Kind of a shorter chapter than usual.
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"I don't understand…can you say it again."
"I'm getting married. What's there not to understand?"
"Well, for starters, I thought you were only going to find this girl. Now you're going to marry her? Is she pregnant? Did you get her pregnant, and now she's trying to trap you into marriage." Itachi spoke smoothly into the receiver as I heard his voice through my cellphone. I didn't know how he did it, but somehow he always kept a calm voice no matter how ridiculous of a thing he said.
"What? No, she's not pregnant! Why would you assume that?" Was me getting married that hard to believe?
"I've never heard of this girl and now out of nowhere you're planning to marry her. If that was the plan then why did you lie and say you were going to look for her?"
"Itachi, try to understand. I did go to look for her. But now I'm going to marry her. And, before you say anything, it's not what you think." I sat on the bed in the guest room where I was staying.
"What do you mean?" I could hear his frown on the other side.
"Her family thinks that we're married already and now they want to hold an official ceremony themselves. We can't really try to deny anything so we went along with it. I just need you to come on behalf of the Uchiha family to participate in the ceremony. And don't tell mom. She'll get the wrong idea about it."
"Sasuke, what did you get yourself into?"
"Just tell me if you're going to do this or not?"
"Are you sure you're not being played by this woman to get married to an Uchiha? You always used to discard the conversation anytime Sakura brought up marriage and she was your girlfriend. Now this girl comes along and you're ready for marriage like it's no big deal?"
"First of all, I'm not being played. Who do you think I am? Secondly, that is not what happened. We were way too young for that. Thirdly, I've already told you this is just a ceremony. We're not really going to be married."
"But then what about later on when her family starts asking questions. Are you going to pretend to be married for the rest of your life?"
"I'll figure something out. Just tell me if you're coming or not." I was starting to get really frustrated with this.
"Yes, I will probably be there in two days…Sasuke, I hope you know what you're doing." With that he hung up the phone.
I sighed as I lied back on the bed. There were going to be some seriously hectic days coming ahead of us now. I couldn't believe I had actually just agreed to this. What was wrong with me? Itachi was right. What about in the future? We couldn't pretend to be married forever. Would we stage a divorce and separate? And what about the press? They were going to go crazy if they found out that the Uchiha's CEO was married. I can't let that happen.
With all these crazy thoughts going through my head, I decided sleep was the best solution right now and so I just went to sleep, pushing off all my problems to tomorrow.
The next day after we arrived, things had started normally. Hiashi and most of the elders spoke to Hinata and me about the ceremony and what needs to be done for it. The other family members had already told me most of this yesterday during dinner. That's where I found out that I needed to have at least a family member or someone to represent my family and me.
After thoroughly discussing the plans for the ceremony, we had decided to hold it in two days. Just in time for my brother to arrive.
"So you really are an Uchiha," said Hinata once we were out of the meeting with Hiashi and the elders. She was sitting on the swing where I first spoke with Hanabi while I was sitting on the ground leaning my back to the tree with my eyes closed.
"Yes, in the flesh and blood." I opened one eye to observe Hinata's expression, which was mostly neutral. I was impressed that she didn't have the usual reaction most women have when they find a male Uchiha specimen.
"So…" Hinata began swinging lightly on the swing as I opened both my eyes to look at her. "Are you the handsome one or the younger one?" my eye twitched at her question. She had got to be kidding.
"Did you even know our names before you met me?" I snapped.
"Eh, not really." She blushed. "I saw you guys on TV a long time ago but after that I didn't really pay much attention. All I remember is that there was a handsome one and his younger brother." She smiled at me and I could somehow tell she was doing this on purpose. She had to be messing with me.
"His name is Itachi, my older brother," I said nonchalantly as if her words didn't affect me at all. I went back to my original position which was me closing my eyes and enjoying the weather.
"Is he coming to the ceremony?" Hinata asked after a few minutes. My left eye twitched in frustration but I didn't open my eyes.
"Yes," my voice seethed, surprising me a little.
"Oh ok," was all she said and I swear I knew she was blushing at that moment. I opened my eyes and confirmed what I already knew. She was blushing as she stared at nothing in particular.
"Do you want me to set up a date for you when he gets here?" I raised an eyebrow at her reaction.
"W-what? No. I'm supposed to be marrying you remember."
"Hn," I replied.
"Sasuke, are you sure you're okay with this? I feel like I'm imposing on you and it's not even your problem," she said worriedly and I could see the lines forming between her brows as she scrunched them.
"I already told you, so don't worry about it, okay. It's annoying when you keep asking me that." I smirked. Just then Hanabi ran up to us.
"Hinata, dad is looking for you," she said, huffing to catch her breath.
"Okay. Thanks Hanabi." She got up to leave but Hanabi spoke before she could.
"Actually he wants you too, lover boy," she said looking at me. I glared at her for the nickname but got up to leave as well.
Once we got to Hiashi's office, inside I saw someone I was not expecting to see.
"Hinata, Sasuke. This is Toneri. He says he knows Hinata and is here to speak with her. He has told me some very interesting things too." Hiashi turned to look at me with a piercing gaze. I could feel Hinata shaking so I tried to hold her but before I could, Toneri got up and approached us.
"Hinata, can I speak with you?" she turned to look at her father who nodded his permission. Then she looked at me and I couldn't do anything but squeeze her hand in response. I kept glaring at Toneri as he took her outside to the gardens to talk.
"I think we should give them privacy, don't you think Sasuke," Hiashi spoke as he saw that I was about to follow them. "But I guess we're all just curious."
He got up and motioned for me to follow him. I went after him to a door that I did not notice at first in the corner of his office. It was aprivate entrance to the gardens in the compound. There, just around the corner I could see Hinata and Toneri standing. I was about to go up to them because I did not like the idea of that bastard telling some kind of bullshit to her. But before I could go, Hiashi grabbed my shoulder to stop me and slowly pull me back to where we were hidden from them.
"We shouldn't disturb them," he whispered but stayed there trying to listen to what they were saying. Who knew Hiashi Hyuga was so nosy. I leaned in to listen to what they were saying as well.
"Hinata, I'm really sorry for everything. I deserved your hatred and everything. I know I've been an asshole and you could call me whatever you want. But I've come to realize my mistake. I was stupid and too scared to get into another commitment when I finally got out from the marriage. That's why I rejected you. But now I know I can't be without you. After your call, I just couldn't stop thinking about you. I knew it was a mistake rejecting you and now I want to amend it. I love you, Hinata. Let's get married." He stood in front of Hinata with a tender smile as he pleaded his case. But in response all Hinata could do was just stare at him.
"T-toneri, I don't know wha—" she finally spoke after a few minutes only to be cut off by him. He placed his finger on her lips to shush her and at that moment I knew that bastard needed another punch.
"You don't have to give me an answer now. Just think about it first. Please." He moved his hand on her lips to place it on the side of her face. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek and I knew he was leaning in to give her a kiss but before he could get any closer Hinata turned and walked away. "Please, do think about it Hinata. I'll be staying in town for a few more days. Let me know when you're ready," he said to her retreating back.
As soon as she walked away, I went back into Hiashi's office and followed her. I didn't want to deal with Hiashi at the moment and I think he knew that because he didn't try to stop me or ask me for explanations.
"Hinata." I finally caught up to her and grabbed her hand to stop her from running away. We were back in the place where we had been earlier.
She turned around to look at me and I could see tears threatening to fall on her cheeks. I grabbed her face in my hands.
"Hey, what's wrong? Do you want me to go punch him?"
"After a-all this t-time, now he d-decides he's ready." She sobbed and the tears started pouring. I wiped them away with my thumb as I gently held on to her face to look at me.
"He's just a stupid asshole and a bastard. Forget about him. He's hurt you enough. I'm here, okay." I tried consoling, which I was pretty bad at to be honest.
"He asked me to marry him," she said but the way she said it was different. "I had been dreaming of this and now he finally asked me." She sobbed even more.
"Are you actually going to think about it?" At her silence I let my hands slip away. "You can't be serious?" I asked in disbelief. "Hinata!" I grabbed her shoulders and lightly shook her to look at me as she was avoiding my gaze.
"It's just that I still love him!" she cried as she shrugged my hands off of her. "I just can't forget him that easily. And yes, at one point there was nothing more I wanted than to be married to him. Now that he's asking me, I…I don't know what to do!" she grabbed her head as she crouched down on the ground to sit by the tree.
"I want to give him a chance, I really do," Hinata said from her position on the floor. I clenched my fists at her statement but I didn't do anything more. In all honesty, this was not my issue and I shouldn't have been involved in it in the first place. But for some reason, the idea of her being with Toneri angered me. How could she even think about giving him second chance? She shouldn't even be wasting her time thinking about him. But I couldn't do or say anything, because like I said, this was not my issue.
"Hinata…before you make any decisions just think about it…Promise me that you'll think about it carefully before you give him your answer." She looked up at me through her red-rimmed eyes but eventually nodded.
"I think I'm just going to go back to my room," she said as she got up, and with that she left to go back to the compound while I just stayed.
I sat down in the position I had been earlier today and decided to forget about everything around me and just enjoy the day for once. I didn't want to think about how much of an idiot Hinata was being, or how that bastard Toneri didn't deserve her. Instead I just cleared my head of any thought and tried relaxing.
No matter how hard I tried for at least an hour, I still didn't feel any bit relaxed. I don't know why, but I just felt crushed by the fact that Hinata still loved Toneri.