Hello, everybody.

First of all, I want to apologise for the massive delay in uploading. To skip all excuses and cut it short, I kind of... forgot about fanfiction for a while.

A lot of people have asked me whether this story is an AU. I just want to take a moment here to confirm that. In this story, the Uchiha massacre never took place, and, as a consequence, Sasuke is a perfectly normal guy who never wanted to be an avenging angel. However, he does have some issues related to his brother... Which will be revealed as the story progresses.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2

A kunai flew past her cheek, and she dove to dodge it.

Hyuuga Hinata cursed herself for getting distracted. She was in the middle of training with her teammates, and after finally being treated as an equal yesterday, she didn't want them to start mollyocoddling her again today. If she kept up her less-than-stellar act, however, she was afraid that her teammates might actually give up on the exercise altogether and start humouring her again.

And that would never do. Especially not when she was supposed to be getting stronger in order to beat Hanabi

She managed to dodge another kunai just in time, cursing her wayward thoughts. It wasn't like she didn't want to focus, it was just that she…

Couldn't. Not with this commotion going on in her house.

The news of her having broken an elder's wrist had spread like wildfire, and must have even reached Neji's ears by now. She was sure that her cousin would confront her when she reached back home, and didn't know what she would say to him. Surely, the truth about her impending engagement would reach him soon enough, but she could not bring herself to tell him about it herself, although usually he was her confidant. Perhaps it was because she was afraid that by repeating the fact, it might become more real.

She had risen early today, and snuck out of her house to arrive at the training grounds. There, she had spent several hours completely decimating a training post, and would have continued to do so if her teammates hadn't arrived and put an end to it. They were perceptive, both of them, and even though they knew that something was wrong, the had respected her privacy. She would tell them when the time came, they were sure of it.

And so they had begun to train. Only, she was doing a miserable job at it

Her mind kept on flickering back to the conversation that she and the elders had had yesterday. She still found it hard to believe that it had taken place at all, and if her cheeks were not swollen due to her incessant crying throughout the night, she might have dismissed it as a bad nightmare. As it was, she was altogether far too aware of it.

She blinked as Shino suddenly appeared in front of her. The reserved nin looked concerned as he put his hands on Hinata's shoulders.

"Hinata, is everything alright?"

There was a blur as Kiba appeared next to him, Akamaru on his shoulders. Shino's compassionate and concerned expression was mirrored on his canine features. "Yeah, did somethin' happen at home or something? 'Cause we can totally kick some Hyuuga ass for you, ya know."

"Kiba…!" Shino's tone was reprimanding, but her teammates' comment had made her laugh. She looked at them with fond eyes. Her brothers in all but blood, who had stood by her through thick and thin, who had always encouraged her and protected her, who had always, always strived to help her achieve her goal, and still did. She was so grateful to them.

And it was because of this that she couldn't tell them. Not now, at least. She knew that they had always felt helpless where she was concerned, because, although both were from prominent clans, neither was high up enough on Konoha's hierarchy to match up to the Hyuugas. Consequently, they were unable to react whenever Hiashi made another cutting, insulting decision or remark. And it bit them.

If they knew what her family planned to put her through this time, they might do something… drastic.

And she couldn't let them. They were her brothers, and it was her duty to protect them.

That's why she shook her head, saying "It's nothing, Kiba, Shino. I'm just a little distracted today. I'll be fine in a while."

Kiba seemed convinced, but behind those dark glasses, Shino's eyes bore into her own with frightening intensity. He knew that she wasn't being honest, and for a moment, she was afraid that he would state that fact and bring about another round of questions from Kiba.

But he didn't. He merely patted her head, and told her to go rest for a while.

Silent Shino. She knew he was concerned, but he'd never force her to divulge something she didn't want to. She'd love him forever for it.

She walked through Konoha's streets in a daze. Shino had told her to go home, but she couldn't bring herself to take those few steps towards her house. There were too many people there. Who knew, or would know by the end of the day, what exactly had transpired between their (ex) heiress and the elders yesterday afternoon. She didn't want to see their knowing looks, or hear the hushed whispers behind her back.

It made her feel… unwanted.

Unkowingly, her feet had led her to Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. Even when she was lost in her own world, Naruto's influence on her was too strong to deny. She let a small, wan smile cross her face as she sat down on the stool outside the stand and ordered a bowl of pork ramen.

Naruto-kun… he was so lucky. He had everything which she wished she would have – a family (even if it was makeshift, they still loved him), acceptance, a desire to succeed, self-confidence, and most of all, free will. Naruto was a free man – he didn't have to bow to anyone's will but his own. She, on the other hand, had the elders hovering over her every day.

Suffocating her.

She hadn't even noticed that she had broken her chopsticks until the person who had just slid next to her pointed it out.

She took stock of it with warm cheeks, and, quickly placing these down, grabbed another pair. She turned her head to glance at her companion, and gasped.

"I-Ino-san!"

Yamanaka Ino. The most beautiful of the rookie nine, although she only had to compete with Haruno Sakura and Hinata herself. She had been voted "Most Desirable Kuniochi" three times in a row by Shinobi Today! Magazine, and fantasized about many thousand times more than that. Her name was known to everyone in the village, whether their intention be lust (the men) or jealousy (the women).

Hinata personally didn't know her very well, although she was good friends with one of Ino's teammates, and they themselves had been classmates in the Academy. Ino had always been too popular to ever really notice shy, timid Hinata, and although the latter admired her self-confidence, she could not bring herself to ever really express any sign of this admiration to the person in question herself. As a result, the acquaintance between the two was perfunctory at best. They had never really conversed.

Today, however, Ino seemed unusually talkative… although perhaps this was how she was usually. She smiled at Hinata, a big grin that showcased all her perfect white teeth. "Hinata-chan!" Her voice was an alluring squeal. "Why, it's been forever since I've seen you!"

The two girls chatted amicably for a while, exchanging local gossip. Hinata wasn't really a particularly talented person at amassing information upon her compatriots, but it turned out the Ino had been on a mission for the last month, and thus she was satisfied with the updates which Hinata gave her. The two girls found themselves laughing companionably like they never had before – neither had they found any occasion to. When they finally finished, Hinata's stomach was full, and she was lit up with a satisfied glow.

It faded the moment she realized that she was going to have to go back home now.

Mournfully, she bid Ino goodbye, hugging the blonde shinobi as she made her way home. Her steps dragged as she tried to find any other way to believably delay her inevitable return, and she began to panic as her mind constantly came up with blanks. Her frenzied thoughts even suggested injuring herself so that she could calmly sprint to the hospital and spend another blessed half-hour there – but, remembering her father's ultimatum, she knew that there was nothing to do but to go home.

It was afternoon, and her Hokage-appointed etiquette tutor would arrive soon. Hinata had been instructed to be punctual to every one of these meetings, and if she was not, well, then… Her father's silence had been poignant, but the meaning was quite clear. Even this little respite, this tine window of opportunity would be slammed shut, and she would find herself staring at a premade future with nothing but an altar and a shad0w-shrouded groom at the end.

It was a wonder how little she knew of Uchiha Itachi, really. She had heard of his impressive track record – how he had graduated from the academy at the tender age of seven, and was already an ANBU captain by the age of thirteen. He was a genius, there was no doubt about it. Her father had expressed hopes for her to turn out similarly, but she had not, instead remaining a perfectly normal little girl. His disappointment had been palpable. He had grown up in an environment steeped with animosity toward the Uchiha, much as she had, and as a result, hoped to outperform them at every turn. It was a mark of deep shame to him that his rival's firstborn should be more talented than his own.

Besides his impressive record, Hinata knew little about the man. She was aware of his popularity amongst her fellow female shinobi, and also of the fact that he had a rather determined fanclub. She knew that he had a younger brother who had been in her class, and who was also exceptionally talented, although perhaps not as much as his genius of a brother. She knew what he looked like – which Konohan citizen did not? And she had to admit that he was fairly attractive, with long, lustrous dark hair and finely-shaped features that were placed in perfect symmetry with one another.

But he was a stranger to her. They may have been from the same social strata, but she had never exchanged so much as a word with him. She may have unknowingly greeted him at some social function perhaps, or maybe asked him to pass a glass of water or a certain platter of food, but she was not acquainted with him.

And now she was to be betrothed to him.

More than betrothal, it was another clause that her father had stipulated yesterday that bothered her. He had said that there would be heavily-supervised meetings between the two, so that the two families could hurry up the acquaintance and get to the producing-the-next-generation part.

Hinata's face flamed as she thought about it. Even now, at the age of seventeen, she was still fairly unexperienced. If one talked in absolute truths, then she had had a lover, just the one. And she could not be called a virgin by any noble family's standards. But he had been more of a friend than anything more, and the incident between the two of them had come about as a desire to experience new things on her part. They had both explored the idea of a relationship, but then mutually decided that it would be nothing but detrimental to their already strong friendship. Even now, Hinata cherished him and his friendship.

As of love… well, there was little enough of it in arranged marriages, that she knew very well. Her own parents had married according to the elder's wishes, and, contrary to all expectations, had fallen in love. But it was a rare case. Most arranged-marriage couples stayed oddly formal with each other, even after decades of shared companionship.

She wasn't a fool, of course. She had always known that she would have no freedom in her choice of bridegroom. Her future was set in stone – was set from the moment of her birth. She had briefly entertained the idea of love with Naruto-kun… but even those fantasies were wiped out soon enough from her mind.

She was a tool, and nothing more.

And it was best if she accepted it soon.

Back at home, the house was oddly silent. Hinata wandered around aimlessly for a while, unaware as to where to go. The Hyuuga compound was enormous, and her instructor could be arriving anywhere. To manually check every room would take hours.

She frantically racked her mind for any indication, any sentence that her father had let slip yesterday about where she would be receiving her instruction, but came up with nothing but a blank.

This was bad. Hyuuga Hiashi was meticulous about instructions. There was no possibility, none at all, that he had forgotten to tell her. So there could be only two alternatives – one, that she had forgotten his instructions, or two, that –

"There you are, nee-san."

She turned. A thin girl stood behind her. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her left hand was bandaged, no doubt from training so much. She was licking at a cone filled with pink ice-cream, and the frosting had already coated her mouth.

Like a child. She was just like a little child.

"I've been looking for you forever," Hanabi complained. "'Tou-san told me to go and fetch you to the west sun-viewing room ages ago. He says there's someone waiting for you there."

Hinata panicked. There was no other word for it. The idea that she had already managed to break her father's rules, on day one itself…!

"Nobody tells me what's going on around her anymore," the pre-teen complained. "It's all just 'do this' and 'do that' and 'you're not old enough to understand the situation, Hanabi-chan'." She directed an accusing glare upon her sister as she uttered the last statement.

Hinata, however, was too a-flutter to pay adequate attention to her sister's grumbles. "Gomen, Hanabi-chan," she gasped. "But I really have to go. I'm already late!"

And with that, she sped off, leaving a very confused sister behind.

The west sun-viewing room was empty.

There was a plate of confectionaries placed on the centre of the table, and a particular mat showed signs of being sat upon, but her instructor was nowhere to be seen. Nevertheless, she walked in and sat down with the correct posture upon one of the cushions provided for such a purpose.

It was evening, and sunset was taking place. The sun-viewing room was built exactly so that the members of the Hyuuga clan would be able to see the object that played a part in their very names.

She was mesmerized by the sight. The sky was hued in deep, vibrant shades of orange, pink, and red, and the clouds reflected it. It was really… amazing…

"Boo!"

She screamed and jumped – must have jumped – at least a foot. Turning around, she was confronted with a very familiar visage.

"J-Jiraiya-sama!"

The perverted sannin leaned back and looked at his young charge. he had his trademark grin on his face, and for a moment, she could not help but feel relaxed. She couldn't help it – the sannin had a particular aura about him that practically ordered you to calm down in his presence.

But what was he doing in her house…?

"I'm r-really sorry, Jiraiya-sama," she apologized quickly, bending down until her forehead touched the floor. "I was unaware of your presence. Please forgive my impertinence…"

"Rule number 1 for a young lady aspiring to be a Great Clan leader's wife," Jiraiya interrupted. "Always boss people around. No undue apologies. And never, never bow your head that low. A little inclination is more than enough."

She sat up and blinked at him. He had on his face a slightly more serious expression now, although she doubted whether he could ever actually be called serious. Her eyes were huge and round as she stared into his face, and she was clearly intimidated.

His eyes suddenly crinkled into a smile. "C'mon, Hinata-chan! You can't tell me that those stuffy old Hyuuga bags didn't drill this particular fact into you when you were a lil' kid…!"

She blinked again, just beginning to understand the situation. She was waiting here for her etiquette tutor, who had been appointed by Tsunade-sama. Jiraiya-sama was waiting here for her. Jiraiya-sama knew Tsunade-sama. Jiriya-sama had just referred to her impending situation. Ergo…

"You're my etiquette tutor?" she gaped.

"That he is," came an immediate reply from across the room. "Also, you should never leave yourself as open as you did right now, Hinata-chan."

Her head snapped across the room to see Shizune leaning against the wall, her arms folded across her chest. Seeing Hinata's astonished stare, she relented and smiled a little. "A noble's wife never knows when an assassination attempt might take place. Although guards are usually placed along with her, it never hurts to be on your guard, right?"

"Sh-Shizune-san," Hinata stuttered, feeling her world swimming around her. "Y-you…"

"Tsunade-sama wanted someone who was adept at such things to help teach you of what was required," explained Shizune as she briskly walked across the room to sit across Hinata. "Hiashi-san was quite enraged – it seemed that he thought that the Hyuuga instructors were quite enough – but, well, Tsunade-sama thought differently."

"It's because they're a bunch of pretentious windbags," Jiraiya cut in bluntly. "They'll go 'ooooh!' and 'aaaah!' and never teach you anything of value. They're far too conservative for this situation. You aren't here for some competition in Miss Modesty, you're here with a mission."

"As Jiraiya-sama says," Shizune's expression was rather severe as she glared at Jiraiya. Hinata already looked far too intimidated for it to be good. "Your situation has certain special… requirements. And we're here to help you with that."

"It's a blessing, really, that you're as high-ranked as you are," Jiraiya drawled. "We won't have to do much for you. You already know how formal ceremonies are to be conducted, and over the difference in procedures in weddings, child-naming ceremonies, or other gatherings. However, there's a crucial difference – so far, you've been trained to be the star of the show. You've been the heiress, Hinata-chan, and trained to act accordingly. You must be forward, to must make it obvious that you are present at whatever function you decide to attend."

"A leader's wife has quite a different role," Shizune supplemented mildly. "She doesn't have to carry the family mantle and breastplate on her shoulders, but her role is just as vital. When all the leaders will be staring at your husband, Hinata-chan, it's your job to provide him with the support he needs. It's your job to ensure that every possible ite that he might need is within easy reach of him. And it's your responsibility to ensure that your adopted family's name is not sullied in any way."

"The men of the function may be staring at your husband. But their wives' attention will be on you. They will want to see the true elegance of the Uchiha matriarch, and whether she is good enough to be part of them."

"Once you are married to Itachi, you will no longer be a Hyuuga. You will also be an Uchiha, even if you lack their trademark eyes. And do not think that your wedding will be some small affair. A union of the Uchiha and Hyuuga… something like this has never taken place before. You must understand that delegates and dignitaries from foreign lands will be eager to see this unusual couple."

"You'll not only be representing your own family, you'll also be representing your husbands'. Your shoulders will bear a double burden. That is why it is so important that you know everything that there is to know before being confronted with such a situation. You must not be too forward, or too direct – that is your husband's job. Outwardly, he is the only representative of your clan. But you also play a vitally important role. You must be subtle, but you must be firm. You must lead in the shadows, Hinata-chan."

Hinata gaped at the two serious shinobi, feeling dread sink its fangs deep into her heart with every passing word. All this… how could they possibly expect her to do it! She nearly made a mockery out of her own clan at every function she attended, how could they task her with the Uchihas, too?

Her alarm must have shown quite prominently on her face, because suddenly, both shinobi relaxed. Shizune put an arm around Hinata's waist, and Jiraiya a fatherly hand upon her shoulder. When they smiled, their faces were full of understanding an encouragement.

"We know it seems like it's impossible, Hinata-chan. But don't worry – we're here for you."

He stared blankly at the face of his father as he finished his monologue.

"… You do understand, don't you, Itachi…?"

He bowed his head. Suddenly, a vision flashed through his mind – delivering a powerful flying kick to his father's face, and then running out, running away, far away from Konoha, where people didn't always expect things from him…

He stopped the vision before it could proceed too far. It was too tempting to dwell upon for too long.

"Hn."

His father sighed. "You sound like Sasuke," he said unexpectedly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Or perhaps Sasuke sounds like you. Kami knows that the boy always tried to imitate you…"

He bit the inside of his cheek, feeling suddenly irritated. It was just like his father to find some way or the other to demean Sasuke, even if he was doing it unknowingly, and the person in question wasn't in earshot at the moment.

It didn't matter. Itachi heard.

He heard everything.

"… It's a pity he couldn't be as good as you are." His father's musings were beginning to get on his nerves, but he was good at concealing his feelings. He had been doing so for the past eighteen years. "But nobody could, could they?" At this, Fugaku Uchiha looked at his son with something akin to pride in his eyes.

His son stared back blankly.

"Anyway," The elder Uchiha was irritated now. "I suppose you can see how this will lead to the greater good. I hope that you will heed my instruction, Itachi, and do everything you can to help speed it along.

Then, Itachi spoke the first words he had since his father had dragged him into his room and changed his life forever.

"When was this contract made?"

Fugaku Uchiha opened an eye and stared at his son warily. Itachi's face was completely impassive – there was not even a single indicator of what was going on in his mind. He had trained his son well.

Almost too well.

"When you were eleven," he said wearily. He had long given up on trying to decipher his son's moods, and come to the fact that his own offspring had unusual thought patterns. Itachi's mask was too good to look through. "You intended fiancee was born then, and Hokage-sama thought it appropriate that we finalize it that very year."

"So," Itachi's voice was calm, but there was a storm brewing underneath. A storm that could not be detected by more than a couple of people, and that list didn't include his father. "You're saying that I have been engaged for the past twelve years to some child whom I don't know?!"

His voice had risen towards the end. Bad boy, Itachi. You were supposed to play this off calmly.

Fugaku supposed his rage was justified. That didn't mean he had to like it. Nevertheless, he did not reprimand his son. "The girl's name is Hyuuga Hanabi," he sighed impatiently. "She's twelve years old, and has just graduated from the Academy. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't have to worry about anything until she was of age, which would be six years later. However, the terms have changed."

There. If one looked closely, they might have seen a vein jump in Itachi Uchiha's forehead. Fugaku didn't. "Changed, you say?"

"Yes, changed. Those damn Hyuuga – they can't do anything right. Ask them to strict by one contract, and they'll find any loophole to wriggle out of it. Damn weasels."

He waited patiently. It would do no good to lose his temper, he knew that much.

"In this case, they were supposed to send their younger daughter, Hyuuga Hanabi, to fulfill their part of the deal." His father continued. "But now suddenly they want the terms to be changed. Instead of the younger one, they're sending over their elder girl. Hibata or Himaka or something, I think."

There it was again. That almost imperceptible jump in his forehead.

"The engagement ceremony will take place this year itself," Fugaku continued. "And the wedding will take place next year, after the girl turns eighteen. Until then, you'll continue to meet her at specified intervals of which the timings will be given to you by the elders. They want to build up an acquaintance, you see, so that the two of you won't spend much time getting to know each other, and rather get to the business at hand."

Ah, yes. The business at hand. The main reason why this whole fiasco was unfurling in the first place.

The Hokage probably wanted them breeding like rabbits, the greedy bitch.

His father hesitated for just a second, and looked back at his son almost regretfully. "It's a wonderful opportunity," he told him uncertainly. "We want to see the possibilities. And you are the strongest of our clan. It is your obligation, really…"

Obligation. Responsibility. Duty.

Damn it all to hell.

"Does mother know?"

There. That question. That one, all-important question.

"Doesn't matter if she does, does it?" came the short reply. "She'll know of it soon enough."

The pause that ensued was pregnant with something unknown and heavy.

"Sasuke?"

"… No. He'll be made aware of the fact after he returns from his current mission."

"If she turns of age a year later, then that means… that means that she must be Sasuke's age?"

His father turned to him sharply. "What are you trying to say, Itachi?"

The son dutifully leaned forward, hiding his face behind his long bangs. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to calm himself. "Did she go to the Academy with him?"

"I don't know, dammit! What do you want from me?!"

Fugaku had stood up, upsetting the little table that was in between the two of them. Itachi raised his face to look at his father.

Fugaku shivered inadvertently, then hated himself for doing so.

"I don't know if she even went to the Academy," he replied evenly. "But if she did, then what difference does it make? She's a Hyuuga – Sasuke knows better than to associate with that bunch."

Here, he took a step forward and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. Looking into his eyes – eyes so like his own – he said:

"It's an experiment, Itachi. And you're one of the crucial parts. Think of this as an… as an assignment. A mission. It doesn't mean any more than that."

And that was when Itachi's Sharingan flared.

"Just because you treat mother like another one of your missions doesn't mean that she deserves to go through this fate."

A slap.

The door opened, and Uchiha Fugaku left, seething with anger.

Itachi remained behind, his head bowed, a red imprint on his cheek.