CHAPTER 2: RESPONSIBILITIES
After reminiscing her past, it was almost like it was just yesterday though that was already 2 years ago. They've become good "friends", as what she wants to call it. Because just after they stumbled on each other that day, sasuke started to treat her very well, which made his fan girls grow envious of her, being treated like that and them, being treated otherwise.
He "was" her crush, she was attracted to him the first time they met, but the feelings ended fast. He was like a big brother to her, the kind that she would look up to. Who won't admire him? He's devastatingly handsome with his raven black hair being kept by his forehead band, his simple get-up of a pair of black shirt and trousers with an uchiha symbol on the back, and his pair of pitch black eyes… That seems to pierce through your soul when you're being stared at by it. By hinata's standards, he's a near-to-being-perfect-guy. He's handsome, rich, popular and a genius for his age, on top of everything.
What more can she ask for? Nothing else, right? But the problem is, her heart doesn't beat for him. She knows that he definitely has feelings for her, but hinata doesn't want him to take a step forward which will eventually ruin their friendship. She doesn't love him, that's what she's sure of. But she can never hurt sasuke-kun ,after all this time he treated her well, she didn't want to see sasuke being hurt by her telling him that she doesn't see him the way he sees her.
Back to reality, hinata walked towards the hyuuga mansion with a grace and air of a hyuuga. Yes, she was always like that when her father will be speaking with her. Since the day that she entered konoha academy with the highest entrance exam score and became the student council president & maintaining her position as the Top 1 student throughout the K-academy, her father felt somewhat proud of her.
She liked the fact that she was already acknowledged as the appropriate heir for their prestigious clan. She didn't want to go back to being the weakling and the outcast of her powerful clan. She always sees to it that she will never disappoint his father again, and gain the trust and respect of her clansmen.
Her thoughts were cut off, the hyuuga mansion's guards greeted her and told her that her father is in the conference room and is already waiting for her. She took long hasty strides towards the said room in order to not let her father waiting any longer and let her see him being disappointed at her tardiness in such an important of a meeting.
Arriving at the large hollow conference room's door, she knocked three times and said, "Come in, Hinata."
"Hyuuga hinata reporting."
Hinata opened the door and stepped inside the large conference room. There she saw her father, beside him was a familiar couple… had she already seen them? Oh yes, they're sasuke-kun's parents. Beside the couple was Itachi-kun, sasuke's older brother. Beside itachi was… Oh wait? Sasuke-kun?
"Hinata, my daughter, come in and have a seat." Hiashi pointed towards a chair just beside him.
"Hi! Hinata-chan." Sasuke greeted with a stoic face yet his lips betrayed him for there was a slight twitching on the side of his lips, indicating an impending smile, which he never let anyone see that smile other than hinata.
Hinata just silently nodded at her friend.
Hiashi cleared his throat and said, "Now that hinata's here, let us start our meeting. We all know that, hinata, will succeed as heir to the hyuuga clan when she'll graduate from junior high at the age of 16.
Silence filled the room, and he continued, "As the heir of the most powerful clan here in konoha, It is her duty to maintain the Peace, Strength and Stability of her own village. And as we all know, there's a growing tension between Sunagakure and Konohagakure, a war might break. As a precautionary measure for that possibility, there is a need to strengthen the konoha's strength from within and unite konoha in a way. So, the 5th hokage and I, planned an idea…"
Hinata felt weirdly nervous, "Something's not right here…" hinata thought. Sweat formed on her temples, her heartbeat went to a raging speed and she felt like her guts were tied into a tight knot.
"I would like to marry off my daughter, Hyuuga hinata, to Uchiha sasuke-kun to strengthen our clan bonds and to unite konoha by building a firm alliance thru the marriage of both heirs to their own respective powerful clans. I would like to know your opinion as well, as the uchihas' thoughts about the idea…"Hiashi ended his proposal with a stoic face.
"That'll be Great, Hiashi-sama, we don't have anything else to say in this matter. Since sasuke-kun will be gone for a year to study at Suna, we can let hinata-chan here to have her remaining time to be free. So by the time he comes back, the marriage will be arranged immediately. " The uchiha couple turned towards their son, who was still surprised by what Hiashi said.
Hinata felt dead, it was like she was torn to pieces, and her fate was already sealed by her father. Hinata wanted to cry, but she resisted the urge. She won't cry in front of sasuke-kun, that'll hurt him deeply. It was never his fault that she couldn't return the love sasuke has for her.
Meanwhile, sasuke wants to let out a smile to hinata but decided not to even though he really wants to run around like a crazy man since he's so happy that finally, his dream of being the husband of hinata will come true just within a year. He'll leave konoha with a smile on his face, sasuke thought.
Hiashi threw a piercing gaze at hinata, it was like he's saying that "don't you dare mess up this time."
Hinata promised to herself to never let her father have the chance to make her feel that she doesn't deserve to be the heir of the hyuuga clan, so she composed herself and organized her thoughts, which took all her effort and willpower to do so.
Then, Hinata said, "If that will be the only way to protect my people, I will do so."
Hiashi nodded in approval and spoke , "I am indeed right to choose a worthy heir like you, sacrificing her own happiness for the safety of her people, your deceased mother would be so proud of you." He said it with a hint of sincerity and with a tone of finality.
Hinata just silently nodded her head towards her father but she wasn't able to control the tears that silently fell down her cheeks and was thankful for her bangs which almost covered her bangs, preventing the other members in the meeting to notice the tears.
Hiashi then said, "Now it is settled, when both hinata and sasuke graduate from junior high and they'll be accepting their clan roles, they will be morally and legally married. Since we all know that to have the rights of marriage you have to be at least at the age of 16, so by the time they graduated, they are already 18. The further details of the marriage ceremony will be discussed a month after graduation and sasuke is already in konoha. Any reacHtions? If none, then all of you are dismissed."Hiashi left the room immediately along with the Uchiha couple and siblings. Hinata was left behind in the large conference room where she began to cry real hard, which isn't one thing that she did not since the day she was called by her clan as weakling. Unknowingly, Hinata felt herself being wrapped in a pair of strong arms around her and she was pulled into a tight embrace full of warmth of comfort, it was her dearest cousin, Hyuuga Neji. She continued to sob on neji's chest, Neji didn't say anything. The only thing that can be heard of in that deafening silence was the soft sobs of hyuuga hinata, the unfortunate little girl with the most fragile appearance and emotions a person can ever have, but she who bears the burden of being a clan leader which is as big as a mountain.
*END OF CHAPTER 2*
A/N:
*Hinata & Sasuke are both 15 here.
*Neji is 16.
*This takes place after the chuunin exams and Neji has already asked for her forgiveness afterwards his fight with hinata. So they're already got used to doing the cousin comfort-thingy. Lol. Something like that but it's never the intimate way. Please understand me and my scattered thoughts.PS: THANK YOU GUYS for visiting the 1st chapter that I released just last night. I have 20 visitors& Hits! Yes, im already happy about it. This is my first time doing this fanfic thingy, so im both nervous & excited at the same time I Love you guys & please support me further by leaving reviews for these 2 chapters I released, so I can revise the next incoming chapters for the better before it gets published, Okay? -miku