Hanabi perched in a tree, watching her older sister berate herself.
"AUGH! Stupid Hinata! I can't believe I fainted!" Hinata sighed sadly.
Almost three years had gone by. Hinata had pushed her limits- learning Jyuuken, pulling all-nighters to study Hyuuga law and history, attempting to mend the rift between the main and branch houses, attending countless council meetings. She and Sakura were frequent sparring partners, she was nearing Neji's level of Jyuuken, her father had come to respect her, the council of elders approved of her ascension as head. She was a chuunin who'd lead numerous missions, and who was considering taking the Jonin exam in a couple of years.
But she still fell to pieces when she saw Uzumaki Naruto.
Even though every waking moment had been purely dedicated to fulfilling her secret, impossible dream. Even though she'd been stopping by Ichiraku's at least three times a day since she'd heard that Naruto was back in town. Even though she'd been (completely in vain, she knew) searching the Hyuuga laws and bylaws , looking for loopholes that allowed marriage outside the family.
Hanabi rolled her eyes. Onee-san was so obvious sometimes. You didn't even have to have the Hyuugas skill in reading body language to know exactly what she was thinking. If she was going to be the head, she had to improve on that.
And give up her stupid, infantile crush.
Down below, Hinata sighed again. She hadn't even got speak to him because of her fainting fit. , and he'd been assigned another mission. She pushed her fingers together desperately.
"Oi, who's there?"
Hinata whipped her head up.
Hanabi stifled a giggle. Her sister had the worst luck, Because there, in all his pig-headed, loud mouthed, unpredictable, blonde, blue-eyed, and orange clad glory, was Uzumaki Naruto.
"Na- Naruto-kun?"
Hanabi mimed gagging. Her sister had lost her stutter six months after Naruto left Konoha.
"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.
Hinata blushed deeply. He was so much taller now, and his voice was deeper. His shoulders were broader, and he-
Her face burned as she replied "H-hai, Naruto-kun"
"Ne, so it is you! Sorry you felt bad the other day"
"N-nani?"
"I mean, you fainted."
"Oh!" she started to explain "That was because-" his blue eyes flashed expectantly. "T-that is… I… ano… you…" she sighed. "I w-was a bit under the weather."
"Well, I'm glad you're doing better"
"Ano.. hai…"
"So, what have you been doing while I've been training with Ero-sennin? Three years is a lot of time."
Hinata tucked her hair behind her ear. She was actually having a conversation with him! "Ano, I learned more Jyuuken, and Hyuuga law, and-" she caught a look of his expression "Well, boring stuff. I also passed the chuunin exam on my second try… our whole team passed together. I've been taking missions since then, though my last really major one was to train with an old student of Tsunade-sama's. I learned a lot from her. And lately I've been attending council meetings and teaching some of the children of my clan"
"Oh, so you're gonna be the head then?" he asked.
"Ano… hai. The elders decided that I was the best choice to become head this year. They were considering Hanabi- my little sister- for a while after the chuunin exams. But they revised their decision"
"You'll be an awesome head" he replied confidently "So we'll change Hyuuga together!"
Damn, that sounded slightly weird, didn't it? Naruto thought. He was baffled. Apparently, Hinata was too, as she didn't say anything, but then again, even her ears were turning red. Maybe she wasn't recovered yet?
Naruto found his eyes wandering in an entirely unacceptable direction. Sakura may not have changed much in the last three years, but Hinata certainly had. Her long hair did look really good… made her look more mature, but…
Her hair wasn't the first thing his eyes had been drawn to… he'd definitely spent too much time with Ero-sennin lately.
"Ano… I've been thinking about how to change Hyuuga as well" Hinata said, snapping Naruto's attention back to the conversation at hand.
"Seriously? Then Uzumaki Naruto will help out where he can!" he said, a bit loudly. Hinata smiled.
"Arigauto. I mean… it meant a lot to me when you cheered for me at our first.. er.." Hinata's face, which was finally back to a mostly normal color, flushed again at the phrase "our first", but she tapped her fingers together and then said "At our first Chunin exam. It was… ano… that is… I missed having you cheer for me" Hinata said sheepishly.
"Well, when you talked to me before my match with Neji, that really boosted my confidence." Naruto said.
"You're welcome" Hinata hid her mouth behind her hand.
Naruto looked around as if suddenly realizing something "Ne, speaking of which, this is that training ground, right?"
"Hai"
They were both quiet momentarily, watching the sunset.
"So do you come here often?"
"Hai, almost every day… this is where Team 8 met for the first time… we trained here a lot… and… well" and you said you liked shy, dark, weird people like me here, Hinata thought "It's a special place to me"
"Excuse me, Hinata-sama" a voice from the edge of the clearing said softly. They both turned to see the person speaking.
It was an older woman, maybe nineteen or twenty. She had the white eyes, black hair, and cursed seal of a Hyuuga. She noticed Naruto and bowed politely to him.
"Hello, Uzumaki Naruto-san" she said.
Hinata said hurriedly "Ano… Naruto-kun, this is Himawari-san."
Himawari smiled "As Hinata-sama said, I am Hyuuga Himawari, of the branch family. I watched your match against Neji-san in the chuunin exams, and I was very impressed by your skills." She said warmly.
Hinata looked down at her feet, pleased. Naruto was looking happy as well. It wasn't often that someone from Konoha's most illustrious clan complimented him.
"Ne, ne, nice to meet you too, Himawari-chan" Naruto grinned. Himawari returned it, if a little more composed.
"Yes, I'm very, very sorry, but Hinata-sama is required back at the compound. There's a meeting with Hiashi and the council members." Himawari said.
"OH!" Hinata gasped and then bit her lip. She'd completely forgotten.
"Oh, okay then, Ja'ne, Hinata-chan, Himawari-chan" Naruto said, already walking towards the main road. Himawari and Hinata walked in the opposite way.
"Hinata-chan" Himawari said curiously, dropping the "sama" as soon as they were in private, "It's not like you to nearly miss a meeting"
"Ano… ano…" Hinata blushed furiously.
"Hinata-chan, I'm not Naruto, try not to faint on me" Himawari grinned.
"Himawari-chan!"
"I'm kidding" Himawari smiled. "He's a good person. And if he can change Hyuuga, more power to him. He'll make an excellent Hokage. I can see why you like him"
"Ano…"
"And don't worry, I won't tell Hiashi-sama, either"
Hanabi sat in the tree, considering what to tell her father when he asked for her report on what Hinata had been doing with her time.
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Hinata sighed as she exited from the meeting room, following her father. The heavy kimono dragged on her arms, and if there was another more uncomfortable and stiff, it'd be made out of aluminum foil. But the Hyuuga head-to-be had always worn it in meetings.
Himawari was waiting for her in the hall, and fell into step behind her until they reached Hinata's room. Hiashi bid his daughter good night, and then Himawari shut the screen door and untied Hinata's obi and took off the heavy outer kimono. Then Hinata went to change behind a screen.
"How was the meeting, Hinata-sama?" Himawari said. It was too risky to treat Hinata with anything but utmost respect in the compound.
Hinata answered from behind the screen "The elders are still resisting marriage between the branch and main house members, even though there's a bylaw that clearly allows it and also outlines how children born from an inter-house marriage are to be sorted into the branch and main families." Hinata sighed.
"You've done much for the branch house, Hinata-sama. I thank you for that."
"Not enough" Hinata said, rubbing her shoulder where it was stiff from being still so long.
"That's not so. Hino-kun loves his lessons with you, and even though Higurashi-kun would never admit it, he does too. My uncle tells me that you remind him of your grandmother, who was a very good person, branch house or no, Hyuuga or outside the clan. Himawari said cheerfully, making Hinata smile "In any case, I'm sure inter-house marriage will be approved by the council soon. Hopefully, within the year. And in a few years, who knows?" she grinned.
"Ano… I wasn't even thinking about… ano… my marriage yet"
"Hinata-sama, I've served you since I was seven years old, when I received the cursed seal, with the exception of the two years I served the council. I walked with you and Hiashi-sama on the first day of your training at the academy. I saw how you've looked at him from the very beginning. I've observed him from that day as well. And it's my opinion that, what ever the council of elders may say, he is a good person. He's the only one in this town who you could ever hope to give your heart to." Himawari said softly. "and I've been with you much too long not to wish you happiness."
"Happiness like you have with Hiruga-kun?" Hinata teased. It was Himawari's turn to blush.
"Hai."
Hinata smiled "I've been working with the elders to allow it."
"I know it. He is far enough from the line of succession that I believe it will come to pass." Himawari said. Hinata came out from behind the screen as Himawari got out the futon.
"Hai. I'm sure it will. I never go back on my word" Hinata said "Goodnight"
"Goodnight, Hinata-sama"
Hinata smiled as Himawari shut the door.
Himawari had been her assistant- a role that included dressing Hinata appropriately for every occasion, studying and practicing Jyuuken with her, and body guarding, tasting, and chaperoning her- since Hinata's third birthday. Even though the older girl had been cold to the Hyuuga heir at first, after a short time, Himawari had come to care for her charge.
There had been a two year period, before Hinata passed the chuunin exam, when Hanabi was being considered the heir, when Himawari had been placed under the council, which essentially meant she was to be an assassin sent on dangerous missions in the hopes she'd be killed off. After eight years of serving Hinata, Himawari's loyalties to Hinata were considered too dangerous. But Himawari had survived, and had been re-commissioned the day that Hinata passed her chuunin exams.
Hinata was pressing the case for inter-house marriage for Himawari's sake. Her caretaker had asked to meet in private two weeks ago, and then begged Hinata to arrange her marriage to Hiruga, who was main branch. Hinata had been surprised, but agreed, thinking that she could change Hyuuga at least a little by getting the elders to approve inter-house marriage before pleading Himawari's case.
But the council was being exceedingly stubborn… maybe she should ask her father privately instead? She fell asleep mid-plan.
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"Oi, kid, not that I don't mind that my best customer is back, but we're closing up for the night."
Naruto slurped down the rest of the miso ramen "Just one more bowl, Ji-chan"
"Alright, one for the road" the ramen man smiled and handed him another.
"Sá kyuu!" Naruto grinned and wolfed down the noodles.
"So, you got a girlfriend yet?"
Naruto choked on his ramen and had to pound himself on the chest before he could breath again. "Nani?" he coughed and took a shaky breath. "Why would I?"
"Rally? No one yet?"
"Well, yeah. Sakura's gotten kinda scary, hasn't she?" Naruto said "And she likes someone else, anyways."
"No, no, I wasn't talking about her. I was thinking of… oh, what's her name…?" he snapped his finger, clearly scouring his memory.
Ayame smiled at her father's acting and supplied "Hyuuga Hinata"
"Hinata-chan, that's right" the old man said, as if remembering.
"Hinata-chan?" Naruto repeated, bewildered.
"She's been coming by here every day for what, two, three weeks now?"
Naruto looked puzzled "I didn't know Hinata-chan liked ramen. And she didn't mention that she'd been coming by…"
"She really is quite cute" Ayame added.
"Yeah, yeah- wait! That is… yeah, she is, isn't she?" Naruto said, flustered. What the hell was he saying?
Father and daughter shared a smile. The kid was impossible. But then again, the old man had taken three years to realize that his late wife was head over heels for him. "Well, why don't you go talk to her"
Naruto shrugged "yeah, sure. That's a good idea."
"Alright, one more bowl for the road, and then we're definitely closing up" the old man said, pitying Naruto's confusion.
"YEAH! Now that's what I'm talking about!"
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Hanabi tossed and turned on her futon that night. She hadn't really done anything wrong… but she hadn't told her father that Hinata had talked with Uzumaki. It was a little like lying, maybe, but they hadn't really said anything that important, right?
Still, it bothered her.
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Hello, people! Yay for A/N. So this is my first Narutoverse HinaNaru. Just a warning, this is gonna be a loooooooooooooooooooong story. 45-50 chapters, maybe. So it's gonna take some dedication.
Kitsune no Yomeiri means "The Fox's wedding", which was my original AU HinaNaru, so you don't have to read it, but you might want to.
Okay, people, review!