Disclaimer: I think we've pretty well established that Naruto does not spring from the well of my imagination…but the yummy plotness of Ikigai does.
Enjoy!
Ikigai
in Honor
Chapter 12
Otoya Narumi stifled the urge to fidget beneath the strange tension lacing the room. The summons was ill-timed, if not downright infuriating. In about fifteen minutes, he was to be taking the beautiful Hyuuga Hinata as his wife. But instead of congratulating himself on acquiring such a lovely and obedient woman to bear his sons, he was standing in the Hokage's office with two shinobi and the father of his bride.
The blonde he'd seen before, a familiar acquaintance of his bride. The young man made no effort to conceal his opinion about the wedding, so he'd made certain the menace was kept at a distance so as not to dissuade Hinata. The fact that Naruto was here for this odd and untimely summons didn't sit well with him, the second shinobi even less so.
From the moment he walked into the room, those bottomless eyes had been riveted on him, betraying no emotion and yet harboring something ominous and threatening. Even the stoic Hyuuga Hiashi revealed surprise and unease with this man's presence for a split second. To add to the discomfort was the distinct impression that lines had been drawn, himself and Hyuuga on one side, and the two shinobi on the other.
Their tense posture and the veiled hostility they radiated was so alike one would think they were brothers; a strange pairing of twins, lightness and darkness within two separate bodies bearing one intention of heart and mind. But whatever their purpose, he would not stand by and be intimidated by anyone, especially when they dared to interfere with his wedding.
"What is the meaning of this, Hokage-sama," he demanded when no one else bothered to speak.
Amber eyes flickered to him. "This is the man who returned Hinata to us when we thought her lost forever." She gestured to the dark-eyed shinobi who didn't so much as twitch a muscle. "Hinata promised him a favor for saving her life."
Otoya looked the shinobi up and down as he would any man hired to do the grunt work of others. He'd been told a little bit about the ordeal Hinata suffered that led to her current disability and, despite disliking the aura of darkness surrounding the handsome youth, he couldn't help being grateful for the efforts that brought Hinata into his life.
"Such a deed is worthy of a reward, so indeed reward him that we may continue with the ceremony. Hinata and I must depart on the morn."
"Is this guy for real?" Sasuke growled.
"Don't get me started," Naruto murmured back.
Tsunade fought hard to contain her amusement as this was sure to be nothing short of entertaining. When Tenten came to her days ago with a request to stall the upcoming wedding by any means necessary, she could only feel regret that this was one thing beyond her reach. The Hokage couldn't interfere with Clan matters unless they violated the laws of the village. The Hyuuga Clan had every right to arrange a marriage for Hinata and there was nothing she or anyone else could do to stop it…until now.
Admittedly it wasn't the best case scenario she could hope for, but should all go according to the plan formulating in her head, the possibilities would be far more rewarding than anything she could've come up with on her own.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Tsunade said, shifting to meet Hiashi's stoic stare. "I do recall summoning Hinata and no one else, yet she appears to be the only one not here."
"Neji is bringing her as we speak."
"I fail to see the necessity of involving my betrothed in this inconsequential matter," Otoya sniffed. "Surely she has suffered enough excitement for one day."
Naruto snorted and crossed his arms. "She's not a porcelain doll, you know. She could outpace your pansy self any day."
"Shut it, Naruto," Tsunade growled in warning and he scowled.
"Whatever."
She turned back to Otoya. "Hinata has taken a blood oath, and since you are not yet bound, it isn't within your rights to resolve it for her."
Otoya's eyes narrowed sharply at her curt tone.
"As her father, it falls on me to settle this matter then," Hiashi said, eyeing the impassive Uchiha. It had taken some time to get used to the idea that it was the Uchiha traitor who had saved his daughter and returned her to Konoha. Benevolence was not a quality the Avenger was known for and this promise he garnered from Hinata troubled his mind to no end. Now that reality was here and yet, strangely enough, he didn't feel as threatened as he expected. Perhaps an entire week of staring into his daughter's lifeless eyes and bearing her deathly silence had chipped away at his certainty that marriage to Otoya was the best and right decision. How could it be when every night she cries out for this man in her sleep?
He'd always known something more happened between Hinata and the Uchiha in the time they were together than she ever revealed, something that would explain why the young man who fought so hard to leave Konoha and seek his revenge would be willingly standing here now.
"However," he said, "I will not take Hinata's honor from her by doing so."
"Hyuuga-sama." Otoya frowned at him in disapproval. "It is not for her to make such weighty decisions."
A slender brow lifted over silver eyes. "She has done so many times in the past and I for one am not willing to oppose a blood oath. Are you?"
Sasuke allowed himself the tiniest smirk at the lord's angry and flabbergasted expression. Otoya wasn't a man he would've ever given notice to for he was just one of many men of means, wealthy and intelligent when it came to his area of business, but clearly knowing nothing of the honor and lives of shinobi. He had no cause to hate this man who was as insignificant as dirt on his sandals if not for his insistent claim on Hinata.
Again that niggling fear that Hinata might actually care for this man started churning his gut. He clenched his fists to restrain himself from physically striking down the opposition. Doing so would not aid him in winning the former heiress' favor.
Before Otoya could recover enough to answer the Hyuuga's challenge, the door behind them swung open and everyone turned to see a vision glide through the door on the arm of Hyuuga Neji.
So many months he had waited, dreamt of seeing her again and nothing his mind conjured could have prepared him for this.
Her hair had been cut, framing her pixie face with soft threads of raven hue adorned with a crown of woven flowers. The voluminous layers of her wedding furisode concealed the curves of her small body but his memory hadn't forgotten the feel of her against his hard strength. They'd dressed her in pale lavender with white and pink sakura blossoms edged in silver patterned across it. The effect emphasized her alluring innocence, her eyes standing out from her pale features like soft jewels.
If not for the hard glare of the man beside her, Sasuke wouldn't have been able to resist taking her into his arms and kissing her senseless. The intensity of his emotions startled him, but he maintained indifference and held his place as Neji warily led her into the room, keeping as equal a distance between him and Naruto as he did from Otoya and Hiashi.
Hinata's free hand clung to the sleeve of her cousin's kimono, frightened and overwhelmed by the charged atmosphere. Neji's agitation exploded into shock and alarm the moment they stepped into the Hokage's office, but he acted on neither emotion as he guided her forward and stopped, his hand covering the one looped through his arm in silent reassurance.
She struggled to identify the clashing auras and felt further relief when she identified Naruto's distinctive chakra signature off to the left. There was another beside him, as volatile as the Kyuubi container himself and tripping the edges of familiarity, but she couldn't clearly identify the electric force.
Some distance before her was the Hokage's calming presence and beside her was her father's. The final one would've escaped her notice if he hadn't spoken for he didn't radiate the active chakra system of a shinobi.
"Hinata-chan," Otoya's warm voice washed over her. "You look beautiful."
Not even knowing he'd be here prepared her to face the man she was to marry in merely a few minutes. Her heart skittered frantically and she released Neji's arm to hide behind him, clutching the back of his kimono with small, trembling hands. He made no move to pull away, instead curving his arm back around her in silent comfort. If only she could burrow into his warmth and disappear!
Smiling at her shy reaction, Otoya turned back to Tsunade. "You see, it isn't well for her to be troubled with this small matter and now that I have seen her before the ceremony, we shall have to reschedule it for tomorrow."
"I don't think so," Sasuke growled, his patience reaching its end. Hinata is mine.
Hinata's head snapped up with a sharp intake of breath, her wide eyes blindly searching the room. She knew that voice, the coiled power in velvet darkness that came to her each night in her dreams to chase the demons away. But dare she believe that all these months later he had really come back?
"Wait for me."
"H-Haru-kun?"
Sasuke shifted his glare from his rival to meet pale lavender eyes seeking his face in eternal shadows. Pleasure that she recognized his voice so easily after all this time filled him to the brink.
"Hinata," he murmured and her entire face lit up with joy as she swiftly moved to reach for him only to be pulled back by her cousin.
"He is not the man you think he is, Hinata-sama," Neji warned, catching her into the safety of his embrace. Silver eyes clashed with obsidian in a silent war. The Uchiha may have saved Hinata and returned her to them, but he was still one of the most dangerous shinobi alive and not one that could be trusted.
"You didn't tell her?" Sasuke growled and Neji stiffened.
"It was one less burden for her to bear," he retorted, arms tightening around Hinata.
Sasuke glowered. "Better then, than now." He hadn't anticipated being present when Hinata learned his true identity. Now her fear would be fresh and even more of an obstacle than anything her Clan or Otoya could create.
Hinata tugged on Neji's shirt until she sensed his attention turned to her. "Nii-san," she pleaded softly. Why is everyone so tense? Why are you arguing with Haru-kun? Why won't you let me go to him? What do you mean he isn't who I think he is?
She felt Neji's chest rise and fall with a sigh and braced herself.
"Hinata." Neji stared down into her wide, fawn eyes. I wish I could spare you this betrayal. "The man you know as Haru…is Uchiha Sasuke."
Her face blanched white and Neji tightened his hold when he felt her weaken.
"Uchiha?" Otoya eyed the dark-eyed shinobi. "The Konoha traitor?"
Cold obsidian veered towards him and Otoya raised his chin and glared back in defiance to hide the shudder of unease slithering down his spine. How could one man hold death in his gaze and still claim to be alive?
"Don't speak about what you don't understand," Sasuke warned.
"What I understand is that your appearance has disrupted my wedding and upset my bride," Otoya shot back. "Once I was grateful for your part in helping Hinata, but now I know that you are a man without honor and have only bothered yourself for the sake of a reward. It is beyond me why the Hokage tolerates your presence at all!"
Sasuke took a threatening step forward when Hinata's soft, whispering voice halted him as easily as an army of shinobi.
"Wh-why?" Why did you save me?
Leashing his desire to strangle the man before him, Sasuke looked at Hinata and his eyes softened at her distress. "I…don't know," he admitted quietly.
Hinata curled into Neji's embrace, unknowing what to do with the sheer honesty of his reply. Her emotions churned as she tried to make sense of the sudden twist in this reality. Most of what she knew about Uchiha Sasuke could be summed up in but a handful of words. Their paths never crossed as genin and after he left the village, she had known him only through Naruto's determined pursuit and belief that his friend and rival would one day return.
Sasuke betrayed the village by joining himself to Orochimaru…but he was never labeled as the enemy.
"What is your allegiance?"
"To myself."
He was an Avenger, a merchant of death, but he'd given her life and she believed him when he said he didn't know why. There was no room for mercy or kindness in his heart and yet he'd given her both. Even now knowing his true identity, his voice still had power over her, filling her with comfort as much as fear. She'd spent months in this man's care, sleeping in his embrace each night, trusting him with her life and virtue. The memory of his touches, his kiss, still haunted her dreams. Was all of it a lie?
"Hinata," Tsunade's voice reached out to her, gentle and commanding. "Do you recall signing an oath with the Uchiha in blood?"
"I'll be back to claim my favor."
Her blood chilled with understanding. Sasuke wanted his favor, his reward for "sacrificing his precious time" to help her. I am just a tool to him too.
"One favor," she whispered, "of his choice when he chooses it."
Amber eyes softened as Tsunade took in the strained features of her once-student. I hate to do this to you now but, her gaze shifted to Otoya who was watching with obvious displeasure, I feel this is for the best.
"Were you also aware, Hinata," she continued, "that this oath you signed is in fact one of marriage?"
"What?!" Several voices exploded at once and Tsunade winced. Flipping open the scroll Sasuke gave her earlier, she held it up for the disbelieving eyes.
"What is the meaning of this?" Otoya demanded, snatching the scroll from her hand to stare incredulously at the official document scrawled in ink and blood.
"It would seem, Otoya-san," Tsunade said with barely contained amusement, "that you can't marry Hinata because she is already married to Uchiha Sasuke."
Otoya threw the scroll at Hiashi who caught it with ease and looked it over with surprisingly emotionless eyes.
"You would give me a defiled woman?" Otoya demanded.
"She is not defiled!" Four voices rang as one and Otoya suddenly found himself receiving glares of equal heat in shades of silver, blue, and black.
"Do not speak of my daughter with such insult," Hiashi hissed.
"She is married to another man!"
"Not by her own knowledge," he said, looking over at his daughter. Otoya followed his gaze to see all blood had drained from her face as she clung to her cousin in shock.
His eyes softened and he turned back to the Hokage. "Then this marriage is not binding."
"She sealed with her blood by her own free will before three witnesses," Sasuke said, stepping forward.
"Under deception without a doubt!" Otoya glared. "You took advantage of her blindness for she would never have signed it had she known the truth."
Sasuke mentally winced at the accurate blow. "A blood oath is binding and cannot be broken," he said.
"Except in death," Neji growled. Pushing Hinata aside, he activated his Byakugan. To think, this man who Hinata had trusted so innocently could do something so low, so despicable! I will not allow you to hurt her! Neji moved to attack the equally prepared Uchiha when small hands latched onto his wrist with surprising strength.
"Stop, please!" Hinata cried, her voice straining from lack of use.
Neji quickly gathered her back into his arms, alarmed by her ghostly pallor and increased trembling. She'd grown weaker since learning of her arranged marriage, refusing to eat and seldom leaving her room. It was the only act of defiance left to her, but the stress was finally taking its toll.
"Hinata-sama."
She fisted her hands in his kimono and breathed his forest scent to calm her frantic nerves. The explosion of chakra within the room scalded her heightened senses, but she forced herself to focus beyond it.
"One favor of my choice when I choose it. It may be in a few weeks or even a few months, maybe even next year. Because of this, I want you to sign a contract ensuring me this favor."
"You do not trust my word?"
"I don't want others to be able to interfere. I will not ask you to betray your village in any way, but some might not approve of what I ask. You owe me this, Hinata. I have sacrificed precious time to help you."
"...Wait for me."
"Th—," she swallowed hard. "Th-this is your f-favor?"
Sasuke's heart twisted uncomfortably but wouldn't be swayed. "Yes."
Even before he brought her back to Konoha he'd known what he wanted of her. She didn't know if the man who cared for her so patiently and tenderly was any more real than the man she always heard Uchiha Sasuke to be. She didn't know if he would be kind to her and treat her well or even if he meant to take her away from Konoha just as Otoya would've done. The only thing she did know was….
"I-I do not go back on my w-word," she said with the fragile remnants of her pride. "That is my way of the ninja."
Hiashi closed his eyes as Hinata's soft declaration silenced the room, his heart full of pride in her courage and fear of the consequences. Did she realize what sort of man she was giving herself to by agreeing to uphold her oath? No more than the rest of them did. And despite this she refused to go back on her word, refused to accept release through a man's death both Neji and himself would be more than willing to grant.
"Clearly your mind is addled," Otoya said and Hiashi frowned at the man the Hyuuga council had chosen for his daughter. "You are no longer a ninja," Otoya continued. "Nor will you ever be again."
The shattered expression in Hinata's sightless eyes broke every restraint Sasuke had, but a firm hand grasped his shoulder before he could plunge his hand through the man's chest. No one was allowed to break her, no one but him.
Turning to shove Naruto away, he paused at the feral red eyes glowering at Otoya.
"Leave, now," Naruto snarled, elongated canines adding a threatening hiss to his speech. "Because I will never forgive your words!"
Otoya stepped back uneasily as an unearthly red glow surrounded the blonde shinobi and realized for the first time exactly what he was facing. He'd hired shinobi from the Leaf village off and on over the years and had marveled at their efficiency and physical prowess. To marry a daughter of Konoha's most respected shinobi Clan was a great honor and something of a novelty for seldom if ever could one acquire a wife from a shinobi bloodline.
But faced with the raw power of a Konoha jonin and suddenly a novelty wife wasn't altogether worth having. Only death would break the blood binding now that Hinata acknowledged it and no woman was worth fighting men like this for when there were half a dozen more ready to jump at his bidding.
Tilting his head respectfully towards the Hokage, Otoya strode across the room and opened the door. He paused to look once more at the frail beauty that could have been his. Shifting his gaze to meet the Uchiha's dark glare, he smirked despite the defeat he'd been handed.
"What use do I have for a burden anyway?"
Naruto's sharp nails dug into Sasuke's shoulder in an effort to keep them both from going after the man. Sasuke wasn't accustomed to indulging insult from lesser men and apparently even less so on Hinata's behalf. Months ago he couldn't have cared less what anyone said about the little blind kunoichi, but she was his little blind kunoichi now. Each one of her stifled sobs felt like someone was stabbing him repeatedly in the chest with a pair of chopsticks because he couldn't protect her from Otoya's cutting words. She should have been healed by the time he returned to claim her, but clearly he underestimated the damage done to her spirit.
She sounded so broken as she clung to Neji's kimono, shaking with the compound trauma heaped upon her in the space of a few hours. With a sudden sharp gasp, Hinata collapsed, forcing Neji down to his knee or risk losing his balance.
"Hinata-sama!"
Tsunade fairly leaped over her desk and crouched beside them, laying a glowing hand on Hinata's forehead as the others in the room watched with unease. With the layers of her furisode spread about her, she looked utterly vulnerable and frail.
"She's only fainted from the stress," Tsunade assured them after a few moments. Poor child. "She hasn't been eating much, has she?"
Neji glanced over her shoulder at his uncle's impassive expression before meeting Tsunade's gaze. "She hasn't spoken either since she learned of her arranged marriage," he admitted, "until today."
Tsunade stood and planted a fist on her hip as she glared at Hiashi. "And none of that tipped you off that maybe this just wasn't the best idea, Hyuuga?"
His lips tightened into a thin line at the well deserved reprimand. "You think marriage to the Uchiha is better?"
Amber eyes shifted to Sasuke whose gaze remained riveted on Hinata's still form for a moment longer before lifting to meet hers.
"It's a good match, bloodline-wise," she mused. "Is it safe to assume you intend to remain in Konoha?"
"Will my estate be returned to me?" Sasuke asked.
"I'm sure that can be arranged," She agreed.
"What of his missing-nin status," Hiashi demanded.
"Now that is a problem." The Hokage smirked, cocking her hip and pinning Sasuke down with a stern glare. "Here's the deal, Uchiha. One week house arrest, in which time, if you are seen outside of your home without your assigned guardian, all bets are off. During that week, you will see to it that your home is prepared for the comfort of a lady of Hinata's status and I expect no expense to be spared. After that week is over, Hinata will move into your home only if she agrees to. If she needs or wants more time for this adjustment she will have it."
Sasuke's gaze darkened at the possibility of them keeping Hinata from him for any reason, but the need to have her come to him willingly overrode his irritation with the stipulations.
"When your week of house arrest is over," Tsunade continued, "you will spend the next year accepting any and every mission given to you regardless of rank and without complaint. If at any time you step outside of the village walls without the accompaniment of your guardian during this time, your estates will be confiscated and your citizenship permanently annulled."
Dark brows drew together into a scowl at the threat, knowing it was not idle. "And after the first year?"
Tsunade smirked. "We'll jump that bridge when we get to it. Play your cards right and you might make Anbu inside three years." Her smirk faded into a glower that could peal the flesh from the bones of lesser men. "But if I ever find out you mistreated Hinata in any way, I will surrender your fate to the Hyuuga Clan. Is that clear?"
He didn't need to look to feel the promise of death in silver eyes nor did he have any intention of offering words of reassurance. Let them think what they wanted. Only Hinata mattered now.
"Who is this guardian you keep talking about," he demanded.
Tsunade smirked again and he decided that her amusement was never a good thing. Her sparkling gaze shifted to the grinning blonde beside him who thumped him heartily on the back, making him stumble forward.
"Boy do I have plans for you," Naruto grinned cheekily.
A/N- And before anyone jumps all over it, "on the morn" means "in the morning". It is not misspelled. Sorry to ruin your excitement about finding a spelling mistake! ;-)
ww- Thanks for reviewing every chapter. That was cool. As regarding your last review:
"I wonder why Hinata and her friends were willing to let the marriage happen. She was obviously not happy with it, and she's old enough to leave home, so one would assume that she could just leave and live with one of her friends."
A lot of people have wondered about that and the answer is very simple. To start with, she is the daughter of a traditional family living in a feudal society, so she is subject to her father's law. She is also emotionally exhausted. She's been fighting so hard against her own helplessness and then her own clan decides to abandon her. Have you ever had your world completely stripped and spun around, rendering you completely helpless and having to start anew? Then imagine that just when it seems you are finding your way, someone rips it right out of your hands again. That is what Hinata is experiencing and since she is not a naturally defiant person, it would be unrealistic to expect her to fight so far past her limits. After all, emotional battles are far more trying than physical ones. Anyone who has experienced a disability or long-term illness can vouch for that.
Also thanks to Starfire201, oluja, Oi, Ingrid, Rnda, kunthea, Jay_chAn, LilL, aotenshi, and Blah… for your lovely reviews.
Remember: signed reviews are answered, unsigned reviews are stuffed into my pillow to fuel my dreams, and chibi shy shadow readers are cuddled. All are loved. :-)
