"Gaara, please try to sleep while I am gone." She frowned at him, with that worried look in her eyes. He couldn't help if he could or not, so he would not be affirmative. "And Shukaku-san, please let him sleep. I am safe."
'Safer with us.' He growled, and sand tightened, forming over her skin, falling with gravity like a solid object when it was finished shaping. She lifted her wrist to look at the new object dangling there.
Gaara frowned at the gift. The beast was testing his limits. He would push her away. Neither of them wanted that. "He wants you to indicate with this sand if you need us."
"I already have my ring." She whispered, fidgeting with said ring.
"Yes, but always touch it when you're nervous." He explained, her eyes lowered with a frown. Shame. Shame of what she saw as weakness. He saw it gradually dull when she was at his side, but he noticed it grew back into place as they got closer to the village. They were making her feel this way, and this was why he didn't want her here.
He took her fidgeting hands, pulling them to him. "We know you can handle this without us, but he also wants to give you a way out if you wish to choose it." Her eyes slid back up, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.
"I thought all this was done." She whimpered.
He sighed as she buried her face. He watched her shoulders droop to show her loss of tension. Slipping his arms around her, she mumbled something meant for the beast about letting him sleep before leaving with a promise to use the bracelet if she needed him.
Hanabi's rebellious streak had died down. Hinata could tell just in the way she walked. She had learned from her lessons on how to hold herself as a sophisticated lady. She held her head high, but never too high to be putting her nose in the air.
"There had been concern raised of your leading the compound in Suna." Hanabi started after a tight hug.
"That was brought up and settled when before the contract was signed, it wasn't even my idea" Hinata frowned in confusion.
"I know I added it, and it was called into question while some of the new compounds were being changed from traditional. You know they don't like change or being challenged." Hanabi explained.
Hinata chewed her lip. She knew where this was all going. She would have to make them see sense, or the villages would be pulled into a fight over change with old men who don't know how to let go.
"They aren't happy you were called for this, but you know all this best, so I thought it would be best," Hanabi mumbled. "And I don't know what to do."
"I'll do my best," Hinata promised.
After a long review of what had come into question and why Hinata once more stood being looked down on by her family's large council.
Hinata sighed. She was getting tired of this. More irritated than nervous at this point, she looked at her papers and rubbed her temple a little, something she was starting to pick up from Gaara, she assumed.
When they started, she tried to keep the annoyance at their childish behavior out of her voice, but she couldn't help it. Suna's council at least saw reason when given evidence.
After an hour, she found herself repeating herself again. "This has nothing to do with helping the group to understand Suna or making them more one with the people." She pressed. "If we didn't change the design, the walls would cave in. Suna has sandstorms that even make the outer wall crumble on occasion. Houses fall in if they're not repaired or built properly. The materials in the original design were not common in Suna. It would be a difficult and long process to build and repair when it did fall because of retrieval materials and because the builders in Suna are not familiar with them. These are not 'what if's,' these are things you live in the desert."
Hinata's eyes hardened as she could see they were still not listening. "I understand that you wish to show off. However, your designs will mean nothing to Suna people if the structure falls in." She said bluntly, making the speaker recoil. "Suna does not share our values when it comes to making the exterior of our homes visually pleasing. You will get much farther with sturdy walls than decorating once you have shown Suna you can manage the basics."
The speaker glared at her.
"And," She continued harshly as she lost her temper. "If you truly see me as unfit to lead them, remember that I am already handling a portion of the government, and in the case that I am not leading them, I will still be watching over them as my duty as Lady of the village." She watched a few faces change with the realization others hardened as they had already thought of it and hoped she hadn't. "And I have experience with all your loopholes." She noted. Translation: whether she was leading the new compound or watching over them, they weren't getting away with anything, but it would be much easier to get something of what they wanted when she could help rather than hinder.
It wasn't quite a threat, but it likely felt threatening.
Hinata had had enough for one day. "I will return tomorrow to speak further."
Neji had stopped her, and she was glad to sit with him for a while and calm her irritation before bringing it back to her husband. "I do think this is all becoming more of a pissing battle that they lost and want a rematch for." He mumbled. She blinked at him. Had they come out of his mouth. "Hanabi-sama's words, I am simply agreeing." He added.
Hinata sighed and nodded. "Suna is different. They will not view the Hyuga how they want them to. Power and money means nothing if you have no usable skills. Some of the highest revered people in the village are craftsmen, not noblemen."
"The Hyuga have accomplishments they feel they have no need to prove themselves to the new village. They are too proud to climb the ladder in a new society again." He noted.
"Then, they will fail." Hinata told him. It was as simple as that. If they showed no use to society, then they would have no power.
"Luckily, those who have chosen to go to the new compound seem to have less issue with these facts. It's mostly small members with families that have no mind making a new life in the new home. The issue lies in the council not gaining power or prestige with minimal effort." Neji sighed. "They want to be respected without the work."
"It won't work, and if they think that it will fall on me when they fail, it will not. Family and blood relation has little meaning in Suna when it comes to your worth. You prove your worth and will not be praised by the skills of your family. Your parents being good at something does not mean we know you will be too." She explained.
"I see that helping and hindering society." Neji noted.
Hinata agreed, but she also was a victim of the opposite, being held to her family's standard. She wasn't like her family, but she had found her place.
Gaara watched her come in with a frown. "Didn't you get any sleep?"
"Your pulse was high." He mumbled.
Hinata huffed and held her wrist out with a frown. "Shukaku-san, take it off. I was frustrated. There is no reason to keep Gaara up to monitor me."
The bracelet didn't move. He sighed. The beast was going to be stubborn.
"This is not okay. I understand the concern, but you are hurting him." She continued. Gaara kept his steel gaze on her watching her frown. "I'm sure thinking about why my heart rate was up didn't help either of your stress levels. I was in no danger at this meeting. This monitor is ridiculous." She was trying to keep her frustration with the beast to a minimum, it was clear. She was still irritated from her meeting, and she was trying to keep it out of her tone but was failing.
Hinata had agreed to it.
The beast kept its immediate anger down as he felt protective, but he didn't want her angry with them either. "He wants it to stay on," Gaara mumbled, ruffling his messy hair speaking from the beast.
"I don't." She told him firmly, and the sand fell retreating at a frightening speed.
Gaara blinked as the beast growled lightly. "That was… fast." He had never seen him give up so quickly.
Hinata sighed, reaching from him. He pulled her to stand between his legs so he could bury his face and curl around. He was too tired and annoyed with the beast to find his motives.
The beast's fake paws pressed in his leg as it formed to stand, trying to also get attention too. She looked down and pet its head. "I'm not angry with you, the idea was fine, but it was not okay how you used it." She whispered. Gaara seemed more affected by the lack of sleep now that he got sleep regularly. "I think we could all use a nap."
Hinata laid awake after a quiet nap, not wanting to wake her husband by getting up. She was keeping busy by petting the sand creature that lightly flicked its tail. He swirled sand between her fingers in patterns keeping her entertained.
Now that Gaara was asleep, she was much more concerned with Shukaku. Being away from home was making him tense and possibly afraid. She was fine with alleviating that by letting him monitor her but not if it was hurting Gaara. She frowned slightly.
The sand tanuki crawled closer, nudging her to get her attention. "I'm fine. I'm sorry for losing my temper with you." She whispered. "I worry for you too, but you concern me when you use Gaara energy to its limits."
The ears flattened, showing his remorse though she had her suspicions he was making more of a show of it so she would forgive him more easily.
"If you promise to let him be and only be concerned with it if I indicate. I will wear it tomorrow." The ears popped up, and her wrist was encased in sand once more. "You promise?" She asked. He curled his sand nose into her hand, and she giggled. "Okay, then."