Chapter 3
The village folk glare at him as he passes by and speak among them, pointing and whispering as they congregate in shops and sometimes in crowds on the street. Often they call him the traitor or the Uchiha.
Sasuke does not understand their reason for gossip. It is raining again and he scowls under the umbrella that he shares with Hinata. The Rookie Nine(1)celebrate the New Year with friends and this year is no different. Reluctant to spend an evening with the rest of them, he goes at his former teammates' insistence. After all,ninja live a life filled with danger and they are lucky to see another year. He grunts and stares ahead through the throngs of celebrating people and the rain.
Hinata peers at him with a question in her milky-grey eyes and looks down when he glares at her.
They are at the doorway of the teahouse and an elegantly-attired attendant takes them to the room where their friends wait. Hinata and Sasuke leave their geta at the door. Sliding open the shoji (2), she nearly trips over the hem of her yukata (3) but Sasuke catches her arm in time and leads her in. Hopefully, they look like a happily married couple to their friends.
"Konbanwa!" Simultaneously.(4)
The Rookie Nine are immersed in conversation and games. Shikamaru and Shino play shōgi (5) in a quiet corner as Lee, Kiba and Naruto play a drinking game. Even Neji and Chōji participate, the latter crunching on as he occasionally joins the drinking and gets tipsy. Sasuke has a few cups, but is still sober.
The kunoichi (6) chatter on. Everyone of them congratulates Hinata on being married; she is the last of their year to. They discuss how married life is and giggle incessantly. Hinata is quiet, apart from the occasional laugh and quip; she blushes when her friends question her about Sasuke and how he treats her.
Soon, food arrives in steaming platters and bowls. Everyone digs in, and chaos resumes. More alcohol is served; trays of sake and shōchu (7) are brought in by attendants.
Their antics are amusing, and only Sasuke and Hinata are still somewhat normal, Hinata quiet and politely keeping a straight face, Sasuke stoically keeping his composure. Then their attendant comes with the bill. Lee, Kiba and Naruto start fighting over the bill, but surprisingly, Neji forks over his money, and sighs. The three fighting men look up, and resume fighting.
Lee attempts Suiken (8),only to have his lights punched out by Tenten, who thanks Neji warmly. Kiba leans heavily on Ino and Sakura has Naruto draped over her shoulder. Neji is still sober for the most part, and he walks out alone. Chōji and Shikamaru poof back to their respective homes.
Sasuke and Hinata take their leave quietly, Hinata thanking her friends for a pleasant evening.
It has stopped raining, and they walk home under a clear sky, the full moon shining cold. Sasuke is silent for some of the way.
"Kami-sama…Naruto, Lee and Kiba will all have hangovers by morning," Sasuke mutters to himself. (9)
Hinata shivers beside him, visibly cold in her yukata. She sneezes once, and Sasuke sighs.
"Are you cold, Hinata?"
She squeaks out a reply, her face red from cold.
"H-hai." (10)
"We're almost home. You'll survive."
Hinata blinks, as if to reply.
"Hai."
The key turns in the door and Hinata steps into the chilled house. She lights the lamps, and Sasuke builds a fire in the irori.(11) It is warm, the atmosphere pleasant and soporific, but they refuse to sleep. They spend the rest of the night playing Go (12) to keep Sasuke occupied.
Black and white stones cover the go-ban (13) at the end of the night, and cups of old tea sit cold without their owners. An abandoned game greets the New Year.
Argh...the dinner scene sucked so bad...please forgive me. This is a bit rushed. Heh. And sorry for all the Japanese terms...I just want it to sound AUTHENTIC! .sobs in dark corner. This is not really AU, as it is set in the future timeframe but in the same place, I just made Konoha sound a lot more traditional. Don't worry, it's just that the Uchihas and Hyugas are very traditional in my mind, so their kids hae to live that way too. And sorry for all my sorry excuses. GOMEN NASAI!
1) Rookie Nine: term for Hinata and Sasuke's classmates. Nine of them graduated that year.
2) Shoji: sliding screen door, made of rice paper. Not to be confused with Shika's favorite game of shogi.
3) Yukata: a thin kimono, more informal than a kimono.
4) Konbanwa: good evening.
5) Shogi: Japanese checkers. (I think...)
6) Kunoichi: female ninja.
7) Shochu: extremely strong rice liquor, has been distilled.
8) Suiken: literally, 'Drunken Fist.' A fighting style characterized by ROCK LEE! YOSH!
9) Kami-sama: god.
10) Hai: yes.
11) irori: a traditional type of sunken hearth, found a lot in Japanese homes.
12) Go: Japanese version of chess. Way more complicated than shogi.
13) go-ban: the playing board for Go.