Chapter 6: Free
"Make a pact with yourself today to not be defined by your past. Sometimes the greatest thing to come out of all your hard work isn't what you get for it, but what you become for it. Shake things up today! Be You...Be Free...Share." ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
.
.
The events of the past week were depressing as such, but they all prayed that the upcoming week would get better; Hinata, from her tiny room in Ino's basement; Hanabi, from her lonely, extravagant room in the Hyuuga palace; and Tenten, from her small, quarantined jail cell. All prayed hard and some tried to forgive even though their hearts were hurting. Change had to come. It had too.
Hinata got up from her kneeling position on the floor, clad in one of Ino's night dresses. She was not tired, not at all. She was restless ever since Tenten's phone call from the jailhouse. The call had cost her money that she didn't have at the moment, but who wouldn't pick up a call from a dear friend? It didn't matter what the circumstances were, Hinata wanted to get Tenten out somehow. But how? The girl didn't have $6,000 on her.
The she looked towards window positioned upwards toward the wall. The moon's light shined through the makeshift window and illuminated throughout the partially dusty room. Hinata bit her lip and nervously rubbing her hands together. Who could she get the money from? Ino and Konan were out of the question; the generous blonde was giving her a place to stay and was willing to be her lawyer for her case while Konan was still by her side as her assistant even though the meek girl couldn't afford her. Itachi was a definite no.
Gaara was then ruled out; he had a job waiting for her in the Fall so she couldn't possible ask him for bail-money along with the fact that she didn't know him very well. Hinata sighed heavily and clutched her indigo tresses. Maybe she should have taken the money that Hanabi had offered her; she could have gotten a small house and paid off Tenten's bail without any hassle. Her part-time job at one of the diners downtown didn't start until next week, but she couldn't possibly leave Tenten in jail for a week. The whole prison would be in danger then.
Hinata pondered and ran through the faces of people that had helped her throughout her life. Who was the one person that always got her what she needed and sometimes wanted? Her father, but she doubt he would help her now.
So, who was always there for her in times of economic failure? Who? A gasp went up into the dusty air of the basement.
Sasuke.
The former-Hyuuga grimaced. Sasuke? The man who was causing all this Hell?
Although he put her through a lot, he always gave her what she wanted, which wasn't much. Even then he would spoil her when she was content. Though she couldn't stand the thought, she knew he would give her the money. But did she want to stoop so low to ask him for money? Would he laugh at her for being financially unstable?
Hinata shook her head, ridding herself of the negative thoughts. Of course she would do this for Tenten! She was her best friend, the one person who had always been there for her, and she had a child who was for sure missing her. The girl's heart tightened at the thought of her own mother being in a jail cell for however long.
She looked towards her clock. 8:30. She still had time.
The girl threw on some jeans and a shirt before grabbing her lilac jacket. She checked her pocket for money. Only seven dollars. It will have to do for now. It was a hot night, but that didn't stop Hinata from zipping up the jacket and quickly exiting the quiet house.
She stopped at the bus stop and waited. She was determined to get Tenten out. No matter the circumstances.
The Uchiha Mansion was full of guests that night - an engagement party was taking place. Rumors suggested that every celebrity known to man would be in attendance; others suggested that only close friends of the family would be there. Both were right.
A live band dressed in the whitest suits performed flawlessly, receiving rounds of applause after every number. The servers stood about with straight posture and void faces, waiting at the beck and call of their guests. Everyone there was beautiful and unique in their gowns and tuxedos. So beautiful that it seemed unreal. It also seemed unreal that Mikoto Uchiha, dressed in the most expensive gown of the night, was slumped in a chair glaring at everyone in her range.
Fugaku was seen from a far distance chatting with the newly-engaged couple. Mikoto rolled her eyes in irritation at the sight. She admitted that the woman was an extremely beautiful girl, but she couldn't see past that - there was nothing she admired about the pinkette. She could almost feel her blood boiling at the thought of Fugaku leaving her for another woman, a model at that. Her and Sakura had nothing to compare other than the men that they had, and that was a stretch anyway.
"Are you enjoying the party, Mrs. Uchiha?". Mikoto looked up and into the smiling face of Hana Inuzuka, the owner of the little pet shop downtown. And Itachi's long-time girlfriend, although the girl hated to have that title hung over her.
Mikoto sighed and ushered the commoner to sit down next to her. "Would you stop calling me that, foolish child? Won't you just call me mama?"
Hana blushed while putting some brown hair behind her diamond-studded ear."I-It seems that the festivities are a bore to you."
Mikoto rolled her eyes before looking back at the pair again. "Why would any of this be fun? I'm ready for this monstrosity to end…"
Hana smiled a little at the woman's gruffness and decided to change the subject. "You know, you and Mr. Uchiha are so kind as to let Sasuke use the old mansion for tonight. My mother would never ever let me throw a party at the house."
Mikoto turned towards the young girl and smirked. "She probably would if you would just get Itachi to propose already -" Hana started to choke on air before the woman could get out the full sentence.
"M-Mrs. Uchiha, Itachi and I are no where near ready for that!"
Mikoto narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying that you don't plan on marrying my boy?! He's a good catch - he handsome, smart, loves and respects his mama, and from what I see, comes at your beck and call! Are you one of those hussies that date men for their money?!"
Hana started to sputter, her face becoming extremely red much to the Mikoto's amusement.
Said woman laughed and hit the girl on the back, earning a startled yelp from her. "I'm just kidding, Hana! Calm down girl, you're starting to sweat.", Mikoto laughed.
The laughter quieted down and the pair stared at the pinkette and the dark-haired man.
Hana looked at Mikoto from the corner of her eyes. So many emotions flashed through the obsidian orbs; sadness, anger, and strangely guilt. "Mrs. Uchiha?" Both continued to stare at the now dancing couple. They looked too perfect for each other. Almost unrealistic.
Mikoto sighed as she pulled a piece of hair behind her ear."...I just wish that I had raised my sons better. I was so concerned on being a good wife that I forgot that I also had to be a good mother, too. But now...how...", Mikoto sighed once again. ,"Where did he get the idea that it was okay to do this? Is there something I missed? Where did I go wrong?"
Hana frowned. "You shouldn't question yourself, Mrs. Uchiha - you are a good mother! He's a grown-ass man - he knows right from wrong! Yet he has the audacity to attempt to bring some woman into the family while he's still married to Hyuuga-san. It isn't right. He knows it, yet he knows that you'll forgive him, which is why he won't change.."
"...you're right…",Mikoto sighed and looked up at the walls. Uchiha fans covered them. She then smiled. "I see why Itachi won't let you go. You're honest and loyal."
The Inuzuka blushed red for the upteenth time that night and quickly turned around to cover it up.
Mikoto started to laugh when she caught sight of the person of conversation. "Well well, speak of the devil."
Hana looked away when Itachi took his seat next to her, giving his mother a nod before nudging the blushing girl. Hana frowned and folded her arms while attempting to move away from the Uchiha, who simply pulled her chair closer to himself while looking towards his mother.
"Mother, are you teasing again?"
Mikoto threw her hands up and muttered. "Oh Heavens no. Why would I do that?"
Itachi folded his arms as he looked around at the bustling gathering. "Tonight will be full of surprises."
Mikoto looked at him in question, arching a dark eyebrow at him.
"Sasuke's wife is outside.", Itachi said
The two women were stunned into silence among the loud party. All three then looked on at Sasuke and Sakura as one of the elder butlers whispered into the Uchiha's ear. The man stormed away towards the exit, leaving his fiance staring after him, a confused expression gracing her beauty.
Mikoto's eyes widened and she quickly stood and followed after her son
.
The humongous gate of the mansion made Hinata reconsider her actions a little. The girl stared ahead at the entrance in a certain trance. Could she really just walk up to the mansion and demand to see him after all this? She started to pace back in forward among the steps before stopping completely. Tenten's smile popped in her head. The girl sighed before quickly knocking on the large doors.
The door was opened by one of the butlers of the Mansion. The man's balding head was shiny and such in the moon light.
His eyes widened in recognition at the girl."Hyuuga-hime, what a pleasant surprise. Please come in."
Hinata then thought that she must have looked horrible to the man; he was treating her like a homeless person. The girl shook her head. "N-No thank you, sir. I just wanted to see someone for a minute."
No other words were exchanged as the butler practically dragged the poor girl to the living area. She was left sitting on one of the plump couches.
Once the man rushed away, the bluette sinked into the cushiony couch, nervousness bouncing on her being. While waiting, the girl scanned the walls. Pictures of the family were everywhere, dating back to the 1800s and such. Baby pictures were no where to be found though, which struck the girl as odd. Hinata then realized what she was here for.
Any minute now, he would be here. This was the first time in weeks that she would see him since his 'engagement'. Hinata clenched her jacket. It still hurt, really bad. Did he ever love her at a certain point? Did he really care about her? They had dated a little before getting married, surely he should have grown feelings for her as she did for him. She was still in love with him, that hateful, rude man. The man that was divorcing her and leaving her for the woman he had always loved and wanted beside him. The bluette looked towards her shaking hands.
What would she say to him? Would her anger overpower her? Would she cry endlessly for him to come back to her? Nothing. Nothing swelled in the girl's chest; she was empty. She suddenly grew scared. Why wasn't she angry? Why wasn't she said? Do I love Sasuke? Nothing made her heart beat fast.
Hinata glanced at a certain picture that was still on the wall. Sasuke and her on a picture during their engagement party. She was so happy on that day, even though Sasuke was a brooding drama queen. The picture was so nice; her indigo hair contrasted with his dark locks, and his tiny smirk and her gigantic smile set it off perfectly. Hinata's eyes softend before confusion lighted them up.
In the background of the picture, a pink-haired woman stared at the camera as well, a pained look those green gems. What the hell?
"Hinata."
Hinata ignored Sasuke's voice as she lifted from the couch and took the big picture off the wall. Her eyes weren't fooling her; it really was Sakura in the background. Pieces started to come together.
Main Gang? An organization made up of the most successful businesses in Japan.
How did they achieve their goals in coming up with this? Sasuke married her, which made her the wife of an Uchiha heir and left the Hyuuga Heir vulnerable. Neji gladly took this from her.
Shikamaru gave her papers when she was busy about a joint-account of both the Hyuuga and Hyuuga branches funds; it was really an undercover separation paper. If she ever wanted to divorce the bastard, she wouldn't get any money because at the time of his affairs they were, not to her knowing, legally separated.
Naruto tried to smooth talk her sister into telling him what she was doing to see if she had found out about their plan. Hinata balled her fists in anger. Genius. So in the end, he married me for power and influence over Japan.
When their plan came into effect, Main Gang would be untouchable. Those bastards. All of them are using me. They're trying to take away everything I have. Tenten was forgotten.
"I don't have all day.", spoke the devil himself. Hinata couldn't think right now, she was seeing red. A sound of clacking heels came in suddenly, which stirred Hinata's thoughts. She knew exactly who it was. Mikoto Uchiha.
"Oh my God, you poor thing!" Mikoto rushed towards the bluette, who was still looking at the picture in her hands in a daze. The girl's hands were trembling. "I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry."
The former-Hyuuga ignored the woman and turned towards Sasuke a deadly look in her eyes. Sasuke remained emotionless.
Her tennis shoes quietly walked towards the tall man, the picture long gone and shattered on the marble floor. A squeak came from Mikoto.
"I can't believe it. Y-You were playing me this whole t-time." The room was tense and silent. Mikoto covered her mouth and couldn't stop the flow of tears from coming; she had found out. No tears came from the bluette's lavender orbs; they were sad and misty, which made the Uchiha's eyes widen.
He had expected her to yell at him, curse him, and attack him. But here she stood, in commoner clothes, looking up at him in sadness. His expression did not change though; he still thought of the sight of her as pathetic. She continued.
"I-I'm sorry for interrupting y-your night...", Hinata pulled her indigo hair over her shoulder and stared at him a little longer. God, he was so beautiful.
The enormous livingroom was quickly filled up by the noisy guests of the event; Sakura stared on at the heart-felt seen, a few tears in her own eyes caused by her guilty conscious. Fugaku held no emotion; he held his wife as she shook her head in disbelief at the situation.
Hinata soon spoke.
"But I have to get something off my chest.", she turned back towards her soon to be ex-husband, "In these past few weeks, I was mad and upset at you. I cried everday and prayed that you would come back to me. I-I would have t-taken you back despite what you had done to me, because I thought I loved you." Hitched breaths came after that,
Hinata looked back down at her feet. "All the times I said that I loved you, I lied. I stopped loving you after I found out you were with someone else... I'm sorry I can't take it back."
Fugaku shook his head and looked over towards Sasuke; his face remained stoic.
Hana watched on in confusion as Itachi stood beside her, arms folded in deep thought.
"I guess I just wanted to belong somewhere. I-I wanted to feel wanted and accepted for who I was despite me being weak and s-shy. I wanted to be truly loved." She then averted her gaze to his dark eyes and was not surprised to see an emotion that he showed in them when he looked at her; nothing. "I'm just going to say it now then...I-I don't love you anymore, Sasuke. I don't need y-you to fight my battles anymore. I don't w-want to be bullied by you anymore. I won't a-ask you for anything, I won't speak to y-you anymore!
"So, forget about me! Don't check up on me! I'm fine without you! Keep your money and love all to yourself because I don't want it anymore!" I never had it anyway...
Just as Hinata was about to walk out the house, two thin arms held her in place and pushed towards a soft embrace.
The room was silent once again. Mikoto was hugging the broken girl like her life was on the line. Hinata wiggled out her in-law's embrace and ran out the door. Sasuke watched her leave, a tint of anger splashed in his orbs.
She didn't know why, but she felt free. Free from the marriage, from the fame, and from the man she didn't think she would ever love.
Hinata walked non-stop from the mansion. She was sleepy and content. Her whole marriage was a joke; a plot to get power-high. She had wasted two years of her life trying to love him for who he was. She was faithful to him even though he humiliated her. But she didn't hate him; she felt nothing. The girl sighed and hummed a little.
She was humming a tone so loudly that she didn't even notice a 2013 Cadillac CTS pull up beside her jacket-clad figure. The girl jumped once she heard the beep. The tinted windows then rolled down.
"Haha, looks like the bitch ran away from home!"
Hinata's peace turned to sheer fear at the sight of Hidan smirking at her through the driver's window.
She noted that Sasori was beside the albino, staring at her with glassy eyes. "Che, figures that she would turn into a street walker soon. She's broke since that Uchiha left her. Shame." The redhead pulled out his wallet. " Anyway, do you take solid bills, cause that's all I've got on me. I need a piece of that hot ass!"
Hinata grimaced at the redhead's comment. He was drunk, which is why Hidan is driving. Not that is helps much.
The back window soon rolled down and appeared the blond beauty, Deidara. His blue eyes gleamed in acknowledgement and soon a grin came to his face. "Need a ride cutie?"
Hinata looked around and back at the car. It was nearly 12 O'clock, too late for someone like her to be out on the street. The girl was taking a risk, but who cares? She shrugged before getting in the back seat of the car.
What did she have to lose anyway?
Hidan drove the car at full speed, the music was pounding over the speakers. Hinata quickly buckled her seatbelt before glancing at the blond man. He was singing the rock song aloud with Hidan at the moment. The girl's eyes sparkled in admiration. He was care-free. Like mother. His blonde hair was undone and his shirt was messy, but he was so happy in this moment. Hinata smiled at the group of business men.
From that moment on, Hinata decided she would try to be carefree for a while. At nineteen, who wouldn't? Hinata took off her jacket and threw it on the floor of the expensive car.
"Got any ideas, Hyuuga?", asked Sasori as he looked back at her through wild hazel eyes. Much like Tenten.
Hinata gasped then. "Oh no." I forgot all about her…
Deidara turned towards her. The high that was in the vehicle was gone, replaced with silence. He then questioned her about it.
"M-My friend is in jail. I don't h-have the money to g-g-", Hinata began, but was quickly silence the sudden swerve Hidan hit, which made her grip Deidara in order to keep her balance.
"Shit!", Sasori chocked out, having had his head slammed into the window by Hidan's sudden turn. "What the hell! Are you trying fucking kill us?
Hidan grinned and stomped on the pedal, causing Hinata to tighten her grip on Deidara.
The bluette yelled at the crazy albino. "W-What's going on?!"
Periwinkle eyes looked at her through the rear-view mirror. "We're going to bail out your bitch!"
"W-What…", she looked around the car, seeing Sasori's sickly expression and Deidara's slight grin.
She started to ask why, but couldn't stop the smile that formed on her lips.
They were lunatics. She was grateful.
