A/N: I'm simply taking the time to answer some questions that have been raised and share a bit of information.
First off thank you so much for your review. I love reading the reviews and doubly so when I see long ones. Secondly, I am very glad that you took the time to google what a blood oath is. In this setting I am using it to show the connection and the physical demonstration of Hinata becoming a part of Sasuke as well as an Uchiha. To answer your question about my feelings toward Sakura, no I don't have any ill will toward Sakura and I don't want to punish her but if she continues misbehaving karma might take a bite out of her, keep reading and you'll find out.
And to all the reviewers, you know who you are, thank you as well for taking the time to encourage me to keep writing since it really speeds up the updating time frame.
ATTENTION: IMPORTANT INFO
Below I've made a map of Konoha's layout as it is in this story. Each name represents the clan homestead so keep in mind they are large tracts of land for each clan. In the space in the middle would lie the civilians and other shinobi not members of the clans on the left hand-side live close to the Kage mountain whereas the ones to right hand side live on the outskirts of the village close to or bordering with the village(Uchiha and such). I hope this clears up any confusion I might have caused in the previous chapters and will help you along on this chapter. Also I want to mention that before the massacre Sasuke was friends with the children in his neighborhood since they were his age. This includes Shino, Kiba, and Shikamaru. from where we left off on chapter three Hinata did visit Sasuke for their daily lunch this chapter simply takes place the next day.
Map
-~-~-~-~~Akimichi -
-Yamanaka ~-~-~-Nara
-Sarutobi- ~ -~-~-~-~-Aburame
-Hatake-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-Kuraku
-Senju- ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-Inuzuka
Hyuga ~-~-~-~-Konoha Gates-~-~-~-~-~-~ Uchiha
So without further adieu chapter four.
Next Day
Sasuke looked up at the increasingly large patch of soaked ceiling
that would soon start leaking into his cell due to the old age of the
building and the heavy rains that spring had brought with itself. He
only had a couple of days to go before he was released. Sasuke
however couldn't decide how to feel about his upcoming freedom. On the
one hand, he would finally have his wife on the other it was Konoha.
Even though Sasuke had tried to let go of his hatred for this village
he simply couldn't purge it completely from his system.
To think that his brother had sacrificed his life, no he had
sacrificed both of their lives, for this village along with their clan
was still abhorrent to Sasuke. To think that in the eyes of this village Itachi
was a traitor was repulsive. And Sasuke couldn't
even defend himself or his brother because they had both done
everything they were accused of even though for different reasons.
He couldn't deny that his brother massacred their entire clan, or that
he joined an S ranked gang of missing nin. Sasuke couldn't deny that
he left his own teammate passed out on a field as he walked away or
that he joined the ranks of the degenerate that killed the Third
Hokage. No, Sasuke couldn't deny his actions or his brother's and that
meant that the pitying stares he had ignored growing up would be
replaced by hateful glares when he walked out of here.
Thinking about the glares only made him think of his wife. How would
his actions reflect upon her? Would they insult her, whisper about her
as she walked by, what had his actions cost her? He was broken out of
his revere as the door opened to reveal her as if his thoughts had
summoned her. She looked every inch the noblewoman dressed in fine
linens. She wore a slightly thick, dark blue yukata with a white obi.
The only reason Sasuke noted the colors was because they were
completely alien on her. Hinata, like all other Hyugas, wore white
at all times. The dark blue and white on the other hand were the
colors of the Uchiha clan.
"Interesting color choice Hime."
"Ano I didn't think our family colors would be so interesting Sasuke-
kun." was his wife's reply.
Our Family. Our... Family. Two simple words and yet two things that
had been inapplicable to him in years. He had nothing to call his own
except the woman before him and with his brother at rest; she was truly
the only family he had. She was everything he had left.
Hinata watched as Sasuke continued staring at her as if lost.
She knew she was treading on thin ice talking so lightly of family but
he needed to start over and the sooner the better.
Hinata placed the bag with his clothes near the bars of his cell
within his reach. She had ordered the kimono from a store a couple
blocks away from the Uchiha Compound that had at one time catered most
non-formal wear to the Uchiha Clan. As she began to step away from the
cell, his hand shot out and took a hold of her wrist. His grip was
strong but loose. It held enough force to stay her hand but not so
much as to cause her harm. His sword-roughened fingers flipped her
hand over to show him the back of her hand.
Hinata watched as he took in the sight of the ring on her left hand.
Sasuke seemed to be at a loss for words, which was understandable since
it was the first time she had worn her wedding ring and the first time
he had seen her wear it.
"Ano I thought it was time to wear it. We already renewed our vows and
you're here and we are married so I thought..."
"Hn. What's in the bag?" were the words that came out of his mouth
but his eyes were still studying her ring, his ring and his fingers
were still stroking her rough hand. Hinata was a little embarrassed
that her hands were so rough and her nails trimmed without further
thought. In comparison to Sa- No, she was not going there. Her hands
were battle roughened same as his and that was simply a consequence of
their profession.
Sasuke's "Hime, the bag?" snapped her out of her revere. With her hand
still in his she explained the bag and it's contents.
"Ano it's your yukata since you don't have clothes here, and other
necessities. I wanted to bring it today since I won't be here for your
release and-"
"What do you mean you won't be here for my release."
If his wife thought, that she was going to simply go through the
motions in this marriage she had another thing coming. His mother's
ring drew his attention once more, Sasuke wasn't sure how he felt
about it. He found himself yet again balancing out the good against
the bad. The good was obvious, no one would doubt whom she belonged to
and every person that came near her would know she was his. The bad
however were the memories the ring dredged up. Memories of watching
his mother cook while the ring caught the light and created a
beautiful array of colors on the walls. Memories of the hands that
comforted him, and loved him, times long gone. That was the past
and this was his present. His wife looked a little uncomfortable and
he had a feeling she knew he wasn't going to like what came out of her
mouth.
"Ah, well Sakura-san and your team want to take you out to see the
village and for a Team Seven reunion. I wouldn't want to impose on
such a private-"
" Lets get this straight now so we don't have this kind of problem in
the future Hime. No one, including my old team, dictates how or where
I spend my time. So no, I won't be going on a tour or having a reunion.
Second, where I go you go. Do you understand Hinata? If they invite me
someplace I'm bringing you as well. You're my wife Hinata and the only
person, male or female, that has a say in my activities ok. If
something comes up, we run it through each other. Understand?"
His wife's "Hai Sasuke-kun." only served to make Sasuke sigh. It
wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with his old team, he did.
Sasuke simply wanted to spend his first day of freedom with his wife
instead of his team. With another sigh, he tried to make amends.
"Who was making the plans for this outing anyhow?"
"Ano Sakura-san was," of course Sakura was making plans and, judging by
the downcast look on his wife's face, behaving quite snarky while
doing so.
"Hn. Do you have anything planned for the day after my release?"
While shaking her head in the universal sign for 'no' in order to
answer his question her movement caused her hand to jerk slightly.
Thus causing both of them to look down at their hands, which had intertwined of
their own accord. Sasuke had forgotten he was holding her hand. His
wife on the other hand resembled his favorite fruit/vegetable.
Ignoring their hands Sasuke continued with his proposal in order to
placate his wife.
"I don't want to go out on the day of my release. I simply want to go
home and rest. That being said, those idiots won't stop pestering
until I go out with them. So if you don't have plans we can go out for
dinner with them on Friday night."
She knew he was waiting for a response but she was still going over
his previous words, Go Home. It dawned on her that as of Thursday it
would be her home as well. A gentle squeeze on her hand startled her
into looking him in the eyes. They were the same obsidian as always
but so much older and wiser. With a small smile she nodded her consent.
"Hai Sasuke-kun that would be nice."
"Oh and Hinata."
"Hmm."
"From now on we'll handle our teammates and sensei's on our own. If my idiots do something to you or say something offensive let me know and I'll fix it. I'll expect the same from you in regards to your own people, ne?"
Hinata gave a sigh of relief. She didn't want to deal with his team or cause problems. But Sasuke had no qualms about chewing out his teammates or Sensei, in the same way
Hinata had no problem speaking with her own if they overstepped their bounds. It was quite a relief, although a little unsettling how even after all these years Sasuke could still read her so well.
"Thank you Sasuke-kun."
"Hn. Have you moved in yet?"
"Ah, no I...I'm actually doing that today."
"Be careful. Take your teammates to help you move and just to be safe."
"Ano, I don't... I. Hai Sasuke-kun."
With one last squeeze he released her hand and took a step back. He looked as composed as always but the toll of his imprisonment was starting to show. He was paler than ever and the dark circles around his eyes were getting worse. With a small wave, Hinata turned to leave, hearing his sharp intake as he saw their clan crest emblazoned on her back.
Later that day
Shino observed his female teammate as she slowly made her way over to
him and Kiba. A number of things tripped the danger wire and set his
beetles off into a frenzy. First Hinata was wearing colors, not just
any colors either, the Uchiha colors. Second she looked nervous and
that was something Hinata had refrained from doing since their genin
days, she might be timid and reserved but never nervous. Third the
ring. It was hard to miss since it caught the sunlight with each of
her movements. A ring he remembered seeing on the previous Lady Uchiha's hand
when he was a child. All of these things combined with the rumors
going about the village told Shino all he needed to know. And from the
way Kiba's eyes had sharpened and his nostrils were flaring Shino
deduced that she must also carry Sasuke's scent marker which was
riling Kiba.
She finally reached them but didn't say anything. The three of them
looked into the forest as each of them detected movement only to
encounter a family of herring. Sighing Hinata finally faced them.
"Ano I know you've heard several things about me this last year and
I'm grateful for your patience as well as your trust. I... I just
didn't know how to tell you. I ... I was engaged to Sasuke when we
were five and we married when we were thirteen and now-... Now that
he'll be freed we really will be married."
" Ano you don't look shocked and you're not saying much."
What was there to say really? It was a bit late to protest her
marriage six years later and it wasn't really news. Shino and Kiba had
known the two heirs had an odd relationship for years. As trackers
both shinobi had been taught from the cradle to take in and process
every bit of information afforded them.
As children both had thought it odd that the clan heir to the
richest family on the west side of the village would make frequent
visits to their side of town. It wasn't that their side of town was
poor far from it, it was simply dark. The deadlier clans with dark
bloodlines resided far from the sunlit portion of the village and it's
inhabitants. Therefore, a Hyuga heir coming so often was note worthy.
Later in the Academy years, the two had carried each other's scent and
although others hadn't noticed Shino had observed just how close an
eye his childhood playmate kept on the heiress. Further down the road
when they entered their genin days it was her jittery movements that
coincided with the Uchiha's missions outside of the village. Then
the day the Uchiha had left came and things became clearer.
While Kiba had gone with their friends after the Uchiha, Shino had
gone after Hinata but unlike the rest of the village she hadn't
exhibited that hopeful aura. That had told Shino that she had known
before hand, and that their friends' mission would end in failure. The
final piece had been her wrapped hand as well as the scar that had
formed there. She was tied to Sasuke, now she was simply confirming
how she was tied to him.
Shino studied her and concluded that she would make a great Uchiha
matriarch. He glanced at his vocal partner as he sensed Kiba had come
to the end of his silence.
"Oi Hinata-chan give us some credit yeah!"
The blush that covered her face at Kiba's comment cemented the fact
that even though she was an Uchiha, at her core she would always be
Hinata. She would always be their friend, teammate, and part of their
family. Which brought another point to Shino's attention. Every team
became a family at some point and that included team seven. With
Hinata's marriage to Sasuke becoming official in the eyes of the
public that would mean that team eight would have to become friendly
with team seven.
This however presented a few problems. Team eight had already expanded
and merged with team ten due to Kurenai-Sensei having the late Asuma-
sensei's child. The two teams had worked together to help the grieving
mother-to-be get through the rough patch as well as giving team ten
some sense of stability. In the beginning, it had been awkward and
difficult rearranging the roles each person played but they had muddled
through somehow. Shikamaru and Shino had taken on the reading and the
technical aspects of child rearing in order to be prepared. Choji and
Kiba on the other hand had become Kurenai-Sensei's muscle.
During her pregnancy, she could be seen flanked by two teenagers that acted more like worried mother
hens than bodyguards. Meanwhile Ino and Hinata had helped Sensei
around her house with chores and such. Moreover, when that chibi was
finally born it had been a tear fest. Sensei had cried as she held
that newborn with hiccupping sobs, Ino had cried silently on Choji's
shoulder all the while holding Shikamaru's hand. It had been a bittersweet
moment but it had forged an unbreakable bond, it had forged a family.
A family that to date was very tight knit.
Team seven however was problematic to say the least. They had so much
drama that Shino cringed behind his high collar.
"Oi Shino what's that face for? It's not like we didn't know.
I agree it's gonna be hell but we'll manage... somehow."
Kiba noticed Shino's grimace and guessed his partner was contemplating
the same thing Kiba was. Team seven was simply... He couldn't even
find an appropriate word to describe them. Kiba didn't mind Sasuke
seeing as how they had been neighbors and pals as children, the
others were a completely different story.
The newest member Sai, was weird and really...creepy. Sakura was a hoity-toity bit-… actually no
that would be an insult to female canines everywhere. Sakura was
probably the most annoying person to Kiba because she couldn't give
her loyalty to a person and stick with it. She kept bouncing from one
emotion to another and that behavior irked the fiercely loyal Inuzuka
like nothing else could. Their sensei was an old perv but he cared in
his own way. That left Naruto which Kiba had nothing but respect and
if pressed to admit it admiration. If it weren't for the vulpine creature
inside of him and his inclination for toads Kiba would have nominated
Naruto as an honorary Inuzuka.
Taking everything into consideration Kiba decided that the next couple of months, maybe even years, were going to be rough.
Hinata took in her teammates facial expressions and concluded they weren't too happy about her marriage to Sasuke. She should have known better.
"Oi Hinata-chan just keep the defective Sasuke wanna-be and Sakura away from us and we'll be fine ne?"
Kiba's comment brought a smile to Hinata's face. She turned to Shino to find that her overly reserved teammate was nodding in agreement with Kiba's comment. It seemed her friends were more concerned with Sasuke's baggage than with him.
"Ano, but then who will keep them away from me?" she asked solemnly with a pout causing Kiba to fall to the floor in laughter as Shino and she chuckled lightly.
It was good to know that al least they would stand beside her even if they had to deal with team seven. As they calmed down Hinata decided to make her request.
"Ano, on a more serious note I was wondering if you could help me take my things to the Uchiha compound? It isn't much and I was going to do it myself but Sasuke-kun asked me to bring you along for 'safety reasons.'"
Her teammates amusement seemed to melt off their faces at her request. The moment they heard Sasuke and 'safety reasons' they deduced that her husband suspected the Hyuga might try something against her. She really shouldn't have worried, her brothers in arms understood stoic Uchiha code just as well as she did.
"Of course we'll help Hinata-chan! As if we would miss old man Hyuga's face."
Even though Kiba tried to lighten up the mood with his comment, all three of them knew they were in for a stiff and ugly ride back at the Hyuga compound especially with the colors and crest Hinata was wearing. Today just kept getting better and better.
Shikamaru and Choji joined the tracking trio on their way to the Hyuga compound. He and Choji had been exiting the BBQ stand after their training when Inuzuka had called out from across the street. They had then offered to help out since the more people the faster it got done.
As they reached the Hyuga compound the air between their group became tense, and their instincts were on alert as they walked past the guards at the gate. The Hyuga sentries were glaring, for lack of better words, at Hinata.
The lazy nin felt like had walked into enemy territory instead of a different portion of his village. Then again, team ten had always made it a point to stay close to the neutral zone between the clan's homesteads.
Hinata led them through the compound and into her chambers. Her
belongings were already boxed up in two large boxes and three smaller
ones. This however raised a few eyebrows among their group since
Hinata was the heiress it stood to reason she would have a few more
belongings. As a clan heir and an analyst, however Shikamaru understood
that it wasn't that Hinata didn't have many things but the legalities
were complicated.
"I can only take with me what has been gifted to me, things I
inherited, or things I bought with my own money not clan money. If I
did it would be seen as stealing from the Hyuga clan and in the
current situation I don't doubt they'll try to accuse me of theft."
With nods from the group Shikamaru picked up a box as the other
boys did the same and Choji picked up the smaller two, which were
actually heavier. They made their way through the plain white halls
until they reached the primary courtyard where none other than Hiashi
Hyuga stood with a scowl on his face.
"Where do you think you're going? With Hyuga property no less? And
what are you wearing?"
"I'm moving out Oto-san. I am only taking with me what the clan and
village laws permit. As for what I am wearing, I well I'm wearing my
clan's colors and crest Oto-san."
If the look on Hiashi's face was any indication Lord Hyuga was about
to blow a gasket.
"You disgraceful wench! For the last year you have dishonored the
Hyuga name by affiliating yourself with that treacherous bastard and
now you think to unite the Hyuga name to that cursed clan for all time!"
"Actually it wasn't my idea to unite with that 'cursed clan' it was
yours. If I'm a 'disgraceful wench' then content yourself with the
knowledge that at least I'm not your 'disgraceful wench' and haven't
been for the last six years."
Hinata's replies were about to send Hiashi into cardiac arrest and
Shikamaru had a feeling that if that happened there would be hell to
pay. He could just imagine the summary he would have to give to the blond
Hokage. 'Yes Hokage-sama I know that as an Anbu operative it is my
duty to maintain the peace but I was carrying a heavy box that I
couldn't put down, it was labeled fragile. So there was nothing I could do when Lady Uchiha uttered the words that sent Lord Hyuga to his grave.'
Yeah that would go over well with Naruto and the council. It was best if Shikamaru saved himself from having to give such a report as well as avoiding the murderous Hyugas that seemed to have appeared without a single sound. Shikamaru guessed that having the heirs to three dark clans and the Lady of a dark clan in their compound wasn't helping matters.
"Excuse me Hyuga-sama, please forgive us we meant no disrespect toward
you or your clan. We were sent to escort Lady Uchiha and her
belongings safely out of the Hyuga compound. As an Anbu I assure you
all laws have been carefully observed in order to avoid any
complications."
Apparently, Hiashi was going to be difficult even though Shikamaru was
trying very hard to handle the situation delicately while carrying an
increasingly heavy box.
"Lady Uchiha! What is the meaning of this?!"
"If you checked your rolls from time to time you would have noticed
that my marriage contract to Uchiha Sasuke was signed and filed six
years ago Oto-san. Now if you would be so kind as to allow my
escorts and myself to exit. I wouldn't want to mention how rude the
Hyuga household has treated me this day at the next Lords' Council
meeting."
Hiashi's anger seemed to skyrocket but he stepped aside. Hinata had
just used her ace against Hiashi. As a Lady of a clan if Hinata went
before the Lords' Council which was formed of the clan leaders and
accused Hiashi of- well anything really- he would lose not only face but
power on the council. Especially if four clan heirs could attest to
seeing the disrespectful behavior of the Hyuga.
As their little group walked out of the Hyuga compound Shikamaru
sighed with relief. He still didn't know how his day had turned out so
troublesome. All he had wanted to do on his day off was train,
have some BBQ with Choji, and watch clouds.
Thank you again for coming by and for your continued support of this story! Please review and see you next time! Ciao!