My One In A Million
Chapter Twenty
Hyuuga Hinata was good at reading people.
It was her hobby, in fact, one she wouldn't openly admit in fear of being seen as a stalker or a closet pervert.
When nobody was looking she'd she allowed herself to look at people around her and imagine what kinds of lives they were leading. That lady from the apothecary, for example, was honest and social most of the time unless it was someone she hated. Her husband died in the war so now she makes and sells the medicine herself with the help of her reluctant teenager son, they have their bad days but they also have days where they buy flowers and visit graves in peace.
She didn't know their names, but in her mind, every face corresponded to a story being unfolded one day after the other.
Temari, also, she comes to the village every chance she could get even if it meant accepting low-paying missions to deliver a simple document or accompany an ambassador. At first it looked like she just wanted to get away from the Sand, but upon closer inspection and several drunk confessions, it was made clear that she was seeing someone in this village and this was the only acceptable way to meet him without raising any flags.
Ino and Sakura were having the best time of their youth, planning their weddings, competing over whose will make the most impact, leading successful careers as powerful kunoichi. It showed, they had their ups and downs, but their happiness was genuine and one didn't require Byakugan to see they could not be more satisfied with their lives.
And then there's Uchiha Sasuke.
It was nearly impossible to untangle her personal feelings from this boy's story. He always walked around with that dead expression and nonchalant attitude like he was the coolest person in town, one would assume he was really empty inside and this air of conceit was his only method of amounting to anything. Nope. He'd done amazing things in his life to gloat about and chose not to, he had an eventful past that could get him anywhere he wanted through sympathy and guilt-tripping but he doesn't mention it at all. The only reason he is single is because most women are too intimidated to hold a conversation or be in a closed room with him in fear of getting murdered. His only friend was the most powerful ninja in the village and the future Hokage, one with a connection like that would feel compelled to use it, but he didn't; he refused to be promoted into a council member or demoted to be signed on for S-Ranked missions.
He had no other friends, and when he wasn't with Naruto, he doesn't seem to mind being alone.
Once or twice he'd shown her a side of himself that was vulnerable and kind, only to hide it away and pretend it never happened.
Some days she knew exactly how his day was, by the amount of focus in his eyes and the tightness around his mouth, by the flow of his chakra and his motivation to give away words, other times he would be an unreadable pillar of crystal whose surface she couldn't even scratch. Sometimes he'll come back from a good spar with Naruto and unknowingly infect her with his enthusiasm and good mood with barely a look or a tease. Other times all he had to do was shake snow out of his sandal and look away for her to know not to approach him about trivial things.
He was always like that, moody and self-involved. It didn't take away any of his compassion or worth, and to an extent it filled her with confidence that everyone is allowed to have bad days and somehow still have friends who understood.
Lately, though, it was becoming harder and harder to figure him out.
On the outside he was still the same, he spoke to her in that monotone voice and bullied Hanabi if they ever met in the hallway; yet there was something new and cold about the way he looked at her. Like she was a piece of unfinished handiwork he couldn't bring himself to work on anymore.
Sometimes she'd catch him staring at her across a street with the angriest look on his face which he'll wipe off the moment their eyes met, other times he'll talk to her for a whole ten minutes without moving a brow or switching from his tone of indifference.
He tolerated her less, too. Considering there was a time when they'd sit for hours in his hospital room, or for a solid hour in the café; now he didn't have time to sit with her for five minutes. She'd invite him to her place for tea, or to join her with her friends for dinner, there was even that one time she invited herself to his place when she was out of tea, he'd refused to honor any of her wishes by claiming his schedule was too busy.
Slowly, over the course of exactly eleven days, something inside her began to wilt.
She didn't know what she'd done wrong, or if someone told him to stay away from her –it wasn't too much of a stretch considering all the overprotective men and women in her life- it wasn't even clear if it related to her at all. Maybe he was busy at work, maybe it was a date close to someone's death anniversary and he wasn't feeling up for chats, perhaps it was his way of taking a break from the world, wasn't he a loner by nature after all?
If he was, and if it was really not at all about her, then why did he suddenly gain a lot of fans?
She'd seen him on several occasions going out with representatives from other villages and guests of the higher ups for some celebration or another, sometimes with their whole entourage of guards and secretaries and lackeys. Entertainment girls flocked around them like bees on spring flowers, serving them tea and drinks and offering their services, draping their limbs all over him and once or twice, someone found it appropriate to seat herself in his lap.
He let them.
He didn't like to be touched, didn't he?
Common courtesy meant nothing to him, didn't it?
Politics weren't even his favorite thing to talk about, why was he in charge of entertaining the politicians?
It would be nice if he was doing it because he enjoyed it, what man wouldn't like powerful ambassadors and beautiful entertainers hanging on his every word? What shinobi wouldn't want connections with military personnel from other countries, and easy girls to take his mind off the stressful life of a warrior?
Did she read him wrong all this time…?
She couldn't tell, no matter how good she was at reading people, Uchiha Sasuke was becoming impossible to figure out.
It saddened her that an important friend like him was slipping away, but unlike the time Naruto nearly died, or when Neji was hauled into the emergency room clinically dead, or when Hanabi was crashing in a hospital bed and nobody could do anything; Sasuke had made the choice to distance himself. He wasn't dying or sick or helplessly unconscious, he was making the informed decision to exclude her from his life without telling her why.
It was his life, a defeated voice in her head sighed, maybe you over did it with involving yourself too much. He was a private person and you annoyed him too many times for comfort by invading his personal space. You touched a person who didn't want to be touched, hugged him when he was obviously opposed to someone getting that close, bought him things he didn't ask to have and repeatedly forced your decoration choices on his real estates.
You talked to him about your personal things when he was just making small talk, you started to get too comfortable and disrespectful that you must have crossed an invisible line. The boy even kissed you and smirked about it to show you how dangerously close you were getting, that if you didn't stop he might just start pushing back to show you how uncomfortable it is to be repeatedly insulted.
She'd only felt upset about the whole kiss thing after Hanabi convinced her it was unacceptable for someone to steal another's first kiss.
Now, a lifetime later, it hadn't been that bad…
It was actually pretty sweet of him to want to cheer her up considering how he didn't enjoy touching people, considering that he barely noticed if she was ever late, that even when she'd hide away from him for days he wouldn't notice her absence at all.
When it's all said and done, she couldn't help but feel it was her fault.
It made her sick to the stomach that she couldn't even ask about it.
One, because Uchiha Sasuke was really busy these days and didn't have time for even a lobby chat. Two, because now she was the one who lost the courage to look him in the eye and be casual.
If she spoke to him again she might accidentally bow her head or add a polite prefix when he'd specifically told her not to, or worst: disrespect him and do neither!
And then he'll be offended and hate her some more!
There was no right answer anymore, and that frightened her more than anything else in the world.
For the last few days she hadn't left home because her stomach hadn't been feeling too well, she must have had something bad in that new restaurant she and her team dined at. If only she didn't have to leave the house and meet Ino for a sizing session in the dress shop, she would have moped around in front of the tv for a few days more.
She didn't want to go, she wanted to stay in her apartment under the toasty blanket all day. It was an important event, though, and Hanabi was out, and the sun hadn't set yet, she ran out of excuses so she put on a coat and left the apartment.
Hinata regretted it almost immediately, because outside was cold, because her stomach knotted at the thought of taking her clothes off in a dressing room, but mostly because Sasuke was headed in this direction and there was no way to avoid him.
He was bringing someone home, a beautiful tall girl who was dressed in a snug shirt and impossibly short shorts and who seemed to be on personal terms with him, she touched his arm affectionately as if she'd done it a hundred times before.
Maybe if she kept walking she could pass by them and they wouldn't notice her, she thought, but the moment his eyes found her she ended up bowing to them. "G- Good afternoon!" she only let herself cringe after she passed and they couldn't see her face.
"Hyuuga."
Nooo!
He probably didn't notice how embarrassed she was, because when she peeked over her shoulder he was still as blank-faced as ever. "Rent is due today but you have until the weekend to bring it in. Just leave the envelope in the mail box."
"Okay…" Was he telling her not to bother him tonight, was that it? "Thank you."
Her feet walked her away but her ears were still focused to the conversation behind, the woman was teasing him about how frightening he was, how he was always fit for the role of the bad cop and how she'd like it if he bullied her too in private.
Of course… He was a popular, successful young man. Even if he spared her a while of his time, he will always end up with someone better. That beauty with her impossibly vivid red hair and those slender long legs that didn't fear the cold was probably also a temporary form of amusement, he will find someone even more impressive, a girl who was powerful, smart, healthy, and drop dead gorgeous. He attracted the best people, it wouldn't be too long until he found the best one to bear his children, and then he will disappear.
From the apartment, from the village, from her life.
She didn't mind, really, as long as he was happy. It's just that her days were going to be less exciting without him in it. There will be no one to talk to about novels or flowers or the silly things Naruto did, no one to share knowing looks with when someone spoke the word 'pink' or 'purple', she would probably miss the silence the most; he was the only one she didn't have to worry about starting or finishing a conversation with.
"Why do you look so down on such a great day?" Kurenai and the baby caught up to her a few blocks down the road to the shopping district, it was a relief, she didn't want to think anymore.
"Nothing, just a little tired." Hinata smiled and picked up the little babbling girl in her arms. "How are you?"
"I'm great. I can't wait to see what horrible dresses Ino is gonna make us wear today." Her smile warmed at the horrified reaction and she held Hinata's arm as they walked. "I can't wait until you get married, you deserve to be happy, too."
"I'm not really in a hurry for relationships. There's honor in dying a virgin, too."
"Don't say that. There's a great guy out there who is perfect for you, I'm sure of it. Just because your first love didn't end up being your last doesn't mean you should take it to the grave!"
"I know! I just- really… It's not a top priority to me." Although it did warm her heart that Kurenai had a general idea of what usually put her down. "It's not like I'll make a strong aristocrat's wife or a healthy mother. You know… Look at me, just a little cold and I'm down for almost week."
"It's okay to take your time when you're sick, you've been acting strong too much lately, don't think I hadn't noticed."
Strange… She hadn't been acting strong at all, it was just that she hadn't been feeling sickly until recently. "I'm okay, really."
"Good, you'll need your strength. If there's one thing I know about Ino is that she's really scary when she's stressed, and Chouji isn't exactly the best punching bag if you know what I mean, he's very peace oriented and doesn't shove back, so it'll be us she vents her frustrations on."
"I thought it would be like that, it's why I didn't want to agree to this honorable maid thing…" Hinata smiled to the baby and accepted the many slobbery kisses.
"You mean maid of honor? Well, it was nice of you to agree, she's trying to bring everyone together again and having you there with her might encourage a lot of others to attend. It helps that you're a Hyuuga, but it's also because you draw in a lot of others, too. Neji's team, the kids who hang around your sister, Uchiha Sasuke, you know."
Oh, Ino will be in for a big disappointment if she was hoping for Sasuke to show up on her behalf. "I see, I never noticed…" Even if it sounded like she was just being used for her connections, she will go because it was an important event for the whole village, and because it was the sign off to an era: They were becoming responsible adults, one couple at a time.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah, definitely. Just get in already!"
"What if it's too small? I don't think it'll fit the way you imagi-"
"Just take your clothes off and try it, if you don't like it we'll figure something out."
"I don't want to take my clothes off!"
"It's not gonna work otherwise!"
"Even if it fit there's no-! I'm just not built for this to be comfortable! The cleavage area is too big!"
"Just put the dress on, Hinata, this conversation is getting really suggestive!" Ino shoved the emerald garment into the girl's arms and pushed her behind the curtain into the dressing room. "The bra has to go, too."
"Eeh? Whyyy?"
"Because it's a sweetheart cut, you can't have underwear showing up on a sweetheart cut!"
"Let the girl wear what she wants, Ino, gosh… I didn't make you suffer this much on my wedding, did I?" Kurenai was on the bench playing with the toddler in her lap, defending the one behind the curtain when all she had to offer were squeaks and sighs. "How does it look, Hinata?"
"I'm putting it on now."
The full-body mirror in front of her reflected how short the dress was, her shoes would need to be changed but for now she was in standard sandals which didn't really fit with the outfit. Her legs were scandalously exposed all the way to the middles of her thighs, the frilly skirts flared out playfully while the middle squeezed her stomach into what must be the currently-fashionable hourglass shape. Her breasts were too big for the built-in cups and were squished uncomfortably, not only did they look like they would spill out if she as much as bowed in greeting, the dark scar between them was hard to miss, the memento from the injury that nearly killed her in the Chuunin exams was not something she wanted to put on display.
Even to her own eyes it was dreadful, she couldn't help but hide from the horrifying sight with her hands on her face and will it away.
"M- Maybe green isn't my color after all…" She stumbled on the words, trying hard to find good points in the choice to please the bride and coming up with none.
she wanted to cry.
"Well it works for Temari and Sakura, how bad can it be? Come out, let me see!"
"I- I don't want to!" Her toes curled in embarrassment, "It's too revealing!"
"Well we can't agree without seeing it!"
She didn't want to, not really, but there was literally nothing to do about Ino's stubbornness. She pushed the curtain just enough to walk through and used the hanging fabric's edge to cover her chest. "See!"
Temari laughed and got up to offer a helping hand with the girl's hair that went every which way. "Well she's got a point, I'm a leg kinda gal and I still think it was too revealing. Cut her some slack, you're not forgetting how long your ceremony's gonna be, are you? Hours! She'll catch her death of cold before the night is over."
Sakura had to skip and said she had work so it would be best if she had her dress fitted on another day. Everyone knew it was an excuse to be with Naruto on one of his few days off, so it was just Temari, Ino and Kurenai in the dressing room hallway.
"The color could be changed, too." Kurenai's comment was aimed at the bride who seemed about to argue in favor of the dress anyway. "Something pink or purple would compliment her better, don't you think?"
Ino worked her jaws in thought, "That would make her look different! The whole theme is spring symmetry!"
"How about we all have different colors?" Temari tried, "Hinata doesn't look too comfortable in that, and I've outgrown the peek-a-boo phase, I want clothes that actually compliment my curves, not squish them out for all to see."
"But she looks great in it, look at her! I'd brainjack a town for that cup size!" Ino tried with a hopeful smile that fell the moment the curtain was dropped to reveal the dark patch of scar running down said cups. Every woman in that hallway witnessed how this scar came to be, and for once they agreed on something without discussing it out loud. "Well… You should've said so earlier… I'll go ask the assistant if they have something else, since everyone's ganging up on me we might as well find something you all like."
Hinata sighed in relief and closed the curtain to take the dress off, Temari slipped into the booth to help her with the zipper. "Don't look so down, she just wants everything to be perfect even if she had to shove us into wooden caskets."
They smiled into the mirror, Hinata kept her hands on her chest. "I don't understand why she doesn't just have a normal ceremony. Kimonos, sake and half an hour of greetings; then you go home."
"I know, right? It's what I keep telling my brothers but they won't have it, a wealthy woman deserves something bigger, they say. Pff, I already get to wake up in my darling's bed, whatever kind of ceremony they throw isn't gonna change that."
Her first reaction was to blush and try to get her mind off it, and then when the dress loosened around her ribs and Temari turned to allow her some privacy, she whispered, "Is it nice?"
The blonde swept her gaze across the open back of the dress. "Yeah it's nice from the back, it's too tight though, I can already see the ridges it leaves behind."
"I meant… Waking up with him…" She covered her hot face with her shaking hands.
Shutting the curtain again, she grabbed Hinata's jacket and dropped it on her shoulders to keep her warm. "Realistically? No, not really. He snores, his mouth smells like stale tobacco, and he always rolls over on his stomach at night. I'm not a big fan of getting tangled up when I sleep, either, so in the morning we end up on either side of the futon like strangers." She laughed quietly. "But I like him, I like that I'm myself with him, I like that he likes me and everything that comes with me, good and bad. It's not that I haven't been popular in the Sand, I've had other boyfriends before Shikamaru who don't live a thousand miles away, some were even easier to handle; none of them made me this happy. It's only nice because I love him, so I tolerate the things I don't like."
She peeked through two fingers at the mirror. "How do you know?"
"I made a list."
She parted two other fingers to look at the reflection, Temari looked undeniably content by simply talking about her darling, that kind of happiness must be great to have. "How did you know he's the one?"
At that she shrugged. "Hell if I know, he might not be the one, but I'd rather work on something that could end up exactly what I want than wait for the perfect one to show up fifteen years late with a handful of crazy exes. There might not be a perfect one at all, you know. In the Sand, the wishy-washy concept of love at first sight, and soul mates, and star-crossed lovers and all that dust; it's a joke. You don't just walk into a store and find the perfect weapon sitting on the shelf under a spotlight! You go in and try a bunch and get what you think fits your personal needs, and even then you have to work on perfecting them every day. You work on it until it feels right in your hand, until the curves are comfortable and familiar. Until one day you realize there's one that just kinda ends up in your kunai pouch every day, one that you automatically reach for first without realizing it. It looks like every other one but if you went to the shop and got another from the original pile, it's never the same."
Ino peeked into the curtain, flush in the face as if she'd been running. "Hey weapon geek, remind me to introduce you to Tenten. For today, though, we're girly girls! Here, try this one." and then left to tell Kurenai in another dressing room that her kid nearly waddled out of the store and that they needed to go fetch her from the staff room.
Hinata didn't feel too embarrassed in front of Temari, for some reason the blonde kunoichi made a point of not looking when she was particularly indecent, and probably knew too much of the world of adults to make a big deal about a prude like her. This dress was also green, thankfully it had shoulder straps that supported the straight-line cleavage and the higher waist. It was an elegant design in the correct size around the waist that touched the floor in long silky skirts. It was good because it gave the impression that she was taller, however, it had the same problem as the one before it: the amount of skin showing was still too much for comfort.
"You're so pretty, how are you still single?" Temari joked as she zipped her up and tied the silk waist ribbon at the back.
"I'm not…" Hinata blushed, trying hard not to look at the mirror to see her exposed shoulders and the curve of tightly packed breasts.
"You're not single? Really? Who is he?"
"I'm- I wasn't! I meant- I'm not pretty enough to draw any one's attention in that way… Not at all." Not compared to the goddess-like redhead, anyway… Light-haired fierce girls had it easy, they attracted a lot of attention to choose from, meanwhile she was only blessed with a noble family name and not-too-bad teeth.
"You are, you're smoking hot! Even my brothers who weren't too interested in Konoha girls asked me about you. They gave up the moment they knew you're the Hyuuga leader's eldest. It's unfortunate how much you gotta go through to marry someone from another village just because you were born first." The bitterness in her voice alluded to some personal resentment of the concept.
Was she not allowed to marry a foreigner?
"Why is getting married so complicated…? Isn't finding love hard enough?" She slipped her fingers into the opening of the arm to pull out a scratchy price tag from digging into her skin, the little rolls of flesh under her arm gave her one more reason to dislike this whole fitting thing. "I'm really not built for these gowns, I'm spilling out all over!"
The blonde looked at her this way and that, turned her in front of the mirror so she could look at herself from different angles. "Sweetheart, one day you'll find someone who will want to touch and kiss and worship every little inch of you that you're insecure about, and then you'll see yourself for what you really are: drop dead gorgeous."
Temari would never know why Hinata's eyes filled with tears at that statement, but was wise enough to excuse herself and leave the dressing room to allow her some privacy to slip back into regular clothes.
Ino, Sakura and Temari were the fiercest kunoichi in this bar, each one ordered a drink just as ferocious except for her.
Hinata was the weenie who ordered warm water with a slice of lemon.
Her indigestion was cured only to make way for a serious case of the flu she contacted from Kurenai's kid kissing her on the mouth, tonight was the first time she left the apartment in days and only because Hanabi pushed her into it, saying she needed some fresh air if she wanted to avoid turning into a sallow vampire.
It was girl's night, the very first one and probably the last considering the Sand kunoichi would be leaving tomorrow.
She knew that behind her back they called it bride's night, and only invited her because they thought she, too, was engaged. The closest bride to her wedding date for now was Ino, she and Sakura always competed on silly things like clothes and marks at school, but now they are competing over something bigger; wedding grandeur.
If, by the end of the both weddings, one turns out more impressive than the other, she who'd made the best impression wins. The prize was bragging rights, naturally, till the end of time.
It was ridiculous considering how terribly expensive weddings are in the foreign style that they chose to go with, but everyone knew it was time for a little hope after the war. A little gossip here, increased merchandising there, tightened security and employment sprinkled around; it was good for everyone.
Temari was engaged to Shikamaru, he was too lazy to plan troublesome things and she was the Kazekage's sister who needed to have a grand ceremony even if she didn't want one. She started this girl's-night-out tradition by saying she might just stay engaged forever.
Up until now it sounded like a good idea, it was a nice chance to wash away the smell of menthol rub, style her hair, and break out the new shoes she never got the chance to wear.
However…
"Choji loves food more than me!" Ino moaned miserably after the fourth shot and instigated another round of a drinking game so conveniently named 'loser shares a bridal secret'.
Hinata was starting to feel drunk on diluted citrus even if she'd only downed half the glass. It was one thing to play drinking games with three girls, but more often than not she is reminded that they were also three girls who'd had their eyes on Uchiha Sasuke at some point in their lives. The first time she lost she told them she was still a virgin, but they booed and groaned because firstly: everyone knew that already! and second: it didn't give them any dirt on the boy himself.
Now would've been her chance to recover, only now was also the moment she realized that she didn't really need their bridal blessings, not really, not when she wasn't an upcoming bride. "I need the bathroom."
"Awww!" "But- But! The secreeeet!"
Temari was the best in holding her liquor, so it was her who'd noticed the obvious dodge. "Wow he's really rubbing off on you!"
"That jerk!" Ino sniffled, her perfect makeup was starting to go runny around the eyes.
"I loved him with all my heart, too… He never noticed me." Sakura sighed into the mouth of her bottle to create a silly whoosh sound. "I should have known I'd end up with the guy who confessed to me first."
"At least he told you he liked you, mine is only awake long enough to grab a smoke. You'd expect a back rub or a hearty confession after all the effort I put into it, but no." Temari waved goodbye to the confused Hyuuga. "Go pee, honey, we'll be here when you come back."
"You're both dummies! You put out too easily! I'm saving myself until after the wedding." Ino peered around, bleary eyed. "It'd better be worth the wait."
Hinata ran off when it seemed like they were going to try to convince Ino that guys with massive food appetites also had considerable appetites for other activities.
She washed up in the restrooms and rolled a tablet of medicine under her tongue, having spent a few days in bed with mild fever was taking its toll on her heart, for the third time this evening she felt like she would faint for no reason.
Hinata spent a good few minutes looking at herself in the dirty mirror in wait for the medicine to kick in, it was like looking at an old friend who grew up familiar, but different.
Everything she saw was hers: her face, her thick sweater and knitted hat, her scarred knuckles, the inconvenient distribution of fat deposits in her body, her teeth, her ears, her eyelids that gained an extra fold when she was tired.
Under the usual skin and hair was a person trying to be different, the push up bra was a little uncomfortable but it was worth the pain; in this sweater it made it look like her waist wasn't as thick. This was the first time she tried higher heels, too. Sakura and Ino always looked dashing when they were dressed up like this and, thanks to being forced to buy new shoes, she managed to find a nice pair in one of the shop windows to finally try it out.
She could pull off the girly girl, right?
Her voice was already small, her pinky peeked up when she held a cup to her mouth; it was a good start.
Though according to fashion magazines, being natural didn't count as pretty, you had to look undeniably feminine without showing how much hard work you put into it.
This was a test run, of course. She didn't want anybody of importance to see the asymmetric wing of her eyeliner, or the fact that her nails weren't filed into stylish ovals, or that she tried extra hard to curl her thick hair into waves only to have it stand straight and limp as it always did.
Maybe after she mastered walking in these shoes and painting the lines on her eyes, she would be pretty enough.
Not for anyone's approval, of course, it wasn't like she was trying to get unwanted attention.
Just that… Well, after all the heartache, she realized how many things she was missing out on by always being a fighter first and a girl second. This wasn't too bad, was it?
It wasn't even about Naruto anymore, yes there were still a lot of issues regarding him she couldn't get over, but right now she'd made her mind that love and marriage didn't rate high on her list.
What Temari said in the dressing room was a wakeup call, how did she expect to find the right one without looking for him?
It's why Naruto didn't fit with her, wasn't it? She never had the courage to put herself out there and change him and have him change her, not enough, not like Sakura. That's why Sakura was the one wearing his ring, they had more time together, they fought together, they shared more things in common, they were compatible.
She wanted someone like that, someone who fit so well she wouldn't even notice how comfortable he'd become until he was already the first choice in her kunai pouch. Someone who would accept every part of her, good or bad.
Someone who wouldn't toss her aside like an old toy…
"I don't know who you're thinking of, but you'd better dump him if he makes you that miserable." A middle-aged woman who just stumbled through the rest room door leaned against the doorframe, looking left and right in confusion. "I'm a little tipsy, would you be a dear and help me find the exit?"
This woman was a few levels more than 'tipsy', Hinata held her arm and guided her out of the small bathroom, through the crowded bar and to the double doors that led outside. It was a recently established corner shop, girls frequented these newer areas because they were trendy and full of single boys from other villages. It also promoted dangerous drinking habits and meetups with likewise smashed strangers.
Outside, the lady turned to offer her thanks only to finally recognize who it was that had led her out, she grabbed Hinata's face to look closely into her eyes. "Wow, are you a Hyuuga? I finally get to see Byakugan for myself!"
Without warning, a blade appeared in front of the woman's throat and a ribbed, protective cocoon surround Hinata and whoever was pressing themselves against her back.
Everything froze: the woman, her heart, the sword, the breathing of the chest behind her, the men and women on the street. Almost as if time itself had stopped.
Maybe it did, it was Uchiha Sasuke after all.
"Blink one more time and you're gone." He growled, his voice rumbled against her spine like thunder.
Where did he even come from?!
The woman all but fainted on the spot, nobody was brave enough to ask if she was thrown into an illusion or if it was just a heart attack. Masked ANBU sentry hopped down from their posts on the roofs to carry the foreigner away to a hospital -or interrogation, who knows- and all was quiet again.
Too quiet.
"Why didn't you kill her?"
She turned around once the deadly ribs disappeared. "She didn't seem like a bad person!"
"That's not good enough!" Sasuke stopped himself before his voice got too loud, before anyone could tense up for battle. "What the hell are you even doing out here?"
Why was he here? Why was he angry with her? Was the woman from another village he needed to be watchful of? Was he using this occasion to show his abilities and intimidate the foreigners? Was he here with someone and felt the need to scream in her face to prove what a big mean man he was?
The rush of adrenaline made her lightheaded, what a waste of a good calming tablet. "Please, let's not make a scene."
"I'll not make a scene, but next time make sure it's 'hit now ask questions later', not 'have your eyeballs plucked out without lifting a finger', alright?" He slid his sword back in the sheath with a click, released a hot breath and then asked in a quieter voice. "Are you hurt?"
She couldn't look him in the eye, not when he was making that angry face. "No."
His thumb swiped the red-tinted moisturizer off her lips not too gently. "The hell is this."
"It's lipstick!"
His mouth curved down. "It doesn't suit you."
Was this how it'll be between them from now on, broken pieces of conversation stolen in an angry rush?
The crowd was still eyeing them curiously, there was no way she could say anything to him here, not now, not when something painfully hot was trying to climb up her throat and latch onto his face; anger or questions or a cupful of diluted lemon water.
"I'm gonna go back to the group now." She excused herself with a hasty bow and ran off without waiting for his response.
Inside, it seemed like nothing had changed, drunk people played games, waitresses slipped back and forth through the tables, music and the clinking of glass filled the air with excitement.
"Hey, you're back! What's all the noise outside?" The sultry Sand warrior pushed the chair out for her and instantly forgot the topic, "Oh oh! Guess what? A bunch of guys came over to flirt thinking we were single, who do you think was the most popular?"
She didn't know, but Temari was the one dressed most provocatively. "You?"
"You! You silly girl! They had to wait for you to step out to ask about you, hah! See I told you: puckered lips and puckered tits get things done! They were pretty hot, too. Guys from the Tea country are always gentlemanly, too bad it's disrespectful in their culture to sow a turnip seed in a rice paddy."
Hinata smiled politely and eased into the chair, wondering when would be a good time to notify her friends that if those guys were part of the crowd outside, they're probably not coming back.
She refused to acknowledge her grand relief that she'd been too late to meet them, or that she only sipped the stale drink in her cup to smother the tingling aftereffect of a thumb on her lips.
"But I don't understand! I was assigned on that mission a week ago, why would I be replaced today just as they are leaving?" Hinata accepted the scroll from the busy woman on the desk who could only spare it a glance, the dispatch department in the Hokage tower was always busy at this time of day as most teams departed and returned around these few hours of evening.
The woman sighed in frustration and mumbled under her breath how everything got messed up all the time. "Look, I don't know. I just timestamp the reports I receive and hand out mission scriptures. If you have something to whine about go to the main office upstairs, it's their seal they used to sign the switch."
"What office would that be?"
"It's a big door at the end of the hallway on floor ten, you can't miss it." As an afterthought, the woman thought it kind of her to add, "Don't take it too personally, by the way. You're not the first, and you definitely won't be the last."
Hinata didn't quite understand why she would say that, not until she knocked on the door at the end of the hallway to the tenth floor and saw the one behind the massive desk.
"Sasuke… San."
He didn't even look up. "I'm busy."
The first reaction to his voice was a sudden punch-like pain in her stomach, and then it climbed up to clog her throat. She swallowed heavily and closed the door behind her. "Good afternoon. May I ask? Why was I switched with Hyuuga Neji on this mission to escort the kazekage's sister to the village of Sand?"
He was busy copying information from one scroll to another, his sleeves were rolled and his Sharingan was activated as a sign of absolute focus. "Did the team depart?"
She'd left them at the gate saying that she will sort it out, but knowing Neji's protective tendencies and Temari's impatience, they were probably already on their way. "I would assume so."
He reached for the scroll, she gave it to him with a hopeful smile; it caught flame and scattered to the polished marble floor in fluttering black wisps. "Bye."
Ah…
She'd heard about this.
Rumors were around that Uchiha Sasuke was merciless, that he would pluck a man from his post and relocate him just to make his life harder, and if one tried to file a complaint the documents just vanished.
Was he trying to make her life harder?
Had she made it to his black list already?
Would he even spare her a moment to tell her why?
"I don't understand." She started, not really sure where things would go from there.
"Your request for a review is denied. Close the door behind you."
She watched the flow of his hand over the parchment through several rapid blinks, and then the words she'd been pushing back for days finally escaped. "Did I do something wrong?"
The darkness around his eyes was evident when he shot her a quick, impatient glance. "It's not personal."
This was nothing but personal! "Ne… What did I do wrong…?"
Her days were different when he was angry at her.
colorless and monotone...
He must have missed the distress in her voice because he never stopped writing. "It's protocol. Your abilities weren't fit for that particular mission. They'll call you again when something appropriate is in."
"You don't even know my abilities." She had to swallow back all the other things she had to say because he glared at her with those rotating irises, it gave the impression that his mind was busy at work, and she didn't want to think about the bloody scenarios he was running her through in his head. "May I please request a different agent?"
"This is the head office of Human Resources, every request goes through me eventually." He was apparently finished with what he was copying, because he set both documents aside and unfurled a particularly crowded scroll to read through. "Aren't you sick? It would be ridiculous if you exposed your team's position with a sneeze."
"You don't know that!"
"You were drinking last night, too. How careless."
"It was lemon water!"
"Whatever. I've never seen someone so offend about getting a day off. The team already left, princess. Go home."
She made to leave, or at least most of her; her feet refused to budge, not even an inch. "What kind of missions will I be getting, then?" His finger stopped tracing the text for a second as he considered, when he continued reading without honoring her with a response she tried again. "Will I be stuck with C-Ranked missions as long as you're the head of office?"
"What part of I'm busy, go home, do you not understand?"
"All of it!" This wasn't like her, she didn't usually question her superiors this way. Sasuke was making it personal even if he said it wasn't, him not being reasonable was why she needed to put her foot down and find out why. Having the sniffles was never a valid reason to take someone out of an A-Ranked mission! "Please tell me the real reason."
He slammed his hands on the table and sat up to walk around and tower over her, his hands locked behind his back and his head held high as he stood one step away. His breath tousled the straight hairs of her fringe, the familiar scent of sunshine and campfire invaded her nose, when she looked up the red of his eyes was all she could see. "Why are you being annoying?"
She hoped he hadn't noticed the necessary gathering and swallowing of her saliva to clear her airways. Accepting the change in roles, she straightened her back and gripped her wrist behind her back. "Sir, I would like to be a useful kunoichi to this village. It is a disgrace to be disqualified from a mission on terms of being inadequate, and if that was the case I deserve a chance to fix it. If it is simply a matter of strength I would work harder, but if it is something I cannot be trained for…" Her voice wavered, and then she pushed on with sheer willpower. "If it is something my father requested of you, to protect me, please tell me so, and I will step down and discuss it with him. Please answer me this and I will not waste anymore of your valuable time."
His eyes, when she looked up from studying the repetitive weave of his shirt, were dark and hooded. "Hyuuga…"
"Sir."
He worked his jaw in aggravation, "You were the first one to defy me since I set foot in this dull village, and you continue to defy me even now."
Whaa?! When did she ever defy him before now?!
"If you're so keen on getting yourself killed, how about you sacrifice yourself to a greater cause, instead? If you're lucky, you'll live long enough to be dispatched to the desert again." A side of his mouth curved up just enough to hint at the evil within. "Hyuuga Hinata, from now on you are my assistant. I expect you to take care of everything from my personal schedule to bringing me coffee every morning. move those books into storage and bring up the next volume to each one." The mountain of books that have been dumped in the corner could fill up her bathtub, the thinnest was at least a thousand pages long. "You start right away. I'd take my cape off if I were you, storage is at the bottom floor."
The little bit of brainpower left in her that wasn't utterly blank with surprise was feeling triumphant; maybe now she can show him her abilities that served more than squinting her eyes and peeling mandarin.