The Way I Love:

One

Hinata sighed deeply, trying to hold back the tears that had been threatening to pour from her eyes for months as she gazed forlornly at the moon from the bedroom window. Tomorrow night she would be starting a whole new chapter of her life…and just thinking about it tore her up inside. Tomorrow she was to be married to Uchiha Sasuke. Not only did she not love him, but…she was also in love with someone else. Someone that she shouldn't have been in love with.

Hinata turned over on the mattress and laid her hand on the bare back of the man she loved, who was at the moment turned away from her and sleeping soundly.

"…Neji-niisan?" She whispered quietly.

Neji groaned quietly and rolled over to face his cousin, blinking his ivory eyes several times. "What is it, Hinata-sama?"

She bit down on her lower lip and gently stroked his beautiful face. "I can't sleep."

Neji squinted and scooted closer to Hinata before draping his arm over her. "You need to. Tomorrow's a big day for you."

Hinata looked down at the white sheets underneath their naked bodies and closed her eyes. "I'm scared, Neji-niisan. Really scared."

"Of what?" He asked gently.

The woman inhaled deeply and looked back up at him, no longer being able to control the tears that rolled down her pale cheeks. "Of-of not being with you, like this." She shook her head and choked, "I…I don't think I can do it!"

Neji stared at her quietly, his own heart of stone starting to crack. He attempted to smile as he wiped the tears from his love's face.

"You said that exact same thing when we first started seeing each other. That you couldn't do it. That you were afraid of what everyone would think of you if they knew that you were in love with me. That what we were doing was..." He hesitated.

Hinata sniffled. "What? What we were doing was what?"

Neji closed his eyes and gently kissed her on the forehead before he whispered, "Sinful."

A slight shiver ran through Hinata's spine at the word and she huddled against Neji's warm, muscular body, as though his flesh could protect her from all the pain that was sure to come. "We…we love each other," she said quietly. "That's all that matters."

Her cousin was silent, the only sound in the room that of their beating hearts, before he answered. "Sometimes there are things that not even love can overcome."

Hinata shook her head slowly and buried her head in his chest, sobs erupting from her quivering body. Neji bit on his lower lip, willing himself not to break down too, and wrapped his arms tightly around her, the girl he was deeply, madly, truly in love with. Oh how horrible fate was, that they happened to be related, that there was no way he could announce to the world how in love he was with Hyuuga Hinata, and that tomorrow…she would be taken away from him.

Hinata finally pulled away from him and looked up at him, sniffling. "I-I promise, Neji-niisan, that I will never let him inside me! I won't let him touch me, or kiss me, or make love to me! I won't!"

Neji's eyes turned to slits as he slowly shook his head. "No, Hinata-sama, you must. You have to."

"No! I-"

"Hinata-sama, if you…if you do keep up this act and make the village believe that you're happy to be his wife, I swear to you that we will see each other in secret. That we will still be lovers."

The girl's lower lip shook as she slowly nodded, closing her eyes. "It'll be hard…but I'll try."

Neji rested his finger under her chin and raised her face up slightly. "But there is one thing you must not do, Hinata-sama. Promise me you won't do this."

Hinata touched his hand lightly and attempted to smile. "A-anything."

"…Promise me you won't fall in love with him."

Neji's words from the night before repeated themselves over and over in Hinata's mind throughout the entire ceremony and well into the evening. She had already told him not to come to the wedding, and he obeyed: as much as she wanted to see him one last time before she was married to Sasuke, she was also glad that he wouldn't have to see her given away to another man.

Surprisingly enough, Hinata hadn't cried at all, even when Sasuke had kissed her at the alter, but now that they were on their honeymoon, it was all she could do not to have a meltdown like she had the night before. As she was slipping into her lingerie in the bathroom of the hotel they were staying at, Hinata had to remind herself to keep her end of the bargain, and that hopefully she would get to see her cousin in secret.

'When we're doing it,' Hinata reminded herself as she shakily opened the bathroom door. 'Just close your eyes. Pretend it's Neji-niisan.'

She swung the door fully open and gulped. Sasuke was already lying under the covers of the bed with his arms crossed, waiting expectantly for his wife to join him. He smirked cockily and ran his dark eyes down her body.

"…Sexy."

Hinata's cheeks burned and she looked down at the carpet of the hotel room. "T-Thanks," she muttered, wishing he'd stop staring at her.

Sasuke patted the spot next to him. "Well, come on, Hinata. Let's have some fun."

Hinata's heart sank and she slowly climbed into bed next to him, half-wishing that he would just drop dead right then and there. Her now-husband smiled as he leaned over and slipped his fingers under the straps of her light purple nightie, and proceeded to pull it over her breasts. The girl shivered slightly, wanting to slap his dirty hands away from her body, her body that belonged to Neji.

Hinata took a deep breath. "Uhmm…Sasuke-san? I-I have something to tell you."

Sasuke stopped in his pursuit, his brows furrowed. "What? Can't it wait till later?"

The girl shook her head. "Not-not really."

She ran her hand nervously through her hair. Neji had told her a couple of weeks ago that Sasuke would be angry if she didn't bleed when they had sex on their honeymoon, so he suggested that she came up with an excuse as to why her "virginity" wasn't there.

Sasuke frowned. "Well? Spit it out!"

Hinata was rather taken aback at his rather harsh tone, but took a deep breath. "You-you see, on a mission, when I was younger, we were-were in the tree-tops and I…kinda slipped and fell on a huge branch with my legs spread. And um…my hymen…kinda got broken."

It took a minute for the information to sink in before Sasuke scoffed quietly.

"Haha, that's…wow, Hinata, you're pretty damn clutzy!"

Hinata smiled, relieved and glad that he had accepted her lie. "Y-yeah, I guess."

Sasuke once again leaned towards her and before she knew it, he had taken off her nightie, leaving her completely naked. Hinata gasped quietly, fighting the urge to shield herself from his view, feeling unclean having him just looking at her. Sasuke grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed her down on the mattress before climbing on top of her. All of the breath left Hinata as she let her eyes wander down his nude body, not wanting to admit to herself that he was rather good-looking.

'But he's not Neji-niisan. Not even close.'

At the thought of her cousin, her love, Hinata once again felt tears sting her eyes and she averted her gaze. She couldn't do this. Not with Sasuke. Not with anyone but Neji.

Sasuke laughed and bent down, pressing his soft lips against Hinata's. Hinata gasped into the kiss and quickly pulled away, breathing hard and wanting nothing more than to slap him across his confident, beautiful face. The man's eyes turned to slits as he rough grabbed her thighs and spread her legs apart, making the girl want to scream.

"I don't care if you have a hymen or not, Hinata." He breathed as he grabbed hold of his hardened member. "I only care if you've fucked another guy."

Hinata's eyes widened and she started to shake uncontrollably as he slowly entered her. She closed her eyes tightly and she covered her mouth, feeling the need to vomit. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as his movements increased, and she wanted nothing more than to grab a kunai from her bag and kill the bastard.

A/N: Hmm, I really like arranged marriage fics, huh? I guess they're just really fun to write! –laughs-

This was also my first fic with NejiHina as a pairing. It's a really interesting pairing to write about, I enjoy it!