A/N:
I haf kinda forgotten about this story. Sorry about that. I'll make a better effort and puke up a lot more of these. Prepare yourselves.

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Disclaimer:
«I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. I only own the story itself the main character and to the idea.»
Almost all of the text belongs to Jane Austen. I have only merged it with the Naruto world.

Jane Austen's 'Ino' - Chapter 7

The very day of Sai's going to Yumegakure produced a fresh occasion for Ino's services towards her friend. Hinata had been at Flowerhall, as usual, soon after breakfast; and, after a time, had gone home to return again to dinner: she returned, and sooner than had been talked of, and with an agitated, hurried look, announcing something extraordinary to have happened which she was longing to tell. Half a minute brought it all out. She had heard, as soon as she got back to Koharu Utatane's, that Naruto Uzumaki had been there an hour before, and finding she was not at home, nor particularly expected, had left a little parcel for her from his mother, and gone away; and on opening this parcel, she had actually found, besides the two songs which she had lent her friend to copy, a letter to herself; and this letter was from him, from Naruto, and contained a direct proposal of marriage. "Who could have thought it? She was so surprized she did not know what to do. Yes, quite a proposal of marriage; and a very good letter, at least she thought so. And he wrote as if he really loved her very much—but she did not know—and so, she was come as fast as she could to ask Ino what she should do.—" Ino was half-ashamed of her friend for seeming so pleased and so doubtful.

"Upon my word," she cried, "the young man is determined not to lose any thing for want of asking. He will connect himself well if he can."

"Will you read the letter?" cried Hinata. "Pray do. I'd rather you would."

Ino was not sorry to be pressed. She read, and was surprized. The style of the letter was much above her expectation. There were not merely no grammatical errors, but as a composition it would not have disgraced a gentleman; the language, though plain, was strong and unaffected, and the sentiments it conveyed very much to the credit of the writer. It was short, but expressed good sense, warm attachment, liberality, propriety, even delicacy of feeling. She paused over it, while Hinata stood anxiously watching for her opinion, with a "Well, well," and was at last forced to add, "Is it a good letter? or is it too short?"

"Yes, indeed, a very good letter," replied Ino rather slowly—"so good a letter, Hinata, that every thing considered, I think his mother must have helped him. I can hardly imagine the young man whom I saw talking with you the other day could express himself so well, if left quite to his own powers, and yet it is not the style of a woman; no, certainly, it is too strong and concise; not diffuse enough for a woman. No doubt he is a sensible man, and I suppose may have a natural talent for—thinks strongly and clearly—and when he takes a pen in hand, his thoughts naturally find proper words. It is so with some men. Yes, I understand the sort of mind. Vigorous, decided, with sentiments to a certain point, not coarse. A better written letter, Hinata than I had expected."

"Well," said the still waiting Hinata;—" well—and— and what shall I do?"

"What shall you do! In what respect? Do you mean with regard to this letter?"

"Yes."

"But what are you in doubt of? You must answer it of course—and speedily."

"Yes. But what shall I say? Dear Ino, do advise me."

"Oh no, no! the letter had much better be all your own. You will express yourself very properly, I am sure. There is no danger of your not being intelligible, which is the first thing. Your meaning must be unequivocal; no doubts or demurs: and such expressions of gratitude and concern for the pain you are inflicting as propriety requires, will present themselves unbidden to your mind, I am persuaded. You need not be prompted to write with the appearance of sorrow for his disappointment."

"You think I ought to refuse him then," said Hinata, looking down.

"Ought to refuse him! My dear Hinata, what do you mean? Are you in any doubt as to that? I thought—but I beg your pardon, perhaps I have been under a mistake. I certainly have been misunderstanding you, if you feel in doubt as to the purport of your answer. I had imagined you were consulting me only as to the wording of it."

Hinata was silent. With a little reserve of manner, Ino continued:

"You mean to return a favourable answer, I collect."

"No, I do not; that is, I do not mean—What shall I do?

What would you advise me to do? Pray, dear Ino, tell me what I ought to do."

"I shall not give you any advice, Hinata. I will have nothing to do with it. This is a point which you must settle with your feelings."

"I had no notion that he liked me so very much," said Hinata, contemplating the letter. For a little while Ino persevered in her silence; but beginning to apprehend the bewitching flattery of that letter might be too powerful, she thought it best to say,

"I lay it down as a general rule, Hinata, that if a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him. If she can hesitate as to `Yes,' she ought to say `No' directly. It is not a state to be safely entered into with doubtful feelings, with half a heart. I thought it my duty as a friend, and older than yourself, to say thus much to you. But do not imagine that I want to influence you."

"Oh! no, I am sure you are a great deal too kind to—but if you would just advise me what I had best do—No, no, I do not mean that—As you say, one's mind ought to be quite made up—One should not be hesitating—It is a very serious thing.—It will be safer to say `No,' perhaps.—Do you think I had better say `No?'"

"Not for the world," said Ino, smiling graciously, "would I advise you either way. You must be the best judge of your own happiness. If you prefer Naruto Uzukaki to every other person; if you think him the most agreeable man you have ever been in company with, why should you hesitate? You blush, Hinata.—Does any body else occur to you at this moment under such a definition? Hinata, Hinata, do not deceive yourself; do not be run away with by gratitude and compassion. At this moment whom are you thinking of?"

The symptoms were favourable.—Instead of answering, Hinata turned away confused, and stood thoughtfully by the fire; and though the letter was still in her hand, it was now mechanically twisted about without regard. Ino waited the result with impatience, but not without strong hopes. At last, with some hesitation, Hinata said—

"Ino, as you will not give me your opinion, I must do as well as I can by myself; and I have now quite determined, and really almost made up my mind—to refuse Naruto. Do you think I am right?"

"Perfectly, perfectly right, my dearest Hinata; you are doing just what you ought. While you were at all in suspense I kept my feelings to myself, but now that you are so completely decided I have no hesitation in approving. Dear Hinata, I give myself joy of this. It would have grieved me to lose your acquaintance, which must have been the consequence of your marrying Naruto. While you were in the smallest degree wavering, I said nothing about it, because I would not influence; but it would have been the loss of a friend to me. I could not have visited Naruto Uzumaki. Now I am secure of you for ever."

Hinata had not surmised her own danger, but the idea of it struck her forcibly.

"You could not have visited me!" she cried, looking aghast. "No, to be sure you could not; but I never thought of that before. That would have been too dreadful!—What an escape!— Dear Ino, I would not give up the pleasure and honour of being intimate with you for any thing in the world."

"Indeed, Hinata, it would have been a severe pang to lose you; but it must have been. You would have thrown yourself out of all good society. I must have given you up."

"Dear me!—How should I ever have borne it! It would have killed me never to come to Flowerhall any more!"

"Dear affectionate creature!—You banished to his house!—You confined to the society of the illiterate and vulgar all your life! I wonder how the young man could have the assurance to ask it. He must have a pretty good opinion of himself."

"I do not think he is conceited either, in general," said Hinata, her conscience opposing such censure; "at least, he is very good natured, and I shall always feel much obliged to him, and have a great regard for— but that is quite a different thing from—and you know, though he may like me, it does not follow that I should—and certainly I must confess that since my visiting here I have seen people—and if one comes to compare them, person and manners, there is no comparison at all, one is so very handsome and agreeable. However, I do really think Naruto a very amiable young man, and have a great opinion of him; and his being so much attached to me—and his writing such a letter—but as to leaving you, it is what I would not do upon any consideration."

"Thank you, thank you, my own sweet little friend. We will not be parted. A woman is not to marry a man merely because she is asked, or because he is attached to her, and can write a tolerable letter."

"Oh no;—and it is but a short letter too."

Ino felt the bad taste of her friend, but let it pass with a "very true; and it would be a small consolation to her, for the clownish manner which might be offending her every hour of the day, to know that her husband could write a good letter."

"Oh! yes, very. Nobody cares for a letter; the thing is, to be always happy with pleasant companions. I am quite determined to refuse him. But how shall I do? That shall I say?"

Ino assured her there would be no difficulty in the answer, and advised its being written directly, which was agreed to, in the hope of her assistance; and though Ino continued to protest against any assistance being wanted, it was in fact given in the formation of every sentence. The looking over his letter again, in replying to it, had such a softening tendency, that it was particularly necessary to brace her up with a few decisive expressions; and she was so very much concerned at the idea of making him unhappy, and thought so much of what his mother would think and say, and was so anxious that they should not fancy her ungrateful, that Ino believed if the young man had come in her way at that moment, he would have been accepted after all.

This letter, however, was written, and sealed, and sent. The business was finished, and Hinata safe. She was rather low all the evening, but Ino could allow for her amiable regrets, and sometimes relieved them by speaking of her own affection, sometimes by bringing forward the idea of Sai.

"I shall never be invited to his home again," was said in rather a sorrowful tone.

"Nor, if you were, could I ever bear to part with you, my Hinata. You are a great deal too necessary at Flowerhall to be spared to that."

"And I am sure I should never want to go there; for I am never happy but at Flowerhall."

Some time afterwards it was, "I think Koharu Utatane would be very much surprised if she knew what had happened."

"The attentions of a certain person can hardly be among the tittle-tattle of Konoha yet. Hitherto I fancy you and I are the only people to whom his looks and manners have explained themselves."

Hinata blushed and smiled, and said something about wondering that people should like her so much. The idea of Sai was certainly cheering; but still, after a time, she was tender-hearted again towards the rejected Naruto.

"Now he has got my letter," said she softly. "I wonder what they are all doing—whether his mother knows—if he is unhappy, she will be unhappy too. I hope he will not mind it so very much."

"Let us think of those among our absent friends who are more cheerfully employed," cried Ino. "At this moment, perhaps, Sai is shewing your picture to his friends, telling how much more beautiful the original is, and after being asked for it five or six times, allowing them to hear your name, your own dear name."

"My picture!—But he has left my picture in his office."

"Has he so!—Then I know nothing of Sai. No, my dear little modest Hinata, depend upon it the picture will not be there till just before he mounts his horse tomorrow. It is his companion all this evening, his solace, his delight. It opens his designs to his friends, it introduces you among them, it diffuses through the party those pleasantest feelings of our nature, eager curiosity and warm prepossession. How cheerful, how animated, how suspicious, how busy their imaginations all are!"

Hinata smiled again, and her smiles grew stronger.

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