He hated Hyugas.

It was his final words as a myriad of knocks on his door woke him up way before the sun even showed up. Grunting, he turned his face against the pillow burying it in the ridiculous amount of buffer he had on his bed.

Three days he's been here. Three days he had to follow Hinata everywhere around town, between her city estate and the various nobleman that desired to meet her. Against what he had thought, the Daimyo's meeting was scheduled four days after they had arrived. Three days he had felt the most ridiculous man in the city, comply to come with and attend whatever boring meeting his friend had. If only it was of any value but all those people talked about was the gossips around town or their wealth. How the young woman could stand them and entertain a conversation was beyond him.

But above all this, her family was the nail in his coffin. They were everywhere, pestering him, trying to teach him his job. A bodyguard. As if Hinata Hyuga had ever needed a bodyguard in her kunoichi career. If anything, he should be guarding any of the men who had more than once looked at her with barely hidden malicious intents. She was a master of the Gentle Fist. She knew better than letting those oddballs treated her as anything less than with respect.

Even knowing this, Hyuga's clan members never seemed to leave him alone, apparently very concerned about their princess safety. Or that's what he thought at first until a very interested maid took him aside to ask him about one of her cousin's meeting with a rather young nobleman. He understood he wasn't just a witness for Konoha then but the eyes of the entire Clan, maybe even the entire Court.

He wanted to go home. Take Hinata and flee back to their village far FAR away from the madness of the city. He was exhausted by all those shenanigans and they didn't even have met their target. Damn this mission!

"Mister Uzumaki. Are you awake ?" The calm and annoyed voice of Reita Hyuga swept away all traces of sleepiness from his brain. That woman would be the death of him. Getting out of his bed he took crossed the distance between himself and the door before violently opening it.

The petite woman in front of him didn't seem phased by his rather improper appearance.

"As I suspect you were still in bed." She commented looking at his untamed hair pointedly. "Miss Hinata will be ready to leave in ten minutes. You are expected to meet her in her room."

"Noted." He groaned closing the door not bothering anymore with ceremonial. He couldn't care less what that woman thought of him and his manners. Passing a hand on his face, he discarded the last trace of sleepiness and took off for a shower. It was frightening to see how easy they both had felled into a routine in such a short amount of time. Every day, Reita would come to wake him up at an impossibly early hour to signal him Hinata was ready to take off to some unknown location. He would shower, dress before leading to her room where an army of people would flutter around her to get her ready. Breakfast would be ready when he arrived and he would eat while watching her peck some of the food.

Today was different though. The room was strangely quiet when he entered, still fresh from his shower. No other Hyuga had invaded the Heiress room as she was lazily lounging on a couch, a scroll in one hand and a cinnamon roll in the other. Her head snapped toward his as he entered without giving many thoughts just like he had done for the past three days.

"Naruto ?" His name had fallen out of her mouth without much thinking as she watched his eyes rapidly roomed over her body. A deep blush, took over her complexion as she straightened her posture and rearranged her yukata loosely tied around her chest. "What are you doing here ?" She asked embarrassed to be seen in such a lazy posture. Turning his head away, Naruto coughed his blush away casting out the delicate vision of her exposed clavicle. He couldn't help the small grin as he noted how red her complexion had turned.

" Reita had informed me that you were ready to go in ten minutes." He explained taking place in front of her taking a cinnamon bun and a cup of coffee. He noted then the more casual state of her clothes. It was still very formal but compare to the last few days, it was much simpler.

" Oh they shouldn't have !" She lamented. "I'll be spending the day at the Estate." He smiled at her pouting face. She really seemed bothered on his behalf.

"That's okay. I guess today will be slow." He shrugged slouching slightly in his seat. Frankly, he was glad he wouldn't have to meet another rich boring man or hearing the state of one mansion lost somewhere in a remote village. He didn't mind taking a break before their introduction to the Daimyo. "More reading ?" He asked pointing at the scroll in her hand.

"No. She shook her head. Clan's duties. Some never stop." She shook her head.

"Even here? I thought that demon of a woman was in charge." She giggled at the mention of Reita. She knew the woman had given Naruto a hard time.

"I am reviewing the Byakugan of the children born in the city Estate. Usually, we send a clansman to do it but since I am here, I'll do it." She explained showing him a list of names. Ten in total with ages varying between 4 to 8.

"I didn't know they were a shinobi school here." Naruto wondered. He didn't see kids running around playing like the apprentice genin back in Konoha.

"There is not. If one of them has the capacity to awaken the Byakugan, he will have the possibility to come to Konoha and learn our family techniques. But this is a rare occasion. People who are born here are mostly civilians, scholars from the clan. Most of them become advisor, teacher or simply evolved in the court."

"Your clan does a lot." He mused eyeing her. It seemed like every day he learned a bit more about the extent of the Hyuga clan and the responsibility leaning on Hiashi Hyuga.

"Yes. But it is beneficial for the village. Konoha has a special connection to the Daimyo thanks to the Hyugas that other villages don't have. It has his advantages and their inconvenient." Her eyes slowly grew sadder as melancholy pressed a tired smile on her face. She drank a bit more of her tea before turning her face toward the window. She thought of everything her life was. Of every decision being the heiress of such a dynasty implied and how it shaped her life. Her clan was her past, her present, and her future. As much as she hated this word it was her fate. It will always be.

"My ancestors joined Konoha because we believed in his forces and the men and women that made that place what it was. We believed in the Will of Fire. Some might have forgotten but we are Konoha and Konoha is us. We shaped the village just as they shaped us. Every member of our clan wearing this name gives its allegiance to Konoha and the Hokage. No matter where they live, what they do, or who they are. We have to work for the best of our people and the village. It is our duty." She faced him. Her eyes burned with this conviction. That was what she believed in and she desperately wanted him to understand it. She wanted him to see her vision and the reasoning behind her every decision. She had accepted to be a part of this narrative, to have a role in this story. It was hard and unforgiving but she chooses this life. She decided to choose this fate. Even if he didn't understand right away, he would later when everything would be clear.

Naruto seemed to look at her for the first time in her entirety finally understanding the meaning behind her title. She was the heiress. Not just another kunoichi from the Leaf. Her entire being took a new light. Everything made sense and at the same time, nothing did. He understood her upbringing, the weight on her shoulder, the burden of her eyes and her name, the way she acted, move around, her shyness, her wound. But at the same time, everything else was even more confusing. How was she able to make some irrational decisions? How was she able to stand against everything she was taught? What kind of strength did she have to be herself?

How many facets did this woman have? How complex could she be? A few days ago he finally realized that she was a woman and now another layer of her peeled revealing something he couldn't start to see the depth of. Had he even known her until now? How come she seemed to know everything about him and he couldn't even begin to describe her? Why her eyes seemed to see his naked soul when he was lost in the layers and layers that hid behind her clear pearly one?

He swallowed hardly taking in the silence. He felt so small and so far away from her. She was important. He got it now. Her life was linked to hundreds of others. She was a part of those people who could decide the lives of so many.

"Pretty big responsibility you got there." He whispered giving her back her list. Their fingers touched and for a moment lingered.

"The fancier the title, the heavier is the crown." She wisely said. She made a move to retracted her hand but he grabbed her wrist keeping her in place.

She shot him a questioning look. He didn't answer letting his eyes speak for him. He made her look because he couldn't properly voice out anything he was feeling. This inner turmoil was incomprehensible for him to put words on. He just knew he didn't like that gap that was digging between them. He didn't like the vision that was forming in his mind about the future: them so far apart. He didn't like that anguished feeling he had in his chest for the past few days as he had watched her getting ready, concealing herself, downplaying her abilities to speak to some men. He didn't like the impression he had to face a stranger with her face, to not know his friends properly. That those months were dreams, a life, a bond he had fantasized about. He just needed her to see him. Her beautiful unique, all-seeing eyes plunged into his and read his soul like she always had. He wanted to scream, to cry out his frustration, to shake off his inadequacy, to close the distance between them.

Because she was important to him.

"Naruto is there something wrong? Are you okay ?" She took his hand in hers, snapping him back to the present. He looked at her smaller hand wrapped around his. It was freezing. Looking back at her eyes he didn't found the understanding that should have been there to reassure him. Worst he found puzzlement and worry.

He let her go coughing in his fist.

"Sorry... I... I probably didn't wake upright." He forced his breathing to slow down as he evades her inquisitive stares. He wanted to flee. "You ready to go ?" He asked looking around as if there were any kind of danger lingering around that she couldn't see.

"Yeah... give me a minute to pick up some scroll. I'll meet you outside." He nodded fleeing to exit the room. Everything seemed a little bit stuff.

She watched him leave her and close the door. She left a beat, her gaze never leaving the hardwood. His steps silently moved further.

She stayed unmoving for a minute, calming her erratic beating heart. It took too much of her self-control to execute her little stunt right there: not reacting on a whim, not reaching him halfway, not loving him openly. The pain inflicted her and the cold that took over her body had yet to go away as she let her thoughts settle down on her task. Deep breath, focus mind, controlled body.

His eyes could be a fatal mistake if she wasn't a bit more careful. So intense. So blue. She felt at their mercy every time she was under their vivid gaze.

Taking another deep breath, she recollected herself straightening her stand, and looking around the scrolls rolling a few of them to take with her. Quickly putting on her sandal, she took one last look at herself in the mirror, arranging her bangs before nodding happily about how she looked. She was ready.

Opening the door, she saw Naruto a little bit farther in the corridor, looking at his shoes. Past him, some Hyuga clansmen were also waiting. A small polite smile automatically graced her features as she closed her room before walking to her friend. He looked at her for a second puzzled, assessing her expression but didn't answer when she asked him if he was sure everything was okay.

"Let's go." He just said letting her lead the way. She nodded not without rapidly squeezing his hand and smiling. She just couldn't help herself, she thoughts as she walked to the clansmen.

The Capital Estate was more of a grand house than an Estate to be precise but to Naruto, it still was absurdly majestic. He wondered what it was like to grow up in such an abundance of wealth, to never have to worry about how you'll get your next meal or if you could afford to throw away the expired food you had because the end of the month was rough.

Since they had arrived, it was the first time they visited Hinata's home and that he could saw the extent of her clan. A visit from the Heiress was a special event and as he excepted, almost all the members were present to greet the young woman. Twenty people were perfectly lined up bowing at a perfect 45° angle. Behind them, a bunch of kids and teenagers were trying to see the young lady and her escort. Hinata's smile widened as she felt their little chakra bubbling with eagerness.

A man moved to meet them before bowing. Reita moved next to him introducing him as Saito Hyuga, her husband.

"Welcome home Miss Hinata." He welcomed her.

"I am home." She replied accordingly. She slightly turned toward her escort and made a sign for him to move next to her. He placed himself slightly behind her but still close enough to reach out for her in case something happened. Something they rehearsed for her meeting to show the dynamic between them.

"This is Naruto Uzumaki. He is my bodyguard and Konoha's witness." He bowed almost automatically as he did again for the past three days. "He is also a very dear friend of mine and an esteemed guest of the Hyuga Clan." She added with a softer voice. "We will be in your care." She smiled.

"It is an honor to welcome the War Hero in our home." Saito nodded. Naruto felt himself blush. He still wasn't used to the title said with so much esteemed and also he was a 'very dear friend' of Hinata, her words not his. Not that he didn't know but it was nice to hear it said aloud.

The party moved to the house as Hinata quickly fell back into heiress mode, being filled up with the news of the clan and what she needed to attend to during the day. Not so much of a 'slow day' by the list of tasks the woman leading the way was enumerating. She had a copious amount of things to review, paper to sign, decisions to approve and budget to overview, and all this before a lunch break at noon. And then only she will be introduced to the children of her clan and would review their ability before having to return to the paperwork before finally getting some free time for herself. It sounded horrendous for her and even more bothersome for her blond friend. He has nothing to do as it was exclusively clan matters. He wondered what he could do all day. Maybe train a bit, look around the house, being useful. He looked around as they were escorted to the head office where Hinata would spend most of her day. Everything just looked so... rich. Filthy rich. From the small decorative plate to the doors, everything was so high quality and just ... beyond. He was sure anything coasted more than what he could make in a year of S-class mission.

He wondered how his friend came to be so humble and simple. He never took her for someone with that much money. She was so... her. So simple. She enjoyed the most common thing in life when she could have everything.

She even wanted him at some point.

They finally entered the office and never one Reita stopped talking about details and matters. Hinata's ears were ringing as her brain worked to analyze and stock information. Smiling politely, she dismissed them wanting some silence and calm to focus on her tasks. They all left except for Naruto who looked around admiring the tapestry work hanging behind the desk. A gift from the main house to the capital estate.

"It was my grandfather's gift when he got engage to my grand-mother." She explained coming next to him. He nodded looking at the intricacies of the weave work. He was looking at hundreds of hours.

"He must have loved her a lot." He wondered. He couldn't wrap his head around paying someone just to make something like this. It was pretty yes but did anyone mattered that much?

"At first not really." Hinata shrugged looking at it too. "It was arranged marriage. They barely knew each other but it was beneficial for the integrity of the clan." Her hand ran across the fabric. How ironic of her to discuss such a thing with Naruto when she was in the same position.

"And after that? They fell in love ?" He asked almost hopefully. She almost sighed. Thinking about her hateful grand-father and his love life made her want to cry. No. It didn't get better. She couldn't remember an instance or a single story about them being remotely close. They rarely spoke to each other. But she didn't want to say it out loud so she didn't say the truth. Only partially :

"They got to know each other." She simply answered turning away from the tapestry.

"Why did he offered her this ?" The blond ninja wondered turning toward his friend. A sad smile graces her lips.

"She was promised to the Daimyo but the main House thought they needed to marry her to the heir. She had quite a powerful Byakugan despite being born a noblewoman. So, my grandfather commissioned a tapestry from the finest weavers. This took three years to complete. She almost wed the Daimyo but Hisato showed up with this tapestry and dressed my grandmother in it. When a noblewoman chooses to wear a gift from one of her suitors it means here that she accept the man's proposal. Since the Daimyo didn't offer her anything, she married my grandfather." She explained before taking place in her father's chair. Naruto looked a minute more at the tapestry when his mind suddenly flew back to Hinata's room filled with gifts and boxes. Gifts she opened but didn't wear all week. Gifts from families she met during those past few days.

A sudden pain gripped his chest. Were all those presents from suitors? They were so many! And she wasn't a noblewoman, she was a Shinobi. A shinobi from Konoha. That probably meant that those rules of courtship didn't work that way. But then again it did for her family before.

"Is this why you got so many gifts ?" He asked her. She paused, her muscle tensed. Slowly she lifted her gaze toward his.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Did you wear one of them ?"

"No."

The tension upped a bit as the next question flew out of his mouth before his brain processed it :

" If I wear the one who gave you a gift, would you have worn it ?"

All the color of her face vanished as her jaw dropped. Her heart gave out and her mind exploded.

What?

Did he know what he had just asked?

As for Naruto, he finally registered his words as a red carnation took his skin. They looked at each other weighing the gravity of his words. Was that a confession? Or was he ...?

"Forget what I just asked! I am going out since you don't need my help today !" He screamed taking the first exit. Never he could face her again! That was so embarrassing!

Hinata watched him flee, dumbfounded. Her hand crunched the front of her kimono, eyes wide open. Those blue eyes were haunting her. Their intensity. Their depth! Why? The weight of his words was heavy on her chest as a stunned sob shook her frame. Why now? Why when she was hellbent on doing the right thing he finally had this look on his face?

Why?

EHEHE The fun start next chapter with the Daimyo's court and negotiations and DRAMA

I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to review.

Love, Olive