Many, many, many thanks to these people for reviewing: bogusbabe, saamon, dumdeedum, Toti17Uchiha, HinataOverAnyHoe, Angel Maria 15, santamaria1, and Kiats10.
Enjoy!
oOo
"I hope you don't mind walking," he drawled as they made their way to the street.
Six words. Not enough to give her any detail about his inflection, or his voice, or his emotions. She studied the side of his face. He brought up his right hand to scrub at the back of his neck, and since she was on his right, it separated them.
Finally, some information. This situation, or maybe just her, made him uncomfortable.
Deciding to try and be as agreeable as possible she said: "I don't mind at all. It gives me a chance to re-learn the village."
They began walking and he peered at her from the corner of his eyes. "Do you remember a lot about Konoha?"
"I like to think so," she said.
Her eyes greedily drank in all the information they could process. The dirt under their feet. The dappled sunlight as they walked underneath old, towering trees. The wooden or stone fences of compounds. Some were high to preserve privacy, some stood lower than her hip, revealing cheerful houses and yards with washing drying in the breeze.
The time passed so slowly that Hinata could not bear it. Why did he refuse to talk to her? Was he uninterested in learning about her? She wanted to know about him.
A good portion of their walk was conducted in silence.
"But I do not know what I've forgotten until I see it," she attempted to continue their previous conversation.
"Hnn."
He did not ask anything further and she despaired for a long moment.
"Have you ever been to the Palace?" she asked.
"Yes," he said curtly. "Briefly."
Did she offend him? His shoulders and jaw were tense.
"It's like a small city," she said. "It feels like it can go on forever and ever. But everyone except for the Daimyo is confined to small chunks of it, so it feels tiny." She waved a hand at the wide gravel road and the people milling around them. "This is a lot more freeing."
"You didn't get to go into town?"
That was not a conversation topic she wanted to discuss, but she would answer just to keep him engaged. "Rarely."
They walked along a stone fence that was as tall as Shikamaru. It was not imposing like the Hyuga compound's, but it was high enough to discourage peeking. He stopped at the main gates.
She stopped along with him and turned to face him. Gathering her courage she asked: "What do you want to know about me?"
Shikamaru reached out to the gate and pressed his palm to the thick wooden beam of the gate. He regarded her with narrowed eyes for a long moment. Her bravery almost deserted her.
Chakra swelled around them as he woke the wards.
He spoke and his voice reverberated through her body from her chest to her toes. The chakra pulsing around them sped up her heartbeat.
"Why were you sent away?" he asked.
Hinata sucked in a sharp breath. Her hands, tucked into her sleeves, clutched at each other tightly.
When she started speaking, the words poured out of her and she could not stop. "My cousin damaged my heart when we fought in the Chunin Exams. It permanently disabled me, and made me unable to channel chakra anymore. If I tried, it could stop my heart. I had no use as a shinobi or as a Hyuga, other than a bargaining chip. The only way I could serve my clan was through marriage, and my father needed me protected against any assassination attempts. My father engaged me to be married to the Daimyo's newborn son."
Shikamaru's eyes widened in shock and his mouth fell open a tiny bit.
She reached out and pressed her hand next to his. The wood felt warmer than it should, like she was touching a person or animal with blood flowing through it. The chakra flowed into her body, learning her from the inside out.
"By my betrothal, I both aided the Hyuga clan and was protected by the Royal Guard." She blinked up at him. He still looked as if she slapped him in the face with her sleeve. Not offended, just shocked.
At this point, the chakra felt painful. It pressed outwards like it could escape through her skin.
"Please key me into the wards, Lord Shikamaru," she said sternly.
He pulsed his chakra, and finally, the pressure disappeared and the chakra of the compound left her body.
"Thank you."
Wordlessly, he gestured for her to enter the open gates first. She did, and waited at the threshold for him to follow. He stayed outside for a long moment.
"Why are you here?" he demanded. "Why leave a place where you were safe?"
Hinata reached up and fiddled with her earring. It was long enough that she could even put the small glass ball at the end in her mouth if she wanted. She did not, but the thought calmed her.
"I'm safe here. And I can serve both my clan and yours in this way."
"How-" he began to ask, but a loud voice cut him off.
"Lady Hinata!" An older woman cried out, rushing up to Hinata and grabbing her hands. "Welcome! Welcome! I cannot believe you're here!"
The woman gently cupped Hinata's cheeks between her calloused palms and gasped. "And you're so beautiful. Look at you!" Her affection bled out of her voice when she looked at Shikamaru. "Shikamaru!" she barked. "Why are you standing outside like an idiot? Come, help me show the Lady around."
Shikamaru let out a long, deep sigh and stepped over the threshold to join the two women. "Lady Hinata, this is my mother, Nara Yoshino. Mother, this is Lady Hinata."
Yoshino released Hinata's face but seized the younger woman's shoulder. Hinata allowed herself to be led, and Shikamaru trailed behind them.
"We can do a circuit of the compound first," Yoshino babbled excitedly. "And we'll show you the main house where you'll be living. I live in a cottage nearby in case you need anything and maybe we can see the deer and- Shikamaru, hurry up!"
"Yes, Mother."
Hinata forced herself to relax. Lady Nara's letters had not been quite so… exciting. But Hinata welcomed the chance to learn about her new mother-in–law. This would be interesting.
oOo
Coming up: This story is not following any guidelines. I have no idea.