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Chapter 14: The Formal Party

The week passed quickly for Hinata, contrary to what she wanted. Before she knew it, the day of the formal party had arrived. She woke late, having slept poorly the night before. It was hard, knowing that today her fate would be decided. She desperately hoped that Neji and Hanabi had actually managed to get someone from Konoha to attend; although she was a little apprehensive as to whom they convinced to marry her. What if it was someone very old? What if it was Iruka-sensei, or worse, Jiraiya-sensei? She shuddered, then banished those thoughts away. Neji wouldn't do something like that to her, she was sure. Maybe he had convinced Shino or Kiba to do it. That wouldn't be so bad. It would be weird, but at least if it was one of her team mates, she could take comfort in the fact that they were friends.

She rose and was about to get dressed when there was a knock on her bedroom door. She activated her Byakugan to see who it was and she saw Hanabi standing outside in the hall.

"Hinata? Are you up yet?" she asked. Hinata walked over to the door and opened it up. Her sister smiled at her and entered.

"Well, this is it, the big day. Father is going to send some servants to help you dress later. In the meantime, you need to eat breakfast, and I managed to convince Father to let us have the bathing house to ourselves, you know, as a sort of sister bonding thing," she said, all the while hurrying about Hinata's room, pulling the covers back over the bed, handing Hinata her robe, and rushing her into the hallway. Hinata sighed and followed her obediently to the kitchen, where she managed to eat a few bites of her breakfast. She and Hanabi then headed outside, across the compound to the bathing houses.

By the time they finished in there, the servants were already waiting in Hinata's room to help her dress. The put her in a formal kimono, and did up her hair in an elaborate style. When asked which ornaments she would like wear, Hinata looked carefully at all the jewellery presented to her. She bit her lip, and decided that she would wear only Sasuke's combs. When they finished, she stared at herself in the mirror. Minimal makeup, the hair decorations the only jewellery she wore, and a simple white kimono completed her look. She sighed, and then turned when Hanabi entered the room, dressed in her own formal kimono.

"It's time, sister," was all she said, her normally bright voice now cold and subdued. Hinata nodded and followed her to the room where the party was being held. The first guests were just arriving, and Hinata took her position beside her father in order to greet them.

There were quite a few families attending, and the receiving line soon extended past the door. Hinata's brow furrowed slightly as family after family arrived, with no one from Konoha showing up. As the line dwindled down, she sent a concerned glance at her sister, who just smiled. Hinata sighed softly, and then continued to greet the guests. After a few more minutes, the line ended. Hinata's eyes searched out her sister once more, and when they located her on the other side of the room, she tried to catch her eye. However, Hanabi's eyes weren't focused on her older sister, they were focused on something behind her. Before Hinata could turn to see what it was, her father suddenly spoke.

"Uchiha Sasuke, we are honoured that you are able to attend. May I present my daughter, Hyuuga Hinata," he said formally. Hinata's head snapped around to find the young man standing before them, patiently waiting for her acknowledgement. Hinata stared at him with wide eyes, not registering the soft whispers and stares they were receiving from the other guests, or the hostile and surprised looks from the council members that were in attendance. Neji was standing behind Sasuke, and when he saw that Hinata was frozen, he cleared his throat pointedly. She blinked, then flushed and quickly bowed. Sasuke returned it, and then walked off into the crowd.

Hinata watched as he walked away, her expression still one of shock. Neji waited for Hanabi to come over, and together the two of them approached the Head and heiress, who were speaking in low tones. Well, Hiashi was.

"Hinata-sama, you should try and compose yourself," he said, gently taking a hold of her arm. Hinata blinked up at her father, and nodded once. She quickly schooled her features, and Hiashi smiled slightly at her before moving away to speak with one of the council members. Hinata turned to her cousin and sister.

"Sasuke? The one you picked for me was Sasuke?" she whispered. Hanabi grinned, and Neji nodded.

"I came to the conclusion that he was the best choice. He was more likely to succeed with the council than anyone else due to his bloodline, the lingering prestige of his family, and his skills as a ninja," Neji explained succinctly.

"But his past…he betrayed Konoha, the council won't easily forget that," Hinata said hesitantly, glancing over the where the Uchiha was leaning against a wall, scowling. Another guest, one of the potential suitors, approached him, but was quickly frightened away. Hinata smiled – she hadn't particularly cared for the pompous, self-important young man and was pleased to see him humbled by the intimidating Uchiha. She felt a little guilty about that, but when Sasuke turned and saw her smiling, his face softened in a way she was becoming familiar with, and she didn't feel so bad.

"…work on that," Hanabi was saying. Hinata suddenly turned her attention back to her cousin and sister, and blinked.

'"I'm sorry, Hanabi, I missed that. What did you say?" she asked. Hanabi grinned mischievously and Hinata was reminded of the night Hanabi had embarrassed her in front of Sasuke. Her cheeks flushed red and she avoided her sister's gaze.

"I said Neji and I will help him succeed at the council, and with father. After that, it's up to you. So Hinata, how'd you like to be an Uchiha?" she asked. Hinata's cheeks flushed even darker, and Hanabi giggled. She was about to tease her older sister some more when Neji stopped her.

"We should not discuss such things here," he said, looking pointedly at a group of council members and guests who were eyeing them suspiciously. Hanabi sighed, disappointed that she wouldn't get to bug Hinata, but then she glanced over to the scowling Uchiha and smiled. She'd make up for it later by teasing the hell out both of them, she decided.

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Sasuke hated parties, and he hated crowds. The Hyuuga celebration wasn't so bad as it was a formal affair, but it was dull, and there were too many people standing around for his liking. Also, he hadn't been able to get close to Hinata all evening, always being thwarted by some interfering family member. Neji had warned him about the resistance and hostility he should expect from the council members, but Sasuke wasn't the type to be intimidated by a bunch of old people, no matter how freaky their eyes were. When they glared at him, he just glared right back, not caring if he seemed belligerent. However, that didn't stop the old jackasses from preventing him from getting near the heiress.

"You're going to make it difficult to get them to accept you as a suitor if you keep scowling like that," a voice said. Sasuke turned to face Neji.

"I hate this," he muttered. Neji smirked, and Sasuke resisted the urge to hit it off of his face. The party was straining his already limited patience. Neji noticed this, and forced his face into a neutral position, though it was difficult.

"Why don't you go out into the gardens for a bit and calm down," he suggested, and Sasuke glared at him.

"I don't need to calm down," he muttered, paused, and then asked "Where are they?" Neji pointed to a set of doors.

"Through those doors, down the hallway, turn right through another set of doors, and you'll find the garden. They aren't nice at this time of year, but it would get you away from the crowd," he said, and then walked off.

Sasuke headed out immediately. As soon as he entered the quiet hallway, he felt some of the tension leave him. It disappeared completely when he stepped out into the cold night air.

He wandered around for a bit, enjoying the silence, following the little paths. He was halfway across the gardens when he suddenly noticed another presence. He immediately put up his guard and scanned the area, only to relax when he saw that the other person was Hinata. She was sitting on a stone bench, her head tilted up as she watched the stars.

"Hinata," he called softly. She jumped slightly and turned, and even in the dim light of the moon, he could tell she was blushing.

"Good evening, Sasuke," she said softly, looking away and shyly fiddling with her kimono. He approached the bench.

"May I sit with you?" he asked. She glanced at him and nodded, and he sat beside her. They were quiet for a few moments, and Sasuke glanced at her. She looked beautiful tonight. She was dressed simply, but he liked that about Hinata. She was quiet and elegant, rather than showy and loud. Her eyes were her most captivating feature, he decided. Her dark brows and lashes emphasized the pearl colour of her Hyuuga eyes. Her face was softly rounded, adding to the overall gentleness of her appearance. Her nose was small, and upturned a little at the end, and her mouth was soft and pink and very…kissable. His eyes abruptly shot up to her hair at this thought, feeling a little uncomfortable, and that was when he noticed her hair. Or rather, what was in it.

"You're wearing my gift," he said, feeling a sudden rush of warm satisfaction at the fact. She looked at him and nodded, a blush creeping across her cheeks. Sasuke's face softened as he felt more relaxed. He had long ago found out that spending any amount of time in Hinata's company had a calming effect on him, despite the fact that he was fiercely attracted to her. Because, he told himself forcefully, that's all this warm feeling was. Attraction.

"Yes," she said softly, "thank you very much for the gift, Sasuke. They are beautiful." They were silent for a few more moments, and then Hinata spoke.

"I don't like parties like this," she said softly, "too crowded."

He smiled slightly then. So they had something in common.

"I agree," he said. They sat for a few minutes, occasionally speaking when they thought of something worth saying. As the cold air started to affect her, Hinata unconsciously shifted closer to Sasuke. She didn't realize she was doing it until she suddenly felt his leg and arm against hers. She blushed slightly, but he didn't seem to notice, so she remained where she was because he was warm, and the evening air was very cold.

Sasuke had most definitely noticed as the heiress slowly started shifting towards him. When she came so close as to touch him, it was all he could do to not stiffen at the contact and the sudden rush of…something he felt when it happened. He knew that if he gave any indication that he had noticed, Hinata would probably back off. He didn't want her to back off, even if having her so near was affecting his nerves in an odd way. His entire left side, which she was pressed against, seemed suddenly on fire. He took a deep breath to calm down, but that didn't help at all, as he ended up inhaling her scent. His breathing quickened slightly, and he focused with grim determination on the ground in front of him, struggling to get a hold of himself.

"Sasuke?" Hinata asked softly, watching him carefully. He was scowling so hard at the ground that she thought the snow would melt. "Are you all right?" She angled her head to get a better look at his face. His eyes flickered towards her, and stayed on her face. He was watching her intently, his eyes dark with an expression that she couldn't decipher, but seemed somehow familiar. She realized suddenly that Sasuke had always looked at her like that; she had thought it was hatred. But as his eyes drifted slowly over her face, and stopped at her lips, she decided that it was not hatred, but something else, something that made her cheeks flush and her heart beat strangely in her chest. He leaned forward slightly, and Hinata gasped as she realized that he was probably going to kiss her. At her gasp, his eyes had darkened even more, and as he leaned closer, she froze in panic. She didn't know what to do, she wasn't ready for this…

"Hey Hinata and Sasuke!"

Her sister's greeting snapped her out of her immobility and she jumped back, almost falling of the bench in the process. She pressed her hands to her flushed cheeks and avoided Sasuke's gaze, trying to catch her breath and get her bearings.

"Ohhhhhhhh, you two are having a tryst! You are so CUTE," Hanabi squealed, "Sorry to interrupt it, but Hinata, you need to come back inside."

Sasuke turned and glared at Hanabi as she approached them, his eyes red with the activated Sharingan. Hanabi grinned at him.

"Now, now Sasuke, you can't kill me in front of my big sister, she might not like you so much if you did," she said cheekily. Sasuke, with some effort, forced his eyes back to their original colour. He could cheerfully have murdered the little brat right there. She was more annoying the Naruto, Sakura, Kiba and Lee combined. He was snapped out of his homicidal thoughts as Hinata rose and walked passed him, avoiding his gaze as she followed her sister into the house. He felt ill at her obvious discomfort, and cursed himself. He was ten kinds of idiot, he thought morosely, she didn't want him, she wanted Naruto. He must've scared the hell out of her, all because he couldn't control himself. He growled in frustration, and hoped fervently that he hadn't destroyed the quiet friendship he had developed with Hinata.

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