Chapter 4 1/2: Dream of Emotions, Rise and Fall: Mind over Matter? Sakura's Inner Turmoil.
Sakura was finishing up some reports for Tsunade when Ino barged into her room, an overnight bag slung over her pale shoulders and a large grin plastered on her pretty face. Sakura was tired from a long day of training and had hoped for a relatively calm night at home, but seeing her friend in all her annoying blond glory standing in the middle of her room with a look that clearly said 'MEDDLING TIME' Sakura knew that she had no chance for a relaxing night.
"Tonight is the night you'll forget all about Sasuke-kun, because tonight, we're going to have a girl's slumber party! We're going to rate guys, throw popcorn, watch sappy love films, and do dares until you forget about that butter-knife wielding bastard!" Ino declared.
"Butter-knife wielding bastard?" Sakura asked mockingly. "What's up with you and butter-knives? I'm actually busy Ino, why don't you go bother Shikamaru-kun?"
Ino was not swayed. She threw her bag to a corner of the room before stalking over to Sakura's desk and grabbing the reports. "You won't get over him by drowning yourself in work. Every one's worried about you, you know. Naruto especially. Mou, you should at least be a little more gentle with his feelings."
"Shut up Ino-pig. It isn't any of your business." Sakura answered vehemently. "Give me back my work and leave!"
Ino, who was used to Sakura's anger, did not budge. "You've been moping for more than a month already! Don't you think it's time to move on? You're not doing anything good by moaning about Sasuke-kun!" Ino snapped. "That's all you've been thinking about! Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun! Yet you haven't done anything about your situation! You're expecting him to break up with Hinata-chan and whisk you off into a beautiful sunset! Frankly, it's very annoying, and unfair to the people around you!"
"I am not!" Sakura defended. "You don't understand how I feel! No one does! I loved him. I worked so hard to get him back! I've always cared about him, even after he tried to kill us!"
"I?" Ino asked. "By yourself?" Her voice was cold. "You really are stupid. You couldn't have done any of that by yourself! Back then you didn't have the determination to go after Sasuke-kun! If it wasn't for Naruto you would have stayed in Konoha, moaning about Sasuke-kun, just like you're doing now!"
Sakura bit back her anger.
"I've been patient with you for a while now, but I'm getting sick and tired of your attitude! You say you're smart, but then why can't you realize why Sasuke-kun will never love you the way you loved him? Do I have to spell it out for you?" Ino demanded. "I've realized this for a while now, but I can't believe how stupid you can be!"
"I'm not stupid!" Sakura cried.
"Then tell me why Sasuke-kun will never return your feelings." Ino said, her blue eyes flashing.
Sakura opened her mouth to answer but promptly closed it again. She did not know the answer to the question.
Ino gently steered Sakura to her bed. "Sasuke-kun does not believe in love. He will, I shouldn't say never, but that's how it seems, fall in love. He will never give his entire being to one single person. He does not love Hinata-chan, he does not love you. He undoubtedly cares for you, but you can't get that confused with love. Knowing all that you should not be sorry for yourself, because you still have a chance to find love. Hinata-chan, will be unable to find her own love though. She'll be trapped in that marriage, and when she finally meets someone she truly feels a connection with she'll be unable to pursue it." Ino said sagely. "Do you understand now? Do you see how selfish you're acting?"
Sakura shook her head slightly. "I still love him."
Ino took a deep breath. She wasn't going to leave until she got Sakura to realize that moping about Sasuke wasn't going to do her any good. "Fine. Fine. I understand. I was hoping that I wouldn't resort to this, but I have no choice now."
"What are you doing?" Sakura asked suspiciously.
"I'm going to kidnap you."
Sasuke was unable to sleep. That wasn't unusual. The unusual thing was that Hinata, who usually slept facing away from him, had turned so that her body was almost pressed up to his own. He would have moved so that the distance between them was about an arm's length, but he was already at the edge on his side of the bed. It seemed another one of Hinata's bad sleeping habits had revealed itself. Sasuke gently pushed Hinata away from him; the woman would not budge. Sighing Sasuke closed his eyes, he was sure that came morning he would have an annoying headache.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
What kind of idiot visited someone's house in the middle of the night? Sasuke asked himself as he grudgingly got up. He would have ignored the visitors but he got the feeling that who ever it was wouldn't leave him alone until he answered. Sasuke ignored the fact that he was shirtless (it was really too warm to wear a shirt to sleep) and sauntered out the door. He glanced back at the bed once to see that Hinata had snuggled up to his empty spot on the bed. How annoying.
The knocking was growing more persistent, and Sasuke grew more irritated. Who ever it was they were going to regret disturbing his sleep.
"Ino! What are you doing? Let me go! Let me go!" Sakura growled, trying to escape from the binding jutsu Ino had put on her.
"Not until I get the stupid out of you Billboard-brow." Ino replied. "Don't even try to escape, or I'll take over your mind."
Sakura stilled, but her angry gaze was still directed at Ino who was pulling her harshly through the empty streets of Konoha. They were quiet for a moment, until Sakura realized just where her companion was taking her.
"What the hell? You aren't seriously going to barge into Sasuke-kun's house in the middle of the night, are you? You're crazy!"
Ino smiled brightly. "Crazy I may be, but after this night, you can start a new love chronicle. So, who do you think you'll go for? Some one like Sasuke-kun? Neji-san? Shino-kun? Or do you want a cheery type? Kiba-kun? Naruto?"
Sakura, who was still annoyed with Ino, did not answer.
"Mou, personally I wouldn't mind going out with Kiba-kun, personally. He can be pretty cute." Ino sighed.
"Ino, just shut up already."
Sasuke was very tempted to slam the door in their face, but Ino had already pushed her way in, along with an immobilized Sakura. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.
"For the good of the world." Ino replied back. "Come along, we have some things to work out, and by we, I mean you and Sakura."
"Get out of my house. Right now."
Ino, though slightly scared by the look on Sasuke's face, was determined. "Not until all this is worked out."
Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Make this quick then."
"It all depends on this girl right here." Ino said, pointing to Sakura. "I'll make this very clear to you. Sakura is in LOVE with you."
"Ino!" Sakura cried horrified.
Sasuke sighed. "So?" He asked, missing the down cast look on Sakura's face.
"I want you to reject her." Ino replied. "This girl has been down in the dumps ever since you got married, and it's getting on, not only my nerves, but every one else's too."
"Ah."
"Ino! You're going to far!" Sakura cried.
"Quiet. You'll wake Hinata up." Sasuke chided softly. "What is this really all about?"
Sakura refused to look at her teammate. "N-nothing! Baka Ino barged into my room earlier and dragged me here!"
Ino let off a frustrated growl. "I'm the idiot? You're the one who's still in love with a MARRIED man! You're the one who's still hoping that he'll leave his WIFE for you!"
Sasuke raised a brow. "Is this true Sakura?"
Sakura looked away. Sasuke took the action as a yes.
"I have no intention of leaving Hinata." Sasuke said. "I have no intention of being unfaithful to her. We are not in love, but that does not mean that I will not try to make this marriage work." Sasuke paused for a moment as he tried to find the right words. "Plus, you're not my type."
Not his type? Sakura was utterly confused. A glance at Ino showed that the girl was trying hard to hold in her laughter. "Ah." She didn't know what to say. Thank you? For what? Breaking her heart? Sorry? What for? Falling in love with you. What do you say to someone who just rejected you?
"If that was all you wanted leave. Now." Sasuke said.
"W-wait!" Sakura cried, she reached out for her dark hair teammate. It seemed Ino had released her binding jutsu. "What don't you like about me? Does Sasuke-kun think I'm ugly? Or too dumb? Why don't you love me?"
Sasuke recoiled from her touch. His face was set in a cold mask. "I'm married, Sakura. I will not engage in infidelity."
A hot blush spread across Sakura's cheeks. Did Sasuke really think that she would go out with a married man? She could hear Ino's snide voice commenting: But you're going after him aren't you? And he's married...Sakura mentally shook her head in denial.
"Give up, Sakura, go out with Naruto. No matter how hard you try, I will not return your feelings." Sasuke said coldly.
"Demo, Sasuke-kun--" She tried reaching out for him again, but her hand was harshly slapped away.
Ino made a move to admonish the action, but the slight creaking of stairs stopped her. The three inhabitants of the living turned to see Hinata sleepily descending towards them. Sasuke stood up, distancing himself from a silently crying Sakura, to greet his wife.
"Sasuke-kun? Is something wrong?" Hinata asked. She glanced at Ino and Sakura, noting that Sakura was crying before turning back to her husband. "Should I make tea?"
"No, that's not necessary. They were just about to leave anyways. Did we wake you?" Sasuke replied softly.
"Ah, no. Not really." Hinata blushed lightly, her old habit of playing with her fingers resurfacing. "I just woke and noticed you weren't there." Hinata darted a look at Sakura. She knew that her friend was still in love with Sasuke to some extent, but she did not know how far that love went. Seeing the look on Sakura's face, though, gave Hinata some insight into the prettier kunoichi's feelings for her husband. Sasuke grabbed her hands, forcing her to still her twitching fingers.
"I thought I told you to stop that. It's annoying." He said. Hinata nodded dumbly. "Now, if you don't mind, leave already." Sasuke ordered the other two women in the room.
Sakura and Ino shivered at the cold tone, but obeyed. "Oyasumi, Hinata-chan. Sorry for bothering you so late at night." Ino forced a cheerful smile before bolting out the door with Sakura who offered Hinata a watery smile that said 'I don't blame you. It's my own problem'
"Did something happen?" Hinata asked after Sasuke came back to their room. She knew she shouldn't be prying but she was curious.
Sasuke paused his actions for a moment. The tenseness of his shoulders belied his obvious reluctance to inform her of the incident. Hinata was about to retract her question when Sasuke answered. "Confession."
Hinata folded her legs under the blanket. "Sakura-san confessed to you? Was she crying because you rejected her?"
Sasuke grunted. He reached to turn off the light, but his hand paused mid-way. "I am not the type of man who marries for convenience and then forgets all about the bride." He said before drowning the room in darkness.
Hinata turned to her side so she could face Sasuke. She was felt relieved by his statement. Some where in the dark recess of her mind she feared that he would abandon her after getting what he wanted, though her heart already knew that Sasuke despite being cold and a bit unforgiving could be kind and gentle at will.
Sasuke, feeling the weight of someone's gaze on him, pulled the covers so that his whole body was hidden beneath the thin blankets. "Go to sleep." He muttered, turning away.
Hinata withheld her laughter at his childish actions. "Oyasumi, Sasuke-kun." She whispered before closing her eyes and letting sleep take over her mind.
"Oyasumi, Hinata."
"So? How are you feeling now that you finally have an answer to your confession?" Ino demanded after they reached Sakura's house.
"Rejected. Hurt. Annoyed. I feel like I want to kill someone." Sakura answered tiredly. "Damn you Ino-pig, why did you have to go and say those things?"
"They were true, weren't they?" said Ino. "Everything I said was true. Would you have been happier pining after Sasuke-kun?"
"Yes! I don't need you to interfere with MY LIFE! I would rather pretend that he's in love with me, than being rejected like that!" Sakura sobbed. She felt Ino put a comforting arm around her shoulder.
"That's stupid. Honestly, that's no way to live your life. You want to be an ugly spinster? Fine by me. Next time you get into one of these moods I won't help you out of them." Ino smiled comfortingly. "At least now you can get on with your life."
"What if I don't want to get on with my life?" Sakura asked bitterly.
"Then I'll have to beat some sense into you." Ino replied.
"Stupid. Thanks though."
"Hey, accepting the facts is the first step to recovery. You really shouldn't delve into that kind of relationship with him anyways. I realized that a long time ago. Some people, some people just aren't the type." Ino sighed.
"I think Hinata-chan will be good for him though. I think he'll treat her good." Sakura laughed shakily.
Ino grinned. "He has too! If he doesn't then Neji-san, as well as everyone else, will be after him!"
"We'll get a chance to beat the pulp out of him, huh?"
"Damn right!"
Side Dream: Hanabi's Mission, Successful !...? Neji-sensei?
Hanabi didn't think that being an heiress was so hard! Sure she had seen her sister at work; attending dinners with her father, hosting parties, but Hinata made it look so easy! Could it be that being a lowly branch member was even better than being the heiress to the highly esteemed Hyuuga clan? Hanabi bet that branch members didn't have to wake up at four in the morning just to fit everything onto their schedule.
Why did she have to learn how to dance and memorize other people's family tree? What was the point in all that!? Not only did Hanabi have to spend most of her time pouring over musty scrolls, her father had even removed her from the missions list! Now she was stuck at the compound all day, doing practically nothing of physical use, with only the hope of Hiroyuki to save her from her tedious attendants and assignments. Hinata was never removed from the missions list! (Hanabi pointedly ignored the fact that Hiashi actually wanted her beloved Nee-sama to get killed so that she in turn could become heiress.)
But today, oh hoh, today! Today Hanabi had come up with the perfect plan; today was the day she was going to be free from her duties, she was going to go have fun for once, and no one, not her protector, not her father, no one, was going to ruin it.
Neji twitched as he read is mission briefing. Well, technically it wasn't a mission briefing, it was an official notice telling him that he had been 'nominated' to train his own cell. At the bottom, in very small, messy handwriting, Tsunade had written him a note that he was not allowed to decline.
Snorting, Neji threw the notice into the drawer of his desk. Training genin? He twitched again at the word. What were they thinking?! Assigning him of all people to be teacher?! He had no patience for those kinds of things, Hinata, Hanabi, and Tenten would vouch for that! Neji stood up rolling his shoulders as he did so. Between spying, missions, reports, and training how would he ever fit teaching into his absurdly busy schedule?
Hanabi grinned triumphantly, her mission was a complete success! She had safely exited the Hyuuga compound and was now heading to the village marketplace for some fun. It felt so nice to be free from her daily duties and those other boring things she had to do as the new heiress.
"Hanabi-sama, what are you doing out here?" Kain, her very own Protector, asked in a teasing manner. Kain was only a few years older than her, but acted much older than his real age. He kind of reminded Hanabi of Neji-nii-san-- with a better sense of humor.
Hanabi cursed. How did he always manage to find her?!
"Well? Are you just going to stand there Hanabi-sama? I thought you wanted to spend the day at the marketplace." Kain commented lightly.
Hanabi watched him suspiciously.
"I'm only under orders to protect you and to cater to your best interest, Hanabi-sama. You don't have to worry about me kidnapping you back to the compound. I was getting bored of just watching you pour over scrolls too... Actually, I thought you would have tried to sneak out earlier." Kain gave a rare smile obviously finding the heiress' glare amusing.
Hanabi muttered something under her breath before turning back to the direction of the marketplace and stalking off in a huff of anger; Kain leisurely followed her.
KairaKi: I wasn't sure where to place this chapter; it was one of the harder ones to finish. Sakura's portion of the chapter takes place during the night of the last chapter's day. (Basically it happened a few hours after Hinata and Sasuke get home from grocery shopping). Hanabi's portion of the chapter, which is considerably smaller than Sakura's, happens during Sasuke and Hinata's shopping spree, with Neji's infinitely smaller part happening between the time he got the mission report and Hanabi's escape.
Personally I really like Ino's personality here; she's like the wind, always breezing in when she wants too. I don't think Sakura would have really gotten over Sasuke without Ino's help even though Ino's methods were a bit brash ( it kinda fits her though, right?). Even though this a side chapter to chapter 4 (hence the title Chapter 4 1/2) You still get to view the small developements in Hinata and Sasuke's relationship. Who knew Sasuke was such a good guy beneath the glares and I'm-gonna-kill-you aura? Ok, his rejection did seem a bit harsh, but that's Sasuke for you.
I had fun writing the small part with Hanabi and Kain, her Protector. The pressure of being Heiress is finally getting to poor Hanabi-chan; even Kain is getting annoyed with musty old scrolls and mannerism lessons. Kain is turning out to be a really fun guy, for a Hyuuga that is. Hanabi likes to compare him to Neji for some odd reason. Sometimes she imagines Kain to be Neji-nii-san with a sense of humor. Hard to believe isn't it?
Ooh, Neji's going to be a teacher. I feel sorry for his student's already. Behind the scenes Gai-sensei's funeral has already been held. (Joking!). Lol, but you CAN imagine Neji going after his former teacher for 'nominating' him for his own genin cell. However, Neji isn't the only one to become a 'sensei'. A few of the Rookie Nine is joining him too. It's like a new generation of 'Naruto'... oh no! Hahaha, still kidding. This whole story is focused on Sasuke and Hinata, with a few miscellaneous chapters thrown in to clarify a few situations. Like Sakura. I'm not sure about Kiba and Shino yet, or Kurenai. They deserve a few mentions here, after all they are part of Hinata's life. So far I've been focusing more on Sasuke's connections. I think I will have a few chapters on Hinata's long time team-mates feelings about her marriage to the Uchiha.
It was a long delay for this chapter; it was really hard to write and double-check. I had a few problems with the general outline of this chapter. A few parts had to be edited and others completely removed. Even then I spent a couple of days just reading it because I wasn't sure if Ino would actually act like that, or if Sakura would act like how she did, or if Sasuke should be a little bit meaner. Hanabi's small insert was added a month after this chapter was written, just to end the chapter on a lighter note.
Thank You for all Your wonderful Reviews. I love reading them, it makes me feel so happy. Please tell me your thoughts on this chapter; it would be most appreciated. I want to know if I did well on it; it was really hard.Oh, and I might have missed some grammar mistakes. Please forgive me. Two pairs of eyes are better than one, but you can still miss some things.
R&R