Title: Reactions
Author: AppleL0V3R
Beta-reader: SyphmoniaFreak
Fandom: Naruto and Bleach
Pairing: Kuchiki Byakuya and Hyuuga Hinata
Chapter: One – Getting Here
Rating: T
Type: Mini-Story – Incomplete
Summary: She supposed she should have felt honored to have Kuchiki Byakuya notice her, but honestly? She didn't, so what did she do to merit this kind of reaction?
Theme: 25 Crossovers LJ challenge (#25 – Honored)
Word Count: 1,735
Disclaimer: If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.
Edited on: December 14, 2011
What. The. Hell?
What did she ever do to deserve this? Yeah, sure, she was the only heiress in the history of the Hyuuga Clan who had resigned. This had resulted in her cousin from the branch family stepping up and taking her place. But that had nothing to do with this! In fact, that should have been the biggest factor to stop this from happening. But nooo, the elders of both the village and the clan thought that this was a good idea. They thought it'd be best for her to live with Kuchiki Byakuya as a way to tie Konoha to Soul Society. She hadn't wanted to be used like that, like a bargaining chip. But it seemed she would always be at odds with her clan members instead of at peace.
"This will be beneficial to everyone, daughter, you must." Hiashi, her father, had stated while informing her of her wellbeing and what she would be doing with her life. And of course that was the one of the very few times he'd called her 'daughter'. For multiple reasons, none of which she liked. To subtly tell her that she hadn't been disowned no matter her status and therefore had to obey him. To dissuade an argument or scene because he thought her privileged to be called that. And to persuade her not make things difficult. Couldn't he show affection without any gain whatsoever? She snorted inwardly already knowing the answer to that.
"It will boost the Hyuuga Clan's status in the village, putting us on better footing with the Uchiha, because he is the head of one of the four noble clans in the Soul Society. And because he is a noble, it will undoubtedly create close ties between Konohagakure no Sota and Soul Society. It is obviously in everyone's best interest." Playing her like a secret card that he would have gladly discarded without a thought before then. And had even tried to do so.
Not mine. Hinata grumbled to herself when the words left his mouth. So much for finally confessing to Naruto that she loved him. It wouldn't matter anyway seeing as there is no way out of this. So she did the only thing she could, bow her head until her forehead nearly touched the floor boards so as to conceal her tears and give herself the time to reconfigure her nearly cracked composure.
"Yes, father. I understand." Stupid arranged marriage. Stupid nosy father who couldn't leave her be even after she all but disowned herself. But mostly, stupid her for not even having the backbone to fight their decision. "And when will I depart for the Seireitei?"
The Hyuuga patriarch's frown deepened, because he was always frowning, "Kuchiki-san has not yet set a date." Or agreed to marry lucky, little ol' me. She thought bitterly. Finally when she a had a firm grip on her emotions she sat up straight once more so that she was no longer speaking to the floor.
The raven-haired, young woman nodded curtly. "I see. Then may I take my leave and continue about my normal duties until the date is set?"
Now her father nodded. "You may. Dismissed."
She stood up and left as quickly as possible. She wanted to be a thousand miles away from here. Anywhere. Just not here. And not leaving to be Mrs. Kuchiki Hinata.
She frowned.
But she was going to be, and she had no say in the matter that would decide how the rest of her life was lived. Hell, she hadn't even met the guy. But hearing of his status and the fact that her father approved, he was probably a stuck up asshole. Just like all the rest that had tried to be her suitor before she stepped down. In fact they were part of the reason as to why she gave up her birth right in the first place, the other part being her overbearing family.
So much for marrying for love.
She sighed inwardly. Nothing she could do about it now. She didn't have the guts to stop it so if she wasn't going to do anything about it, then she should stop complaining and make the most of it. It wasn't technically giving in. And besides she'd already made her choice back there. Now she had to live with it.
Within a week Hinata found herself before the Kuchiki manor beside her soon-to-be husband, ready to move into her new home. How long would it be till she could visit home again? Probably a good long while. At least she'd been allowed a grace period to get ready to leave which of course included the goodbyes from her friends and Neji. Hanabi had been on a mission and all her father had said two days before was that she'd better make this work to the best of her abilities. Still the same old father that cared nothing for his disowned daughter, except for when she could better the clan status. At least he was treating Hanabi and Neji well; that's all she could really ask for.
As for the man walking ahead of her, he had yet to disprove the stuck up asshole theory, though he hadn't promoted it either. She honestly didn't know what to make of him. He definitely has the whole tall, dark and handsome thing going on. Not expressive eyes, but then again, she didn't know what she should expect. She hadn't met anyone who knew they'd died at least once after all. Yet she still liked them all the same with their beautiful color and the way they seemed to hide more than emotions.
He didn't smile though. Just a nod of acknowledgement was all she had received; she had yet to even hear his voice. Not that she needed to, she guessed that it was bound to be something like deep baritone, the kind of voice that could melt any girl within hearing range.
As she trailed behind him, she made a mental map in her head so she wouldn't get lost or be a nuisance to him later on. It'd benefit them both, him not being bothered and her not being embarrassed. That's what she needed to do; stay out of his way. And she would, even if it was the last thing she did. Well that and pick up on his habits so she knew what to do without words, but that was just a given.
She wondered briefly if he would be affectionate in any sort of way or if this was strictly a political and business relationship, then pushed the thought away. She knew the answer which meant she shouldn't get her hopes up. They would, after all, only be crushed to smithereens in the end. And she couldn't have that. So might as well save face now and adapt to her new lifestyle as soon as possible. That would most certainly make things easier. Fighting would only muddle matters and make everything so much harder on her. She didn't need that; she wouldn't be able to handle that.
He stopped suddenly then gestured to a door while looking over his shoulder at the young kunoichi, pinning her with the sharp gaze she had already found herself associating him with. She was used to those gazes; she'd had them her whole life no matter which way she looked. But the expectant ones were the ones that always got to her; those were even more prominent than the eagle like ones. "This will be our room." She nodded waiting for him to make some kind of move, one that told her how she would react. After all, that's what she'd learned to do when she got the type of look he was giving her now. But he did nothing. Was he waiting for her reaction? Was he prodding her to figure out what she was like when she had to act upon her own accord?
Hinata ignored the 'our'; it would only feed false hope. And besides, those were the first words he said to her – she'd been right about his voice – which meant that he wasn't one for small talk, though she'd already guessed that.
After a moment of him still doing nothing, she realized that, yes he was analyzing her and this next choice would decide the majority of how he would think of her. Of how he would react. And most importantly, how she'd be treated from here on out. This was officially the first impression.
Still she made no move other than flicking her eyes to the door, down the hall, then before her and behind her, and finally allowed them to rest on him. "Why me?"
He didn't react, but his eyes did flicker. It didn't help her much though; the emotions ran into each other and were far too fast for her to pick out and name. She'd have to learn to pick up on emotions quickly if she was going to keep up with him. Well nothing was supposed to be easy, otherwise it wouldn't be life.
Finally he responded. "Because I chose you. Is there a problem with that?" I chose you. Was she supposed to feel special? Honored? She didn't. Would she tell him that? No.
"No." Yes…maybe…we'll see.
He nodded and again gestured to the door again. "Good, then you can unpack your things. When you're done, find a servant; they'll know where I want you to go afterwards."
She watched him for a moment longer and then moved for the door. Might as well. Besides, she was slightly interested in his reactions. It wasn't like Neji or her father, but it wasn't entirely different either. It was…indescribable. If nothing else, she could spend her time figuring out her husband-to-be. The raven-haired, young woman snorted inwardly; that would take a while.
