Contrived Flaws

Ch 2: The Gossip

Her sister told her it was pathetic, but then, Hanabi was never one to mince words. She supposed she was like her father that way, direct, if not a little harsh. Hinata felt that was a very brash way to communicate, but that was beside the point.

Sakura had said it'd be wise to give up, he was never going to get a clue.

And Neji, well, Neji offered to beat him up, but Hinata didn't want that. Besides, she suspected he had other reasons for offering, he never did like the boy that much. At best he held a begrudging respect for him.

The thing was, the Hyuuga heiress had given her heart to a certain someone at a very young age. In fact, she had never, ever looked at another boy after she discovered her love for Naruto. She was kind of old fashioned that way.

Hinata sat in the Hyuuga garden, with only the flowers and her thoughts to keep her company. She had always adored the garden, since she was a small girl. It had been the one place in the Hyuuga compound that she could escape to. It was simply so free, so refreshing. She had often envied the flowers when she was younger, they were always able to be themselves. No matter who criticized them or judged them, they just were. Meanwhile the young heiress was pulled this way and that, always forced into the mold her father had made for her. The trouble was, she never seemed to fit. It was rather like forcing a square block into a round hole.

Presently, the dark haired girl was trying to meditate - as she often did in the garden - it was just so very hard to concentrate on not concentrating on anything when one was going to be married in less than a week. She scrubbed her face with her hands, something she had been told time and time again was very unladylike. The cold winter air rushed around her in a gust, but she hardly felt it. She was simply too preoccupied; too inside her own mind to notice her cold nose, or that her toes were starting to go numb. No matter how hard she tried, thoughts kept floating into her head - well, more like rushing headlong, than floating. Thoughts of her upcoming marriage to a certain Uchiha, to be exact. It wasn't that she had anything against Itachi, she hardly knew him, it was just that she had always imagined herself marrying someone else.

Truth be told, Hinata had dreamed of her wedding day. She was the sensitive little girl that dreamt of white dresses and flowers and happily ever afters. Truth be told, she had always pictured a certain someone standing there with her. A certain knuckleheaded ninja named Naruto.

Now, Hinata would never openly admit this - at least, she'd never say it out loud - but she had always kind of thought she would end up marrying the kyuubi container. Sure, he had never expressed any kind of interest in her, and sure, he had sort of inadvertently shot her down a few times, but still…

She loved him, and that was all that mattered, right?

Except that wasn't true, and she realized now that it didn't matter. It never mattered. It didn't matter when she was eight, it didn't matter when she was twelve. It didn't matter all those times she thought of confessing. It wouldn't have mattered if Naruto had confessed his undying love for her.

It simply didn't matter.

Hinata was arranged to be married to someone else, all this time… and it didn't matter.

It was a difficult pill to swallow, knowing that your thoughts and dreams were pointless; Your wants and wishes were in vain. But Hinata was strong, stronger than anyone knew, and she would get through it. She would simply have to.

If there was a defining feature of Konoha, it was how quickly news spread. When a prominent ninja returned from a mission, the entire town knew at once. When Ino got a new boyfriend, the whole town was adequately informed at an alarming rate.

And when a famous clan heir was going to marry an equally well known clan heiress, news was sure to spread fast.

Shikamaru was convinced that this defining quality of Konoha was entirely dependent on a certain Yamanaka girl, but it was purely speculation.

In any case, talk of the upcoming nuptials spread like a wildfire and by the following day, Hinata couldn't walk down the street without being offered congratulations and condolences. She wasn't sure which ones to say 'Thank you,' to. She supposed it was only a matter of time before her friends and teammates found out. And that time was growing alarmingly close.

"Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan!"

The heiress panicked and jumped behind a large, nearby tree in an effort to hide from her pursuer.

But no one hides from Uzumaki Naruto. "Hinata-chan, why are ya hiding behind that tree?"

"O-oh, Naruto-kun. I-I was just ch-checking for… something."

"Do you need help?" he asked, inclining his head to look around the tree behind her.

She straightened and shook her head vigorously, willing her face to stop heating up. After all these years, Naruto could still turn her into a blundering pile of nervous goo.

"Well, I heard you're getting hitched to teme's big brother!" he patted her roughly on the shoulder, "Congratulations!"

Hinata was fidgeting nervously, pressing her fingertips together and shifting awkwardly between her feet, "O-oh, th-thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Man, I didn't even know you guys were into each other, ya know? But Itachi's kinda secretive like that." He grinned his intoxicating grin.

"Y-yeah." Hinata's father had made it crystal clear that everyone in Konoha was going to be informed that the Hyuuga heiress and the Uchiha heir had been quietly participating in a relationship for some time now and had decided to seal it with marriage. She was not to tell anyone otherwise. It was pointless, really, any ninja that knew to look underneath the underneath would know it was a simple case of clan politics.

Unfortunately, Naruto was not a member of that group.

"Well, If he's mean to you, let me know, Hinata-chan, and I'll beat him up for ya!" He pressed one fist into his other palm before waving cheerily and departing.

Hinata exhaled the breath she was holding and felt the oxygen rush to her head. Well, she supposed that wasn't so bad. She didn't faint. She didn't spill the beans and tell him it was an arranged marriage. And she didn't faint! The worst of that had to be over.

Except it wasn't, because she was on her way to train with her teammates, whom she had already had to blow off the day before. They were sure to interrogate her mercilessly, especially Kiba. She took a deep breath in preparation before entering the training grounds, only to assaulted by a very excited Kiba.

"Hinata! What happened yesterday?" he exclaimed. Apparently he was not in the gossip loop. "We were supposed to have dinner with Shikamaru and Choji!" And Ino, whom Kiba conveniently forgot to mention.

"I know," she said quietly, ducking her head to her chest.

"She is obviously distressed," Shino stated in an attempt to quell Kiba's misguided enthusiasm.

"Father required my presence in a meeting."

It was obvious to Shino she was withholding information, but he decided not to press the issue. Besides, he already knew the reason she was unable to attend their dinner - He was in the loop.

"Oh," Kiba replied, "Clan crap."

The bug user cringed at his choice of words, but decided to mediate anyway, "Shall we begin training?"

Hinata nodded and settled back into a fighting pose. Her father had taken her off of the mission roster and relieved her of any clan duties and training until after the wedding. She felt that was hardly helpful. The last thing she wanted to do was sit around and do nothing. As such, she had decided to train with her team anyway.

They took up their usual pairs, Kiba would start by training with Akamaru, while Shino and Hinata had a light spar to get going.

"No kekkei genkai?" Shino inquired, shifting his head slightly so that his glasses caught the sunlight.

The heiress nodded once more and the bug user wasted no time before coming at her. She found that her training suffered enormously from her frayed emotions. She was unfocused, unmotivated, and most of all, unhappy. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something was wrong, and she was certain Shino was merely being kind by not facilitating an interrogation.

But the bug user had gotten six hits in on her already, and they had hardly begun sparring. She hated that feeling, weakness, but it was all she was made of at the moment. A simple hit to her shoulder brought her to the ground for the seventh time.

And she stayed there.

Kiba, who couldn't help but watch once he noticed the Hyuuga girl's lack of focus, ran over, "What's the matter, Hinata?"

"You should not pursue the issue. Why? Because Hyuuga clan business is none of our concern," Shino interrupted, in effort to save her.

"No, it's okay," she sat up and took a deep breath, fiddling with the end of her shirt. "Everyone will know soon enough," she paused, "Father says I must marry Uchiha Itachi."

"What?" Kiba was instantly outraged. He bared his teeth and his nostrils flared as he stared at her incredulously.

"It has been settled for many years now. Only I'm just finding out. The wedding is next week."

"Next week!"

Hinata wasn't sure whether to be relieved or upset when her cousin, Neji, showed up. On the one hand, she was glad to be saved from the humiliation and interrogation of her teammates. On the other, she couldn't help but notice they seemed upset at the news. They were the first. And perhaps she wanted to swim around a bit in their sympathy before returning to her demanding father and lovesick younger sister.

It hardly mattered, she didn't have a choice. Helpless, that's what she was. Stuck in the current of life, her choices made for her, her mind made up for her. Perhaps Neji had been right all those years ago. It was simply her fate.

"Hiashi-sama wishes to speak with you," the Hyuuga prodigy spoke as he reached a gloved hand down to assist her in rising to her feet.

She did try, but the cringe that settled across her pale features would not be tamed. How she loathed those words, and for the second day in a row.

"This is bull-shit!" Kiba exclaimed, still caught up in the moment.

His shouts sounded distant and muffled to Hinata, as if he was screaming into a pillow, as he continued to rant and rave. Shino attempted to calm him, as Neji proceeded to drag her away from the training grounds. When they were out of sight, and out of ear-shot, he paused and turned to her, his handsome features creasing into a concerned frown.

"I am sorry," he spoke quietly, gently, as he looked into her eyes.

His voice seemed to snap her out of whatever trance she was in, and she blinked rapidly. "What?"

"I'm sorry," he repeated, speaking no more loudly than before, "For what your father is forcing upon you."

"You knew," she replied. It was a statement, not a question, and the only thing she could think of. How had everyone known but her?

He nodded barely, imperceptibly, "I deduced it some time ago. I couldn't be sure, of course." He paused to assess her reaction. She didn't seem surprised, just… sad. "Hinata, If I could do anything, you know that I would."

She nodded. Her and Neji's relationship had changed dramatically over the years. No doubt, partly due to Naruto's influence. Neji was a bit more kind and caring, if only with her, and if only in private. But she knew deep down he loved her like a sister, and would do anything in the world for her. And right now, the only thing she wanted to do was bury her face into his white Hyuuga robes and cry.

But she wouldn't, because as much as Neji cared, he never openly expressed it in a physical manner. She would only be pushed away, and she knew that. She wondered briefly how alike he and Itachi were. They were both prodigies, stoic, cold.

"I've worked with Itachi," his voice broke through her thoughts again, "He is intelligent and respectful. I can't imagine he would ever harm you."

Intelligent and respectful. If asked, not two words she would associate with the husband of her dreams. Caring and generous, perhaps. Or kind and loyal.

"Do you know why father wishes to speak with me?" she didn't want to talk about Itachi, so she decided to change the subject.

Neji shook his head solemnly, his dark locks swaying gently with the motion, "I was not informed."

The resolve that had grounded Hinata earlier that day seemed to be slowly eroding. It seemed that no matter the effort she expended running away from thoughts of Itachi and the wedding, she was faced with the unavoidable truth. It was slammed into her being with such repetition she wanted to scream. Every conversation was centered on the one thing she wished to ignore.

"You will be visiting the Uchiha compound tomorrow," Hiashi stated, from behind his oversized desk.

An, "I don't want to," threatened to escape her lips, but was valiantly contained. "Yes, father. For what purpose?"

"You are to meet with members of their clan. Uchiha Itachi's mother, in particular, wishes to speak with you. It is purely a social visit, but it is expected, and you will graciously attend." His air of finality, again, squelched any protest rising within her.

"Father," she began, her remaining courage diminishing by the second, "Will this marriage benefit the clans… f-for s-sure?"

He turned to regard her with something akin to curiosity, "You wish to please the clan elders and myself, do you not?"

"Yes, father."

"Then you must trust that we would not ask something of you were it not for good reason. Do you understand, Hinata?"

No, she most certainly did not understand. She felt like she was simply a pawn in some larger game her clan was playing. But it was her future they were playing with, her entire life, and she felt like she deserved to know more. But pressing the issue would get her nowhere faster than on her father's bad side, and that was not a place she felt it wise to be at the moment.

So, instead, she told him what he wanted to hear, "Yes, father," before bowing and retreating to her bedroom. Perhaps she could gain some insight from her visit with the Uchiha's tomorrow.

No ItaHina in that chapter, but you understand. :)

Big thanks to everyone that read, and bigger thanks to everyone that reviewed! Regretfully I can't respond to all of your reviews individually right now, like I normally do, but I hear you loud and clear! Comments and suggestions are gladly accepted, as are simple shout outs. Don't be afraid to drop me a line and let me know what you think, even if it's short and sweet. I love to hear from you!

...Next Chapter...

"The Meeting"