I know, I know I'm terrible. I should upload more frequently. The next chapter will be up most likely tomorrow or the next day. Also I am sorry for this chapter being a little messy, what can I say other than writers block.

Chapter 6: Numbness

Sasuke watched as the Hyuga finally separated from Sakura. It wasn't as if he was following them, he just happened to see them and decided to keep an eye on the Hyuga. That woman couldn't be trusted, especially not around his betrothed. His future wife seemed to be completely unaware of the Hyuga's status which angered him. Nobody in the fucking castle seemed to remember she was not one of them, she was the enemy. He stood behind a wall and he could hear the steps of the Hyuga getting closer and closer. As she was about to take another step a hand wrapped itself around her arm and threw her against the wall. She looked up to see the young Uchiha. She wanted to punch him, kick him, stick her tongue out, express her dislike of him in any way possible. Instead, she blinked obliviously.

"Hello-"

"Do not act like a fucking clueless child Hyuga" he cut her off. She cocked her head and furrowed her brows. What the shit was he talking about now? "I don't want to see you, near Sakura. Her status is much too high for her to be around you"

"I was just being n-"

"I didn't fucking ask you" he hissed making her flinch.

"I understand" she whispered

"Sasuke" a voice interrupted him. He knew that voice, he groaned and looked at the Hatake. He was standing in front of him with a book in his hand.

"What?"

"I was just looking for you actually, your father is calling a meeting. You're Itachi's bride right?" he asked Hinata who nodded. "Hinata, correct" she nodded again. His eyes darted between her and Sasuke.

"What are you looking at?" he sneered

"You should give the girl some space, it is not a very gentleman like to-"

"You should stop reading women's books" he cut him off rudely, before aggressively letting go of the woman and walking away. Kakashi didn't react in any way he just looked as Sasuke walked away before turning to face Hinata.

"T-thank you," she squeaked. Hatake nodded before leaving. By people's reaction to Sasuke, she could tell he was an impertinent pester with just about everyone. Nobody in the castle seemed to be surprised by his behavior, he was almost like a child. Nobody told him anything because he was part of the main Uchiha family, just like a spoiled child would not be reprimanded for their behavior. Nobody other than Itachi and Naruto seemed to be genuinely fond of the man. It was almost the opposite with Itachi, he was feared for sure but also respected. Itachi was intimidating but also had charm in him that kept him from being just like his father. Hinata had no doubt Itachi had done all that intentionally, Itachi was way smarter than to rely on fear alone. Itachi was born, no he had been molded for the role of the heir.

"S-so this is going to be my last day here, tomorrow I leave," He said as they walked

"When will you be back?" she asked

"Why will you miss me?" he teased

"Yes, I will" she answered calmly and genuinely. Naruto felt a blush begin to appear as he hadn't expected her to respond to his teasing in a sincere way.

"I will miss you too" he mumbled, "I should be back for your wedding b-but I'm not sure" he changed the topic and instantly wanted to slap himself. The wedding? Really? That's what he chose?

"My wedding" she repeated in a whisper "what will you do over there?" She asked out loud

"Treaties with merchants. While down there we also want to get a better feel of their villages' politics. Get feedback and use it when gaining more land" he explained

"I'm sure you'll do great," she said with a smile, he smiled back.

"You think? It's my first time going alone" he scratched the back of his head

"You can be quite persuasive. You are also sympathetic, I have no doubt you will excel." she hums as she kept picking up flowers and putting them in the basket. Sometimes he wondered how the tomboyish little girl with short hair grew into a lovely woman.

"I have to, not much of a choice" he chuckled nervously

"Practice with me," she said

"Hm?"

"Practice what you will say with me" she clarified

"Oh. Yeah I forgot" he chuckled scratching the back of his head "you were the Hyuga's unofficial peacemaker"

"Go on" she encouraged him. And so he did, she listened carefully. He was surprisingly competent, he made solid points. He wasn't the best at elaborating on them but he had the basics down. She was surprised by his knowledge of the subjects, it wasn't outstanding but it certainly surpassed her expectations. Although he had adequate knowledge he was no expert and most of his strengths laid in his personality. He was kind and positive, however, he didn't come off as gullible. Even though he could definitely be. If she would sum up Naruto in one word it would be aspirational. He had such a bright attitude you just wanted to keep up with him.

"I think your forte is definitely your attitude. Is a good thing, no matter how intelligent you are a sour attitude won't get you far" she gave him feedback

"Attitude? And here I thought it was my looks" he grinned and winked

"That too" she laughed, before stopping to pick up yet another flower. Kurenai had told her she would teach her how to make perfume and gave her a specific flower to collect.

"Naruto, Hinata," she heard his voice. She stood up and smiled. There Itachi stood next to another man.

"Hey, Itachi. You finally appeared in Shikamaru! You have been nowhere to be found" Naruto greeted the men

"Hello Itachi, Lord Nara" she curtsy. The man nodded in acknowledgment of the woman and turned to Naruto. She heard of the Naras, she wondered what position he had to be talking to Itachi or perhaps they were friends.

"I've been with Itachi and Fugaku, they have been catching me up with every decision that has been made so far" The man said with a tired sigh

"Congratulations on your new position by the way. Who would have thought you would actually pursue it" so he was important.

"Yes. Destiny can be quite troublesome" the man said. Hinata was confused as to why the man did not seem particularly happy with this "position" they were talking about, he appeared to be more annoyed than excited

The days quickly passed in a blur. From fittings, classes, to rehearsal she had found her usually empty schedule packed to the brim. The only good thing being she got to spend time with Kurenai. She hadn't had time to see Itachi, she hadn't had time to think about her plan. Although she hadn't thought of a plan she spent an awful amount of time worrying. She didn't have a plan yet. No information gathered and no plan of escape if she were to ever gather such information. Those worries were quickly forgotten as the servant pulled the corset tighter and Hinata was sure she could almost see stars.

"K-Kurenai, how much more tiger does it have to be?" she asked trying her best to breathe normally as she felt the pressure on her ribcage begin to hinder her breathing.

"Sorry Hinata, we are almost done" Kurenai gave her a sympathetic look as she held her hand. Hinata wanted to rip the dress off her body, why would anyone do this. The dress was a prussian blue with light purple accents and silver jewelry adorned it, it certainly was pretty but Hinata would not forgive it for being uncomfortable.

She felt oddly calm, maybe calm was too positive or a word, she felt numb. She was aware of the ceremony taking place around her, she could hear the words coming out of the priest's mouth but they didn't process in her mind. She maintained a smile with the little will she had in her. "You may now kiss the bride" those words snapped her to reality. She felt her face heat up and she closed her eyes, there wasn't much she could do because of their height difference. So she just stood there with her eyes closed, she felt his lips against hers. The kiss itself was no more than five seconds and was as chaste as they came. Still, her whole face was flushing red. There was clapping from the audience and when she turned to them she saw a mix of reactions. Some people looked happy, many looked at the couple with disapproving eyes, others with smugness. She felt small but didn't let that show, she kept her posture straight and head high as Itachi and her were announced man and wife. As she sat next to her now-husband while gifts were presented in front of her, she felt melancholy washed over her. As she watched people laugh and clap while they sang songs about murdering her family, her sadness turned into anger and began to boil.

"You've been awfully quiet my wife," Itachi said just loud enough for her to hear.

"I am simply speechless, my husband. I feel so happy I cannot put it into words" she forced a smile

"I would be careful if I were you, you are beginning to crack"

"am I? P-perhaps from too much excitement," she felt his hand under her jaw slightly moving her face to face him, then he lightly placed a kiss on her lips. Her face instantly heated and her eyes widened. He grinned at her only making her blush become redder. Was he toying with her? She noticed that about Itachi, he liked to play with people. It was fine really, she would play along with him. She would give him what he wanted but she couldn't get caught up in his games too much, she had her mission to complete. She looked at the crowd of people, she hated them but she needed them. As a previously unknown emotion called hate began to eat at her facade, she knew that she needed them. She needed to find some type of footing in the pool of heathens in front of her, what other choice did she have. She was with Itachi now, there was no going back, now she had to use that to her advantage and turn the marriage into an asset.

Sasuke did his best to keep the facade of neutrality as his betrothed talked. He was dreading having to engage and pitch in her conversation but luckily she talked enough for both of them. Although it prevented him from having to join in the conversation it did annoy him. It was a lose lose situation for him. She kept talking, taking his nods, hums and forced smiles as encouragement; he wondered how it would be living the rest of his life like that. Surely he wouldn't, he would go mad if he had to. But he did. He had to, it was his duty to his house, but how. How could he possibly bind himself to such a woman, if the past weeks had been any sign of what his future held he was doomed. He had spent his time pretending to not be annoyed at her mere presence, pretending to be interested in her words, even her beauty was not enough to make her more tolerable after a while. She wasn't particularly bad; he just didn't find her particularly interesting or worth his time. It shouldn't matter if he liked it; he knew that was not how marriages worked but he didn't expect her to be so enthusiastic about marrying him. He didn't know how marriages were supposed to work but he had the idea they would just ignore each other, that was what his parents did after all. The problem presented itself when he couldn't ignore the woman in front of him, she was so eager to be near him and even worse he had to comply. He looked at his brother the Hyuga, he was whispering something in her ear. Sasuke rolled his eyes, of course his brother would take a completely opposite approach to the arranged marriages. He saw how the pathetic Hyuga would hide behind Itachi how he clung to him for protection like a fucking child. Who the fuck was she to do that? Why the fuck did she think Itachi could fucking protect her? Most importantly who the fuck was she to demand his protection, she wasn't part of the family she was just a filthy prisoner. Maybe it was the fact that Sasuke was staring in their direction without realizing which made Itachi approach him. He wanted to shout. He wasn't ready. He wasn't ready to have Sakura, Itachi and the fucking Hyuga around him at that fucking moment. But he still found himself in that situation.

How long had the day been? It felt like years, she felt tired both physically and mentally. She had gone out of the ballroom to breathe, to breathe alone without having someone on your back, to inhale fresh air, not that hot air that had begun to suffocate her. All she wanted was air, so why? Why on earth did he had to appear

"You are still filth, you know that" He said she didn't even look at him.

"I do" she agreed in her usual soft voice. How much he fucking hated that voice of hers.

"You are not part of us. So don't go around feeling comfortable" he hated her and her fucking facade. He hated her meekness, he hated how she been so fucking obedient. Why was she being like this! Why?! She had to fucking have a stance

"I will not," she said, almost whispered. He had enough of her. He shoved her to the wall and grabbed her jaw making her face him.

"Do you why? Do you know why Hyuga!?"

"No" she squeaked.

"Because you are not only filth, you are not only the daughter of a traitor, but you are a weak Hyuga." he hissed into her ear, his hand not leaving her jaw. "Uchihas are not weak, they will not fold, we will make you fucking crumble Hyuga. You hear that! Your family will be wiped out along with anyone who opposes us" He needed her to know that, he needed her to know how weak she was.

"I support that" she whispered. He gritted his teeth. Why? Why?! Why! Did she not say anything?! Why did she go along with him? Was she so spineless, so weak, so… so…. His lips crashed into hers, she wasn't responding but she wasn't pushing him off either.

She felt stood there numb, almost as numb as she was during the ceremony, she stood there while Sasuke explored her mouth with his tongue. Soon enough his hands began to follow the example. Why was he doing this? Did it matter? She could scream but what would that look like? When would he stop? Why her? What did she do to him? She didn't know how long it lasted before she felt him stop. She didn't know why but she looked up instantly meeting his eyes, disgust. Disgust was all she saw, although she wasn't sure if it was towards her or himself, probably both.

"You know to keep shut" he growled, she lowered her eyes before nodding slowly. "Pathetic" he spat before leaving. She stood there, she didn't move. She just looked out the window and sighed as she sunk. She had a plan now… or at least she thought she did, she should look at the bright side.

"You should probably tell Itachi" she heard a voice behind her, she turned and saw the masked man.

"A-are you going to tell him?" she asked. Sje was too tired to be worried about what would happen.

"It's none of my business" he stated

"Oh" then why the fuck was he talking.

"Just letting you know if he makes you so uncomfortable Itachi will put him in his place."

"Would he though?" she wondered if the man pitied, he probably did. She didn't like, she didn't need their pity, she needed to drop dead.

"I think he would"

"Are you two friends?"

"No"

"Does anyone have friends here?" she heard him chuckle at her question. Hr probably thought she was naive. He was probably another one of those cynic pessimists, she disliked those people they always brought an aura of superiority with them.

"Does anyone anywhere truly have friends?" he answered her question with one of his own

"Yes"

"I'll be your friend"

"Will you really?"

"Probably not"

"Hn"

"You should go back to the wedding" he offered a hand and she took it. As soon as they arrived at the ballroom they went their separate ways without a word. She wondered where Itachi was, if he had noticed her absence, or better yet did he care?

"Hinata", she felt a light tap on the shoulder and she turned and saw a woman. She had dark brown hair with equally dark brown eyes, she was a bit taller than her, she reminded Hinata of somebody but she couldn't exactly remember who. "You look beautiful" the girl complimented her with a sweet smile.

"T-thank you, I am very sorry but I have yet to get your name?"

"You probably don't remember me" she smiled shyly. Remember her? From where? "My name is TenTen Heiki. My father is a weapons merchant, I used to spend time in the Hyuga castle"

"You were Neji's friend" she smiled, "it's nice to see you are doing well" she remembered her now. Although she hadn't seen her in a couple years, she remembered the girl that would visit their castle in winters with her dad. Most vividly of all she remembered teasing Neji about a blushing girl who would find any excuse to talk to him.

"As well as anyone can during war"

"We could be doing worst, we could be in the battle field or in those villages getting burnt down"

"This war is horrendous"

"It is"

"I am sorry about your wedding" It took everything in Hinata not to snap. It was either this girl was stupid enough to say something like that out loud with genuine intentions behind it or she wanted to catch Hinata saying something against the Uchiha to expose her.

"It's okay, Itachi has been nothing but kind. He will be a great husband and I will do my best to fulfill my role as his wife. Now if you would excuse me I'll look for him"

"Of course, please take care. You really mean a lot to your cousin" TenTen gave her a sad smile. Hinata's smile disappeared. Was she sent by Fugaku? Is she here to test my loyalty? She didn't say anything and walked away. When she finally found Itachi she felt relieved.

He could see how tired she was as they walked to their room, she yawned three times in their walk there. He felt bad for, he had tried his best for their relationship to go as smoothly as possible but that didn't change the fact that it was forced. He opened the door for her and she thanked him with a smile. He was tired too but not as tired as she was.

"It's been a long day you should rest, I'll go to the balcony to give you privacy" he said.

"T-thank you," she blushed. As he stepped out he felt the cool air of the night hit him and he took in a deep breath. So many things had happened and many more were yet to come. He had committed many sins, he wondered if he would see his mother in the after life. He highly doubted they couldn't be destined for the same place, not when he killed so many and she was nothing but kind.

"I'm done" her voice interrupted his thoughts, he turned and saw her in her nightgown, her hair down from the intricate braid it had been in minutes ago. She looked quite young, younger than his brother even though they were the same age. It was probably her full cheeks and big eyes that made her appear younger than she actually was. "Are y-you going to change?" she asked

"Hn" he nodded but turned toward the sky. She walked to his side and looked up at the sky with him. They said nothing as they stared at the sky full of stars, her yawn broke the silence and he smiled. "I'll change now so you can sleep in peace". When he was done he let her know and she entered.

"If it makes you feel more comfortable we don't have to sleep on the same bed"

"D-don't worry, there is enough room" she smiled

"As long as you are okay with it" he shrugged. If he was being honest he did prefer to sleep in his comfortable bed than anywhere else.

"Thank you Itachi for being kind," she smiled as she snuggled with some blankets.

"You make it easy" she gave him a final smile before hugging the pillow and burying her face in it. He smiled, he remembered when Sasuke was little and used to do the same thing. Those memories were so distant it felt like another life.

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Probably a lot of mistakes because I posted this half asleep. oh well it be like that sometimes.