White Lace
Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews guys. For request fic for a new Sasuke x Hinata story, I have started on the first chapter of a werewolf story. If you guys have any ideas you'd like to see done, leave them in a review or private message me ^^. The werewolf story would be set in modern times.
Chapter Five
The next day Sasuke gathers all his courage and makes his way to the Hyuga Estate. He knew that was a gamble. Noble Clans were rather territorial when it came to their property. Normally showing up without an invite, well that was just asking for trouble. Some clans were more informal than others. But the Hyugas were the most traditional of all the Noble Clans left in the village.
"Uncle, Sasuke Uchiha is knocking on our door." Neji informs Hiashi, having activated his Byakugan to see who was outside. (The Byakugan was a very useful bloodline.)
"I do not believe that I had scheduled an audience with him or received a request for one. It must be urgent. Likely about the attacks that occurred yesterday." Hiashi says with no small degree of concern, rises to his feet, and opens the door to speak with Sasuke.
Yeah Sasuke probably should have thought further ahead. Hiashi was an imposing figure, even by Uchiha standards. If Kenji thought his son had a stick shoved up his ass, Hiashi had an entire forest. His father was a volcano. Hiashi was more like a glacier.
"Good morning, Uchiha." Hiashi greets the younger ninja in a polite, highly formal fashion.
To Hiashi, your last name was far more important than your first name. Only family members and his closest of comrades earned the privilege of Hiashi addressing them by their first name.
Normally, he'd call someone by their title, you there, boy, girl, etc. The Uchiha was too skilled to be called a boy rightfully, despite his young age. But Hiashi did not know him well enough to call him Sasuke. Therefore, one Uchiha was the same as another to Hiashi until they earned the privilege of being allowed into Hiashi's inner circle. Fugaku was one exception. He'd known the man since they were Genin.
"Lord Hiashi." Sasuke greets with a slight bow.
"Did the Hokage send you to fetch me?" He asks and was pleased to note the bow. (At the very least someone had taught him manners.)
"No. I'm not here on the Hokage's behalf." Sasuke answers honestly and wasn't sure how to explain the real reason for his sudden visit.
"Then what brings you here? It is unlike the Uchiha Clan to just intrude on another clan's privacy without notification of their intentions." He states in a mostly neutral, though slightly suspicious tone.
Yeah. This was going downhill fast. Fuck! How did Sasuke explain this one? He should have come prepared with a speech. Itachi would have had a speech. Shisui, well he wouldn't have given a fuck. Unfortunately, Sasuke was neither his outgoing cousin or his well prepared brother. So he couldn't lay claim to either of those approaches.
"I saw that Hinata was amongst those at the ANBU Ball who were caught up in the attack. I wanted to make sure she was alright." He says and decides just to be direct about it.
"Your concern is noted and appreciated. Hinata is fine. Her injuries were minor in nature and she shall resume her training tomorrow." He states in a way that told Sasuke he was dismissed.
"I'm glad to hear it." Sasuke says and while he wanted to see Hinata, he knew if he pressed it would be seen as a challenge to Hiashi. (That was something that would be counterproductive at this point.)
Pissing off the father of the girl you liked was not a smart idea. But it especially as not a good idea when said father knew how to lock up chakra points. And that whole having nearly 360 degrees worth of vision thing, yeah…you weren't going to sneak anything by him.
"Please do give my best to your father." Hiashi states.
"I will. Please give my best to Hinata." He says and with a formal bow, he darts off.
Hiashi was somewhat amused. He was brave. The Hyuga Patriarch would give him that much.
Coming onto Hyuga lands without an invite to check on Hinata was a bold, even foolish move. He knew Sasuke well enough to realize the Jonin was not stupid. He fully understood clan protocols. But he'd done it anyway.
"Please give my best to Hinata." He had said.
It was subtle. But Hiashi was raised to pick up on every hidden meaning. While any other ninja might just interpret that as a casual Get Well greeting, he knew it was more.
Sasuke didn't give HIM the such a greeting or even the entire clan in general, which would have been expected. He had singled out Hinata. While it was far from a formal declaration announcing that he intended to court his eldest daughter, the implication was there. Hinata was his focus, not the Hyuga Clan as a whole.
"What do you think?" Hiashi asks.
Neji would have made an excellent clan head. It was too bad the young man was his nephew and not his son. The Hyuga Patriarch was aware that Neji would have picked up on the subtle cue as well.
"Well at least he's not Shisui." Neji says.
"Indeed. That boy is such a skirt chaser." Hiashi says and shakes his head in amusement.
Neji nods. Honestly, he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it. Well Sasuke was strong. He could protect her. The other prodigy definitely wasn't a playboy, so he'd be loyal. But he wasn't entirely certain that Hinata could handle the more…boisterous clan that came along with the man. Uchihas and Hyugas while they shared a common ancestor, were two completely different breeds when it came to clan life.
Hinata heard giggling. There was entirely too much giggling going on. It was a sound not often heard in the Hyuga Estate.
Naturally, she was curious and goes to investigate. She wasn't spying. She was investigating as any good ninja would do.
"Lady Hinata! Look!" One of the servants whispers and points to where her father was standing.
The bluenette looks. There was her father, standing next to Neji and Sasuke? What was he doing here?
"He's asking about you!" The servant says, continues giggling, and now Hinata knew what was causing such amusement with the other Hyuga women.
Hinata didn't know what to say about Sasuke asking about her. It was one thing for him to ask her to dance at an anonymous party. It was quite another to come to her family home and inquire about her. That was far more personal than just asking for a dance to save her toes from Naruto's two left feet. (How he could be so efficient on the battlefield but so clueless when it came to dancing, was a mystery.)
"Hopefully, father doesn't…lose his temper." She murmurs.
She just hoped her father didn't…give him the usual treatment for such an "offense." Which would have been at best an icy glare that would freeze anyone's blood (metaphorically) at least. Or at worst, chakra blocking galore. Hiashi was very protective of his daughters.
Thankfully, Sasuke survived the encounter in one piece. Hinata was suddenly grateful he wasn't Naruto or Kiba. Both of them would have ended up getting chakra blocked. Sasuke at least understood what would and wouldn't set her father off. He had been raised by another authoritarian.
"Come Neji, let us continue our training." She hears her father say and the two men walk off side by side.
Once they were gone, she follows Sasuke. She wasn't entirely sure what she'd say when she got to him. But she felt like she should say SOMETHING. It wasn't every day that someone was willing to risk her father's temper just to make sure she was alright.
"Sasuke!" She calls out.
Sasuke hears his name shouted and turns around. He tilts his head to the side. It was Hinata. He was curious how she managed to sneak out without a family member notice.
"Hey." He walks over to her.
"Thanks for checking on me." She says with a smile.
"Well it was my fault you got hit with the blast." He says and Hinata noted that he sounded like he felt guilty.
"How was it your fault?" She asks and blinks in confusion.
"If you weren't dancing with me, you wouldn't have been in the blast zone." He informs her.
"I would have been in the blast zone, even if I was still dancing with Naruto. But it means a lot that you cared enough to come and ask how I was." She says with a shy smile.
"I always will." Sasuke says and his little declaration was interrupted by the other members of the Rookie Nine bounding over.
You have to be kidding! He was FINALLY getting somewhere. But no, his friends had to show up and spoil the moment. Was the Leaf Village secret mission to fuck with him?
"Hey, bastard! Hey, Hinata. You two okay?" Naruto asks and doesn't seem to realize he just ruined the moment.
"I'm fine." Sasuke says through gritted teeth.
"I'm alright. How about everyone else?" Hinata asks, not picking up on Sasuke's frustration in her concern for her friends.
"Other than some injury to my pride, I'm well." Shino informs her and the bug user like he could not care less that just yesterday he had been kidnapped.
"Those people are sick! I hope they really bring the hammer down on them." The blonde continues.
"Anyway, a bunch of us are heading to the training grounds to blow off some steam. You coming?" Kiba asks.
"Sure." Sasuke says.
"Sounds like fun." Hinata says with a smile.
Somehow, even Neji managed to join them. As expected, the guys paired off for sparing matches quickly. Not surprisingly, Sasuke and Naruto were facing off in what Sakura called their version of a "play fight." (To most people it would have ended up sending them to the ICU.) The girls decided to sit back and enjoy the show.
"Shouldn't we be training?" Hinata mumbles to Ino.
"We are training." The blonde answers.
"How do you figure?" She asks.
"Well we are observing their fighting styles and will be able to fight them better next time. Plus, you can't beat the view. Oh there goes Neji's shirt!" Ino says when a stray fireball from Sasuke singes Neji's shirt.
"Sorry!" Sasuke says and he dodges Naruto's fist.
"It's fine. I have other ones." Neji growls in irritation.
Hinata rubs the back of her head sheepishly. Staring at her cousin shirtless was not her idea of a good time. The other girls were definitely enjoying the show though. And soon enough it didn't take long for other shirts to be thrown away or destroyed by various attacks.
"Oh the boys are training! What fun! I remember back in the old days, when we used to watch all the time!" Aiya says, having heard the commotion on her way to buy some medicine for Kenji.
"…Mother should you really be encouraging them to leer at the poor boys?" Mikoto asks.
"Oh it's just looking. Besides, it's not like they care. They are acting like peacocks anyway." Aiya waves off her concern.
Mikoto called her mother-in-law, mother. Her own mother had died in the line of duty when the Uchiha Matriarch was about 12. Sadly, it was a common fate amongst ninjas. So Aiya had taken the younger woman under her wing. She adored Aiya. But Aiya could behave like an overgrown teenager at times. So could Kenji for that matter.
"You are horrible. What would Kenji think?" She questions.
"I'm not doing any leering. They are all way too young for me. I'm just remembering the good ole days. It's good to see some things never change." She says with a smile.
"Alright. Alright. Let's go get the medicine. I didn't need you to escort me by the way." Aiya insists.
"Sorry about this. She loves to get into mischief." Mikoto says as she drags her mother-in-law off.
"Wow, Sasuke's grandmother is really…playful for a woman her age." Sakura states and blinks.
"Oh that's nothing. You should see our grandfather." Itachi murmurs.
"ITACHI! When did you get here?" Sasuke asks.
"Oh about two minutes ago. You are all being quite loud. It was only natural that I would come to see what was causing all commotion." Itachi replies to his brother.
Hinata blushes and immediately adverts her eyes. Now that more of the boys were shirtless who weren't related to her, well she'd been just as guilty as looking as any of the other Rookie women. And there really was a lot to ogle. If there was one thing the ninja lifestyle was very good at, it was sculpting male bodies to perfection.
"I guess we got a bit carried away." Sasuke concedes.
Whenever he fought with Naruto, getting carried away was a given. The younger Uchiha loved a good fight. The blonde always provided one.
His beloved older brother's fighting style more mental than physical. Sasuke leaned more towards the physical side. So training with Itachi while educational, lacked the adrenaline rush that training with blonde knucklehead never failed to produce.
"That and the Hokage is calling for all the Jonin to meet in an hour. It's important to discuss the fate of the surviving kidnappers." He informs the others about the situation.
That got everyone's attention. They all stopped training and head off immediately. Everyone wanted to know how the kidnappers were going to be punished. More importantly, was it over? Would there be more attacks? The entire Leaf had been on edge since yesterday.
In almost no time at all, they had all headed off to see the Hokage. The entire atmosphere was tense with worry. No one was sure what was going to happen.
"While we were conducting a rescue mission, we encountered a member of the Akatsuki. It seems highly unlikely this was an isolated incident. That is why I am urging all ninjas from clans with blood lines to institute Yin and Yang Policy." The Hokage informs them.
The Yin and Yang Policy was a fancy name for the buddy system. You would be paired with another ninja who had a fighting style that was different from yours. The theory was that such different abilities would end up complimenting each other.
Each being strong in an area the other was weak in. Thus making it a good way to ward off attacks. An isolated ninja was easier to take down, than two ninjas.
Sasuke smiles when he sees Itachi paired with Kurenai. True they were both Genjutsu users, but Kurenai was more of a "camouflage/ambush" type of Genjutsu user. Itachi was more of a "mindfuck" Genjutsu user, in Sasuke's opinion.
He tilts his head when he sees Hiashi approach the Hokage. He whispered something into the Kage's ear. The Hokage looked surprised but after awhile nods their head. It looked like whatever request the Hyuga had asked for was about to be granted.
"Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha, you are to be partnered with each other until we can be assured that the Akatsuki and the village isn't planning another attack." The Hokage says and continues assigning partners.
Sasuke blinks. Had Hiashi asked for them to be paired off? That didn't make any sense. Earlier, Hiashi had dismissed him. Now he was entrusting Sasuke with Hinata's life?
Hinata seemed just as surprised. But she walks over to Sasuke. Both of them were looking at Hiashi with matching expressions. Their eyes say, Did that really just happen?
The pairs are soon dismissed. The Hokage told them that it was important to learn more about their partner's fighting style and general day to day habits. If something was amiss such as a Transformation Jutsu, it would be easier to spot that way.
"Well I've already been to your family's home. Do you want to see the District?" Sasuke gets over his shock enough to ask.
"Yes, please." Hinata says and walks off with Sasuke, other pairs were now dispensing.
"Your place or mine?" Itachi asks Kurenai.
"I can't believe you just said that." She smiles teasingly.
"Neither can I." He states.
"Mine. Mirai is going to have to get used to you." She says and leads the older Uchiha off.
"Alright." Itachi says and follows her.
Itachi did not have a problem following the lovely female ninja. One couldn't beat the view. And honestly, he'd never been to her home before. So he didn't know where he was going anyway.
"Don't mind the mess. Mirai is two now and getting into everything." She warns him.
"I'm sure it isn't that bad." Itachi assures her.
Once inside, Itachi say that yes, it was that bad. Mirai seemed to have located some crayons and the walls were now littered with scribbles. Well at least it didn't look like the toddler had tried to eat the crayons like Shisui had when they were children. (Itachi wondered if despite the non-toxic label, if that wasn't a lie. Maybe that would explain his cousin's eccentric nature.)
"Mirai! The walls are not…coloring paper." Kurenai says.
Mirai gives Kurenai the kicked puppy face. She gestures to the walls like, See? See what I did? Isn't it pretty?
"It's nothing a cleaning jutsu can't fix. When you live in a clan as large as mine…such issues come up." He says and performs a few hand seals, cleaning the walls instantly.
"I'm going to have to remember that one. Mirai, this is Itachi. He's going to be visiting us a lot while we are on an important mission." Kurenai tells her.
"Hi, Eeeetachiii." She says cheerfully.
"My name can be a mouthful for a child." Itachi says.
"It appears so. Would you like anything to eat or drink? I'm afraid it's been awhile since I've had someone over who drinks something stronger than milk." She says with a smile.
"Water is fine." Itachi says.
"Well this is the district. The house in the center, that's the one I live in." He says to Hinata.
"It's so big." Hinata muses.
"It's so big." Shisui snickers.
"Shisui, get your mind out of the damn gutter." Sasuke says and glares at his cousin.
"Oh come on! She walked right into that one." He protests.
Hinata blushes scarlet. She hadn't meant it THAT way. But she would soon discover the Uchiha Clan was very different than her own. Jokes such as that one were…apparently not uncommon. It would have been an outrage to say such a thing at the Hyuga Estate.
"Don't mind him. He got dropped on his head a few too many times as a baby." Sasuke says.
"Ouch! That was so mean. That hurt, Sasuke. That really hurt, right here." Shisui says and clutches his heart as if Sasuke had stabbed him there.
"You get used to him." Sasuke informs her.
Sasuke leads Hinata into his house. The Uchiha quickly gives her a tour. Sasuke shows her to a guestroom she could use and decides to check on his grandfather.
"Wow. Grandmother actually let you out of her sight?" Sasuke teases.
"Yes, to get some medicine. Poor woman doesn't need to make such a fuss. You'd think that I had never gotten a battle scar before." He chuckles.
"Hinata, this is my grandfather. Kenji. He was hurt during the rescue mission. We'll have to watch him to make sure he doesn't overdo it. He's very, very stubborn." Sasuke warns her.
"Hello." Hinata says.
"Oh you must be Lacey." Kenji muses.
"Lacey?" Hinata asks in confusion.
"Nevermind. I think the pain meds are getting to my grandfather. He doesn't know what he's saying. Um come on, let's get you set up in the guestroom." Sasuke says and gives Kenji a look like, Don't you even think about telling her that I told you about her lingerie!
"Alright. Good night, Kenji." She says, bowing her head politely, and is escorted by Sasuke out of the room before the elder Uchiha could embarrass his youngest grandson further.