Chapter Sieben

One step. One tap of a dance. One wave of the hand.

Porcelain of perfect facade framed by an immaculate coiffure.

She stands tall.

Her audience awaits from beyond the stage.

With every twirl of the hand.

Every sweep of the gown.

The lady captivates.

Intrigues. Untouchable.

A prized beauty for eyes to behold.

She is the object of everyone's desire.

As she is out of reach from the people,

The people are out of reach from her.

From behind veiled accessories,

The figure can merely watch.

Can go no further than the wall.

The glass that condones off her movement into civilization

Can anyone read the speech written by her silent requiem?

Will no one open the door for the figure and hold out one last hope?

Broken dreams lay broken hopes.

Of a figure who has become one-dimensional,

Where is the healer that will fix all fractured joints?

When the performance finally ends its run,

where will the figure go?

Once the magic wears off,

Once the attraction fades.

What will become of this manufactured doll?

How much is too much?

Being humans, there surely comes a stage where one's patience becomes tested. No matter how kind and how patient you are, the breaking point exists. This goes the same for our protagonists as well. A fairytale marriage but underneath the smooth polished surfaces, how close to the truth can outsiders see from the glass?

Shiny clusters of lights sprayed across the streets and across the man-made landscape of the night. Against vanguard black, the postcard picture stands out. The many hues glowing acidic yellow that lent light to the little people below, offered little warmth to the figure that was lounged in her director's chair. It follows the contours of her spine and she sighs as the thoughts engulfed her. It was already nine-odd in the night but she is still seated in her office on the 52nd floor of a glassy architecture in downtown Tokyo. She was doing work but now she was merely staring out at the bright lights from her glassy view. Her heart sat heavy.

There is one main thread that was running through her thoughts:

She does not want to go home.

Home here, referring to her current residence, the Uchiha Mansion.

Shall I spend the night here again? She wondered.

It made no difference. The bed she shares with Itachi was as cold and lonely as this office.

I better not. The rest of them would get worried.

The rest being Sasuke and his parents, whose company she loved. Itachi wouldn't care. Why should he? After all, he was too busy enjoying the company of others to remember that he had a wife!

Everyday, almost everyday, she was never failed to be reminded of her husband's unfaithfulness. Plastered everywhere, the beautiful faces and the many names never failed to be splashed across the tabloids and screens. The newspaper street stands clip them up like dirty linen all over the stall's space. The beautiful faces pictured with him, too many to count, mocking her.

Gossip. Scandal. Gossip.

It was everywhere!

As much as she was appreciative of her friends' efforts in trying to dispose the wanton media in the various public places when they were out, the lingering looks of pity from the public never ceased to ensure that she was aware of what was happening.

Hinata sighed.

It has been almost five months since they were married. But it was two months ago since they were intimate as husband and wife. He was a master in bed and she had to admit that she enjoyed the times together. It was in the physical touches that she deceived herself in believing that the marriage might work out.

It was all a farce as she had suspected long ago.

And as she had predicted, he had grown tired and weary of her. Anorexic-looking models and stars of the big-screen were still his preferences. Not her. She fingered her now longer bob and twirled one of its ends around a finger.

Not her.

Tears gathered in her eyes that has lost its radiant spark. Surrounding the orbs of coral sight, were the obvious signs of insomnia. Her various attempts at being unemotional and detached about the whole issue failed tremendously. The manifestations of her troubled soul smudged dark traces on her pale skin.

Stop crying. She commanded herself.

But Hinata could still feel the dreaded feelings of hot liquid spilling down the smooth canvas of her skin. They spilt and spotted the clothes she wore.

Using the back of her hand, she vigorously wiped the tears away. But more were coming out, and she knew that she was losing the control. Finally, she relents and the sobbing echoed her emotions throughout the vacant place. Now, in the comfort of darken solace, she becomes human again.

"Troublesome," muttered Shikamaru.

It was past midnight and there was a persistent idiot ringing the door-bell non-stop for the past ten minutes. Sleepily, he padded across the parquet floor and made his way to the front door.

"This had better be important."

And he opened.

"Ino? What are you doing here?"

There at his front door stood a barely standing Ino in her typical working suit of white pants

"HINATA! I MISSED YOOU! LET'S DRINK!"

Shikamaru's eyes bugged out and he panicked a little. It was late and her shouting down the halls wasn't going to help.

"Pipe down!" And he dragged her in.

Laying her down on the couch, she flopped into its leathery comfort and happily kicked off her heels. Her cheeks were flushed and she reeked of alcohol.

"Mah. How much did you drink?" The guy said as he put the kettle on and headed into his room to retrieve a small towel.

"Ha-ha. Not much Hinata! Only 5 bottles of sake!"

"That's not so bad," he wondered. She's had much more before.

"And some Shochu!(1) And more beer!" She happily announced.

He sighed. Squatting next to her, he attempted to help her freshen up using the towel. After some useless swipes, she relented and basked in the warmth of the towel.

"Hinata……."

"Baka, I'm not Hinata. Hinata doesn't stay here anymore."

"Why doesn't Sasuke pay more attention to me?"

Why don't you pay more attention to me? He thought as he helped ease her out of her jacket and swiped her arms down.

"Why Hinata? Why? I try so hard that it's starting to not be funny anymore!"

"Baka. If he doesn't like you, you can try all the stunts in the world but it's not going to change anything."

"Hmm. It sucks liking a person so much especially when the feelings not reciprocated," She mumbled as she tossed over to one side, hugging a cushion.

Yeah. I know exactly how that feels.

"I still remember the first time I saw him, All dark and so handsome in the uniform! Oh my heart was beating so fast! I've never felt that way before. Never! I, Ino, sweep guys off their feet! It doesn't work the other way!"

Oh yeah, you do.

Shikamaru smiled a little before he sat on the couch with her. Stroking a stray blonde hair off her forehead, he felt content watching her as she slept.

Suddenly she shuffled and changed positions. Moving from lying sideways on the couch she scooted over and rested her head on his lap. Snuggling, she mumbled some last words before heading into real deep slumber.

"Where is the guy of my dreams?'

He sighed.

"Tsk. So troublesome. Why, on earth, did I fall for such a baka-woman like you?" He wondered quietly as the girl slept contented. Oblivious to the fact that maybe, the one guy for her was under her nose all the while.

Shikamaru gave up and resigned to his fate as Ino's pillow.

Couldn't I enjoy one last night of peaceful sleep before tomorrow?

The next morning had some sunlight trickling through the silk translucent curtains, warming up a sleeping form that was sleeping soundly on the couch. Ino's eyes blinked and she grumbled some before she decided she ought to wake up. Sitting up, she stretched, causing the blanket that covered her to fall off.

"Eh? Why am I in Hinata's old apartment?"

Ouch. The throbbing sensation came instantly and Ino began to rub her temples before making her way to the kitchen. There, she found sitting on the counter, a note:

Hey loud one,

There's some toast in the oven and coffee on the stove. Help yourself.

N. Shika.

She smiled.

At least, he had some hospitality in him. Yawning, she decided to run a quick shower first. Humming some random tune, she strolled into Shikamaru's room with the intent on borrowing a towel.

Hmm. Strange, as neat a freak he is, this room is bit too neat to be normal. Ino thought as she opened the wardrobe.

The bed was made and there was no sign of occupancy in the room. It was as though………….

"What?"

Ino stood still for a few moments. The cupboard doors hanged opened but the insides were cleared out. There was nothing. And she found in the other cupboards and drawers - there was nothing!

She panicked. Her heart raced and she was instantly awake.

Something must have happened. As Ino quickly made her way out to grab a cab, her mind was clinking through the various possibilities.

What happened to the idiot? She pondered as she strolled through her own place.

Quickly, she showered and was ready and out the door in under an hour. In true Ino style, she sped through traffic towards her work place where she breezed through the space and employees, walking towards the only person who would know what happened to Shikamaru.

Ignoring the secretary, she flung open the wooden door of Hinata's office. There she found her friend busy talking to an unfamiliar young girl dressed in a monotonous office uniform.

"Hinata, where's Shikamaru? And who's this?"

Ino demanded with her hands on her hip.

"Calm down, Ino. This is Ayame. She's my new PA."

"What? Never mind, what happened was that in my one drunken episode, I somehow ended up at your place and spent the night over. I vaguely remember that he was there but anyway, that's not the point. The point is Shikamaru is no longer at the apartment!"

"…………."

Hinata looked downcast. Something was up.

"Is there something I am not aware of?"

Hinata gently sent the new girl out of the room. Once the figure was out, she reached quietly to retrieve a drawer, a single white envelope. She held it up to Ino. Its surface was inscribed:

Resignation

And at the lower left were the initials,

N. Shika.

Its bold prints caught her unaware. She became speechless.

"This was handed in yesterday," Hinata explained, as she got up from her seat and invited Ino to take a walk with her to one of the conference room.

"Hinata, just tell me what is going on!" Ino demanded as she felt herself being seated by Hinata.

"Just watch the news."

And Hinata flipped the large plasma screen on, to which, Shikamaru's face appeared. In fact, he was in what appeared to be a live press conference.

"……..We are reporting live from Nara Pharmaceuticals HQ where today stamps a significant day for one of Asia's largest supplier of deer antlers for Traditional Chinese Medicine. Today, the new president will be revealed….."

Can it be?

Ino wondered as she saw Shikamaru standing on the right of the head of Nara Pharmaceuticals. He looked every inch more dignified and distinguished than he had always appeared to be. She saw as he turned to whisper into the ears of his blonde companion.

"…….Thank you ladies and gentlemen. Nara Pharmaceuticals has always pride itself in delivering the best quality medicinal supplies for generations. Today, it has expanded from a small family-based business to an international manufacturer in health products and supplements. And today, I am proud to hand over this legacy to my son, Nara Shikamaru.

"Nara?" Ino said as she looked to Hinata for assurance. Hinata offered a smile and nodded.

The man himself now stepped forth to speak.

"Thank you. After my three year long internship with Konoha Corporations under the guidance of Hinata-sama, I have learned many important fundamental attributes and will look forward to applying my experience to bring this company to new heights. Given such an enormous responsibility, I assure everyone here that I will do whatever it is within my capability to ensure the continuation of quality products for the benefit of future generations to come."

And the screen was flooded with thundering applause as the new boss waved to all. And the reporter's voice came on again.

"There you have it. And now, together with the lovely Temari-san, he will take off to begin a series of meetings with the many employees of the company. This is Ota Akira signing off for xxx news."

Hinata switched the screen off.

"Ino, forgive me for keeping this from you. Shikamaru was placed in my care by my lawyer, in part due to a contract he had with his father. He had bargained for three years of freedom before he would take over his father's position in the company. During the course, he made arrangements to ensure that his identity wouldn't be revealed to the media and of course, he also made me promised not to tell anyone else."

Ino's head hung low.

"All this while and I never knew…."

Hinata hugged Ino as she rambled.

"Why am I getting so upset about this? Isn't it a good thing? I mean he's gone off to greener pastures. Though, the idiot could have at least said goodbye…."

Hinata, after being released from Ino's grip went to the side to get the box of tissue. Grabbing a bunch, the blonde girl blew her nose and wiped the spilt tears.

"Ino, there's something else as well."

The girl looked up.

"This, he never made me promise. He just assumed I would but I think you ought to be told."

"What?"

"He has loved you for a very long time now. Have you really not noticed?"

Ino again for the third time in her life, was speechless. Suddenly, everything clicked. The bickering, the teasing and the good laughs. All the memories of times with him flashed by and it finally made sense why she was getting so damn upset over his departure.

She smiled.

And cried again.

Night came again.

Hinata was alone in her office, going through her routine internal debate of whether or not to spend the night in the office.

She had sent Ayame home earlier as she was still new. Unlike Shikamaru, the new girl wasn't ready to keep late nights with her. In any case, given the fatigue and the dizziness she was experiencing, Hinata decided that it would be best to rest in a proper bed, even if the bed provided little warmth.

Pulling on her trench coat, she grabbed her handbag and proceeded down the long tubes of the elevator to the ground floor. Touching earth, she stepped out of its glass frame and walked towards the door.

"Good night Hinata-sama!" The security guard chirped.

She smiled.

"Good night to you too!"

"Do take care of yourself, Hinata-sama. Too much late nights can have adverse effects on your health." The older man advised.

"Hai. I'll be off now!"

She stepped out the building to head towards the waiting limousine that was but a few meters away from where she was.

Hinata was wondering if she should pick up supper for her in-laws when suddenly, a pair of arms grabbed her.

In her bid to shout, the inhaling of air only went against her. For the fumes of the chloroform only lead her into a dark artificial sleep. The last thing she heard was the shouting of the old security guard and a vague impression of a gunshot.

Note:

(1) Shochu - unlike sake, Shochu is distilled. It is also made from one of several raw materials. The alcoholic content is usually 25 percent , although sometimes it can be as high as 42 percent or more.

Author's note:

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay, am swamped with work right now and yes, even though I have left it at a cliff-hanger, I can't update for at least 2 weeks. Sorry guys! Anyway take care all right! Many thanks again to be patient beta, Ryce-chan! Good luck for your projects! Ganbatte!

Cheers!

Arte

Special thanks to:

YumYum-chan

Littlesilverflower

Xoni Newcomer

OspreyAnimeG