"You soon will be thirty-three."

"I am aware of that, father."

Hiashi stood in the main branch training lodge, covered in sweat, uninterestedly facing the aging man he knew all too well. He allowed the chill of the frozen hardwood floor take over the sole of his feet, cooling him down from the arduous training he had to endure for carrying the responsibility of the Hyûga clan. Ever since his twin brother had gotten engaged and was to be married the coming summer, he had felt the silent pressure on him to find a well-raised and genetically suitable woman to bear his children. Two months after the news had been broken to him, his predecessor was the first to verbally express his concern. Not that it was his own. He could wed a woman any day within his thirty-third year of life, would he simply ask. Hearing the sound of his name come out as a stern and menacing whistle, the man was pulled from his train of thought.

"Hiashi."

"Father."

"It's January twenty-first. I do not condone your carelessly choosing any female inhabitant of the Land of Fire for the assignment. Either way, I assume you're able to recognize the urgency of the situation. The upcoming spring festival in the yards of the domain will certainly open your eyes to eligible candidates. You know the requirements."

Hiashi didn't answer. He wouldn't have had the time to attempt a response. The man was already gone and had let in a young member from the side branch. Being heir to the head of the Hyûga was a predicament he wouldn't wish to many. This reproach wasn't simply about physical strength and fighting abilities, administrative work and his conduct during official meetings. The issue was him as a person. Compared to his brother Hizashi, he hadn't done well at romancing the women he was introduced to in the course of the last couple of years. They'd grant him a night in his room at their second or third appointment and wouldn't contact him further down the road. To his disappointment and frustration, a handful of members of the twenty-man council of the clan even doubted his preferences, in the open that. As he proceeded to soak his hands and feet in the basin of hot water laid in front of him and slid his feet into the warmed mules he was offered, he was reminded of a scene from his childhood.

He and Hizashi had trained and sparred against each other and their father to no end, when at the end of the day, their mother stepped into the room they were occupying. Hiashi could clearly recall the way she lovingly embraced him and his brother. She then washed their father's feet and massaged soothing almond oil into the rough, damaged skin. With a smile. And when she hoped for their obedience and thought her children weren't observing the tender scene… She leaned in for a kiss.

"Where will I ever find a wife of your kind, mother? ,"

…

Hiashi looked to his right side to take in the sight of the naked debauched woman he had solicited earlier and how she was still panting heavily from their sinful pleasure. Paying no mind to warning her, he used his index and middle finger to penetrate her for the last time, infusing an aggressive flow of chakra in order to burn the life out of every single drop of child-conceiving substance he had spilled into her. He watched her lose consciousness and shifted her into a lateral position of safety before he left. She'd be fine. She knew what she was getting herself into when agreeing to spend the night with a man of the main house.

Six weeks had passed since his conversation with his father, concerning the choice of a wife. Ever since, he hadn't heard a word about it. Those weren't needed when looks and whispers sufficed. He sometimes wondered if those elderly people criticizing him realized he had the power to kill them in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. A single one of his Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven would do more than needed to wipe every inch of wood of this domain with their blood. He had yet to understand the use of the council, if it wasn't to slander him every chance the universe would grant them.

He, more than anybody, knew he needed a woman in his life to love him and care for his emotional and physical well-being. He knew he wanted it. For once, he yearned to experience the tingling of every single one of his senses, the way his brother described the feeling of seeing his beloved. He simply didn't seem to succeed in getting attached to women or connecting with them on a level superior to the platonic relationships and sexual benefits he knew. Since the passing of his mother when he was barely hitting puberty, his ability to express concern, kindness and affection had been smoothed out and airbrushed into dark shades of purple and grey. The colors that themed her burial invitations that had been expedited to the entirety of the noble families of the Land of Fire. She had committed suicide, unable to find inner peace with the thought of giving birth to another set of twins that would suffer the same separation he and Hizashi had been through. Only years later were they told their father prohibited her from terminating the pregnancy as soon as his all-seeing eyes saw the seeds growing inside her womb, after fighting a month shy to a decade of infertility and forcing his illegitimately conceived newborn child into the side branch the year that preceded her death. He didn't think his relationship with his father could ever become so strained and distant, but he assured himself that he had every right to take offense in the situation.

Briefly looking around to search for a presence that could be spying on him, Hiashi knelt in front of the grave of white marble and dipped a clean washcloth into the basin of lukewarm soap water, his knees digging into the remains of the last snow of the year, as he allowed his brother to silently approach with a freshly heated towel and a modest bouquet of white lilies.

"There's no one else we'd rather honor as we celebrate our birth, mother."

That day, Hiashi prayed to never curse a woman with the simultaneous birth of two lives.

…

It was march twenty-first. From afar, he fixed his gaze on his twin brother and his soon to be wife being introduced to the officials at the spring festival venue by their father. Reading his fine, slightly wrinkled lips, he discerned the words "the side branch is expanding on behalf of the main family". Overtime, he'd gotten accustomed to the lifestyle he was born into. In the words of Hizashi himself, "things simply are the way they are, because that's how they are meant to be". That signified that if he was to live the rest of his life as single man, maybe that was the way it was predestined to be. There was no valid reason in his mind to get his hopes up for the results of his butterfingered small talk with his female counterparts who were slowly crowding around his seat in his blossoming garden, shamelessly aiming for the prize of becoming part of the main branch, some of them even offering a "trial".

The course his life was taking wasn't making much sense anymore. The values of serenity and self-control he stood for were gradually fading with every burst of anger and door he had left scattered by the force of his hand the moment he was left displeased, though he had never openly admitted to his faults. Even the housekeepers had the cheek to make their comments on him, these days. He couldn't possibly fire the totality of the cleaning crew, though only a small percentage were kept employed after his discovery. Lifting himself from his seat and leaving his introspection behind, he pretended an urgent talk with his father, waved at the seven young ladies and went to exit the overcrowded manor.

There was an old gardener's house a few miles from the Hyûga property. At times when he couldn't find privacy in the comfort of his home, he'd go there. For all he knew, he could care less about the sorry state of the forgotten inhabitation. It was peaceful, comfortable and provided the loneliness he was in need of. Completely shutting his mind off from all else that was happening around him, he focused on taking in the breathtaking view that the hike was offering his unworthy eyes as the sun was seconds from its zenith-

"Lord!"

He froze. He had been so distracted by the thought of not thinking that he had failed to make himself aware of the very unusual female presence in the cabin. Hyûga Hiashi was not fond of unpredictability. What was a man to do? What were the odds of him ever walking in on a woman getting undressed in an abandoned chalet? Quickly, he relived the scene as he re-imagined her body enveloped in a natural, glistening shine. His heart was beating; fast. The hairs on his body were pulling at their own follicles as a cold rush of electricity sent a shiver from the first vertebra in his neck to the bottom of his feet. His mind was flooded with a mixture of her frequent whimpers of shame and excuses to her divine creator for insouciantly exposing herself and her pleading for the stranger at the entry not to take advantage of the situation she was in, her vocal cords audibly submerged by the flow of her tears. She was terrified. All he had planned by coming to this place was to find a place to shake off today's stressful events. She's terrified. Exactly what was a man to do?

"Madam? Could it be that you were waiting for someone, madam?"

It was silent, Hiashi observed. He instantly felt grief over the words he had just spoken. She had also stopped her shifting. It was as if he could sense her embarassment through the wall that separated them. Had she finished putting her garments back on? Was this a trap set by an ennemy? His mind was taken in a whirlwind of unanswered questions. Unable to bring himself to use his powerful eye to check whether or not the terrain was safe, he made a step closer towards entering the accommodation.

"Sir, I beg you not hurt me, sir. I dirtied my kimono on my way to a spring festival my father sent me to. I... Wasn't expecting anyone, sir."

…

Sitting outside the edifice, Hiashi quickly reminded himself not to stare; that it would make her uncomfortable; He had already tried to inform her at least a couple of times of the incoming sun from the open window behind her completely covering her from his sight, but she still seemed to dwell in a panicked state. Once more, his eyes averted to take notice of every single detail of her face. Intoxicatingly stunning, she is. The color of her skin looked like whipped cashew cream, resembling the color of the piece of clothing that laid on her lap, he noted, his interest on the beautiful stranger two feet away from him. He couldn't put a name on the exact color of her hair, it looked like a midnight summer sky. And the stars were her dark brown orbs, hiding behind her luciously made up eyelids. She was blushing, visibly ashamed. Her voice was shy and calming and made her come across as tender and patient. Lacking confidence, Hiashi's mind was taken over by the thought of simply leaving her. She didn't seem to find relevance in him either. Maybe his brother was right. Things are the way the are, because that's how they are meant to be. From the toned appearance of her arms, she probably was issued from a family of shinobi too, which would instantly disqualify her, out of fear of the Byakugan being overpowered or watered down. "My handsome, charming boy." His eyes widened, wondering if his mother truly meant the words she used to speak to him so often before her passing. Maybe, just maybe…

"Ms. Hanaya? Are you a shinobi?"

As she lifted her eyes at him questioningly, the Hyûga felt as if his soul was being looked right through. She didn't answer at first, but trained her gaze in the direction of the palms of her hands to slowly work her way up the lines of her appearing muscles.

"I am not, sir Hiashi. I work as a nurse."

"Ms. Hanaya, would you like me to take you to Hidden Leaf Spring Festival? I am sure I can arrange another kimono for you to attend the event. My last name is Hyûga. I am Hyûga Hiashi, the fifteenth head of the Hyûga clan in charge of the organization."

…

As she sat on the grass by the ravaged home on top of the forgotten hill where they first met, a number of miles from the manor they'd just spent a wonderful afternoon at, Hiashi was audaciously staring at her, ignoring the fireworks being lit from his garden. Getting her into his domicile unseen had been an adventure on itself. When she had reappeared to the public eye in a lavender kimono, gracious, appealing and ever so radiant, he'd known. The talk they enjoyed left him a memory of feeling at ease, understood and – who could have ever thought – playful. In a matter of hours, the old him had resurfaced for her sake and hers only. Hiashi felt glad he had grasped the opportunity to spend time with her. He learned about her favorite colour - blue - and how she associated it with the ocean, as a reminder of the origins of her fishers family. He couldn't have been more fascinated when she detailed her passion for health care and nursing or when she told him about all the sports she had practiced since her childhood. When the thought of her love for lemon ice-cream crossed his mind, he hid a low chuckle, remembering how eagerly she scraped at the bottom of the bowl she was offered after taking part in an outdoor calligraphy class. When they had felt his father's cold glances on them when the time came to intodruce her as his invitee, her fears were appeased by his soft words of encouragement and his ability to distract her. He'd deal with him later. For now, each smile and timid laugh he reaped was to be treasured until the next time they would see each other. At least, he hoped they would. On their way back, he had briefly asked himself if that was what a crush felt like, only to come to the conclusion that the way he was feeling was a sliver too close to how Hizashi had described his sentiments towards his fiancé. Now was the time. What mattered to him wasn't the greatness of skill to seduce women, or his lack thereof, he wanted to know if he had contrived in seducing her. He needed confirmation and her not being part of the upper class suddenly didn't mean a thing. He hadn't even paid mind to it until this very moment.

"Hanaya, before I escort you back home…"

"Yes, Lord Hiashi?"

"Would you mind me inviting you for tea, coming Saturday?"

A gentle blush filling the top of her cheeks, the young woman held on tightly to the festive wear her partner for that day had insisted on gifting her. He had been unquestionably kind, gallant and attentive to entertaining her. Thinking of the times he carried her from and to the place they were seated, her blush took over most of her face. This man… They might not have the most elegant of first encounters, but he certainly remodeled it to a wonderful memory. Shyly fluttering her eyelashes at him, she briefly skimmed his manly features in surprise as he gestured the request for her to extend her hand. Could it be that a man of such a noble rank was unreservedly showing interest in her? When he took a hold of her hand halfway and leaned towards its back for a kiss, he waited, his eyes telling her not to pull hers away from his. He meant it.

"I would delight in finding myself in your presence once more, Lord Hiashi."

"Hiashi will do, my lady."