CCNote: Happy Thursday! The kids are all prepping for sports day today. Since I am of zero productive use at a time like this, I've had all morning to churn this out for yall. At times like this, all I'm good for is cheering and making sure that some of my criminal boys stay out of trouble. I did get a kick out of watching my kids desperately run laps up and down five flights of stairs today though. Poor babies. The other teachers and I all lined up to watch the struggle. It was nothing short of hilarious. Can't wait for the actual event!
To Splaaash-Attack: I always enjoy seeing your emails in my inbox! They are always so positive and make me so happy!
To Banjo the Fox: I sent you a PM. Are you okay? You've sent me lots of reviews before, all negative but now I'm starting to feel concerned. I know you read this fic and so I'm reaching out to you. I don't care if you hate my writing or think it's trash. I'm genuinely concerned because you have been so consistently angry. Do you need someone to talk to? If so I'm here.
To all of my guest reviewers who write two or 3 words: yall are the best! Honestly! Just saying "It's great!" Or "I like it!" Is enough to fuel me to the next chapter. I enjoy making others happy and your reviews let me know I'm doing just that. Thank you for taking time out of your day to review.
Alrighty then! Excuse all typos as usual. I'm still without a BETA. If anyone wants the job hmu. This is the longest chapter to date so get comfy. Other than that, enjoy! Don't forget to leave a review!
Photographs
Saturday, November 21, 2017, 11:51 am
Leaf International Hotel and Suites
...
Sasuke frowned as he exited the elevator on the floor as his texts from Naruto had instructed him to go to. The blonde was officially idiot of the year but at least he had the decency to not take Ino to the Hokage mansion. He could only imagine the expansive grounds of the four hundred-year-old villa currently swamped with reporters just dying to get a glimpse of Ino's walk of shame. He was sure the picture of such an event would be worth several months wages for any photographer lucky enough to get a clear shot.
Stoically standing outside of his hotel room door, the guards gave the Uchiha a stiff nod before knocking to alert the room's occupants. Naruto opened the door almost immediately. His blue eyes held more worry than Sasuke had ever seen within them before. It was only a few short hours ago the blonde had been nothing but smiles. Sasuke stepped into the spacious hotel room, surprised to find the suite fairly clean. There were pillows tossed all over the place and a cart full of food left untouched but it was a sight better than how he and Hinata had left his hotel room the night they met. They had broken a lamp and he still wasn't able to find his boxers the next morning no matter how much he searched.
"Thanks for coming Sasuke." Naruto said in a weary voice. Sasuke nodded his head and followed him from the living room into the bedroom.
Sasuke could already hear the low murmur of commentators through the bedroom door and knew that wasn't a good sign. Inside of the room, Ino sat in the middle of the bed with the blankets wrapped around her entire body, only her red rimmed eyes were visible.
"I just don't understand how he can cheapen himself to do such a thing Kana!" A shrill female voice tsked. "He has all the potential in the world. He can have anyone and he chooses this? She didn't even go to a top university if she even went to one at all!"
"We do not know that for sure. Everything at this point is just hearsay." A male voice tempered but several other voices scoffed.
"Pfft! Whatever. I don't see how this will benefit the Uzumaki power in the least. She's probably nothing more than a hanger on. Hopefully, we will see a more suitable match in his future! Our country depends on it!"
"I can't argue with you there!"
"In other news, do you know what your child is calling 'crack' these-"
Naruto angrily shut off the television but Ino didn't look at them. She stared at the black screen without blinking, her blue eyes filling up with unshed tears.
"Ino-" Naruto started but his voice faltered. Whatever he was going to say died on his lips, for once at a loss for what to say.
"They found my family's shop." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I told my dad not to put my face on the new flyers but he just didn't listen. It's only a matter of time before they know where I live too."
"Ino, these things blow over with time. Within forty-eight hours they will have another big story to focus on. Don't worry about it-"
"Don't worry about it?" Ino hissed, her eyes now turned to the two men in the doorway in anger. "Don't worry about it! My parents will be opening the shop in less than an hour and will be bombarded with questions they can't answer. They're already dragging my name through the mud and it hasn't even been twenty-four hours, I can't imagine what they'll say when they have more time to find out more about me!"
"Ino, calm down-"
"Don't tell me to calm down! They're already calling me the 'Whore of Konoha' online all because I'm a nobody who dared to be with the Hokage's son!"
Sasuke silently edged his way out of the bedroom. This was not a conversation he needed to be a part of. The walls of the hotel were thin however and he could still hear every word.
"You knew who I was when you met me. It was not a problem then."
"That's because I didn't care! To me you're just Naruto, Not Naruto-the-Hokage's-son. Not Naruto-the-future-of-the-goddamn-country. I don't know what I expected but I'm not ready for any of this!"
The Uchiha made his way into the living room to find his true reason for coming at Naruto's request. Sure he had agreed to be the one to escort Ino back home but what he was really after was the man's phone. Naruto was not a complete idiot but he did let things slip that shouldn't. He kept things that he shouldn't. If there was even a chance of Naruto's phone containing connections to his relationship with Hinata that would only spell trouble. It was only a matter of time before a curious hacker tried to break into his phone and leak embarrassing details for the highest bidder.
There on the coffee table sat his goal, vibrating incessantly with calls from his mother Kushina. No doubt she had seen the news as well and was trying to get to the bottom of what was going on. Sasuke sent the call to voicemail and swiped through the phone. He found old text messages from Hinata, all of which were mundane but a stab of anger hit him in the gut.
Hinata asking him what time he'd be home...
That there were leftovers waiting for him in the fridge...
That she left her key on the kitchen table...
Movers would be by to remove her things...
A part of him was jealous that they'd had a three-year history together. There were moments shared between the two of them that he would never be privy to. Part of him didn't want to know. Without a second thought, he deleted three years worth of text messages with the press of a single button. He then moved on to Naruto's photos. There weren't many. Most of them were of food or pictures with foreign dignitaries. There were several candid pictures of Ino in her shop, trimming roses and watering displays. Naruto was not the best photographer, his thumb was caught in a lot of the pictures but he could see from the most recent pictures that he did care for Ino.
Sasuke had almost given up scrolling through the photos when he finally found Hinata's face. She was smiling over a cake, all twenty-three of the candles lit, and her eyes were bright. Her hair was a lot shorter, cheeks slightly pudgy with baby fat that she had yet to grow out of. Just how long he stared at the image he wasn't quite sure but in the end, he didn't delete it right away. Instead, he sent it to his own phone at the same time that the bedroom door swung open.
"Ino-" Naruto called after her.
Sasuke looked up from Naruto's phone to see the blonde woman storming down the hall towards him.
"I just need time to think!" She shouted over her shoulder. "Sasuke will you-wait, why do you have Naruto's phone?"
Before he could even blink she had snatched the phone out of his hand and stared at the picture of Hinata with a blank look on her face. Naruto came up behind her and smacked his forehead when he saw what she was looking at.
"This can't be happening." She said, her voice tight.
"Ino I can explain-" he started but she shoved his phone into his chest before rounding on Sasuke.
"We were talking about the same Hinata this entire time weren't we?" She snapped. "Is this some kind of game you two play? Do you pass around each other's girlfriends like it's some sort of competition?"
"That's not what this is." Sasuke said flatly, however, Ino was not in the right mindset to listen.
Sucking in her teeth, she pushed around the Uchiha and headed straight for the suite's exit.
…..
Saturday, November 21, 2017, 11:59 am
Uchiha Residence
...
"Ho-hold the door please!" Hinata called out breathlessly just as the elevator doors were about to close.
It would take forever for the elevator to return once it went up and she didn't want her groceries to melt from the lobby's heat. To her immense relief, the shiny metal doors slid back open and Hinata hastily shuffled inside with her arms loaded down with plastic bags. Today was her lucky day!
"Hello, Hinata." A soft voice said causing Hinata to cease her internal celebration.
Standing before her with a slender finger poised to press the close button was none other than Mikoto Uchiha. On her face was a broad smile, around her neck a rather expensive looking camera. For a moment she was stunned by the woman's appearance but then mentally kicked herself. The Uchiha brothers' parents lived in the suite below theirs, it was only a matter of time before she'd bumped into one of them. Catching herself for her bad manners she bowed deeply to the Uchiha matriarch and prayed that her hair covered up how red her face was.
"G-g-good morning Mrs. U-uchiha!" She squeaked, embarrassment leeching out even into her speech.
"I didn't expect to see you here, let alone so early in the day. Has one of my boys done something wrong?" She asked curiously.
Hinata shook her head furiously with eyes till downcast to the floor. Her plastic grocery bags rustled with the movement. Mikoto eyed the bags with a knowing look.
"Those look much too heavy for you to carry on your own." She clicked her tongue and reached for the bags in Hinata's left hand.
"N-no!" Hinata replied taking a step back. She couldn't possibly make Mikoto go out of her way to do such a thing. "I-I got it!"
"Nonsense." The older woman chided just as the elevator dinged for her floor.
She reached for the bags and allowed the elevator to pass her floor. There wasn't much use protesting when Mikoto got an idea in her head so Hinata reluctantly allowed her to carry half of the groceries into the Uchiha brother's apartment. She was surprised to find it so quiet but a hastily written note on the fridge from Sasuke let her know that he would be back soon. Mikoto placed the grocery bags on the kitchen island and immediately began putting things away.
"Y-y-you don't have to do that!" Hinata said and the woman flashed her a bright smile as she removed the camera from around her neck.
"I know. I want to." She said and pulled out a carton of strawberries. "Besides it looks like you're making breakfast! Itachi told me that you've managed to get Sasuke into the kitchen to make cinnamon rolls. I want to see how good you are for myself!"
Hinata blushed. She was sure that whatever Itachi had told his mother had been embellished per his usual style but it was nice to hear. Nervously she nodded her head and the two women set to work making a rather late breakfast. At first, Hinata was nervous. She'd never had much interaction with her mother's old friend but the woman didn't seem to mind. She treated Hinata as if she'd known her for years. Mikoto was just as talkative as Sasuke had inferred yet Hinata quickly found herself enjoying the sound of her voice. When the last of the tomatoes were fried and the omelets completed, the two women set the dining room table.
"Those boys are missing out!" Mikoto laughed as they only placed down enough plates for two. "Oh! This is perfect!"
"Huh?" Hinata blinked.
Mikoto clasped her hands in front of her chest, her eyes bright with mischief.
"Do you want to see something?" She asked but before Hinata could answer she was already heading towards the front door. "Wait here!"
She returned a few moments later with her arms ladened down with two large photo albums. Hinata only had time to place the bowl of fruit salad on the table before Mikoto forced her to sit down and plopped one of the albums in her lap.
"Itachi has never brought any of his girlfriends home! I've always wanted to show off embarrassing baby pictures but the boy is too smart and hides everyone away!" She grinned and Hinata's face immediately lost all of its color. She shook her head rapidly causing Mikoto's grin to waver.
"You're Sasuke's girlfriend?" She asked, her tone still hopeful.
This time Hinata blushed but she still shook her head. They weren't official but she couldn't exactly disclose the extent of her complicated relationship with Sasuke. Especially not to his mother. Mikoto pouted and rested her chin in her hands.
"These boys will be the death of me." She sighed. "At this rate, I'll never have grandchildren to spoil."
"S-sorry?" Hinata mumbled guiltily but Mikoto waved away her apology
"It's not your fault my sons are idiots. Here they have a pretty girl making breakfast for them and they are nowhere to be found. Do forgive me! I fear I may have failed at raising them."
Hinata giggled at Mikoto's melodramatics and the woman smiled back. Undeterred by the fact that her sons were still woefully 'single', she opened up one of the albums and started showing off their pictures anyway. Hinata piled Mikoto's plate high with food as she gushed over naked baby butts and smash cakes. The Uchiha brothers were probably the most adorable babies she had ever seen and their mother delighted immensely in showing them off. Her chest swelled with pride as they went through photos of Sasuke's cello recitals and Itachi's award ceremonies. Their stomachs were full to bursting by the time they made it to the second album. This one was filled with milestones for the boys although there was a special section dedicated to Sasuke's tastes or lack thereof.
"Sasuke is the pickiest person when it comes to food." Mikoto explained as they flipped through multitudes of shots of Sasuke with an upturned nose and a frown. "He's been that way since before he was even born. All Uchiha men are actually."
"Really?" Hinata laughed and the older woman nodded emphatically.
"Yes! I love to eat shellfish. Crabs, shrimp, you name it. When I was pregnant with both Itachi and Sasuke I wasn't able to eat any of it without it making me violently ill. Turns out a shellfish allergy runs in the family." She explained, a hint of longing in her voice. "I haven't been able to look at a crab leg the same way in years-"
"Mother?" A deep voice interrupted and the two women look up to see Sasuke staring at them blankly. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here? Where were you? Poor Hinata would have had to make this entire meal on her own if I hadn't run into her." Mikoto chided before returning to her photographic documentation of Sasuke's exposure to new foods. "This is when we made him try a lemon!"
Hinata smiled at the red faced boy no older than two, his mouth puckered up in disgust. She glanced back up at the full grown man who's left eye twitched erratically at his mother's antics. She flashed him a sympathetic smile but continued to listen to Mikoto's stories.
…...
Saturday, November 21, 2017, 2:10 pm
Uchiha Residence
...
"Ah!" Mikoto sighed with satisfaction. "That was fun."
"Mm!" Hinata agreed as she sipped her now cooled tea. "Sasuke was a very cute baby."
"He was absolutely adorable!" The older woman began to gush but paused. "Wait, I have something you might want to see. It almost escaped me!"
She pulled out a picture that had been slipped behind into the sleeve of the first album and wordlessly handed it to Hinata. For a moment her heart stopped. She couldn't even tell if she was still breathing or not. The woman in the picture was like looking at a reflection. If Hinata didn't know any better she would have thought that she was looking at herself. The woman had long dark hair, just a few inches longer than how her own was. Her lips. Her nose. The way she cocked her head to the side as she smiled at the photographer. It was all too similar to chalk up to mere coincidence. The only thing different between the two of them was the fact that the woman in the picture's belly was swollen, her arms resting protectively over the protrusion.
"This is the only picture I have of Hikari." Mikoto said. "I loved taking photographs as a teenager. I used to have tons of pictures of us together growing up. Unfortunately, we've moved around so much my pictures have gotten lost in the shuffle. I can't even find my old wedding photos. These albums are all I have left of my sons' childhood."
The younger woman nodded her head as she greedily drank in the image of her mother smiling and carefree. It could very well be the last time she saw her mother's face. A rush of emotion hit her at once and it was all she could do to not cry.
"This picture was taken when she was pregnant with your younger sister. She always did carry herself so well. It made me jealous now that I think about it. I looked like a beached whale but she was perfect."
Hinata wanted to laugh but the sound she released was akin more to a choke than a giggle. Mikoto smiled none the less. The Uchiha took the picture from Hinata's grasp and beamed down at the picture of her late childhood friend.
"I don't have many regrets in my life but I regret how I let our relationship dwindle with time. I wish we hadn't let our husbands' petty rivalry keep us apart. I...I wish I had told her how much I loved her." She said softly, her genuine smile never once faltering from her lips. "I'll go get something for you to take this home in so it doesn't get damaged."
"Oh no, Mrs. Uchiha, I-I couldn't!" Hinata said shakily, she couldn't take Mikoto's only photo of her mother even though the selfish side of her wanted nothing more than to hold it close.
"Nonsense dear." Mikoto smiled, rising up from her seat and taking the photo albums with her. "I'll be back shortly."
When the front door closed behind her, Hinata stood up from her chair feeling much lighter than she had in a long time despite her heavy breakfast. She gathered their dirty dishes from the dining room table and brought them into the kitchen. Sasuke was there, leaning against the granite island with a fresh cup of coffee in one hand and a manilla folder in the other. She clicked her tongue at the sight of the youngest Uchiha. He raised a curious eyebrow at her and took a sip of coffee.
"You shouldn't bring your work home." She chided gently as she turned on the sink faucet and filled the stainless steel basin with warm, soapy water.
Sasuke ignored her reprimand in favor of ditching his coffee and folder on the counter. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Automatically she relaxed into his warm embrace, the smell of his body wash and coffee filling her nose.
"Did you enjoy my mother embarrassing me?" He asked in a low voice. "And she wonders why we won't let her meet any friends."
"She wasn't embarrassing at all!" Hinata defended, a coy smile playing at the corners of her lips.
"She showed you pictures of Itachi and I bathing together. That is embarrassing."
"It's cute!"
"Hn."
Silence fell between them as the sink filled up. Mikoto wasn't embarrassing at all. Hinata had enjoyed her company, surprised at how gentle she was in comparison to her stubborn sons. However, as she dipped her hands into the water, Mikoto last words to her struck a chord.
'I wish I had told her how much I loved her.'
Hinata remembered her mother showering her with kisses when she was young even though she could no longer remember her face. She knew that her mother professed her love for her constantly despite the fact that she couldn't remember her voice. Time had taken so much from her but she knew that her mother cared for her deeply. She didn't want to regret not saying those words the way Mikoto did. Not when her future was as uncertain as it currently resided. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as she turned around in Sasuke's arms to face him. Obsidian eyes looked down into her own with amusement and that unknown emotion she could never quite figure out.
"Sasuke." She said, proud of the fact that her voice didn't crack. "I love you."
Sasuke's eyes instantly softened at her words and he brought his hands up to cup her face. His thumbs caressed her flushed cheeks, this time free from the tears that had been shed during her previous confession. Her eyes fluttered closed as he leaned down and gently pressed his lips against hers. He tasted bitter like his coffee but she only wanted more. She wanted to give him more, to convey fully the emotions she held in her heart. Her slick fingers clutched the edge of the countertop, relishing the way his lips move against hers. That is until the unmistakable sound of a camera shutter going off interrupted their little world. They broke away from each other slightly to see Mikoto with an impish grin on her face as she lowered her camera.
"I approve!" She squealed and took another picture.
Hinata hid her burning face in Sasuke's chest as the woman continued to take a million photos in spite of Sasuke's demands that she stop.
"Which do you prefer? A spring wedding or a fall wedding? Ah! Sasuke, your father is going to flip! I'm so excited!"
…..
Thursday, November 26, 2017, 5:30 pm
Hyuuga Enterprise
...
Sasuke tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Hiashi and his father to finish speaking with the land owners all vying to be the one to host the new site of the combined Hyuuga and Uchiha head quarters. The meeting had gone on much longer than Sasuke would have preferred. He hadn't been able to do more than enter the building on Monday morning before Hiashi had whisked him away to tour different sites. Each viewing was more tedious than the last. Some of the sites they visited were clearly not worth their time but the man took him there anyway if only to try his patience.
Despite how irritated he felt by Hiashi wasting his time he held his tongue. At some point an opening would reveal itself, a loophole he could use to unravel the agreement between the Hyuuga and Sabaku. He had poured over the marriage contract, searching for a way to negate the agreement but so far he'd only come up empty. The Hyuuga lawyers were much too through for their own good. When the ass kissing finally ended, Sasuke slipped out of the room as quickly as he could ignoring the disapproving looks of Hiashi and his father. He didn't have much time to get to the coffee shop before Kiba and Neji arrived.
"Uchiha." Hiashi spoke up just as he reached to door. "You should stay behind to converse with the bidders to see which would be the most viable for our future plans."
Sasuke's back tensed at the sound of the man's voice but he turned around anyway. He eyed the hopeful men and women in the room, all thirsty for the lucrative deal laid before them. It was sickening.
"All of your prices are too high for the acreage. Either up the amount of land or no deal." The young Uchiha said flatly. He opened the door calmly as the bomb he detonated exploded in his elders' faces.
…..
Thursday, November 26, 2017, 6:01 pm
DayBreak Coffee
...
"These are all high quality." Kiba said with a smirk. "I can't take less than top asking."
Sasuke rolled his eyes as Neji pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Kiba we have to furnish an entire compound with these." Neji said firmly. "Lower your price."
Sasuke took his eyes away from the haggling men and flipped through the projected outcomes of the investments he had green lighted to receive Hyuuga funding. Everything appeared to be in order and since they had plugged up the leaks the Hyuuga accounts were increasing. A fact that made Hiashi Hyuuga surprisingly irritated. Sasuke smirked as he remembered the man's face the morning Neji had told him the news. The man hadn't realized just how much money they'd been losing and he certainly didn't want to give Sasuke credit for putting a stop to it. Sasuke knew that every day he remained a shareholder was a sore reminder to Hiashi of someone else being able to do something he couldn't.
"What is all this for anyway?" Kiba asked, still unwilling to budge from his initial asking price.
"I've already told you it's none of your business." Neji replied as Tenten set his usual order of green tea in front of him.
Sasuke watched curiously from his notebook as Kiba stared transfixed at the brunette as she walked away. The man let out a low whistle of appreciation as she bent over to clear an adjacent table of its dirty dishes.
"Now that's a woman." he said suggestively when he turned back to the Hyuuga and Uchiha. "Ow! What did you do that for?"
Kiba furiously rubbed his shin under the table and glared at Neji. Sasuke almost felt sympathy for the naive man and Tenten. If Neji assaulted every man that complimented the waitress she was going to end up an old maid. If the Hyuuga had his way, Tenten being an old maid wasn't that bad of an idea. Neji didn't apologize for his unprofessional assault either.
"Lower your price." the Hyuuga reiterated.
"Where is Hinata?" Kiba asked as he leaned back in his chair. "I'd rather negotiate with her."
"Hinata is busy."
"That's too bad." Kiba said with a sigh. "I'm much easier to persuade if it's a pretty face negotiating. I know she would be flexible- OW! What the fuck is wrong with you guys?"
Neither Neji nor Sasuke apologized for their simultaneous attack on Kiba's shins.
"Lower your price. Have the order ready the week of the twenty-seventh." Neji said calmly and sipped his tea.
…..
Friday, November 27, 2017, 3:30 pm
Hyuuga Enterprise
...
Hinata sighed she closed the door to the conference room. It was her last meeting of the week and things were going along well in all of the departments below her. Usually speaking in front of her subordinates was something that she dreaded but over the last few weeks, she had been gaining more and more confidence. The Hyuuga and Uchiha employees were starting to take note as well which gave Hinata great pleasure. Too bad Sasuke wasn't by her side to see how his female employees were slowly resigning themselves to respect her authority. The thought of Sasuke made her bite her bottom lip for the umpteenth time that day. At times she felt like she could feel his eyes watching her from afar but whenever she turned around he was nowhere to be found. He wasn't answering any of her calls and because of that she was hesitant to pay a visit to his penthouse. Was he avoiding her? Had he grown tired of her so quickly? Had her second confession been too much for him?
"Whatever you are thinking about, I suggest you stop." Itachi said as he playfully ruffled her hair.
Hinata shook her head and attempted to lay her dark strands flat on her head once more. Itachi pressed his lips together in a thin line of disapproval.
"That usually gets you to smile." Itachi said absently. "What's on your mind?"
Hinata lowered her eyes to the ground and adjusted the stack of manila folders in her arms. Would Itachi know where Sasuke was? He was his older brother after all. She didn't want to look desperate but in a way she was. She missed him.
"Itachi...have you seen Sasuke lately?" she asked. Hinata was surprised at how Itachi's face darkened a bit and he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I was hoping that you knew. Food disappears consistently from the fridge but I have not seen him all week." Itachi replied. "I imagine he's trying to get out of replacing my brandy he destroyed."
Hinata felt her heart sink back into her stomach. There was only one other person who knew where Sasuke was at all times but Hinata didn't want to talk to her. Hinata knew that she should not avoid Sakura like this but every time she crossed paths with Sakura the pink haired woman acted so strange. Loud metal music emanated from her blazer pocket, making Hinata jump in surprise. Frantically she looked for somewhere to set her folders down so that she could answer the call. Itachi smirked and took the stack out of her arms to which she flashed him a small, grateful smile. She quickly retrieved her phone from her pocket and swiped to answer the call. She pressed the speaker phone button and took her folders back from Itachi.
"Hinata!" Hanabi cried on the other end of the phone.
"Ha-Hanabi? What's wrong?" Hinata asked, hearing the distress in her sister's voice.
"I-I'm going to look stupid! What do I do? They're going to think I'm not good enough and reject me. They're going to tell him he can't see me anymore. Oh my god I'm going to ruin everything! I-"
"Hanabi slow down!" Hinata urged and Hanabi took a shaky breath on the other end of the phone.
"Can you come home? I...I really need your help." Hanabi asked in a small voice.
Hinata felt the worry in her chest lessen as Hanabi finally sounded like she was calming down. She looked up at Itachi who nodded his head.
"Okay. I'll be home soon." Hinata answered and Hanabi let out a sigh of relief before hanging up the phone. "I hope that covering for me won't be too much of a burden."
Itachi shook his head and waved off her concern. He took the stack of folders once more out of Hinata's reluctant arms.
"Younger siblings can be a handful, I know." He said with a smirk. "In regards to my own troublesome little brother do not take his sudden disappearance personally. He always has his reasons and he always comes back around."
Hinata wasn't so sure about Itachi's words but decided to take hope in them anyway. Itachi knew his brother best after all. She bowed apologetically to her older counterpart before power walking to the elevators. Hanabi had really sounded panicked on the phone, hopefully, the girl calmed down before she arrived. A high strung Hanabi was a force to be reckoned with. Thankfully since it was not quite the end of the work day the elevators were not as crowded with people as they usually were so she was able to make it down to the bottom floor in record time.
She pushed through the heavy glass doors of the main lobby and rushed down the walkway to the bustling street ahead. She squinted her eyes as she adjusted to the bright sunlight above that betrayed the chilly afternoon air. She looked left and right, trying to spot an available taxi nearby as she ran down the cobblestoned path. While she knew that she could always call her driver from the Hyuuga compound but it would take too much time for him to drive all the way from the compound and back. When she reached the end of the curb she extended her hand to hail one of the many yellow taxis whizzing by but none of them stopped for her.
"Taxi!" She shouted over the noise of the bustling city. "Taxi!"
She ignored the odd looks she was getting from passersby and continued to try to flag down a mode of transportation. Just then a sleek and very familiar black town car with tinted windows pulled up in front of her and she jumped back to avoid its side running up against her. She lowered her hand as the driver quickly exited the car and ran around to the back to open the door. Hinata gulped as her father stepped out of the car, pale eyes gazing down at her with a mild sense of disapproval. Hinata bowed immediately, her dark hair falling like a curtain around her.
"Good afternoon father!" She squeaked, inwardly wanting to kick herself for her earlier behavior. There was nothing more unbecoming than a Hyuuga hailing a cab.
"Hinata." Hiashi said simply, followed by the faint sound of the car door closing. "Where are you going?"
Hinata rose from her bow, pushing some of her hair behind her ear. She opened her mouth to answer but was caught off guard by Sasuke standing by her father's side. He was a head taller than her father and his very presence distracted her from the fact that her father was even there. A blush inadvertently spread over her cheeks as his dark eyes looked her up and down. Within the obsidian was that same inexplicable emotion that always made her feel like she was drowning. However, once the initial euphoria of seeing him again passed, a wave of confusion, anger, and hurt washed over her. The intensity of the conflicting emotions caused her to take a half step back.
"Hinata." Her father reiterated, ripping her attention away from Sasuke. "Where are you going?"
"H-h-home." She replied guilty and ashamed for not answering him properly the first time.
Hiashi nodded and gestured for the driver to open the door to the backseat once more. Hinata bowed her head slightly in understanding and got into the vehicle. The door closed behind her and the driver quickly scampered around to the driver's seat. Hinata watched as her father began making his way up towards the building, back stiff and head held high. Sasuke did not follow him and although the tinted windows of the town car made her invisible to him it felt as though he was looking right at her.
She pressed her hand against the cool glass, wishing for nothing more than his hand instead. As the car pulled away from the curb a million thoughts ran through her head at once. What had Sasuke been doing all week? Why did her father let her leave so easily without an interrogation? What were they even doing together? Her heart pounded violently against her chest as the Hyuuga Enterprise building receded into the background and with it all of the answers to her questions.
…..
Friday, November 27, 2017, 4:00 pm
Hyuuga Compound
...
As Hinata climbed the stairs of the main house the muffled sound of heavy things being thrown grew louder and louder. The small woman hurried down the hall, a million worst case scenarios swirling through her head. When she reached Hanabi's room was the first door at the top of the winding staircase the noises suddenly ceased. Surprised by the silence, Hinata placed her hand on the crystal doorknob and pressed her ear against the room. She jumped back when something heavy hit the door and fell to the floor.
Without a second more of hesitation, Hinata wrenched open the door to be greeted by an avalanche of brightly colored cloth. The thin parchment that had been tucked between the folds of the silk dotted the room like snow. Winter kimonos and summer yukata alike were thrown all over the room. Obis hung haphazardly from the vanity and the bed. Expensive baubles for her hair were upturned on her little sister's dresser. In the middle of the chaos was Hanabi pulling yet another heavy kimono from a storage trunk that Hinata knew not to belong to her. There was no doubt in Hinata's mind that Hanabi had somehow managed to bribe the servants into pulling kimonos out of the Hyuuga family storage.
The girl turned the heavy, dark blue material back and forth as though debating its merits before giving up and tossing it aside. Hinata picked up one of the discarded kimonos and ran her hand over the soft red silk. Elaborately embroidered in gold were koi fish and cranes, a pattern that she had not seen in years.
She raised the heavy material to her nose and took a deep breath but only found disappointment. It no longer held the lavender scent that sometimes lingered in her dreams. It had been seventeen years since the last time this silk had ever hung on the body it belonged to. Her mother was long gone and so too was her scent.
"Hanabi." Hinata said flatly, trying not to let her own feelings of loss bubble up to the surface. "What are you doing?"
Hanabi looked up at Hinata with wide eyes from her nest of fabric.
"Finally!" Hanabi said. "Hinata I need you to-"
"No." Hinata cut her off sharply before the girl went off on a tangent. "Explain."
Hanabi bit her bottom lip and Hinata could tell that she was unused to being talked to that way by her. Hinata was always gentle with Hanabi. The young girl was like a storm, impossible to contain or predict. However, seeing the haphazard chaos that lay at their feet made Hinata much less sympathetic to her younger sister at the moment. Hanabi seemed to sense that she had crossed an invisible boundary.
"They want to meet me...tonight." Hanabi started, speaking tentatively as her older sister's hard eyes stared back at her.
"Who is they?"
"The Senju elders."
Hinata tried to keep a straight face as Hanabi told her about the invitation extended to her by Konohamaru's family. The boy had actually informed his parents of his intention to date Hanabi and they had gone to the elders to seek their opinion on the matter. The fact that they were willing to meet Hanabi meant that they saw her as an adequate option for their male heir.
While her engagement to Gaara had not been made public, there was plenty of talk that he was looking for a wife at the moment. After her trip to Suna, all bets were on her being the one he would choose. Upon seeing the potential for Hyuuga influence to rise, the Senju must have found that prospect to be enough to meet the girl Konohamaru had taken an interest in. Hinata gently placed her mother's red kimono on Hanabi's bed. As to be expected, her father's plan was working.
"So will you please help me? I know you're busy but I don't know how to do this on my own." Hanabi admitted.
Hinata looked into her sister's hopeful eyes and felt all of her conflicting emotions from earlier ebb away. So what if Sasuke was avoiding her and having secret meetings with her father? Her little sister needed her undivided attention right now and that was exactly what she was going to get. With a small smile, she extended her hand to help Hanabi out of the mess she had created.
"Come on. None of these will fit you. Not yet."
…..
Friday, November 27, 2017, 7:00 pm
Hyuuga Compound
...
When the grandfather clock alerted them that it was seven o'clock, Hanabi was ready to pass for the elegant young woman her family name inferred her to be. Hinata had found one of her own older kimono's for Hanabi to wear and it fit her perfectly. The solid pale yellow silk complemented Hanabi's skin perfectly and was simple enough to not come off as entitled on her first meeting with such an important family. Hanabi adjusted the powder blue obi around her waist and Hinata smacked her hands away. Although she looked the part it would be a miracle if Hanabi managed to keep her elbows off the table.
"It's too tight." Hanabi pouted and Hinata only smiled.
"It's supposed to be that way. If you wore these more often you'd be used to it by now."
Hanabi only huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Hanabi hardly ever wore the kimonos their father had bought for them when she was younger. When she was in her third year of junior high she had even 'donated' the vast majority of them to some of her classmates. That put an end to their father ever buying them for her again which was what Hanabi had wanted all along. Hinata's smile widened at the memory. It felt like such a long time ago.
With a flourish, she pulled Hanabi's hair back so that it laid evenly down her back. Hanabi and Hinata looked at their reflections in the mirror and smiled at one another just as the doorbell rang. Hanabi sat a little straighter in her seat. Hinata shook her head at the girl's obvious jitters and pinned half of her hair up with two small golden combs. Satisfied with the way Hanabi now looked, she led her sister out of the room and helped her down the stairs. At the foot of the staircase was the young boy who seemed to have somehow garnered Hanabi's elusive affection. Hinata's own heart fluttered as Konohamaru's eyes met Hanabi's and a cheeky smile spread across his face. The young man gave Hinata a short but polite nod of acknowledgment but he couldn't take his eyes off of Hanabi for long.
"Who knew you could actually look like a lady?" Konohamaru grinned when the two sisters stepped down from the last step. Hanabi crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
"Shut up. You've seen me in a dress before." She grumbled. Konohamaru was unperturbed by her murderous aura and held his hand out towards her.
"And yet I am surprised every time." He replied, causing Hanabi to blush but she still accepted his hand.
"Dumbass." she mumbled under her breath before turning to Hinata.
"I'll probably be back late, don't wait up!"
Hinata nodded her head and opened the front door for them. Down the dark path of their driveway sat a small limousine, yet another reminder of just who Hanabi had tangled herself up with. As she watched the two walk into the night she leaned against the doorway, admiring the way that their steps matched. Suddenly Hanabi stopped and hiked up her kimono in a very unladylike fashion. She kicked off her zori and turned on her heel to run back up the driveway.
"Hanabi?" Hinata asked in surprise as her sister flung her arms around her waist and held her tightly.
"Thank you, Hinata." She said as she released her older sister from her quick embrace.
The young girl ran back to Konohamaru who had her shoes in his hand and a look of mirth in his eyes. He led her down to the car laying idle for them, not caring at all that her wild sister had rumpled her kimono or was barefoot. He still looked at her like she was perfect.
When their car was out of sight, Hinata closed the door and made her way back up to Hanabi's room. She looked around at the beautiful fabric that lay strewn on the hardwood floor and sighed. Hanabi had no idea what she had done, what she had touched. Their father didn't keep pictures of their mother laying around so Hanabi never got to see the woman wrapped in the fine silks that she had so carelessly thrown on the floor. This was part of their inheritance, meant to be divided evenly between herself and Hanabi when one of them was married. It had been all their mother was able to give to them.
Hinata picked up the red and gold kimono from earlier and closed her eyes. She faintly remembered her mother wrapping her arms around her in this very kimono as they watched the new year's fireworks with her father. The smell of lavender and smoke assaulting her small nose as she covered her ears from the loud booms. The sky was filled with bright reds and yellows creating impossible shapes in the sky with fire. That was one of her most precious memories for it was the night that she had first felt her unborn sister move in her mother's belly.
Slowly, Hinata put her arms through the wide sleeves and shivered at the cool sensation of the heavy material on her skin. It hung loosely on her frame but she knew that when worn properly with all of the additional layers such a traditional garb required, it would fit her perfectly. Curiously, she walked over to Hanabi's vanity mirror and tried to imagine that it was not her own reflection that she saw but her mother staring back at her. She allowed herself to picture dark hair that fell past her waist and long lashes that tickled when she kissed her. For a moment she believed her own hallucination.
She reached out to touch the woman in front of her but was only met with the smooth surface of the glass. From the doorway, she heard a sharp intake of breath. Hinata whipped around quickly to see her father staring at her from the doorway. His face was even paler than normal, making the lines of his face more prominent.
"Hikari." He whispered.
Hinata felt her heart clench at the pain laced in his voice. She hurriedly crossed the room as he looked through her as though he were seeing her for the first time. He stood immobile in the doorway as his eyes analyzed every feature of her face. She had never seen her father so unnerved. She reached out a shaky hand to touch his arm.
"Father?" She asked and he immediately snapped back into his regular self.
He took a step back from her as if her touch burned him but didn't leave. His senses quickly returned to him and his face was soon the impassive mask she was used to. His pale eyes scanned the destruction of Hanabi's room with distaste.
"S-s-sorry father." Hinata stammered, slipping the outer layer of her mother's kimono off her shoulders. "The Senju elders requested Hanabi's presence. S-s-she needed something m-more suitable."
Hisashi didn't reply to her answer. He picked up a vibrant yellow kimono that was closest to the door. His fingers caressed the soft material reverently yet his face still didn't give way to his internal musings. He carefully draped the silk over his arm before picking up another discarded kimono from the floor. Hinata began picking up the other silk garments strewn about Hanabi's room as well. Soon all of the most delicate pieces had been laid on Hanabi's bed, ready to be expertly wash and packed away once more by the skillful hands of the Hyuuga maids.
"You look just like her." Her father said suddenly as he touched the red silk she had previously worn. He picked up the kimono from the bed and held it up to his eldest daughter. "Yes. Exactly like her."
Hinata blushed and turned away from her father. She wasn't used to his attention being on her for such a sustained amount of time. The last time that happened she had learned of her impending marriage agreement.
"Hinata." He said, her name sounding foreign conflicted on his tongue to both of them. "I know about your relationship with the Uchiha boy."
Hinata looked up from the pool of silk on the bed to her father. He stood stoically next to her, his eyes focused on the golden koi of her mother's kimono.
"Father-" she started but whatever defense she would have provided died on her tongue. What could she say? Whatever her father knew she couldn't possibly deny it.
"You are not to have any contact with him from this point on is that understood?" He said firmly and Hinata gaped at him. She'd never spoken out against him before but her protest spilled from her lips before she could stop herself.
"F-father! What? Why?"
"You know why." He snapped, his fingers tightening over the red silk. "You have obligations that you have already been sworn to and yet you're are skirting your responsibilities with an Uchiha. I thought you knew better than to engage in this kind of juvenile behavior."
Hinata bit her bottom lip and tried to stay the tears that threatened to bubble up. She had tried to push her engagement out of her mind. She'd held up hope that at the last minute Gaara or her father would change their mind. However, as months passed she realized that this was a futile fantasy. She couldn't rely on them changing their minds any longer. She had to take matters into her hands. She clutched her mother's dark blue kimono to her chest and squared her shoulders.
"Father, I...I can't marry Gaara." She said as confidently as she could even though internally she was shaking like a leaf.
Going against the Hyuuga patriarch was something that was simply not done. Her father's outraged expression was clear evidence of that. Looking away from his cold eyes she continued.
"I understand what I agreed to before but I can't do it. I am unable to love Gaara. He deserves someone who can."
"And I suppose you have decided that you love the Uchiha boy now is that right?" Hiashi snapped. Hinata stood frozen in place, unused to her father raising his voice to her. "You are further disillusioned than I expected. Sasuke Uchiha is nothing more than a child who cares for nothing else but his own end."
"T-that's not true." Hinata stammered in retaliation but Hiashi ignored her.
"He is a fox in a hen house and it was a mistake for me to ever allow him to share an office with you. If I'd have known that you would have allowed him to take advantage of our family in this way I would have never allowed the Uchihas to cross our threshold." Hiashi spat and tossed his late wife's kimono onto Hanabi's bed in disgust.
Hinata's hands shook as the red silk fell carelessly onto Hanabi's pillows and then slip onto the floor. Her father was wrong. Sasuke cared about her. Although he hadn't verbally expressed it, in her heart she knew that he felt it the same way. He said it in the way his fingertips caressed her skin. His eyes reiterated his affection every time he looked at her. Sasuke was many things to everyone else but he was only one thing to her. He was her's.
"You're wrong." Hinata said, her voice low but her words still echoed around her sister's messy room. "He...he does care about me."
"You sound ridiculous. He cares for no one but himself and what he can gain. He is arrogant, selfish, and egotistical-"
"He's YOU!" Hinata snapped, unable to take her father's verbal dismissal of Sasuke. "You are arrogant. You are selfish. You are egotistical. But there is a difference. He does love me unlike you. He's not using me, you are! He...he cares my opinion and he thinks I can do more than I ever expected myself to. He is more talented than anyone else with his age or status. He is everything you wanted me to be and yet you abhor him for it!"
Her chest rose and fell as he tried to catch her breath. That was the most she'd said to her father in...well...ever. She had never spoken her heart. She had never been selfish. Those were things a Hyuuga was not allowed to do. Catching her breath she took a step towards her father who was staring at her as if he were seeing her for the first time.
"Father." She said softly. "I'm in love with Sasuke. He loves me, I know it. Please call off the contract. I can no longer uphold my end in good faith."
Hiashi's eyes tore away from her quickly, searching the room to settle on anything that wasn't her. Her heart sank in her chest.
"You are relieved of all your duties with the company until Hanabi's ceremony. At that point, you will formally abdicate your position as detailed in the contract. You are not to contact the Uchiha in any way, business or otherwise. Do not leave the confines of the compound."
Hinata stared at him, her mouth hanging open in shock. He was grounding her as if she were a child caught sneaking out to a party.
"Father!" She said. "This is entirely unnecessary!"
"It is necessary when you have proven that you are unable to think of the ramifications your selfish actions will have on the clan. You are incapable of making rational decisions. You have lost your sense of duty to your clan over a boy Hinata."
Hiashi turned away from her, her protest falling on deaf ears. He stepped over the countless silks still strewn over the floor until he reached the door. His hand rested on the doorknob for a moment, his back tense.
"I am disappointed in you."
To be continued...