Ice
Chapter Three
Hinata only saw the Uchiha in passing for the longest time. She, herself, got caught in a slump. It was coming up on the anniversary of the war, and the villages were still bitter. Not that she blamed them, every time she saw Neji's eyes glazed over, forehead unmarked, blood streaming down his chin, she felt anger plague her being.
Still, she was the clan leader. She had a duty to keep and to never let go of. That meant setting aside her personal grief.
Thankfully, there was plenty to go about doing that didn't require her to think of her cousin. Alliances to secure, finances to calculate, etcetera. She had slowly but surely shed her shy skin, while maintaining a polite and reserved nature. As a teenager, she hadn't been too comfortable with herself, but now… She could admit to herself that she was pretty, she did deserve love, and she even deserved to be the leader her clan needed.
So, her words would only stumble in introductions and never over her own name. She shook hands with a confident grip and spoke up. It wasn't anything major, but it was different. And different… well, it was good.
Still, when she'd finally get done what she needed to get done and headed to bed, exhaustion would hit her hard. She'd fall into sleep. If the day was particularly bad, the nightmares would come back. The screaming, the blood, the overwhelming scent of death, hints that she was going to die too.
When she got out of the compound's hold, her friends would look at her with tired smiles and she knew they suffered the same. Yet, strangely enough, it was never brought up. What an odd thing, she thought, to have the same experiences with people I've known all my life, but we can't even talk to each other.
Another sigh escaped her, somehow feeling comfort that they somewhat understood the predicament. And, yet, her experiences were her own, so she'd never felt lonelier.
Read, read, read. Check the fine print. Double-check it. Three times. Read the part that had bothered her a bit. Decide it was nothing after all. Sign. Get the next one.
This happened consistently throughout her day. One contract, then the next, then the next. It was getting to the point of being stressful, and her hidden anxiety convinced her one wrong move, and she ruined her clan's life.
She slowly set the brush down and breathed a sigh, before deciding she'd like to go out for dinner. Maybe to just take some time alone and relax. Yeah, that sounded good.
Pulling her coat off the rack, she pulled it around herself and adjusted the buttons neatly. After giving her hair a once over, Hinata decided to comb through it. That didn't take too awfully long, and she was heading towards the front door before she knew it.
A knock erupted from the wooden entrance just as she got there, though, making her jump out of her skin. Straightening herself out as she recovered, she moved and opened the door.
"U…Uchiha-san?"
Whooooooa. So many views. *Tears* You all are amazing. I adore every single one of those who followed, faved, and reviewed! Props to you!
It has occurred to me this is very drabble-like. So, I'd like to let you know that this is basically what this story is, a series of drabbles.
As for my one reviewer, Kanayla, I will give a short answer to your review here. Are the canon couples really losing that bad? Yikes. I agree about what you said, though, and wished Kishi would have let them speak. Regardless of all that, I'm very nervous about writing these two, so the fact you find them IC is, well… a relief.
To each and every one of you, have a great day and I'll see you next time!