Hey! Thank you all again for the wonderful reviews! Keep them up, they seem to generate longer chapters than I had planned to write ;)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one - part two will be up tonight providing I finish it before bed! This chapter aims to give you a little more of an insight in to the post-war world I've created in my head.
Enjoy!
Friends, Part One
Hinata, though she never would have thought it, was happy to be back in Suna. She has missed the markets above all; and was thrilled to see them return to full life in the months following the war. It has been a little over two months since she's been here. The end of the war for her came with the death of her brother's wife, and her adopting their infant son. Then one of her best friends had been swept in to an arranged marriage; it was a quite and hushed affair. Meant for affirming the peace treaty between Suna and Konoha.
She stops in the street and sighs deeply. There's been a lot of arranged marriages lately; it almost felt as if the world had turned back in time. She wonders how many of her friends will marry for love. She knows that she won't. But walking towards her was someone that already had.
"Hello Kiba," She smiles as she embraces him. "Where's Kankuro?"
Her friends breaks in to a toothy grin, "He's putting the baby down to sleep, it's too hot for her in the middle of the day."
She smiles, she is happy for them. They went to war and found love. She went to war and well... lost a lot of it. She shakes the thoughts from her mind, she had done well not to dwell on the past and was determined to continue this.
"Have you finally settled on a name?" She asks as she watches his smile falter and his shoulders sink.
"Hana." He replies. She is suddenly flooded with cruel memories; of the last big battle. The one that left her nephew an orphan. It left Kiba an orphan too, and an only child...
"I think it's perfect name," Hinata says. "Your sister would be so happy."
She watches the pain flutter across his face, before he smiles again. "Yeah, Mama would be pretty pissed though!" Before she can reply, an Anbu appears before them and sweeps in to a low bow.
"Hyuuga-San, the Kazekage will see you now."