Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other copyrighted/trademarked intellectual property that may have been referenced. I am making no money from this work.


Chapter 1: A Scroll and a Seal

By Piplop


Summer

The waxing moon hung bright and honey-golden in the cool, mid-summer sky. A breeze drifted across the wooden floorboards of the palace into the enclosed imperial garden, rustling the branches of the willows and bushes of flowers. Hinata leaned down and squatted by the pond, a basket on one arm with the sleeves of her black kimono rolled up to her shoulders. Her hands were smudged brown with mud as she cut away a few delicate stems of daffodil flowers and softly placed them into her basket. She carefully rinsed her hands and scissors in the pond, gently laying the sharp metal instrument next to the green stems, careful not to squash the golden blossoms.

"I thought I would find you here," an exasperated voice grumbled.

Hinata turned to look at her little sister, a surprised lift upon her eyebrows.

"Hanabi…" The two stared at each other, the muted noises of the garden not quite enough to fill the gaping silence. Like Hinata, Hanabi was dressed in the black robes of mourning. However, while Hinata's pale skin and puffy, red eyes made her look fragile, the white steel of Hanabi's making her look intimidating. A cricket began to sing.

Chirp. Chirp-chirp. Chiiirp. Chirp-chirp. Chirp-

"How have you been these past two weeks?" Hinata's voice quavered, breaking the silence. When there was no reply, she took a hesitant step towards her sister and reached out. The short brunette looked away, jaw clenched. With a sad look in her eyes, Hinata dropped her hand.

"I've been fine," Hanabi finally mumbled. "The Advisor wants to see you right away. It's urgent." She swiftly turned her back and started off, expecting to be followed.

"Wait! I need to put these away and make myself presentable first!" Hinata picked up her skirts and rushed towards the halls, her muddy shoes almost slipping on the wooden floor as she exited the garden.

"Just hurry up. He's a really busy man. You know."

As they walked down the wooden corridors of the residential complex, Hinata observed the slight changes in her little sister since they last saw each other. She smelled vaguely of steel and sweat and her back was more tense than usual. There were barely noticeable dark circles under her eyes.

"You must have been training hard…" No response. Hanabi slightly quickened her pace, the dull thuds of her confident strides contrasting with the soft pattering of Hinata's feet.

"Hanabi, I know that this has been hard…" She trailed off, but then found her voice again. "You can come talk to me anytime… You know that, right?"

The younger Hyuuga's eyes hardened and her lip stiffened as they continued walking through the maze of corridors in silence. Hinata looked at the shoji paper doors as they rushed by, noting that several needed replacing. But with all the servants busy preparing for the funeral and the whole palace abuzz with military men and strategists, nobody could spare the time to attend to such trivial tasks.

They finally arrived in front of Hinata's room, with Hinata slightly out of breath. She opened her door, lit the candle next to the entrance, and removed her shoes.

"You're welcome to come inside," she prodded hesitantly. Her little sister's eyes were still hard, but she removed her shoes and slid the door closed. Hinata placed her basket on the floor next to her futon and poured a half pitcher of water into a jade vase. She tucked the daffodils that she had cut earlier into the vase and turned to her sister.

Hanabi hadn't moved from her position right beside the entrance, but her eyes now glistened and her lips were trembling with emotion.

"Mother loved that piece." Her harsh voice was now a mere sad whisper.

Hinata turned to look back at the vessel. The jade was a crisp forest green, adorned with shimmering speckles of silver. Two rabbits were carved on its side, frolicking in the clouds and overlooked by a full moon.

"I managed to bring it over from their room before everything was cleared out. I don't mind the other things, but I couldn't bear to let them auction this off, too." Hinata smiled slightly, a sad look in her pale, lilac eyes. "Remember how father would always tell us about how much effort it was to convince Master Sai to craft that for her anniversary present?"

"Psh, that weirdo is your age! No need to call him Master. Besides, he was only ten when he made that!"

"He's the most talented artisan that the Leaf Kingdom has ever had! He deserves the respect."

Realizing that she was on the verge of participating in playful banter, Hanabi steeled herself and stiffened her lip once more. A sharp stab of pain struck Hinata's chest as she quashed welling tears.

"Oh, Hanabi…" Hinata unrolled her sleeves and slowly walked towards her little sister, the floorboards creaking hesitantly under her weight. This time, the brunette didn't move to look away. Hinata slowly took her sister's hand in her own, gently rubbing the callused skin of her knuckles. Her palm was hot and sweaty. These days, Hanabi seemed to train non-stop, refusing to see anyone except her instructors.

Hinata had always been proud of her little sister's prowess in combat—at the tender age of thirteen, she was second only to Neji at the Leaf Kingdom's prized specialty of archery: she could shoot down a hawk blindfolded and upside-down on horseback from the sound of its cry alone. She also had a great head for military tactics. Although her small stature was an inconvenience for hand-to-hand combat, Hinata saw her little sister growing into a fearsome leader.

However, Hanabi had never been good at dealing with her emotions. Whenever she got upset, she tended to shut her feelings out and train until the problem went away or she was too exhausted to feel any anger or frustration at all. Unfortunately, the cause for her anguish couldn't disappear this time no matter how much training she undertook. And from the aching pain that Hinata still felt in her own chest every time some innocuous object reminded her of their parents, there was no way to tell if the choking sadness would ever dissipate.

Hinata took Hanabi into her arms in a gentle hug and buried her nose into her sister's thick hair. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. When she was little, their mother would always hold her like this after a particularly bad nightmare.

After several beats, she felt Hanabi's hands slowly grasp at the fabric of her obi.

Hinata responded by holding her small form just a little tighter and sighed. "They would want you to take better care of yourself. That's all we can do n-"

"No!" Hinata winced at the explosion. Hanabi's grip was now so tight that it almost hurt.

"There is nothing we can do! They were murdered! Defiled! In. This. Palace." Hanabi stomped her foot on the floor for emphasis. "It's been two weeks and not a single clue as to who did it and why!" The shaking girl tensed up, trembled, and finally loosened her grip.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

Hinata could feel the fast, pounding beat of her little sister's heart. All she could do was rub her back and try to offer some iota of comfort.

"I'm going to find whoever is responsible. And I'm going to destroy them." Her voice was calm, level, and cold.

This isn't the furious ranting of a teenager, Hinata realized with a start.

It was the unbreakable promise of a child that had grown up too suddenly, too quickly.

Hinata slowly pulled herself out of the embrace and stared deeply into her little sister's pale white orbs. They were cold and confident, her brows steeled in a slight downwards frown. She had always been a rambunctious firecracker, filled with light, power, and unknown potential. However, over the past two weeks since the death of the King and Queen, she had driven all of that energy inwards. It fueled her anger, and through that, her training. Under that calm, focused exterior was a ferocious, boiling intensity that chilled Hinata to the bone.

There's no way that she can be happy this way. She looks so angry and alone.

Tears welled up in Hinata's eyes. Her lips trembled and her nose burned.

"Don't cry. Your eyes are already puffy. You have to look presentable for the Advisor."

Hinata lowered her head and looked down at the distorted lines of her wooden floor, fighting back the tears.

"I'll h-help you… So, p-please… Stop shutting everyone o-out."

Hanabi scoffed.

"Do you even hear yourself? Don't be ridiculous. This is dangerous, Hinata. You're not the type to have the heart for murder and revenge! Just stay out of it." Hanabi turned, reaching to open the door.

"No, no, please—" Hinata grabbed onto Hanabi's arm, only to have the arm torn out of her grasp.

"What can you do? You're… Weak! You'll be the first to die if anything happens! What if war actually breaks out?"

Hinata froze in a stunned silence, her hands awkwardly dropping to her sides.

Seeing her older sister's hurt expression, Hanabi sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration.

"Come on. Everybody knows that you're not good at this military crap! I just don't want you to get hurt."

Well, yes. Hinata knew she was a disappointment to the council. Imperial Hyuuga children were supposed to be strong, confident, and potentially useful in battle. Like Hanabi. Like Neji.

When everyone eventually realized that she was too gentle to be ruthless, too soft to be strong, only the protection of her parents kept the disgruntled council from selling her off to some lord or other in marriage at a young age. Through careful maneuvering, the King and Queen had made her a symbol. They had sent Hinata to regularly volunteer at food shelters, hospitals, and the markets. She was always happy to do it and was always under heavy protection by the guards. They even built a new hospital for the homeless in her name. Her parents molded Hinata into a figure of the generosity and kindness of the Imperial family, one who calmed potential riots when taxes were too steep and the soldiers too cruel.

There must be a good reason for all the hard times, the people would say. They have us in their hearts—Just look at the Princess!

The Princess of the People. Oh, but she was nothing more than a figurehead. Beloved by citizens, but without any power to do anything or enact any real change. And now that the delicately maintained peace and security had shattered, her thirteen-year-old sister had to worry about protecting her, a grown woman.

It was humiliating. Embarrassing. Shameful. Hinata had never felt so useless in her life.

Hanabi awkwardly rested her hand on Hinata's arm, perhaps in apology.

But then again, Hanabi never apologized.

"Let's go. He probably wanted us there a while ago."

Hinata wiped her face on her sleeve and nodded. They set off for the main halls, the air slightly less tense than before.


While the residential halls of the palace were simply, albeit elegantly, decorated with shoji panels and flowing gardens, the main complex of the palace was furnished to impress. These buildings had intricately carved rabbits, dragons, and phoenixes sitting upon their roofs. The doors were made out of heavy silver and the floors inlaid with lapis lazuli. This was where the business of managing the largest kingdom in the land was done.

The department of treasury collected taxes and had an army of tightly monitored blacksmiths that wrought ore into money. The department of agriculture collected yearly reserves of grain that would be redistributed in case of famine. The military trained their armies of soldiers and archers on the large, open fields in the palace. The department of domestic affairs, the area that Hinata was most familiar with, dealt with citizens' complaints and worked on civil projects.

Neji, who worked for the department of foreign affairs, often led visiting dignitaries through the main halls, trying to intimidate or impress potential allies and business partners with the wealth of the Hyuuga dynasty.

Hanabi and Hinata headed straight towards the largest building in the complex, a grand structure gilded in silver. It shined under the moonlight, and the dragon and phoenix statues at its entrance bathed in the golden glow of candles from inside. This was where the King and Queen had conducted the most important matters of state. Since the murders in the palace, the candles in the Grand Hall burned through the night as the council, the Advisor, and other leaders of military and state gathered here. They had their work cut out for them in solving the murders, dealing with governmental and civil unrest caused by the crisis, and smoothing over diplomatic relations with neighboring kingdoms.

Even seemingly peaceful allies would turn into ravenous vultures at the chance to tear away pieces of the Leaf Kingdom's abundantly rich lands.

As Hinata and Hanabi approached the steps to the entrance, the door flew open, revealing a rather frazzled-looking Neji.

"There you are! We were wondering if you were even coming." Neji bounded down the steps, graceful despite his obvious lack of sleep.

"Advisor Danzo has an urgent meeting with the head of treasury in fifteen minutes," he informed them in a quiet voice, rushing them along. "I hope this is enough time to get whatever he needs to say out."

With a gentle squeeze to Hinata's arm and a pat on Hanabi's shoulder, Neji opened the doors to the Grand Hall. A long, black table stretched before them, with Danzo sitting at the end. A sharp pain struck Hinata's chest as she thought about how her parents had sat at that very spot. Her eyes swept past him, resting upon the heavy decorative fan hanging on the wall behind Danzo. She hadn't noticed how dusty and moth-ridden the giant silk and sapphire piece had become. If she recalled correctly, this was a priceless treasure given to them by the Sand Kingdom when they first formed their alliance…

The grim, sleep-deprived faces of twenty-four councilors glared back at her. These were the representatives of all the noble clans of the Leaf Kingdom, sworn to support and protect the royal Hyuuga clan at any cost.

Hinata quickly bowed as Hanabi simply skipped the formalities and brushed past her sister to sit on a cushion at the end of the table. Hinata slid into the cushion next to Hanabi as Neji took his spot near the front, close to Danzo.

"Thank you for coming here tonight, Princess Hinata and Princess Hanabi." Danzo's deep voice carried across the long table. A draft blew through the room as the silver doors fell closed, making the orange candle flames flicker, casting amorphous shadows across the expansive silver walls and lofty ceilings.

"A-apologies for the delay, Advisor." Hinata gulped, Advisor Danzo's bandaged eye and mosaic of scars never failed to intimidate her. She doubted that Danzo could even hear her all the way across the inky length of the table.

"I hope that you are recovering well from the shock of the King and Queen's passing. We are all still in mourning with you." Danzo gestured at the uniform black kimonos of the council members. "They were so young…"

Hinata nodded and looked around. Amongst the glum faces of old men, she caught the saddened gaze of Neji and the worried look in Kurenai's eyes. She tried to give a small smile in recognition but she thought that it probably looked more like a grimace. Shibi Aburame, head of intelligence, gave her a slight nod from under his black mask. The Aburame clan had always been loyal friends of her family. Maito Gai, the leader of the military, was spouting rather dramatic rivers of tears and snot. They almost seemed to sparkle…

"Let's cut to the chase. What have you found out about the bastards that did all of this?" Hanabi cut in.

Hinata saw that her hands were balled up into fists under the table. They were so tight that her knuckles were white.

"The domestic affairs department has received several reports of two suspicious men who lodged in a tavern near the palace. They were there for a month before the incident and left the day of. The sources all checked out. We're currently working to create profiles on those two leads." Kurenai was a close family friend and a mentor to Hinata. As head of domestic affairs, they spent a lot of time together during Hinata's childhood while Hinata did her social work. Hinata didn't doubt that Kurenai, with all her intelligence and skill, was working day and night to find the perpetrators. Her beautifully clear skin and wine red eyes looked much worse for the wear.

"The eyes…" Gai paused, glancing at Hinata. He must be worried that she couldn't handle all this talk of blood and gore. Hinata looked down and dug her nails into her palm. She would not, could not, cry in front of them. Not when Hanabi and Neji and everyone were working so hard. She couldn't become another liability they had to worry about.

"Spit it out!" Hanabi commanded.

"Well… We found what seems to be one of your mother's eyes in a shattered jar of preservative in the woods about a mile out from the Imperial Dragon City. There seemed to have been a conflict. We collected scraps of clothing, a shattered blade, and some foreign blood."

"My insects were able to use the evidence to lead a tracking squad" Shibi said. "I have a team of my best trackers tailing the lead, including Shino and Kiba." The masked man nodded towards Hinata. She knew that he mentioned her old friends as a gesture of reassurance, but she couldn't help but worry. They were definitely some of the most competent fighters in the land, but criminals who could take down even her parents from inside the imperial palace were a force to be reckoned with.

"And do you have any new information on why they carved out their eyes?—"

"Enough." Danzo's calm voice cut through the conversation. "We shall discuss this at a later time, Princess Hanabi. We did not bring Princess Hinata here for such gruesome talk." Even though she knew that everyone thought she was too delicate and fragile for anything more than smiling and chatting, it hurt that they were stating it so blatantly…

"What can be more important than—"

"Silence!" Danzo's flashfire rage was difficult to incite, but when it flared, even Hanabi knew to obey.

"The head of treasury traveled all the way here at this hour upon my request. He shall not be kept waiting longer than necessary."

Danzo pulled a scroll onto the table. He looked straight at Hinata with his one inky eye. She shivered, but didn't dare break the stare. He had frightened her since she was a little girl with his stern ways and cold mask of indifference. She felt like a tiny rabbit, shaking and frozen in fear in the sights of a hawk.

"The council has decided that it would be best for Princess Hinata to get married." Hinata's heart leapt with dread. She knew that this could happen eventually. Wealthy families were willing to pay entire castles for a direct connection with the imperial family. With her parents dead and nobody to shield her from the harsh realities of the world, the council could finally get their wish.

"What?" Neji jumped up, "When was this discussed? Why was I not a part of this decision?"

"Neji, you were away due to your duties managing affairs with the Tide Kingdom. It was an urgent matter. Besides, you're rather young for a council member. If your father hadn't died four years ago—" Realizing that he had overstepped his bounds, Councilman Tatsuji bit his tongue. "We were concerned that your personal attachments would get in the way of a logical discussion," he sneered instead.

"You've already sold all of Mother and Father's possessions! No matter how much money we need, I will not allow my sister to get sold off like some… Livestock!" Hanabi piped up vehemently, banging the table for emphasis.

The initial shock having worn off, Neji sat back down and began speaking in a much more reasonable tone.

"The people are anxious and in a state of unrest. What they need now is stability. It would incite riots if their adored Princess was thrown away to some old man for political gain." Hinata let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She could always count on her brilliant cousin to pick apart an argument.

"I would not agree to marry the precious Crown Princess off to some trivial lord," Danzo finally interjected. "We have secured a promise with the Stone Kingdom."

"You don't mean…" Neji's eyes widened in horror. The other council members all looked rather smug.

"King Sasuke Uchiha has agreed to wed Princess Hinata. Their association will create the greatest army this land has ever seen. The Leaf Kingdom will never again fear the threat of extermination."

Neji and Hanabi were shocked into silence. Hinata could hear blood pounding in her head.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

Was her vision starting to go?

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

She thought she heard a councilman cough.

"He is a monster!" Hanabi spat at Danzo. When she received no reply and a stony silence, Hanabi stood up and paced the room, whipping her head to glare each council member in the eye, searching for any signs of weakness. She finally stopped in front of their old family friend, Kurenai.

"You agreed to this too?" Hanabi almost sounded like she was pleading to the red-eyed woman.

"Yes… I believe that this is the best option for the kingdom… And for the Princess." Hanabi's shocked glare of betrayal could have burned through a man, but Kurenai simply returned the stare with a level, sad look. She then turned her gaze to Hinata, who could only stare back in shock and confusion.

"The kingdom is in turmoil! You are fools if you can't see that a war is coming. We need all the gold, armies, and allies we can get!" Councilman Hyo added.

"Although Sasuke Uchiha is a strong king and the Stone Kingdom would be a strong ally, he killed his own brother!" Neji glared around the table at the councilors. Some shifted uncomfortably in their seats and others couldn't meet his eyes. Most just stared back remorselessly. He continued slowly in a deep voice, full of weight. "He is unstable and cannot be trusted. Nothing will stop him from killing her, too." A pause. "If that were to happen, there can be no peace. The people would never allow it."

But why would the councilors care about someone like her? Hinata could never expect the leaders of the Leaf Kingdom to defend her life when the happiness of thousands was at stake. She wasn't strong like Neji, smart like Kurenai, or promising like Hanabi. They all knew that she would be useless wasting away in the Imperial palace like a beautiful flower—desirable, pretty to look at, but ultimately worthless.

"Princess Hanabi, please sit." Danzo held up a hand. "Such frivolous quarreling is wasting our time."

Hinata noticed that Danzo made no motion to refute any of Hanabi or Neji's claims. She had heard the stories, but was Sasuke Uchiha such a terrible man that even the ruthless advisor had nothing to defend him with?

"Although we have obtained the marriage contract, the final choice is Princess Hinata's to make. We are not such barbarians as to force a young maiden into marriage in chains."

All of a sudden, twenty-six pairs of eyes shot towards Hinata. The councilors had never paid her that much attention in her entire life and their intense, expectant stares were starting to make Hinata wilt. Her head was swimming again, her palms cold and clammy. She tried to straighten her back and lift her head, although the weight of the stares landed like a heavy, iron crown.

I must not look weak now.

The heavy silence stretched on.

Hinata was not surprised by this choice. The Leaf Kingdom prided itself in its progressive policies. It was illegal to force anyone into marriage or slavery. Women like Kurenai, and eventually Hanabi, could prove themselves worthy to be heads of state or leaders in the military. Even Danzo, once a clanless orphan, had become the Leaf Kingdom's top advisor. Hinata's heart gave a flutter of hope. She had the choice of rejecting this offer. She could spend her life in the protective confines of the palace, tending her garden and slowly helping Hanabi recover from her dark, vengeful grief. Maybe one day, she would go into town and meet a wonderful man, like that sunny schoolmaster's son. She could have the choice to marry out of love. Just as her parents had. Just as they had wished for her.

But it could never be the same again. Her blissfully long childhood disappeared that night her parents had been murdered, their eyes gouged out and their blood smeared mockingly across the walls and ceiling.

Now she knew that the palace was no safe haven. She could no longer pretend that this miraculous peace would last forever. If she didn't go to the Stone Kingdom, Neji and Hanabi may be relieved, but the entire council would spit in her face. Her beautiful country would be ravaged by neighboring kingdoms attacking at a single sign of weakness, and then utterly destroyed when civil war broke out. Thousands of innocent people would be mercilessly slaughtered.

I am useless to everyone if I stay. I would only be a burden.

Hinata looked at the hopeful faces of Hanabi and Neji and then turned to Kurenai's sad, wine eyes. Perhaps she knew…

Her heart thumped hard and fast, a frightened hare struggling to break free of its cage. She parted her lips to say the damning words that would seal her fate.

"I-"

"It's obvious! Of course she doesn't want to marry that lunatic!" Hanabi sprang up again.

Hinata paused, her sister's desperate plea wavering her decision.

I'm needed here. She needs me here!

"Princess Hinata has until tomorrow morning to decide. Come back here anytime before then to inform us of your decision." Danzo made to put away the scroll. "Now, I believe the head of treasury has been kept lon—"

"No." Hinata's voice startled everyone in the room, including herself. Nobody had heard the meek princess sound even remotely forceful before.

"No?" Councilman Tatsuji squeaked.

Oh, what did I just say?

The weight of twenty-six pairs of eyes fell on Hinata again. Her heart raced and her lungs froze. All of a sudden, it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. I will not faint.

"I-I've made my choice." She winced at her own pathetic stutter. The intense stares of everyone in the room bore into her. Hinata's heart thundered in her temple, blacking out her vision. She discreetly pinched her thigh. The swimming dots receded.

"I will marry King Sasuke of the Stone Kingdom."

That was it. She had made her promise and there was no turning back.

The councilors smiled in surprise and relief, offering her a flurry of congratulations while gossiping amongst themselves.

"I thought she would refuse for sure!—"

"—thank the gods, we're saved!"

"Ahh, the flower of the beautiful Princess's youth will finally blossom!" she heard Gai sniffle.

"—how did Danzo know she would agree to this? Not even Temari of the Sand was will—"

Hanabi's distraught cry cut through the buzz of the councilors, "You… You can't!"

"I agree. We need you here to restore the people's trust in the imperial government." Neji pleaded with his eyes.

"I-I have made my decision. If this marriage will secure the peace of the Leaf Kingdom, I am more than willing... It is my d-duty. I am the people's Princess," Hinata lifted the corner of her mouth at the irony. She looked into Danzo's cold, black eyes, summoning every ounce of courage in her being. "Over the eighteen years that I have known Advisor Danzo, he has always done what is best for the people. If he says that this is the best way to ensure the prosperity of the Leaf Kingdom, then I am confident in his decision."

Danzo's eyes glinted. "I knew you would eventually make the best decision for the people. Your… Remarkable bout of courage will serve you well in the Stone Kingdom."

Danzo's compliment only made Hinata sick to her stomach.

He unfurled the scroll and grabbed a small, black dish from a servant as he made his way across the room.

"If you ask me, Princess Hinata's marriage is long overdue," somebody whispered. "Most noblewomen her age already have several children. If I recall correctly, the late Queen was only—"

"You! Speak of my mother again and I will rip out your tongue." The councilwoman paled at Hanabi's threat.

Danzo reached Hinata's end of the table and took the seat offered by the councilman next to her. He placed the black dish on the table and laid out the lengthy scroll in front of her. The scroll was lavishly transcribed with gold ink. They had really gone the extra mile, as to be expected for a royal engagement of this magnitude. Hinata noticed that a crimson seal had already been stamped at the bottom, with a bloody thumbprint next to it.

Sasuke Uchiha, the gold letters shone cold and mysterious below the red blotches.

"I trust that you have your seal?"

"O-Of course," Hinata reached into her sleeve and pulled out a blue, silk pouch. Danzo gestured towards the black dish. It had a thin pool of dark ink and a steel needle placed next to it, carefully avoiding dipping into the ink. In a moment of probable insanity, Hinata had a flashback to her daffodils and scissors laying side by side in her basket earlier that night.

That moment in the garden felt like it happened ages ago…

"At least let me read the contract for you before you sign it." Neji glared at Danzo and the councilors in distrust.

Hinata nodded and Neji proceeded to carefully pour over the glistening words.

A minute passed. Then another minute. Hanabi impatiently tapped the table with her fingers. Hinata shifted awkwardly in her seat.

"How does it look, Councilor Neji?" Danzo asked after the silence had stretched on for too long, his confident calmness infuriatingly smug.

Neji frowned.

"It is fair. If any harm ever comes you, you are free to come home. The Stone Kingdom will yield Red Fox Castle and the surrounding lands to the Leaf Kingdom in compensation." Neji's brow was furrowed.

Hinata was surprised, such favorable terms were unheard of. Especially for a princess like her who had no significant beauty, fighting prowess, or diplomatic skills.

Was the young ruler of the Stone Kingdom truly that desperate for a wife?

"And what do they require of m-me?"

"Nothing, it seems. You are free to keep a small entourage after the initial wedding celebrations. They will gain full rights as Stone Kingdom citizens." Neji paused, adding hesitantly. "This is standard, but any children you bear will be Uchiha and relinquish any rights to the Leaf Kingdom throne."

Hinata blushed. Children. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Hinata, this is suspicious. Please don't do this. At least take some more time to think it over," Neji hissed under his breath.

Hinata shook her head and removed her heavy stone seal from the blue pouch. She held back her sleeve as she dipped the face of the seal in ink. She looked at the letters of her name, Hinata Hyuuga, at the bottom of the scroll. The same gold lettering as the Stone King's name made it look equally royal and formidable. One could almost believe that the owners of the glistening names would be a beautifully matched pair as well. Hinata pressed her seal firmly into the scroll, which greedily sucked the blue ink into the thick cloth.

Hinata lifted the seal and observed the result. The navy lines were thick and unsmudged by shaky hands. The stamp looked a thousand times surer of this marriage than she felt.

Danzo took the needle from the dish and held it to the flame of a nearby candle to cleanse it. Once the metal cooled down, he offered it to Hinata.

Hinata was a veteran with needles from her time spent watching people get stitched up, and eventually doing some of the work herself. She felt a brief prick of pain as blood started to well up. When the crimson droplets had gathered and were starting to flow down her thumb, she quickly pressed her finger to the scroll, rolling it around to get a fuller print.

Hinata lifted her finger and gently blew on her drying blood.

"It is done." Danzo took the scroll.

Now that she had (literally) sealed her own fate, Hinata's nervousness left her, along with the panic and anxiety from before. For the first time in a long time, she felt assured.

I wonder if this is how Uncle felt when he decided to jump in front of that arrow…

Danzo's lips turned up in a chilling smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Hinata suppressed a shudder as he walked back to his seat, careful not to smear the scroll.

She feared this man.

While she had seen even the worst councilmen have their moments of humor or joy, she had never seen any warmth in Danzo's eyes. She wondered if he was even capable of emotions aside from cool, calculated focus and pointed flashes of rage.

However, actions spoke louder than words. And every one of Danzo's actions during his lengthy service had been smart, thoroughly researched, and, in hindsight, in the absolute best interest of the people. That was why her parents had held him in such high esteem.

Hinata didn't trust him, but she had every reason to trust his advice.

"Now that this is settled," Danzo handed the scroll to a servant, who quickly whisked it away. "You should all know that since Princess Hinata will shortly leave the Leaf Kingdom and Princess Hanabi is not yet of age, the law states that I will serve as King until Princess Hanabi's sixteenth birthday."

A chill ran down Hinata's spine, making the hairs at the base of her neck stand up on edge. Of course she knew of this law, but she had entirely forgotten about it amidst all the stress and excitement of the evening. Neji's lips were pressed in a thin, pale line, and Hanabi looked even angrier than before. A few councilmen were positively gleaming while Gai offered his hearty congratulations. The Aburame was as stoic as ever and Kurenai's pretty face was marred by a furrowed brow.

Hinata quashed her unease. Danzo was a strong leader. He would do lots of good for the kingdom. Even Hanabi wouldn't argue that Hinata was better fit to rule.

"Well, the council is grateful for your time and your cooperation, Princess." Danzo was interrupted by a frightened looking servant who whispered into his ear.

"…The head of the treasury is threatening to leave now, after waiting outside all this time. Although I'm sure the fortuitous news of your marriage will improve his mood." Danzo turned towards her little sister.

"Princess Hanabi, the council can continue our discussion of the investigations surrounding the King and Queen's deaths, if you would like to—"

"I'll stay." Hanabi's eyes were steel cold once more. Danzo nodded.

Now that this meeting was over, the other councilors started pulling out scrolls, abacuses, and wells of ink from under the table in preparation for the next item on their agendas.

Danzo met Hinata's eyes from across the table and lifted an expectant brow.

"Princess Hinata, if you'd please…" Danzo gestured towards the door.

What a blatant dismissal.


Author's Note: This is the first story I've ever published and I'm feeling pretty excited/nervous. I've been an avid reader (and secretly a writer) for a few years now, but I've never really dared to post anything. I've been working on this piece for a while. I know that my writing probably isn't the best and I hope to improve, so please comment/PM/review. I would love to hear your thoughts. (Love it? Hate it? Meh?)

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