Author's Note:
Whew! Finally finished! ;) It's 3:57 and I'm posting a new chapter...Yay!
I'm so sorry for making you all wait - it literally took me about four days to write this. This is the longest chapter I've ever done! I pray you all enjoy it! I took so much time and so much planning that it almost made me go insane! But I just had to get it done; you all deserve this chapter anyway!
I hope you all had a good week! Mine was...surprising. Found out alot about my friends that I didn't know about 0.0 Very, very surprising...
Anyway, school will be starting in a week and my updates will, most likely, me slow, but only because of me getting ready for school! Once school starts, chapters will come once a week, probably on Fridays, so that will be something you all can enjoy. :)
This chapter is a bit...serious, I think. Alot of emphatic writing I guess, so you all will have to really read it and get into it to know what is going on. One of my new reviewers said that he/she payed attention to each and every chapter, because they knew that it would count in the future! ^_^Akumakisses...you are a wise one. Everyone, please make sure you pay attention to every little detail - it counts toward future chapters...
Enjoy.
Chapter 25: Spirit
"Aura," he whispered, "I wish I could wipe away just one of your tears. Then I'd
feel like a person again. Like I'm something more than a bunch of light."
― Jeri Smith-Ready, Shade
"She did WHAT?!", Tenten angrily bellowed into her cellphone while she sat on the floor in the tiny front room, battling Tenji in Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe. She groaned soon when her son's character started to win, but maintained her cursing.
"I was just as shocked as you were when I heard! Oh dear, when Kanna-san came in and said that Eri-san was fired, I almost went to the floor! She is, well I thought she was a nice, decent young lady but I guess she was just a whore in maid's clothing.", an old maid sounded out through the cell, mortification in her voice.
The brunette's blood was boiling by the minute. "I let that bum – cover your ears sweetie – BITCH come into my house for fucking free and she has the fucking audacity to try and sleep with my husband?! What kind of shit is that?! Huh?!", Tenten seethed angrily as she gripped the controller tightly while at the same time trying to win the game. It seemed that you couldn't be nice to anyone these days…
"The kind of …shit – oh dear - that reminds us that we have trolls lurking around. Speaking of trolls, did you know that that woman that Neji-sama has impregnated has moved in – "
"WHAT THE FUCK! What did you just say?!", Tenten yelled again, dropping the joystick altogether and giving an incredulous look. Tenji started to giggle at his mother's distress, thinking that his winning was the cause.
"Yes, she did! She has her own room and everything, but she doesn't have the guts to come out of it until either early in the morning or late at night. She been staying there for about a week now, and the only time me and the others see her is when she is leaving or when she is going into her room. I specifically told Neji-sama that I was NOT going to go and clean a mistress's room! I am beyond such trash as that!"
Tenten stood up slowly, her frown deepening each step she took towards the kitchen. Tenji sighed and bounded back onto the couch awaiting for his mother to start cooking, a giggle making its way out of his mouth when the couch sunk in from his impact.
The mother opened the refrigerator, her phone still to her ear as she grabbed out several items. "Has she been in my room? I'm pretty sure you would know, right?", though her voice was calm, she was about to explode on the inside. Screw waiting for a chance to 'talk' to him; she would march up the steps to her house and choke him out.
She had almost attempted to do it before, but of course the law got put in her way. Shame…
"That is what I was expecting when she came in, but surprisingly the little tramp has stayed put in her room as well as Neji-sama – Oh, let me tell you about what happened on Wednesday though! Some rude young woman came over demanding to see her!"
Tenten frowned a bit in confusion as she started to open some cheese. "Young woman?"
"Yes ma'am, she is, apparently, the mistress's sister – anyhow, she came in demanding to see the woman, acting like she was the Queen of England or something. Ou-san let her in soon and she just started to go off on the woman for no reason! I was in shock at some of the vulgarities that were spurring from the young'uns mouth. I had almost ordered one of the guards to throw the woman out, but the mistress started to talk about 'not having the money' and things like that."
"Money? Sounds like someone's being a leech.", the brunette mused. "Just who is her sister? I didn't even know the chick had a sister."
A small silence occurred before the old woman spoke again. "I think Tanuya? – what did you say, Maka? – Oh, her name was Tayuya! Tayuya.", the woman confirmed, which made Tenten's eyebrow go up.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course, Tayuya. Tenten remembered the girl; who wouldn't remember the first person that had fought in middle school?
"Such a small world we live in. That girl is bad news; make sure she doesn't step foot on those steps ever again.", the woman ordered as she poured the cheese into a bowl.
"Will do, ma'am. If I may ask, when are you coming back home? The whole mansion is in disasters without you, dear! I hope that you are not letting Neji-sama keep y-"
Tenten gave out a laugh. "Oh, trust me, that little fucker – excuse me, Tenji – is NOT keeping me from my house. I just don't want him calling the law on me again. He's such a bitch." Because of him, this was her first strike, her first. That meant that she only had two more strikes left, which left her with limited options…
"It is a good thing that that little situation didn't make it to media's attention. It would be difficult to be dealing with the situation and the reactions to the public.. Tenji-sama is with you? " Tenten bit her lip a bit; she shouldn't have been so careless throwing the boy's name out. You couldn't trust anyone these days not to tell…
"Um, y-yeah he is. Anyway, I'm not ready to go back yet. As a matter of fact, I'm not going back; I'll just have someone get my things when I get my condo. Can you believe the stupid bastard has still being adding money onto my account? Talk about guilt-driven." She had, of course, made sure to check her account once she got out of jail and discovered the miracle. Surprising.
"Yeah, he's guilty. I cannot believe that he cheated! Adultery, such a sin! He looked to be so in love with you. I tried to think that it may have been a mistake, but then again it could have just been what he wanted to do. Uh, maybe that disgraceful Uchiha man has been getting to him. I still cannot believe it! Neji-sama was such a good man. I don't know what to think of him, now. All I know is that if you do not change your mind in coming back, I will leave this job."
"Don't do that, Shi. You worked hard to get to that Head Maid job.", Tenten stated, a little softness in her voice.
"It doesn't matter! I would rather go back to the lower branch and live a poor life than work for such indecency. I have more dignity than that young coot will ever have. If Hizashi-san was alive to see this, I'm pretty sure he would have scolded the boy! He would be ashamed!"
She agreed. If Hizashi was still alive, she was pretty sure that she wouldn't be the only one swinging bats around; from what Neji had told her about him, he was a very, very strict and noble man. Adultery to him was like poison to a person.
Tenten watched the cheese in the bowl for a minute, debating on whether or not she should cook it. Tenji was prone to getting constipation with such food; she sighed and began to pour the liquid into the garbage bin. Pizza it was then…
"Do you know where Eri is staying at now? I think I'll need to pay the little slut a 'visit'. You know, since I can't do anything to the other woman since she's 'with child' – "
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
The brunette quickly looked towards the door before looking at Tenji, who nodded and ran to the back where Lee's bedroom was. "I gotta go! Talk to you later, Shi.", Tenten whispered and soon hung up the phone while looking at the door in suspicion.
Normally, Lee would open the door with his key, so he was not at the door. People just didn't come and knock on someone's door in a neighborhood like this; that was like asking for a death wish. Also having someone break in next door was not helping Tenten right now. She sighed when another knock sounded on the door and began to undo her buns on her head while walking towards the door, making sure to mask who she really was.
She suddenly stopped when another soft knock was made on the rutty door. Wait a minute… She only knew one person who made such soft knocks. It was like a code; she just knew who it was. It can't be… She hurriedly made her way to the door and looked out of the peephole. A head full of indigo was what she saw, and with insane speed she unlocked the door to reveal the grinning young woman.
"No freaking way!", Tenten exclaimed as she reached out and grabbed the girl tightly while feeling her arms wrap around her as well. "Oh my God, look at you! Look at those freaking hips – that chest! What cups size is that? 38C?!", the brunette held the girl at arm's length as she looked over her body, much to Hinata's embarrassment.
"Actually it's t-thirty-nine.", Hinata stated quickly, a blush on her face as she smiled up at the woman. "I m-missed you! It's been awhile since you called me."
The brunette sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, sorry about that. I've just been so busy with the Neji-thing and other stuff…" She saw how the girl's bright eyes dimmed a bit and quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, why don't you come in so that we can talk!"
A smile returned to Hinata's face when she said that. "I've g-got a better idea. Are you doing anything right now?" Tenten felt a slight shiver go up her spine when she saw the girl scan around the living room and stop on the backpack on the ground next to the game system. "I-Is Lee here?"
She didn't know what to say to that. Maybe? "Maybe? Depends on your thoughts?", Tenten answered, a slightly nervous smile on her face due to Hinata's blank face. That was a new expression…
"Y-You kidnapped T-Tenji?!", the bluette asked with a bewilderment expression as she pushed past Tenten into the house, looking around for the boy. "Oh, Tenten! W-Why would you do that?! You're not supposed – "
A small figure flew through the front room towards the pair and soon, onto the blabbering girl.
"HINA-CHAN! IT'S YOU!", Tenji squealed as he latched onto said girl's legs. "YAY, HINA-CHAN'S HERE! H – mhhm!" Hinata covered the boy's mouth with her hand; she didn't need people to know she was here. Ayame and her 'crazy people' talk still stuck with her.
Hinata snapped her head up towards Tenten and gave her an owlish look, which startled the brunette a bit. Tenten was getting a little surprised at all of these new expressions. Since when did Hinata get the 'owlish' stare down?
Before Hinata could say anything, Tenten cut her off. "It's a long story. All you need to know right now is that he's here and that I didn't kidnap him. Yet. Eventually I will though – No, I'm not really doing anything. I was going wait for Lee to get back home, but you know the hospital; you never know when you're gonna get home."
"'Going'.", Tenji corrected his mother.
Tenten nodded. "What he said. So, what's up?"
Once again, a smile came onto the girl's face as she bent down and picked up the six-year old. "I wanted to introduce you to someone and maybe go out if you want- "
"Let me go change! – Tenji, go put on your shoes.", Tenten quickly rushed into the back. Hinata shook her head with a light smile.
Tenji wiggled out of her arms before running into the living room and slipping on his shoes and looking towards her. "Can we go to McDonald's?! I want McDonald's!"
"No McDonald's! You're going to eat real food today like a big boy!", the brunette yelled from the back.
Tenji pouted a bit, but started to tie his shoe. "Please! Please!"
Tenten slid from the room soon, clad in jeans and a tank top with her buns back atop her head. "Let's go!" With that, she grabbed the boy's hand and pushed the bluette out of the house before locking it. "You know, this is actually the first time since…I've...", her voice went out when she looked at the car parked out front.
Tenji squealed once again. "Kitty!" He quickly let go of his mother's hand and rushed towards the car, where a ginger stood holding a fat orange cat, a small smile on his face.
Tenten squinted her eyes a bit to see if what she thought was really what she saw. She looked over towards her bestie and saw that wide grin on her lips. She then slid her eyes back over towards the ginger, who was looking down at her son and slowly giving him the fat tabby.
"T-This is who I wanted to introduce you to.", the meek girl spoke with a chipper voice as she turned towards the direction of the car. "C'mon!" Hinata had to literally pull the woman with her towards the vehicle while looking both ways for anyone on the street.
The bluette didn't know why, but she started to feel weird vibes coming from the woman. It was as if she was…threatened? She looked at the woman and saw that she had a dull look on her face as she stared at Sasori, who was still smiling down at the child.
With one last yank, the girl managed to pull Tenten next to her on the curb in front of the man.
She wrapped an arm around the woman's waist as she began to introduce her. "S-Sasori, this is my best friend, Tenten – Tenten, this is Sasori, um…well, m-my other friend."
Unbeknownst to the bluette, Tenten was slightly analyzing the man before her. She looked at him, head to toe; from his messy red hair to his shoes.
…Cute…Very Cute
She squinted her eyes when he gave her a small smirk and held out his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Tenten-san.", he spoke, his voice smooth and mischievous. Hmm…
She stared at his hand for a moment before shaking it, her eyes still narrowed as she stared at him. "It's Tenten. No formalities.", she spoke in a gruff voice. Sasori tensed a bit when her grip started to become a little painful, and slid his hazel eyes up to meet her brown eyes.
A quick shock of electricity sparked from hers, which made Sasori raise a red brow.
Hinata smiled at the two, happy to have two of her friends with her. "Oh, that's Tenji.", she ushered towards the boy, who was snuggling his face in the cat's fur.
"Nice to meet you, Sasori-kun!", he answered and snuggled his face deeper into the cat, making it purr a bit.
Hinata happily clapped with excitement, making her hair bounce and sway. "T-This is going to be so fun! Come on, get in the car!" With that, she made her way to the vehicle and leaned back the seat to let the little boy in while Tenten stayed on the curb with the redhead, stuck in a staring contest.
Tenten glared.
Sasori blinked.
She smirked.
He backed away.
First Impression of Sasori…He's an idiot.
"…we went to Sarutobi Private's Study Hall to retrieve her, but she was not there. We asked the Professors of her classes as well as a few classmates where she could have gone, but we were not successful in retrieving any type of information on her whereabouts."
Hiashi watched with tedium as his tea was poured into his cup from one of the members of the kitchen staff as he listened to the guard's concession. "So it is a possibility that my daughter may be gone? Or are you trying to say that she, once again, told me a lie as to where she spends her free time?"
The guard, Ko, stiffened a bit at the cold glare he was given by the Hyuuga Head. "N-No sir, I'm sure that she could be coming in any minute now! It's just that she wasn't where she reported she would be! I just wanted to bring it to you attention – "
"I do not wish to know where my daughter spends her free time. It is not my concern. It is your responsibility to be with her at all times, yet here you are, before me, blabbering about not knowing where she is when your job is to watch her every movement.", Hiashi spoke and soon brought the teacup to his lips before sipping.
Ko got down and bowed before the man, his face being covered by his hair. "Yes sir. I apologize for bothering you with such matters, but I must explain to you that it was Hanabi-sama who ordered me not to escort her anymore-."
A loud opening and slamming of the doors in the distance of the mansion caused Ko to stop his apology. He looked up at the man sitting in the chair and saw him sigh and set down his teacup once again.
"Go and retrieve Hanabi for me.", he stated as he leaned against the arm of the chair, his long hair falling slightly over his shoulder.
"Yes, sir." Ko bowed once again before leaving out of the large room. Hiashi sighed once again before grabbing a piece of paper from the table and scanning it with his white eyes, trying to see if there may be misprint of some sort.
It had been a busy day. The sun was setting, making the sky a deep purple, which darkened the room a bit. He noticed this and immediately clapped; soon, the lights popped on, filling the room with the soft light coming from the beige lamps on the wall.
The light also brought out the smiling face of the woman in the picture, which was hanging off the wall. He let his eyes slid over to the picture and kept it there.
Her smile was small, shy almost as she stared at the camera, her indigo locks thrown over her shoulders and her eyes squinting through her thick lashes. The epitome of beauty, perfection, and love.
As he stared at the picture, he could feel an overwhelming surge of grief hit his chest, so much that he had to look away and turn back at the paper in his hands. His heart became heavy, his breath got stuck in his throat and he could feel some perspiration on the side of his forehead. That was how powerful his grief was. He could feel his whole body ache with it, but he could only push it back.
For this was his punishment.
But he could not stop his eyes from sliding back over to the large picture on the wall. He could only stare as the woman stared back at him, that smile still gracing her lips. He had felt it, he could feel her here. Her presence was like the gentle breeze of the wind, the silent ruffle of the flowers in the garden, the scent of midnight lavender. That was how her presence always was like when she would come to 'visit' him. He could not tell whether it was her or just an hallucination that he was having when he felt that presence.
He could feel her, right now, sitting at the table right next to him like she had always done, staring at him with sadness, hurt, pain, but nevertheless love was there. Love for him.
He could remember that fatal day, that horrible, horrible day when she was gone how he had sat at this very table, thinking of her, praying to God to give him a miracle and bring her back. He could remember feeling wetness upon his cheeks as he silently cried to himself. That day, he couldn't remember what he was crying for; was it for her or was it for the guilt that was weighing down on his heart?
When he questioned himself that day, he stopped and felt a shiver go through his body as he felt that presence, as he felt her beside him. Her presence reminded him of the times that he betrayed her, the times where he heard her cry in the middle of the night, the times that she stood up for him and stood by his side despite her pain.
It reminded him of the love that she had for him.
The day that her presence had first appeared he had called out to her, screamed out her name, yet she said nothing. He tried to catch the presence, but it engulfed him entirely as if she was hugging him, telling him goodbye. That's when he begged her to stay, for her not to leave him to live a life like this. When he had said that, she materialized in front of him, slightly scaring him but also making him smile through his tantrum of tears. That long, indigo hair ran down her back, and those lips curved into a smile right in front of him; she had glowed before him, like an angel. He could remember his heart warming at seeing her, telling himself that her leaving this world had been a lie, that she was here, right before him, willing to give him a second chance.
But before he could step towards her, he saw a pair of feathery, white wings sprout from her back. That's when he knew she was gone…
She had looked back at him, a pained but happy look in her eyes and a smile on her lips. He could barely hear her say goodbye before he tried to grab for her, to bring her back, but she slipped right from his fingers. That's when he called her name again, screamed her name as loud as he could, which caused all of the people in the mansion to become startled and go to his aid.
He had screamed towards her fading figure to stay with him. He had apologized then, he had confessed to what he done to her. He started to tell her about all of the women he had been with, all of the lies he had told her, all of the bad things he had done to other clans.
But he only got a sad smile from her as she deteriorated, her angelic glow leaving the room as the Hyuuga members ran into the room and went towards him…
Hiashi silently fingered the cup's rim as he allowed himself to smell the scent of the variety of flowers and feel the cool breeze on his skin as she settled down, letting her presence fill the room. That was all he had. Even if it was really a hallucination, it helped keep him, to some extent, sane. He couldn't live without her, which was why she was here…
"Welcome home.", he muttered to the empty chair beside him, the one where she used to sit. In return, silence greeted him. He let a sad smirk come to his lips as he looked down at the gold-trimmed teacup. "I love you…", he whispered as he closed his eyes and picture her smiling face.
I know…
The door opened and Hiashi sighed before looking up, expecting to see his young daughter marching through.
Instead he saw Neji walk through, his ear covered with a patch , but that wasn't what caught Hiashi's attention.
What had caught his attention was that feral look in the man's eyes as he sat down at the foot of the table, back stiff and eyes hard.
Immediately, the presence left, leaving in her trace the smell of lavender.
Hiashi moved some of his hair over his shoulder before folding his arms and looking towards the boy at the other end of the table. "What happened to your ear?", he asked with a voice void of emotion.
Neji didn't answer; he only glared.
The older Hyuuga leaned back in his seat and bore an amused expression at the man's silence. "Is there something wrong, son?"
"Do not call me that.", Neji answered back, his voice deadly, and much to Hiashi's surprise, strained. It was as if the man couldn't speak, like something really was wrong.
So Hiashi sat back once again and waited; eventually whatever the man needed to say he would.
He watched as Neji sat his elbow on the table while he clutched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed but face still twisted in a frown. A pregnant silence engulfed the room, making the tenseness in the room go sky high.
A servant came in and started to refill the teacup on the table before she scurried away, also feeling the change in atmosphere.
Neji watched the steam rise from the cup at his side before sitting up straight and closing his eyes once again. He was meditating, trying to catch himself obviously, though from Hiashi's point of view, he was being his normal self.
"What is the duty of the branch house?", is what the young man soon asked as he shot his vile glare towards the man before him.
Hiashi glanced up before turning his attention to his tea, marveling at the amount of steam coming from the cup. "The duty of the branch house is to protect the Main branch, no matter the circumstance.", he answered the question as if it had been asked many times before.
"Even if it means…death."
Hiashi nodded at his statement. "Yes."
He watched as Neji looked away from him for a moment, a thoughtful gaze in his eyes before he turned his gaze back to him. "My father…"
Hiashi's whole body stilled.
Neji didn't notice; his gaze dropped to his tea at his side. "My father…he was killed for you."
"Who told you that?", Hiashi ordered sternly, his fingers tight around his cup.
The young man looked up, ignoring his question. "You say that the fate of the lower branch is to protect and serve the Main House, so why do you feel guilty?"
The older man slammed his teacup to the table, making the hot liquid spill from the cup. "Who told you?! Who did it?!" He was angry, his voice was bitter.
"You should not feel guilty if it was his fate, but you are, which tells me that there is more to this.", Neji stated with an emotionless tone as he stared at the frowning man ahead of him. "Do you feel guilty because he was your brother?"
Hiashi stayed quiet and decided to just glare and listen. There was nothing more he could do.
"Or do you feel guilty that you left a boy without a father?" That had stung the man's heart, but he continued to listen as Neji talked.
The younger Hyuuga shook his head slightly. "No, it could not be the second one. Many have been killed before my father, most of them with sons and daughters. You only feel guilty that it was your brother who sacrificed his life for you.", he paused for a minute. "My father protected you and he served you, a very honorable duty of the branch house, yet in return for his deeds he gains lies about his death. If what he did was honorable, why did you not tell me before hand of this?"
"What do you mean?", Hiashi asked, his hands folded under his chin.
"If serving and protecting the Main House is honorable and right, why did you lie to me about his death? Many of the children growing up in the branch village were told if their parents died in duty, but I only received the notion that my father was dead, killed in an accident. The others could swell with pride of their parent's honor while I could only look on at them. So I will ask in a different way this time; is serving and protecting the Main House really the fate of the people that are in the lower branch?"
Hiashi couldn't answer that; to others, yes, but to him…he didn't know. He had been taught since he was born that the Main House ran the Hyuuga Clan while the lower branch protected and served the Main House. That was all he had knew, yet when he looked into the young man's eyes before him, he questioned whether or not it was right.
"For thirteen years I've despised Hinata-sama because I thought she had everything that I wanted. She had a father and she was a part of the Main House. That's what I wanted.", Neji spoke quietly as he bore a blank look.
Hiashi straightened up in his chair as he heard this. "Son, I-"
"I'm not your son.", Neji stated harshly as he looked up. "I'm your nephew."
The Hyuuga Head was taken aback by that.
Neji looked away from him, trying to calm down. "You made me apart of the Main House and gave me the title as Heir of the Hyuuga Clan because you felt responsible for the death of my father, not because of my business acumen. You call me 'son' because you want me to feel like I have a family.", he then looked back up. "But what about all of the other branch members? What do they get in return for their loss? Are they not apart of this 'family' that you've made up? We are all Hyuuga, so should that not mean that this clan is a family in other words?"
"We are all family.", Hiashi stated and took a sip of his tea.
"Then why are we two families? Why is there a Main family and a Branch family?"
Hiashi sighed and set down the cup once again. "I believe I've answered that question before, so I will not answer it again."
Neji grew quiet soon, his mouth in a tight line and his eyes scanning the room. It was hard to look at the man before him, especially when he shared the face his father had.
"He had wanted to go in my place.", Neji snapped his gaze back on him as he started to talk again. "I had objected, but he had demanded that he go, that he choose his own destiny.
"He knew the risks, but he still wanted to go. He had hated the Main family, but would have done anything to protect us. He wanted me to tell you that he was not protecting the Main family, but his family. He chose his own death.", he stopped suddenly when he felt a breeze come into the room.
Neji didn't notice it as he stared at him. "Why didn't you tell me this before - "
"I didn't want you to think that your father forgot about you or for you to believe that your life wasn't enough for him to live for. When he left, I promised him that I would take care of you. So, when it comes down to it, you are my son, and I will continue to call you my son even if it may displease you.", Hiashi stated evenly.
The scent of lavender became heavy in the room then was what Neji noticed, and he numbly rubbed his nose, trying to get rid of the scent that was slowly calming him. He didn't want to be calm, but that scent was working its charm on him.
He sighed and looked away forlornly towards the picture on the wall again before looking back up at Hiashi, who was watching him with a steady gaze.
"You want to be my father?", he asked, a sly meaning behind his question, which caused Hiashi to tilt his head a bit.
"You are my son.", he stated.
Neji remained quiet; there wasn't anything more he could say. With silence, he stood from his seat and gave the man a final glance before walking out of the pristine doors, leaving the man at the other end of the table in silence.
Hiashi and interlaced his fingers together while leaning against the table. "Thank you."
…
His eyes then looked towards the small remote on his side. He hadn't looked at television for weeks now, but today he felt the need to do so. With another sign, he picked up the remote and pressed the 'on' button.
When he saw lavender eyes and indigo hair he quickly turned it off and closed his eyes, pushing back the forthcoming memories in his mind. He gripped his pounding head and let the silence fill the room, praying for God to have mercy on him.
"…and Shi told me that she has been in my house, my house! Can you believe that? Really, I would have thought that that prick would have had enough respect for me not to bring that bitch to my house. So fucking pathetic.", Tenten said to Hinata as they sat in a nail salon in the mall, speaking in English so as to not let their conversation be known.
Hinata gave the woman a nod before looking down at her nails. "W-What do you plan on doing now?"
Tenten snorted as she watched the woman file her nails. "I plan on getting my condo in the morning and packing my shit in the evening."
The bluette froze when she said that.
She had forgot about moving out; all of her stuff was still in the mansion that she and Sasuke shared. All of this was new to her. She sighed and dropped her head a bit. How stressful that was going to be…
"Don't tell me you haven't got your shit out yet?", the brunette asked, amusement and mock in her voice.
Hinata threw her a soft glare, which caused the woman to choke in laughter.
"Oh my God, you're serious! Hinata, what have you been doing? Every woman knows that when shit goes down, their shit is supposed to go!", Tenten laughed, making the woman doing her nails grip her hands and give her a reprimanding look.
"Shut up, T-Ten. I didn't know.", Hinata pouted. "H-How am I supposed to get m-my stuff? I don't want to run into him w-while being there-"
"Let me go with you then so that I can knock his ass out.", Tenten stated. "You don't need to be scared! You have every fucking right to get your stuff out of that house! You don't even have to say anything to you, and if he tries to grab at you, elbow his tall ass in the nose – or better yet, kick him in the balls. But I prefer that if you want to pay his ass back, take me with you."
Hinata shook her head at the woman before giving her a smile. "I-I can't bring you, you're on parole. I don't want you doing something that you'll regret later."
Tenten snorted once again. "Trust me, that's something I won't regret.", she looked over towards the television on the wall. "I mean, he fucking cheated on you with Sakura Haruno – what kind of man does that to his wife? Complete scum, both Neji and Sasuke are. God, I can't even fathom what went through their fucking skulls when they went banging those - Holy Fuck, Hinata that chick looks just like you.", Tenten suddenly said as she looked up at the television screen in the corner of the room.
The bluette quickly locked her gaze on the television; there she was. Fighting Sakura Haruno on the Can aisle. Hinata softly pulled her hands away from the woman before her, who was on the verge of fainting any minute, and slammed her head down on the table. "Oh God. I-It's everywhere…"
Tenten looked towards the worker by the television. "Hey you, turn that up a bit." With a nod, the worker grabbed a remote and turn up the volume, letting the sound of the reporter come through.
"Just last night inside of Rigan Grocery, a major cat-fight broke out between international Supermodel Sakura Haruno and Former-Heiress Hinata Hyuuga after they both met each other face to face – Sakura with Sasuke Uchiha, CEO of Uchiha's newly named company Sharingan. and Hinata with her proclaimed - lover Sasori Hitachiin. Rumours around the city of Tokyo claim that the start of the fight was over none other than Sasuke, but other's protest against this, saying that the start of the fight was caused by Sakura, who is said to have insulted our dearly beloved Hyuuga personally, which caused Hinata to throw the first punch and, eventually, dog-walk the model. Soon after the fight, Sasuke called off the engagement between him and Sakura Haruno. Ouch, now that hurts. What do you all think? What do you think started the fight, and does Sasuke still have feelings for his wife, Hinata Hyuuga? Tweet your side to us at #SvH right now!"
When the commercial sound started to play, Hinata turned her head a bit to look at the brunette. She sighed heavily when she saw Tenten's fish face gawking at the screen.
"Hinata...", she started, her face still in gawking mode.
Hinata glanced at her before looking back up at the screen; a photo of her from the ball stood next to a picture of the pinkette from a photo shoot. People were literally pinning them against each other, wanting them to fight again.
And they thought she was fighting for Sasuke?! That was so…so.
She sighed in despair and bopped her head back down on the table.
She felt…trashy, like she was a clingy girl. That wasn't who she was, but she had acted on her anger and lashed out, which made her seem as such.. She wasn't a tough girl like Tenten, Ino, Konan, or Temari; she had always thought of herself to be shy and to be a person who didn't stand out much. Now she was getting all of this attention, all of this publicity for the wrong reasons.
All of this stuff on her was making Sasuke look like he was in control of what she felt, when he wasn't. First the picture with Sasori and going to the ball with him made her look like she was trying to get back at Sasuke for leaving her, when she wasn't. Well…maybe a little, but that wasn't the whole case. She would never ever cheat on Sasuke even though he had done it so many times.
Then she fought Sakura Haruno, a woman that was loved and envied by the public. Everyone loved Sakura Haruno. When she had fought the pinkette, it made her look like she was jealous of her, when she wasn't. It wasn't good that Sasuke had called off the engagement either; it was like he was going to come back to her or something, like she had begged him to come back.
There were so many different ways that the media could take this. She was so fed up with it. How could -
"YOU KICKED HER ASS!", Tenten screamed in triumph. "Oh hell yeah!" Hinata looked over at her, her train of thought crashing. The brunette was watching the video on her phone, smiling brightly at every scene. "You're so badass for this! I can't believe it- you dragged her across the floor – oh, wait a minute…she's trying to pull your hai – that's right! Uppercut that bitch!", the woman cackled a bit, which made Hinata move her chair a little.
Sasori soon came into the little store, one hand holding the pet carrier while the other one was holding Tenji's hand. Because Tenten couldn't be seen with the little boy due to her parole, he was currently wearing a beanie, which was stuffed with his hair, and dark sunglasses. He was hardly recognizable, courtesy of the redhead.
"Hinata, I need your phone number.", Sasori said as he came towards the two from Tenten's side. "Me and my nephew Hablo want to go to Pet Co. Saon's getting fittsy in this cage.", he explained, shaking the carrier a bit to prove his point.
Hinata gave him a dull look. "Hablo?", she whispered with a furrowed brow. Couldn't he have come up with a better name than that?
Tenji slide down his glasses and winked. "Sup, baby."
Tenten slide her seat back and eyed the boy. He waved towards her innocently, a sheepish smile on his face.
The bluette searched for her phone and soon pulled it from her skirt pocket before handing it to him and grabbing his phone. After three minutes of typing in their number and setting their picture, they both simultaneously tossed each other their phone.
"See you guys later – Hablo, Vamonos!", Sasori called out as he picked up the carrier and started out the door.
"Okay!", Tenji exclaimed and looked back at his mother with a bright smile. "BYE BYE MOMMY!", he shouted before running after the redhead.
Both Tenten and Hinata paled when he said that, and looked at the people around. One of the workers looked towards the door before looking back at Tenten. "That's your son?"
"Bye.", Tenten stated while she threw the money down on the table and grabbed Hinata's hands. "Thank you, you meddlesome bishes."
"B-Bishes? What was that?", Hinata asked as they walked hand in hand in the mall donning matching purple wigs and giant star glasses, their 'secret' disguises.
Tenten dully slurped her drink. "I don't know, something that I heard on tv."
"Oh." Hinata looked over at the woman after a while, noticing that she was quiet. Unusually quiet. "I-Is something wrong?"
Tenten looked down at her, the bang on the wig shaking. "No. Nothing's wrong."
The bluette sighed before speaking. "J-Just spit it out."
"Are you dating that Sasori guy – not that I'm objecting it or anything, but…are you two, you know…'dating' or just having a sexual relationship on the si – "
"NO!", Hinata squealed, startling a little girl walking by. "N-No, me and Sasori are just friends! That's all!"
"So you two are having sex?", the woman asked. What was wrong with the world today…
Hinata felt like fainting; throughout her and Tenten's relationship, they had never talked about…THAT…it felt so foreign that it made her face get hot.
"N-No….why do you ask?", the meek girl asked, her face red with embarrassment as they both sat down on a bench in front of the mall's huge fountain in the middle of the store.
Tenten slid her glasses off while staring at the ground. "I don't like him.", she answered honestly. "He seems like he's nice but…if you two aren't dating then I don't think you should talk to him."
Hinata's eyes widened a bit and she soon took off her own star-shaped glasses. "W-Why?"
"Because he's taking you away from me!", the brunette yelled and threw her arms around the girl, burying her face into her blouse. "I'm your best friend."
Hinata smiled a bit and wrapped her arm around the hysterical woman's waist. "What makes y-you think that he's taking me away?"
Tenten snuggled into Hinata's chest as she thought for a moment. "Well…when you introduced me to him, I knew that you had to have been friends with him; you just don't introduce me to people unless you have history with him."
"I introduced you t-to Konan and Ino and you didn't seem to have a problem – "
"They're different! I knew that no matter how close you got with them that I would still be your best friend!"
"They're my best friends, too.", Hinata stated with amusement.
"But I'm your bestest bestie in the whole wide world. They can't compete with our love.", Tenten replied, pouting evident in her voice.
"But Sasori can?"
"I feel threatened by him. He's cute and adorable! I'm cute and adorable! He's tall, I'm tall. He has good hair, I have good hair.", Tenten explained while waving her hands around. Hinata giggled at her silliness.
"So you don't like him because you two are…alike?"
"Not alike, just similar. I'm one of a kind.", Tenten corrected her. "I don't like him because of that and because…I don't know. I just feel like he's your rebound guy or something. Are you sure that you two aren't having sex?"
Hinata glared down at the woman while blushing. "No."
Tenten gave her a smile. "Wow, I have to say that I'm impressed. You know, it has been hard having to live without sex, you know? It's like a daily requirement of life, but I guess that I'm so used to it because of the loads of sex me and N-"
"PLEASE!", Hinata wailed as she clutched her head. "D-Don't tell me that. I don't need to…please don't do that, Ten." She did not need to hear that.
Tenten laughed a bit and stretched out on the bench, now positioned on the girl's lap. "Oh come on, Hinata. Don't tell me you haven't at least thought about sex?"
Is that what everyone only talks about? Hinata thought as she blushed heavily.
"I-I can live without it. No big deal.", the meek girl replied in a low voice.
Tenten snorted while looking at the girl. "What have you and Sasuke been doing?"
Hinata blushed harder, which made Tenten break out in a mischievous smirk.
"Soo…how is sex with Sasuke?" These questions were becoming uncomfortable to the bluette, so she decided to use a different tactic…
Hinata gasped and pointed in a different direction. "Is that…is that I-Inuyasha over there." Tenten squawked and rolled off the girl onto the floor and jumped up.
"WHERE? WHERE IS HE?", she asked as she looked around, trying to find her idol somewhere. "I need to find him! Hinata, where did you…", she looked down at the empty bench for a while before her face turned into a curious frown.
"Just where did she go?"
Hinata let out a breath in relief as she leaned against the wall in a decorative store. She couldn't stay one more minute with the brunette talking about such things; it wasn't normal for her. But still, she couldn't help but let out a little giggle at the thought of the bun-headed woman.
She had noticed it the first time the woman opened the door; that smile told it all. She was happy, more happy than the bluette had ever seen her. It confused her though; wouldn't any woman be devasated that their husband had cheated on them and gotten another woman pregnant. Sure, she had expressed her anger to Hinata, but soon she let it go, brushed it off like it didn't matter. It didn't seem right. Something was up, and Hinata was curious to find out why the brunette was keeping it in. Did she not trust her?
I'm such a hypocrite…, Hinata thought as she started to roam the store.
Of course – she was a hypocrite. She had a lot of secrets that she was hiding. Like the one about her knowing of Neji and Kin, but not telling Tenten about it. Just the thought of it made Hinata's heart clench. In those types of situations, nothing good ever came out of it; either you lose your best friend or you lose their trust. It wasn't fair…
"Hinata? Is that you?", a voice called, which made Hinata turn around and meet with bright azure eyes. Naruto gave a surprised look when she turned towards her.
"Naruto? W-What are you doing here?", she asked in a bit of rushed tone unknowingly. She scanned him a bit before meeting his eyes. He was dressed casually; a white shirt and jeans. Nothing special…
"Oh!", he muttered and looked down at the bag in his hands. "Uh, I was just getting some props for practice tonight – you know, for the fashion show Sasuke's throwing for the, um, families affected in the bombing…"
"Oh…t-that's…nice of him?", she was unsure of as to what to say to that; Sasuke helping people was just…weird. Maybe the guilt is getting to him…
Naruto scratched the back of his sheepishly with a little grin on his face. "Yeah, it is.", he muttered nervously, much to Hinata's surprise. "You, um, - you look nice…"
Hinata furrowed her brow a bit; now this was getting awkward. She looked down at her blouse and black pencil skirt before looking back up at him. She then awkwardly slipped off the purple wig, letting her indigo hair fall down her back. "T-Thank you.", she replied, her hands tampering with the wig while she averted her eyes her feet.
"So how is mama?", he asked in a low voice, which made Hinata looked back up at him. He sounded like he was broken almost.
She gave him a small smile. "S-She's fine, but she still d-doesn't…", she couldn't finish her sentence when she saw his bright eyes dull a bit, and decided on a different answer. "She doesn't r-remember you all y-yet, but she d-does remember that her f-favorite food is salt ramen a-and that she l-likes to cook!" When she said that, his dull eyes brightened, if only just a little.
When Naruto was sad, he reminded her of a kicked puppy. Sure, she didn't like him, but that didn't mean she wanted him to be miserable.
Naruto suddenly smiled. "Mama and her salt ramen. She loves that stuff.", he grinned. His smile was contagious; Hinata couldn't help but give up her own smile.
That was what she loved about him in school; whenever he smiled, she smiled. He had always been the one to light up a room. He was warm, so much like the sun. That was what he was: the sun, bright and warm.
"Hinata." Said girl looked into his eyes then, only for him to turn his head and let a heavy blush come onto his cheeks. "I, uh, about what happened at the ball…"
Hinata sighed. "Naruto, not n- "
"I want to apologize for what I did to you and all of the dumb shit! I didn't mean to hurt you by giving you those papers, and yes, I was following behind Sasuke, and I know that that isn't any excuse, but I just wanna be honest!", he said in a loud tone.
The former-heiress stayed quiet while she looked into his eyes. It was startling to see that he was honest; he reminded her of Sasori a little. She could read him like a book as well.
Blue: Kind. Candid .Bright. Youthful. . That is what she pulled from his orbs.
But could she trust him? She thought about it for a moment while staring at his pleading form.
After a minute, Hinata sighed. "I-I'll give you two minutes. J-Just two.", she whispered.
"Great!", he said with a smile, and soon she felt him grab her hand before leading her out of the store. She was a bit anxious of him holding her hand; it didn't feel right. They weren't friends or anything…
"N-Naruto.", when he stopped and looked back, she blushed and looked down at their joined hands. She suddenly thought for a moment what her past self would think of her holding her crush's hand. Probably be fainting…, she thought with an inner snort. She felt like fainting now though…he was holding her hand. I've come a long way…
"It's okay – no one is gonna see us. The mall made sure to close down this part of the mall once me and my entourage came.", he explained as he led her to the bench a small table near the fountain.
She gave a blank look at that. Depriving civilians of their products? What a rich jerk…
Hinata bit her bottom lip as she sat down in the chair, Naruto sitting across from her soon after.
"Does my time start now?", he asked with a light grin. The bluette gave him a blank stare, which made his grin fade a little. With a sigh, he spoke. "Okay…I'll start by saying that I'm sorry for the divorce p-"
"You already apologized for t-that.", Hinata stated, cutting him off completely. "B-But it's not you giving me the p-papers that's bothering me, it's just how you treated my sister and how you gave them to m-me. Y-You didn't even care how I felt, n-no sympathy at all."
"I did have sympathy for the situation! I even approached Sasuke about it, but all he told me to do was give you the papers and leave! I had to choose which side I was on was what he said!", Naruto yelled. "I did – no – I do care for you, Hinata, but Sasuke is my best friend. If I had to choose between you two, then I would have to choose him."
Hinata thought over his words for a second before speaking. "S-So…when you gave me the papers…you were clarifying whose side you were on?", she asked, her eyes narrowed as she slightly glared at him.
He sighed and hand through his blond locks. "Yeah, I was."
"So it didn't matter if he was right or wrong? Y-You just chose him because you two have history together?", Hinata asked in disbelief of his words. Sasuke was really just…
"You have to understand where I'm coming from! Sasuke and I have been friends since we were little – "
"No, Naruto, I don't think I have to understand.", Hinata snapped. "Just because you two have been f-friends for a long time doesn't mean you have to agree or side with him on everything."
The blond gave off another sigh before leaning up a bit in his chair. "H-He's my best friend, Hinata."
"I-It doesn't seem like you two are, Naruto. It seems like you're apart of his faithful entourage or something.", the bluette said, her glare penetrating him.
She didn't know why, but it was so easy for her to get angry with Naruto. It was like he was a stick, poking at her wound that she had gotten from an injury. He just made her want to scream and shout due to his ridiculous behavior. Was he really this clueless?
"Hinata, please, does it really matter?! I know now that I was wrong and I just want you to forgive me!", Naruto begged, his eyes pleading.
"I can't!", she answered back, shocking herself that she had yelled at him. "I-I don't know why, but I can't, Naruto, I just c-can't. I-I'll admit that what you did to me was petty and childish, and I know this, b-but I can't.", she explained, her chest hurting a bit.
In a way, she wanted him to suffer from grief, to feel the pain that she had felt…
She looked down at the table when she felt his hands take hers into his palms. "I'm so sorry for hurting you, Hinata, I'm so, so sorry. I should have known better than to choose between you two because, in a way, you were a great friend to me.", he said, his voice strained a bit. "I promise you that it won't happen again – I promise I won't betray your friendship or take it for granted ever again. Please, Hinata…", he gripped her hands, which made her look into his eyes once again.
Maybe it was the fountain in the background or the way the sun shined in through the glass windows above them, Hinata didn't know, but for a moment she could have sworn she was staring at an angel. She had thought of him to be perfect when she was little, but now she saw that he had flaws; he wasn't perfect.
Just like Sasuke wasn't perfect, despite how handsome he was…
Now she knew why she couldn't forgive him…
She gave him a half smile. "I-I had a crush on you i-in High School.", she continued despite how his eyes widened at her confession. "I liked you, a-a lot. I used to stalk you, and leave you anonymous notes i-in your locker during breaks between class. I loved your face, but n-not only that. I loved your laugh, your warm aura, and how friendly you were. In my fantasy, you were my Prince Charming. I had always thought of y-you to be perfect, and that had never changed, e-even when I married Sasuke.
"I g-guess the reason why I can't s-seem to forgive you is because you were supposed to be that perfect guy. You were supposed to know right from wrong, t-to not make any mistakes. I-I feel like you betrayed me.", she soon stopped to see his reaction.
Naruto stayed silent, his eyes still wide with shock. "Hinata, I-I didn't know y – "
She decided to save him from sputtering. "I-It's okay. I now understand that no one is perfect. I shouldn't h-have had such high expectations in the first p-place.", her words cut him a bit, but his shock stayed with him. "I-I can forgive you, but I c-can't trust you. Our friendship is broken; t-trust was its seal."
"Wait, are you saying that you don't want to be my friend anymore?", he asked, his shock gone replaced with hurt; Hinata looked away.
"Right now, I'm n-not your friend – we're not friends. W-We're barely acquaintances at this point. I'm not saying that I don't want to be y-your friend, it's just that at this point in time, we are on different sides.", she said in a low tone while looking down at her manicured hands. It was hard to look at his face.
"This is about me picking Sasuke? Hinata, please – "
She was tired of this already, and she soon gripped her forehead. "I-It's going to take a long time, Naruto. I just can't trust you anymore, not right now. I need time to think t-this out. I just need time… Naruto. If you want to be my f-friend, you have to prove it to me. S-Show me that I can trust you again.", she pulled out a gum wrapper from her purse and a pen. "U-Until then, you are not to speak to me unless it is about K-Kushina.", with a scribble of her hand, she quickly jotted down her phone number and stood up.
Naruto scoffed and snatched up the gum wrapper and his bag before going after the girl that was walking away. "You're not making this easy at all!", he called after her as he followed her.
"It's not supposed to be easy!", Hinata called back. "That's t-the whole point of it! When you do s-stupid things, you get consequences!", saying 'stupid' was a very…obscene word for her to say. She barely said it at all…
"Can I at least get a warning then? You didn't even warn me! Warnings always come before consequences!", he screeched, his voice echoing in the nearly empty mall.
Hinata suddenly stopped and turned towards him, disbelief on her face. "A-Are we really having this conversation?"
Before Naruto could respond, they both heard a cry ring out in the empty wing of the mall, much like a child's cry. The pair looked towards the sound and saw Sasori along with two security guards, holding a crying Tenji and the pet carrier.
"Hinata, we have to go now!", Sasori called out to her from his spot by the door.
Hinata looked towards Naruto for a moment before walking towards the redhead and the sobbing child, leaving the blond to watch after her once again.
"W-What happened?", the bluette asked as she rubbed the child's back.
"Some of Hyuuga's fans recognized him and started snapping pictures of him. Pretty soon the whole pet wing was surrounding him.", Sasori explained.
Hinata sighed a bit before taking the boy from the man's body. Tenji's hat was gone; now his chestnut hair glistened in the sunlight. Poor thing…
She patted his back gently as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and wrapped his arms around her neck. She had done the same thing when she was little, which was why she wasn't very fond of the paparazzi.
"D-Do you know where Tenten is?", the girl soon asked as they continued their walk into the next wing of the mall, the guards close behind.
Sasori shook his head. "No clue. I thought she was with you?"
Hinata let a light blush come over her face at the thought of the woman before she looked to the guard at her side. "C-Can you find her for me?"
He nodded and started to speak into his monitor.
"Did you have fun on your little date with Namikaze?", the redhead teased as he wiggled his brows.
Hinata snorted. "Dare to dream.", she answered sarcastically. "H-He wants to be my friend again."
Sasori raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? That's…"
"Horrible.", Hinata finished. "I can't be his friend anymore."
"Why not?"
Hinata threw the man an odd look. "B-Because he was mean to me." She frowned when the man chuckled at her. "W-What's so funny?"
"I'm your friend and I was pretty mean to you. Remember, first meeting with Akatsuki and Sabaku? The seat thing?"
"Y-you didn't know any better and we barely knew e-each other. Naruto and I have been friends since I started dating Sasuke.", Hinata defended, her grasp on Tenji tightening when she saw a few people in stores staring at them and snapping pictures.
"Deidara and I are mean to each other all the time, but we're still friends.", Sasori shot back. Hinata glared at him.
"They've found her. She's on the east wing.", the guard stated to Hinata. "Toshi, clear her a way. We are gonna lead them out by?"
"South wing.", the redhead responded as he ran a hand through his locks.
"South Wing.", the man said into the monitor before putting it into the side of his pocket. "We have a tough crowd towards the south wing as well as the entrance, but we're gonna push you all through the crowd and try to avoid any injuries by having our off-duty men come and observe that part of the area."
Hinata nodded before glancing over at Tenji. "Do you have a blanket or a jacket? So that I can cover him." She still had to remember that at Tenten and Tenji were not supposed to be together in public right now; it could mean serious time in court.
One of the guards pulled off his jacket and laid it over the young boy's head, covering his face completely as Tenji clutched tighter to the girl.
Soon, Tenten emerged from the other side of the mall, her hair brown hair messy and down her shoulder while she bore an agitated look. "Fucking peeps snatched off my wig. I had to run from them – what kind of fans do I have?", she muttered to herself until she saw Tenji on the girl. "What happened?"
Hinata shook her head a little. "P-Paparazzi scare is all."
Tenji raised his head towards his mother before stretching his arms out towards her. Tenten began to grab for him, but paused; she had almost forgot that she wasn't supposed to be out with him, but pushed it aside and grabbed the boy from Hinata.
"Fuck the law.", the brunette muttered and threw the jacket over her son.
"Ready?", one of the guards asked. With a look at the two beside her, Hinata nodded and soon, the three were ushered to the south wing.
They weren't prepared for what they saw though…
Tenten pressed the jacket onto the boy's ears as the shattering screams of the fans came from the opened door.
It was full; the whole mall wing was so crowded that from afar it looked like a waves in a sea. Hinata shielded her eyes as the flashes from camera phones and cameras caught her eyes.
There was so much noise and controversy going on; the only thing leading the pair anywhere was the guards, who were pushing any and everybody away from the group.
Hinata heard so many things at once: "I love you Hinata!" – "Sasori and Hinata!" – "I love you, Tenten!" – "Is that Tenji?! I love you, little guy!" All of that was blurred into a jumbled mess that Hinata couldn't comprehend.
It was surprising that this many people liked her. She had thought her fans had left, but they were here all along.
It made her heart warm considerably.
"Hinata! Are you and Sasori dating?!", a reporter asked as she walked beside them. Both the bluette and Sasori looked at each other before a grin broke out on their faces.
Hinata shook her head. "N-No. W-We're just friends.", she answered with a small smile.
"Best friends.", Sasori said soon after while he wrapped his arms around the girl's shoulders. This only made the screams from the people increase though. The reporter nodded before she was pushed away by the guards surrounding them.
Sasori and Hinata looked at each other once more before smiling a bit at each other…
Tenten watched from the corner of her eyes though, an envious look flickering in her brown orbs…
That evening, Tenten declared war on Sasori.
It was 7:03 when they all made it through the back door of the Rouga Mazor, Hinata and Sasori dressed in casual clothing; Sasori in sweats and Hinata in jeans and her lavender blouse. Tenten held Tenji's hand as she walked in and stared up at the lights on the ceiling.
"Let's get this over with.", Sasori muttered as he walked further into the crowded room, ignoring the lusty looks being sent his way from models looking their way.
Hinata nervously stood in near the entrance and watched as models passed by her along with people who wore head microphones.
There were several tables set up, each from a different designer. She watched as Sasori walked towards Sabaku's table and bent down to sign something. He has a nice butt…
"Hinata, aren't you going to go to your area?", Tenten asked as she brushed some hair away from her son's eyes. "Don't want to wait here too long…"
"R-Right.", she muttered, and started to look for her designated stand. Right to the left of her, in big bold cursive writing was 'Ibisu', written in red. Hinata let out a breath before bidding her friend goodbye.
She quickly noticed that beside each stand was a large area, where models walked back and forth onto. She gulped a bit and pressed the thought of tripping to the back of her mind.
"Oh my God, Hinata Uchiha?", Hinata whipped her head back when she heard her name, and came face to face with a woman with black hair and piercing red eyes.
"Yes?", she asked as she scanned the pretty woman.
The woman smiled at her before walking around her stand and offering her hand. "I'm sorry to bother you but…Hi.", the woman smiled widely, which made Hinata blush, but nonetheless the girl shook the woman's hand. "I'm Kurenai Yuhi, designer of 'Flower Petal'."
Hinata gave a slightly shocked expression at that. Of course; Sasuke just had to have the best of the best in his show, didn't he? The bluette gave the woman a smile. "It's an h-honor meeting you, Kurenai-san."
"Likewise.", the woman happily responded. "Are you here for…" Sasuke…
Hinata quickly got her hint and shook her head. "N-No. I'm just here to model for 'Ibisu'."
Kurenai blinked. "You …model?"
The former-Heiress bit her lip a bit; did the woman think she wasn't pretty enough to model. "Y-Yes ma'am.", she answered, trying to keep her smile.
Kurenai soon gave her a dazzling smile, which caught her off guard. "Miss Hinata, I'm sorry to bother you with this but, can I book you for my line as well?"
Hinata's mind went blank when she heard that. "E-Excuse me?"
"It would be an honor to have you modeling in my designs." ,the woman responded with an excited smile.
It was…thrilling to know that someone wanted you to be their model. But still, she didn't know how to walk in a runway show.
"I would l-love to, but my walk isn't really good."
Kurenai waved her off and brought her to the stand. "Nonsense. I'm sure you have a stellar walk. If not, then we can always switch to combat boots or the boots with the low wedges.", she said as she pulled out an entry form. "My line right now is a kind of spring meets fall kind of thing, so you'll be in a lot of trench coats and boats when you walk for me."
Hinata nodded as she grabbed the form from the woman. "T-Thank you so much."
"No, no, thank you. I'm honored – do you mind taking a picture with me and my husband?", she suddenly asked, and Hinata nodded once again. "Asuma!"
A tall, tan man soon came over, a baby in his arms. "What is it?", he asked as he bounced the baby, making a series of giggles come from the baby's mouth.
Kurenai wrapped an arm around the bluette and grinned. "Hinata Uchiha is going to be one of my models for the show! Isn't that awesome?"
A smile soon came onto his face. "That is awesome.", he looked towards Hinata and offered her his hand. "Nice to meet you, Hinata." Hinata shook his hand, a light blush coming onto her cheeks as she also gave him a smile.
She was meeting a lot of important people today.
"Zo, come take our picture!", Kurenai called to one of her assistants at the table. Asuma looked down at the baby in his hands before handing it to Hinata, who nervously held the baby and looked towards the camera in front of her.
After a couple of shots, Hinata handed the child back and waved the two goodbye before heading towards Tenten, who was chatting with three women in the crowded area.
" – oh come on, Mrs. Hyuuga. Are you sure you aren't interested?", a woman dressed in bright colors asked.
Tenten shook her head and looked down at Tenji, who was shyly hiding his face in Saon's fur. "Nah, modeling's not my thing. I prefer soccer.", she answered bluntly to the women, who awkwardly took a sip of their champagne.
Hinata rushed over and tapped the brunette on the back. "I-I got booked!"
Tenten raised an eyebrow at her. "At Ibisu?"
"At Flower Petals! I got b-booked at Flower Petals!", the bluette cheered in excitement, making some of the models at other stands give her an envious sigh.
Tenten gave off a look of disbelief. "You're shitting me!", she grabbed the paper from the girl and stared down at it. "Oh my God, YOU GOT BOOKED AT FLOWER PETALS!", the brunette yelled and started to jump in excitement with the bluette.
"I-I know right!", Hinata squealed as she and the brunette bounced around. Getting booked with one of the most popular designer in Japan was something to scream about.
The pair froze when a cough sounded from the women in front of them, and soon three forms were put in the bluette's view.
"We would be honored.", they chanted in union as they stuck out the forms.
Hinata looked on at the forms in disbelief.
Wow…
Fourty-five minutes later, Hinata found herself at a table in the loud room, filling out forms with the help of Tenten.
The girl hummed a tune as she crossed her legs, her eyes reading every word on the paper. She was booked to two international designers while the rest were Japan-based; she was beyond excited at this point. Maybe being a model wouldn't be so hard if she kept getting luck like this…
"Done!", Tenten sighed as she pushed back the papers and pulled out her phone. "I'm pooped – where's the food?"
Hinata pointed at the wall on the far right, and soon a moan came from the brunette. "I said food, not vegetables. What kind of place is this?"
"A modeling a-agency, I think.", Hinata replied as she signed the last form from Ibisu and pushed it back. "W-Where's Tenji?"
Tenten snorted as she pulled a candy bar from her pocket. "With your new 'best friend'.", she muttered as she unwrapped the bar.
Hinata sighed and playfully rolled her eyes. "This again…"
"He's trying to take my place – that cute little rat is trying to take it, I'm telling you, Hinata.", Tenten said with a frown as she bit into her bar.
The bluette scrunched her nose a bit. "S-Sasori's not a rat…"
Tenten scoffed. "You're defending him?! So he is your best friend!" Hinata shook her head and laid her head on the woman's shoulder.
"H-He could never take your place. You're my b-bish."
The brunette looked down at her. "What kind of bish am I?"
Hinata grinned shyly. "M-My sexy bish."
"Damn right.", Tenten muttered as she looked towards the Sabaku stand where models were still waiting to see if they qualified for modeling with the company. "Seriously, I don't see what is so special about modeling. All you do is wear these weird-looking outfits and embarrass yourself on national tv, then get talked about in blogs if you were too 'fat' or too 'short' for the job."
Hinata shrugged and stared at the stand as well, marveling at the amount of models around the stand. Most likely there to get close to the Akatsuki … Hinata thought as she stared at the pretty models.
Her lavender orbs soon averted towards the seats behind the stand on the far wall…
She squinted a bit before she gasped and patted Tenten's arm. "Ten, look."
They both looked to the space behind the stand ; Tenji was smiling shyly beside a blonde-haired little girl, who was petting Saon while smiling at him as well.
Simultaneously, Hinata and Tenten pulled out their phones and snapped several pictures.
"His first crush!", Tenten muttered as she zoomed in and took a couple of shots. "My baby's growing up so fast!"
When Hinata heard that, she slowly lowered her phone and looked over towards the brunette, who was tearing up a little. Tenten's smile dropped slowly though as she lowered her phone and looked over at the bluette.
Hinata didn't even have to ask; Tenen already knew the question.
Tenji was growing up. And he would need his father in his life as well.
He was learning new things, becoming inspired, crushing on girls now…
Would that change once he found out that his parents were getting a divorce?
Hinata watched as Tenten turned her gaze on another spot in the room, her eyes dull and full of thoughts.
The bluette sighed and looked down at her phone…
Only for her to see the number five about her message button. She gave a curious look before realizing what it was.
The messages from Sasuke…
She sighed started to tap the little icon, but was stopped by the loud sound of a voice on an intercom. "All models report center stage – I repeat, all models report to the center of the stage."
Hinata froze; her blood went cold. She could feel her hands getting cold as well as he legs becoming wobbly just from her sitting.
She saw all of the models exit through to a dark door; even the Akatsuki, but Sasori stopped and ushered her over. Her heart started to beat hard soon…
Tenten reached out and hugged the girl sideways. "Don't worry, everything's going to be fine! Get your ass out there!"
"R-Right.", Hinata said, and slid out of her seat and slowly walked towards the door where Sasori stood.
The redhead looked down at her before opening the door for her, letting her walk down the descending stair and out of the open-way into a room where seats and decorations were being put up.
"W-Where are we?", she asked as they both walked from the stairs. Sasori gave her a puzzled look.
When they full entered the room, he didn't even have to answer her. Her breath hitched when she saw the large runway before her. It wasn't straight like she has thought it would be; it was much larger and was made in a zig-zag pattern. Great…
Now she knew she was going to fall on her face…
Sasori looked down and saw her stunned face. "You okay?"
She shook her head, and with a sigh the redhead grabbed her hand. "You are a piece of work, Hinata."
She nodded, not even listening to him as they walked behind other models up the steps and towards the center of the stage. It was about two-hundred models on the stage, so Hinata moved to the end of the long row with the redhead, not wanting to be the first one to start walking if that happened.
"I-I don't think I can d-do this.", Hinata muttered as she gripped Sasori's hand, trying hard not to faint. Sasori squeezed her hand back, giving her a glance.
"It's easy. All you have to do it look at the light in the middle of the wall and walk.", he said while pointing at the mark.
She looked at the light then looked at the stage; didn't match up at all. "S-Sasori, what about turning and walking? The light won't be visible if I turn and walk beside it!", she muttered in panic.
"Okay everyone, he's here – we are ready to go!", a man said into a microphone as he stepped onto the stage and stood in front of them. "My name's Yamato and I will be your runway director for today! Now, what I want you all to do is split up into groups by the designer you will be modeling for tomorrow night – if you are in more than one, come and stand in front of me!"
Hinata threw another panicked look at the redhead, who only sighed and leaned towards her. "Don't overthink it – remember, it's easy. Just look straight forward and walk." With that, he patted her shoulder and went over to the Sabaku group along with the rest of the Akatsuki with the exception of Itachi.
Just where was Itachi?
Hinata shook her head and walked towards the director.
She didn't notice when the talking on the stage ceased or when the atmosphere suddenly became tense; her gaze was on her feet as she stepped in front of the man. What she did notice though was a heated glare on the side of her face, which cause her to glance up to see who it belonged to…
Sakura glared at her with a deadly gaze as she stood beside her. Hinata raised an eyebrow as she stared back at the beautiful pinkette.
Yamato stared at the two with an anxious eye. "Is there going to be any problems on this stage?"
Hinata shot her eyes up at the man. "N-No, sir!", she said.
Sakura snorted as she flipped some hair over her shoulder. "She's speaking for herself.", she bit out. Yamato sighed and held out his clipboard in his view.
"Haku, come stand between these two.", the director said to a model beside the pinkette.
Hinata's view of Sakura was blocked by a tall, beautiful model.
Yamato nodded in satisfaction before looking back at the clip-board. "Okay, now that everyone is in their correct spot, let's get do – "
"SORRY WE'RE LATE!", a voice called out, which caused Hinata to roll her eyes unknowingly. Naruto soon emerged from the side door, a bright smile on his face as he followed behind…
"No.", Hinata whispered as she stared down at the pair approaching the stage, a red-haired woman with glasses following closely behind.
Yamato looked behind him and waved. "It's okay! You didn't miss anything – I was just saying the instructions is all!"
Her heart started to pound as she watched the pair come up the stairs of the runway towards the center, her eyes only on one ominous figure; she snapped her eyes downward.
Naruto smiled towards the models on the stage. "Hey everyone!"
After a good amount of greetings, the three made it beside the director. The room went quiet, and Hinata prayed a bit before letting her eyes snap up at the three.
Naruto gave a surprised look when he saw her, while Sasuke scanned all of the other models on the runway, a red-haired woman holding onto his arm.
On the other side of the model next to her, she heard a light sob from the pinkette.
The Uchiha stuffed his hands in his pockets before speaking to the attentive models. "I only have three goals for tomorrow – to raise $700,000; to have the best show in Japan's history of fashion shows, and lastly, to have a show without any mistakes.", Hinata froze when he snapped his obsidian eyes to her. "At all. So don't fuck up, Hyuuga."
He tore his gaze from her and towards the rest of the models. "If any one of you fuck up on this stage tonight, you will not get a second chance to 'prove' anything to me, so make sure your walk, posture, and facial expression is perfect. I will accept nothing less.", he stated in an emotionless voice as he scanned the crowd. "Do I make myself clear?"
Hinata didn't join in the chant of 'yes, sir'; her mind was blank.
She didn't even move when he stepped towards her and glared down at her, the redhead still on his arm. "I said, do I make myself clear?"
His voice was like poison to her insides; so much cockiness and arrogance in it. It made her sick; she wanted to gag at it.
He really thought she was beneath him. It was…
Hinata slowly looked up at him, a small smirk on her lips and an amused glint in her lavender orbs.
"Crystal.", she answered, making his glare harden.
13,719 words for this chapter. This is the longest chapter I've ever written... I know...it has many typos and errors in it that I have to fix! I'll do it in the morning!
I'm so proud of myself! ^_^ You all deserve it. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was really, really hard writing, and I had lost alot of inspiration during some scenes and found myself looking at pictures about love and also listening to tons of music to get back in the mode. If you're an author, you know what I'm talking about!
Because of Rukianbu93's and coffeeshot's review and her explanation, I am happy to say that from now on, starting next chapter, FAQs will be a permanent addition to this fiction. ;) Thanks for you suggestion.
Once again, thank you all for your messages, reviews, and continued support for this story. You all are awesome, really. You all inspire me to write and stay focused on what is important. The best thing I ever did was write for myself instead of for others, which has made this fiction turn around and become more special to me. I'm happy that you all enjoy my imagination! Thank you all so much for all that you've done.
Be ready for the next chapter! ;)
Anyway, thank you all and don't forget to review. It inspires me to write more.
God Bless you all.