The Shipping Experiment
Chapter III
Enter Hyuuga Hinata
Behind the Scenes
"Father I-I r-really do-don't think t-that," Hinata began, wringing her hands together, "I r-really don't t-think this is a g-good idea."
"Nonsense Hinata! This is a wonderful idea," Hiashi Hyuuga replied, turning his stern gaze upon his daughter. "How else are you going to get married? Has anyone even asked you out yet?"
Hinata blushed, and jumped a little. "F-father! Well, no b-but,"
"No buts! You're doing this, and it's final. If you had cared about my opinion, maybe you would have tried dating earlier!"
Well this wasn't fair, Hinata thought and almost pouted. Her father really was so strict that she had been too scared to look at any boys, let alone talk to them! Her mind travelled back to her childhood love. She'd only met him once, and talked to him none, but even now she hasn't met anyone better!
"So you're Hiashi Hyuuga?" interrupted Tsunade, her eyebrows almost reaching her hairline. Of course, she'd read and double read the application letter and even did some stalking online to make sure, but it was hard to believe that this shitty program was pulling in so many bigwigs!
"And you're Tsunade Senju?" Hiashi said, nodding his head at her question. He'd done his research before forcefully signing his daughter onto the show. Her future (and hopefully, his grandchildren's existence) was now in her famous neurologist hands. God's speed.
"Why yes I am. Sorry to cut the introduction short, but we'll be shooting soon!"
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On Screen
"So Hinata Hyuuga, tell us about yourself," Jiraiya leered, eyeing Hinata up and down. He thought he could see some curvature, but the woman wore so many clothes, that he had to rely on his keen intuition to make out what her figure was really like.
Feeling uncomfortable as his gaze dropped lower and lower, Hinata crossed her arms to cover herself, wondering in despair at where Tsunade had gone and who this strange man was. "W-well, um, I l-like sewing and um, f-flower pressing a-and," she shifted apprehensively, "p-please stop!"
Jiraiya's eyes snapped back to her face, confused. "Stop what?"
"U-um nothing! N-nevermind!"
Well she was a strange one, Jiraiya mused, crossing his arms. Nice tits though, he thought smugly, proud at himself for his deduction.
"Anything else? What is it you do?"
"G-gardening," she floundered, wondering what else she did. What was he asking? "C-cooking,"
"I meant, as in, did you go to University? What did you do there?" The psychologist scratched his chin thoughtfully. Nice tits, but where they nicer than Tsunade's?
"O-oh!" Hinata sat up straighter, rejuvenated. "A-actually I s-studied Business at U-university, but I'm o-opening an I-interior Design branch to t-the Company," while it hadn't come into fruition quite yet, she still had to finish some starter design plans, it was her one and only pride and joy. "It'll s-specialise in l-landscaping."
They were smaller, certainly, but by how much? This felt very frustrating to Jiraiya. "And I have no idea why, but one of my partners insists on asking this question - what's your favourite colour?"
Hinata thought back to that one faithful meeting, over fifteen years ago. "Sky b-blue," she said dreamily, reminded of the blue of his eyes.
Jiraiya gave a short nod, before turning back to the camera.
"Well that's it for now folks! Hinata Hyuuga everybody!"
Behind The Scenes
"So are they D's or DD's?" he began conversationally, making cupping gestures in front of his chest. "Because let me tell you, it's been bugging me all night!"
Hinata pointed at herself, her face acquiring an unnatural shade of red. "Y-y-y-you m-m-m-mean," she's never stuttered so badly in her life, "y-y-you,"
"I mean how large are those babies?" he pointed.
His finger pointing at her breasts were the last thing she saw before everything went dark.
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Behind The Scenes
When Hinata came to, she found herself staring into pale yellow eyes, set in an incredibly white face. She let out a little squeak as she rapidly moved back, her hand automatically moving to her nose before letting out another squeak as she hit her head. "W-what…?"
Orochimaru chuckled, putting away the salts into his trusty man bag that he carried everywhere. Standing up, he beckoned her to the tables where she would further be interviewed, now that she'd come to. They couldn't afford to dillydally any longer - they had a show to film!
Dazedly, Hinata sat up, starting to follow him despite her confusion. On the other side of the set she saw her father scowling, and suddenly the memories came to. That white haired man he - he was - he was! She had no words.
Maybe this man would be better, she hoped.
On Screen
"S-so, Hinata I am here to as-s-sk you ques-stion-s about what you would like in a partner. Of cours-s-se, based on this we will match you with the mos-s-st s-s-suitable individual," Hinata nodded, glad that whoever-he-was was explaining what was going on, this time. "My name is-s Orochimaru," he added, startling Hinata. How strange, she wondered, was she that easy to read?
"O-okay," Hinata answered agreeably, feeling much more at ease. Although still not quite comprehending why she was here, and what exactly it was that she was doing.
"S-so. Des-scribe des-s-sireable characteris-stics," he commanded, his eyes looking like slits. How s-snakelike, Hinata thought with a shiver.
"W-well," she started with a stutter, "I-I'm not sure w-what you mean."
"I mean," Orochimaru's eyes narrowed - Hinata wondered whether he had pupils, "what do you want from a man, to put it into laymen's-s terms-s."
What did she want from a man? Well… again her mind carried her back to long ago, when he was but a boy. She heard that he'd gotten into football, but she wondered what became of him - what was he like? She only knew of his boyish characteristics, but those were all she ever wanted, she thought dreamily. "S-someone confident. Strong. Who knows what he wants, and has a bright, shining personality," Hinata was beginning to lose her stutter as she forgot that she was on national television, too wrapped up in describing Naruto. "Determined too!"
Orochimaru was perplexed. This did not happen often. "What do you mean by determined?" He queried, his non-existent eyebrows rising.
"W-well," suddenly she felt shy again, "someone that t-tries to a-achieve their goal, and n-never gives up n-no matter w-what happens!" When was the last time she'd talked so much? She couldn't remember.
"Hmm. I s-suppose that was des-scriptive enough," he nodded. "But what about you? What do you want from this-s union?"
How was she meant to say that she didn't want anything? It wasn't her idea at all! She would've managed to track down Naruto… eventually… and maybe he would've noticed her but even if he hadn't she would've been perfectly fine with trying! "U-um," she thought, "w-well maybe s-someone that h-helps take me out of m-my shell. I-I'm q-quite s-shy," it was so hard for her to admit this, "But m-maybe my partner w-will help me b-be more c-confident about m-myself." If it was Naruto, she knew he could do it.
"That's-s as-s good enough reas-son as-s any," the pale man responded agreeably. "This-s has-s been a very informative s-segment," he turned to the cameras, "pleas-se join us-s after the break for more!"
Behind The Scenes
Hinata twiddled her thumbs, the silence putting her on edge. Orochimaru, who she thought she liked better than that - that - perverted white haired man, was very quiet. More so than her even.
"S-so," she felt obliged to say something. "How long i-is the b-break for?"
"As-s long as-s you want it to be," he said mysteriously, still as a statue.
"Oh, o-okay," Hinata stuttered, more than a little freaked out. They sat in silence once more as the minutes trickled past. She tried to gather up the courage to say something, anything, but the man was too unnerving.
Finally, just as she was about to say something else, Orochimaru said, "Well, it s-seems your father has-s arrived."
Hinata turned her head, and sure enough, Hiashi Hyuuga was stalking towards her. She hoped he wasn't too upset. She'd tried her best, despite feeling way out of her comfort zone the entire time. "What's took you so long, Hinata?" He demanded once he got close enough. Hinata shrugged helplessly, hoping that it was good enough to satisfy her father's curiosity, but knowing that it wasn't.
"Well?"
"We were taking a break," Orochimaru interrupted, saving her from answering. For a split second, Hinata felt grateful to him - but then she remembered just how strange he was.
"A break?" Hiashi asked, puzzled. "Whatever for?"
"Everyone takes-s breaks-s for their own purposes-s," he responded enigmatically, his snake-like eyes blinking.
Hiashi frowned, and turned to Hinata. "We're leaving anyway. I was told that they are doing the last part of this examination as we speak."
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Behind The Scenes
"My, what a huge mansion," Tsunade said, whistling in appreciation. Just what you'd expect from the Hyuuga Enterprises - and Hiashi Hyuuga, the wealthy magnate that he was. Suddenly, she felt glad that she'd swapped with Orochimaru upon finding out whose house she'd be examining.
Upon opening the door with the keys she had been given temporarily, she was instantly greeted with array of maids. "Welcome, Lady Tsunade," one of them welcomed, "we were told that you would be here to visit Lady Tsunade's room. Would you like us to show you where it is?"
Tsunade startled, feeling a bit overwhelmed. What an instant response! She had only just stepped into the house. "That would be greatly appreciated," she supposed, "although I also wouldn't mind having a house tour." She would grasp hold of every opportunity that she was given. She would examine his liquor cabinet!
On Screen
With the camera men barely a step behind her, Tsunade cautiously stepped her way into the eldest's room. She was instantly greeted with a pleasant smell, lavender coloured walls, and a cozy looking princess style bed. The blonde woman turned to the camera. "Now on with the show! We're back and kicking, and in Hinata Hyuuga's room!"
"The first thing to note is that the place smells like… lavender," she started decidedly, before walking towards and sitting on the bed. "Hinata Hyuuga still lives with her father, which is to be expected, considering her family's wealth… This room is in impeccable condition, which is also to be expected, as there are maids living in the house," she declared, once more looking at the camera. She got up, walking towards the pine wood desk. "What do we have here?"
"These seem to be work related documents, mixed in with pressed flowers!" Tsunade ignored the fact that she was invading Hinata's privacy. She then turned her attention to the teddy bear sitting on the bed. "I have concluded my research. Hinata Hyuuga is quite a cute and dainty girl! She seems to spend an ample amount of time at home, which we can tell by all the various knickknacks and many books scattered around the room. She'll need a gentleman who can treat her with care."
"Do you wonder who she'll be paired up with? I sure do! If you want to find out, join us next week on the Shipping Experiment!" And with that final proclamation, she gestured for the camera to stop recording, and proceeded to walk out of the room.
Behind The Scenes
"Umm, the exit is not this way," one of the maids that seemed to be following Tsunade around informed her timidly.
"I know the exit is not this way, girl!" Tsunade snapped back, irritated and defensive. "I'm doing top secret research here! Do you want your precious Hinata to be paired with a good guy or not? Imagine how Hiashi would act if she isn't!" She continued to prattle on rather smugly, while inconspicuously glancing around in her quest. The maid froze, shuddering at the thought of an even angrier master, and decided to let Tsuande do whatever she was about to do.
Aha, Tsunade thought with a self satisfied smile, there it is! And right next to the large dining room table, there was in fact something that looked like a huge bar, and on it were mounted various delicious looking beverages. The neurologist cleared her throat. "For this top secret research, unfortunately, I need to be left entirely alone," she turned to look at the maid that had trailed some distance away. "Tell your friends not to enter this room for a minute or two."
The maid looked alarmed once more, "Lady Tsunade, are you sure that will be enough time?"
"For an expert such as I, that will be plenty time!" she declared, impatiently cracking her knuckles. With a frazzled nod and a bow, the maid was on her way to secure the parameter.
"Now, now," Tsunade chucked darkly, "you expensive Bourbons you. Show me where you're hiding!" And so she pounced.
That very day when Tsunade was exiting the mansion with her slew of camera men (they had been told to wait in the lobby while she did her business) she looked conspicuously bulkier than she had when she first entered.
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Behind The Scenes - a few days later
Hiashi Hyuuga sat worriedly at his desk, wondering what was going to happen to his eldest daughter. When would the wedding be? Would he be a fine man or an idiot beyond help? There was nothing he could do to pull any strings (he had already tried) and those blasted psychologists refused to tell him anything!
He got up to pace. But would Hinata be good enough for her chosen husband? She better be! Her last name alone made her better than any of the imbeciles that could be offered! But what if - he needed a drink.
Opening the door to his office, he exited and made his way to the liquor cabinet. There was no way he could handle the stress of the situation without some of his finest, most coveted whiskey. The strong kind.
He opened the cabinet, feeling eager to drink his favourite drink (and with a good reason, too!) but… it was gone.
Gone.
Where. The hell. Could it. Have gone.
"WHO THE HELL TOOK MY WHISKEY! MAIDS!"
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thanks for reading.