Kankuro followed her down the hall. "Is this where I cover my ears?"
Hinata sighed though the joke was calming her nerves. She knocked on her sister's door.
"Go away, Neji-san." Her sister called.
Hinata gave Kankuro a confused look and knocked again. "Hanabi-chan?"
The door flung open, making her jump. Her sister stared at her in disbelief before jumping into her chest, making Hinata stumble. Kankuro's hand pressed to her back to not run him into the wall.
She heard her sister start to whimper in her shoulder as she tightened the hug. Hinata stepped her inside.
"Excuse me." Kankuro nodded, closing the door behind her then waiting in the hall.
Her sister cried in the chest for some time and when she stepped back to wipe her eyes was when she started to ask questions.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, sniffling joyfully. Smiling at her. It melted her heart that her sister was so glad to see her.
"Finishing the marriage treaty." She explained. "And I thought I would hand-deliver this." She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out an envelope.
Hanabi took it, still trying to wipe away more stubborn tears. Opening it and taking out the contents, she blinked heavily to read it. "Wedding invitation?"
"We set a date that allows time even some trouble in negotiations, so I could give you one in person." She explained. "They aren't common in Suna, but I knew people here would appreciate them, so I made a few." Hanabi sat down on her bed, shrinking into herself.
"Neji..." She looked down, ashamed.
"Told me about your nightmare." She smiled. "I don't know now why you would ever think I would abandon you like that and not even have you at my wedding." She sat down with her sister patting her knee reassuringly.
Hanabi's tears started full force again, and she buried her face back into her sister's shoulder. Hinata took to petting her hair and rubbing her back.
Hinata stepped out of her sister's room quietly.
"Sorry." She mumbled to Kankuro.
"It's fine, I'd rather have not been present. Not a fan of children." He explained.
"She's hardly a child. She is not that much younger than I am," Hinata explained, confused.
"Still a kid, no thank you." He cringed. She blinked at him. "When you and Temari have kids, don't ask me to babysit."
Hinata stiffened. She didn't want to think about children. It was not something she and Gaara had talked about, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to have any. She liked children, but her bloodline would be challenging to keep them unbranded, and she was sure Gaara would not be a fan of his children being oppressed in such a way. She wasn't sure he would even like children. So she had and would continue pushing the idea aside until it needed to be brought up.
"The next room we visit should be less emotional." She explained as they walked.
She knocked lightly on a door and waited for it to open, and smiled.
She was greeted with another confused blank look.
"Hinata-sama?" He asked disbelievingly.
"I'm here for negotiations." She explained quickly. "Why is Hanabi-chan upset with you?"
He continued to stare in shock before she was gently pulled forward by her fingers. She hadn't expected a hug. Maybe Hanabi had broken him of his touch evasion while she was gone. His hug was shaky and awkward, but she appreciated it nonetheless.
He released her silently and answered her question. "I seemed to have embarrassed her in front of a boy I was unaware she was fond of." He explained, looking down.
"Oh." She bit her lip and cringed. "You insulted him?"
He nodded with a sigh. "She's too young anyway." He grumbled.
"You won't stop her. Just support her and if you still have complaints, try more gentle, logical methods rather than arguing with her or scolding her. You both get frustrated quickly when you argue." Neji nodded and looked shamed.
"I'm glad to see you Hinata-sama" Neji mumbled.
"I'll be here for the week, so go ahead to bed." She smiled, he nodded obey as he wished her goodnight and closed the door.
"Odd family you have," Kankuro mumbled.
She looked up at him pointedly.
"Okay, I don't have much room to talk."
She sighed, looking at the door to all her nightmares.
"Ready?" Kankuro asked.
"No." She answered, opening the door to the Hyuga council.
She tried to focus on her goal as the meeting went on. She didn't treat this council like the Suna one. It would be considered rude, but she refused to bend under them as she did before. Kankuro sitting next to her helped immensely. She kept her head high, and the council noticed.
Some seemed impressed. Others disliked it and made more pointed remarks about what she said or how she said it. She was getting irritated with their lack of respect in ways she never had before. She never realized that once you had respect from people, it was more apparent when people didn't respect you.
Kankuro was casual when he spoke, prideful when he spoke of his village, and defensive of his culture. He made a good partner against their more irrational ideas.
When the meeting was done, she stepped out with him, and as soon as the door was closed, she let out a heavy sigh.
"I need a drink." He mumbled.
"I think I'll have coffee." She added.
"This sake is weird." Kankuro looked into his cup.
"You choose a favored one," Hinata noted.
"I thought it was just the name." He seemed unbothered as he continued to sip from his cup.
She curled her fingers around her warm coffee. Even the steam was helping her nerves.
"How did you live with that." He looked out the window.
"I didn't. I suffered." She replied solemnly.
"I'm not surprised you were willing to ship off so easily." He sighed.
"Well actually, I didn't think about the idea that I would have to move villages when I agreed to marry Gaara." She admitted.
"Still I mean, my childhood wasn't great, but I could put up with the violence and distance. I don't see how you can stand the constant undeserved disappointment from people you were forced to respect? That's like if you took the violence away from Shukaku and just left the yelling, he did then made it 24/7. I would have run away to get away from something like that." He finished his cup and set it aside. "I don't know, joined a criminal organization or something. Anything would be better than being stuck in that hell your whole life."
"More?" She asked.
"No, I think I'm done." He tipped the empty cup with his finger idly. "Just wanted to knock off the nerves." He sighed. "You know I'm not so sure I want this family of yours in our village if they are going to treat you like that."
"Well, most of the branch isn't like the council. I was raised mainly by the care of the branch." She explained.
He nodded, looking out the window. She followed and almost ducked instinctively. Instead, she just flinched as she noticed she had been spotted.
Kankuro looked out in wonder what had bothered her. "What?" He, too, then saw a flash of pink and purple.
"Now cover your ears." Hinata quickly got up from her seat as the two girls came in and engulfed her. "Hinata-chan!"
They went through similar motions as she had with everyone that saw, a brief explanation of why she was in Konoha and how long. Ino then blinked at her attire.
"This is new." She touched her scarf and turned around her. "What happened to your signature big jacket?"
"Not really something I can wear in Suna."
"Suna suits you." Sakura beamed. "I don't think I have ever seen you in a skirt that wasn't for meetings or ceremonies."
Hinata smiled calmly and answered as they asked further questions about how she was dressed.
"Where do your weapons pouch go?" Sakura finally wondered.
Hinata reached down to where the wrap dress overlapped down the side of her leg and opened it to show her standard-issue tight shorts and the wrappings where the pouch went but currently no pouch.
"Scarf would be warm, wouldn't it?" Ino prodded.
"No, not this fabric. It's more for shielding your head and face for the elements." She lifted it to show them and glanced back at Kankuro, who was thoroughly amused by her being attacked with questions. At least one of them was having fun.
"You still wear your Konoha forehead protector?" Sakura asked as she had revealed it under the folds of the scarf.
"She's not married yet." Ino pointed out, rolling her eyes.
"Do you have to do anything special to get a Suna one?" Sakura asked, ignoring the jab.
"Gaara's teacher had something in mind." She replied.
"I think half of this trip is going to be meetings, and the other half is going to be me watching people fawn over you." Kankuro laughed.
"You don't have to come with me." She offered.
"And miss the awkward faces you make, no way." He joked.
"Not nice." She scolded.