Siren's Call
Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. To clear up the confusion, let's say that Kakashi made Naruto Hokage while on the mission. I am sorry that this one took so long to update, I got caught up with my other stories and had serious case of writer's block. So I will leave the fate of this story in the hands of reviewers.
Viewer's Choice: Would you prefer this story to just be a relatively short "crack story" as it is currently, taken down so other Hinata x Sasuke stories can be focused on, or taken down to be revamped under a similar title? If the revamp option is chosen the same "prompt" used in chapter one would be deployed, but it would be a more elegant/in character version of it. First option to get three votes or the most votes by the next time I decide to update, will win.
Chapter Eight
A few weeks had passed since Sasuke and Hinata's return. The Leaf Village was still adjusting to their relationship. But now it was a common sight to see the two of them together.
People were genuinely shocked to see Sasuke look well serene by his standards. The Uchiha would never be the type of man who would sing sonnets or write love poems to his lover, but he was different around her.
He was calmer in a way that was hard for most Leaf Villagers to articulate. Hinata was also different. Perhaps the most noticeable difference was her stutter had all but disappeared.
"I still can't believe it." Ino whispers to Sakura who simply nods at the drastic transformation as the couple walk past them, heading towards a clothing store.
"That's odd. They are going shopping together?" Sakura muses.
"We have to check this out." The blonde ninja says and her friend nods in agreement, as they slink inside the store.
Sasuke watches in amusement as Hinata headed for the male clothing section. Apparently, she got it into her head, that he needed new clothes. Wearing his "Sound outfit," in her mind, wasn't going to help him reintegrate into the village.
He realized he was pathetic, but he could deny her nothing. So Sasuke decided to indulge in this request for two reasons. The first was it made her happy. The second was because he honestly didn't care about fashion that much. Now if she had been shopping for her clothes, then it would have been another matter.
"What about this one? I think the blue would look really nice on you." She says as she holds up a casual male kimono that matched her hair color.
"It's nice." Sasuke replies and Hinata throws it into the cart for him to try on later.
"How about this black shirt and pants?" She inquires.
"Also nice." Sasuke says, more interested in how her pants hugged her backside, than what color pants he would be wearing.
Ino and Sakura watch. It all seemed so normal. Neither of them could understand how Hinata had "tamed" Sasuke. That's when the explosion happened.
"Sasuke, you've said that's nice to every outfit I've shown you for the past twenty minutes!" Hinata protests.
"Well that's because short of green spandex, I don't really care what I wear. I'm more interested in what you wear." He says with a shrug and Hinata blushes.
Sasuke smirks. He pushes the bluenette against one of the changing stalls and kisses her. She was just so irresistible when she blushed like that.
He smiles into the kiss, when he felt her return it. Sasuke constantly marveled at how soft and warm her lips were. The taste of her kiss was very erotic and soothing at the same time. The last Uchiha was considering just dragging her inside that stall, when he heard some idiot shouting about the joys of youth.
"Lee, Guy Sensei…it really is past time you both updated your wardrobe." Tenten says.
"But our clothing is very youthful!" Guy protests and Tenten sighs.
"It's more youthful if you change up your style now and then." Hinata suggests helpfully and Tenten shoots her a grateful look.
Sasuke sighs. So much for the stall idea. Damn it. He also noted that it was a shame that he hadn't brought earplugs. Lee and Guy could be really fucking loud.
"Sasuke would you like to try on the clothes to see if they fit?" She asks and Sasuke heads into the changing stall. He drags Hinata in with him. The last Uchiha delights in her squeaking, as he did so.
She blushes deep red when she saw Sasuke strip. He had no sense of embarrassment when it came to such things. Well in all fairness, she had seen him shirtless before, so that was probably why. He kept his boxers on at least.
"You were the one who wanted me to try them on." He says smugly and kisses her forehead.
"Well I figured you'd try them on alone and come out to show me. I didn't think you'd want me in the stall with you. People are going to talk." She mumbles shyly.
Sasuke shrugs. He damn well knew they were already talking. He was sure the Council was scared to death about the possibility of Uchiha-Hyuga super babies. Besides, they had gotten together because he kissed her while she was wearing a bikini and he was intoxicated. That kiss was still the subject of much gossiping.
Hinata's reputation had been spotless before she became involved with him. So he knew what role he played in their minds. To them, he was the beast who seduced the beautiful princess. Sasuke honestly didn't care what they thought about his relationship with her, but the fact that they still looked so scandalized did amuse him.
"Their already talking about us anyway. We might as well give them something to talk about, kitten." He says and throws on the blue kimono.
Hinata blushes. Sometimes she still couldn't believe that they were together. Sasuke could probably make even one of those flimsy paper hospital gowns look attractive. But the blue kimono really flattered his fair skin and brought out his eyes. It also framed his broad shoulders nicely. She liked that one. She really liked that one.
"In that case, get that one." She admits shyly.
"Alright." He says and caresses her cheek, kissing the other one.
He felt a little smug. Alright, maybe there really was something to the feather display male peacocks did. Hinata seemed to enjoy playing dress up with him. Sasuke decided to indulge her.
"Well since we are here, maybe you'd like to pick up something to surpise me with later?" He purrs into her ear suggestively and delights in seeing how deeply she could truly blush.
Seriously, he was amazed at how many shades of red Hinata could turn. He had never known the human face could change color so easily. He wondered if that was genetic. Would their children blush that easily?
"M-aybe. Why don't you go to the Ramen Shop and I'll meet you there in a few minutes? It's not much of a surprise if you see what I buy." She points out and Sasuke nods.
"I'll see you soon." He steals a quick kiss and leaves the changing room stall.
Sasuke quickly pays for his kimono and heads off. He didn't care for Ramen that much. But they sold other things besides ramen. (He smirks thinking that he should point that out to Naruto someday and then remembers that the ramen obsessed ninja was now ironically, the Hokage.)
Sasuke and Hinata had come back from their mission. He saw the banners everywhere. There were people still celebrating in the streets. The last Uchiha wondered what the Hell was going on.
That's when he saw Naruto. He was wearing the pristine white robes of a Hokage. Yeah, the loser had finally done it. Naruto had finally achieved his childhood dream of becoming the Hokage.
"Loser, I leave for a mission with Kakashi as the Hokage and come back to find you are? What the Hell is going on?" He asked.
"Oh I guess they figured it was better to do it while you were away. I tried to argue with them about it, but yeah. They had some stupid idea in their heads. They thought if you were here, you might challenge me for the position. Sorry, bastard. I really wanted you to be there." He said.
Sasuke shook his head. He looked around to make sure no one was looking. Then he gave Naruto a quick very MASCULINE embrace. It was NOT a hug. It was congratulatory gesture.
"Doesn't matter. I'm happy for you. Hopefully, you aren't as oblivious of a Hokage, as you were at other things." He said with a smirk.
"You are such a bastard." Naruto replied with a laugh.
So that was how Naruto had become Hokage. The blonde had achieved his dream of becoming a Kage and Sasuke had gotten the girl. Personally, Saskue thought he got the better end of the deal.
Seriously, who wanted to sit around assigning missions and doing paperwork most of the day? He honestly, didn't think Naruto really understood that a Kage's job wasn't nearly as glamorous as it was made out to be. It was largely administrative in nature.
Meanwhile Hinata glances at the items in the store. She bit her lower lip. For the most part, Sasuke initiated well almost everything. She had been bolder the day after he kissed her, but other than that…she was content to let him take the lead.
"Hey, Hinata." Ino and Sakura say as they approach their friend.
"Oh hi." Hinata says with a smile as she looks at some of the lingerie, she wanted to surprise him.
He had gotten the blue kimono for her. Hinata figured it was only fair that she dress up for him a little bit as well. Oh that purple number was nice. It was a darker shade of purple than her swimsuit. But she figured he'd still like it.
"How are you?" Sakura asks.
"I'm good. How about you guys?" The bluenette asks as she checks the size of the outfit.
Hmm it was her size to. Yeah, she'd get this one. She wondered if Sasuke would like it. Well Sasuke was Sasuke. He seemed to like her dressing up in general, but he would pounce no matter what she was wearing.
Surprisingly, they hadn't made love yet. Hinata was beginning to wonder if maybe he was just extremely traditional. Maybe he preferred intimacy to wait until marriage.
She knew that he was attracted to her. His Sharingan activated all the time when they were being affectionate with each other. So that wasn't the problem.
"We're good." Ino replies and blinks when she saw what Hinata was looking at.
"So I guess you and Sasuke are still…well good." Sakura says lamely and the Hyuga Heiress nods.
"Father is less than thrilled with the relationship, but he hasn't forbid it. Other than that, we are very happy together." She blushes and says.
Sakura tries to wrap her mind around this. The pink haired woman found she just couldn't. Hinata was so nice and shy. Sasuke was the opposite. Yet somehow it seemed to be working.
The medic doubted Hinata would be shopping for sexy lingerie, if it wasn't. She was really curious about THAT aspect of their relationship. But Sakura wasn't rude enough to actually ask.
"Well it was nice seeing you guys. But I promised Sasuke I would meet him at the Ramen Shop, when I got done here. I don't want him to worry." She says, pays for her purchase, and bounds off.
"This is still so bizarre." Ino murmurs and Sakura nods her head in agreement.
Meanwhile the Council was currently having a meeting. They didn't know what to do about the situation. Sasuke and Hinata were still romantically involved. Thankfully, there hadn't been a marriage yet and so far the Hyuga Princess showed no signs of pregnancy.
"We can't exactly forbid it. Sasuke has been pardoned. He's paid for all this crimes. That and Naruto would never allow us to do so." One says.
It was a tricky situation. On one hand, all of them were curious about what would happen if the bloodlines were merged. On the other, Sasuke's less than stable personality, might be genetic. Uchiha-Hyuga children could be the thing that destroyed the Leaf eventually.
Truly, it was a sobering though. They all well knew what the Sharingan and Byakugan were capable of individually, but if that power were to combine…it would be awe-inspiring. Still could they really risk such a union being allowed to continue.
"That's correct. However, they seem too dedicated to each other for us to successfully break them up either. The Hyuga girl seems to have calmed him considerably. Perhaps we are worried over nothing?" Another suggests.
They all shake their heads at that. No matter how calm Sasuke looked on the surface, they knew the truth. He was really a volcano. Buried underneath the surface, was a lot of magma. One day he would erupt and the lava would destroy everything in its path. No, they clearly had to something about this now.
"Unfortunately, we have little choice but to watch for now. I can't believe he actually bought her flowers. The second coming of Madara, buying flowers. Unbelievable." He mutters.
"He does want to restore his Clan. Perhaps he is just making a sincere effort to woo her?" The Councilwoman suggests.
Every councilmember falls silent. They all had the same thought on their mind. What would happen, if the bloodlines merged and how long would Sasuke's nice guy routine last?
Hiashi Hyuga was doing research. He truly hadn't expected for Hinata to end up with THAT member of Team Seven. The Hyuga Patriarch had always hoped that some day, Naruto would notice Hinata's affection for him. But that day had never come.
"There must be something in the archives. There has to be." He mutters to himself as he scans the U section of the archives.
The Hyuga library was organized alphabetically. So it was likely most of the things about the Uchiha Clan would be listed under the U section or perhaps S for Sharingan.
He grabs an old book. That book was likely older than the Leaf Village itself. He coughs as he opens it and is immediately assaulted by dust.
The Hyuga Patriarch begins scanning the contents. So far it was mostly a description about the Clan's history and the Sharingan's capabilities. While that was all interesting, it was largely things he already knew. It wasn't what he was looking for.
"It seems that he is sincere in his efforts to court her." He states as he continues flipping through the ancient pages with the utmost care, afraid of ripping them.
They had been together for a few weeks now. At least Hiashi could rest easy when he saw them out on the streets together. Sasuke hadn't acted improper towards Hinata, since THAT incident.
Oh yes, Hiashi had heard about the resort incident. In his defense, he knew the young man had been heavily intoxicated. Normally, the Patriarch would have laughed at that sad excuse. But he knew that Uchihas actually did have some sort of medical quirk in their metabolism that just processed alcohol differently. He suspected it was something to do with their Sharingans.
"AH HA!" He says when he came upon a section labeled, History of Combining Bloodlines.
It took awhile. The Uchihas apparently were more open to diversifying their Clan than the Hyugas. While Hyugas generally married distant relatives in their Clan about three quarters of the time, Uchihas were more like 50/50.
Perhaps because they wanted to protect their Sharingan, only about one out of every ten outside marriages, was to a Clan with another bloodline. But finally, after hours of reading, he found it. He found the one example of what had happened when a Hyuga and an Uchiha had sired children together.
"Well I hadn't expected that to be the case." He murmurs.
The merger had happened at least once before. The married couple had four children. Each went on to develop the Sharingan in one eye and the Byakugan in the other.
He would have thought that one trait would be dominant over the other, or some children would have the Sharingan and others the Byakugan. Even a new bloodline had been a possibility. But one eye of each, well that was a new one.
A child like that would be a prodigy. It was certainly enough to arouse his curiosity. It was almost enough to quell his concerns about what would happen between the Uchiha and his daughter. Almost.
"There you are, father." Hanabi says as she walks over to him.
"Hanabi, what is it?" He asks not sure what his youngest daughter was seeking him out for.
She hands him the letter. He raises an eyebrow. It had the Uchiha Seal on it. That was official. He didn't realize Sasuke even knew about such formal seals. Curious he opens it.
Lord Hiashi,
Hinata believes that we should have a family dinner of sorts. You can invite Hanabi along, as well if you like. We don't really know each other that well and I want to ease your concerns. Please name a time and place that would be convenient for you.
Sasuke.
"Well at least he addressed me as Lord. That's more manners than I expected really." He mutters as he reads the letter over and over again.
It was a short letter. Clearly, Sasuke valued being concise. But the letter could change well everything.
He hadn't forbid their relationship. But Hiashi had tried to stay out of it. The Hyuga Patriarch was well aware where Hinata went everyday after she completed her missions or training, but before she came home. Honestly, he didn't know if he really wanted to know the details.
"Father?" Hanabi asks uncertainly.
"He invited us to dinner. I suppose it would be best we go. We should support your sister and see what kind of man, she is courting. I probably should have done it sooner. But his history makes me rather uneasy." He confesses.
Hanabi blinks. She couldn't remember a time when her father had admitted that before. The proud man never admitted to such things. For a long time, she had thought her father completely unflappable. But he was. He just didn't show it often.
"If you feel that way, are you certain we should go?" She inquires softly.
"I am certain that we should." He says and sends a reply.
Meanwhile Hinata and Sasuke had arrived back in the Uchiha District. Sasuke opens the door for her. Hinata walks inside.
"Do you think it was a good idea to invite them for dinner?" She asks shyly.
"It's a little late to worry about that now, kitten. We already did it. It's out of our hands. Besides, you were right. It's important that your family not despise me." Sasuke says with a shrug.
Hinata smiles and kisses his cheek. She doubted he would have cared what anyone thought about him, if it wasn't for her. He was clearly doing this to humor her and she loved him for it.
"I'm sure once he gets to know you, he'll warm up to you. You are from a fire Clan after all." She says with a small smile.
"I hope so. It'd be easier on you, if he didn't hate me." Sasuke mutters and kisses her forehead.
"He doesn't hate you." Hinata protests.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Did she actually believe that? If he was in Hiashi's position, one of them would have been dead. There was no way that Sasuke would have let his daughter near anyone like him. He honestly, didn't know how the protective patriarch had said nothing this far.
"I don't deserve you and I'm sure he knows that. He's just been too kind to say anything about it until this point. We haven't exactly been making an effort to shove our relationship in his face, so it's been easy for him to ignore it. Now that won't be the case." He says.
Hinata shakes her head. She wraps her arms around Sasuke's neck and kisses him. It was strange. In some ways he had a superiority complex and an inferiority complex at the same time.
"It will be alright and he doesn't hate you. He just doesn't know you. Once he gets to know you, I'm sure he will grow to love you. Just like I have. Well minus the kissing of course." She adds with a giggle, after she breaks the kiss.
"Yes, no offense…but he's not my type." Sasuke muses after breaking the kiss.
"What is your type?" She asks.
"Curvier." He answers simply and Hinata lightly swats him for that one.
Sasuke shakes his head in amusement. He wraps his arms around Hinata's waist and holds her closely. Thank God for wine.
If he hadn't been intoxicated, he might not have grabbed her. But he was damn glad he had. Sure, there relationship until this point had been relatively innocent. But he was eager to explore more beyond kissing and the little bit of caressing and grabbing he had indulged in so far.
"So what did you pick out?" Sasuke asks as he makes a grab for the bag.
Hinata was too quick for him though. The Hyuga Heiress snatched it away from him at the last second. She laughs when she saw that Sasuke Uchiha was actually pouting at this.
"You look like a puppy that was denied a biscuit." She observes.
"Maybe a little. I want to see what you got. I'm curious. What did my shy, innocent kitten buy?" He inquires.
She blushes a deep shade of red. Sasuke smirks. He grabs the bag away from her and opens it. He blinks.
Whoa. He took back that shy and innocent comment. This outfit was anything but. Maybe this was his kitten's way of telling him she was ready for some more heavy petting.
"Do you like it?" She asks shyly.
"Hinata, what man wouldn't? Probably should wait to model it until after the dinner though." He states.
"Why is that?" The bluenette inquires, in confusion at his response.
"We won't be leaving the bedroom for awhile after you do." Sasuke says with a smirk.
