The hot air surrounded her as she sat in the open carriage. She looked back at her home in the distance and watched some civilians pull over to the side to let the carriage go by.
"It's quite hot today isn't it, Hinata-sama." The man sent to pick her up from the Hyuuga household was none other than her caretaker from childhood. He smiled sweetly and opened a sun umbrella, holding it above Hinata as the two sat side by side.
"Thank you Ko-san." Hinata said as her eyes stayed glued to the passing scenery. With both hands placed gently on her stomach, they passed through the small alleys she traveled as a youth and she began to reminisce of her younger days. She remembered her foolish days of hiding behind corners when encountering Naruto . The image of young and uncaring Sasuke who was always not too far from the yellow haired shinobi popped into her mind. In all her life she would've never been able to predict that she'd be married to him, nonetheless having his child. If she could talk to her younger self she'd tell herself to properly acknowledge him, perhaps then she would have a better understanding of his ways; preventing quarrels like the one from the night before. She scoffed internally. As if changing the past would change yesterday's mistakes.
The night before she had went to bed alone and in morning had woken up all the same. Small traces of Sasuke were left all around the bedroom. Scorning his silent movements she tracked the minute clues like a hunter. His shirt from the day before slightly stuck out of the hamper, the partially closed door to the en suite. She pouted as she saw all the tell tale signs of him being extra careful in not waking her. It only made her feel worse. She was in the wrong and she knew it. His words from last night made her realize how much she was holding him back and how much he was enduring for her. He was willing to change for her, even though she never asked. Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt the tears welling back up into her eyes and she looked up to the ceiling.
The creaking of gates alerted Hinata and snapped her out of her thoughts. Looking up, the well-known surroundings engulf her. Not having changed she scanned the architecture and watched as some of the members of the branch family walked along the engawa, stopping only for a moment to watch her as the carriage entered the property. Butterflies in her stomach she exhaled loudly and took in a hand full of her dress. She had reluctantly returned to her childhood home.
"Hinata-sama." Ko stood below her, umbrella still in hand. Making her way off the carriage with the guidance of Ko she walks to the engawa.
Sasuke sighed from behind his hawk mask as he and his squadron rested upon the tree tops. Within his squadron a dog masked man watched the area across from him. Kiba, along with Shikmaru were among the large squadron he was leading. On their way to extinguish a rebel group four towns over, the members rested to refresh themselves after travelling constantly since dawn. Loosening the collar of his ANBU uniform Sasuke swallows hard on his saliva as the heat gets to him. The back of his head rests against the tree trunk and the cry of a hawk catches his attention. Flying towards him, the Uchiha's armor clad arm extends and the hawk perches on it. Sasuke activates his sharingan and his summon disperses into thin air all the while receiving information of Hinata's arrival at the Hyuuga estate.
Reaching into the pouch behind his back he takes out a barrier tag and stabs a kunai through the top of it, attaching it to the tree. He signals for his men to do the same and they leave the area after securing the perimeter.
Placing her clothes into the empty drawers Hinata takes out a dark t-shirt from her bag, refolding it blindly until she realizes it was Sasuke's that she had packed unknowingly. Unfolding it, his scent permeates her nostrils and she feels more at ease. She was in her childhood bedroom, its same layout remained. Her bed was so neat she couldn't tell if it had been touched or not. A light tapping comes at the door and she hurriedly shoves the shirt into the drawer, shutting it away.
"Hinata-sama?" Ko's gentle voice called out to her.
"Yes?" Hinata said sliding the door open. His eyes shot wide open at her sudden appearance. With a slight stutter he proceeded. "It is time for lunch."
"Thank you, but I've already eaten." Hinata responds politely. She watches the white eyes in front of her twitch nervously at her remark. Guessing she had been invited to have a formal lunch with her father, she sighed out loud. "Lead the way." She said breathily as she exited her room. With swelling ankles she lagged behind Ko as they made their way down the never-ending wrap around engawa. Whispers alerted her and she looked up only to see more members of the clan ogling her. Showing a polite smile she turns her attention onto Ko's back and continues to follow him. Suddenly she had become such a hot commodity—or rather an eyesore to the Hyuuga clan. The mother and wife of an Uchiha and yet coming back home whenever she feels like, how insolent. The Uchiha clan's revival is surely nothing without the Hyuuga's influence of power. There gazes whispered at her with malice. Surely the reason for her return was not clearly conveyed to the rest of the clan, but either way she was sure it wouldn't have made a difference. Regardless she looked weak and pitiful to them.
The rice paper door slides open and Hinata can sense the peering eyes from inside hit her as Ko moved aside. Her father and Hanabi sat on the tatami clad floor around a low lying table with several dishes placed prettily atop it. The smell of cooked beef sent a shiver down Hinata's spine, she had been craving meat more and more these past few days and strangely it was one of the few foods she could stomach well.
Walking into the large room she made her way to an open spot with a place setting. Placed directly across from Hanabi, Hinata gently guided herself onto her knees. Shifting her legs to the side, she sat like a mermaid upon a rock; the only position she was comfortable in.
Hinata looked up and met her sister's gaze. Hanabi was self-composed and her posture perfect, it was a side Hinata hadn't seen in a long while. It was a sight only seen when Hanabi was around their father and Hyuuga elders. Hiashi's chopsticks clinked when he picked them up and began to eat, digging into the large plate of nikujaga, the stewed meat and root vegetables let out a puff of steam.
"Have you settled into your room?" Hiashi's voice cut through the thick awkward silence like a knife.
"Yes." Hinata said while picking up her chopsticks. Hanabi followed suit and waited for Hinata to begin eating. Placing a thin slice of stewed beef on top of the mountain of rice in the small bowl in front of her, Hinata looked up once more at Hanabi; the young Hyuuga's hand trembled as she placed a large bite of her rice into her mouth. She was starving and you could see her tense body relax as soon as her mouth had shut around her rice. Feeling partly to blame Hinata sought out a large chunk of meat from the plate and placed it in Hanabi's bowl of rice.
"Sorry, I must've taken longer than you thought."
With a quick swipe of her chopsticks, the large chunk of meat disappears into Hanabi's mouth. The trio eats silently as the summer heat from outside slowly seeps into the room.
"How have your missions been?" Hiashi says, placing a hand on his beautifully hand crafted cup full of tea.
Swallowing quickly Hanabi clears her throat and answers. "Very well, I'll be on another later today. The squadron I am a part of will be scouting an area just west of here. At most I won't be returning for three days."
Nodding his head silently Hiashi looks over to Hinata. "And you, has everything been going fine?"
Surprised Hinata looked up at him with her chopsticks still in her mouth. Putting them down she chewed hurriedly and with but a morsel left in her mouth she responds to the blatantly vague question. "Yes?"
"Good." After taking a quick sip from his cup Hiashi stands up and smoothes out the sleeve of his haori. The sliding door opens and two Hyuuga women walk in to clean up the dishes before him. Hinata ignored him and continued to siphon out the meat from the large plate. Hanabi watched her father's back carefully until he fully exited the room.
The sounds of the empty dishes clank as the two older hyuuga women pile the dishes neatly into a small tower. "Would you like another serving, Hanabi-sama?" A pale eyed woman asks as she stands to her feet.
"Yes, that would be greatly appreciated." Hanabi sets her chopsticks down and watches Hinata inhale the meat, not touching the root vegetables or her rice.
"And you Hinata-sama?" The pale eyed woman asks Hinata with a gentle smile.
I know I ate earlier, but the meat's just so tender! Clearing her throat in an overly womanly manner, she swipes her tongue over her teeth before answering. "Yes, more nikujaga would be excellent."
With as quick nod of their heads the two Hyuuga women leave the room, scurrying off back into the kitchen.
"I know you're pregnant but can't you leave some meat for me too?" Hanabi forced her chopsticks into the center of the plate, pushing aside the chunks of potato in her way.
"I'm eating for two." Hinata says with a mouthful.
Sighing aloud, Hanabi rests her elbow on the table and places her chin in the palm of her hand. "Well I never thought you'd be back here."
"Same." Hinata mumbled as she nibbled the ends of the chopsticks in her mouth. Swallowing hard, Hinata's eyes clench shut abruptly. A sharp pain pierces her lower stomach; sucking in a loud hissing breath she grits her teeth.
"Oi, oi…" Hanabi jolts up in her seat, her shoulders tense and her eyes wide. "What's happening? Is it happening?"
Trying hard not to laugh at Hanabi's remark Hinata stifles a chuckle and continues breathing in a rapid pattern through her nose. "I'm just having a contraction."
"Contraction! Doesn't that mean it's time?" Hanabi rushes to her knees and places both hands flat onto the table as she looks closer at Hinata.
"No…" Hinata shifts in her spot and gets a good look at the flustered Hanabi. "It's just a minor contraction, it won't be time for a while; trust me."
Wide eyes relaxed and Hanabi sat back down onto her bottom. Letting out a relieved sigh she looked back up at Hinata who was fixing the position of her chopsticks in between her fingers. Hanabi let out a laugh in disbelief.
"I can't believe you were just in pain and now you're just going to continue on eating like it never happened."
"Well you get used to this sort a thing." Hinata took hold of her glass and brought it to her lips.
Hanabi gave her sister a long hard stare. "Something happened didn't it?" Her remark caught Hinata by surprise and the elder sister swallowed her mouthful a tad bit too early. Clearing her throat she reaches again for her glass and asks while avoiding eye contact.
"What do you mean?" Her eyes shift back down to her bowl of rice.
"You say you're eating for two but the way I see it you're eating for three—you, the baby, and your misery." Hanabi says while drilling her gaze into Hinata.
The door slides open and an older woman enters the room with a hot plate of nikujaga, this time with much more meat than before. The girls' conversation comes to a halt as she enters and Hanabi fixes her posture slightly to maintain a noble image. Hinata rolls her eyes internally and shifts her position around, stretching her legs slightly to relieve the stress on her swollen ankles.
Soon after the older woman leaves Hanabi pierces her chopsticks into the nikujaga and chows down. Hinata thanks her sisters' short attention span and luckily is able to avoid any more questioning. Taking one last bite of meat, Hinata slowly gets back up onto her feet and stretches out her arms above her head. "Enjoy, I'm done."
"Already?" Hanabi says while looking up with a piece of meat barely making it into her mouth. Hinata nods and scurries off as fast as possible; she didn't want to get cornered with any more questions.
Upon exiting the room, the sweltering heat hits her face along with a warm breeze and suddenly she wished she was back in that room. Walking down the engawa Ko catches her eye as he hurriedly makes his way towards her.
"Hinata-sama, you have a guest." Standing aside he directs her to a nearby room. Cautiously she opens the door and holds back a giggle. On a small square cushion sat a very stern looking Temari, sitting on her knees her posture seemed as though she was meeting an incredibly prominent daimyo of some sort. Hinata took a step into the room and Temari's shoulders relaxed as their eyes met.
"Why so stiff?" Hinata said with a slight giggle as she stood by the door. Temari's eyes seemed to scream out Hinata's name in relief. The blonde Kunoichi was clad in a Sunagakure flak jacket and had a large bag at her side.
"I'm not that stiff am I?" Temari said while maintaining a poker face. She stood up awkwardly and handed the bag to Hinata. "I'll be leaving for a mission soon so I just came to check up on you." Her tone was straightforward and professional.
"The air here can't be that intense, is it?" Hinata asked with a smile.
Temari sighed, "Are you kidding me? I feel like I'm in a royal palace or something."
Hinata laughed and suddenly felt at ease. Temari chuckled for a moment before turning her attention on Hinata's smiling face. "So what's up with the sudden move? I woke up to a note from Shikamaru saying I could find you here."
Hinata took hold of the bag before answering. "Sasuke arranged this just before he left." Her voice gave a slight crack as his angered voice from last night rung throughout her head.
"Is that so?" Temari looked up at the woodwork on the beams above them.
"Temari-san!" Hanabi called as she made her way into the room. "I am ready to leave now. I appreciate your efforts in coming to pick me up."
Hinata turned around and watched her sisters eyes gleam brightly at Temari with respect. Walkng past Hinata, Temari smirked. "I had other business here to attend to as well, no need to be so flattered."
"Yes!" Hanabi said a loud as made way for Temari to exit the room.
"I'll see you when I get back." Temari said with a childish grin. Hinata smiled, her eyes curving at her friend. She walked to the two out of the estate and watched them make their way down the street until their figures disappeared around a corner
Making her way back into the courtyard Hinata strolled through the abundant garden. Her fingers plucked at the lush greenery all around causing her to reminisce her childhood. Her days running through the garden paths, picking flowers to press, and feeding the koi fish in the pond were just some of the happier moments in her childhood. Hinata placed a hand on her stomach and took in controlled breaths as a small contraction rippled through her. A rustling sound in the branches above her caught her attention and she looked up; narrowing her eyes she noticed a familiar shadow lingering, before flying off the branch. A gust of the summer wind followed the fowl causing the surrounding trees and plants to dance around her. Her stomach pain eased and a smirk lined her face. You might just be a Daddy's girl, Hinata said internally as she chuckled aloud. She raised her head to look up into the sky, the feathered friend circled above them as though in surveillance.
"Hinata-sama." Ko said as he struggled to catch a breath. "It's much too hot out, you should cover yourself." He came over to her whilst opening the large sun umbrella in his hand. Keeping her eye on the encircling bird above her she watched as it flew away into the distance.
Making her way onto the engawa with the assistance of Ko, Hinata smiled at a group of branch members opposite of her. The cold stare in their eyes told her once again that her being there was an unwanted surprise. Keeping the smile on her face she sighed internally, cursing her father and Sasuke.
Sitting on the engawa Hinata rested against the column beside her. The sun had begun to set and she observed as the lanterns in the courtyard were being lit. The loud creaking of the gates drew her attention and she turned to see the return of Hanabi and Temari. The image of their dirtied flak jackets made her think of Sasuke and his whereabouts.
"Hinata." Temari raised a bag to Hinatas face, her lavender eyes shot open wide as a delicious scent entered her nose.
"Cookies." Temari said with a wide grin. Hinata thanked her friend and patted the empty spot beside her. Sitting down the exhausted blonde handed the bag of cinnamon cookies to her pregnant friend.
Temari hummed with a cookie in her mouth as Hinata finished explaining how Sasuke and she had fought. The blonde chewed in thought before answering. "You know…" She swallowed, "I don't think you should get so hung up about this. I mean sure you had an argument, but in the end; distance makes the heart grow fonder." Temari's eyes focused on the lit lantern across her. "I don't think he'll come back looking to continue the argument or anything." The blonde looked to Hinata and continued on with caution. "I do understand where he's coming from though." Her voice was sympathetic and she looked to the ground. "I mean funny enough I think similarly to Sasuke." Hinata looked over at her friend curiously. "I want to continue working as well, it's not like Shikamaru and I have plans to start a family yet, but I don't want to stop doing what I do." Temari continued with a sigh. "I suppose every married couple has to go through this, it really isn't easy being a shinobi."
"Shikamaru doesn't want you to work?" Hinata crooked her head as she looked to the cookie in her hand.
"He doesn't say it out loud exactly, but the times we've talked about it I can tell he would prefer it if I didn't continue after we started a family. I understand that from a certain standpoint it's selfish of me to want to continue my line of work, it hurts me as well—worrying him and all." Temari paused and tightened her hold on the cookie in her hand, causing crumbs to fall to the ground. "I worry about him too you know, unfortunately it's just the world we live in and you have to learn to accept it." She smiled meekly at Hinata. Taking a bite out of her cookie Hinata sat quietly in thought at Temari's words.
AUTHORS NOTE: Hello everyone, Happy Valentine's Day! Here is the latest installment to 'From Hereafter' I want to let you all know that I have begun revising and rewriting the prequel to this story 'SEVENDAYS' and as a Valentines gift to you all I have released the first half of the revised prequel onto my tumblr. I do plan to release the COMPLETED revised 'SEVENDAYS' story onto when it is completed but as stated before, as a gift the first half is now available to read, so be sure to check out the link in my author profile page to get access! Be prepared for a lot of lemon. ^^
P.S. Be sure to follow my tumblr to get the latest updates for my revised version of SEVENDAYS and my future fanfiction work as I am in the middle to shifting and archiving my work to tumblr. I too plan on revising and rewriting 'From Hereafter' after its completion and will update you all when it is going to be available to read. Again thank you all for your great patience, I am truly grateful to all those who enjoy my fanfiction. HAPPY READING.
-emi