Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it's characters, or any aspect of it. It all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
The Beauty of Power
Chapter 13
Hinata sat in front of her father, Hiashi Hyuuga, and her legs were folded underneath her. She didn't meet the eyes of her father, instead she looked at the wooden boards in the floor, but she felt his gaze penetrate her.
"w-what all do you know?" Hinata asked, lowly.
"Everything, the festival, you going out to the forest to train with him." Hiashi informed. The Hyuuga heiress should have seen this coming, she knew that her father kept a close eye on her, and her sister, Hanabi. Nothing got past his eyes.
"I-I was merely trying to w-welcome, Sasuke-san back into the village." Hinata said, softly.
"You are the next in line to the Hyuuga throne." Hiashi's voice was stern. "You being around him, are you not aware of what he has done?"
"I-I am." Hinata mumbled. "But, why not give him a chance?"
"To do what?" Hiashi pressed." A chance to harm you? you have duties remember that, you are a shinobi, and the future heiress, those are the things that you need to focus on. Not rehabilitating someone."
"b-but, he saved me." Hinata defended. "When I was on the mission, h-he stepped in and kept me from being attacked."
"You shouldn't need the help of anyone." Hiashi grunted. Hinata pursed her lips, and nodded in compliance. "You have an image to uphold, we cannot allow you to be perceived as weak, enemies will take advantage of that."
"I understand."
"Your kind nature will be taken advantage of that Uchiha, so do a favor and stay away from him." Hiashi recommended.
"B-but, he is my friend."
"Friend?" Hiashi asked with a reflection of doubt in his voice. "You think that he is your friend."
"I do."
"Hinata." Hiashi said, flatly. "That is a foolish notion that should be tosses out of your mind, immediately." Why do you think he wanted to be around you?" all he wants is the power of the Hyuuga!" Hiashi's voice was now angry, Hinata flinched at the tone, and she felt tension in the air. The air was heavy and thick that Hinata felt as if she was going to choke on it.
Hiashi continued. "The Hyuuga and Uchiha have history together." We are both ancient clans who have been revered as the most powerful among our peers, we both have powerful kekkei genkai that have evolved from one another, but the Hyuuga have kept the secret of the byakugan guarded for centuries while the Uchiha have allowed theirs to run wild." I will allow ours to be compromised by my misguided daughter."
"Yes, father, I am s-sorry." Hinata apologized, and she bowed to Hiashi. "P-please forgive me." Hiashi sighed at his daughter.
"You are strong Hinata, I saw what you did during the Fourth Shinobi War, but you are also weak." Hiashi informed. "Now, go wash up." Hinata stood up, her face covered with her hair, and she walked out of the room. She slid the door behind her, and upon hearing the click, ran down the hallway. Her tears were now streaming down her face, and she went into her room. Closing the door behind her, she fell on her bed, and buried her face in her pillow. It was not too long that she heard her door slide open.
"Hinata?" Hanabi asked, concerned. "Are you okay?" The Hyuuga heiress gasped in shock, and she wiped her tears away, quickly.
"Yes, Hanabi?"
"Are you okay?" Hinata felt her sister touch her shoulder, and she smiled at her.
"O-oh yes, thank y-you."
"Did father say something to you?"
"No, w-why do you ask?"
"It is about Sasuke Uchiha isn't it? I was able to overhear some of the conversation between father and the people who had told him about you and Sasuke." Hinata looked at her, stunned, and then she nodded. "He is a bad man you know."
"Maybe in the past." Hinata defended. "Now, he is not a bad person, no, now he is d-different."
"How can you tell?"
"It is h-hard to explain."
"Do you know why he wanted to originally hang around you?" Hanabi asked. Hinata grimaced, pondering the question, and she couldn't come up with an answer.
"No, I don't."
"Are you sure it was not for your byakugan?" Hanabi questioned. "I love you, Hinata, and I do trust your judgement, you are my dear big sister, but you have to be a hundred percent sure. You should ask him and see what he says."
What was the real reason for him being around her? This was a question that Hinata found herself unable to answer, and she stood up.
"I will be back, Hanabi." Hinata walked out of the house, and she headed towards the Uchiha estate. The gates open for the first time, she could see inside it, and Hinata looked at the garden in awe. She approached the front door, and she knocked on it, quietly.
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Sasuke opened up the door, the Hyuuga heiress's face was puffy, and her eyes were red. Had she been crying? His eyes narrowed as he pursed his lips, and he leaned up against the door frame.
"Why do you look like that?" The Uchiha heir asked, coolly.
"I have to ask you a q-question."
"Another one?" Sasuke exasperated, and Hinata nodded at him. "What is it?"
"Why d-did you first start hanging around m-me, Sasuke-san?" Sasuke looked at her, intently, and she held his gaze. "Why d-did you seek me out that first time in the restaurant "please tell me, I need to k-know."
"Why is it important?" The Uchiha heir groaned.
"Because my father thinks that you wanted me for the b-byakugan." Instantly, the Uchiha heir's face became hard, and his eye became cold. "Is the whole reason w-why we interacted with one another is because you w-want my byakugan?"
Smart man. That is to be expected from the head of the Hyuuga clan.
"You may not like the answer." He saw her pale at his response, and she backed away from him.
"Tell me, please."
"Are you doing this because of your father?" the Uchiha heir asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, not a-anymore." Hinata grasped her pants, and she looked down at the ground. "I am doing this for me, I n-need to know."
"Fine." Sasuke said with rolled eyes. "I didn't interact with you because I want your byakugan, I am perfectly happy with my kekkei genkai, but it was somewhat related to your byakugan. You see I was tired of not having a worthy opponent to fight and well, I have never fought a Hyuuga before, and you were the perfect opportunity to fill that."
"' So you just talked to m-me because I was a Hyuuga?" Hinata asked as he saw her eyes fill with water.
"Essentially, you were just a punching bag till I got bored of you or you wore out." Sasuke affirmed. Tears now fell down her cheeks, she covered her face, and she shook her head.
"You were t-taking advantage of my k-kindness."
"Yes."
"That is so cruel." The Hyuuga heiress muttered. "And what about n-now, are you taking advantage of me now?"
"There are circumstances that prevent me from doing so now, I no longer have the desire to."
"I don't believe you." Hinata turned away from him, and Sasuke fought the urge to want to reach out towards her.
"Hinata."
"My father was right." The Hyuuga heiress sobbed. "I am a fool." And with that, the Uchiha heir saw her run out of his gates, and he felt something warm in his hands. Sasuke looked at his hand, his fists were clenched in a tight grip to where his nails dug in the flesh, drawing blood.
Had they been like that the whole time?
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Hinata ran all the way back home, she walked up to the stairs of her front porch, and sat down. She could hear all the voices of everyone telling her that they told her that this would happen, Hinata pulled her knees up to her chest, and she rested her head on them.
Was it so wrong to have faith in him? Did he even care that she wanted to make him feel like a normal person?
The Hyuuga heiress felt used by him, but she had only herself to blame for the predicament that she was in.
He had no intention of being her friend. Sasuke Uchiha didn't want friends, and he was not going to entertain the idea of having one.
Friends didn't treat one another like that. The Hyuuga heiress mentally kicked herself, she should have left things alone, and not demanded the truth from him. He had warned her, and she should have taken his advice. It would save her from this emptiness that she was feeling in her chest.
The emptiness was familiar to her, in fact, she had felt it when she had confessed her love for Naruto, and he had not return it.
It was the emptiness of being alone.
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-Several days later-
The Uchiha heir hadn't seen the Hyuuga heiress since their confrontation, Sasuke told himself not to care, and to go about his own day. He did this for the first couple of days of her absence, and it worked. However, he noticed that he couldn't sleep at all during the night, in fact, all he did was stare at the white plastered walls, and this put him in a very foul mood. Everything began to agitate him, and Sasuke began to suspect that this was all out of some form of guilt.
So he did know what guilt felt like. The Uchiha heir thought that he had rid himself of that annoying emotion a long time ago, but apparently not.
Why did he care so much? She was the one who asked the question. He was truthful with her.
You really fucked up, you fucking idiot. Apologize. The Uchiha heir snarled at the thought, and he cursed underneath his breath. There was no way in hell that he was going to apologize to her. Sasuke Uchiha was never apologetic for any of his actions! He was not going to break that streak.
Fine, then good luck to you, we all know you won't get a wink of sleep before you do.
It was only after a few more sleepless nights, Sasuke started to give in. He needed to find the Hyuuga heiress quick.
-The next morning-
As soon as the sun rose, the Uchiha heir ventured out into the market to see if Hinata was there, and no luck came up. He looked all throughout the kukoji forest to see if she was there, and she wasn't. He was getting tense when he results turned up nothing, and he considered going to her estate, dragging her out of there, and making her accept his apology. He didn't care if she wanted to accept the apology or not, at least he did it. After, a couple of more no luck searches, he passed by a kimono shop, and the Hyuuga heiress walked out of it. She had a bag in her hands, and she met his eyes.
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Hinata looked at Sasuke, surprised, and then she smiled, wearily.
"Hey, Sasuke-san, i-is something wrong?"
"Yea, there is." The Uchiha heir informed as he sauntered towards her,
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"I'm sorry" Sasuke apologized. Oh! How those words made his tongue burn. He saw the Hyuuga heiress's eyes widen at his word, she was clearly taken aback by his apology, and the Uchiha heir ran his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry for everything."
"I f-forgive you, Sasuke-san." Hinata said, quickly. "N-" Sasuke cut her off.
"I am not finished yet." The Uchiha heir pressed. "I really need to talk you."
"About what?" Hinata bit her lip. "You have m-made it clear that you were only interested in me as a p-punching bag and not me as a person."
"That is what I wanted to talk to you about, I am not interested in you for that reason, anymore."
"You're lying." Hinata said as she shook her head. Sasuke could tell that she was deeply hurt, it was evident all over her face. The Uchiha heir walked up to her, grabbing her jacket, and he pulled her against him. His body tensed up at the touch, and his jaw clenched. Hinata put her hands in between them, they rested on his chest, and she tried to pull away. However, he tightened his grip on her.
"I am not lying." The Uchiha heir reiterated.
"If you are n-not, how do I know that?" Her lavender eyes met his ash burn ones.
"You should know by a couple of things I have done for you." The Uchiha heir explained. "I stepped in between you and that crowd in the village, I also stepped in between you and those men, and I am holding you like this right now, if that is not enough validation for you, I don't know what is."
"But, what about what you said?" Hinata asked, curiously.
"Before, this all began to occur and I met you, I wouldn't have cared if you were struck down, blown up, I couldn't even stand the thought of you touching me or vice versa." The Hyuuga heiress looked at him, shocked, and he leaned down, resting his forehead against her shoulder. "But, I will no longer think about taking advantage of you, things have changed between you and me."
"Sasuke-san."
"That is the truth." Sasuke sighed. "I have been nothing, but truthful to you. That is the most that people get out of me in a lifetime."
"I k-know it is, Sasuke-san." Hinata began. "Are you s-saying that you have changed?"
"That is what is implied isn't it?"
"I know y-you have changed, I have seen it in you."
"Oh how so?" Sasuke questioned.
"When we f-first met your eyes were filled with coldness and apathy but now their d-different." Hinata explained.
"Your eyes can see more than just chakra." The Uchiha heir whispered, lowly. "This is why I say that you have broken me."
"I'm s-sorry."
"Shut up." Sasuke hissed. "The minute that I agreed to go to that festival with you was the beginning of it, and now I am ruined."
"Is that what you mean by circumstances?"
"It is." Sasuke explained. "And when I told you that I wanted you to be mine, I meant it, every word of it." There was no motive behind those words, it is what I desired." I desire… you."
"That makes me happy." Hinata said with a hint of elation in her voice.
Happiness? He couldn't believe that this had come out of someone's mouth? Sasuke Uchiha, murder, traitor, selfish, sadistic asshole was able to deliver something other than heart ache, and pain.
"I am not a romantic man, Hinata, but I can tell you that I have been more agitated these past couple of days than I have been in a long time." The Uchiha heir admitted. "And that made me come to this conclusion."
"And what is that?"
"That I don't want you to ever leave me, I want you to be always by my side."
"My father will always be s-suspicious of you e-even if we're..." Her voice trailed off.
"Dating."
"A-are we?" Hinata asked, curiously, but Sasuke remained silent. He could tell that his silence was making her uneasy. "I mean... if you w-want to."
"I don't know if I have romantic feelings for you yet." He murmured." But, the answer to both of your questions should be obvious." Hinata couldn't help, but let out a small giggle, and Sasuke smirked at her. He lifted up his head, leaning into her face, and she looked at him with parted lips. He brushed his nose along her jawline all the way up to her ear, and her breath hitched. "You want me to say one of those answers out loud don't you?" She gave him affirming smile, and she nodded. There was a pause between the two heirs.
"Yes, Hinata Hyuuga, I want to date you." Sasuke whispered as he pressed his lips against her ear, affectionately.
"I'd like t-that." Hinata admitted as she closed her eyes, savoring the moment.
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-Later on that day-
Hinata was training in her backyard, she was huffing, and her byakugan was activated. A wooden dummy sat in front of her, it had dents in it from where she had hit it with her hands, and they had scratched on them.
"Hinata!" Hanabi shouted. The Hyuuga heiress turned around to meet her sister, and Hanabi ran up to her. Hanabi's face was full of disbelief. "Sasuke Uchiha is here." Hinata's eyes widened at her sister's news, and she followed her sister back into the house. The Hyuuga heiress stopped at her front door, Hiashi was standing at the gate with his arms crossed, and Sasuke was standing in front of him. They seemed to be in a conversation, it looked like a deep conversation, and she saw Sasuke bow to Hiashi, halfway. This caught Hinata off guard, she strolled over to where they were, and Hiashi turned around.
"What is g-going on, w-why are you here, Sasuke-san?" Hiashi closed his eyes, pushing past her, and she stared at him, perplexed. However, he stopped a few feet away from her, and he turned around.
"I will not be responsible for you, if any harm comes to you." Hiashi said, coolly. Hinata watched him head back into the house, and she looked back at Sasuke.
"What did you do?"
"Don't worry about it." The Uchiha heir said, dismissively. However, Hinata was fully aware of what he had just done. He had persuaded her father to allow her to be around him, and she smiled to herself.
The selfish Uchiha that everyone talked about had just done something for someone, and it wasn't just for anyone. It was just for her.
Please review the story, I would greatly appreciate it, and I hope you all enjoyed it as there will be more to come- FireGladiator