Hello lovely people,
Here is the second chapter of this story.
I have noticed that Sasuke and Hinata are OOC. I am trying to work on it, but this is what I am currently working with.
I hope you enjoy the second chapter. Please leave a review if you also have ideas that could be part of the plan, you can also send me a personal message.
Also I would like to thank SilverRose16701, husky2c and hime23 for leaving a review from chapter 1. It is very much appreciated.
Reading guide:
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Chapter two
There is a loud banging when Hinata is still half asleep. "I'm up, i'm up" she says sleepily. Trying to get her head up from her pillow. She doesn't get very high and puts it down again. The loud banging still badgering her. "I am up, already. Who ever is in front of my door, you are excused." She turns over so she is lying on her stomach, she turns her head toward the door with her eyes closed. The headache doesn't stop, the loud banging doesn't stop. She tries to open one eye and immediately regrets the effort. The light is unbearable and her headache gets even worse. 'Oh right, I have a hangover.'
She drags herself of the bad and crawls over her floor toward her private bathroom. 'I should decide to stop drinking so this doesn't happen anymore. Or start drinking more so I can get used to feeling this miserable. She grabs one of her mouthwash cups and fills it up with water, downing it instantly. She repeats the process a couple times more, with the last one she adds some aspirin praying that it will start working soon.
She showers and gets ready for the day. She wears her usual ninja outfit, with the shorts and her sleeveless tunic. She goes down the stairs and heads for the breakfast parlour. It is already very late almost eleven. But it seems like someone has left some breakfast for the hangover-recovering kunoichi. It must have been her little sister, she must have heard her come in last night.
She finishes her meal real quickly, not even trying to eat it like a lady. There is no one here to see now anyway. While taking her empty dish toward the kitchen, she sees the kitchen staff preparing everything for the lunch in the conference room. She cleans her dish and walks away but not before being stopped by one of her father's servants, Hikaru.
"Hinata-sama, your father wants you to join him and the elders in the meeting. Please follow me."
'Please don't let this be about last night, I never get drunk. They don't care about that, do they? Those elders drink more sake during business hours than anyone else. But, what else could it be about.' She argues with herself, she starts fidgeting with her hands as she starts to get nervous.
They walk towards a double door. "Hinata-sama, please wait here for a moment while I go in and announce you to the elders." Hikaru explains. He disappears through the door.
"Hiashi-sama and esteemed elders, I have Hinata-sama waiting on the other side of the door."
"Good, let her in please." Hinata hears her father respond. The doors open and Hikaru lets her while leaving the room himself. 'Why is he leaving? Is it that serious?'
"Hello Otou-sama, esteemed elders." Hinata takes a bow, trying to act as usual with her headache still pounding away.
"Hello Hinata, we have asked you to come here to discuss some clan matters that matter to you personally." her father begins.
"What clan matters would matter to me personally, Otou-sama?" Hinata asks hoping with all of her might that this isn't going to be about Naruto and her suitors.
"You were at the Uzumaki-Haruno wedding yesterday, correct?" Knowing her father had little interest in flower arrangements or who caught the garter, she nodded her head and waited for him to continue.
"Myself, and most of us here, know you have always admired the Uzumaki kid in your own way. So I understand it must have been hard. But what is to come will be harder still." Hinata looks at her father and realises it is exactly what she didn't hope for .
"You are now nineteen years of age and while we were quite understanding first about you wanting to wait for the one you admired. It is now a year passed your eighteenth birthday, so we are more than a year behind on getting you ready for your marriage. The marriage will be an arranged one, we have compiled a list of suitors. The one we most prefer are at the top, and the ones we find tolerable at the bottom. I want you to compile a list five men, to come here to meet you personally. If it is the case that you have already made your decision on single name will do as well." Hinata hears all of this, hoping it isn't true.
"I hope you understand that we are very lenient on the fact that you still have some choice for this arranged marriage. Do you understand, daughter?"
"H-Hai, Otou-sama. I thank you and the esteemed elders for this gracious offer." she bows her head, hoping to keep her tears hidden.
"I expect that list by next week on my desk or in my hand. You are dismissed for the rest of the day." While keeping her head down she turns around and walks toward the doors. She lifts her head and manages to keep her tears in and a fake smile on the outside.
Outside, Hikaru is waiting next to the doors. He doesn't dare to look her in the eye. She keeps on walking and walks out of the compound. She reminds herself not to forget to get the list later on. She has forgotten it now and doesn't want to go back inside again. She hurries through the streets and is looking for her teammates Kiba and Shino.
She finds her teammates on their standard training grounds. They were sparring together and it doesn't look like they were really trying. The wedding must have taken quite a toll on them too. They stop sparring when they notice Hinata coming towards them.
"I am sorry I am this late, I hope you haven't been waiting long for me." Hinata says.
"Nah, don't mention it. We slept in too. We were sparring trying to beat the hangover away and give us a regular headache from being hit too much to the head. The hangover is still winning by the way." Kiba mentioned with a painful grin.
"Maybe we should stop sparring for now, because when you have a hangover it is your body telling you that you need hydration." Shino adds.
"You would think with all of the alcohol we drank yesterday, our bodies wouldn't need fluids for a week." Kiba snorts.
"So, we are going to get lunch then?" Hinata asks.
"Yes, let's go." Kiba says and Shino nods his head agreeing to the plan.
They make their way through the streets and a conversation ensues.
"Where did you go at the end of the wedding, Hinata? I wanted to see if you needed to be walked home." Kiba asks.
"And he means the both of us, because neither him nor me were sober at that moment." Shino mentions.
Hinata bites her lip. "Well, I couldn't take it anymore, the happy faces of Naruto and Sakura. The slow dance was just too much."
"You should have told us, we could left with you. I can't believe we made you walk home alone." Kiba groans
"Don't worry about it, you were still having fun. I wouldn't have accepted you leaving early and ending your fun. and actually I wasn't alone, Sasuke walked me home. He had enough of the party." Hinata says wanting to make Kiba and Shino feel better.
"Not really a people's person is he? I am glad yet surprised he walked you home." Kiba says.
"How so?" Hinata asks.
"He doesn't seem the type to bother much about bringing a home a girl or anyone. He doesn't talk to many people outside of team 7."
"Maybe he did it last night because he was really buzzed as well." Hinata tries, not wanting to mention Sasuke's plan.
"That does seem logical, because people usually tend to act illogical when being drunk." Shino remarks.
"That reminds me Hinata, we are heading towards Ichiraku's at the moment. Are you sure you are up to it? All the rookies are going to be there, waving Naruto and Sakura off to their Honeymoon." Kiba asks worried about his teammate.
"Oh.. right, it had said so on the wedding invitation. Let's go, it might help me form more closure about this whole ordeal." Hinata says feeling invigorated with her headache slightly numbing.
"It think that is a wise decision, Hinata." Shino encourages her.
"I can't agree more." Kiba adds smiling at his teammate.
They turn the corner and they see a very big group. It seems not only the rookies are sending the married couple off. She sees Sakura giving all the boys a big hug and thanking them for being here and their kind wishes. She sees that Sasuke is also in the crowd and when it's his turn she lingers ever so slightly. When Sakura moves on to the next friend to hug, her eyes tend to meet Sasuke's eyes more than anyone else's. However she returns next to her husband. It is now Naruto's turn to thank the crowd who has gathered here.
Sakura sees her and her girlfriends and drags them to the side with Ino and Tenten.
"I want to thank you again, all of you, for being there for me. I just want you to know that if you ever need me, today or tomorrow, I'll be there. Unless Naruto needs me of course." She winks at her bridesmaids. She gets a big hug from Ino. She hugs Tenten next and gives Hinata also a hug even though it feels more forced than with the others.
"Oh, Hinata I saw you left earlier at the wedding. Didn't you have a good time?" Ino says. While Sakura's ears perk up at this.
"Ah.. well Ino-san, I left earlier together with Sasuke actually." There is a big gasp from the girls.
"What?! You need to tell us more than that. We are so happy for you. Right girls?" Ino encourages her friends to team up.
"It is surprising but it could be very exciting, Hinata-chan." Tenten says.
"I am happy for you, Hinata-chan." Sakura adds. Hinata sees the different kinds of reactions from her friends. Ino's surprised eyes, Tenten's happy eyes and Sakura's regretful eyes. Hinata notices that while Sakura says she is happy. The statement doesn't quite reach her eyes.
"It was nothing, we were both tired and left early. Nothing more." Hinata says. She sees the disappointment in Ino and Tenten and a slight relief from Sakura.
Hinata is getting uncomfortable under their stares and Tenten sees the quiet plea for help in Hinata's eyes.
"Today is not the day for this. This is Sakura's day. We wish you all of the joy of this trip as Mrs. Uzumaki." Tenten says trying to get the attention away from Hinata.
"OY Sakura, we need to get going if you want to be at the Hotel by Nightfall." Naruto yells.
"I am coming." Sakura says. She waves goodbye at the girls and the other people standing there.
"That is what you will be saying the whole trip long." Naruto says cheekily. "NARUTO" Sakura says embarrassed
"She will maybe say it the whole trip, she will also fake it during the whole trip." Sai remarks, still working on his humor skills. Naruto starts glaring at his teammate. Before Sakura drags him away. Saying things like, he doesn't know what he is talking about.
After they have left and are out of side, the crowd starts thinning. The left-over Rookies decide to have lunch together, but not here but at the Barbeque Restaurant. Everyone was surprised that even Sasuke decided to join them. What they don't know is that Sasuke has had the time this rough morning to think things through. The hangover made it slightly challenging to keep his head together, but he this wasn't his first hangover. He knows how to fight these things. He saw that Hyuuga Hinata was there with her teammates. He thought that maybe he could have another chance to talk to her, maybe now they both weren't intoxicated, they could reach an understanding.
He joins the rookie table, the Hyuuga is immediately swaddled between her two teammates, the Inuzuka and the Aburame. He has to wait for an opportunity to come along. He watches her, trying to come up with a way. She turns her head, she must have felt his eyes burning on her. Their eyes make a brief connection before he breaks it. He continues to do this during the lunch but without getting caught. He isn't one of the world's most famous ninja for nothing.
Hinata sits down, she feels like she is being observed and looks around. She sees Sasuke watching in her direction only to look away. She doesn't think much of it during the lunch, but the feeling doesn't go away. Towards the end she excuses herself to go to the restroom. She doesn't know that she is being followed by Sasuke.
She goes to the bathroom and enters a cubicle. After she is finished she walks out of the cubicle to wash her hands. She is just about to dry her hands when she hears a voice behind her.
"I want another chance to talk." Hinata almost jumps out of her skin and blushes a deep crimson.
"Uchiha-san! You scared me, you haven't been waiting in her all along, have you?" Hinata exclaims, not knowing whether to be scared that Sasuke has heard her doing her business or that he just followed her here.
"Of course not, I waited for you to flush and then I entered. Don't be so embarrassed, you are only guilty of having bodily functions." Sasuke says off-handedly
"It is still not appropriate to make conversation in here, Uchiha-san." Hinata says gesturing around her.
"Whatever, I want to know if you have thought about the plan at all?" he looks her in the eyes.
"I told you that I wasn't interested, it is too late. They are already married." she looks away from his eyes to the side.
"If it isn't broken, fix it." Sasuke tries.
"That's not how the saying goes. You are not supposed to fix it, if it isn't broken." Hinata says.
"But it is, for us. We are broken people at the moment." Sasuke says
"You are not making any sense. Why didn't you try anything before they were married?" Hinata asks.
"I didn't know you felt so passionately about the Dobe. Sure I would have loved getting Sakura. But then would have left my best friend hanging without anyone to care for him. I couldn't do that to him." Sasuke says. "I also thought that she would have backed out on her own." Sasuke admits and add further. "They are both be loud and obnoxious, they need calm and serene persons in their lives to balance out their personality."
"I still don't like the plan of breaking them up. But you may have a point and I did see Sakura looking at you constantly during the send off." Hinata says mulling over what Sasuke said before. She then remembers what her father said to her during the meeting. 'One week and then he wants a list with potential suitors. If I can have Sasuke's name on the list, I might be able to arrange some delay or name Sasuke as a suitor of mine.' she thinks.
"What is going on in that little head of yours? I see your eyes jumping from one conclusion to the next." Sasuke says pushing her a little.
"I might consider it. Remember what I said about my family finding me suitors?" She looks at him questioningly.
"Hn" he said nodding his head.
"I have a week before showing my father a list of my choices or choice if I have chosen one suitor. But the fact is he or they will have to meet with my father and the elders. If I am in the company of other men while being courted people might start talking."
"I know where you are going with this and the answer is no. I am not going to meet your father and your elders. The dating part was only so we have a cover for being in each other's company. I don't feel like keeping up the charade for your entire clan and the whole village to such an extent." Sasuke says turning towards the door, his hand is almost on the doorknob to turn.
"Then Sakura stays with Naruto and not with you." Hinata reminds him, pushing him over the edge. Sasuke's hand pauses on the doorknob.
He sighs. "Fine, but only so we can delay the other suitors and get Naruto interested in you romantically. Don't expect me to be nice to your father though."
"So we have an agreement? Hinata asks
"Hai, meet me tomorrow at training ground three. We can talk things over and brainstorm about ideas." Sasuke says turning the doorknob not looking at Hinata.
"What time?" Hinata inquires
"Doesn't matter, I'll be there from sunrise till dawn. If you are coming during lunch, bring some." Sasuke says walking away. Hinata watches him walking away. 'I can't believe I agreed to it, I can't believe I am going to propose him to my father as my chosen suitor. What have I got myself into?'
