Disclaimer I do not own Naruto, and I do not make any money from these writings.
Hinata glanced at herself in the mirror. At twenty-six, she was still successfully pulling off the natural look. Quiet beauty was the way Naruto described it, which she could have taken as an insult, but chose to take it as it was meant and not how it sounded. Besides, she was just going to have tea with her sister. Zipping up her lightweight, baggy jacket, she left her room and headed downstairs, wanting to check on the girls before she left.
They were both in the living room, watching one of their favorite movies. Ino was stretched out on the couch receiving a foot massage from Sakura. She smiled at the sight. "I'm going to go now, do you need anything before I leave?"
"A bowl of ice cream would be nice," Ino suggested before she yelped as Sakura pinched one of her toes. "What was that for?"
"You're a month pregnant, it's not that bad. I was there last month, remember?" Sakura said.
"I'm still in shock," Ino said, feigning surprise.
"Really? Maybe we should cancel this evening's plans then."
Ino quickly sat up and said, "We're fine Hinata. Say hi to your sister for me."
"All right then, I'll be home for dinner." Hinata turned and left us both of them said goodbye . She walked out the front door and through the gate, closing the wooden door behind her. Young the four of them may be, but combining four successful Jonin pay had allowed them to build a pretty nice house on the outskirts of the village.
The exact events that had led up to their current, cozy situation definitely had their humorous points. Naruto had found himself the most eligible bachelor in the village. It was a status that no one thought he abused, and in truth, he didn't. She had asked him out and he had said yes. She had been on top of the world. Then, after her second date, it had come back to her that Naruto was also dating Ino, and furthermore, had apparently done it at the same time she had been out with him. She had been crushed that her wonderful date had probably been with a clone. The situation was made worse when she learned that Naruto and Sakura had been 'hanging out' at the same time as both of her dates.
The resulting fallout was painful to remember and way too public. However, the end result was something astonishing. After about a year, they had decided to move in together, all of them. It was surprising to the general population, but not a completely novel idea. Harems had existed in the village before and had both positive and negative connotations, and just because the people involved in this particular one had higher notability than most was just something to gossip about. Five years had passed since then, and without any more drama, the gossip had died away.
Not that everything had remained the same within the household. Ino and Sakura had become a couple in their own right. No one really knew that and she had not voiced any objections, but in this unconventional situation, that was something she found a little uncomfortable. It was one thing when the three of them worked together to get Naruto all wound up and then each take one of him to bed, sometimes not knowing who had the clones and who had the original, but it was another thing when Ino and Sakura chose to share their bed with each other. Sometimes, when the two of them were only sent a single clone, though, she felt left out.
It's not that she was being excluded. They had encouraged her to join them and she had even tried once, but it had been awkward and she didn't want to attempt it again. It bothered her that there was a part of the relationship she was missing out on, but she didn't really know what to do about it. It wasn't right to ask them to stop so she ignored it. When the three of them would retire to the same bedroom for a night now, she would curl up with the book and be thankful for the soundproofing Ino had insisted on.
She pushed aside her melancholy thoughts and instead wondered why her sister had asked to meet her. They were on pretty good terms these days. They talked with each other when they met in the streets, and Hanabi wasn't an uncommon dinner guest at their house. Still, the letter she had received yesterday had seemed a bit odd. Usually, when one or the other requested a private get-together, there was several days warning so they could both clear their schedules. This time, though, Hanabi's letter had said they had to meet the next day. It was a little worrying.
Her concerns weren't lessened when she arrived at the tea house and was shown to a private room. Her sister wasn't there yet so she must have reserved it in advance. Now, starting to really worry, she sat at the low table and stared out at the garden and waited. Her sister arrived a few minutes later and then she knew something was wrong.
Hanabi was a little shorter than her and smaller in all aspects. She always carried herself with confidence that many people interpreted as arrogance. Today, though, that seemed to be missing. Her appearance hadn't suffered, however, and in fact, she seemed to have paid greater attention to her appearance than normal, as if she was overcompensating. The makeup her sister had put on accented her beauty, but it was done with such an obsessive touch that it was as if she was trying to distract herself.
Hinata stood and hugged her sister, and if she had any remaining doubts that something was wrong, the way her sister collapsed into her dispelled them. "What's wrong?"
"Is it that obvious?" Hanabi asked.
"Only to those who know you as well as I do," Hinata replied.
The waitress appeared and they ordered their tea. It was a very fine establishment, but even the waitress' skill at pouring tea more than a foot away from the cup was merely a distraction.
When she left, closing the door behind her, Hinata asked, "So what has you so upset?"
Hanabi smiled weakly, "No pleasantries?" Hinata remained stubbornly silent, not allowing her sister to avoid the issue. Hanabi sighed, "It's Moegi."
Hinata was surprised at first, but then she realized there probably wasn't much that could upset her sister so much. Hanabi and Moegi had become friends when they became Genin and had started a sort of relationship at some point. Hinata had never asked about the exact length, but by the time she had finally been told about it they had been in firm relationship. It was still a very hush-hush thing though. "You had a fight?"
"Sort of," Hanabi said lowering her eyes to the table. "Moegi told me she doesn't want to sneak around anymore. I don't know if I can do that."
Hinata nodded. "It's because of your position?"
Her sister nodded dejectedly. "As the next head of the Hyuga clan, certain things are expected of me, most notably an heir." Hanabi sighed, "That and it has never been done before. There's been female heads before, but never one who took another woman as her partner."
"Artificial insemination has been done before," Hinata said, thinking of her grandfather. "Besides, lack of precedence does not mean it can't be done, despite what the elders will argue." Hinata said after a moment of consideration. "Father could be more of a problem, but I don't think he would reject you, especially since I'm not an option at this point." She resisted the urge to touch her stomach where the modified cursed seal was. It was different from the branch's because it would prevent her children from inheriting the Byakugan. She had been reassured that it wouldn't affect her child any other way. It had been a condition of her freedom to be with Naruto and the others.
"There are other considerations," Hanabi said softly.
"More?" Hinata said genuinely surprised.
Her sister gave her a look as if it should be obvious, but when she didn't say anything Hanabi surrendered and said, "I am a lesbian. You know how Konoha is when it comes to different lifestyles. It will be halfway across the village by the time I tell father. I'm not sure I could handle that." Hanabi buried her face in her hands. "How did you face them?"
Hinata felt herself flush. She had not enjoyed being the center of so much talk. So many rumors had reached her and just about all of them had been untrue. All four of their reputations had taken a bit of a beating. "It was hard, but I got through it with the support of my friends and those that I love."
"Are you happy now?" Hanabi asked.
She opened her mouth to say yes, but stopped. For the first time, she wondered if she was happy and then pushed that thought aside. "That's not important. What's important is are you happy with Moegi and is she worth it? You must have thought about this before."
"No, I haven't." Her sister looked up at her and smiled, "I haven't really thought about it. Moegi usually makes the decisions in our relationship and I like it like that. Besides you, she's really the only other person I can turn to. Now she wants me to decide something for myself and I'm scared. I don't want to lose her."
"Well little sister, it sounds like you've already made your decision."
"Yeah, I guess I have." Hanabi smiled slowly. "I'll tell Moegi today and father tomorrow. Thank you for listening."
"That's what big sisters are for."
Hinata walked home after tea with Hanabi, her feelings mixed. She wished her sister the best of luck, but her thoughts kept going back to why she hadn't answered that one question. Was she happy?
It was a simple question and yet she had hesitated. She was with the man she loved, and she even liked Sakura and Ino as friends if nothing else. Their arrangement were nice, comfortable, and yet in a house full of people, she could feel alone. Why?
The answer didn't occur to her until later that night when she was trying to read knowing what Ino and Sakura were doing. Partners should live one life together. That was what Moegi was asking Hanabi to do. That was what she wanted. A family was supposed to grow out of that seed. At first, that was how it had been, but now they were dividing. Sakura and Ino were more than just friends, and Naruto could go alone to them together. It was a part of their life she could not be a part of. It wasn't just the sex. Sex grew out of love and she cannot fault them for finding love. In a thousand little ways, she was becoming the proverbial fifth wheel.
She could continue on living like this. It wouldn't be a bad life. She would have Naruto and she liked the idea of lots of children. For that she could stay. She would have a part of Naruto, but never all of him. She thought she could be content living life like that, but was it worth sacrificing happiness for?
Naruto had been her childhood crush and he had grown up into a magnificent man. No one could deny that, but there was a part of her that she wanted filled that he couldn't fill. If she dwelt on that emptiness, that part of her that just wasn't satisfied, it would affect the others, and that wasn't right because they were happy. Much like her sister, she already knew about her decision. Even if she hadn't consciously thought about it, it was clear.
She didn't tell anyone of her decision until Naruto came back from his mission the next day. They greeted him and served a meal of his favorite food, which was still ramen. This was the routine when one of them came back from a mission, they would serve their favorite meal. Hinata tried to hide her feelings, if only to remember one last good memory of living here. Then when the dishes were cleared, she made her announcement.
They took it well, and when they asked why she simply said she was content here but not happy. She had packed a bag the night before and was confident that the rest could be dealt with later. They would be fair to her and she would be fair to them. She gave one last hug to both Ino and Sakura and then one to Naruto.
He held onto her even after she loosened her grip and asked, "Is there anything I can do?"
Hinata smiled up at him and shook her head sadly. "We've changed. We're not the same people who started this arrangement. It's just not for me. I know you'll make Sakura and Ino ridiculously happy and that's what I want. Someone I can complete."
"You'll always have a place here if you need it," Naruto said quietly, "we will keep your room for you."
Hinata chuckled, "Give my room to one of the children, and when you need a babysitter remember me. I think we'll be better friends than lovers, at least I hope so."
He smiled at that, his blue eyes brimming with tears. "I will."
Hinata turned and left the house. Her mind turned to more practical things, such as finding a hotel room for the night and going apartment hunting tomorrow. She passed two women who were chatting outside and heard her sister's name, which meant the gossip was already across the village. She wondered if her leaving would overpower that story and she found herself hoping it would.