A/N: Hi! I would just like to start off by saying that this is my first fanfic so please feel free to give me constructive criticism :) This story was inspired by the song Wicked Games by The Weeknd. Mainly the lyrics in the main chorus but I guess you can see some parallels in the whole song. Thank you for reading and please review!
Naruto couldn't keep his thoughts off of her. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that she wasn't his anymore. Then again, deep down he knew that what they had was destined to end. Hinata's commitment to her clan was stronger than her commitment to him. Hers and Neji's wedding had been imminent since the end of the war. The Hyuuga elders must have felt that Hiashi was getting too old to properly defend the clan and its interests, and decided to make Hinata the new Head of Hyuuga. Of course, there was no way that she was fit to rule alone. Despite all she had done to prove herself worthy to her family, she'd never be powerful enough in their eyes.
That's where Neji came in. Neji was a strong, talented shinobi. A genius, they said. He would definitely make strong children, and it didn't hurt that promising him to Hinata would guarantee a Byakugan-weilding heir. So their marriage was arranged, bound by duty. At first, Hinata and Neji completely opposed. Hinata was in love with Naruto, and Neji had no intention in participating like some kind of Main House puppet. But they realized, amongst themselves, that this would be their best opportunity to try and abolish the Cursed Mark. With both of them in such high positions of power, they'd have the chance to sway some of the elders in their favor and finally put a stop to the "tradition".
So, in the months before the wedding, Naruto and Hinata spent as much time together as they could. Naruto had asked Tsunade to send him and Hinata on missions together, and they would sneak out of the village at night as often as possible. Every time they were alone, he and Hinata would speak of the future as if it was actually going to happen. They imagined their first date, the moment he proposed to her, the day of their wedding, and acted out the nights of their honeymoon. They imagined how giddy they would be when they found out she was pregnant, and how scared they would both be once she went into labor. Their first child would be a boy, Minato. He would have Naruto's blue eyes and Hinata's thick, dark hair. Two years later, their baby girl would be born, Jinora. She'd have peachy red hair along with deep blue eyes, full of energy. Their third child, Tsumi, would be born five years after, also a girl with blonde hair and Hinata's pale lavender eyes. Tsumi would never receive the Cursed Mark, of course, because they'd fight against her family and their stupid traditions. They'd face down every single Hyuuga who tried to touch their daughter. And through their determination and love, they'd make the Elders see that the cursed mark was an evil thing, and together they'd herald in a new era of Hyuuga, with no Branch House or Main House but with brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, and uncles.
But they knew these dreams would never come true. Naruto knew something was wrong when Hinata decided to go to his apartment in broad daylight, saying she needed to speak with him. The feeling in his gut worsened when she explained to Naruto about how she felt it was best that their missions and late-night escapes needed to stop. They needed time time to get over each other, she said. But they both knew they'd never stop wishing for the lives they had dreamed up. Naruto spent the month before Hinata's wedding taking on mission after mission, doing anything he could to escape seeing Hyuugas bustling through the streets of Konoha, preparing for their heiress' wedding.
Unfortunately for him, his string of missions ran out the night of the dreaded betrothal. At first, Naruto vowed to stay inside his apartment. He did not want to snap and blow up some innocent person who spoke of "how beautiful the Hyuuga heiress looked tonight". But he could hear the damn music from their reception all the way from the Estate to his shoddy apartment. At around 11 pm, Naruto could no longer stand the stupid music and sounds of cheering and decided to take a walk to the opposite side of town. 'Fuck them and their traditions,' he thought to himself. 'Fuck every damned person at that party. Even Hinata. Fuck her for letting herself get dragged into her family's manipulative web of politics.' And with that, Naruto set off in the cold, opting out of finding his jacket and instead keeping his navy blue t-shirt on. Maybe the cold would keep his mind off of what was happening around him.
Next chapter will be in Sakura's POV. I promise I will update soon! :)