Author's Note: hey there everyone! I think I must have been a snail in a past life… I'm really sorry for the looong delay. Thank you very much for all the awesome reviews! Please enjoy the next installment of Omiai.
Disclaimer: Sadly me no own Naruto or any of its characters.
Day Five: Deck the Uchiha Halls
Morning light filtered through the windows and down onto the Hyuga heiress, who was stirring awake just before her alarm clock went off. As sleep left her mind all the happenings from the previous night rushed back to her memory and she couldn't help the giddiness that crawled up her stomach. She was actually going to a party with Sasuke! It was by no means a social event but she knew his father and brother would be there since it was their company's party. That had to mean something, right? At least that he wasn't ashamed to show her in public.
She stretched rubbing the sleep off her eyes and got up to select what she was going to wear that day, for school and for the party. She had texted Kakashi to find out that the party was formal, but not black tie. She wanted to impress Sasuke and her prospective in-laws, so she needed the perfect outfit. She picked her clothes for the day without a problem and then proceeded to pace up and down her walk-in closet pulling out dresses and skirts she could wear for the party. She paced and stared at her clothes for a few more minutes until the maid knocked on her door informing her that breakfast was ready and everyone was waiting for her. With a sigh she dressed hurriedly, deciding that she would leave the choosing of the party outfit for later.
When she arrived to the dining room she was greeted by the sight of her father and sister waiting for her. She apologized for her delay and they started eating in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts, or food, in Hiashi's case. She didn't work out the courage to ask her father if she could skip her last class of the day until they were almost done with breakfast. For her father school was sacred and nothing but being half dead in a hospital bed was reason enough to miss a class. She took a deep breath and decided it was now or never.
"Um… father, I was wondering if… i-it's ok for me to skip my last class today?"
Hiashi's eyes widened and he immediately shifted his attention from his froot loops to his daughter. "What blasphemy have you uttered?"
She almost lost her courage seeing her father's expression but she decided to push on. "Well, you see… S-sasuke-san invited me to his company's Christmas party and I n-need some time to get ready."
Hiashi's expression changed immediately from one of shock and horror to one of bliss. "Why of course, my child! Just make sure you make up for the lost time," and then went back to finishing his cereal humming happily.
Hinata thanked her father and finished her breakfast in silence. She was still surprised that he had let her cut class, but it was understandable given his –and the whole family's– desire to see her marry into the Uchiha clan. She knew she had to try really hard. If she succeeded in marrying Sasuke she would be able to make her father proud and leave the Hyuga family with a bang.
OoOoOoOoOo
Upon his arrival to Uchiha Enterprises Sasuke was greeted by a frightening sight: Itachi and Kakashi deep in conversation wearing identical grins. Those two smiling conspiratorially never bode well. Warily, he returned their cheery good mornings with a nod and continued on his way to the elevators flanked by the pair, much to his chagrin.
"Is that a phone ringing?" said Kakashi suddenly pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Not mine."
Itachi mirrored the movement. "Mine either." He then gasped and reached in front of Sasuke as the three stood waiting for the elevator. "My, isn't that precious," he said pointing at the charm hanging from Kakashi's phone.
"Oh my God! We match!" squealed Kakashi pointing at the identical bunny charm hanging from Itachi's phone.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. He knew Kakashi wouldn't keep his mouth shut for long. Mercifully the elevator doors opened and Sasuke walked in while the other two fawned over each other's phones clearly trying to contain their laughter.
"You two are hilarious. You should join the circus," deadpanned Sasuke.
"Will you come see our act?" asked Itachi with bright eyes.
"No," was Sasuke's answer before he closed the elevator doors in their faces.
Itachi's laughter finally died down and his wide grin turned to a pensive one as he observed the lights on the elevator change as the elevator went on its way upwards. "Do you think she's the one?"
The sudden question took Kakashi by surprise. Itachi was rarely that serious in non-business matters. He thought for a moment and then answered, "well… it's hard to tell. You know your brother. He doesn't exactly talk about his feelings. They are on their fifth date though. He already beat his own record. That's a good sign."
"Yeah," Itachi nodded pensively.
Kakashi gave Itachi a sideways glance and a slight smile as they both waited in silence for the next elevator. Itachi was one of Sasuke's harshest critics and in his pursuit of molding him to be a rightful Uchiha heir he could seem like his worst enemy at times, but Kakashi knew he cared deeply for his brother.
Meanwhile in the elevator Sasuke pondered ripping the keychain off his keys, but thought better about it. Somehow knowing that he and Hinata shared something made him feel strangely… he couldn't quite define it, but what he was sure of was that whatever that undefined feeling was, wasn't at all disagreeable. Plus he knew Itachi and Kakashi would tease him even more if he did. Let them know he couldn't care less about them poking fun at him.
OoOoOoOoOo
Hinata left school feeling very strange and half expecting guards to come running out to stop her. She still couldn't fully believe that her father had let her skip her afternoon classes. That only proved just how badly he wanted her to marry Sasuke.
As soon as she walked into her house she rushed to her closet determined to finish the task she had begun that morning but was just as unsuccessful. Of the hundreds of clothes in her closet she couldn't find anything that was special enough. She fell backwards on her bed groaning in frustration. She never had a problem finding outfits for the many social functions she was forced to attend by her family. Maybe that was because she never cared about impressing or pleasing anyone there. This time it was different. She wanted, no, needed to impress Sasuke and her prospective in-laws.
She looked at her watch and figured that she still had enough time. She ran down the stairs to find the driver and asked him to take her to one of her favorite boutiques, a small dainty shop not too far from her house. She hopped off the car with her fingers crossed hoping that she would find something quickly as time wasn't on her side. Fortunately she didn't have to keep her fingers crossed for long. As soon as she walked in, a dress on a mannequin towards the back of the store caught her eye. It was a sleeveless white tiered knee-length dress with a deep purple ribbon tied around the waist in a simple bow. She loved it; it was simple and understated, yet elegant.
She made a beeline for the dress when she was hijacked by a bubbly sales lady and Hinata quickly pointed at the dress she had been eyeing.
"Isn't it beautiful? That's the last one we have left. What size were you looking for?"
Hinata's spirits fell. It figured that she would find the perfect dress and they wouldn't have her size. While she wallowed in her despair the sales lady had already pulled the dress off the mannequin and was holding it in front of her looking from the dress to Hinata. "I think it'll fit!"
Hinata's eyes lit up and she obediently followed the sales lady to the fitting room where she put on the dress and opened the curtain to take a look in the three-way mirror that stood grandly in the middle of the four fitting rooms at the back of the store. With bathed breath she looked at her reflection on the mirror to find out that the dress fit quite nicely.
"Perfect! It's like it was made for you!" chimed in the sales lady behind Hinata.
The Hyuga heiress left the store ecstatic with her purchase and rushed back home to get ready. She was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when the maid knocked on her door announcing that her ride was downstairs. She thanked her and took a last approving look in the mirror before grabbing the silver wristlet where she had put her wallet and keys and putting on her coat.
On her way downstairs she decided to stop by her father's study to let him know she was leaving. She peeked through the half open door to see her father on the phone with his back to the door. She decided not to interrupt him and as she walked away she couldn't help but overhear part of his conversation: "I know! I can't wait to have little grandchildren running around either… why of course they'll have the Hyuuga eyes, the Uchiha genes are not the only strong genes out there!"
She could still hear his giggles as she went downstairs and did her best not to let his expectations make the weight on her shoulders feel heavier. Fortunately, her pounding heart and vivid imagination didn't let her dwell on it too much. The cliché scene of the girl coming down the stairs looking dazzling and the guy standing at the foot of the stairs staring in awe at her beauty was playing in her head. Her heart was beating faster with every step she took until it dropped to the pit of her stomach when she saw not Sasuke but Kakashi waiting for her with his usual smile and the "you look beautiful!" she had been hoping for.
Even though she did her best to keep the smile on her face he must have somehow caught her disappointment because he told her with a wink, "you'll see him soon. Something came up and he couldn't come, but he'll be at the party."
She nodded and gave him a smile as she took the arm he offered. After a short ride they arrived at the doors of Uchiha Enterprises. The lobby looked just like it had the day before, maybe just a little more festive. She did notice that now garland ran along the walls in addition to the poinsettias she had seen adorning the front desk the afternoon before during her brief stay. She followed Kakashi through a wide hallway into a vast meeting room that had been outfitted as a party hall. A podium and a magnificent Christmas tree stood towards the front of the room while small round tables were arranged to the sides leaving a clear area in the middle presumably to be used as a dancing floor later in the evening.
There was a flurry of activity in the room and the tables were steadily filling up with employees and guests. Hinata was still standing next to Kakashi fidgeting with the strap of her wristlet as she didn't know anyone else when a man of about Kakashi's age with dark hair and a bowl cut bounded over to them.
"Kakashi! I didn't know you were bringing a date. Very beautiful," he said giving Hinata a full-on smile that she returned awkwardly, taken aback by the man's misunderstanding and the fact that she could have sworn she saw his teeth sparkle. "You old dog," he continued, squeezing Kakashi's shoulder, "isn't she a little young for you?"
"You and your keen observations, Guy," said Kakashi sarcastically. "I was actually just charged with bringing Hinata-chan here. She's Sasuke's date."
"Ah, young Sasuke is one lucky man! But where are my manners? The name is Guy. A pleasure meeting you," he said offering her a hand that she shook in return.
"Hinata Hyuga, nice to meet you," she said quietly, a blush dusting her cheeks. She wasn't used to all the compliments. Usually all the events her family forced her to attend were full of stuffy people, too busy trying to one-up everyone else in the room or just interested in increasing their fortunes to pay anyone a compliment, at least one that sounded genuine. Even though she was blushing she didn't feel uncomfortable. This man's eyes were just as warm as Kakashi's and soon she felt at ease with the two of them, laughing at their banter and the stories of their rivalry since they were children.
That is how Sasuke saw them from afar as he entered the hall and the twinge of annoyance he always felt when he saw Hinata with Kakashi made its appearance. It irked him to no end to see her so relaxed around Kakashi when she was so tense and nervous around him. Now she was all buddy-buddy with Guy too!
His mood didn't improve when he noticed her body tensing up and her fingers twiddling nervously in front of her as soon as she saw him coming towards them. His exasperation, however, didn't last too long when he took in Hinata's appearance. She looked beautiful. Sadly, his appraisal of her didn't last long because Guy interrupted him with his congratulations on having such a lovely companion. Kakashi had to drag him away so that the love doves could have a moment alone and so that Sasuke would introduce her to all the guests.
The couple proceeded to make the rounds of the party. Actually more like different people approached them to say hello to Sasuke and his "lovely guest," whom he plainly introduced as "Hinata Hyuuga." At this she didn't know if she should feel sad or relieved that he didn't introduce her as just a "friend." Maybe she wasn't important enough to bother classifying? She shook her head and decided that it was better not to think about it.
She could barely keep track of all the people that were introducing themselves until a short, older gentleman with a full head of white hair who looked like a grandpa out of a storybook effusively hugged Sasuke.
"My boy! Who is this lovely young woman?" At Sasuke's response, the man's eyes twinkled and his full attention turned to Hinata. "So you are the new writer Sasuke discovered? Kakashi said you'd be here," he said shaking Hinata's hand warmly.
Hinata blinked, not sure she had heard right. "E-excuse me?"
"Oh dear, where are my manners? I am Sakuraba-sensei. I have been tutoring Uchihas for a third of my life and looking for new literary talents twice as long." Hinata was so perplexed, she merely stared at him. He didn't seem to mind or care much as he continued on, "I have been reading some of your work Sasuke sent me and it's very good. I would like to see some more but for now I think Raindrops would be perfect for the next issue of our Young Talents magazine."
Hinata turned around looking for the hidden camera and then to Sasuke, who, with his silence seemed to corroborate that the jolly old man wasn't joking. Sasuke had to contain himself to not laugh at the "someone pinch me" look on Hinata's face.
After exchanging contact information and a warm handshake with Hinata, Sakuraba-sensei excused himself to go talk to some of the other guests. Hinata dazedly watched the white head walk away and mingle into the crowd until it disappeared from her sight. She then turned to look at Sasuke with a "did that just happen?" look on her face. Was she really getting published? Was her dream finally going to become a reality?
Thanks to his iron discipline, Sasuke didn't burst out laughing at Hinata's expression, instead he nonchalantly said, "yes, he was real."
Hinata's face split into a bright smile and a "thank you! Thank you!" spilled from her lips.
As much as Sasuke wanted to take all the credit and keep all of Hinata's gratitude to himself, he was an honest man. "It was Kakashi. He told Sakuraba about you."
"I know, but Sakuraba-sensei said you had sent him some of my work... how did you...?"
"Your father. He was very happy to email me copies of your work."
Deciding to push to the back of her mind the thought that her father had been going through her things, again (in order to insure the safety and wellbeing of his daughters, or so he said, he periodically conducted inspections of their rooms while they were in school), she let happiness overtake her. It was a sign that her father didn't disapprove of her being a writer. As head of the family he wasn't allowed to encourage her openly, so this was his way of telling her. She had to give him a big hug when she got home.
She was also happy that Sauke had helped forward her writing to Sakuraba-sensei. It meant he wasn't opposed to her being a writer either. One less thing to worry about if we get married, she thought happily until another thought crossed her mind. Maybe he did it because since he wasn't going to marry her he couldn't care less what she did with her life. She decided to stop the negative thoughts on their tracks and instead focus on the wonderful news she had just received: she was going to be published! In a magazine, but published nonetheless! That could open many doors for her. And was she imagining things or had that been a smile playing on Sasuke's lips at her stunned expression? She couldn't be happier.
She was soon pulled from her musings by a flurry of movement of people sitting down and Guy's cheerful voice saying it was "dinner time" and "plenty of chairs over here" while patting the chairs at either side of him inviting her and Sasuke to his table.
"Can't imagine why," murmured Sasuke sarcastically as he made his way towards the table, not quite as begrudgingly as he made it sound. He'd rather sit with bowl cut than with Itachi, his father, and the other executives. If they didn't have Uchiha Enterprises in common, Sasuke was sure they would have nothing else to talk about.
Hinata followed suit, delighted to see Kakashi at the same table. She wanted to thank him too. When they arrived to the table, it took her a moment to realize that Sasuke wasn't just standing behind a chair pondering where to sit. He had actually pulled a chair for —she looked behind her to make sure no one else was there— her! She sat down, her cheeks tinting at the gesture, and gave him a small smile and a thank you while Kakashi watched in delight. Sasuke was definitely warming up to Hinata.
"Thank you very much, Kakashi-san, for telling Sakuraba-sensei about me."
"Don't mention it. Sasuke did all the work anyways. I just happened to mention your name. So, did he give you good news?"
A bright smile lit Hinata's face as she nodded, "he wants to publish one of my poems in a magazine."
"Oh so you are a writer?" asked Guy as waiters began to bring plates of salad to the tables.
Hinata blushed. "Not really, I only write in my spare time."
"You're writing, so that makes you a writer," replied Sasuke with a playful smirk.
"I guess," she couldn't help the giggle escaping her lips.
The rest of the dinner transpired amid friendly chatter and as dessert was being served one of the top executives walked up to the podium to address the guests. He started with the usual pleasantries and thanked all of the employees for their work while celebrating the many successes of the past year. Hinata had almost tuned him out completely as she enjoyed the last half of her chocolate cake when her ears perked up at the mention of the company's chief financial officer.
"I want to give special thanks to our chief financial officer, Sasuke Uchiha, for all his hard work. We owe much of our success to his hard work and dedication. Our profits increased by 20% this past year thanks to his wise investments and cost saving strategies." At this the crowd broke into excited applause.
Hinata excitedly turned to look at Sasuke. He didn't look elated, but then again Hinata would have driven him to the emergency room if he had, but she could tell he was happy and she was very happy for him as well. "Congratulations, Sasuke-san!"
To his own surprise he found himself replying with a quiet thank you. Usually he brushed off people's congratulations and praise since he knew most of the time they didn't mean it, but he could tell Hinata was sincere. Her simple congratulation meant more than all the applause filling the room.
As the applause died down, the speaker finished his speech and the guests were left to finish their desserts. Hinata was working on the last bite of hers when she saw two black haired men walking towards their table. They looked very familiar. She couldn't quite place them but she was certain she had seen them before… but where? And then it finally hit her as they were warmly greeting her.
"Hinata-chan!"
"U-Uchiha-sama," she choked out as she nervously returned Fugaku and Itachi Uchiha's handshakes.
"You're even prettier in person, dear," Fugaku said as he took the vacant seat next to Hinata while Itachi stood behind him nodding in agreement.
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke grumbled from Hinata's left.
"We got tired of waiting for you to introduce lovely Hinata to us," Fugaku said with a pout that she almost mirrored. She had been wondering all night if Sasuke was ever going to introduce her to his family. A part of her was relieved that she didn't have to meet them and thus avoiding possibly embarrassing herself in front of her prospective in-laws, but another part of her was sad that perhaps Sasuke didn't deem her worthy of an introduction.
Fugaku shook her from her reveries by waving a mini album that he had pulled from his jacket's pocket. "Do you want to see my adorable grandchildren?" Without waiting for an answer he opened the album to reveal several pictures of three beautiful children with the signature Uchiha jet black hair and eyes.
"They're adorable," she said with a smile.
"Just like their dad," said Itachi with a wink. "Was that a snort, Sasuke? I'll have you know Midori fully agrees with me."
"Is that why she's here hanging from your arm?" replied Sasuke dripping sarcasm.
"No, little Midori had a fever so she stayed home," he said indignantly.
Hinata and Fugaku watched the exchange in amusement and then returned their attention to the album. Fugaku continued flipping the pages until he got to the blank pages towards the middle. "These are reserved for Sasuke's children," he told her with a wink and Hinata's face turned cherry at what Fugaku was implying. "Hiashi swears the children will have the Hyuuga eyes but I just know the Uchiha eyes will win," he continued naturally as if Hinata and Sasuke's marriage was written on stone. That explained who her dad had been talking to earlier that day when he was giggling like a high school girl.
"And that would be why you don't get introduced to anyone," grumbled Sasuke.
Fugaku graced his son with another pout and promptly turned to Hinata, mini album in hand to no doubt discuss possible baby names when a couple of older gentlemen stopped by their table.
"Sasuke, good job!" said one of the men, to which Sasuke responded with a nod.
"Yes, good job," added the second gentleman. "You are on your way to being as good as Itachi."
"Indeed! Remember, how Itachi secured that multi-million dollar contract on his first week at Uchiha Enterprises?"
Hinata couldn't believe her ears, the nerve of these men! They couldn't just pay a compliment. They had to go and make a comparison and how she hated comparisons. She turned to look at Sasuke to see he was the picture of composure. At first sight he looked like he couldn't care less but his fingers curling into loose fists and his perma-scowl deepening just a fraction gave his true feelings away. She wanted to kick the old men on the shins and tell them to shut up when music started playing in the background and she was spirited away by Guy to the dance floor. "Hinata-chan, please help me show Kakashi here who the best dancer is!"
After four dances, two with each competitor, she was finally free to sit back down and catch her breath. She wasn't too surprised to see that Sasuke wasn't at their table. She was worried about him. She knew too well what it felt like to be compared to others. After looking around the room fruitlessly she finally asked, "Kakashi-san, have you seen Sasuke-san?"
"Probably in his office. Fifth floor second door to the left when you get off the elevator," he replied with a wink.
Hinata took that as permission to go look for him, trying to overlook the fact that it was Sasuke's and not Kakashi's permission she needed to go after him. He probably just wanted to be alone, but she didn't think it was fair that he would be upset by something those men had said. Perhaps he wasn't even upset; maybe she was just projecting her feelings onto him, having been treated like that for most of her life.
She went up the elevator and with Kakashi's directions had no trouble finding Sasuke's office. She saw the door ajar and peeked inside to make sure it was the right one. She knocked softly on the door before letting herself in. She'd normally wait to be told to come in but since the door was as good as open and she was worried about him she summoned some courage and walked in hoping he wouldn't kick her out. She found him standing next to his desk looking out the window.
"Um... Sasuke-san... don't listen to those guys. They have no right to belittle your accomplishments," she said in one breath before she lost the little bit of courage that the indignation in her chest had given her and before he could turn around and tell her to leave him alone.
Sasuke felt someone come in and, thinking it was Kakashi barging in as usual, was about to tell him to go away when he heard Hinata's shy voice. Then the annoyance he felt when he thought it was Kakashi was replaced by anger. Who did she think she was to pity him? He turned around to tell her off but stopped mid-breath when he saw the expression on her face.
"I don't understand why people feel the need to make comparisons instead of just celebrating an accomplishment," she continued quietly, looking at the wall.
"Speaking from personal experience?" It was more a statement than a question.
She nodded slowly and met his gaze for a second before returning it to that very interesting spot she had found on the wall, "my younger sister is a genius. She is truly amazing. Everything she does is perfect, so no matter what I do I can never measure up to all of her accomplishments. I really love and admire her, but I wish people would see me for who I am and for what I've done."
As he heard Hinata voice exactly what was in his head, he remembered the words of one of the poems that had been in the file Hinata's father had sent him.
Silent tears
Suffering in silence for your love
Feel my gaze
Longingly looking for your attention…
If you could get to know me
If you could see inside of me
Maybe you would understand
That I am not invisible
Eyes that can't see
A heart that wants to be,
That begs
Can't you see?
That I am not invisible
I am like the nothingness
I don't have to disappear
I feel like you are killing me
That even when you see me
You don't want to look at me
That even face to face you won't look at me
If you could get to know me
If you could see inside of me
Maybe you would understand
That I am not invisible
He had liked most of her works, but this one had struck a chord with him. It was as if it had been written for him. Now he knew why. He and Hinata were on the same boat, both of them trying to move from under the shadow of a sibling; trying to get their families to acknowledge them.
"Yeah," he said after a moment of silence.
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief at Sasuke's response. She was worried that she had upset him comparing his situation to her pathetic one. After all, he was a lot stronger than her and she was sure that he would one day outshine his brother. As for her, she wasn't too sure.
"So what are we trying for today?"
Sasuke's voice brought her out of her musings with a start. "E-excuse me?"
"What boyfriend-girlfriend thing are we trying for today?" he asked with a smirk plastered on his face and amusement dancing in his eyes at her reaction.
"Why do I always have to come up with something?"
"It was your idea."
"Right," she answered in defeat.
She was racking her brain thinking of what they could try when she heard Sasuke mutter, "fine, my turn." She was still processing in her head what he had said when she felt Sasuke's arms encircle her from behind.
Sasuke almost let go of her when he felt her stiffen at his touch but then she immediately relaxed and leaned back on his chest, grabbing his arm from below. He then tightened his hold on her and rested his chin on top of her head. He didn't know how long they had been like that but he was sure it hadn't been long enough when Kakashi barged in and interrupted them.
Both of them let go of each other instantly as if they had been scorched by the other. Kakashi was torn between wanting to shoot himself for interrupting such a moment and wanting to jump on one foot in happiness at the progress being made. However, he used all of his self-control to act as if he hadn't seen anything. If he made a big deal about it, he knew Sasuke would just put his walls back up and distance himself from Hinata.
"Your father is looking for you. Marukawa's CEO actually made it and would like to discuss your bid."
Sasuke nodded. On his way to the door, he paused and looked at Hinata. "This will probably take a while."
"Don't worry, I can call my driver to pick me up," she replied, still too embarrassed to meet his eyes.
"Nonsense! I'll take you home, Hinata-chan. Sasuke can make it up to you tomorrow," he said with a wink wrapping an arm around her shoulders and watching with delight Sasuke's brows furrow slightly. Oh yes, things were progressing satisfactorily. Getting his books back didn't seem so farfetched anymore.
"OK. Good night then," he said and left the office.
"Good night. See you tomorrow," said Hinata, suddenly realizing that they hadn't decided where to go, but it was too late. Sasuke was already gone.
Kakashi seemed to read her mind, "just meet him up at his house and you can decide where to go from there."
"Good idea. Thanks."
She followed him back to the hall in high spirits. The Uchihas were nowhere to be found, no doubt already behind closed doors discussing business. She did get to say good bye to Guy, who made her promise that wouldn't be the last time they'd get together. After all, she just had to see how much better than Kakashi he was in karaoke.
Once home, Hinata found herself humming happily while putting on her pajamas and brushing her teeth. It had been an amazing night. Her work was getting published and she felt she had gotten closer to Sasuke. Yes, this night was definitely going down in history as one of the best nights of her life.
Author's Note: Hinata's poem is a translation of "Invisible" by Jesse & Joy. That was day 5. Please stay tuned for the next one!
Reviews are always welcome
