I did some research on Japanese weddings and because they are (now) somewhat westernized, I decided to incorporate whatever I wanted from both modern, western weddings, and traditional Japanese ones. Yay for me! So just enjoy it anyway…
Contrived Flaws
Chapter 5: The Wedding
The day before the wedding was a gloomy one. Winter had decided to make its presence known and had gifted the village with a dose of treacherous weather.
The sky was solid and grey, blank, like a Hyuuga eye. The rain was cold and heavy; The wind frigid and strong.
Hinata liked to think the weather was mourning in her stead, as it seemed she was unable to. Instead she was seated, once again, in her father's office, watching as the rain pelted the large glass windows. The drops trailed down, clear and beautiful, like tears.
Her father had been too livid to speak with her the night before, instead ordering her to bed. But now, she was waiting to be graced with his presence, waiting to receive her lecture.
The anxiety gnawed at her insides and her stomach churned with the realization that she had not eaten breakfast. She chewed her bottom lip as she resisted the intense urge to wring her hands together. What she would give for a soothing piece of sweet bread or a hole to crawl into.
"Hinata," her father's deep voice shattered her thoughts and a new bolt of anxiety jolted through her. His presence was at once stifling and she briefly struggled to fill her lungs with air.
She scrambled to get out of her chair and quickly bowed, adding a quiet, "Father."
"It is nearly impossible to find the words to express my disappointment in you," he began, causing Hinata to lower her head in shame. Unswayed by her actions, he moved around his desk and settled his palms onto it, leaning over toward her with intensity. "If you think that by behaving so foolishly you will be excused from this wedding, you are mistaken." Even though his tone was quiet, it was indisputably stern in a manner that seemed so prominent amongst those that surrounded Hinata.
"N-no, father, I-"
"Quiet," he ordered. "I understand that you will never be the perfect daughter, but you will marry the Uchiha heir and bring honor and respect to the clans."
Hinata felt tears prickling sharply at the edges of her snowy eyes; They burned with the anticipation of crying. Surely her father had said far more harsh things to her in days foregone. Still, that did not ease the stinging of her heart. How she longed to tell him how disappointed she was in his fathering skills, but it would not be wise.
Instead she nodded meekly, averting her gaze to the floor, "Of c-course, father, I only wish to please y-you."
"Please me?" he questioned, with what would be considered a raised voice for a Hyuuga. "Do you think that sneaking out mere days before your wedding, finding yourself unconscious in the middle of the street like some ruffian, raising your voice to the Uchiha heir pleases me?"
"No f-father."
"Uchiha Itachi expects a well mannered, subservient wife that can display herself properly in public and will not embarrass him or his family name!" he continued. "Have I not raised you as such?"
"Y-yes father," she replied, stealing a glance once more at the rain trailing down the windows, "I am immensely honored that Itachi-sama will t-take me as his w-wife." She felt that her tongue betrayed her as it formed those words. She was not, however, a stranger to telling her father what he wanted to hear. "I will not disappoint you," she added quietly, but firmly.
As he nodded with finality and rambled off her schedule for the day, she briefly wondered if that would be the last time she would stand in her father's office, being chastised by him. Would it be Itachi, instead, who was scolding her? Would it be his father?
Or perhaps she would manage to do things right this time, perhaps she would be able to make someone proud.
"Hinata!" came a sing-song voice from outside her bedroom door. Without waiting for a reply, Hyuuga Hanabi burst through the door with a grin on her face. "Are you still sulking?" she questioned, putting her hands on her hips.
The elder sister, who was standing as still as a statue by the window, did not move, but instead replied in a stilted tone, "Of course not, sister."
Hanabi's playful demeanor quickly fled as she saw that her sister was truly in distress. Perhaps some would not recognize it, but it was when Hinata hid her emotions, that she was truly disturbed. "Aw, I'm sorry, 'Nata, I didn't realize you were really upset."
Hinata gathered herself and turned, with a strained smile, to pull her sister into her arms. "I'm just thinking of how I'll miss you."
The younger Hyuuga pulled back. "Come on, now, It's not like you're going anywhere. You're not leaving the village, you're not dying! I'll still see you plenty. Way too much for my taste, probably," she added with a grin.
The heiress smiled wider. "Thank you, Hanabi."
"I'm still here for you, sister, and if you need me to talk to Itachi-san, or… distract him or whatever, I'm your girl."
Hinata laughed quietly. "I wish you wouldn't be so infatuated with him, it's kind of creepy."
Her younger sister scoffed. "I'm way more calm about it than some of the girls around the village," she justified, "Everyone is really jealous of you, you know."
"They needn't be," she said, her mood quickly turning sour, "Itachi is no different from our father."
Hanabi's face wrenched in displeasure. "Kami, I didn't want that mental connection, Hinata! Let me have a little pleasure!"
The elder sister giggled despite herself, she couldn't help but be cheered up by Hanabi who was now grinning like a cheshire cat.
"Now come on, Neji and I made you lunch before the rehearsal," she added, after her sister recovered from her laughter.
As they quietly padded out of the room and down the hall, a servant interrupted them to inform Hinata that she had a visitor.
Waiting in the garden for her was the object of her nightmares the previous evening. The reason she could not be relieved the meeting with her father was over.
It was the world's number one knuckleheaded ninja, and he was presently holding a bundle of flowers in his hand that looked oddly familiar. In fact, they looked like a dead match for the bare patch of ground that was just peeking around Naruto's leg. He thrust them forward with a sheepish grin on his face. "Hinata-chan, I'm-"
"What the hell are you doing here?" a very irate voice came from behind Hinata.
Hanabi entered the garden, swiftly filling the air with her unmistakable intent before she could even reach the blonde ninja. Her fists were clenched at her sides and her eyes were surrounded by bulging veins, indicating that her Byuakugan was activated. She swept across the floor with large purposeful strides as she closed in on her target. Most people didn't that the younger Hyuuga sister was even less of a proper young lady than Hinata - though life was certainly easier for her. She could do no wrong in her father's eyes, and she was not saddled with the responsibility that her elder sister was. In fact, that was, perhaps, the one thing Hinata and Itachi had in common. They both strove to protect their younger siblings with everything they had.
Naruto looked slightly frightened as he threw his hands up. "Hanabi-chan, it's so nice to see you!" he said, while backing away from her advances.
Neji came rushing out, well, it was rushing for Neji. "Stop her, she's going to…"
Before the eldest Hyuuga could finish his sentence, it was done. With swift movements, Hanabi pressed the heel of her hand to several of Naruto's chakra points in quick succession, earning a grunt and a groan from him each time.
"… Jyuuken him," Neji finished with a tone of defeat, settling his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose.
Naruto doubled over in pain and fell to his knees, groaning and coughing intermittently. The flowers were forgotten as they settled onto the ground beside him.
"Hanabi!" the elder sister exclaimed, rushing over and kneeling in front of the object of her affection.
Hanabi had settled her hands on her hips and she rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, he'll live."
"Hinata, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand as she got close enough. He looked into her eyes, remorse swimming in his own blue orbs. "Sasuke said you didn't want to be married, I was only trying to help!"
The snowy-eyed heiress found that she was utterly speechless as she grasped the sincerity in his voice. On the one hand, she was mortified that she had once again fainted in front of Naruto the night before, but she was also oddly touched that he had tried to help her. In the end, she managed a small nod.
"I never meant to hurt you, Hinata-chan," he added, hanging his head in what she guessed to be shame, "Please forgive me."
"Fat chance, jackass!" Hanabi cut in, "Don't you get it? She li-"
"I f-forgive you!" Hinata squeaked loudly, hoping to shut her younger sister up.
Neji appeared between them and settled a hand on each of his cousin's shoulders. "Lovely, now you should get off of the compound before my father hears that you're here," he said, pointedly looking at Naruto.
The blond junchuuriki nodded, unable to suppress his usual grin as he rose to his feet, already feeling quite better, thanks in part to the kyuubi. He gave the three Hyuugas a thumbs up, and darted off.
Itachi settled himself at his desk and pulled out some paperwork. He had been exempt from missions for the past few days, and would continue to be for a few more, but he still had things to do. He needed to file for expenses on the last mission, write progress reports on his two newest squad members, and a captain recommendation on the other.
Tomorrow he would be wed, but tonight felt like any other night. He glanced around his room, noting that it would be the last night spent there. Once the ceremony concluded, he and his wife would move into their own house on the compound.
He sighed and ran a hand through his untied hair. He had never had any illusions about marriage. He had never thought that he would marry a particular person, or fall in love. Hell, at the time he had been arranged to marry, he hadn't even begun to think about dating. He had always been too busy for girls. If it were up to him, he would probably never marry.
But, of course, it wasn't up to him. He was to perpetuate the clan, bring peace to Konoha's most important assets. It was merely a job, merely a contract.
It was his duty, and if there was one thing he was good at, it was doing his job.
He was at peace with it, though he had come to accept it long ago. He had been given plenty of time to come to terms with it. Still, he could rest assured knowing that his younger brother would be spared his fate. If his dear Sasuke were to ever fancy a woman, he could only hope that he would be allowed to marry her. And he could only hope that Sasuke would someday, strive for happiness.
"Brother," came a voice, followed by a knock. Sasuke entered without invitation, looking every bit the younger brother as he shuffled toward Itachi, looking downcast.
Itachi granted him little more acknowledgement than a glance in his direction as the younger Uchiha sat tentatively on the corner of the bed.
"Please, brother," Sasuke pleaded, sounding so much younger than Itachi recalled him sounding in quite some time, "You must come to your senses."
The elder brother continued writing, the scratching of pen on paper the only sound filling the dead air. It wasn't as if he wanted to ignore his younger brother, it was simply that he was unsure what to say. He knew from experience that there was no allaying his brother's concerns; When he wanted to be, he was every bit as stubborn as every Uchiha before him.
"You can't go through with this!" Sasuke continued, raising his voice. "You can't marry Hinata! She isn't good enough for you!"
"Enough," Itachi commanded, turning only now to face his brother. "If you do not understand now, then I trust that you will someday. This is not a choice, it is a sacrifice, and it is as much for you, my foolish little brother, as it is for the clan."
Sasuke huffed and crossed his arms, looking away from his older brother. He hated more than anything to be chastised by Itachi. He would rather be berated by his father a thousand times over, considering he had far more respect for his brother than he ever imagined he would have for Fugaku. "It doesn't have to be this way," he argued, albeit pathetically.
"Sasuke," Itachi began, encouraging his brother to look at him with a tap of his own chin, "I would appreciate your blessing, but it is not required."
"You will never have my blessing!" he spat back, before bolting from the room, the only evidence of his presence the slamming of a door.
Itachi spun back around and continued writing, gripping his pen more forcefully than before. He disliked, more than anything, having his younger brother upset with him. But some things simply couldn't be helped.
Such is the cost of sacrifices.
The day of the wedding was fraught with nervous energy. Hinata felt as though everyone was buzzing around her, like anxious little insects, ordering her here and there. Pulling her this way and that. Cleaning her, clothing her, fixing her hair, makeup.
"So many people…" they kept saying, "…must be perfect…"
By this point, Hinata was in a perpetual state of panic. Apparently invitations had been sent out across the country and even to some bordering countries to announce the joining of the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans. Personally, she didn't see the need for such a large wedding, didn't see the point of making a big show.
But a show it was. Members from two of the most prominent clans in Konoha were marrying, and every self-proclaimed important person wanted to attend.
Hinata would've preferred a quiet contract. After all, that's what it was, right? A contract. She may as well be signing her life away, selling her soul to the devil.
Well, perhaps that would be a little melodramatic. But still, she couldn't help but feel her life would be ending this day. She would be forced into the role of caretaker. No longer would she be known as Hinata, only now as Itachi's wife. It was very likely she would never pursue her dream of becoming a great ninja.
But when she really thought about it, she wasn't entirely sure it was ever her dream. She was forced to train from a young age, because she was a Hyuuga, and they were ninja, damn it. But if not, then what was her dream?
It hardly mattered, she decided. She would shoulder the responsibility given to her and perhaps save Hanabi from such heartache. She could only hope her younger sister would be allowed to marry whomever she pleased, when the time came.
"Hinata-sama," a voice interrupted her thoughts, "A Mikoto-san is here to see you. Shall I let her in?"
The heiress startled, nearly toppling off of the stool she was perched atop, as her assistants perfected her snow-white kimono. "O-oh, yes," she managed, after regaining her balance.
A softly smiling Mikoto stepped gingerly into the room. She, herself was already dressed up in a dark purple kimono, long raven hair fixed atop her head with decorative sticks jutting out from both sides. "Hello, Hinata, dear, I hope you don't mind if I come in?"
Hinata couldn't help the smile that crept across her face. "O-of course not, Mikoto-san."
The older woman ignored her unnecessary honorific as she continued across the room. "How are things going in here?"
The heiress glanced downward, pressing her fingertips together nervously. She offered only a quiet, "Okay," in response.
With all the authority of a woman who has dealt with many recalcitrant Uchihas in her day, Mikoto dismissed everyone who was in the room, save Hinata. "You must tell me what's going on in that lovely head of yours, dear," she urged gently, extending a hand to help her off of the stool.
Hinata swallowed hard, not meeting the Uchiha mother's gaze. "I-I'm nervous?" she said, and it really did sound like more of a question than an answer.
"That's perfectly normal, dear." She briefly wished she could sit the young woman down and have a lengthy talk with her. Perhaps if she'd have come sooner… "I know it hardly seems like consolation, but I do know what you're feeling right now. I was arranged to marry Itachi's father, just as you are marrying Itachi. And though it doesn't seem that way now, it will get better, and it will get easier."
Hinata nodded, and though the older woman's words did not entirely pierce through to her anxious heart, her presence alone was gradually calming her.
"If it helps, Itachi is quite nervous himself. Be warned, however, that he will not show it to you or anyone else."
The lips of the young heiress quirked up slightly at the corners, against her will, "Itachi-san is nervous?" she questioned, not bothering to mask her incredulous tone.
"Immensely," Mikoto smiled. "Itachi is as human as you or me or anyone else, you must always remember that, Hinata. He is as desperate to please his father as any child is."
She nodded slowly. In truth, she hadn't really thought of it that way. She was viewing herself as the sole victim, without considering Itachi's side at all. She felt slightly ashamed at the realization and her resolve was once more built up. Not only was she doing this for her father and her sister, but she would also do it for Itachi, for she knew all too well what it was like trying to please one's father.
"Thank you Mikoto-san," she said quietly. She felt as though a tiny bit of weight had been lifted from her heart and for the first time that day, she could breathe.
"Of course dear, and I must say, you are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen."
"Itachi!" came his mother's melodic voice.
"Mother," he said with thinly veiled irritation, "I am getting dressed."
"You do realize I changed your diapers?" she replied, continuing inside despite his protests. Unlike Hinata, Itachi did not have a small army preparing him for the ceremony. Instead, there was Shisui, who was assisting him, and Sasuke, who was sitting a chair, looking more put out than normal.
Knowing it unwise to argue with his mother, Itachi did not comment further, instead opting to change the subject, "Is something troubling you, mother?"
"Not at all, dear, I merely came to see how you were doing, though I can see you're a bit worked up." It was a classic tactic that Mikoto often used on her taciturn sons. Despite its frequent use, they continued to fall for it.
"I am not worked up, mother," he said, not bothering to hide his agitation. Shisui smirked as he recognized what the older Uchiha was up to.
"It's all right to be nervous, dear," she continued on, circling him as she picked some imaginary particles from his clothing, "It's perfectly normal."
He closed his eyes for a moment, reining in his emotions and placing them back where he deemed they belonged - hidden. "Leave," he ordered a still smug looking Shisui. "You too, twit," he motioned to Sasuke, who fixed him with a glare and a huff in response.
Once they had exited the room, he turned to his mother with a blank expression. "What are you after, mother?"
"I merely came to offer support to my eldest son on this, his one and only wedding day."
"I do not need support."
She smiled softly and cupped his cheek with her soft hand. "Everyone needs support, dear, even a genius like you."
Instead of responding, Itachi merely averted his gaze off to the side.
"You look very handsome, son," she complimented, stepping back to get a good look.
"Thank you, mother," he replied stiffly, still not looking her in the eye.
Hinata was shocked by the size of the ceremony. She had not realized that so many people would be in attendance. In addition to all of the clan members from both the Hyuuga side, and the Uchiha side, there were dignitaries that she had never met, the Hokage, her friends and their families, and a great deal of people whom she did not know.
She hardly had time to dwell on it at the moment as she was ushered forward to stand next to Itachi. He was dressed in traditional clothing, all black. Most notably, his haori had three white Uchiha fans across the front of it, symbolizing his clan heritage. As she moved to stand next to him, she snuck a glance sideways at his passive face, curtain of inky black hair cascading around it. She briefly wondered how he could be so calm. She felt like there was an entire herd of wild boar running amok in her stomach. To her credit, she looked relatively calm on the outside, though her face was tinged its usual shade of pink.
She forced herself to focus as the master of ceremonies began his speech, but it was difficult to hear over the thrumming of her heart. Her mind would not stop telling her, this is happening, this is happening. And she knew it was, she just couldn't stop thinking that.
Before she could gain control of her emotions, three cups of ascending size were being placed before them, and sake was poured into each. Itachi sipped three times out of the smallest one, before passing it to her. She swallowed roughly, suddenly feeling how incredibly dry her throat was. She felt nauseous and not at all up to drinking alcohol, but before she could think about it further, she realized that she was holding up the ceremony. Her fingers twitched and trembled as she carefully grasped the cup, hoping desperately that she wouldn't drop it as she gingerly brought it to her lips.
She attempted to keep a straight face, but the fact of the matter was, the stuff tasted awful to her. She had been forced to drink some the day before, at the rehearsal, in preparation for this very moment, but it only served to make her cringe in displeasure before even taking a sip, as she anticipated the bitterness.
If Itachi noticed, he didn't let on, as he continued, in his professional and detached way, to participate in the ceremony. This time, Hinata was the first to sip from her cup three times, before passing it to Itachi. For the third and final cup, Itachi was first to drink before passing it on to his bride.
Hinata could have cried out in relief at the fact that she would no longer have to drink anymore of the awful tasting liquid. That, and the most important part of the ceremony was over, and without a single mortifying mistake on her part.
With that, the marriage was officially sealed, and their families were joined. As each clan drank their traditional cups of sake, Itachi turned to Hinata and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. It was not tender, nor romantic, it was simply a kiss.
It was, however, completely improvised and not at all expected. Her shock was evident as she looked up into his dark eyes searchingly. But the moment was gone, and Itachi was already leaving to greet his father and mother, whom smiled and touched him lightly on the back.
Hinata turned to face her father, who merely gave her the slightest of nods as she passed by.
The reception was nothing more than a colorful blur for Hinata. She was introduced to an inordinate number of people, mostly members of the Uchiha clan. If they thought she was supposed to keep up with everyone's names and faces, they were surely mad.
It was clear that this marriage was so much more about the uniting of clans than the uniting of two people. Itachi and Hinata were largely forgotten as the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans struggled to communicate with one another. They were not, historically, clans that got along. This was supposed to be the start of a new era, they each had an heir invested in this new relationship, each had a part in their potential success.
The large meeting hall on the Hyuuga compound had been cleared out and decorated lavishly for the occasion. Although it was large, it seemed to be positively packed with people milling about. Most of the travelers had only attended the wedding ceremony, which left a great deal of Uchiha and Hyuuga clan members along with close friends of some of the clan members.
Decorating the large room was a mixture of ivory and navy, a color each to represent the respective clans. It was surely an odd combination, though no more odd than the pair of newlyweds. There was a multitude of sake, leading to a great deal of intoxicated people stumbling about as the night wore on. While most of the clan members were far too stoic to let loose, more than a few had not held back when it came to the alcohol.
"So how does it feel, Mr. Uchiha?" Sasuke questioned, his voice dripping with mockery and more than a little malice.
In response, Itachi swiftly stole the cup of sake from his younger brother's grip, "You are much too young for this."
"I'm eighteen, dumbass!" he cried in outrage.
"I am aware of your age, little brother, as I am aware of your lack of self-control."
Sasuke was positively fuming as he ground his teeth together. If not for his brother's comment only moments before, he surely would've attacked him, but he would not risk proving his point for him. "Shouldn't you be with your wife?" he bit out.
"She is presently occupied," he replied calmly, motioning to Hinata, who was dancing with her teammate, Kiba. He was grinning wolfishly as she danced around him, looking quite nimble despite her usual clumsiness. Itachi paused to turn and settle his gaze on his new wife. Indeed, he noted that she possessed much more grace and fluidity than he had previously realized, if only when dancing. She was agile and light on her feet as she smiled and danced with her partner. If only she could channel that skill into her fighting, she would be a formidable opponent, though perhaps not for him.
"Oh, great," came an annoyed voice. It jarred Itachi from his thoughts and he realized he had been watching Hinata longer than he intended. It was not often he lost himself in such thought while in the company of others.
He faced his younger brother impassively, awaiting an explanation.
"You were thinking things about Hinata weren't you?" Sasuke accused.
"Merely how to improve her skill as a ninja," Itachi replied with ease.
Sasuke looked like he was about to make further accusations when a certain Uzumaki boy charged into the middle of the conversation, as was his method. "Hey, Itachi-san! How's it feel to be a married man?" he questioned loudly. It was evident that Naruto had been in the sake, himself.
Itachi struggled not to wince at his overbearing nature. How Sasuke managed to tolerate the blond boy was certainly a mystery. Perhaps he would compliment his brother on his long-suffering one of these days. "It is much the same."
"Yeah," Naruto said distractedly, "Man, Hinata looks hot!"
Sasuke elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "Dobe."
"Er, nice, she looks nice," Naruto quickly mended.
Itachi merely gave a "Hn," before walking off. He decided that a certain Inuzuka boy had danced with his wife long enough.
Hinata, as was customary, had changed from her wedding clothes into a more comfortable outfit. It was a colorful, sleeveless kimono of a light lavender color, adorned with various darker purple flowers. After being introduced to more people than she cared to remember, she had finally been left alone to speak with her own friends. Kiba and Shino had shown up, much to her relief, and she quickly gravitated to them. After commenting on how lovely she looked, Kiba was quick to ask for a dance, in an effort to lighten Hinata's heavy mood.
Much to her surprise it had been a successful effort and she was enjoying herself more than she imagined. Kiba was quite a good dancer and she found herself letting go just a little bit as she smiled and enjoyed her time with him.
"May I interrupt?"
Hinata stopped abruptly at the sound of the voice she recognized as Itachi's. He must've known she was enjoying herself and come to put an end to it, she mused darkly.
"Of course, Itachi-san," Kiba said politely, before giving her a slight bow and striding towards the insect-user and off of the dancing area.
Fighting back the urge to plead Kiba to stay, she turned towards her husband and dipped her head, "I-Itachi-san."
"It is expected that we dance with one another," he said simply, holding a hand out in offering, or perhaps it was more of a command, she couldn't be sure.
She swallowed roughly, surely she had not expected an invitation. Itachi was all business, she knew that, so why was a tiny portion of her just the slightest bit disappointed? "O-of course," she replied, taking his hand. It was large and warm as his slender fingers curved around her petite ones. She found that her other hand felt oddly cold as it trembled slightly at her side.
She could not meet the Uchiha's gaze as she teetered around, struggling to keep up with his dancing. Instead she stared at their feet, taking in the sight of his long legs, ending in agile feet, next to her short, pale ones. She stumbled and tripped over her own feet, muttering apologies here and there as her face grew more heated by the second.
"You are no longer graceful," Itachi commented. He had meant compared to her earlier movement with Kiba, but perhaps Itachi was not as articulate as most would think.
Hinata tugged at her hand, willing it free from his grip, but he did not budge. "I-I'm s-sorry," she apologized again.
The Uchiha realized his mistake much too late, "You were quite fluid dancing with the Inuzuka boy," he said, hoping she would understand what he meant.
"O-oh," she said quietly, almost too low for him to hear, "Kiba-kun and I l-like to dance around for f-fun sometimes."
He nodded in response, "I will allow you to return to your friends, then. We will depart in one hour." He abruptly dropped Hinata's hand from his grip and left, leaving her alone and quite confused.
In hindsight, Hinata might've wished for the reception to last just a little longer. She had not the presence of mind to realize that once it was over, she would be left only in the company of her new husband. She was not prepared, not at all. Though she would probably never feel truly prepared for such a task.
Itachi did nothing to make it easier on her. He did not offer comfort nor conversation. In fact, he had said very few words to her the entire day, if one did not count his vows, though, undoubtedly, those were more to her family than to her.
When the time came to depart the reception, Hinata felt a little like a child, leaving its mother for the first time. Though she had no mother to be leaving. Still, it was not without hesitation that she left the uneasy comfort of the multitudes of people for the isolation of Itachi's company alone.
Even still, he did not speak, silently beckoning her to accompany him as she left the Hyuuga compound for what felt like the final time.
Her necessary belongings had been moved into her new home earlier in the day, leaving her with nothing to do but obediently follow Itachi as he made his way to the Uchiha compound.
Their new home was small, but not lacking in anything. It held two bedrooms, a bathroom, a moderately sized kitchen, an office, and a communal room. It was located nearest the main Uchiha house, giving Itachi's family proximity to him, and vice versa. Perhaps Hinata's favorite feature of the home was the garden out back. It was small, nothing at all like her garden back home, and the flowers were all quite dead, but she could see the potential. She would fix it up, that was for certain. It gave her something to look forward to.
As she stared at the garden, imagining it filled with all of her favorite flowers and magnificent smells, she felt a tiny bit of dampness on her nose. She glanced up curiously and smiled as she noticed it was beginning to snow. The flakes were small and melted immediately on contact with another object, but she couldn't help but smile. She loved the snow. She remembered being overcome with excitement when she was younger anytime it would snow. She would beg Neji to take her out to play in it. Though it would barely be a layer on the ground she would try to make snow-angels and snow-ninjas, much to Neji's amusement.
Her smile turned slightly down at the thought as she stuck her palm out to catch a flake of the frozen moisture.
"You should not be outside in the cold," Itachi's voice sounded in her ear. His proximity was startling, and she hadn't even noticed his presence until he spoke.
"I l-love the s-snow," she commented, not turning around to look at him.
"Why?" he questioned, though it was not what she expected. Truthfully, she hadn't expected a response at all. If anything, perhaps an insistence to go inside.
She pondered before replying. "It's something so plain turned into something so beautiful and intricate as a snowflake. No one thinks water is very special, but once it's transformed into a unique snowflake, they can't help but take notice."
She couldn't see, as her back was to him, but Itachi smiled ever so slightly before responding, "Come, I will show you to your room."
Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed and read so far!
Even bigger thanks to eryxl (An awesome writer) for beta-ing this chapter, I appreciate it!
Don't forget to drop me a note and tell me what you think.