Getting dressed up isn't easy. A lot of steps, effort, patience, and time are put into looking nice for someone, and all the work that a girl throws in to look nice is doubled when going to meet up with the person that girl likes. The urge to impress him is channeled into how she makes herself up along with nervousness and fear. The desire to have him fixate on her during a date is like an itch – she will not feel satisfied until it is scratched, and if he can keep his eyes off that girl, then that girl will feel as though all her efforts to look good for him was a waste – all her confidence goes straight down the drain.

The reason why I am mentioning this is because it has happened to me not too long ago. The man that I adored – the man that I loved – went on a date with me after I finally worked up the courage to ask him and not once did he look at me on said date. Not only was I disappointed, but my heart was crushed, my confidence was shot. It took a while to get back on my feet after that and when I did, my father set me up on a date that he and another family had arranged. As much as I wanted to, I could not get out of this one.

You see, as the heir to the Hyuga throne, I was obligated to produce another heir worthy enough to succeed me. Seeming as I was soon to be nineteen, and getting older by the second, my father jumped at the opportunity to do just that. Marriage is not a requirement in the Hyuga clan to produce an heir worthy of our clansmen's loyalty and respect, however, marriage was the condition of the other family's to make this happen. By no means was I thrilled to hear this, but I accepted the conditions for the sake of the clan. Also, it wasn't like the man I loved would suddenly love me back anyway. Instead of being selfish by trying to pursue the man that I loved, I thought it would be best to finally become the leader that my clan deserved.

On the day that I was to meet the man my father had selected, my younger sister, Hanabi, along with other female clansmen, helped me get ready for the date. This date was not going to be anything fancy. Instead, we were going to have lunch at one of the Leaf Village's most popular cafés. The idea of a simple lunch to get to know each other quelled the nausea I was feeling slightly since that alone told me something about his personality. I am not one for expensive dining myself so we probably had that in common.

To match the simple theme of our date, my sister and my clansmen picked out clothing and a make-up palette that they hoped would be enough to impress my future husband such as a yellow blouse and a knee-high light blue floral skirt with a white sweater to wear in case it becomes too cold.

As a couple of my clansmen were creating soft curls in my hair and another applying a nude make-up palette to my face, Hanabi asked me "So, do you know his name?"

I replied shortly and reluctantly "No."

"Does he know your name?"

"I do not know."

She huffed, placing her hands on her hips as she did so. "Well, how are you supposed to get married if you don't even know each other's names?"

"It is pretty common in arranged marriages, Hanabi."

"That's just dumb. How could Father let you do this?"

Hanabi was angry; I understand that, however, being angry would not change anything. Anger would not stop this marriage. Anger would not motivate me to put my personal feelings aside to do what is right by my people. And anger most certainly would not make Naruto love me. My little sister was too young to understand this yet even though she thought she was old enough to know the solution to all my problems. Despite being the age of fourteen, my little sister was very knowledgeable. Gaining knowledge on life, however, was something that she would have to come to learn with age and experience.

"You will have to ask him that, Hanabi."

Even though I could not see her due to having to keep still so that my clansman could apply eyeliner to my face, I could feel her frowning at me. She then asked me "What about Naruto?"

My body stiffened as my heart stopped at the sound of his name. No one has dared uttered his name to me after our date until now. "What about Naruto?"

"Don't you love him?" she asked. "Why are you giving up so easily after that one date? It didn't go so well, yeah, that's embarrassing, and it should've pissed you off, but you loved him for so long! You can't let him go so easily."

"That is enough, Hanabi."

"What do you mean 'that is enough'? You were chasing him for so long and as soon as he rejects you, you give up and look somewhere else? You should be fighting for his affection…"

"I have been fighting long enough!" I snapped. I rarely yell. The only people that have ever heard me yell were Hanabi and my late cousin, Neji, so when I shouted at my little sister, the clansmen in the room stared at me in disbelief. They even stepped back with uncertainty when I rose from my seat to look at my sister. "I am done chasing after him. I wasted enough years trying to even get him to acknowledge my existence. It is time that I find happiness with someone that notices that I am alive and will love me in return… I can't find that with Naruto."

Hanabi's lips tightened as she furrowed her eyebrows. She was unsatisfied with my answer. "I know that you can't cancel this date with the mystery man, but once it's over, can you at least think about giving Naruto one more chance? You can't give up on him, not yet."

Naruto left me hurt and angry not only with how he treated me on the date, but after the date as well, given that he had not bothered to contact me since then. I could not possibly think of attempting to ask him again to spend his time with me – it was too soon for me.

"Let us not discuss this right now," I told my sister as I sat back down in the chair.

Silence filled the room once again when my younger sister realized that I did not want to talk about Naruto or the arrangement. With the silence now in place, time seemed to tick by much faster than it had before, causing everything within me to go numb.

When it was time to leave, Ko, my personal bodyguard, escorted me to the café. Arriving early was common courtesy in my clan, so Ko politely waited with me until my husband-to-be showed up.

"You do not have to do this, Lady Hinata," said Ko. "You are still young and beautiful. Doing this right now is not something that you should have to do."

With a forced smile, I replied "You are sweet, Ko, but I do have to do this. Yes, I am still young, but anything can happen to me. I am a kunoichi after all. It only seems right to leave my clan with an heir as soon as possible."

"God forbid anything happens to you on a mission, but if such an incident were to occur, Lady Hanabi would lead in your stead."

I shook my head. "Hanabi would not produce an heir; she is not physically attracted to men. It would kill me to push her into a position where she is forced to procreate with a person that she will never love."

"I-I see…" said Ko, clearly surprised by Hanabi's sexual orientation. "R-Regardless, you still have plenty of time to fall in love with someone you know or with someone you can begin to know."

"I do not want to waste time on that," I said. After my horrible date with Naruto, I couldn't see myself doing the same thing with someone else. Naruto wounded me too much.

"Finding love is never a waste of time," he said. "Every second of it is an adventure and when you finally realize that you're in love, it is an incredible feeling!"

I offered Ko a small smile. This was the first real smile I gave since I had my heart broken. "It sounds like you are in love right now, Ko."

He blushed a deep crimson. "N-No, n-not at all, L-Lady Hinata."

I didn't believe him for a minute and, though not lady-like, curiosity got the better of me. I began to press for some insight. "So, who is the lucky girl? Is she pretty? Is she smart? Do I know her?"

With a crimson face, he begged "L-Lady Hinata, please…"

"Wow, she must be someone very special to make you react this way. I hope you make her happy."

The blush dissipated and he frowned. "Actually, she has no knowledge on my feelings for her."

My eyes widened in surprise. "W-What? Why haven't you told her?"

"Mostly fear holds me back, but there are other complications in the way."

"Like what?" I asked.

"She is soon to lead her people once her father steps down. Having me as a suitor is very unlikely. Confessing to her might be a lost cause."

I frowned.

"Love is wonderful," said Ko, "but it is also painful."

"Yes, I know very well that love breeds pain. Though, even if you know that, it is still worth a try. She might even feel the same way about you."

He shook his head as longing filled his white eyes. "No, she does not feel the same way, and even if she did, it does not matter."

"Why not?"

"She is arranged to marry someone else."

"Oh," was all that I could say. Yes, it was sad and I felt sympathy for Ko, however, I could not help but notice that this girl he loved sounded very much like me.

"Lady Hinata, it is getting cold out here. Why don't you take my coat?"

Before I had the chance to refuse, Ko had already taken off his coat and was placing it around my shoulders.

"T-Thank you, Ko," I said meekly. I adjusted the large coat draped over me before saying "H-Hey, Ko?"

"Yes, Lady Hinata?"

"That girl you said you were in love with – what is her name?"

He blinked a few times and made a face that told me he was thinking of what to say. Just when I thought he wasn't going to answer, he said with a small smile "That is something I will tell you another day."

The response left me dissatisfied, but I didn't want to press further in fear of what girl he would name. To even consider that this mystery girl was, in fact, me was, without a doubt, ridiculous. Ko has been my bodyguard for as long as I can remember. Being nine years my senior, he has always looked out for me just as a big brother would and I would like to think that he sees me as a little sister, though that might not be the case considering that he might be in love with me. If he is in love with me, how should I respond? I love him, but I am not in love with him.

"Lady Hinata," said Ko, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I believe that your suitor has arrived."

I followed Ko's line of sight to find an intricate looking carriage coming towards us; it was a carriage that I had never seen before. The body of the carriage was navy blue with gold wooden trims holding it together. As it came closer, I noticed what appeared to be a crescent moon engulfing a smaller full moon was painted on either side of the doors on the carriage, giving me the idea that the moon was their clan's insignia.

Every clan in every village that holds importance or once held importance has a personal insignia to show people who they are. In the past when insignias were first introduced, their intent was to instill fear in people and remind commoners who was in charge. Now that times have changed, and while the present is not as barbaric as the past, fear and hatred still exists within people who have not forgotten what our ancestors did to them. Most of the clans have been wiped out through war and betrayal, however, there are still plenty of notable clans left in this world that have reshaped their clan's history of violence, changing the way people see them despite their past.

The list of names for these clans is too long, and I don't remember them all, but the ones that are most remembered by me and many others in my age group are the Uzumaki clan with the insignia of a spiral, the Uchiha clan with the insignia of a fan, the Hyuga clan, my clan, which symbolizes the essence of chakra, the Senju clan with the insignia of what seems to be a Vajra, the Fuma clan with the insignia of a shuriken, and the Inuzuka clan with the symbol of red fang markings. I have never seen the symbol on my suitor's carriage before, causing curiosity to sprout within me.

When the coachman pulled up in front of the café where Ko and I were standing, Ko took a step in front of me. That was when the coachman left his seat to open the door for whoever was inside of it. I held tightly onto Ko's coat and took a deep breath when I caught sight of a foot exiting the carriage. The coachman took the hand of the person inside to safely guide him out of it and soon as he was out on the ground, we locked eyes.

A sense of relief washed over me at the sight of him, though my anxiety was nowhere near gone. My suitor was young, attractive, and he had kind blue eyes. His unruly silver hair bounced like crazy as he took long strides to reach me. When we were face-to-face, he took my hand and kissed the surface of it, which made me blush.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my lady. My name is Toneri Otsutsuki," he said.

His smile was charming and the kiss took me by surprise so it took me a moment to find my voice, though when I did, I managed to introduce myself without incident. "H-Hello, Lord Toneri, I am Hinata Hyuga. It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

"I can assure you that the pleasure is all mine," he said. It wasn't so much the words that made me blush as it was the flirtation in his voice. "You must be cold, Lady Hinata. Why don't we head inside?"

"Yes," I said. Before we went inside, I gave Ko his coat back and told him "Thank you for keeping me warm."

"There is no need to thank me, Lady Hinata. It is my duty and a pleasure to serve you," he said."

I smiled at him before walking into the café with my future husband.

Our table had been reserved so the waitress that was taking care of us this afternoon seated us immediately. It made me a little more nervous to discover that not only did Lord Toneri reserve a table for us, but he also reserved an entire side of the café, meaning that I was going to be alone with him throughout our lunch date.

Lord Toneri pulled my chair out for me so that I could sit, which I appreciated greatly, before taking his place in the chair opposite of me. As we waited for the drinks we ordered, we both took this as a good time to get to know each other.

I asked him "S-So, Lord Toneri, where are you from?"

He smiled kindly at me before answering the question. "I am from a place far, far away. It is very unlikely that you heard of it."

I smiled in return as a friendly gesture. "I have been to many places, Lord Toneri. There is a chance that I might have come across it on one of my missions."

"Missions?" he said with a confused expression. Soon, realization struck him. "Oh, I almost forgot. Your father had mentioned that you are a kunoichi. Where I'm from we do not have any female ninjas. Are you good at what you do?"

Though I found it odd that Lord Toneri's homeland did not have any kunoichi, I chose not to point out how uncommon that is. "Y-Yes, I am. Just this past year I had been promoted to a Jounin."

Ninjas are categorized by ranks to show the world how strong they are. Genin is the first rank, the rank assigned when graduating the ninja academy, Chunin is the second rank, and Jounin is the final rank. If one wants to exceed the level of Jounin, then they must take a long, perilous test to achieve the rank of Anbu. Unlike the other ranks where one would normally have to go on a variety of missions assigned to them by the village leader, Anbu are exclusively from the Leaf Village and they serve only the Leaf Village. Anbu Black Ops are a special ninja task force with identities hidden behind a mask that are assigned special missions from the Leaf Village leader, the Hokage, that often involve either spying on a potential threat to the village or the Hokage, or assassinating any threat posed to the Hokage's life. It is known where and how difficult the tests to graduate from Genin to Chunin and Chunin to Jounin are, but no one seems to know where the test to become Anbu is, making their identity and job even more mysterious and frightening.

"That is splendid! Though, once we marry, you will be giving that up, correct?"

I frowned as sadness washed over me. "Yes, yes I will."

My future husband didn't seem to understand how much I enjoyed my occupation. With excitement, he said "That is a good thing, Lady Hinata! Once you retire from your ninja career, you can focus on our marriage and the children that we will have."

"Y-Yes, yes you are correct, Lord Toneri."

Being relinquished of my ninja duties was no secret to me or to anyone who knew me. My father had originally sent me to the Academy to become a kunoichi since he did not see me as fit to lead our clan, but my years in the Academy and my experience out on the field completing missions strengthened me not only in my combat skills, but also my personality. The experiences I had helped me grow enough to change my father's mind and he returned my right to lead the Hyuga clan.

Receiving my father's approval made me happier than I had ever been in the longest time, however, at the same time, it saddened me. I did not know how to lead an entire clan. All I knew was how to be a kunoichi. I saw my teammates as my family more so than most my flesh and blood, and if I were to relinquish my duties as a kunoichi, then I would no longer be able to work with my teammates – the people that I have been with almost every day for seven whole years! Without them, I do not know what I will do.

Just as that thought passed my mind, the waitress returned with our drinks. Lord Toneri and I had not yet decided what to eat so the kind waitress said that she will be back.

"Lady Hinata, I must say that you were not what I was expecting when I first laid eyes on you," said Toneri. "I expected to see an unattractive woman twice my age, but, instead, I received the opposite. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I find myself unable to take my eyes off you."

My face suddenly felt like it was on fire. "L-Lord Toneri… I-I, um, I-I do not k-know how to respond to t-that."

"You do not have to respond at all, my lady. I just wanted you to know what I think of you."

"I-I, u-um… N-No one has ever t-told me that b-before," I admitted.

He genuinely looked surprised. "Why not? You are undeniably gorgeous. Anyone who does not see that must be an idiot."

"You f-flatter me, L-Lord Toneri."

"I speak only the truth."

Bashfully, I took a sip of my water in hopes to calm down. The entire time that I was taking my drink, I felt Lord Toneri's eyes on me. No one has ever stared at me so much before, so I wasn't sure on how to react. What should I say? What should I do? I eventually decided to ask him more questions about himself to take his attention off me.

"W-What's your family l-like?" I asked.

His smile slightly faltered. "Though rich, my family is not very large or close. Growing up, it was just my father and I along with an abundance of servants. My father was always busy so he never had time for me. Since the nannies raised me, I did not really feel much when my father passed."

"O-Oh… I'm so sorry… I-I didn't mean-"

Lord Toneri shook his head, making his hair bounce wildly. "It's fine, Lady Hinata. It's been over three years now."

I fiddled with my fingers, unsure if I should ask him anymore questions pertaining to his family, but I soon came to the consensus that we were soon to be married and that the truth of Lord Toneri's family would come up eventually. Pushing myself to be brave, I asked "Do… Do you ever wish that you could have done things differently?"

"Differently?" he asked.

"Yes. Do you wish that you or your father could have made the effort to be closer?"

He seemed to be thinking of what to say as if I just asked him a difficult question. He eventually said "I never thought about that, but since you mentioned it, yes, I do wish that we were closer. There were many things that I wanted to ask him, things that I wanted to share with him, but couldn't because we were not close enough." He paused. "Does it make me a horrible person to not have considered what it would have been like to have been closer to my father?"

"No, no," I said as I placed a hand over his. "It does not make you a horrible person, Lord Toneri. Many people who lose someone wonder what their life would be like with that person in a different light and then there are others who accept the way life ruled out as is. It does not make you a bad person to accept what happened without wanting more."

My future husband offered me a smile. "Thank you, Lady Hinata. Your words mean a lot to me."

"It is the truth, Lord Toneri," I said honestly.

Moments after I removed my hand from his, Lord Toneri took a sip of his tea and then said "Lady Hinata, you do not have to call me 'Lord.' We are engaged, so using such a formality is not needed."

"O-Oh, I-I see…" While taken aback by the sudden gesture to deem ourselves as acquaintances, I did my best to hide how much he surprised me. "However, this is only our first meeting. As we come to learn more about one another, we can remove the formalities."

"I must be getting ahead of myself. Perhaps you are right."

The waitress returned to our table and by this time, Lord Toneri and I decided what we wanted to eat. Once the waitress took our orders, she scurried away to give us privacy.

"I must be in such a rush to become closer to you because you are so beautiful. I wish that we could get married today," said Lord Toneri.

I blushed not only because his honesty made me feel bashful, but also because I did not feel the same way, which made me nervous. Being in a relationship is a foreign concept to me so I feared that if my feelings for my future weren't reciprocated, he would lose interest and call off the wedding.

"Please, Lady Hinata, tell me more about yourself," he said. "It seems as though we have been talking about me this entire time. I would love to know more about you."

Though one of the reasons why this meeting had been scheduled was to not only meet one another, but to also get to know each other, I came in unprepared. I knew what to ask Lord Toneri, however, when it came myself, I did not know where to start.

"What would you like to know?" I asked.

"You are a beautiful girl," he said. "How many people have you dated before meeting me?"

While not the first question I expected, it was equally as important as the others. I told him "I attempted to date someone prior to my father reaching out to you for an arranged marriage, however, the man I was pursuing did not feel the same for me as I did for him. The relationship that I wanted to start with him was a waste of time."

"So, that means it was recently when you pursued this man? Do you still have feelings for him?"

As simple as the question was, I could not help but to feel as if there was an underlying reason to why he was asking me this. It felt almost as if he was accusing me of something.

Carefully, I told Lord Toneri "Yes, it was recently that I attempted to pursue him, meaning that, yes, I still have feelings for him. But, as I said earlier, my pursuit was a waste of time because my feelings were not reciprocated. He does not like me in the same way that I like him."

"If you still like this man, how can I expect you to devote yourself to me?"

I was not sure on how to answer that correctly. Why was he suddenly putting me on trial?

"Lord Toneri," I said, "I want to get married as much as you do, so there is no need to worry about any forms of marital betrayal. There is no future for me with the man that I like, however, there is one with you. Pursuing that man is a pointless endeavor – it will only lead me down an endless chase. With you, Lord Toneri, I can see a future. Whether that future holds happiness and love is uncertain, but I know where my priorities lie and I know what I want. Instead of focusing on the chances of me betraying you or hurting you, try focusing on learning about me. You will see that I am not the kind of person to hurt someone intentionally."

My husband-to-be stared at me for several moments before saying "That answer was unexpectedly tasteful. Nevertheless, you are right, Lady Hinata. I apologize."

We sat in awkward silence for much longer than I was comfortable with. It was almost unbearable. Though, just as I was about to excuse myself to use the restroom to escape this tension, Lord Toneri spoke. He said "I am not experienced in relationships. The first and only relationship that I had, I was betrayed. We had been dating for seven months and she had been cheating on me for more than half of the time I shared with her. When I caught her, all she could say was 'sorry.' Forgive me, Lady Hinata. I have difficulty trusting women."

"It's… It's fine, Lord Toneri. It takes time to trust someone after that."

"I will try with you," he said. "I want this to work."

All I could do was offer a small smile. When the waitress returned once again, only this time with our food, I knew that this was going to be the longest lunch I ever had.