Arranged Marriage

Disclaimer: alas, poor Naruto, I do not own ye… (Har har, Hamlet jokes…)

Warning: eventual sasunaru and for the time being, onesided SasuHina.

The Uchiha Massacre has no place in this story! It didn't happen!

Sasuke is age 10

There are many countries in the world of Naruto, the land of Fire being one of the more prominent nations. In this land, there is a hidden village of ninja, ruled by a shadow or kage; this village is called Konohagure no sato, the village hidden in leaves. There, many people and ninja alike live together in harmony; and like so many other villages, are composed of many clans. Two of the more well-known being the Uchiha and Hyuuga.

And today all of Konoha rejoices, for the joining of the two clans is finally at hand! The lady Hinata of the Hyuuga clan is betrothed to the young Sasuke, of the Uchiha clan.

It is a normal day for Sasuke. At seven, his mother woke him for breakfast, reminding him to put on his slippers because the days are getting cooler and the nights longer. Ten minutes after seven, Sasuke shuffled down the hallway to the kitchen and bumped into his bleary-eyed older sibling. Itachi merely yawned a barely audible "moornin'" and ruffled Sasuke's hair, lacking his usual enthusiasm.

In the kitchen, Sasuke's father greeted him with a sickeningly cheerful, "Good-morning!" Which was answered with a "nmahuhma," before he slid into an empty spot. Not disheartened at all, Sasuke's father grinned brightly at his sons—Itachi had entered the room moments later, scowling—and delivered the good news that had put him in such high spirits. "Do you remember that sweet little Hinata girl in your academy class, Sasuke? Well, guess what? I just got back from the Hyuuga compound, and you two are set to be married! Isn't that wonderful?" Sasuke's mother squeezed her hands together and smiled warmly at Sasuke, "Oh, how nice! That little Hinata is such a cutie; it'll be wonderful to have her in the family."

Itachi was having a hard time swallowing his rice and Sasuke's father had to hit him on the back several times before he could speak, "You mean, you were talking about Sasuke?" he spluttered, "You were talking about Sasuke!" he looked almost gleeful, and suddenly he jumped up, saying, "I've got to tell someone!" Itachi rushed out of the house into the streets of the Uchiha compound and towards the village, his muffled shouts of, "Thank god, I'm single!! SINGLE!!! People of Konoha, I'm still available! YES YES YES YES YES!!!!"

"We can't ever tell anyone about this, can we?" Sasuke looked at his father.

"About what?" Sasuke's father emphasized the 'what'.

"So, this Hinata is in Sasuke's class, right? You should find out what she likes." His mother changed the subject with all the ease of a kunoichi. Never one to argue, Sasuke nodded.

As it turns out, there are a few things that Hinata likes and only one thing, according to Ino, that she really likes. For example: Hinata likes the color green. She never wears green, though; one shouldn't wear their favorite color, it may invite bad luck—according to her cousin, Neji.

Everyday, Sasuke wears blue; it's his favorite color. That night, as Sasuke opened his closet and peered in, he was dismayed to find that every article of clothing was some shade of blue. So instead of changing his wardrobe, Sasuke changed his favorite color. According to the primary color chart that Iruka-sensei passed out in class the next day, the opposite of blue was orange. Well, orange isn't such a bad color, Sasuke thinks to himself.

Hinata likes cats.

Sasuke doesn't. They give him a runny nose and make him sneeze. But valiantly, Sasuke tries to befriend the stray alley cat who lives in the alley next to the ramen stand. He even went as far as to name the cat 'Tom'. So far, Tom is oblivious to his advances.

Hinata likes stuffed animals.

The minute school got out, Sasuke headed for the nearest toy shop; which was ironically stationed next to 'Strawberry's Station for Special Weaponry'.

But most of all, Hinata likes… Naruto!

"… really?"

"Yes, have I ever lied to you? ….. Don't answer that. Yes, she likes him."

"Hey, Ino?"

"What, Sasuke?"

"Who's Naruto?"

"You're kidding me," Ino pointed to a figure in a bright orange jumpsuit halfway across the playground, "that's him." She looked Sasuke over once, and then twice, "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"I don't know, just… this." She tried to gesture what she meant.

"Well," Sasuke began slowly, "I don't know. I guess I just want to be the best husband I can be, seeing as me 'n Hinata are betrothed. My mom said that over time we'll grow to love each other, and I believe her 'cause her and Dad had an arranged marriage and they love each other."

That was all he had to say, really. In truth, Sasuke hadn't given much thought to the subject, only that he knew what was expected of him and the consequences if he didn't follow through with the marriage.

With that said, he set off towards the boy in orange, not quite sure what to expect from the thing that Hinata liked the most of all.

hahaa, gee, I really have a weird imagination. . UU