A/N: They meet but it's like pulling teeth. Also, I couldn't help myself, but I threw in a little ShikaNaru in there. They're just so cute.

Chapter 3: Chance Meetings

The door slammed open as a pair of feet stomped across the floor. A swirl of orange robes swept around the desk and a bandaged fist slammed against the table. Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru calmly sauntered into the Hokage's office, closing the door behind them to keep out curious eyes; Sasuke sensed the uncontrolled chakras of some nosy genins earlier, and wanted to make sure they don't pry into his business.

"They agreed, Naruto. Hyuuga Suma and the village council have already reached a decision days ago. There is nothing more you can do." Sasuke stated with finality.

"How can you think that?! This is your future on the line here, teme!" Naruto exclaimed angrily. "This is unacceptable. What kind of meeting couldn't wait until I'm back? I'm calling for a temporary suspension of the Konoha Council!"

Nara sighed. "You can't call for a suspension of the council without filing a proposal first."

"Then I will file a proposal-"

"-which would then call for a motion to temporarily suspend the council from governing, which requires at least a two-thirds vote." Shikamaru explained pointedly. "This, I assure you, you will not get."

"Oh, you have little faith."

"Naruto, enough." Sasuke persuaded. "If I was less than satisfied with the agreement I would have said something. As it stands, I have no qualms. If anything, I'm rather surprised that they have resorted to solving the issue peacefully, as certain past experiences have led me to believe...otherwise."

It was interesting to walk into the oval room that day to several pairs of eyes filled with guilt tampered down by wariness and old mistrust. Some bad habits are hard to break no matter how much they all wanted to move on, Sasuke thought to himself. Generations of bad blood and discrimination weighed heavily in the room, making the meeting a tense affair. Uchiha himself was no exception, the bitterness of losing his entire family still present as an imprint in the back of his mind after all these years.

Even with the war over, it didn't take very long for the citizens to get restless again. Conflict was part of humanity, and people created conflict if there wasn't any. He knew his return to the village would be hotly contested. The people who mattered tolerated him, the people who didn't waited for the other shoe to drop. Their wary and distrustful nature soon gave way to paranoia, and the discontent grumbles of a few spread through the population. Sasuke wasn't surprised; at the end of the day, warring nations gravitate towards war, just like how people are drawn to juicy gossip.

Naruto huffed with anger, not backing down. "You have no qualms, but what about Hinata-chan?"

"Hinata has no choice." Shikamaru countered. "This goes beyond what you may know, unfortunately. Old families tend to operate by annoyingly antiquated rules that can be a pain in the ass to dispute."

"But you're part of the old family alliances aren't you, Shikamaru?" Uzumaki peered earnestly at him. "If there's a loophole then you can definitely find it, right?"

"It's not that simple, and I know less than you may think I do." Nara explained, scratching his head. "The Nara clan is old in name, but we've almost completely rid ourselves of the troublesome constraints that comes with being a noble house. I mean, can you imagine my dad telling me who to associate with and who to marry?"

"The House of Uchiha used to be one of the noble houses, until Tobirama came to power and completely sidelined us to the outskirts of the village." Sasuke added. "Eventually we were removed from the old alliances, practically blacklisted by every noble family. Marriage arrangements became very difficult because no one wanted to be associated with us."

The Uchiha patted Naruto on the arm. "Despite what you may think, the council isn't trying to restrict my freedom. Arranged marriages are common amongst old families, and I will be provided with a way to revive my clan. Once I marry, the Uchiha name will be restored to its former standing in the village."

"Strategically speaking, this arrangement will be a good distraction for the citizens. Everyone enjoys a celebration with good booze." Shikamaru shrugged. "Settling down as a family man may also improve Sasuke-kun's image, which is hanging by a thread at the moment."

The blond looked back and forth between the two men and sighed. Neither of them thought this was a bad idea, so it seemed pointless to continue to push the issue. "Fine." He relented.

Uchiha nodded. "Hn. Then I will take my leave. I have some business to attend to." He bid a quick goodbye to both before opting to leave out of the window rather than the door.

"Stop moping."

Naruto looked somewhat annoyed. "What."

Nara sighed knowingly. "Just because you and Hinata didn't end up together doesn't mean you have to feel guilty."

"You should've seen the look on her face when I told her no, Shika." The blond confessed, slumping into his chair. "I feel awful. She put her life on the line for me and this is how I repay her."

"Hinata confessed because you inspired her to be brave, not because she wanted your pity." Shikamaru walked over and casually leaned against the edge of the desk.

"Still feel guilty."

"Troublesome." Shikamaru smiled and leaned forward to whisper into Naruto's ear. "Then tell me this, does it feel better to be guilty with me, or guilty without me?"

"Guilty with, and that's even worse because I feel so fucking happy." Blue eyes softened as the blond reached for Nara's hands. "Don't you feel just a little guilty?"

Shikamaru intertwined their fingers together. "Why would I? I finally got you."

It took a while, but somehow, Hinata managed to get Neji to down a bit of porridge and tea before sending him off to bed. It would be days before he could comfortably face sunlight again without getting migraines, and Hinata felt guilty for the part she indirectly played in this and extremely resentful towards her father. The man always took it too far, and he seemed to revel in the anguish it causes others. It was definitely the Hyuuga blood, this Hinata was sure.

The bluenette jogged towards the Hokage tower to catch up with her students. She made a mental note to tell Naruto about Neji's absence. At the thought of the blond, Hinata's stomach twisted and formed new knots. It had stung when he said no, and Hinata wallowed in a pool of disappointment for weeks after his rejection.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan." Naruto looked more shattered than she did. "I wish I could say the same, but you've always been a sister to me."

She sighed, still haunted by the memory of his gentle let-down. After that disaster, Hinata threw herself into her work, committing herself to her team and only saw Naruto occasionally. Being Hokage came with a full schedule, and the bluenette was grateful for the fact that they rarely crossed paths. But despite it all, Hinata would never hold this against him. In the end it was his decision, one of few where his opinion had mattered enough to be heard.

Then, in the distance, she saw a familiar figure that forced all coherent thought out of her head.

"Sasuke-kun." Hinata greeted, slowing down to a stop.

Uchiha paused in his footsteps, nodding politely. "Hn. Hinata-san."

The air around them instantly felt uncomfortable. "H-How's your day?" She stammered to fill the silence.

"...Adequate." Sasuke seemed to think before voicing his answer. "You?"

"Long."

"I see."

Running away certainly didn't do much for his social skills. Hinata thought. He was still unbelievably withdrawn, just like how she remembered him. While Sasuke had long grown out of his boyish looks and gravity-defying hair, he was still a man of few words. Hinata couldn't recall a time where they ever truly conversed. But whenever she saw Naruto, she knew Sasuke wasn't too far behind, and the bluenette was ashamed to admit that she had spent many hours witnessing their interactions with each other. Looking at the man in front of her now, Hinata had to agree that he looked better than he did in her childhood memories.

It was the eyes, she smiled to herself. He always did have expressive eyes.

"You will be seeing a lot of me in your compound in the upcoming month." His voice cut through her inner turmoil, surprising Hinata. "I thought I should forewarn you."

She nodded. "I am aware. The wedding isn't going to plan itself, so I will be equally busy." She paused. "You look well. You might not see it the same way, but village life really does suit you best."

The edges of his lips softened fractionally. "I'm finding my way." Sasuke answered. "Naruto's in his office, if you're on your way to see them."

As they bid each other good day, Hinata comforted herself with the fact that conversing with him didn't seem too bad. A bit awkward perhaps, but it was a healthy start compared to what they had before. She just hoped that it would get better.

"Shh! I can't hear anything they're saying!" Kaien whispered urgently, his ear firmly pressed against the outside wall of the office. Despite his teammates' protests, Kaien insisted that they stay hidden to snoop around for some information. After all, it wasn't every day that the Hokage would storm into his office in such a manner with his mellow adviser, and to be followed by none other than the Uchiha Sasuke...

It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, Kaien thought eagerly, his inner child-like curiosity demanding to be satisfied.

"Do you even hear anything?" Akihiko whispered impatiently. "This is such a complete waste of time."

"Yeah, I hear a man's voice." Kaien replied.

"Is it Uchiha-san?"

"No, it's you." Kaien snapped.

Akihiko growled and punched his teammate in retaliation. Kaien wasn't having it, and turned around to grab a handful of Akihiko's silver hair before pulling him into a headlock. Both of them struggled quietly without giving in, punching and kicking each other out of petty spite. Cho listened on her own, tuning out her idiot teammates with practiced ease. "Wait...I think I hear kissing noises." She whispered excitedly.

Kaien snickered from his headlock position. "Like you know what kissing sounds like."

"I've seen the movies, I know what they're about!" Cho retaliated heatedly.

The trio were so engrossed in what they were doing that they didn't detect the looming shadow over them.

"What are you three doing out here?"

Startled, the three stood up quickly to try to act innocent. "Sensei!"

"Please don't procrastinate on these mission reports." Hinata lectured sternly as she brushed past the trio to open the door. "I know it's a pain but it's really important-"

"Oh shit!"

"Hinata!"

The bluenette's eyes opened wide like saucers as she watched the pair snap out of their heavy make-out session. Naruto turned beet red and fell off of his desk with a scream, dragging piles of forms with him. Shikamaru couldn't look Hinata in the eye, and instead busied himself with zipping up his green vest. Neither man could form a coherent sentence in front of the Hyuuga, and Naruto proceeded to wrap himself tighter with his Hokage robes, looking like a victim of Rock Lee's spicy concoctions.

"Hinata-chan, it's not what it looks like!" The blond stammered.

"She already saw everything, troublesome idiot." Nara grumbled, feeling embarrassed. "Enough to never unsee it."

"Shut up, Shika!"

So this is what a stroke feels like. Hinata ruminated before collapsing into a pitch of darkness.

"Sensei!"

To be continued...