. His eyes softened and his shoulders slumped slightly as he softly pulled himself away from the sleeping girl next to him. He stood and made his way over to the gate where they waited for him. He stuck his hands through the bars and waited for them to cuff him once more, but they just opened the gate and pulled him out. They were rough with him, which he could understand why. He was a traitor to them after all. As they shoved him forwards, he saw Hinata begin to stir. When she realized they were taking him away she cried out and rushed the bars reaching for him.

"Please don't hurt him!" she cried out and his heart clenched in pain as he watched the tears begin rolling over her cheeks. Those beautiful eyes should never hold such a sadness in them. "Hinata, I love you... I'm so sorry I brought this upon you." He said and she continued to cry out to him as they forced him up the stairs leading out. He couldn't take his eyes off of her though, that beautiful woman crying over a piece of shit like him, it was miserable. His soul ached for her to find peace and he hoped she could find someone else if they let her live, which was all he wanted for her. He wanted her to live and see another day, something he didn't deserve.

"I still need you!" she screamed and it tugged at his heart. That was a promise he couldn't keep this time. And he regretted that, thankfully he wouldn't live long enough to regret it for too long. When the bright light of the sun hit his sight, he was confused as they nudged him more gently towards the hokage tower. He blinked and looked at the ones who were escorting him. They had frowns on their lips, but when he got a better look at them, they didn't look angry with him. They looked more saddened by the increasingly loud cries coming from Hinata, which he could understand.

When they escorted him up the steps no one seemed to be angry as he passed by them, instead they seemed quite happy. This was odd to him, as for everything he had done was hate worthy he made his way into the hokage's office and the woman sat before him with her hands folded in front of her face. She sighed and unclasped her fingers and smiled at him lightly. "Congratulations, Obito. You've cheated death once more." She said and his eyes went wide. He couldn't believe what she was saying. It didn't make sense, not a single word of it.

"Wait! What about Hinata?" he asked and her smile softened, it seemed more sincere now and he didn't understand it. "You see her father and her clan... they came up with in interesting proposition for the two of you. Seems no one really knew what to do with you, the cranky old geezers behind me here wanted you dead but seeing as I did not... we had a little... voting ceremony with some of the people you affected during the war." She said and he gulped lightly, he knew that they wouldn't ask Kakashi because he would be biased, but whoever they did as could possibly wanted him dead.

"No one wanted your death. They wanted you to live and make up for everything that happened. Not even Naruto wanted you gone, despite the fact you are the reason he grew up without his parents... he smiled and said that you should live." She said with a small smile and he furrowed his brows. He didn't understand how Naruto could smile and say that, considering everything but it seemed that Naruto was the kind of person who would want to save everyone he could no matter what, he could believe it. she continued to tap her fingertips on her desk and he just listened to everything she said as she read off the page where everyone gave their opinion of him.

"One girl said she hated you, but even then she didn't want you dead." She said and his eyes widened slightly, whoever that was, he was going to have to make it up to. She continued reading and he had to stifle his amusement when she read off the Inuzuka boy's comments. The man was definitely worthy of his thanks, and not for himself but for Hinata. The audacity to call the elders idiots, the boy had it and he was grateful for it. "We even asked Hinata what we should do about you." Tsunade said and his gaze locked on her now. His heart swelled and he knew Hinata had done nothing but plead for his life.

"She said that even if she lost her life she wanted you to live. She would give her life for yours if it meant you could make it up to the rest of us." A frown crossed his lips and his heart sank. He didn't want her to give her life for his, he never asked for that. "Please!" he called out, "If that is the reason I get to live... take me... I don't want her to suffer that way for me! I cant let her take the blame for everything I did!" he yelled as he fisted his hands by his side. "Please don't hurt her!" he yelled and he squeezed his eyes shut, the unfamiliar burning of tears nagging at his eyes. "Forgive me for my outburst... but im begging you not to hurt her..." he pleaded and the woman only smiled softly at him.

"Everyone thinks that Naruto is the only one who can get through to the most lost of souls, but Hinata has that ability too... doesn't she?" she asked and he nodded as he fought back the tears. "I never realized I had fallen in love with her until it was too late to save her from me..." he whispered and Tsunade nodded and folded her hands together once more. "As for your punishment..." she began and he squeezed his eyes shut once more. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear it anymore honestly.

"You have to spend the rest of your life indebted to Hinata Hyuuga."

He felt her arms wrap around him from behind and he let the tears loose as he turned in her embrace and hugged her back. He fell to his knees and she went with him. Her fingers traced over his face and his did the same to hers. "I'm so happy..." she whispered and he nodded, he was choking on his tears and he couldn't form words at the moment. She hugged him tightly once more and he wrapped one arm around her and one hand he buried in her hair and pressed her face into his shoulder.

He looked up to see her father and younger sister standing in the doorway and he whispered a small thank you to them and her father nodded. He could tell her father was one of those who thought he better take good care of her or else. And he was going to, he owed her his life. He allowed her to lean back and she began wiping at her tears while biting her lower lip. He smiled softly and brushed the few remaining tears away only to place a kiss on her forehead.

"I promise you... I will make this up to you..." he said and she shook her head. "I didn't know... I had no idea that my father was going to fight for us." She whispered and he looked up to Hiashi once more, who had a soft smile on his lips. He pulled himself to his feet and helped her to hers before he turned to Hiashi once more and bowed to him. "Thank you so very much sir... I am forever indebted to you." He said and Hiashi patted him on the head.

"There was once a young boy running around with a set of goggles, who I thought capable of grand things... I never knew it would be that same boy who would steal my daughter's heart away." Hiashi said and his eyes went wide as he slowly looked up at the man. "She believed in you even when the rest of us thought you couldn't right your wrongs, now I suggest you prove her right and continue to do so for the rest of your life. I expect you to marry her, as she said you'd promised." He said and Obito nodded rapidly. He knew it was a threat that if he didn't fulfil that he was going to face dire consequences, so why wouldn't he oblige?

:-:-:-:

She watched him as he hammered away at what was to be their home. One of the agreements was that they were to rebuild the Uchiha compound. She offered him a drink and he grinned down at her while Sasuke grumbled from the same rooftop. "Sasuke-kun, would you like a drink as well?" she asked and he continued to grumble, which made Obito chuckle. She heard footsteps and saw Sakura rushing up to them as well. "I got permission to help if you guys don't mind?" she offered and Hinata smiled at her and nodded. "We would love your help." She said and Sasuke looked down at the pinkette with a slight red tint to his cheeks, she couldn't tell if it were due to the heat or just Sakura making her presence known again.

The two of them had had an argument where Sakura told him she loved him and that he was going to have to deal with it and ever since Obito has been teasing him about it. she was happy the two of them were getting along so well. Slowly she watched as Obito had begun to revert into that goofy boy she saw in her dreams. The sweet and incredibly goofy soul that he was meant to be. She loved this side of him, the happy carefree side. She looked down to the ring on her finger and she smiled brightly. They weren't married yet, but he had made it clear that this was his promise to her that he would do everything he could to make it up to her.

Sure they had Anbu watching them all the time right now, but she wasn't worried about them cause eventually that would end. She hopped up onto the roof and made her way over to Obito, who had sat back and was enjoying his drink with a goofy smile. He was no longer hiding his scars and she loved that he was confident about himself. She knew that used to be something that troubled him, hence the mask and the covering of his face. She crouched in front of him and he lunged for her, leaving the cup discarded as it rolled off the roof and hit the ground.

She couldn't help the giggled that escaped her as he smothered her with kisses all over her face. Sasuke cleared his throat to get them to stop but Obito flipped him off and continued his onslaught. Sakura blushed and nudged Sasuke gently with her toe, but he blushed and looked away from her, which made her knock him over the head. Obito quit kissing her cheeks and burst out laughing, which made Hinata smile. His laugh was something she had loved about him. She loved it because he felt free to express his emotions again, rather than bottle them up and be angry.

Sure, there were times where he had his struggles and he got angry, but they were never towards her. It was towards the situation. She had started to get him to sit down and discuss what he was feeling with her, which made it so much easier on them. He was able to talk about how he felt without judgement and she was able to comfort him. She looked towards Sasuke and Sakura and smiled as they had begun whispering amongst themselves. She hoped they finally started to get along and understand they felt the same way about one another.

Obito offered her a hand and she took it as he pulled her back to her feet. She looked around and loved the view. All she could see were the roofs of her home and Sasuke's home, both were large to accommodate for their future families and the trees surrounding them. She linked her fingers with Obito's and smiled up at him. She knew it was her duty to help revive the Uchiha clan and that was fine with her, it wasn't a big burden on her, seeing as it wasn't just her. she got to spend time with the man she loves for the rest of her life and their future children. That was all she could ever want. She smiled as she thought about Naruto, who had begun spending more time with the ramen girl, Ayame. This amused her to no end because he loved that ramen more than anything and was now possibly dating her.

She looked back to Obito who was now discussing with Sasuke what all they would have to do to finally finish the roof, and she smiled. The two were going back and forth, seeing as Sasuke was tired but Obito wanted to finish the roof so they could start working on the inside of his home tomorrow. It was more so decorating at this point, seeing as everything else had already been finished. Sakura's eyes lit up and she rushed over to Hinata. "Can I help you guys decorate?' she asked and Hinata nodded.

"I would appreciate that as well. Thank you." She said and Sakura cheered and hopped off the roof, presumably to go tell Ino and Tenten they had a mission tomorrow, Hinata mused. "I already have the perfect bed picked out." Obito said and Hinata blushed at the tone of his voice. She looked over to him and he had a smirk plastered on his lips. Oh, he meant it exactly how it sounded. Her blush darkened and she began sputtering indignantly.

"Oh, come on love, you know I'm playing." He said and she offered him a small glare to which he chuckled at. His fingers brushed over her cheeks and he leaned closer to her, which was quite a gap seeing as he was so much taller than her. He placed a small kiss on her lips, but when he pulled back, he leaned close to her ear and whispered in her ear, "But someday we will have many beautiful children because they will look just like you. Just gotta find the alone time since we have puppy Sasuke following us around all the time right now."

She sputtered indignantly once more and he only laughed at her once more. "Come on let's go get something to eat." He said as he ruffled her hair and she nodded as she followed him off the roof, but Sasuke was right behind them, which made her smile, Obito wasn't wrong about him following them around like a puppy. She didn't mind it though because she didn't want him to feel like he had to avoid them. He was part of her family now too, so she was happy to get to know him like Naruto and Sakura did.

They chose a restaurant that wasn't ichiraku, which she was grateful for, she could eat some ramen, but she didn't want it right now. This was the nice barbeque place that Choji frequented. When they walked in, they saw that the group was already there with Naruto, who yelled at them and waved them over. Obito seemed a little offput by this, seeing as some of them hadn't really warmed up to him yet. She laced her fingers with his and tugged him gently towards the large table. Sakura rushed in with Ino and they grinned as they made their way over as well. He looked down at her and she could tell he was unsure if he wanted to join them and darken the mood, but she tugged his hand once more and he nodded with a sigh.

He sat next to Naruto and the blonde grinned at him as he offered him some sake, to which he took happily. She figured he needed the little bit of liquid courage to be able to interact with this group. She began talking to everyone else, while Obito sat there silently and listened. Naruto said something and Obito burst out laughing, which caused everyone else to look at him and begin laughing as well. Hinata smiled as Naruto had chopsticks up his nose and was cracking jokes, successfully lightening the mood. Obito looked over at her and smiled softly after a while.

"Thank you." He whispered and she nodded. She wanted him to feel comfortable around all of her friends and if anyone could make that possible it was Naruto. She was so thankful for the blonde he would never truly understand it. she looked over to her other companion and saw he had been laughing as well, despite how hard he had tried not to. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips at this. She wanted nothing more than for the two Uchiha to be happy and it seemed they were well on their way to it.