The Brighter Side of Chaos
---
II: In the Interim
And yet it seems to me, if I should speak,
Your silent step must wake across the hall;
If I should turn my head, that your sweet eyes
Would kiss me from the door. --Edna St. Vincent Millay
---
Hokage Tsunade cupped her hands around her regulation cup of sake, trying to warm her hands while a cold autumn wind blew around her formidable silhouette. Maybe a lunch meeting at an outdoor café wasn't the right way to go, she thought to herself wryly, and took another sip of her savior. But cold weather meant less people outside, and a smaller chance of Hyuuga Main House members seeing a Branch member with the editor-in-chief of an international magazine.
Not for the first time, Tsunade questioned her judgment. When Neji had arrived at her office late last Saturday night, proud and haughty as a Hyuuga usually was, she had been surprised; when he had told her of his plan to delve into Hyuuga secrets, she had choked on her sake.
"Are you all right?" he'd asked calmly.
Flushed red from coughing, Tsunade put a hand to her chest. "Quite," she rasped, eyes watering. "But I'm wondering if I should ask you the same question. Are you deficient in the head, Hyuuga? Do you have any idea what danger I would be putting one of my staff in?"
"Actually, I do," the tall man had said, inclining his head regally. "Understand, please, that I would be in the same danger if the Main House ever found out. This is as much a risk to me as it is to you and your employee."
Resisting the urge to resume coughing, Tsunade had taken another sip of sake. "Yes. But I wonder why you're here. You are a Hyuuga. Part of a proud and powerful family that does not give up any of its secrets. I wonder why you want to tell those secrets. I wonder at your motivation."
Neji had turned his head slightly to look out the window, out into the dark starry night, the tall skyscrapers of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, touching the banner of sky like pointed fingers grasping for the heavens. "That," he had said, his voice so heavy she was surprised he could speak at all, "is my own secret. I apologize for not telling it to you. But I promise you that my intentions are good." He turned to her when he said this, turned to face her directly. "I want these secrets to be known by the public. I do not want to discredit Konoha Magazine. I want to let justice be served."
"And if there is nothing to be found?" Tsunade had asked critically, holding the cup of sake almost anxiously in her hand. It wavered from the table to her mouth, never settling, her arm never completely at rest.
"Then I will take whatever punishment comes with that," he had answered promptly, eyes withholding nothing.
The big-bosomed editor-in-chief had scrutinized him once more, giving his confident stance a sweeping look before settling her hazel eyes on his own pale silvery-lavender ones. Hyuuga eyes, she'd thought, and had shivered slightly. They seem to be able to see right through you.
But his eyes had been devoid of untruth; his face was set as if chiseled from stone. She had grasped her sake cup a bit tighter and set it down hard on the desk, slopping some of the rice wine onto her blotter. Her mouth had been set in a tight, thin line as she held out her hand. "I'll have a reporter ready by Tuesday. Come see me then."
He had taken her hand with a strong grip and shaken it well, his eyes filled to the brim with pure conviction.
"Arigatou."
And then he'd left, silently as he'd came. For a while, she'd half-suspected the event of being a dream. Why else would a Hyuuga Branch member want to discredit his own family? The boy was mad. No other explanation. Mad for revenge, mad for power, mad for peace… mad for something, she was sure of it, but his reasons were his own. She had been left to ponder his mystery in relative peace.
"Hokage Tsunade-sama."
The blonde woman turned her head in mild surprise at the cultured voice behind her. She hadn't even heard Hyuuga Neji come towards her in the nearly-empty outdoor section of the café. The man walked as silently as a cat. "Neji-san. Sit down, please."
He ducked his head in a small bow and sat regally in the chair across from her. "Haruno is late?"
"Sakura-san is running a little late, yes," Tsunade answered, pointedly using a friendly suffix. "Would you like something to drink?"
"A jasmine tea, please," he said with a nod, and Tsunade relayed the order to a passing waiter. "Tsunade-sama, if you'll excuse me… I still have my doubts about Haruno Sakura."
Tsunade allowed herself an amused smile. "Because she is 'garish'?"
Neji did not look sheepish or embarrassed in the least, though the corner of his mouth quirked for half a second before going back to its usual flat line. "Perhaps I should not have voiced it that way. But her reaction to it proves my point… she is loud, and seems to enjoy speaking her mind and making sure everyone hears. Such things, which I understand are not exactly frowned upon in today's society, are not looked upon in a good light by the Hyuuga family. Being opinionated is the same as being completely rude; having an opinion is an irritation to those you tell it to. She will not do well as a… girlfriend… when I have to introduce her to Hiashi-sama. And I will definitely have to do that."
The busty woman frowned. "I realize that, and yet who else could we recruit? I have very few female reporters young and able enough-- able meaning 'single' in this case-- to go through with it. Sakura is highly-respected, and highly skilled. Her personality… well, many find it very enjoyable. She is liked by many in and out of the office."
"But she is so very… truculent," he said in an almost pained voice, and Tsunade chuckled.
"I am not truculent, you pompous ass, and I didn't think it would be proper Hyuuga etiquette to talk about someone when they're not there."
Neji turned around with a mighty sigh, facing Sakura, who had her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. "I knew you were there, Haruno, which is precisely why I let you hear. If you'll sit down and stop attracting so much attention, might we begin this meeting?"
Tsunade hid a smile as her surrogate daughter gave an indignant huff and moved to sit at the table. "I don't see what good it'll do for you to be rude," she shot at him, adjusting the lapel of her navy-blue toggle coat.
"Indeed, it won't do any good at all," Tsunade slipped in quickly before he could retort (he was clearly going to, and she didn't exactly fancy being stuck in the middle of another verbal spar), "because usually a couple in love doesn't snipe at each other nearly as much as you two will do. Sakura, order your drink, please."
Sakura knotted her hair up in a big plastic clip and turned to the server, who was waiting expectantly. "Jasmine tea, please," she told him with a smile, and was rewarded with a rather roguish grin and a wink. Tsunade actually raised an eyebrow at Sakura's beverage choice. Funny, that's all, that she should choose the same drink as Hyuuga Neji when they were such completely different people.
Totally oblivious to the attention, Sakura turned back to her lunch mates and folded her hands on the table in a rather Tsunade-esque way. "So, I researched last night. I went to the public library after dinner and read everything I could find. Dusty town records and all."
"And what did you find?"
Sakura shrugged. "Nothing that'll be much help. Just that they're an old and noble Konohagakure family held in the 'highest regard'," she said, making air quotes around the phrase, "and a couple notes about the founding of the clan. Unless your uncle is planning some sort of pop quiz, nothing there will do me much good."
Tsunade looked a little disappointed. "Ah, well… there's probably nothing too important in there that Neji-san can't tell you himself. And Neji-san, how did you fare with your job?"
He looked rather mutinous as he answered. "There is almost no way to have her accepted without suspicion. They watch us like hawks; they must know who we are seeing, where we are going. Especially me, considering certain events that happened years ago. It takes much for me to get out and meet you like this, Hokage-sama… and also, every relationship we may have has to be…" He paused, searching for the term. "It must be signed off on, in a way, by the Main House. I myself have not been assigned a marriage… partner," he said with an air of distaste, "so in theory, the plan may work… but they will research her. They will look at her contacts, her job, her history, her whole background."
Tsunade cast a sidelong glance at Sakura, who was thanking the waiter for her drink as the two jasmine teas arrived. "So unless she has anything to hide, we'll be fine."
"In theory."
"In theory," she allowed, and turned to her pink-haired pupil. "Sakura, do you have anything to hide? If you do, I suggest you clear it up quickly."
The green-eyed girl looked slightly insulted as she sipped her tea. "What would I have to hide? Any secrets I have are all in my head, and I'm pretty sure not even the Hyuuga clan can purge my mind."
"Very good." Tsunade motioned to the waiter who had winked at Sakura, and he went into the restaurant; seconds later, he came out holding three bowls of soba noodles with sliced duck and scallions. He set one in front of each of them and bowed slightly and asked if there would be anything else. Tsunade gave a quick jerk of the head, and he bowed again and left, casting another glance at Sakura over his shoulder.
"Itadakimasu." The three ate silently for a moment before Tsunade spoke again. "I suppose I must have faith in your acting skills, then. How do you two plan on going about this? How will Sakura be introduced to the Hyuuga family?"
Neji sipped from his cup of tea. "I planned on presenting her to Hiashi-sama next week. Every year, there is a meeting between the leader of the Branch members and the head of the Main House. I am his oldest nephew, so I inherited my father's role of being the leader of the Branch House when he died." Sakura, who was watching him closely as he spoke, saw something cold and hard flitted across the surface of his face. It was gone within an instant, though; Sakura was half-convinced she'd imagined it. "It is followed by a gathering… a party of sorts. Anyone who is invited by any of the member of the family can come. I thought it would be a good time. And before that, I thought Hinata-sama could feed false information to Hiashi-sama that I have been calling on the Haruno girl often."
"An excellent idea!" Tsunade said triumphantly, though Sakura looked a bit irritated as being addressed as 'the Haruno girl'. The big-bosomed editor-in-chief polished off her noodles, motioned to the waiter, and tapped her napkin to her mouth before making to wrap up the conversation. "Until then, I think it would be best for you to be seen with her, Neji-san… just enough, you understand, for anyone of your family that happens to be passing by to notice. Just in case your uncle is not convinced by Hinata's information. During that time, you two can also work on Sakura's problems with proper etiquette, and--"
Fed up with being spoken about as if she wasn't there, Sakura injected hotly despite the noodles in her mouth. "I do not have problems with etiquette!"
Tsunade looked pointedly at her full mouth before sending her a disparaging glance and turning back to a smirking Neji. "Just do your best with her," she told him wearily, handing money to the waiter, "try to make her a little more demure before the party… and, both of you… please don't kill each other."
"That might be difficult," Sakura snarled as Neji's arrogant smirk grew.
The waiter took up Tsunade's money and slipped a piece of paper onto the table in front of Sakura. Neji snatched it before she could read it, inciting an angry "hey!" from the rosette-colored girl, and opened it. With a slightly evil grin, he crumpled the paper in his fist and gave it back to the rather put-out waiter. "I'm sorry, but my girlfriend is otherwise occupied tonight."
Sakura gave an angry squawk, looking simply furious, but Tsunade gave a hearty laugh and snapped her purse shut. "I'll leave you two lovebirds to yourselves," she told them, and Neji smirked serenely as Sakura sent him a glare of pure venom.
Maybe working with this girl wouldn't be that bad, after all.
---
Right hook.
Left hook.
Five jabs, right hand.
Uppercut.
Arrogant snob.
Three jabs, right hand.
Seven jabs, left hand.
Uppercut.
He had no right to embarrass me like that!
Left hook.
Left foot, kick.
Right foot, kick.
Four jabs, right hand.
Two jabs, left.
And that waiter was cute, too! There goes my Friday night.
Roundhouse.
Two uppercuts.
Working on my 'etiquette'! Like hell. Tsunade just wants to torture me.
Sakura's muscles were burning, but she did not stop; sweat poured from her skin, but she did not pause to wipe it away as she pummeled the bag.
Dates with the Honorable Hyuuga Neji-sama. Joy of joys!
Roundhouse.
Another roundhouse.
Five hooks.
Thirteen jabs.
I think I'd rather gargle razor blades.
With a mighty roar of shame and frustration, Sakura let out a powerful right hook, making the punching bag swing to the left farther than it ever had before. Breathing heavily, she gave it one last kick and sat down on the training room floor, pulling her gloves' laces undone with her teeth. Sweat poured from her body as she massaged her sore knuckles; she hadn't had that much of a workout in a while.
Sai, Naruto, and herself had converted this once-office into a training room, complete with punching bags, barbells, and a mat-covered area meant for sparring. Various weapons lined the walls; Naruto and Sai, martial arts masters in their own right, had collected them from years of tournaments and training. And Sakura, who had taught herself boxing at the tender age of seven, had a habit of taking out any anger on the bag. So when the three roommates had gotten together, clearing away the desks and computers and pooling their money to set up a good training space had seemed only natural.
Wearily, the petite woman went into a set of stretches to ease muscles that would surely ache the next morning. After completely shooting that poor waiter down, Neji had set a date for their first etiquette lesson: tomorrow night (so soon!), at 8 PM. He'd told her to dress nicely, cocktail-dress style, and to be prepared to learn a lot about propriety and etiquette and ready to enjoy nothing.
He just had to start with the fancy stuff, Sakura thought to herself with a grimace as she bent over her left leg. A semi-tomboy from ages four to eleven and fourteen to present, Sakura had almost always detested dresses, and pretty, flirty little things like the one she was supposed to wear tomorrow night were no exception.
Haruno Sakura sighed and laid down completely on the wooden floor, stretching her back and looking up at the ceiling. Skipping out on work after the lunch meeting had been enormously helpful; as always after a tough workout, Sakura felt calm and collected, ready to face any challenge even though her muscles ached at their extended toil. She would get her ass handed to her for quitting after the first half of the day, but right now that didn't bother her in the slightest; all she wanted to do was take a shower, gulp down a tall glass of ice water, and read a good book. Screw the dresses. Screw etiquette. Screw Neji!
Sakura stood and pulled the elastic from her hair, shaking her head slightly to let the pink tresses, curly with sweat and the pressure from the supple band, fall to her shoulders. She was halfway to her room and the blessed cold water of the shower when the doorbell rang.
Giving a sigh and throwing her head back-- "this is just typical"-- Sakura crossed the large apartment hallway and unlocked the door, throwing it open. "Yes?" she asked irritably… and promptly froze.
Naruto, apparently fresh from work (he was wearing his usual white Oxford shirt and black pants, a dark green tie loosely knotted a little below his collarbone) was standing in her doorway, his jacket thrown casually over his shoulder, eyebrows raised in mild shock at her presence. "Sakura-chan, what are you doing home?"
Sakura let out a nervous laugh, very conscious of the fact that her roommate was her boss's assistant. I hate that he has just as much clout with her as I do. Damn it all. "Hey there… I just got back from a lunch meeting with Tsunade-shishou and Hyuuga. I was working out. What are you doing here so early?"
"I told Gaara to meet me here at two forty-five… what time is it now?"
"One fifty-three," she answered after a quick glance at her watch. "Why, did you expect him to want to come early?"
Naruto flashed her a grin as he passed by her, and she shut the door as he answered her. "Nah, it's not his style to be early to anything… but I thought his brother and sister might have given him a push." Sakura laughed at this. Temari and Kankurou, Gaara's brother and sister, had been behind Gaara one hundred and ten percent on his quest to become 'Kazekage'-- the nickname given to the CEO of Konoha Magazine, Inc.'s foreign spin-off, Suna Mag-- and could almost be considered pushy in the way they prodded their little brother into projecting a professional image (not like he needed any help).
It was pure coincidence that Naruto knew Gaara… the two had competed in a tough competition years ago, just as he and Neji had. And when Gaara's brother Kankurou had been poisoned at an annual banquet hosted by Konoha Magazine and Suna Mag, by a vicious hopeful who wanted to take out the Sabaku siblings and take over their jobs, Sakura had been there to purge it from his system with her extensive medical knowledge. Because of those two occurrences, the Sabaku siblings and Sakura and Naruto were very close.
"D'you want anything to drink?" Sakura asked, moving into the kitchen.
Her cheerful friend nodded, throwing his suit jacket on the arm of a chair and plopping down on the couch. "Yeah… can you just get me a water, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura threw back a 'yes' and filled up two glasses of water. Walking back into the living room, she handed him one and took a long draught from her own. "So why is Gaara-san coming, anyway? The banquet was a couple months ago, and that's usually the only time he comes to Konohagakure."
Naruto accepted the glass with a grin of thanks and gulped it down quickly. "Tsunade-baa-san invited him here to go to the charity dinner ball on Saturday. Speaking of which, what should I wear?" He frowned and put his empty glass on the side table, looking a little sheepish. "I mean… if I'm going with Hinata-chan… I want to look okay…"
"Probably a tux, then," Sakura answered casually, sipping her water. "It is black-tie, after all. And we should get you a bow t-- wait, you're going with Hina…?-- wait, the charity ball is on Saturday?" After interrupting herself twice, Sakura clenched her glass so hard she feared it would shatter. "You're joking!"
"Nah, not joking… oi, Sakura-chan, did you forget?"
"No," Sakura said defensively. "Well, yes, I… other things on my… oh GODS!" she nearly shrieked, setting down her glass hard, and Naruto jumped.
"What, what? What's wrong?" he asked frantically.
"I… I have nothing to wear!" she wailed, sitting heavily on the couch and putting her face into her hands. "First this damn dinner date, now a friggin' ball? Fate just hates me, doesn't it?"
"Well, I dunno," Naruto said cautiously, putting an arm around her, "I don't see how it could when you're so pretty, Sakura-chan!"
Sakura gave him a rather wry look before laughing and giving him a grateful kiss on the cheek. "That's a bit rich, considering I just pummeled the punching bag for half an hour, but thanks for trying. I can't believe I've actually succeeded in teaching you tact!"
Naruto grinned. "Yeah, it'll come in handy when I ask Hinata-chan to the ball…"
Sakura beamed at him. "I'm so proud of you! What made you decide to do it?"
"Dunno," he answered lamely. "She just looked really pretty today. D'you think she'll say yes?"
His pink-haired friend snorted at him. "You're so dense, Naruto. She'll faint. And then she'll say yes, and she'll be very close to fainting again, so stand guard."
Naruto laughed. "She is kind of shy, isn't she? So what's all this about a dinner date, Sakura-chan? Got a mysterious boyfriend I should meet?"
Sakura stood and gave him a pointed look. "Even if I did have a mysterious boyfriend, I wouldn't let you, Sai, or Kakashi within fifty feet of him. The last time you 'met' one of my dates, he ended up telling me over the phone that he wouldn't be able to make it."
"Why is telling you over the phone so bad?"
"Because he was in Kumogakure by then," she told him, exasperated. "My dinner 'date' is really a lesson on etiquette with the abominable Hyuuga Neji." She gave a little groan. "I still need to buy a dress for that… and now a gown for the charity ball… this damnable article is going to totally drain my bank account."
"Get Ino to help you with your shopping," Naruto advised absently, taking off his tie. "She loves that sort of stuff."
"Actually, that's one of your better ideas," said Sakura thoughtfully. "I'm going to take a shower, then call her up… tell Gaara I said 'hi', okay?"
"Will do."
And, in the style of all the males Sakura knew, he promptly turned on the TV.
---
After a luxurious shower, a phone call to Ino's cell, and another tall glass of water, Sakura had felt ready to take on the world. Blow-drying her hair into straightness had been a chore as it always was, but putting on casual clothing had been absolute relief after the stuffy and semi-formal pants and blouse she wore to work and her constricting exercise clothes. If only she could wear jeans and a T-shirt to the charity ball…
Now, Sakura buttoned up her toggle coat as she walked outside the apartment complex… the wind was brisk, even for late October. She didn't have long to wait, however, for Ino's slim blue sports car slid smoothly to a stop by the curb a minute later. The small woman ducked inside and grinned at her friend. "Hey. You took shorter than I expected."
"Well, you did mention the word 'shopping'," Ino answered with a grin, and Sakura laughed. "And you know I was just so upset to drop every boring little thing I was doing in the office to go shopping with you for dresses. This is the opportunity of a lifetime." She pulled away from the curb and executed a neat U-turn to get to the shops. "No offence meant, Sakura, but you're seriously lacking in the formal clothing department. Do you even own a dress?"
"Well, no," Sakura conceded, hasty to defend herself, "but I had a skirt until I ripped it yesterday!"
"Good gods, the girl's hopeless," Ino murmured to the roof of the car. "Well, we'll just have to get you something awesome to make sure you look drop-dead gorgeous, won't we?"
"If we must," Sakura muttered sullenly.
"Oh, we most definitely must," said Ino firmly. "We very certainly must."
Sakura wasn't sure what the feral little grin on her platinum-blonde friend's face meant, but she was sure that she didn't like it.
---
Hyuuga Hiashi was a tough man to please.
Everyone knew this, so everyone tried to make him as happy as possible, which usually ended with the person in question in tears and Hiashi himself angrier than before. The select few that had displeased him so heavily to step into his office had never been seen again.
This last bit of knowledge weighed heavily on Hinata's shoulders as she walked to her father's office's imposing mahogany doors. They were polished so well she could see her nervous reflection in them. How could she pull off what Hokage Tsunade-sama had asked of her? How could she deceive a man who seemed to see right through you, suck the truth right from your bones?
Never mind that the Main House leader was her father… Hinata was simply terrified of the man.
Biting her lip, she rapped timidly on the door. There was no answer, and Hinata was ready to bolt until she felt a familiar and comforting presence to her left.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, Hinata-sama," Neji's calm baritone assured her. "You are his daughter. His heir."
Hinata sighed. "Yes. But he has such a… c-commanding presence. It is hard for me." She gave him a sidelong glance. Hokage-sama had given her the bare details of whatever plot Neji was hatching, not wishing to worry her with the little things, but Hinata knew better… anything involving sneaking around or lying to Hyuuga Hiashi was extremely dangerous, even if she didn't quite know why. "Neji-san, please don't harm yourself or Sakura-chan with w-whatever you're doing," she said quietly, her voice gaining a little strength. "I am worried for you. Both of you. You d-don't know how much influence H-Hiash-"
Neji's eyes, so like her own, flickered a little with something indecipherable. "Hinata-sama, you promised us this one thing. Please."
The dark-haired girl was stunned; was Neji, her prideful older cousin, actually begging her? Pleading with her? It was inconceivable, and yet there he was, pale lavender eyes boring into her own with a power uncannily like her father's, and yet so much gentler. It wasn't long ago that Neji had secretly tried to kill her, jealous of her status as Hyuuga heir. He had thought her undeserving, thought her weak. And now he was beseeching her to go against the most powerful man in her family.
She didn't know at all what this mission of her cousin's was, or how and why he had recruited her boss and one of her best friends into helping him, but she had a strong feeling that whatever it was would bring about a downfall… and whether of Neji or her own father, she didn't know.
I can't say no, she thought to herself suddenly, and she turned back to the door and knocked… strongly this time, sure of herself, sure of what she wanted and needed to do.
Her father's stern voice called her in, she opened the door just a crack; and when she turned her head to look to Neji for guidance or comfort, he was gone, a shadow flitting down the hallway to her left.
Trembling slightly, Hinata stepped through the threshold and into her father's office. "Otou-san?"
"Yes, what is it?" His voice was gruff as he looked up from a batch of papers. "I'm busy, you should know better than to interrupt."
"Gomen nasai." She made a small bow, her cheeks flushed with shame at his scolding.
He sighed and put the papers down. "Close the door. Sit. Straighten your posture, slumping is not the mark of the Hyuuga clan."
Hinata winced a little at the constant stream of criticism. "Gomen nasai," she said again. "I came to t-tell you about something important, otou-san. Sir."
Hiashi sighed rather irritably; obviously, the thought Hinata's view of what was important was clearly different than his own. "If this is another plea to go out with that obnoxious blonde boy at Konoha Magazine, I will not-"
"It's not," Hinata interrupted, "about Naruto-san." Her voice was a little more confident than it had been before at this disdainful statement about her crush. "It is about Neji-san."
At this, Hiashi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Ah, Neji. You have been keeping in touch with him, then? He trusts you?"
"He does," Hinata said. That wasn't a lie, at least… although her father had no need to know just how close she and Neji had become over the years… more like brother and sister than cousins. After Neji had tried to kill her years ago, he had been put under heavy watch. But after years of politeness and respect, not to mention the blessing of his own prodigious skill, Neji had been put on a looser leash, and was only 'spied on' by Hinata.
"Then what is it? Has he been doing anything suspicious?" her father asked sharply, steepling his fingers.
"No, no, n-nothing like that!" she said quickly, holding up her hands in protest. "It's just that you told me to relay everything to y-you, including his relationships with other… other p-people."
"I did. What of it?"
"I've seen him call on a woman who works with me," Hinata said at last, relieved she could finally do her job and get it over with. "Haruno Sakura, she works as a c-columnist. I believe you've seen her before… she's the one w-with…"
"Pink hair?" Hiashi frowned. "Yes, I know of whom you speak. He sees her often?"
"I've seen him in the office a c-couple of times, heading towards her office." Well, that wasn't exactly true, but she needed to get all the false information Tsunade had given her to say into her father's ears.
"Hm." Hiashi peered at her over his fingers, his gaze steady and more than a little harsh. Hinata felt her breath go a bit shallow and hoped to the high heavens he couldn't see her anxiety. "If it goes any further, tell me at once, Hinata," he said, his voice low. "A Hyuuga, even a Branch Hyuuga, cannot court a woman unless I have given my direct approval. Remind him of this."
"Yes, sir."
The pale-eyed man gave her one last sweeping, searching look before nodding to her with a small sigh. "You've done well, Hinata." (She felt herself exhale deeply in relief.) "I must say you've surprised me. You may make us proud yet. You're dismissed, and I shall see you at breakfast tomorrow morning."
Hinata bowed low and exited the room quicker than she'd ever done in her life. It's not normal, she thought to herself with a small frown as she walked briskly through the hallways, to feel dread when your father compliments your efforts and tells you you've made the family proud. It's not good.
She'd finished the task assigned to her with no problem. Her father was not suspicious, merely disdainful of Neji's suggested impropriety. It was exactly the reaction Tsunade-sama had wanted. So why did she feel more worried than ever?
---
Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update… I've had quite the busy week! But I rather like this chapter, even though it doesn't have any real action (see the title of the chapter!). It's mostly character development. We got to see how Tsunade accepted Neji's offer, and we delved a little into the mind of Hinata, who will be a quasi-important character in the story. Poor girl doesn't know whose side to choose!
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Don't alert and run, please… reviews and constructive criticism make my day.