Hello everyone! Here's chapter ten! It's a bit short but i promise ill make it up for it! :) enjoy!
Thank you BashyBunny, XxMelony-kunXx, Atykka, ChocStraw, lovelyme9, StopTeasing, and XxcandichanxX for the loving reviews and suggestions!
You guys rock! :)
Chapter 10
The Marriage
The soon to be married couple reached Sunagakure right as the sun set, both tired and exhausted from the long journey.
Hinata stood nervously, her face an unusual greenish face and feet shaking like two small twigs about to snap.
Kami, what happened in the last few hours. Almost getting kidnapped, meeting a long time friend, destroying her innocence by killing a Suna, and now standing here by Sasuke Uchiha as a betrothed!
How on earth is Sasuke going to convince Gaara and his brother and sister that he's marrying me? He said he'll INFORM them, but knowing the Subaku family, they hate him! And I'm actually agreeing to marry! Hinata sighed softly. If it were any other man, she would have shouted no without hesitation. But why hasn't she said no to Sasuke? Was it because her father wished this? Or was it because of an unidentified feeling in her soul, a feeling that promises peace and safeness. The look in his eye like he actually meant it. Like he wanted her to be..happy. His face grew light when he spoke, his eyes shining bright black and raw emotion dancing. Usually she would have at least thought this over, but only being from Suna a couple hours, she couldn't do anything about it. And here Hinata was in a jumble of nerves, thinking about their unexpected proposition to the Kazekage.
Many months have past since the war, but Hinata knew better than to be non-judge mental. People still hated Sasuke. Not just in Konoha, but in all the other Great Nations. The Kazekage shows no respect to him, not that Hinata knows about, but she definitely knows the Raikage, Mizukage, and the Tshushikage hate him to the guts. Since he has a not so great reputation here, she thought, I guess I might have to take this in my own hands.
Sasuke and Hinata finally reached Sunagakure, the sun setting in the horizon. Hinata was dirtier than ever and Sasuke got dirty all over again.
Both stood shoulder to shoulder waiting for the official to come back and pass them through.
"Uch-, I mean, Sasuke..."
"Hm?" He hummed out, to busy looking ahead for the ninja to come back.
She grasped both her hands together, hiding their trembling state.
"How are you going to tell the Subaku siblings about...this marriage contract?"
"Simple. I just tell them."
"I know that," she spoke irritated. "But specifically."
He led his gaze down to her, a smirk on his face. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
Right as he finished speaking, a shriek from a four pigtailed blonde erupted and she ran towards the Hyuga.
She pounced at the Hyuga, hugging her in a terrible, air taking hug and jumping everywhere. "Hinata! It's been to long!"
Hinata laughed and hug her back as fiercely. "Yes it has."
Temari's hopping has stopped and her eyes drew to a raven haired man next to Hinata.
"The hell he's doing here?"
Sasuke eye twitched. "I'm here to-"
"He's my bodyguard!" Hinata blurted.
Both heads turned to look at her in astonishment.
"He's-uh-here as my bodyguard. These past few months, Neji's been really strict about not leaving a mission without a bodyguard," Hinata blabbers nervously. Her eyes darted to the Uchiha, showing him to play along.
Temari's eyebrow rose. "And he sent the Uchiha?"
"I'm right here you know," he spat.
Before Temari can answer, Hinata beat her to it.
"He was the only one available to do the job and Neji doesn't HATE him. He just...disapproves of Sasuke."
"I'm still here," he grumbled, arms crossed.
She nudged her elbow in his ribcage, silencing him from anything else he had on his mind.
Temari eyed the both of them, looking unconvinced. "Well, aren't you gonna let us in, Temari?" Hinata spoke in a teasing voice. "Or are you going to leave us here?"
She sighed drastically and raised her hands in surrender. "Oh, I guess I can. But you'll have to go meet Gaara first. He hates it when I just let people in and not tell him."
"Perfect," Sasuke spoke and started walking.
Perfect? Temari thought. She looked at Hinata with suspicion. Hinata stood there with a worrisome expression on her face. I knew it that something's not right here.
She walked to Hinata and hugged her again but only to speak in her ear. "You're going to tell me why Sasuke is here and why you kept it a secret, m'kay?"
Hinata sighed. "Forgive me, Temari, I didn't want anyone to overhear. It's only for your ears and your brothers for now."
Temari pulled back, her face showing raging anger and worry. "What's wrong? Is it Sasuke? What has he done to you?"
"Temari, he didn't do anything! Well, not in a bad way..."
"Are you coming or not?" Sasuke yelled over his shoulder, already a couple yards away from them.
"I want details later," Temari whispered be before she squeezed Hinata's hand and started walking side to side with her.
Hinata nodded softly and looked up ahead to the Uchiha's back and his symbol caught his eye. The Uchiha fan marked on his back of his black shirt stood out fiercely, and Hinata couldn't get her eyes of them. Or the feeling that she'll have to wear that symbol soon.
The three shinobis walked silently through the desert streets of the Sand, making people stop, stare and gossip for seeing an unusual pair of Konoha ninja with the Subaku woman. Sasuke paid no attention to this, since he was already used to the stares and Hinata was somewhat used to it too. Her new reputation in Konoha made people stop and admire her, gossip about her too.
After the war, she and Temari grew close together, closer than Tenten, Sakura and Ino were to Hinata. Temari's strong character influenced Hinata to be just like her.
Temari liked her even when she was a quiet one but when she grew more confident, Temari couldn't help but be friends with her. They both spoke their secrets, worries, crying on each others shoulders or even the opposite. They would gossip together, grab a drink and get drunk together, which only happened once and won't happen again. They were like inseparable sisters, one light one dark, making a perfect match.
They never kept secrets from each other, and Temari noticed right away Hinata was. What secret could she have kept to only be heard by my ears and my brothers that had to involve her and Sasuke?
She couldn't find an answer so she would have to wait. The blonde glanced towards Hinata. Her eyes were on the road ahead, but her eyes flickered to the right every few seconds, where the Uchiha walked side by side.
If he did anything to her... She thought angrily but stopped when someone landed in front of her. A shinobi with three large scrolls on his back, purple war paint almost covering every inch on his face. His hair was a dusty brown, and warring completely all black, from head to toe.
"Well, lookie here. Hinata, haven't seen you in a while."
Hinata smiled big. "Haven't seen you, too. How've you been?"
"Good, so far." He noticed Sasuke standing there too, staring at him with no interest.
"The hell he's doing here?"
Hinata almost laughed. His reaction was the same as Temari's when she saw Sasuke.
"He's my bodyguard, Kankuro." Hinata answered with a bigger smile than before.
Kankuro grimaced and Sasuke smirked. "I see you still were makeup," Sasuke spoke teasingly.
"War paint," he hissed.
"Still playing with dolls, too?"
Kankuro was ready to pounce on him before he heard a loud voice over the Uchiha.
"Sasuke, don't be so rude!"
"What? I'm just stating the obvious."
"Well, it's not nice. What if someone was making fun of you?"
"Like what? I don't carry dolls on me everyday. And no one has the guts to do so."
"If someone did, they would have insulted your hair."
Sasuke stared at Hinata, before he turned his face away, hiding his tiny pout.
Kankuro and Temari watched in astonishment. No one ever insulted Sasuke and seeing Hinata do it so easily, raised their suspicion even more.
"Now," Hinata started. "Can we get along and go to the Kazekage, already? Oh, and Kankuro, you're needed there, too."
"Me?" He questioned. "Why?"
Hinata shook her head. "I can't explain here. You three need to hear it all at once."
Both nodded their heads hesitantly and the four of them walked to the Kazekage's office.
Knock-knock
"Enter."
Four ninjas entered and Gaara couldn't be more surprised but didn't show it.
"Hinata, what brings you here?"
Hinata bowed and smiled. "Good evening Kazekage-sama. I'm here for a mission and... an important matter, you can say."
"A mission? I haven't sent any requests to Konohagakure for help."
"Oh, it's not. I have a mission here near the Sand and I decided to stop by."
Gaara smiled ever so small. "You're welcome here anytime." His eyes danced to Sasuke and if he had eyebrows, he would have rose them in question.
"Uchiha Sasuke. I presume you're here with Hinata."
He nodded stiffly.
Gaara turned his head back to Hinata. "Partners?"
She swallowed and looked at Sasuke. He seemed so calm and unfazed. "May I?" Hinata spoke softy yet sternly.
Gaara understood and nodded once. Veins danced across her face and eyes flared white. She glanced left to right and deactivated her eyes. No one would hear or spy on them. She looked back at Sasuke and he was staring at her back, a raised brow.
Like hell he was going to tell them! He knew she was going to say it after all.
"Umm...how can I say this?" Hinata closed her eyes. "I'm getting married."
"Really?" The three siblings mused.
"Y-yea. My father wished me this and I need to do a blood marriage contract and you need to be the three key witnesses."
"...Wow, Hinata. Aren't you upset? What about the Hyuga clan?" Temari spoke in disbelief.
"Hanabi will rule."
Everyone was silent until the red haired kage spoke. "Are you sure you want this, Hinata? You worked hard for that place."
"I did." Hinata said simply.
"But an arranged marriage. And so soon? You still have a year to prove your worth," Temari strained.
"I could be what's the point. In the end it will be the same." Hinata glanced at her feet.
Kankuro coughed for attention. "We'll since you're here for the marriage, where's the lucky spouse?"
Hinata smiled at the ground and raised her head to Sasuke. "Him."
It was silent. No one said anything, and she wondered if anyone of the three were even breathing. She lowered her head to see them. She stifled a laugh and caused her to cough at what she saw.
No one in history has seen the three siblings, standing side to side, showing pure shock with open mouths. Well, Temari and Kankuro did. Gaara was to serious for that.
"H-how the? Him? Seriously?" Temari fumbled over her words.
Hinata shrugged. "It just happened."
Kankuro ran a hand through his brown hair, making it sticks some strands of hair out. He whistled. "Ne, Hinata, you got it in for ya."
Hinata stared at him in confusion before a blush rose to her cheeks, her eyes wide.
Kankuro saw this and immediately understood why he said. "N-no I didn't mean it like that!"
"Shut up, Kankuro!"
He shut his mouth and walked to a corner, not daring to land an eye on Temari.
Gaara closed his eyes for a moment and popped them open seconds afterwards.
"If that is your request, I'll fulfill it. But I still have one question." He rose from his seat. "If he wanted key witnesses, couldn't he have used himself or anyone from the Hyuga Clan?"
Hinata didn't know what to say? Why did father want me to come here? She rose her head to wait for Sasuke to answer.
He spoke emotionless yet convincing to them. "He wanted you as the three witnesses because he knew no other kage would do it."
"Even Naruto?" The Kazekage queried.
"He didn't want Naruto to find out yet, and he knew he would stir a lot if havoc for this."
"Mind me asking, how did YOU agree? " His eyes growing a beautiful green, "And why so sudden? Not even a ceremony to be planned."
"I agreed on personal matters and Hiashi sought me as well."
He clamped his hands together and propped his elbows to his desk, hands hovering his mouth. He sat there, no one asking or thinking their thoughts out loud. Gaara sighed and retrieved a scroll out if his desk.
"Alright, it's settled."
"Ano, Kazekage-sama?" Hinata spoke softly.
"Yes?"
She hovered her eyes to him, her pupil less eyes shining bright. "For now, it's only the going to be the five of us and my father, okay? After some time, ill tell everyone else."
"As you wish." He unraveled the scroll and started scribbling sternly yet not enough to bleed the ink through. He finished and laid his pen down. Temari and Kankuro walked up and sighed their names where Gaara had signed it earlier, being official witnesses in this event.
"Step foward, Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Hinata." They both walked to the desk.
"Smear your blood on the scroll."
Sasuke went first, biting his thumb so easily, looking like only a mosquito bit him. His blood trickled down his thumb and smudged the red liquid onto the paper.
Hinata bit her thumb, feeling nothing too. She looked at her blood, dripping onto the floor before taking a deep inaudible breath and placing her thumb onto the scroll.
"It's complete but even more so if you two had rings," Gaara told them.
Sasuke reached into his pouch and took out a cloth, being so delicate Hinata thought it was glass. Carefully he unraveled the material and revealed two silver rings and both had the Uchiha fan sketched on perfectly onto them.
They must have cost a fortune, Hinata thought, eyeing them with fascination.
Gaara nodded in approval. "You first, Uchiha."
Sasuke grabbed the smaller ring and turned to face Hinata. She looked at his eyes, hers chrystal white with fear and uncertainty. Seeing her discomfort, he allowed a small small trace his mouth, unseen to the Subaku. Hinata smiled back, feeling a little more calm. She etched her left hand out slowly, praying it wasn't shaking like a new born deer trying to walk. He reached her out out midway and caressed her palm while slipping on the ring to her fourth finger, fitting perfectly.
Sasuke then handed her the cloth, his ring still laying there. She grabbed it and eyed it. A ring that looked well taken care of, she thought. She looked at him. He was staring also at the ring, his black eyes swimming with tell-tale emotions. Its like he held them with him for a long time. Only one thing could have come up to her mind. These where his parents rings.
Hinata grabbed Sasuke's hand, feelings its scarred texture against hers. Hers weren't as rough as his but weren't soft either. She ran her thumb against the ring before sliding in on his finger, like butter.
Both dropped their hands and stood there watching each other, thinking one thing.
"I could now present you as Sasuke and Hinata Uchiha."
It's official.
Wee! It's complete! Hope you guys loved it! Please review and favorite and follow and so on! If anyone has any suggestions or a few pointers here andthere please feel free write them! tete ally appreciate them!
Love and Farewell,
NarutoImagine01