What Happens Next?
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Hmm one reviewer suggested Hiashi get set up with an Uchiha woman by a matchmaking Mikoto, let me know what you think. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 16
Sasuke shakes his head and slips off with Hinata, leaving Neji to his sulking. Whatever. He didn't care if Neji approved or not.
It'd be easier if he wasn't trying to glare daggers at him, but it wouldn't stop him. He'd gotten approval from his parents and Hinata's father. An overprotective cousin, sure as Hell wasn't going to prevent them from being together now.
"Don't worry about Neji. He's just worried about me. He means well." Hinata mumbles quickly.
"Oh I know he means well. He's just trying to protect you in his own way. Doesn't mean I have to like it." Sasuke says and kisses her cheek.
She nods and the two head towards the Dinning Hall. She lets go of his hand. Hinata didn't want to give anyone a heart attack before the announcement.
A few minutes later people begin to file in. Hiashi bellows to get everyone's attention. It was amazing, there were almost a thousand people inside now and yet it was stunned silence after the Hyuga Patriarch signaled for everyone's attention.
"Attention everyone. Sasuke and Hinata have an announcement they would like to make. Considering the former tensions between our Clans, I believe it is best if we do this the formal way." He says and lets his daughter and her intended speak.
Sasuke decides he should probably do it. Hinata was so shy. He squeezes her hand underneath the table reassuringly.
"Hinata and I asked Lord Hiashi and my father's permission to begin formerly courting. They granted it." He says simply.
Never before, had two sentences triggered such a reaction. Instantly, the Dinning Hall went from deadly silent to almost deafening. Shouts of disbelief, gaps, snarls, growls, and yelling were hear everywhere. It was maddening.
"How could you sanction an Uchiha laying hands on Lady Hinata?! This is blasphemy!" A Hyuga cries out.
"What's that supposed to mean?! You should be happy Sasuke would even consider a Hyuga! You're all a bunch of cold fish!" An Uchiha snarls at the man.
"You Uchihas are a bunch of deviants! Who knows what you do behind closed doors? Hinata is a Lady and deserves to be treated that way, not ravished by some Uchiha!" A Hyuga Branch Member says.
"What if I like the ravishing?" Hinata asks and gasps were heard.
Sasuke blinks. Uh oh. That was probably the wrong thing to say. They were in big trouble.
"ARE YOU PREGNANT, LADY HINATA?!" Someone demands.
"What? I was just asking! Sasuke has been a perfect gentleman. I am NOT pregnant!" She stammers out and blushes deeply.
Some sighs of relief are heard. Hinata was under the influence of the Truth Jutsu. She wouldn't be able to lie about whether or not she was expecting. (Not that any of them thought she would lie in the first place, but it was nice to have the extra insurance.)
"QUIET, ALL OF YOU." Fugaku roars in such a way that it made even Hiashi look impressed.
"First of all, my son is not some kind of sex fiend. That is Shisui, not Sasuke. Secondly, Hiashi and I have both sanctioned this match. So if you have objections, you are to take them up with us and not a pair of teenagers. I will not tolerate my son or Hinata being harassed by hundreds of their own kin. HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?" He thunders.
Hiashi nods his agreement. The Uchiha and Hyuga members were still glaring daggers at each other. But they knew not to question their Clan Heads. Fugaku and Hiashi were not men to be trifled with.
"That is better. Now I would very much appreciate it, if I could eat my meal without having my eardrums burst by your loud mouths." Hiashi says and quiet once again descends as everyone begins eating.
"Well Sasuke, you certainly know how to make an impression." Itachi murmurs lowly in amusement.
"Yeah. I know." Sasuke says with a small smile.
"If he gets out of line, you tell me. I doubt you'll have much trouble with him, but you never know. He spends too much time with Shisui." Izumi warns Hinata.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Shisui protests.
"That you are a pervert and you shouldn't be corrupting Sasuke." Izumi replies and rests her head on Itachi's shoulder.
Hinata blushes. She wondered what Izumi would say if she knew about what happened on the mission. The bluenette blushed just thinking about it.
"You alright, Hinata?" Sasuke whispers to her and she nods quickly.
Sasuke frowns. This was probably a little too much for Hinata. He taps Hiashi on the shoulder and whispers something into his ear. The Hyuga Patriarch considers whatever he said for a moment, before nodding his head.
Sasuke offers Hinata his hand, after he stands up. Hinata looks at him in confusion. But she takes it and allows herself to be led out of the Dining Hall
"I asked him if we could be excused. It's a little overwhelming to have that many eyes on us. Besides, I'd rather eat alone with you anyway." He says and Hinata notes he grabbed their plates.
"Yes, it is a little…intense?" She mumbles and Sasuke nods in agreement.
He places one of his hands on her back and carries the food in his other. The young Uchiha smiles and leads her to the gardens. At least there they would have some privacy and not feel like a couple of animals being stared at in a zoo.
"That's putting it mildly. He says, sitting underneath a Sakura tree with her.
He pats the ground next to him. Sasuke was signaling for her to join him. Hinata accepted the informal invitation and soon sits by his side.
"It's a miracle that they both approved. I wonder what Ino and Sai will say?" She asks.
"Oh right. I forgot all about the meddlers." He mutters as he bites into his meal and admires the sight of Hinata sitting underneath the Sakura tree.
He had never really been a big fan of pink as a color. But there was something beautiful about the way it looked so close to her midnight blue hair. Then again, he was pretty sure she could make a potato sack look attractive.
Hinata giggles at the description and sips her drink. Sasuke smiles. This was much better. He adored his family. But when they were around the Hyugas, things could be tense. This was nice and peaceful. He should have known it wouldn't last.
"Sister! Cousin Sasuke!" They hear two children call out and blink as Hanabi and Kita scramble over to them.
"Hanabi! You're back!" Hinata cries out joyfully and embraces her sister tightly.
"Kita!" Sasuke says and greets him in a similar fashion.
He couldn't understand a word they were saying. The children were completely terrified and babbling too quickly. They didn't seem injured though. Still Sasuke had to know how they escaped and if the others had gotten away.
"Calm down. One at a time. What happened? Are the others with you?" He asks.
"We escaped. They aren't with us. But we know where they are." Hanabi says in a rush.
"Unless they moved. They might have moved during the time it took to get us back here." He says.
Sasuke nods. He gestures for them to follow him inside. Hinata follows suit. They quickly head back to the Dining Hall. There were startled gasps from the Uchihas and Hyugas as some of them noticed the kidnapped children had returned.
"Father, Lord Hiashi…Lady Hanabi and my cousin have returned to us. They need to tell us what happened to our other Clansmen and Clanswomen." Sasuke says smoothly.
Fugaku manages to get everyone's attention. They allow the pair of escapees to speak. Kita and Hanabi weave quite the grand heroic tale. (Fugaku was sure at least half of that was embellished, but he digressed.)
"Everyone, I want you all to prepare for a mission. Rest up and pack your weapons. We shall speak with the Lady Hokage about this immediately." Fugaku and Hiashi say as they head off.
The Clans all start panicking. Their Clan Heads were leaving them? Shouldn't they go now? Their family members might already be dead! They should go now.
"QUIET!" Mikoto growls out at them and Sasuke blinks.
You could have heard a pin drop. The room goes eerie silent. It seemed no one wanted to test the Uchiha Matriarch's patience, anymore than they wanted to test her husband's.
"Don't look so shocked, baby. You didn't think your father was the only one who knew that trick, did you?" Mikoto asks with a smile.
"Wait to go mom." Sasuke and Itachi say, as both brothers wonder if there was some kind of handbook somewhere.
Meanwhile Fugaku and Hiashi flit off to the Hokage's office. They both knock. The two men were relieved when she answered the door quickly.
"Please tell me that a Clan War hasn't broken out because you two decided to play matchmaker?" She asks with a heavy sigh.
"No, My Lady. It's not that. Hanabi and Kita escaped from Orochimaru's clutches. We believe we have a location. But the Uchiha Clan is still exhausted. I'm not sure how well my Clan will fight alongside them either." Hiashi explains.
"We don't have time for everyone to learn how to play nicely or have a long rest. I shall send some energy pills with you. Perhaps that might help. You are to move out in the morning. I shall begin organizing backup. I assume the children can give us the location?" She inquires and the two men nod.
"Good." Tsunade says.
That was a relief. At least two of the younger kidnapping victims were okay. She had been worried sick to tell the truth. Still that meant there were 23 Uchihas and Hyugas being held captive by the Sannin somewhere.
She shudders as she imagines what might be happening to them at this very moment. Orochimaru had always been obsessed with the Sharingan. He was likely just as obsessed with the Byakugan. Those poor people.
"As much as I would like to send you all out now, it would be suicide. We need to have a plan." She says and hands Fugaku the pack of energy pills.
"Of course, Lady Hokage. We thought the very same thing." Hiashi agrees and Patriarchs quickly set off back to their Clans.
Tsunade sighs. She quickly sends off her ANBU to gather up a reserve force. She couldn't believe it had come to this. Well she could and yet she couldn't.
She had known Orochimaru all her life. They had been on the same team as Genin. How could that boy have become such a monster.
"He likely wants to use them as human experiments and vessels." She mutters to herself.
It was wrong. Truly, the quiet, intelligent boy had morphed into a monster. She wasn't sure exactly when it had happened. She blamed the war. That was likely when it had started. If only she had noticed, perhaps things would be different now.
She pours herself a glass of sake. The blonde knew there was really no point in going down that path. What ifs, never solved problems. And right now, they had a lot of problems to solve.
"We have to get them back. We can't allow the Sharingan and Byakugan to be used and abused by him. There's no telling what he might do with that sort of power." She mutters.
Tsunade like it a lot better when her biggest concern was what the Patriarchs were up to. Honestly, she still couldn't believe that they had meddled like that. It was so unlike both men.
"I wonder if it worked." She muses.
"You wonder if what worked, My Lady?" Shizune asks as she approaches her Hokage.
"Oh it's a very long story. I sent for the ANBU teams. It seems two of Orochimaru's kidnapping victims escaped. We have a possible location now and must act quickly to prevent a disaster." She explains.
Shizune nods in agreement. The brunette had a bad feeling about this situation. Who knew what Orochimaru was really capable of when it came down to it. She believed he would do anything to achieve immortality.
Anything could include medical experimentation on Hyuga and Uchiha children. She shuddered to think about it. They had to act quickly. There was no time to waste.
Meanwhile back in the Sound, some of the Hyugas and Uchihas breathed a sign of relief. At least Hanabi and Kita got away. They were the youngest members of the Clans to get kidnapped. None of them wanted to contemplate what the innocent children might have been subjected to otherwise.
"Do you think they can do it? Do you think they can get back to the Leaf?" Aiya asks.
"If any pair of children can do it, it would be them. Kita is an Uchiha and she is a Hyuga. Have some faith in them, my love." He says.
Orochimaru enters their room and both Uchihas eye him warily. He smirks. Good, at least they had enough common sense to be afraid of him. Both were too proud to cower though.
"I regret that Kabuto struck you. But really, a man your age should realize how rude it is to spit at someone." Orochimaru chides him gently.
"I would have done far more than that, if I was able." Kenji thunders at him.
Orochimaru chuckles. The man had to be in his 70's. Yet, he was carrying on as if he still thought himself to be in his 20's. It was most amusing. He wondered if all elderly Uchihas were the same way or if he and his wife were just a special case.
"You are quite spirited." He murmurs.
"He'll quite spiritedly kill you for what you have done to our family and the Hyugas." Aiya says.
He raises an eyebrow. His wife certainly had as big a mouth on her as her husband. Yes, he was beginning to think this may just be an Uchiha family trait in general.
"If I wanted you dead, you would be dead by now. You would do well to remember your manners. I imagine you'd both like to live long enough to see your next birthdays." The Sannin warns her.
"Go to Hell." She hisses at him.
He shakes his head. Orochimaru pricks her with a needle and takes her blood sample. He heads over and takes one from Kenji.
"That's all I need for today." He states as he heads off.
"He's got our blood!" Aiya cries out in horror and Kenji couldn't help but share her dread.
Kenji was no medic. But he was aware that Orochimaru could likely learn a lot from those blood samples. Their only hope now, rested in the hands of two small children. All they could do now was pray.
Meanwhile back in the Leaf, Sai and Ino were out on a date. Currently, they were enjoying a beautiful day by the lake. The two were having a picnic and unaware of the chaos that was going on in their own village.
"I am surprised Lady Tsunade would have the Hyugas and Uchihas live together. But I think it is a good thing. It does make it much easier for Hinata and Sasuke to fall for each other." Sai says happily and Ino nods.
She had been shocked as well. Ino was aware that many Uchihas and Hyugas had been kidnapped. But to have the two rival Clans live together, would have been unthinkable, only a short while ago.
"Yes. But there are so many Uchihas and Hyugas in there. Things must be super tense inside the Hyuga Estate. I'm not really sure if that's an environment that leads to romance." She mumbles.
"Oh don't worry. If nothing else, we know Sasuke likes her backside. That's important. Sexual attraction is very important in a relationship." Her boyfriend says with a smile.
Ino nods. Well that much was true. Still Hinata was so shy. She doubted the bluenette would act on it. Which meant Sasuke would have to make the first move.
Maybe the list would help though. The list of good things, outweighed the list of bad things. It was really mostly their family keeping them separate. That might be fixable. It wouldn't be easy, but at least it wasn't something wrong with Sasuke or Hinata themselves.
"Well that's something. Still I think we are going to need to come up with something better than that. Maybe Naruto will have an idea." She says and waves to the blonde, as he approaches them.
"Hey guys. So I've been thinking about it. Maybe we should put Sai's talents to work on this one." The blonde man offers.
Ino looks at Naruto curiously. She wondered what he meant by that. How could Sai's talents help with getting Sasuke and Hinata together. She gestures for her friend to continue.
"I mean Sai is really good at painting. Maybe we could have them pose for him and send the pictures to them and write a note or something. If they think the other person sent them a sexy picture, that might do the trick." He says cheerfully.
"Hinata strikes me as a rather shy woman. I have a difficult time picturing her agreeing to allow me to paint her in such a fashion. I'm also not sure why Sasuke would agree either. But other than that, I think it's a good plan." Sai says after considering Naruto's suggestion for a few minutes.
The flower lover considers this. That was true. It was difficult to imagine Hinata agreeing to that. But she might have an idea.
"Maybe as a dare?" She asks.
"I don't know. The bastard would probably fall for that. His pride is like really important to him. If he was accused of being too scared to pose, he might do it. But Hinata's going to be a little tricky." Naruto says.
"We could say that I like her hair color and want to challenge my artistic abilities?" Sai asks.
"Hmm she might fall for that. Hinata is really nice. She might agree to do it, just to help out a friend." Ino adds.
"Alright. Then I guess that's settled. It's good that we have a plan now, sorta." Naruto says with a smile and the three of them smirk, Hinata and Sasuke wouldn't have any idea what hit them.
Elsewhere in the Leaf Village, Hinata and Sasuke slip off from the chaos. That was beginning to be their thing, Sasuke noted. They always tried to escape the chaos of their crazy families together.
"I'm so glad my sister and Kita are alright. Do you think we can do it? Can we really save them? Do you think it's too late?" Hinata asks in a rush, once they were in Sasuke's room.
"Me to. Yes, I think we can. It's not too late. Orochimaru wouldn't want to kill them right away. They are too valuable for him to do so. Their a medical goldmine. Don't worry. We'll get them back." He says and kisses her forehead reassuringly.
She nods and sighs, leaning into them. It was nerve wracking. No one really knew what had happened to their kidnapped kin. They had to find a way to save them from Orochimaru. They just had to.
"I can't believe they thought that I got you pregnant before we even started officially courting. They think I'm Shisui or something." Sasuke mutters.
"Well I like children. Our fathers are the Clan Heads. So it's kinda expected we'd have kids. I mean I don't want to have them right now, but maybe in the future…if things work out." She mumbles in a quick rush.
"Kitten, you don't have to be that skittish. I know exactly what you mean. Besides, Itachi and Izumi are already expecting. So I think we have time." He tells her in amusement.
"I like it when you call me that." She mumbles.
"What else do you like?" Sasuke asks and his eyes dance with amusement.
Hinata felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest. They were officially courting now. Their Clans knew about them. There was no reason not to act like it. But she had never actually initiated any of their touches before. It was a big step, one that she knew she had to take sooner or later.
"I like it when you kiss me." She whispers and shyly presses her lips against his.
It was more a brush of the lips than anything. But her shy "confession" and kiss, had his eyes bleeding red almost instantly. He wasted no time at all in wrapping his arms around her waist and deepening the kiss.
Hinata sighs softly in pleasure as he kisses her. It felt good. This wasn't like at the mission where he was putting on a show. Sasuke seemed content to kiss her gently now and explore her mouth at a leisurely pace.
"Mmm." She says and Sasuke breaks the kiss.
"I like that to." He replies with a smile.
"I like other things, but if Neji saw them doing them, he'd get very angry." She admits.
Sasuke smirks. To him, that was a bonus. It was fun to irritate the very proper Hyuga. Hiashi had given them permission to Court. There wasn't a damn thing that Neji could do about it, unless Hinata protested his affections. (Which it didn't seem like she was likely to do.)
"That's more of a bonus than anything. What other things did you like?" He whispers seductively into her ear and enjoys seeing her shiver against him as he does so.
"I like it when you touch me." She admits with a deep blush.
"You like it when I touch you were?" Sasuke asks, suddenly feeling like he could push his luck more than he could have a few minutes before.
"Everywh-ere." The bluenette whispers.
He smirks and kisses her. Sasuke would have loved to touch her everywhere, but they needed to get some rest. It was going to be a bloody battle tomorrow.
"After we save everyone, I really want to explore that thought some more." He murmurs, breaking the kiss.
Hinata returns the kiss and nods, shyly at what he just said. Sasuke knew by Hinata standards, that was likely the closest to dirty talking she was ever going to get without fainting. She was still so damn innocent, but it was cute.
It made him feel really good to hear her say she wanted him, even if she had done it bashfully. He definitely wanted her. He'd prove that soon enough.