Hey, a quick question...why is pink considered unmanly?
Hello there! This is AProcrastinatingWriter with my newest story, 'Going Once...Going Twice...' This multi-chapter story is based on an idea by Ackdam, originally published under the title 'Sold', as a HiNaruto (That's, uh, HinataxNaruto) oneshot. I have, of course, changed several things from the original story (For one thing, it's not a oneshot. Ha ha.), but I still wouldn't blame people for screaming 'plagiarism' at me (or worse, at Ackdam). However, there really is no need for this, because I actually contacted Ackdam and told him I wanted to use the idea and wanted to ask permission. He gave me that permission, and so, here we are.
DISCLAIMER: Naruto does not belong to me. The man who makes it is named Masashi Kishimoto. He also owns the rights to it. I don't blame you if you still sue me, but don't expect to get much money.
A couple warnings before you continue: Spoilers for the manga abound. Kind of. I haven't actually read the manga, but I'm good at gleaming information from the various geeky websites I visit. That said, I'll probably still get something or two wrong. Feel free to correct, and bear with me until I get aforementioned things corrected. More importantly (important enough to repeat myself): spoilers everywhere, mmkay?
...also, Sauske's in this fic and Sai is not. There's a reason Sai is gone and we'll get into it, and the reason Sasuke is back is because despite his overwhelming evil I do not hate the young man. In fact, I encourage him to seek counseling so they can fix his obviously damaged brain. That's not making fun of him, either, I sincerely believe that Sasuke has gone insane and needs to come back to sanity and get himself off this revenge kick of his.
Well, with that extremely long author's note out of the way, you may get to reading.
WAIT I FORGOT SOMETHING. Okay, um, I only had room for 'Drama' and 'Romance' in the genre selection, but (as with Naruto itself) it is also 'Humor' and 'Adventure'. So be prepared for this story to be just as much of an emotional roller coaster as the TV show and manga (although I don't think I could write something as sad as Gaara's backstory if I tried).
Alright, you can really start now. Sorry about that. Enjoy!
Naruto was reading a manga he shouldn't have been reading.
That's not to say it was an inappropriate manga. Quite the opposite; this manga was intended for young children. Problem was, though he acted like it sometimes, Naruto wasn't a small child anymore. He was a twenty-year old member of respected society. Twenty-year old members of respected society don't read children's comics.
And even when they do, they don't read them during working hours.
Yes, Naruto Uzumaki was (or, at least, should have been) working at the moment. Hokages do have a lot of paperwork to do, after all. (Occasionally, he used Shadow Clones to get the job done faster, but in general he knew he had to save chakra in case the Village Hidden in the Leaves was ever attacked.) Yes, Naruto had made Hokage, just a little under a year ago, and with, oddly enough, overwhelming support by the Council of Elders.
Life had been good to one Mr. Uzumaki recently. For one thing (besides, of course, being elected Hokage and therefore getting power, money, and respect), he and his long-time crush Sakura had recently started dating. Yes, you read that correctly. Naruto had gotten up the courage (not a difficult task for him) to ask Sakura out one last time and, surprisingly, she said yes.
In reality, though Sakura had come to see Naruto as a good friend and as a hero, she actually didn't see him as a romantic interest, but figured that (since she didn't have a boyfriend and probably wouldn't get one anytime soon) she could afford to humor Naruto and maybe (against all odds) find out if she was still wrong about him. Naruto had his suspicions that she wasn't extremely serious about dating him when she told him that he had permission to ask out other girls, and that she might ask out other guys, just so they could both make sure they were making the right choice. He had his suspicions he was changing her mind about that when, two weeks later out of nowhere and with no obvious cause, she had also made sure Naruto understood that if he actually did, um, certain things with the other girls, that was an entirely different, skull-smashing story.
Naruto wasn't exactly 'romantic', but he had a way of charming a girl. And making her feel like a jerk for not taking him seriously at first. Who knew?
Though neither had any idea where the relationship would go, if it would go anywhere at all, the two were technically a couple, and thus (under Naruto's orders) Sakura was one of the few people allowed to see the Hokage without prior appointments, paperwork, or a large bowl of ramen, ordered out. They'd been caught kissing when Naruto should have been working more than once. Not serious, passionate kissing, mind you, but kissing.
The worst thing that had happened in the past month was that some group of wannabe missing-nin calling themselves the 'Neo-Akatsuki' had been seen, hunted down, and captured with minor casualties. Most had been tried and imprisoned or executed, though a few of the higher-ups were still undergoing interrogation. Little did Naruto know that that sorry group was about to become a distant memory in the face of much, much worse happenings.
The door to the office opened with a slam. Naruto quickly hid his copy of Mega Ninja Ko and tried to look his most serious. "Ah, Sakura, it's great to see you," he said, a smile now brightening his face.
"Lord Hokage..." murmured Sakura, either not noticing the manga or not caring about it, while she leaned over, her hands on her knees and breathing deeply.
Naruto frowned. "Sakura, I told you that you didn't have to call me that." He brightened again. "Anyway, I was just thinking...what would you say if I told you I have reservations-"
"Have you heard?" Sakura shouted, interrupting. "Of course you haven't...you wouldn't be here if you had..."
"What? What's going on?" Naruto asked, now completely serious. He realized that Sakura must be here on business that needed his services as a Hokage, not on business that needed his service as a friend or kind-of boyfriend. That was why she'd called him 'Lord Hokage' before.
A determined, scared look came into Sakura's eye. "Hinata's being auctioned off by the Hyuuga elders."
"...what?" asked Naruto, a dangerous tone coming into his voice.
"Please come with me," said Sakura, somewhere between an exclamation and a statement, running out of the room. Naruto followed quickly. The council would probably be angry with him, but that paperwork was going to have to wait just a little longer.
0-0-0-0
"Seriously?" asked Naruto, wanting with all his heart to not believe what his ears were hearing. Sakura nodded, and Naruto gritted his teeth.
They were only a few blocks away from the Hyuuga estate now, and gaining ground rapidly, though not nearly as rapidly as they might have hoped. There was, after all, a large crowd of people in the way, most of them heading in the same direction as Naruto and Sakura were. Naruto stopped momentarily, stunned at how fast word had spread. Sakura took command of the situation. "Alright, everybody, move aside! Sixth Hokage Naruto Uzumaki coming through!"
The crowd parted like the Red Sea. Actually, much less efficiently and much more reluctantly than the Red Sea, but that was the closest analogy available to the situation. Naruto shook his head as he walked through the parted crowd. -How could this be happening?- he thought to himself, hoping there was some detail, any detail, that he had stupidly missed that could, impossibly, turn this situation from a sad one to a happy one. He slowly took the steps forward, subconsciously not wanting to have to react to the situation.
"LET ME IN, YOU STUPID IDIOT MEMBER OF A STUPID IDIOT CLAN!"
Naruto cringed. Ino. Looks like there was a much more immediate situation that needed reacting to. He lifted his head and looked. The rookie nine, minus himself, Sakura, and Hinata and plus Rock Lee and Tenten, were all standing in front of the gate, apparently not having heard Sakura's yelling because they were too busy listening to Ino's yelling. Ino was yelling at a guard stationed in front of the Hyuuga estate's gate, obviously there to prevent people from getting inside.
"Ino, don't you think you should calm down for just a moment?" asked Shino, somehow managing to make himself heard over Ino's ranting without raising his voice at all.
"CALM DOWN?" she shouted, moving quickly over to Shino, who started slightly at her movement. "How can I be calm at a time like this? In fact, how can YOU be calm at a time like this? She's your teammate!"
"Oh!" interjected Rock Lee, looking worried but trying to be youthful all the same. "Fair Blossom Sakura! Lord Hokage Naruto!" he continued, waving at the arriving pair.
Ino looked. Then she smiled. Then she turned back to the poor sap of a guard who probably didn't have anything to do with the bad situation that Hinata was apparently in. "Ha!" she exclaimed, triumphant and finger-pointing. "Now you HAVE to let us in! You see that yellow-haired knucklehead there? That's the Hokage, and I can get away with calling him a knucklehead because he's a close personal friend of mine!" She turned, again, to Naruto. "Tell him off, Lord Hokage, sir!" she smiled.
Naruto blinked. Then, to the guard: "Would you please let me and my friends inside?"
"Of course, Lord Hokage," said the guard, relieved not to have to put up with this strange young lady anymore. Ino wilted at the simplicity of everything, as everyone else (besides Shikamaru) rushed in to see their friend. Shikamaru slowly walked forward, concerned to be sure but seeing no reason to rush. He stopped next to Ino for a second, then grabbed her arm and began pulling her along with him.
"You do realize," he said, "That the guard probably already knew Naruto was the Hokage?"
"I know," said Ino sadly, as the doors began to shut, "But I was trying to make a point...but Naruto had to go and mess the whole thing up, like usual..."
0-0-0-0
Neji had met them almost as soon as they entered the compound. Apparently, it was he who had leaked the news of the auction ahead of its official announcement, in hopes that his friends would hear and come to investigate. It had quite obviously worked like a charm.
The group murmured softly to themselves as they walked up the stairs, Neji in the lead and Naruto not far behind him. Neji suddenly stopped, and so did everyone else, realizing where they were. Neji knocked on the door to his left, head turned towards the ground. "Lady Hinata?" he softly asked.
There was great sob from behind the door. "I-it's fine, Neji," Hinata said. "You don't have to call me that anymore..."
Neji's face crumpled, though no one could see. "Hinata..." he said, haltingly. "...you have some visitors."
Hinata sniffled. "Visitors?" she asked, her voice sounding restrained. A few seconds passed, and she opened the door. "Of course," she said softly, eyes closed and mouth upturned in an obviously false smile. She opened her reddened eyes. Then she gasped. "E-everyone!" she stuttered, something now a rarity for her even when she was around Naruto.
Said young man gave that familiar boyish grin as Neji walked away, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hey, there, Hinata," he said. "Mind if we come in?"
Hinata meekly nodded, stepping aside as her friends filed in. She slowly shut the door after checking to see if anyone was coming, then turned. "Hello, everyone," she said. "What brings you all here?"
"What do you think brings us here?" shouted Kiba (who had to leave Akamaru outside), momentarily forgetting it was Hinata, and a saddened Hinata at that, he was talking to. Shino placed a hand on his shoulder, and he shut up, looking shamed.
Tenten leaned forward from her sitting position on Hinata's bed. "We heard about the auction," Tenten said as gently as possible. Everyone looked a little sadder.
Except, Hinata. She looked a lot sadder, suddenly breaking out in tears again. All the kunoichi immediately rushed to her side. "Oh, you poor girl..." murmured Sakura, leading her back towards the group.
"Hinata," said Kiba, unsure of what he was going to say next. Shino tightened his grip on the dog-nin's shoulder. Kiba backed off, retreating to a corner.
A few more minutes of sobbing later, Hinata managed to calm down enough to talk again. "Thank you," she said, and she sobbed again. "Thank you all so much for coming..." and she started to cry again.
"Are you kidding?" asked Chōji, trying not to cry for Hinata's sake. "You're our friend. Of course we'd be here."
Hinata choked out another 'thank you' and just continued crying. Rock Lee shook his head. "How could they..." he murmured to himself. "What a horrible thing to do." And he put his fist to his mouth, shaking his head again.
There was a long silence after that. With comfort from her girlfriends and with her guyfriends standing nearby, she eventually managed to stop crying, though it was obvious she was still upset. "Thank you..." she said again, sniffling.
Shikamaru sighed. "This is so beyond what I have the capacity to describe that it's not even funny," he said. He shook his head. "'A drag' would be pleasant compared to this."
"Why are they..." began Naruto, then, turning to Hinata: "Why did they do this to you?"
Ino looked up, angry. "Naruto! Can't you see Hinata is way too upset-"
"No, no," said Hinata. "You all..." and she sobbed. "You all need to know what happened."
"...okay," said Ino finally. "If you're really ready to tell us."
"It was just a few days ago," Hinata began after a couple seconds, "When the elders came to me and told me that I was no longer part of the main household."
Everyone started at this revelation. "What? Why" asked Sakura, urgently and yet somehow managing to include gentleness in her tone.
Hinata looked downward slightly. "They said that they had the right to put me into the branch whenever they decided...and that my performance as a Hyuuga was not suitable to one to be an heir." She looked back up, sadness creeping across her features. "So, they removed me from the main household as soon as it was apparent Father would not change his mind again." She was speaking of the recent decision by Hiashi to reinstate her as heir to the main house, a decision that could not be overridden by the elders.
"Wait, so the elders can't say Hanabi is heir," asked Shikamaru, "But if they outvote your dad they can decide you're part of the branch family?" Hinata nodded, and Shikamaru shook his head. "Well, that's one way to exploit a loophole...troublesome."
Hinata sniffled again, a few times. "After that, they told me that as a member of the branch family, I was the main house's property." She sobbed suddenly, and then swallowed. "So...they're going to auction me off this Friday at 7:00."
"Auction you off?" shouted Kiba, for even though he already knew the information, hearing it from Hinata made it seem so much more...real. He turned from the corner he'd been in. Repressed tears welled in his eyes. "That's so freaking wrong it's not even funny!" He clenched his fist. "Those sons of...GAH!" And he punched the wall of Hinata's room and, going against every standard he talked about for men when he was in public or hanging out with his friends, began to cry.
Shino reached up and rubbed his eye underneath his sunglasses. Other than this, he showed no visible signs of being saddened by the arrangements. Hinata continued. "They told me that I'd be bid upon by people who wanted me...and whoever has the highest bid..." and she sobbed again, louder and more agonized than she had up until this point in time.
"Hinata?" asked Tenten. "Are you sure that you can finish?" Hinata nodded. "Okay, but..." and Tenten sniffled, tears coming to her eyes. "Just...just continue whenever you're ready, alright? Don't push it..."
Hinata sobbed a few more times, then mainly just cried for a bit. One might not call it 'crying' though, as most of Hinata's tears seemed to have been used up. She swallowed, hiccuped, and continued again. "Whoever has the highest bid gets to have me for the whole night."
"WHAT?" shouted Naruto, standing up. "How dare they?" He had clearly just realized exactly what they were auctioning off Hinata for, and so had most everyone else.
Sakura, shocked, covered her mouth with her hand. Tenten gagged, as did Chōji, and several people there recoiled. Shino finally spoke up. "That's horrible," he said simply.
"Those..." Kiba growled, anger barely restrained thanks to his feral nature, "I can't think of the words to describe..." Apparently the words came to him, as he let off a stream of curses that, at any other time, would have gotten him scolded by the girls in the room and even a couple of the guys. This time, though, he was merely saying what they all were thinking.
Hinata spoke again, her voice quiet. "And whoever makes the highest bid...if they are willing to pay five times as much as they bid, they can have me...as their wife."
There was a silence after this. Ino stood up, an absolutely neutral expression on her face. This was a dangerous sign, for Ino was never neutral about anything. "I'm going to give those senile, perverted, greedy old men a piece of my mind!"
"No," said Naruto with an air of finality. Everyone turned to him. He looked angry. Extremely angry. "I'll do it. And they have to listen to me." He smiled, though it still somehow managed to look angry. "I'm Hokage, remember?" He turned to Hinata, smiling. "I'll stop this. No matter what I have to do or say, I'll stop it. That's a promise!"
And with that, and a thumbs up, Naruto confidently strode out of the room. And Hinata instantly felt better.
0-0-0-0
The elders were strolling along, supposedly enjoying a walking conference due to the warm sunshine, but secretly eyeing the progress of young Lady Hanabi on the training ground. Strangely enough, she wasn't there. Why could that be, several of the elders wondered.
"Hmm?" said Kasamaru. "Is that..." and all of the elders put on their best smiling faces.
"Lord Hokage," said Aku, "What brings you here?"
"Stop this right now!" said Naruto, not bothering to beat around the bush.
The elders looked at each other, pretending not to know what was wrong. "Stop what, Lord Hokage?" asked Shinratsu.
"You snakes!" exclaimed Naruto. "How dare you sell off Hinata like that?" He growled deep in his throat, and continued as the elders looked surprised. "As Hokage, I order you to stop!"
Shinratsu chuckled. "I am afraid that is impossible, Lord Hokage."
"Why?" Naruto asked, the tone of his voice daring the group of men to answer.
Shinratsu, still smiling, slid a hand from his robe, extending a sheet of paper. "The laws upon which our village was built. Might I refer you to the sixteenth law, section four?"
Naruto grabbed the sheet of paper, face suddenly pale. As Hokage, he had read and memorized all the laws of the land (and my, was that a difficult task) and therefore did not need to look at the paper. Still, he looked at the passage, praying to highest heaven that he was mistaken.
But there was no mistake. The sixteenth law: Prohibitions on the Power of Lord Hokage. Section Four: The Hokage may not limit free trade (free trade being defined as the selling, buying, or renting of possessions or services with the multi-national currency of ryo) in any way not agreed upon by the alliance of nations, unless in cases of free trade that would be hazardous to the continued existence of The Village Hidden in the Leaves or its inhabitants.
Naruto gulped. "The contract..."
"You know your history well, Lord Hokage," backhand-complimented Kasamaru with a "genuine" smile on his face. "Yes, under the contract we signed with the Village when our clan agreed to live here, all members of the branch family are to be considered possessions of the main household whenever applicable."
Naruto growled. "Well, the contract also states that after forty years have passed, the terms of the contract may be changed whenever the the Hokage and his council wish! And if you guys disagree, and we can't meet an understanding, the contract is null. That means you're out of the village!" And he chuckled once "And it's been way more than forty years, pal!"
"Ah, yes, too true," stated Shinratsu, who appeared to be taking the lead. "However, as law sixteen, subsection two states, whenever a decision requiring the council is to be made, all council members must be present for it to be official."
"As I recall," said Aku, "One of the council members is on an important peace-keeping mission and will not be back until later next week. Is that correct, Lord Hokage?"
"That is correct," said the young man through gritted teeth. His mind raced for other possibilities. "Her Byakugan could easily be studied if she is sold...an enemy ninja could-"
"Indeed," interrupted Shinratsu, "That is, if the auction were open to anyone other than nobles and ninja specifically of the Fire Nation, and if it were not specifically against the rules we have set in place for the auction for that to occur." He suddenly tilted his head, as if remembering something. "By the way, Lord Hokage, I should like to request a guard be put in place the night of the auction to make sure nothing along these lines goes wrong. We would be willing to pay, of course."
"Of course..." Naruto said, clenching and unclenching his fists, for he knew he could not refuse such esteemed people's request 'without a reason'. He grasped at the last possibility he could think of. "Prostitution. Prostitution is illegal."
Kasamaru chuckled, while Shinratsu's smile increased. "Lord Hokage," he said, "Have you already forgotten? The girl is considered our property, and will be considered our property until such a time as the contract is changed. It is very hard to 'prostitute' a vase or tomato, is it not? And, for now, that might as well be all the girl is."
Naruto's facial muscles twitched while Kasamaru continued. "Not to mention the fact that, technically, we are not prostituting her. We are merely selling a chance to posses her for one night...renting out our property, as it were. What the buyer wishes to do with her is entirely up to him."
"Bull!" spat Naruto, clenching his fists and crouching slightly, as if preparing to attack.
The elders chuckled mockingly again. "Possibly," admitted Shinratsu. "But even if you could prove such a theory, the fact remains that she is but property...and it is not possible, under our current law, to prostitute one's property." There was a short silence. "If that is all, Lord Hokage..." and the elders walked forward, stepping around Naruto as they went. After a few feet...
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Naruto screamed, turning and raising a fist as he ran at the elders. Several turned back, Byakugan activated, but all of those had looks of fear on their faces, for they knew they could not win this fight.
A strong hand grabbed Naruto's fist. "Hold it, Naruto," said the owner of the hand.
Naruto turned to his restrainer, who seemed to have appeared from nowhere. "Sasuke? What are you-"
"Think about it," Sasuke said. "Attacking 'innocent', so called, civilians? You'll be pulled from your position as Hokage faster than I was pulled off the Leaf ninja roster."
"I don't care," said Naruto, meaning it. Several of the elders got back into fighting stances, while the rest wisely chose to just run. "Nobody hurts my friends and gets away with it!"
"Naruto!" said Sasuke. "Pull yourself together. You might still be able to help Hinata, but you can only do it as Hokage." His eyes narrowed. "There's no way you're going to help her as a regular ninja, or even a civilian if the judge so decides."
"My, this is ironic," said Aku, "The traitor is giving advice on the law to our Hokage! This sets up an odd precedent, don't you think?" Sasuke and Naruto ignored him, knowing he was just trying to goad Naruto into attacking. Well, Sasuke ignored him, anyway.
"Don't do it, Naruto," whispered Sasuke. "Don't do it."
Naruto struggled a bit more, then relaxed. He sighed. "Yeah...you're right." He looked up. "Heh. Thanks, Sasuke."
"That all being said," Sasuke continued, releasing Naruto and activating his Sharingan while he turned towards the elders. "I'm already no longer a ninja, and I'm used to spending time in jail, so..."
The elders decided things would be for the best if they just ran.
0-0-0-0
"Do not worry, Bright Sunshine of the Hidden Leaf Village," Rock Lee said, sitting next to Hinata, who had begun to be worried after Naruto had taken so long getting back and they had heard noises sounding suspiciously similar to fighting outside. "Naruto gave you a thumbs up and a smile! That means that his promise to you was the promise of a life-"
The door opened, and Naruto walked in. "Naruto!" said Hinata. Her face brightened. -I knew he would come through for me!-
"Hmm?" asked Sakura. "Where's Sasuke? He left a little bit after you did, saying he was going to go find you and talk to you about something..."
Naruto smiled despite his inner worry. Sakura still worried about Sasuke, even after deciding it was for the best if she moved on with her life to loving someone else a few years back, as then it didn't seem like he'd be back (or sane) anytime soon. "Heh, don't worry. Sasuke just had something he needed to take care of."
"Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" came a voice from a distance.
"GAAAAAH!" came the voice of one of the elders at approximately the same time. A large sound of burning came after it.
"Remind me to place him under arrest later and give him...I dunno, fifty hours of community service or something," said Naruto, putting his arms behind his head. He walked over to Hinata, who stood, an unparalleled smile on her face.
"I knew that you'd come through for...me..." she said, voicing her thoughts but trailing off as she watched the way Naruto's face fell. They stood in silence for a few seconds.
Naruto finally looked up. "I'm sorry, Hinata."
Hinata grasped at her heart, as her face switched 180 degrees to a look of abject fear. She took several deep breaths. Then, she seemed to calm down, head drooping and arm doing so as well.
"Hinata," breathed out Tenten.
"Are you okay?" asked Kiba, knowing the answer was 'no'.
Hinata's walls crumbled and fell, and Naruto drew her into a hug as she began to cry again. He looked over his shoulder at Sakura, apologizing with his eyes that he wouldn't be able to make those reservations he'd been talking about earlier. Sakura nodded. Naruto closed his eyes. "Hinata..." he murmured. "We're not beaten yet...and I made a promise. I'll find a way...I swear it to you. I"ll stop this."
Hinata stopped crying, but she didn't let go of Naruto. She slowly looked up at him. Leftover tears ran down her face. "I know you will," she said smiling a sincere, sad smile. "Because that's your ninja way."
0-0-0-0
Naruto was in his office, where he'd been ever since he'd left the Hyuuga estate. He'd left as soon as he could, running all the way back and shoving all things unrelated to the case at hand off of his desk. There he'd begun to shout orders and get out laws and paperwork.
-I knew it,- he said to himself, angry as all get-out. -I knew as soon as I read that contract that I should have done something...but I kept putting it off for paperwork and accounting and negotiations...- And he growled, flipping furiously through the book in front of him. "Any word from Council Member Ryu?" he asked after several minutes.
"Not yet, Lord Hokage," reported a secretary. "We will let you know the instant anything happens on that front."
"Good," said Naruto, turning back to the book in front of him. Time passed. He barkedo ut more orders. People came and went, each offering advice and expertise. His eyes raced furiously across the pages of the book he was reading. -They haven't put the curse mark on yet because it would decrease her value,- he guessed. -That's good, at least.- He looked up. "Any news on curse mark removal techniques?" Though Hinata didn't have the curse mark, there were others in her family who did. And he wanted to help them, too.
"We're making slow progress," said the head of the medical ninja he had requested help his research (seeing as he knew nothing about medicines or curse marks), "But progress nonetheless."
"Good," said Naruto. Then he murmured to himself: "With the council's support, I should be able to get rid of their stupid main and branch family system entirely..."
0-0-0-0
11:53 PM at the Hyuuga estate. Hinata had just bade farewell to the last of her friends, ANBU were outside to present Sasuke with a court order saying to show up tomorrow at the Hokage's office for sentencing, and all the elders were receiving medical treatment for mild bruises, burns, and one case of a severely stubbed toe. Also severe mental trauma.
Hinata made her way back to her room, and lay herself on her tear-stained bed. She gave a great sigh, indicating great grief. -Naruto,- she thought, blushing slightly at the thought of her somewhere-between-crush-and-true-love.
0-0-0-0
"Naruto?" asked Sakura, opening up the door to the Hokage's office.
She looked around. The place was almost deserted, save Naruto and beyond a mess. Scrolls and heavy-looking books (both physically heavy and intellectually heavy) were everywhere, herbs and minerals lay in various bowls, and Naruto himself? Naruto was slumped over his desk, looking absolutely exhausted. A messenger bird was sitting next him, the message laying on Naruto's other side.
"Naruto..." Sakura murmured, amazed. She let off a small, sad smile as she walked into the room. She leaned over slightly, gently placing a hand on her semi-boyfriend's shoulder. "Naruto, you're working way too hard," she chided as he slowly sat up.
0-0-0-0
-Naruto works too hard for my sake,- Hinata thought. -He works too hard for everyone's sake.- She smiled. -He never gives up, no matter what happens. That's why...- and she swallowed, blushing some more. -That's why I love him.-
Her confession those few years ago hadn't gone unnoticed, she knew. She'd heard about what Naruto did after her nearly being killed. But the evidence seemed to indicate that he had forgotten all about that moment. Hinata didn't blame him; short-term memory loss was apparently common for Naruto after he unleashed the Nine-tailed Fox's power. Besides, even if he had remembered, it was painfully obvious that his heart still belonged to Sakura.
And now Sakura's heart apparently belonged to him.
0-0-0-0
Though she tried to hide it, and he didn't notice, when Naruto looked up and gave that familiar boyish fox-like grin of his, Sakura's heart did a flip. She'd been feeling like this more and more lately as she realized what an incredibly sweet and caring and strong guy Naruto was.
She was so glad she'd given him a chance. (Though, looking back, she couldn't honestly say she was glad she'd reacted in exactly the way she had.)
"Hey, Sakura," he said, and though his grin stayed on his face, something in his eyes looked...sad. Sakura's heart did another flip, but this time it wasn't for joy. It was for the same reason a shinobi might do a flip in real life: to get out of the way of potential danger. "How's it going?"
"Never mind that now," Sakura said, subconsciously tightening her grip on his shoulder. "What about...what about Hinata?"
The grin dropped off of Naruto's face. He looked serious. She didn't see that very often.
It scared her to think about it.
0-0-0-0
It scared Hinata to think about it.
Naruto was Hokage. He had every opportunity in the world to marry whomever he chose. Heck, if he really wanted to, he could order one of the village kunoichi to marry him, and she would have to obey whether she liked him or not.
-But Naruto would never do that,- Hinata thought. -He is too kindhearted to do such evil things.- She sighed. -But then, what girl would not like him?-
What girl wouldn't like him, indeed? He had power and prestige, so that took care of the shallow girls. But for those who wanted more, Naruto was kindhearted, stout-hearted, strong-willed, an excellent shinobi, loyal to his friends and his village and faithful to his word. Not to mention (to go back to shallowness) the fact that his features had gotten very handsome in the past couple of years.
And he'd had excellent muscle tone for much longer than that.
Hinata longed to know that the he, the prankster king and the Sixth Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, was hers, and she, undeserving as she felt she was, was his, and yet he was not hers. He was Sakura's. They were a couple.
But she knew: they were not "going steady." She had every opportunity to repeat her confession. She had every opportunity to ask him to be hers, to woo him as Sakura wooed him, to prove to him that out of all the princesses, nobles, kunoichi and citizens, and even compared to Sakura Haruno, the girl named Hinata Hyuuga was the girl for him. But she never took the opportunities.
-I'm nothing but a coward.-
0-0-0-0
As long as she could remember, Sakura had always thought herself a coward.
She was always in the background for so long. She never did anything. She was useless. And she wasn't useless for lack of capacity, either. She had had so much untapped potential. And the only thing keeping her from accessing that potential was fear. Fear of dying. Fear of losing her friends. Fear of losing Sasuke. You would think all that fear would have helped. But no. It never did, because she never faced her fears.
Yet Naruto fell for her anyway, and she always wondered why. Why would he love such a useless girl? What could she offer him that other girls could not? Why fall for a coward, when he was so brave? He was always so brave. So brave for her. He did everything for her. So she tried to be brave again. Tried one last time, for Naruto more than anything. And she succeeded.
But now? Now, when she'd gotten over all those fears? When she'd tapped into her vast potential? She was looking at Naruto, and she could see he was more than sad. Looking into those bright blue eyes, she could see that Naruto Uzumaki, the most fearless person she knew...
...was scared.
And that realization scared her, more than any other fear ever had, to her very core. "What about Hinata, Naruto?" she asked, panic rising in her voice.
0-0-0-0
Hinata was beginning to panic. -What if this can't be stopped?- she thought, beginning to hyperventilate. Her thoughts began to scatter across the four corners of imagination, digging into the darker corners of her mind, taking root and nourishing themselves on worry and sadness. -I'll have to go with somebody...and I'll have to...- she gagged, resisting the urge to heave as sweat gathered on her forehead. -And worse! What if...someone has enough money and makes me their...their wife?-
The most evil and undesirable men Hinata could imagine flashed in her mind. To be married to one of them? -No!- she thought. -Do not think of such things...perhaps he will be nice?- And better images passed through Hinata's mind. Handsome, dashing, polite men...men who would not force themselves on her, but were too captivated by her beauty or personality to let the chance to get to know her as a person slip by...
Hinata shook her head, as tears came to her eyes. -No matter how kind a man he is, no matter how strong, he will never be...-
Naruto.
Hinata calmed down instantly as she focused her entire world upon the one she loved. That was a common occurrence. Just the thought of Konoha's number one hyperactive knucklehead was enough to calm any dark storm swelling in her mind. Her faith in him was absolute.
-Naruto will find a way to get me out of this,- she thought. She closed her eyes, and for the first time in a few days, began to fall asleep peacefully. -I know he will...I'm so sorry I lost faith in him...even for a second...-
-I know he'll save me.-
0-0-0-0
"I've tried everything I can think of to save her," Naruto said. "But the only way I can find to stop the auction is to get the legality of it voted on before it happens." He looked at Sakura. "I managed to contact Ryu...the 'missing' Council member...so we can vote."
Naruto didn't continue. "So...so what did he say?" Sakura said, fearful that she already knew the answer.
Naruto closed his eyes. "He said that he is hurrying the fastest he can, but that the earliest he can be back by is..." and he paused. He opened his eyes and bit his lip. "...Saturday morning."
Sakura gasped, pulling backwards and bringing her hand to her mouth. "But...but the auction is..."
"Friday," mumbled Naruto, turning back to his desk. He sighed. "Too early." There was silence for a few minutes.
"Oh my gosh..." murmured Sakura, taking a deep breath. This was horrible.
Naruto gritted his teeth for the thousandth time that day, closing his eyes. "I've been trying so hard...so hard to get that stupid system those...monsters have in place to be changed, but the council always..." He shook his head. "They'll agree with me this time. One day...one day too late." He opened his eyes, and he began to shake. "I tried...I tried so hard to change things...to make everything better..."
Sakura slowly brought her hand back down. "Naruto..." she said comfortingly, stepping forward with her arm now outstretched. She saw something in Naruto's eyes that looked familiar and unwanted.
Naruto suddenly growled, picking up the chair he was sitting in as he stood up. He threw the chair at the wall, yelling some meaningless word and causing the bird to take flight again, fleeing from Naruto out the window. He took a few deep breaths as Sakura became scared again. Not for her sake-she knew he'd never hurt her-but for Naruto's sake.
"WHY?" he shouted, then turned to Sakura a few seconds later. Barely restrained anger (though Sakura could tell she was not the target) danced in his eyes. "I became Hokage so I could protect everyone! And now...and now..." and he calmed down for a moment, taking a few more deep breaths. Then, with another shout, he pushed all the various papers and scrolls off of his desk. "And now you're telling me I can't save ONE SINGLE PERSON?"
There was a silence after that. Sakura looked close to crying. Naruto beat her to the punch. She instantly stopped as soon as she saw. "Naruto..." she gasped, now more fearful than ever. Naruto crying was even more unnatural than Naruto being afraid.
"I don't know, Sakura..." he choked out. He looked up at Sakura. "I don't know what to do..." and he sobbed. Sakura instantly forgot every one of her fears, and ran around the table, pulling Naruto into her embrace. He cried on her shoulder for quite some time, obviously a vulnerable moment for him.
Outside the window, atop the mountainside image of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, a figure stood, watching Naruto and Sakura take comfort in each other. After a short time, he turned and slowly walked away.
Yes, yes, I know, not much of a cliffhanger considering everyone already knows approximately what's going to happen. Still, it's a good point to stop at considering the flow of the narrative.
Forgive me for taking liberties with Naruto's memories, though if you think about it there is a small amount of precedence for Naruto not remembering quite what happened after coming out of 'Kyuubi' mode. Also, forgive me for use of the English dub jutsu names in this chapter, and all future ones, and the lack of honorifics ('-chan', '-san') and lack of 'dattebayo' as well. Actually, don't forgive me; I'm not sorry.
...also, before you read the next chapter, take a guess: there's one thing left Naruto hasn't tried yet that might get Hinata out of this situation. It should be rather obvious, but then again humans tend to overlook the obvious a lot. Take your best guess, and thanks for reading!