Hello! This is my submission for the SasuHina Discord Challenge: Arranged Marriaged AU. I want to thank everyone who has participate in it, the huge encourage we've had, and for being the nicest kids out there.
Huge disclaimer: English is not my first language, so I'm really sorry for any incoherence or error there might be.
Weak. For most of Hinata's life, 'weak' has been a constant word to describe her. For her family, she was the first daughter who wasn't strong enough to become the Clan's leader, the disappointment of his proud father, and the source of her younger sister's anger. If they decided, or not, to forget she was the Hyūga whose Byakugan has the broadest range within the family, even wider than the deceased Hyūga Genius, was beyond her.
To her generation, she was the weakest shinobi, the sweet little Hinata who couldn't kill a fly without reason. They often forget how she fought at war, how she fought an Akatsuki and survived to tell. They often forget how she was a kunoichi, the creator of her own jutsu. Hinata was sure they didn't mean to be rude, but she was also confident that the first word they would use to describe her would be anything but 'strong'; maybe their teammates would mention it after a few other qualities she had.
With this, Hinata often felt that no matter how hard she tried, she was never going to meet her family's expectations, and the image her comrades had about her wasn't going to change. She was never going to achieve whatever purposes she had at the time. She couldn't even win Naruto's heart as he turned her down. But, of course, heartbreak wasn't the end of the World; she could continue her career, apply to be a teacher, a medic, or whatever she wanted, train to get stronger, change the Hyūga Clan, and honor Neji's life, but life wasn't as easy as one might wish to.
Sure, she was hardworking, but destiny had surpassed her, throwing her like waste prepared to rot. Everything happened so fast, Kiba's screams reached her ears as Shino's kikaichū flew as fast as they could to her, but it was too late. It was never meant to be this way, it was a recognition mission, and no reports were written about some rough ninjas around the area. Hinata getting hurt wasn't supposed to happen, either. Three months later, with a wheelchair, a damaged chakra path, and a shinobi career frustrated, she wonders how Might Guy still wears the happiest smile she had ever seen on a retired ninja.
"Hinata-sama," Ko called her, bringing her back to reality. "Hiashi-sama is requesting your presence at his study."
Hinata wanted to sigh; her father calling her into his chambers wasn't a good sign. So, embracing herself with some patience, she started moving her chair.
"Thanks, Ko nii-san. I'll be going now." With that, she advanced a few meters before her guardian stopped her.
"Let me guide you there, Hinata-sama."
Ko walked to her, but the ex-heiress talked before he could touch the push handles. "That is not necessary, Ko nii-san. I'll be okay." With that, Hinata continued her way to his father's office.
After Hinata's accident five months ago, the Hyūga manor was mildly adapted for her to access certain areas: her and her sister's bedrooms, his father's study, the kitchen, and some rooms used to welcome guests. The garden, though, hadn't been adapted, and she was missing it a lot. While Hinata could expect a lot of people in her father's office, she certainly wasn't expecting to see the last Uchiha standing in the middle of the room, apparently waiting for her too. Kakashi was there too; she felt a little nervous because what would the Hokage and Sasuke want with her father and her?
"Ah yes, Hinata. Please come closer, daughter." Hiashi called her.
Hinata moved her chair closer to bow to her Hokage and the Uchiha. With that done, she turned to the Clan's leader. "You called for me, father?"
With his expressionless face, Hiashi took his time to continue the conversation. There's no easy way to share the news, and while he knew an arranged marriage was never easy, he was confident his daughter would complete her last duty as a member of the Hyūga Clan. Hinata eyed Kakashi, looking calm as usual with a small smile behind his mask. Sasuke, too, wore his typical stoic expression, bangs longer than she remembered in an attempt to hide his new kekkei genkai.
"You see, daughter, we joy ourselves by fulfilling what we've committed to; if we don't respect that, then our clan will be doomed by opening doors to forget our virtues." Hinata knew his father would mention something she wouldn't like with how he started talking. However, he wasn't going straight to the point, so she prepared for whatever this talk intended. "Your mother and Sasuke's mother were friends. I would even dare to say that they were "best friends."
Hinata's eyes widened listening to this, she didn't know, but then again, she didn't know many things about her mother. "So when both Akiko and Mikoto were pregnant, we established an arranged marriage between you and Sasuke. Of course, no one expected what would happen years later. I thought the contract was long forgotten.
When Hinata woke up, she felt something would happen that day, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Now, feeling like a bucket filled with cold water had been poured over her, she understood. Once again, her father was discharging her.
"Hinata-chan." It was Kakashi. "We decided to present the contract to Hiashi-san because the Council has decided to give Sasuke a complete pardon if he marries a Konoha citizen. By marriage, Sasuke's Clan would regain its status, and he would finally be accepted as one of us again."
That made sense as to why the scroll has been brought to light.
"We conclude that a union between you two will benefit both parties, the Uchiha regain their Clan status, and the Hyūga solidifies our relationship with the Council and the entire village." Although Hiashi continued, this back and forth between her father and Hokage made her sick.
Power. Her father wanted more power through her.
The look Hiashi gave her told her everything. This was going to happen whether she liked it or not.
"The wedding will be next week, and arrangements are being made as we speak. Hinata, I trust that you can take this last task as a Hyūga before you commit to being an Uchiha. I also trust that you will help Sasuke to bring honor to the once-fallen clan Uchiha, and without saying, I hope Sasuke will also take care of you."
Every word said by her clan head sent hurtful hits to her heart, she didn't know what to believe or feel, but her education taught her better not to show emotion. Doing her best not to sign, she bowed respectfully toward her father. "I understand, Hiashi-sama." Then, turning to Hatake and Uchiha, she bowed again. "I hope I can be useful to my village and the Uchiha Clan, Hokage-sama, Uchiha-sama."
With satisfaction, Hiashi asked her to accompany Sasuke to the tea room while he and Kakashi finished with some details left. Hinata did as told, leaving the room with a silent Sasuke following her. He didn't offer to help her, nor did she ask.
"Why didn't you object?" Sasuke asked her when they were left alone in the room.
"Maybe you don't know my father's way of speech, but he made clear there wasn't room for objection." Her answer was simple, even if her and Sasuke's mother were close, the young shinobis weren't. They didn't remember the time spent together through their mothers' reunions. "Why didn't you?"
Sasuke looked at her before sighing, "I don't have the choice either. If it is not you, they will search for another person if it is not you until they have me wedded."
Their talk ended like that, knowing there wasn't anything more to talk about. His teammates were going to be loud, and hers would be problematic.
The week went by faster than they would like, so the wedding day arrived. The arrangements were beautiful, but it wasn't what Hinata would want for her wedding. No matter how pretty or elegant the details were, Hinata didn't like what was asked her to do. Nevertheless, it.
Hinata felt her destiny had been sealed when Kakashi pronounced them husband and wife after they drank sake from the cup prepared for the ritual. With Hinata's condition and Sasuke being unable to carry her or push her by missing an arm, the whole wedding was adapted for them to stay still. Most of the attendants were part of the Hyūga Clan, The Hokage, and the Council had been invited as well, and at least the newlywed Uchihas had the opportunity to have their teammates invited as well.
Kiba had been livid when Hinata told them. Shino didn't say anything, but their years together taught her to identify when he was mad, and he was furious as well. Sakura was problematic for Sasuke, crying and asking him not to marry Hinata, but the Uchiha rejected her again. Naruto was surprised, especially with the history behind Hinata and he, but was happy for Sasuke and the meaning of this wedding. Finally, his brother would be recognized as a Konoha citizen again.
The ceremony was concise, and so was dinner. Three hours later, the couple was sent to their new house in the Uchiha district. Hinata was nervous, was Sasuke expecting to consummate their marriage? If so, Hinata didn't know what to do. She wasn't ready and didn't want to do it. To her surprise, Sasuke just bid her goodnight and went to sleep in one of the empty bedrooms; she didn't say it, but she was grateful for that.
Soon enough, their two-week "honeymoon vacation" went by, and Sasuke and Hinata went to work. Sasuke was assigned to a three-day mission while Hinata was with Ino. After her accident, Ino asked her to work with her in her family's flower shop, Hinata loved to press flowers, and since her friend offered to pay her a little bit more for the amount of help she had brought to the shop, she agreed.
"Hinata-chan, how are you doing?" Ino asked her while the two were making flower arrangements, Mother's Day was around the corner, so work had grown for the last few days.
"I'm fine, Ino-chan. Really." Her soft smile was sincere. "How are you? How's your mother?" Hinata quickly changed the topic, not wanting her friend to continue her interrogation.
"Meh, mom's fine. She's kind of worried about the Clan. Some members are discussing when I will join the Intelligence Division at the Hokage Tower. Can't they wait? I want to do so many more things before committing myself to that place, ugh."
Hinata giggled; she always felt better talking to Ino. "Hinata… If you need to talk, I'm here for you. And if I need to kick Sasuke-kun's ass, then I will."
The new Uchiha shook her head, trying to calm her friend down. "Don't worry, Ino-chan. I'm okay. You don't have to hurt Sasuke-san."
Before Yamanaka could continue talking, the bell sounded, making her stand up and go to the front space of her shop. "Hey, we're closed, don't- Sasuke-kun welcome!" Hinata's eyes widened, and leaving behind her work, she moved to see that, indeed, her husband was waiting for her. "Hinata-chan, you can leave now since your husband has come for you. See you tomorrow, okay?"
She was going to object, but Ino didn't give her a chance to, pushing her chair out of the store with Sasuke behind them. With that, the couple started their way back home, both silent until they reached the privacy of their house. Even inside it, nothing showed to the outsiders changed, no one talked except for the necessary, and their conversations were short and with few words related to food or asking one another for something. It was a silent agreement that neither wanted to break.
Their sixth-month anniversary arrived in a blink of an eye, and her family wanted to talk to her. She knew that wasn't good news. So when her husband was out, her father and three councilmen went to the Uchiha residence.
"Hinata, how is your marriage with the Uchiha going?"
She considered telling him the truth. And the truth was that she and her husband couldn't be more than strangers living under the same roof. They didn't talk at all. Their short conversations turned non-existent, she knew nothing about him and vice versa. Once again, she felt trapped in the place that supposedly was her home.
She clenched her hands. "It's okay, father." Hiashi raised an eyebrow.
"So, can we expect an heir soon?"
That was low, even for her father. Hinata felt mortified, but overall, she felt an anger she'd never felt before.
"Father I…" Her expression was disconcerted. "Father, with all due respect, I don't think Sasuke and I having a child soon or not is any of your or the Hyūga's concern."
"You ungrateful child." One of the councilmen interrupted this time, "That's no way to speak to your Clan's leader. Hiashi, is this how you raise your pathetic excuse of a daughter?"
If she could stand, she would be gone by now. She was tired of their insults, their manipulation, and mostly, the fact that they'd never be pleased with her matter what she did or didn't do
"I'm tired of this."
"Of course you are, you mediocre child, you have a duty, but it seems useless to even have a child."
Oh. If she wasn't mad before, now she is.
"Hatori-san, may I remind you that I'm no longer a Hyūga? You decided that by marrying off, so excuse me, but I have no duty to the Hyūga.
There was an uncomfortable silence before Hiashi came closer to her, his hand retrieved readily to hit her face. "You-" Hinata closed her eyes and prepared herself for the hit, one that never came after a few seconds. Opening her eyes, she saw Sasuke's back facing her; his hand held Hiashi's wrist with strength. No one expected the Uchiha to come back and to be listening to the conversation.
"What do you think you're doing?" His voice felt like daggers, the back of his leg pushed Hinata's chair so he could create space between her and her family. Sasuke's chakra showed an oppressing amount of power.
"This is none of your business, child, lea-" Sasuke interrupted the old man glaring at them. Hiashi retrieved his hand again, this time not trying to hit her daughter.
"Oh, you see, it is my concern since you tried to touch my wife. And let's not talk about how you take the liberty to pressure her for an Uchiha heir."
His killing intent spread faster, and the three councilmen activated their Byakugan. "You naive children, this little play has a purpose, and sooner or later, you'll have to produce a powerful offspring. You'll need us to train them.
Hinata and Sasuke felt sick listening to them.
"Sasuke," Hinata called him while holding his hand before he could yank over her family. Then, she turned her sight to them with an authority they didn't think possible for her to have, she spoke. "You can't come to my house demanding things where you don't have a saying in them. Whether my husband and I decide to have children, when, how many, and anything related to them, it's not your concern."
She didn't know what made them act like they were a real marriage, but both had had enough manipulations. "Father, I don't want to damage our relationship more. Please leave." Hiashi sighed; he proceeded to leave the Uchiha manor with the elders behind him.
"You'll regret it, Hinata. I hope you can see that." Hatori said before closing the door behind him.
Hinata released Sasuke's hand. Her heart hurt, her head was hurting too, she couldn't hold it anymore, so she started crying. It began with a soft sniffle that quickly turned into a big mess. While the midnight blue-haired woman hid her face with her hands, Sasuke stood in front of her, not knowing what to do.
He'd used the back door of his house to enter when the Hyūga was asking for an heir, he heard how they insulted her, and going as fast as he could to the front part of their home, he saw when Hiashi was getting ready to hit her. No wonder she was crying. He felt memories coming back to haunt him. Sighing, he went to the kitchen and prepared some tea for them.
"Hinata," he called her. Sasuke's never touched her wheelchair, but apparently, he was going to make a lot of exceptions that day. He pushed her using his body weight, doing his best to get her closer to the table so he could pass her the cup of tea.
"Thank you…" She said before taking a sip.
Silence.
The only thing in that damn house was silence. But how can you break someone's walls, get to know each other, and at least be on friendly terms when they are in this situation? Hinata was exhausted, and so was Sasuke.
"Listen…"
"Sas…"
"Go ahead," Sasuke gave her a chance to speak.
"I think we didn't start on the right foot, I don't know anything about you, and surely you don't know anything about me either. We're strangers. I feel neither you nor I are comfortable around the house."
"I'm not good with words. I'm used to not trusting even my own shadow. I know we didn't want this marriage, but I want to live up to what my brother wanted for me; there's still a lot to walk for me to achieve or ever be deserving of it. It's annoying having to avoid you."
There, he said it.
"It's annoying avoiding you too." She giggled. At least they agreed on something.
"Ne, Sasuke. Why don't we try to be friends?" Friends? "We don't have to be strangers living in the same place. We could be friends living together."
Her once-thought-lost blush came back after months; her suggestion wasn't bad, and he knew she was right. At least they could make the coexistence enjoyable.
"Friends, it is."
A small smile showed by her ended the conversation.
Something was bugging Sasuke. He's never been the nosy type of person, but he was curious as to why his wife seemed like her condition wasn't reversible. Although he didn't know the whole story, Naruto occasionally commented something related to it, followed by Inuzuka asking him to shut up.
He couldn't ask directly without being suspicious. But, on the other hand, he wasn't in the mood to be ridiculed by it, either. He genuinely wanted to know but didn't dare to ask her directly. She seems sad, and even if they open themselves more for their peace, Sasuke still doesn't know how to approach her. It's been three months since they decided to be friends; the air changed a lot, they still were quiet, but the silence between them stopped being awkward.
Slowly they started to know each other starting from basic things such as their favorite color or foods. Sasuke didn't whine since their food began to have more tomatoes. It was easy to fall into a routine once they surpassed the awkward walls around them and addressed the elephant in the room. Being at home was more comfortable too. Still, they were things that hadn't been handled, scars that still hurt each other.
That particular day, Ino and Shikamaru insisted on being with her. He didn't think anything about it since the members of Team 10 were always there. Sasuke knew they were close since their senseis had history, but he could tell Ino was incredibly overprotective. He didn't know how, but the blonde had become some sort of confident for the couple, she was annoying, but Sasuke knew if he or Hinata ever needed something, they could count on her.
Yamanaka sent Shikamaru and Sasuke to get some food. Nara was a bit weird and looked like he wanted to say something. "Nara, say whatever you want to say. It's annoying."
"What a drag," Shikamaru whined while rubbing the back of his head. "Listen, I'm certain you don't know, but today marks a year since Hinata's accident. She's quite sad but has been trying to hide it. She likes flowers, okay? She likes gardening, and I think you could do something so she can grow a garden in your backyard."
Shikamaru wasn't nosy either, but Ino wanted him to talk to Sasuke about it. "You know what happened?" Uchiha asked him. Shikamaru shook his head.
"Not my secret to tell."
With that, both 24-year-old men went silent.
Once at the Uchiha district, their little reunion continued, Hinata looking more and more depressed. Conversations continued until Nara and Yamanaka left, it was late, and Sasuke felt the need to do something for her. "Hey… I want to show you something".
Sasuke guided them to a lake surrounded by a forest at the back of the Uchiha district, a place he hadn't stepped into for a while. He helped Hinata get off her chair, both now sitting in the grass. He didn't think about what else to do, so for the first minutes, they were silent.
"You know, right?" It was Hinata.
"Nara told me." There was no point in lying, but he wanted to help. "I learned to use my Fireball Jutsu in this place. An Uchiha is considered an adult once they dominate it."
"How old were you?" Hinata asked, showing him she was interested.
"Eight. I spent the whole day with my father, I burned my lips, and my mother was mad at him for it."
Hinata giggled, appreciating the fact that he was sharing something dear to him. Her smile quickly disappeared before sighing. "A year ago, I was sent on a mission with my team; it was a B rank. We had to search for some scrolls important for Konoha and the Sand. We were near the Land of Grass when ten rough ninjas surprised us."
Hinata stopped, trying to gather strength. "We couldn't sense them; they hurt Shino first. We took seven of them down, but suddenly the ground started to tremble, and two of them made some weird hand signs and hit me. My chakra system shut down, and everything went black. When I woke up, I was at the hospital, and Tsunade-sama told me that the hit affected my mobility, and I could not access my chakra reserves."
"What did Sakura say?" Then, it was Sasuke's turn to show a bit of attention.
"Like Tsunade-sama, Sakura-chan thinks they damaged the chakra nets, and Hanabi says they look like a smashed potato." A giggle escaped her lips.
"May I look into it?" Her eyes widened before nodding.
Hinata saw Sasuke's rinnegan shine for a bit, his hand got closer to her core, and applying pressure, Hinata felt her face blush, and a warm feeling passed through her body, and a tiny portion of chakra started to fill her.
"W-what did you?"
"It worked, I supposed."
"You… Sasuke, what did you do? How? It's been a year since I've felt the tiniest portion of my chakra. What did you do?"
Wasn't she supposed to be happy? So why was she bawling her eyes out?
"Calm down, woman. I used a technique of reversion only the rinnegan can make. It's similar to what Pain did, as far as the idiot has told me. But I don't know if it would help."
It does, she wanted to say. It did. She cried for a little bit longer before going back home. Sasuke helped her get to her chair and pushed her the entire time. Hinata felt overwhelmed but immensely grateful for what Sasuke had done, she could tell it was his way of caring, and she was happy she had him in her life despite their situation.
The following day, Hinata tried to walk the next day just to fall within the first steps. Sasuke was passing by her bedroom when he heard a loud bang. He didn't expect his day to be chaotic, but just like the day before, an exception would be made just for his wife.
"You should've called me," Sasuke told her while he helped her sit on the sofa.
"I didn't want to trouble you, but now I've done it. I'm sorry, Sasuke."
He sighed before shaking his head.
"Next time you want to try it, let me know."
Hinata took up his offer for the first time, and a week later, she approached him while he was finishing a wood platform for their porch. Then, a few days ago, he told her about adapting the front and back of their house so she could do some gardening. Hinata gave him the biggest smile he had ever seen on her and hugged him, repeating to him over and over her thanks.
"Sasuke… I want to try to walk again."
He nodded, helping her after he cleaned himself. They started slow, not minding the fact that, again, they were close enough to touch each other. Usually, Sasuke would hold her arm, and with her strength, Hinata changed places she was sitting, but now, he was hugging her waist, firmly holding her while they made short steps. That first day of Hinata trying to walk again went easy for them. Soon enough, they'd fallen into a schedule where Sasuke would train, and by the afternoon, after Hinatas's shift ended, they would use their backyard for her practice.
On their first anniversary, Ino sent them flowers and lunch, knowing well how they wouldn't celebrate the date. So after lunch, once again, they took the afternoon for Hinata to move her legs. She improved a lot in the last couple of months. Maybe she felt overconfident, but she was risky enough to speed up her pace.
The land was wet, so she slipped. Sasuke tried to catch her, but he wasn't fast enough as his hand was holding a basket. He got scared, but when Hinata started laughing, he relaxed for a bit.
"You're bleeding."
He let her know before helping her get inside the house. Then, with a delicacy she didn't realize he could possed, Sasuke cleaned her wound. He thought that would not have happened if he had accepted the prosthetic arm. With that thought, Sasuke stopped, wondering when he started thinking about accepting Tsunade's offer.
With a sigh, he resumed cleaning her injury and then bandaged it. Suddenly, he heard Hinata's giggle, turning her eyesight to her. Her sincere smile sent a warm wave to his heart. Then, deciding to play with her, he flicked her forehead just like Itachi used to do with him, a smirk showing through his lips when Hinata looked at him confused. Maybe he could be more beneficial to his wife with a second arm. If he has kids, he would need it.
Kids, eh?
Hinata's attempts to walk again didn't stop. Soon enough, she could walk longer distances without tiring herself, supporting herself with walls, Sasuke's arm, or whatever helped maintain her balance. Her husband surprised her one day by stating he would accept the prosthetic arm Sakura created when he and Naruto destroyed each other's members. Even though he hadn't given her a reason, she somehow felt inspired to pursue her healing. Hinata concluded that even if she recovered and went to walk again normally, she didn't want to be a ninja.
She felt free once she accepted that she loved working with Ino, and even Kakashi was pushing her to work at the Hokage tower. Her relationship with Sasuke was more than great, as she felt they were a team. He had become a central pillar in her life, and she appreciated their friendship. However, she often wondered how their life together would continue. Would they eventually have kids?
She blushed at the thought. Lately, she had been thinking a lot about him; he was attractive, one must be blind to say otherwise, but how he had made her feel was more important to her. She felt listened to whenever she talked about her day. He knew silly little things like how she preferred to organize the kitchen or how she hated worms even though gardening was her favorite hobby.
Hinata knew she had fallen in love with Sasuke. Slowly. Quietly. With silent actions, he showed her he was not the person some villagers still hated. He was much more than the Uchiha massacre, he was more than his wrongs, and even with them chaining him to a life he might not want, he was responsible enough to amend them. Sasuke had turned her world upside down with no chance to revert it to what it was before he stole her heart.
"Ne, Sasuke," Hinata called him one night they were watching the stars, she had her face supported against his shoulder. "I think I've fallen in love with you."
She felt him tense at her words, her heart hurt thinking there might be a chance he didn't feel the same way.
"You don't have to answer, I just wanted to let you know. Please forget what I've said."
Her tongue itched with want. She was so ready to apologize for confessing, but her feelings were not something she regretted.
"Silly Hyūga," his answer confused her, but when he took her jaw and closed the distance between their faces, Hinata felt as if fireworks exploded in her interior.
Sasuke closed his eyes, followed by Hinata doing the same thing. Their first kiss felt like heaven, and with every second they shared kissing each other, every obstacle they went through felt as they worth it."
"Uchiha… I'm not a Hyūga, not since a year and a few months."
She giggled again before Sasuke kissed her again.
"Silly Uchiha."
Her eyes shined brighter that the stars, his heart felt light as a feather, ready to dive in whatever was going to happen between them.
"Do you want to try it? This marriage thing."
She nodded before giving him a clearer answer, "I'm willing if you're too."
Instead of telling her he was, Sasuke kissed her again taking her hands between his.
I'll come around
If you ever want to be in love
I'm not waiting, but I'm willing if you call me up
If you ever want to be in love
I'll come around
- If You Ever Want To Be In Love, James Bay
I can't believe how much I've written. I feel so proud of myself, and even tho I'm thinking "would they like it?" I can't stop smiling and re reading my work.
Thanks for reading!