Author's Note: Its been a long time, I needed to remind myself that I know how to write despite however busy life gets. I've shamelessly lifted the plot line of Persuasion by Jane Austen (my favorite writer and one of my favorite stories) and adapted it into a modern NaruHina AU. Hoping to update frequently and finalise it not many chapters, maybe 10. Anyway, enjoy!

The Agony of Equilibrium

chapter 1

Hinata walked into the civil servants office at Konoha's government district, not for the first time was she grateful for the change in environment and work. Moving employment from her father's company six months ago enabled a change of pace, people and even air that was very welcome to her, arguably a necessary change. However, it was a difficult situation to adapt to having been surrounded with rigid regularity and efficiency for the past seven years, not including her internships during the summer months between her university semesters, one of which she remembered with a painful constriction in her chest.

Despite remaining shy and quiet, she felt she was beginning to feel somewhat proud of herself for creeping out of her shell. A shell that seemed to enlarge with relaxed breathing formerly unknown to her. Konoha's civil service department had hardworking people but she reveled in the loose ties and rolled shirt sleeves, she even grinned widely when she first saw a woman wearing flat pumps and not the protocolised three inch heels she was used to. Her father was a man of inflexible precision that had inescapably embossed itself on her, but like an elastic band recoiling from being stretched, she was beginning to settle into a much appreciated relaxed attitude.

But with change comes hardships, she sighed at herself after startling a little from Kiba-kun's loud morning greeting. She replied back in a much smaller, though no less polite voice, as she placed her coat in her desk drawer and logged onto her computer. Bringing her keyboard towards herself she wondered if she would have been this awkward if her mother had remained alive to provide a much needed balance in her father's household.

She didn't remember much. But the few she had were wrapped in metaphorical silk and stored in the most gilded parts of her memory, soft hands stroking her cheek, kisses on her head, eating watermelon from a bowl on her mother's lap during summer heat. She had other precious memories from another person that she treasured too, but was wondering if maybe it would be healthier to try and force herself to forget, she blinked derisively at herself. How could she ever forget the kind smiles, the contagious enthusiasm, the confident shoulders. Her eyes cast down sadly, but before long she shook herself and took a small dose of her father's adherence to propriety, and began focusing on her work in earnest, rather than heartbreaking feelings that had persisted for ten years.

Though grateful for the opportunities her father had provided her, it did not blind her to a truthful awareness that her father prided his pride above his love for his family. In his eyes status, prestige and wealth were everything to aspire to.

"Why else be here Hinata if not for the pursuit of success?" Her father's coarse voice, rough from severity, bounced in her mind. She shook her head again, maybe she should get a coffee, hopeful the caffeine would outrun her thoughts. At the age of twenty nine, childless, single and unmarried she was the very epitome of failure in her father's eyes. The continuous tension of disappointment grew too much for Hinata, especially after she acted decidedly on a point of contention very meaningful to her father, that she changed employment. Surprisingly her father did not object or obstruct, so Hinata put it down to a shift of energy from herself to be invested in her younger more promising sister, who certainly held more charm and dynamism than she.

Hinata did not think of herself badly, it was not in her nature to dwell in misery, or deprecate herself in a futile hope that she may change in the fashion of her father and his ethos. She had her Aunt Kurenai to thank for that. Her sole and valued support had seen Hinata grow from a devastated preteen at the loss of her mother, to a woman of shy but dignified grace. The melancholy came when she was nineteen and remained ever since.

Her first internship during the summer months at her father's company had thrown her into the company of a man whose vastness and brightness of character had blown her away. Despite being of the same age, he engrossed her with his confidence, ambition, energy and kindness, all with a flare of experience she could only wonder at. He seemed so much more understanding of the world in comparison to herself, shading the marble palace of her family she had only ever known. Every available moment he had sought her company, and without even being aware of it she gravitated to his unceasing warmth. By the end of the first month he had managed to make her set aside her bashfulness, by the second month they appeared to everyone else as an item, by the third month she felt they were everything to each other. By the fourth he asked her to marry him, and without even questioning how odd a request for so young a man she didn't hesitate to accept, because of course where else could their relationship naturally end in?

It was her Aunt Kurenai that made her see a very different possibility. They were both so young and he had nothing but his name to offer. Hinata was made to see that her father would never take kindly to a young man with no glitter to his heritage as a consequence of being an orphan with only his charms to recommend him. Hinata reserved little importance to her father's opinion of him, but grateful for the affection of her Aunt she was grieved to disappoint her and reluctantly nodded her head when she was gently but pressingly reminded that she shouldn't throw herself away at nineteen. She should wait till she graduated from university and will learn that someone much better would be just round the corner.

Her hands couldn't stop shaking when she spoke to him next and in a voice unrecognizable to herself, brought him to understand that there would be no continuation of their engagement. She was proud that she had the nerve to say it to his face, and the look of pained anger he gave her she willingly took as just punishment.

Aunt Kurenai soothed her, and said she would grow from this and move on. She had certainly grown, but never had she moved on, his presence seemed to have imprinted indelibly on her in a way that weaved into the fabric of her being. Her heart rebelled at the idea of anyone else, no one could compare to him, and none of the ten years that had elapsed could have developed her as the four months conversing with him had. It had been a few years afterwards where she was beginning to detach a little from the dependence on her Aunt's judgment that she realized she would have been happier waiting in a very long engagement than breaking it off entirely. Even if they had been young, they could have grown together, and if it wasn't meant to be, then she would have felt happier in herself to have respected her feelings than live a life plagued with regret.

"Hinata-san, where you able to deliver that report I requested last week?" Kakashi's voice sounded like a far off echo as her fingers hovered unmoving over the keyboard.

"Oh, kakashi san, I'm so sorry my mind was elsewhere, maybe I should get a coffee. And yes I was able to finalize the report on Friday evening, it should be on your top shelf." Hinata hoped her voice was more level than she felt.

"Not a problem at all, as always I'm impressed with your efficiency, your work ethic is exemplary. I hope the new senior civil servants appreciate it as much as we do."

"There are some new recruits sir?"

"Yes, we'll, just two, one of them I think you may have worked with before, he refers to your father's company in his application form."

"Oh really?" Replied Hinata, slightly surprised, as it wasn't an occurrence from staff from Huuga Corporations to turn into civil servants. "What is his name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto" her internal world seemed to be falling into a free for all, "does the name ring a bell?"

It was imperative she say something and not sit in stunned silence. "V-vaguely."

"Well your father has a lot of men working for him."

"Yes he does" Hinata wanted the conversation to change and quick, she needed it to.

"Well if you had run into Uzumaki before, it would be good for him to see a friendly face here." She made a sound of slight concurrence, if he remained as friendly and charismatic as he had been she doubted her would need assistance in finding people to like him, would he be friendly to her? "Thank you Hinata San, I can always count on you to welcome new staff kindly." She declined to mention that she was still pretty new herself, but she nodded her head and carried on working, "They will be starting tomorrow." At this Hinata's head jerked upwards quickly, panic almost entered the forced calm in her voice.

"I'll ensure all staff are ready to welcome them"

"Excellent" and in a strange imitation of Mr Burns, Kakashi walked away from her cubicle. Grateful to be left alone again Hinata sunk her head in her hands and took a long slow breath.

How was she going to face him again?