Chapter 11.
Title : Unspoken Words.
Flashback :
"Happy Birthday, Hikaru!"
It was a beautiful day for the ninjas in Konohagakure – not just because the weather was fabulous what with the clear blue skies and breezy hours, but because it was an atmosphere of revelry and joy for it was a certain brown haired ninja's sixteenth birthday. Everyone from Team seven to nine, had gathered at the popular eatery-cum- café, Ichiraku to celebrate Hikaru Hitachin's birthday.
Why wouldn't they? The meal was on the house.
Haruhi had been the first to wish Hikaru, for she was his beau – since the past few months. And obviously, it was Naruto's idea to choose the location – Ichiraku was not only his favourite eatery, but also the favourite of the entire village.
Oh yes, it was a beautiful day in Konohagakure. The atmosphere was that of merrymaking and Hinata, for a change also joined in on the merrymaking. She had decided on wearing make up for the first time since her mother's death, and though she had no one to help with the process – she had outdone herself for her age. At fifteen, Hinata looked beautiful with a hint of pink lipstick, and light eye-make up. She felt beautiful too, for she had been wearing a yellow and white dress, that had been gifted to her by her mother, on her last birthday with the Hyuga mistress.
"What have you done to your face?" Hiashi had demanded out of her that day, and gradually went on to wipe the lipstick off her quivering lips.
She had been left alone, to her misery and had no bother for the time that she had been wasting for Hikaru's ongoing party at Ichiraku. How long, she had been curled up in a ball drenching in her own tears, no one could tell. No one had even bothered to find out.
All except one.
"Hinata? Are you done yet?" A soft knock on her bedroom door, caused the sobbing heiress to stop abruptly. She blinked her tears away and wiped her cheeks only to find some blush color accompanied with tears, on her fingers. She stayed silent, hoping the intruder would leave.
The knock got louder, and more persistent. "Are you okay in there?"
Sighing, the pale eyed heiress rose from her bed and slowly unlocked her door, only to find the owner of the voice looking at her in what seemed like, concern. Initially he wore a bemused expression when his eyes caught the pink smudge on her lips and chin, but the instant he caught her gaze his expression changed to concern.
Her gaze fell instantly.
"Did you do that?" The silver haired ninja spoke with faint amusement, hoping to lift her spirits but when Hinata did not respond, he tried again.
"Hime, you don't even need them." He moved just a little closer, and placed his large hand on her quivering shoulder, whilst his other hand cupped her wet face. He did not have much of an idea as to what had happened but he could only take a wild guess. Everyone was aware of Hiashi Hyuga's dislike for his eldest daughter.
"Y-Y-You're right, S-Shinomiya… I d-don't need m-m-make up," Her tearing eyes gazed up at her best friend, while blinking down her tears, and she allowed herself to fall against him in an embrace. "I-I-I wont touch it ever a-again."
Shinomiya was only too happy to oblige and return the embrace.
"You look beautiful without it, Hinata."
End of flashback :
*Inside the Kage Office, in Suna*
Gaara Sabaku had been busy throughout the day, tending to the piling paper-work – a job so dreary that it made someone like himself sleepy.
It had been hours since the Kage had interrogated the leader of his notifying group. The leader, a distinguished man clad in black, had done a quick background check on a particular silver haired former ninja from Konoha. Yet, the information bequeathed to the Kage, had not satiated his curiosity, but he did not pry further. He decided to take on this responsibility on his own, rather than entrust it to somebody else.
And so far, Gaara had found nothing interesting enough for him to put his finger into, and thus he temporarily gave up – deciding that putting his attention and focus on the paper work would deem him fit.
"Milord?" a loud knock startled the focused Kage at work, and he clenched his teeth in annoyance for he was aware of the impending disturbance.
Apparently, now he couldn't even work at peace.
"Come in." The redheaded man, clasped at his temples and massaged it slightly being aware of the slow migraine that was coming on. He hated having to deal with such bothersome things.
"Milord, I have some news on the Hayate boy," The leader of the group spoke up, rather excitedly and proudly, for he was in fact proud of the information he gathered by some locals in Konoha.
Oh yes, he had gone to Konoha specifically to find out about Shinomiya Hayate.
"Well?" Gaara growled impatiently, as his attention was suddenly fixated on the latest subject of interest. He wondered mentally, whether this Shinomiya was a brute? Possibly committed some crimes? Was reported in prison for said crimes?
Oh, it would be fun to see the man leave the Kage's premises.
"His father, Asuma Hayato, has been under financial loopholes and thus has been insecure for quite some time now." The leader stood with his chest pushed out, all the while beaming which faintly annoyed the Kage as he sat on the chair, leaning back against the backrest.
"Do you have anything of significance?"
"Milord, Shinomiya was rumoured to have feelings for Lady Hinata," The formidable man continued, a little nervously for he was aware of the Suna leader's erratic moods. He was hoping to conceal that bit of information but given that his master was not pleased by the man's hard work, he tried further. Maybe, he would be given a raise in his work pay? "It is said that he was planning to propose to her, on her nineteenth birthday but-"
"But what?" Gaara's non-existent eyebrows shot up, and instantly he felt the pain throb in his temples again causing him to clench his teeth again. Holding his head, the redhead glanced at his informer expectantly, although he knew the answer pretty well.
"Her father forced her to get married earlier."
Gaara's gaze shot up towards the informer, and something in his teal orbs made the man standing opposite to the Kage, rather nervous. He went a couple steps back and gulped down the bitterness of the fear that had been growing in his throat. Like a parasite, the leader's fear slowly latched onto the others as well and they very slowly shifted towards the door.
"So you are saying that, had it not been for her father's decision, she would be Shinomiya's wedded?" Although, he meant it to be a simple question, Gaara's voice betrayed his intention for it sounded hostile, and cold.
"M-Milord, I don-"
"You are dismissed." Gaara cut the man short, and held his forehead trying to massage his pained temples, all the while wondering what to make out of what he had just heard. When he did not hear the door shut, he spoke again – this time, out of intended annoyance. "Get out."
*Meanwhile, in Hinata's bedchamber*
"Come on Sakura, twirl for us!" Naruto whistled rather inappropriately, but no one let out any protests, for after all, she was his girlfriend and he could whistle inappropriately all he wanted.
The woman in question, giggled and gave a half turn allowing her white tulle dress to twirl along with her. She was a vision in white, and she was well aware of the attention, for her vogue moments proved her beauty and talent in fashion.
"Man, how did I end up with such a babe?" Naruto smacked himself on the forehead whilst grinning good-naturedly, before being joined by his girlfriend who had applied extra coats of lipstick just so she could grab more attention.
"Hinata, why don't you go next? You haven't taken a turn since the game started!" Haruhi Fujioka spoke up, amidst her cuddling session with Hikaru. The women of the group were looking lovely and extremely fashionable, all credited to Matsuri who at the moment was not available. She would not intrude in on her mistress's reunion. She was aware that Hinata was truly happy after a long time – she had been content when Neji and Tenten were present, but ever since their departure, Hinata was like a living breathing zombie. However, the mistress was grateful to Gaara, for allowing Matsuri to stay back and serve Hinata.
She was the only memory of Konoha.
"Yes Hinata, we would like to see what you wear!" Naruto chimed in, while the others agreed. Shinomiya had been quiet throughout the evening, but upon the new idea, his interest sparked up and he gazed at the pale eyed woman, with anticipation. He too wanted to see her enjoy herself.
"You guys are s-so m-mean!" Hinata giggled nervously, but decided to be a sport. She had seen her friends after years which seemed like centuries, and she was not letting the moments go to waste. Every minute spent with them was a blessing for her.
So, she jumped up to go inside her ultra modern bathroom to get dressed and show herself to her friends. She could dress up too, and she would prove it.
Minutes passed by, and the group members began to complain slightly, for they never expected Hinata to be a clone of the Haruno fashionista. Hinata was always the cute one. Not the fashionista.
The door finally creaked open, and from within Hinata emerged in a vision of black as compared to Sakura. She was well aware that black complimented her creamy skin much better than any other color and so she decided on this number.
She had no idea as to how good she had been looking that evening, with the tight black dress that ended above her knees on the front, and trailed down from behind. The neckline of the dress was sweetheart, therefore some amount of cleavage had formed though the woman desperately tried to pull up her dress to expose as little cleavage as possible. Finally, she decided to cover up with the help of a chunky neck-piece, which did the trick beautifully. On her face, the only make up she applied was a red lipstick which looked striking on her pale face, enhancing her features greatly.
When she had emerged, all eyes were fixed on her. Especially, the eyes of a certain silver haired man.
His gaze never left her, as she walked slowly and twirled just slightly, as an imitation to what Sakura had done. Except, Sakura had not been half as graceful as the pale eyed woman.
"Hinata!" Sakura gasped, as she watched the woman with indigo hair twirl around and smile nervously at her group of audience, "You look…" the pink haired ninja stopped short. She could not find the proper word to describe the woman in black.
"…Beautiful." Shinomiya completed the sentence, all the while staring at her like he had seen a woman for the first time. His eyes were sparkling with childlike wonder, and he was in simple awe.
The others clapped excitedly, and laughed good-naturedly while Hinata thanked all of them and slowly climbed up on the bed beside Shinomiya. He had not taken his eyes off her, but made sure she didn't mistake him for a pervert, for he quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, which Hinata gratefully accepted.
"You vogue better than Haruno" the man beside Hinata, whispered with a grin. He had been meaning to sound funny but it came out way serious, and he did not mind for it was the absolute truth.
"Y-You t-think so?" Hinata smiled after a long time, and felt the smile reach her heart too. She was content and grateful for the company of her friends.
A soft knock, caught her off-guard. The others had not heard it as such, or if they did they decided to ignore it – she and Shinomiya were the only ones to hear it. Blinking nervously at the door, Hinata rose up from the bed and walked towards the gate to open it, without even bothering to ask who the intruder could be.
She did not expect what happened, next.
"Lady Hinata, I ha-" Gaara Sabaku's sentence was cut short. His gaze shifted from the group of ninjas from Konoha, then specifically towards Shinomiya and his incomplete attire. Finally, his gaze rested on his wife, who looked rather different in a form fitting black dress with half her cleavage spilling out. What caught his attention even more, was the obvious white jacket that covered her bare shoulders. It was not a woman's jacket, was the first thing that struck the redheaded man.
"What is happening here?" He lightly pushed his wife aside to see better. The bedchamber was a bit of a mess, and the friends had littered the bed with food crumbs, the air conditioner was on, clothes were all over the floor. He did not even want to know what the other parts of the room looked like.
"We are having a mini runway show" Naruto answered with glee, and got up to make an attempt at embracing his friend, but Gaara turned away and towards his wife. It was true that she was looking beautiful, and it took the Kage a lot not to pull her close into a kiss, but he wanted answers first.
"Why are you wearing a man's jacket?" He stared at her, trying desperately not to allow his gaze wander down to her exposed skin. Instead, he focused on the jacket. It looked dapper, and sharp. Possibly, an Armani? What material was that, anyway?
"I-It belongs to S-Shinomiya… I was a l-little c-cold so he l-lent it to m-me." Hinata gazed up at her husband's pale orbs, and found something in them that broke her heart – hurt. Hinata, had expected Gaara to be impressed with her vogue talents, and in fact embrace her in front of everyone, but she had not thought that maybe her husband would be hurt, at seeing her wear another man's jacket albeit it meant nothing.
Gaara stayed silent for what seemed like several minutes, and then looked away from his wife. He walked slowly towards the door whilst ignoring Hinata's explanations.
"Dinner will be ready in an hour," the Kage spoke finally, dejectedly while desperately trying to hide the injury in his tone. "Make sure to bring them downstairs, Lady Hinata."
And with that, he slammed the door and left his wife's bedroom.
All of a sudden, Hinata had no desire to pretend like a vogue model anymore.
A/N : So its been forever since I updated!
Honestly I thought of abandoning it cause I had college stuff going on, but then I came across this just yesterday and realized how much I love your reviews and missed writing this fanfic.
So, I know this is a long chapter, but I hope its worth reading!
Please, review and I hope you like it! (Took me hours lol)
I missed you guys!