"Sasuke-dono..." the maid gave sasuke a nod implying him to come over. Sasuke got up from his seat and went to the maid and guard. Hinata watched as the guard handed Sasuke a scroll.

Hinata looked elsewhere in the room; she didn't want any of them to think she was nosey.

*SHEEAAKKKKKK THUD* Hinata looked at the other end of the table where she saw sasuke take a seat. She smiled at him at him to rid of any awkwardness. He looked at her and rolled the small scroll across the table heartlessly. Her eyes opened a bit wider as she thought it was an important document meant for his eyes only. The scroll rolled nearer; she looked at him once more to make sure he would allow her to look. Her hands grabbed the scroll and she slowly opened it. There it read:

You,UchihaSasuke, are cordially invited to celebrate the marriage of

HyuugaHinata

And

HyuugaNeji

On Sunday the twentieth of November

At theHyuugaestate

The scroll dropped from hinata's hand, hitting the table. Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. She looked up at sasuke; his face was looking off to the side in anger. Though to anyone else he had his usual "cold" face, she could feel his frustration radiating off him.

"Sasu…ke" again in front of him she cried. This time silently, she looked dumbfounded, only streams of tears coming down her face. Without a word sasuke got up from the table. He walked towards Hinata; he picked up the scroll and walked over to the crackling fireplace in the living room. The maid set up the fire every morning as to warm up the home in the fall and winter. Scroll in his hand he stood in front of the raging fire and tossed it in. Watching the name of his lover and her arranged fiancé's name burn.

He turned around when he heard Hinata sniff. He walked back to her.

"I-I-I thought I had…"Hinata took a deep shaky breath "time…"

Standing behind her Sasukes arms wrapped around hinata and rested on her shoulders. She felt his heartbeat pounding through his chest and into her back. She started to cry harder.

The maid walked partially into the room, tray full of food, and slowly backed away as she saw the situation at hand.

Hinata's hands curled into fists on the table, she sniffed once more and held Sasuke's hands, draping at her neck, and removed them. She stood up and began to walk away. *shheeaaakk thud* she left sasuke. He didn't chase her.

She was walking back to the hyuuga estate through the village, still in his t-shirt and shorts. Most of the villagers that afternoon, watched as the heiress took her walk of shame back home. For once she didn't care about what the villagers thought about her. She walked passed Ino's flowershop.

"Hinata?" Ino's voice was softer than usual as she saw the miserable hinata pass her store.

Hinata looked back, her eyes bloodshot. Ino came out of her store and hugged Hinata. Ino took her back to the shop for tea. They sat at the usual small table in the corner ino made her friends sit at. Ino showed Hinata a small scroll. It's was a request for flowers for the wedding, from Hinata's father. Hinata looked to the corner of the ceiling and took a deep breath hiding her anger and frustration.

"Is it true?" Ino asked in a very gentle way

Hinata looked at Ino, she took a shaky breathe in and closed her eyes gently.

Ino reached out her hand to cover Hinata's hands on the table, trying to console her friend.

"Ten ten came this morning…"Ino said hesitantly. Hinata looked at Ino; she hadn't even thought of how Ten ten would be feeling.

"She's banned from seeing him."Ino said under her breath.

Hinata felt horrible. She couldn't handle it anymore. The bells above the door rang. Hinata wiped away her tears as Ino got up to tend to the customer.

"Oh…" Ino let out surprised.

Hinata looked over at the doorway, there her father stood.

"Hinata." Hiashi said in his usual stern voice

Hinata sniffed "Father."

He turned to her "Where were you last night? You didn't come home."

"She was here." Ino said aloud, covering for her friend.

Hiashi looked at hinata's clothes, and looked at Ino. Ino was much leaner and taller than Hinata; the clothes could've been hers, though the clothes were very masculine.

Hiashi turned to Ino "How are the arrangements coming along?"

'"Yes, everything is going smoothly…"Ino said diverting her eyes from the tall intimidating man.

"Hinata…"Hiashi turned around facing the door. "Let's go."

Hinata lifelessly followed her father out the store and home.

The gate of the Hyuuga estate closed behind them.

"Father…"Hinata spoke firmly. Hiashi turned to his daughter in the courtyard. "You said a week…"Hinata looked at the ground.

"I received notice of your leave from missions."Hinata looked up at her father as he said this.

"There's no point in waiting any longer…"Hiashi turned back around to leave.

"But… why! I'm not going to be the next clan leader! Why do I have to get married?" Hinata yelled at her father's back.

He stood still, his back facing her. He didn't answer back. He walked away until he reached the screen door of the home. "You will be marrying Neji." He entered the home. "You will not be allowed to leave this place until then." He coughed and then shut the screen behind him.

She fell on her knees, and wept.

Sasuke stood there as he watched his lover leave him without words. The one person he felt himself to love for the first time in a long time left him. He knew she had a reason for doing so, but he was still frustrated. Why hadn't she waited for him? Why didn't they go together so he could tell her father? He walked back into his room their clothes still on the floor; he retraced their steps of lovemaking in his mind. He hated the fact that earlier this morning could be the last time he got to touch her. He put on a heavy coat and left his compound. The leaves spun in small cyclones around him on the street as the wind picked up. He pulled the collar of his jacket forward covering the lower half of his face. He neared the Hyuuga estate; Neji stepped out of the gates. Sasuke was faced with his comrade and his lover's fiancé. Neji gave a nod, and went on his way to the village. Sasuke walked until he was met with the two guards at the gate. Sasuke looked beyond the two guards focusing on the home of Hinata. Sasuke gave the two men a cold glare; something inside of him stopped him from proceeding any further. He turned and walked away, disappointed with himself.

Hinata, opened her window as she saw a familiar shadow leave outside the gates. She couldn't go to him, she felt helpless.

*Knock**Knock* Hinata looked over at her door, a house maid and another woman walked into her room.

"Hinata-sama, you should close the window, you'll get sick."The maid told her

Hinata stepped away from the window as the maid went and closed it. "Hinata-sama" This is your dressmaker. She'll be taking your measurements today."

Reality sunk into Hinata's mind even more. She took her place on a pedestal spreading her arms at her side as the dressmaker took her measurements.

Sasuke made his way to the village.

"Oi! Sasuke!" A roaring voice called out to him from behind. Sasuke turned around and saw kiba with Lee and Chouji.

"You coming to BBQ tonight?" Chouji asked sasuke as they approached him.

"Yes! Are you coming we're all going to go bond over some grilled meat!" Lee said as usual, enthusiastically.

Sasuke nodded his head no. "You guys go ahead." Sasuke turned and began to walk away.

"Can you believe Neji and Hinata are getting married!" Chouji's voice echoed

"Everyone is! First shikamaru now neji!" Kiba said boisterously

"Ah! Just wait one day sakura and I will too!" Lee said raising his fist in the air

Sasuke listened as their voices went into the distance. His frustration grew more within him; yet he helplessly did nothing.

'even if I did tell hiashi, would he agree? A hyuuga and uchiha? A blending of clans. What if the result is a dud; she'd only get punished more.'Sasuke thought to himself as he wandered around the village.

In a million years he never thought that he'd get to know someone like her, it was such little time but she made him feel something he hadn't felt in a woman in years, trust. With so many women pursuing him, he knew it was only for his name and his estate.

'Why, why do I care so much about her? Why do I get mad when I see her with someone other than me, why do I…'

And just like that; while roaming the village, like a child who just found out snow melts into water, surprisingly he found his answer.

He loved her.