Chapter 3
You all are AWESOME! Thank you for your support.
Not sure what I think of this chapter. A little different from the other two. Please don't hate me if you don't like it. Let me know what you think of it and what I should and shouldn't do.
Disclaimer : Don't own Naruto.
Excuse my errors.
No eye missed Sasuke's quick pace and even though he was in charge of the mission, so his motives should not be questioned, and highly feared; it still didn't stop other members of the team from asking, even if reluctantly. Because his clients seemed not much bothered by the haste he was making and simply stuck with observing him from the other side of the thin curtains of their carriage, small smiles playing on their painted lips - that mother and daughter duo, in their gold chains and rings and dresses. He always had a reason: 'the area is perfect for an ambush, let's not wait for it to come; I'm sensing men nearby, we better outrun them, dusk is approaching quick, pick up your pace to cover more distance... ' and he too wanted to believe in his reasons lest it became a lie and he didn't like lying, but it appeared that he'd be returning home a liar and would be okay with it as long as it meant getting to her in time.
He was seldom sent on escorting missions, assassination and spying were his forte, but they had requested his services and apparently only he could be trusted to safely deliver Daimyo-sama's family home. And thus, for the important position they held in the office of the Land of Gold, the mission had jumped from a simple C-rank to A. Sasuke had no qualms about it, if anything the mission had proved to be a blessing in disguise in more ways than one: it paid well and he could easily control the time to which it stretched. But he especially wanted to thank Kami-sama when he stumbled across a gold pendant sitting on the other side of the thick glass window of a small jewelry shop and he was instantly reminded of his wife and her impending birthday that would probably be spent in the solitude of their small home considering how they were avoided like the plague by the people of Konoha and the few who did care to associate with them were busy like bees with their life, which considering their ranks did not come as a surprise - a hokage in making, a head medic, a master tracker and an academy instructor and heir to his clan - how did they end up with such fancy circle of friends?
He wanted to get Hinata something nice for all that she did for him, for putting up with everything that defined him because he was not an easy person. For all the times she welcomed him home with warm smiles and meals despite his absence being as difficult for her as it was for him.
But to his disappointment, the pendant was a little more than his wallet allowed even if he had brought all his savings for the very reason. The shop keeper did provide him with many other options; of course, the jewelers of a land that seemed to grow gold came with their pockets full of jewels but the pendant had caught his attention and he had already pictured Hinata with it around her delicate neck and it just felt wrong to return home without it. The possibilities were endless too, he could easily pick up a job or two to make enough money to buy it during his stay at their destined village. With his mind set, they set out again their journey with the Daimyou's daughter's eyes on Sasuke.
She did approach him later, with her touch burning the skin of his shoulder and eyes, think with liner, sinking him ten feet under. She was at least ten years his junior and if he were to give in to her unvoiced pleas, it would be so very wrong and in not just him being unfaithful to his wife. So, when he told her about him being a married man and very much committed to his significant other, she had laughed in her overly sweet voice and accused him of lying as she pointed to his unoccupied ring finger. It took everything in him to not lash out so he told her, in his calmest, most civilized voice, that people like him, people like his wife did not bind themselves with rings but with promises of a faithfulness and respect and a lifetime with the other. Her red-hot rage had not been a secret.
That day when they arrived at her village, the village where the wealth herself seemed to reside; there had been a grand celebration in honor of their Daimyou's fifty-something birthday. As if it was not posh enough, they had left no stone unturned to embellish the place further with colored lights and flags and decorations that should be kept under lock and key because they seemed to have cost a small fortune. Sasuke, however, was not impressed. It may be an attempt to show off their wealth but it clearly showed their lack of intelligence for the village attracted too much attention and there could be a rouge ninja lurking around these parts. Then again, if they could afford such lavish arrangements, they could afford protection. That'd explain why there were so many ninjas waltzing around a non-shinobi village.
He was welcomed warmly by Daimyou himself, thanked for his services to his family and showed an extravagant room for his stay there. His mission description dictated that he kept a look out for any threats to the royal family until their job was taken over by another group. And while he kept an eye on them, he sent out his clones to fix an old woman's roof and helped a group of eccentric teenagers learn a couple of 'ninja moves'. Needless to say, their generosity was the only thing Sasuke liked about these people.
His stay afterwards could be defined as an itch he desperately wanted but couldn't get rid of. He was restless not only because he wanted to go home but also because the people of the village were too different. They were a shameless lot and money was their way of life. Their clothing was scarce and modesty non-existant, bellies protruding with too much to eat and too little to do and minds clogged up with all the alcohol they consumed throughout the day. Perhaps it was just the air of conviviality, though Sasuke highly doubted it. And just because he decided to not comment on the way the women there and even some members of male population eyed him like vultures and brushed past him every chance they got didn't mean he was blind to it. He was a ninja after all, his eyes saw it all and his brain analyzed everything.
It couldn't have taken more time for his last day there to dawn. He had been more than ready to leave, sending out his team to gather rations for their journey back and making last minute preparations. Their mission ended with the beginning of Dimyou's birthday celebrations but upon his insistence to attend the function and for the sake of convenience, they were to leave early the next day. He still had plenty of time left on his hands to buy that pendant and get to his wife in time.
Excess of everything is bad - his father used to tell him and at the moment, standing amidst the ecstatic crowed, he couldn't agree with him more. They were too happy and it did come as a surprise to him that even happiness, if not in modesty, lost its charm. Just being there and listing to their high pitched, alcohol induced squeals were making him depressed. He wanted to get out of there or he'd lose his mind. But nothing was as disheartening as the sight of Daimyou-sama's wife, donning a deep necked dress with ample portion of her breasts on display, her blood red lips stretched in the ugliest smiles Sasuke had ever seen. Her eyes trailed to him and she smiled wider, tracing the pendant resting on her bosom with her index finger, the same pendant he had wanted to get Hinata. Unable to take anymore, he left the festivities.
Sasuke never felt sorry for himself. He took everything thrown his way and molded it in something akin to anger and rage and became stronger at the cost of it. But at that moment he wanted nothing more than to slip under his sheets and indulge in self-pity. It would've looked beautiful on Hinata, that same pendant that looked as hideous as a repulsive label around the old woman's neck. He felt awful, the first time he'd wanted to do something for her, he failed miserably. Perhaps he was destined to never make her happy and eventually she'd realize it too. But he wasn't allowed to feel miserable for long when the woman silently slipped into his room and presented him with an offer, "I know what you want and you know what I want." She smiled seductively at him, fingering the jewel on her chest. "Let's make a deal and we can both be happy for tonight."
Disgusted, with both himself and her, he tried to flee but she caught him by his wrist. "My daughter tells me you've been eyeing this pendant. Don't you want it? For your wife, perhaps?"
At the mention of Hinata, he snapped. "Let go of me or you won't be leaving with your hand intact."
As if thunder bolted, she retracted her arm. "A-are you threatening me? Do you know what's the punishment for threatening Daimyou-sama's wife?"
"Do you? Because if you don't, you won't live long enough to find out." It was enough to shut her up and leave him to his peace even if it didn't stay with him after everything that occurred. Sasuke didn't take long to gather his team and set off immediately. He was asked many questions; about their sudden departure and about the urgency behind it. He was tired of lying so he told them the truth, about wanting to be there for Hinata's birthday, of which they were more than accepting and secretly supporting.
Eventually he'd find Hinata another gift, more suiting of who she was and what she represented and even if he was presented with the same pendant, and many others, he would not have it because she was above these things and above those women who even with their wealth any jewels and beauty and with their eyes lined with gold and teeth bleached to perfection did not come close to her; women who carelessly threw their morals and principles out the window like some sort of discarded cloth for pleasures that came far less cheaper.
And eventually her tears of joy at just having him with her would be more than relieving and he'd feel stupid for worrying about something so... insignificant. Things like these had never held any meaning between them and to her, he was the same Sasuke she married, who even without all those presents was just as precious to her as he was with them.
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TAYYABALARAIB
