Four
"'Is he, Am I going to have to be intimate with him?" Hinata asked, hiding her face in her hands.
She was currently in the apartment of her former teacher Kurenai Yûhi. She was the kunoichi who had helped her throughout her life as a young ninja. That's why she had turned to her to talk about the subject that was bothering her. Hinata understood why Sasuke Uchiha had chosen a wife. He wanted to rebuild his clan. And to do that, he needed someone to bear his children. Hinata felt nauseous just thinking about it. She was well aware that this was why she had been chosen, but she still found it extremely difficult to come to terms with this eventuality. Given that she had previously been chosen to be the heiress of her clan, the young girl had a duty to remain pure. She had therefore never taken part in the "special" classes reserved for kunoichi. Hinata knew full well that one of a ninja's main missions was to seduce her enemies in order to extract information from them. But because of her princely status, this was something she had never been confronted with. Kurenai looked at her pupil, pursing her lips.
"Is she really going to marry him?" she thought inwardly.
"If you want to have children, you have to," she finally replied, giving her a pitying look.
Hinata pretended she hadn't seen the look on her former teacher's face. She didn't need anyone's pity. She had made her decision and she had to stick to it. The young kunoichi with the Byakugan was well aware that the choice she'd made didn't seem to please Kurenai. Yet she had no choice. It was her duty. She had to marry the young Uchiha. And even more, she had a duty to bear him children. And it was because of this last obligation that she had come to see her former teacher.
"And I, I..."
Hinata was really embarrassed. She found it hard to find the words to explain her ignorance of this part of a woman's life. And even of a man. "And Sasuke, does he know about these things himself?" she finally asked herself as her thoughts began to wander.
"He has no right to force you to do anything," announced her teacher, her eyes flashing. Things will have to come on their own," she added softly, as if to herself.
"Come on their own?" Hinata thought, dumbfounded. Deep down, the young girl knew how things in love should be. From a scientific point of view, anyway. But what to do before? What about after? How would she feel? How should she behave? All these questions raced through her head as scabrous images presented themselves to her mind.
"Shall I let him do it then?" Hinata articulated with difficulty. Hinata articulated with difficulty.
Kurenai let out a sigh. She stood up and approached Mirai's cradle. The young child was still sleeping soundly. As she gazed at the flesh of her flesh, a smile came to the jounin's lips. Very gently, she placed a kiss on the child's forehead and sat back down in his place.
"That's not what I said," the red-eyed ninja replied simply. I don't know much about arranged marriages," she added, meeting her pupil's gaze, "but I do know that love often comes with time," she continued, shrugging her shoulders helplessly.
Hinata now realized that there was nothing more her former teacher could do to help her. Her questions would remain unanswered, and her anxieties unresolved. Hinata rose without further ado and took leave of her host, without forgetting to thank her profusely.
It was all the village could talk about. The forthcoming wedding between the ex-deserter and the former heiress of the Hyuuga clan. It almost sounded like an outcast wedding, many villagers thought on hearing the news. And yet everyone was surprised by this strange union. How could two families who had hated each other so much for so many years now decide to marry their children together? Admittedly, Sasuke Uchiha was the last surviving member of his clan, but he was still an Uchiha.
Naruto Uzumaki kept a discreet ear open to all these rumors. The young man already knew. And he'd heard it from the man himself. Since then, Naruto had always found it hard to imagine that his best friend would marry the lavender-eyed girl; it seemed completely incongruous.
"Hey Naruto! What are you doing here?"
It was Sakura who had just called out to him. She'd just come out of surgery, and seemed totally surprised to see that Naruto was waiting for her here at the hospital. "Didn't we arrange to meet?" she asked herself as she walked towards her, scratching the back of her head nervously. She'd taken this tic from Naruto, who whenever he was embarrassed, seemed to make this gesture.
"Well, I thought maybe I'd invite you in for a bowl of ramen?" he replied, fixing his gaze on hers.
Strangely, Sakura found her former team-mate different from usual. He seemed on edge, as if walking on eggshells. The cheerful young man seemed to have given way to a nervous lump. Sakura frowned as she crossed the last few yards from her blonde-haired friend.
"Wouldn't you rather have a bite to eat at my place? I still have to get ready for tonight's meeting," Sakura offered, leaning on Naruto's shoulder.
Kurama's host had grown a lot lately. He now towered over the young girl by about ten centimeters.
"Let's go then," Naruto simply replied, starting to walk in the direction of the hospital exit.
Sakura nodded and wordlessly followed her friend. All the way to Sakura's apartment, the two young men remained silent. "This behavior really isn't like him", the pink-haired girl couldn't help thinking. Arriving at his apartment, Naruto immediately headed for the kitchen cupboard. Sakura was about to point out his lack of politeness when she saw what Naruto had just grabbed. A bottle of sake and two cups.
"Naruto," Sakura murmured, not understanding her friend's behavior.
The blond-haired young man didn't reply and simply filled the two cups with sake. He then handed a cup to his friend and emptied his in one gulp. He then instructed her to do the same. She complied, and Naruto served them again. But this time the young man didn't drink his cup straight away. Instead, he sat down on the sofa and let out a long sigh.
"Sasuke's getting married", Kurama's host murmured at last.
Sakura's heart missed a beat. For a moment she thought she'd misheard him, but when she saw that Naruto didn't correct himself, she realized he was telling the truth.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked as she slid against the kitchen wall.
Slumped over like that, the young girl seemed truly shocked. Her green eyes were wide and her mouth twisted in a grimace of pain. Finally, her hand dropped her sake cup and she let it shatter into many pieces on the floor. Naruto looked at his friend for a long second before picking up the shards of glass.
"He's going to marry Hinata," he added, throwing the broken pieces of glass from the sake cup.
He then emptied his before placing it on the table. He then grabbed his friend by the arm, forcing her to stand up and take her to the sofa. Sakura didn't protest and let Naruto put a blanket over her. He wrapped her up to her chin before pouring himself a final cup of the alcoholic beverage. He then turned his gaze to his pink-haired friend and forced himself to smile.
"It's an arranged marriage, you know," he murmured, as much to Sakura as to himself.
Sakura nodded slowly, unable to produce a single sound. How could this be possible? Why could it be? Sasuke was absolutely not a man to marry! And even less so with someone he didn't know! Rage wracked his chest as images of Hinata Hyuuga crept into her mind. Why did it have to be her? Why did it have to be her? Why had he chosen this timid mouse when he could have had an impetuous lioness? Why did he have to choose her?
"They're getting married on Saturday," he added, rising to his feet.
"Saturday..., three days from now" Sakura thought as she watched her blonde-haired friend head for the door. The young man's features were drawn, as if he hadn't slept for several days. Sakura found it hard to understand her friend's reaction. She was in love with Sasuke, madly in love even, and that was why the news tormented her so much. But Naruto? Why was he looking so glum?
Noticing that he was being watched, Naruto sent Sakura a big smile and a small hand gesture.
"I'm going to tell Shizune that you won't be able to come to the meeting," he announced, opening the door. I'll come back and see you tomorrow," he added softly.
Then, in an explosion of smoke, Naruto disappeared.
Sasuke was nervous. His hands were clammy and his heart was racing. The young man was totally unaccustomed to this kind of feeling. He could hardly remember a time when he'd felt so anxious and oppressed by the mere thought of the future. He may have been indifferent at the signing of his marriage contract, but he was still in a tight spot. He was as ignorant of marriage matters as Naruto was of fine military strategies. To clear his mind of these trivial concerns, Sasuke decided to tidy up his house a little. He cleaned up (it was already done), washed the dishes (they were already immaculate), changed the sheets (they were from the day before) and tidied up his study (which he then locked). He wasn't sure what to expect once she arrived. Would she take over the housework? The kitchen? Would she change the decor? Did they really have to share a room every night?
Sasuke was overwhelmed by these unpleasant thoughts when he sensed a presence a few yards away. The young ninja could feel chakra moving in his direction. Furtively, he grabbed his katana and activated his sharingan. He then jumped onto the windowsill nearest his enemy, ready to pounce and attack. But surprisingly, no enemy came to attack him. But the alternative he faced was probably worse. His "enemy" was none other than Hinata Hyuuga, his future wife.
Sasuke leapt to his feet and came face to face with the lavender-eyed girl. Hinata let out a small cry of surprise and immediately took up a defensive position as her Byakugan was activated. "Not so bad" thought Sasuke as he studied the girl's reflexes. When she realized that Sasuke wasn't going to attack her, Hinata deactivated her Dojutsu and tried to regain composure despite the obvious embarrassment that had taken hold of her.
"U-Uchiha-san," she murmured at last, bowing.
Sasuke was amused by her strict adherence to protocol. Back then, his mother, too, had always been a stickler for etiquette. But after killing his own brother, Sasuke wasn't sure that such bowing was really necessary.
"What are you doing here?" he finally barked when he realized that the girl wasn't about to reveal the purpose of her visit right away.
Hinata gasped at the sound of her interlocutor's voice and turned her gaze back to Sasuke, who returned her gaze with disdain. The girl was wearing dark baggy pants, a grey tank top and a loose jacket cut from a strange elastic material. Her hair was slicked back, and held back by a diamond-shaped head jewel. "She'll really have to dress differently when she bears my name," Sasuke recommended to himself with a disapproving click of his tongue.
"I, I wanted to speak with you," she replied, her fists clenched in nervousness.
Hinata had questioned herself for hours before finally deciding to come here. For hours she'd hesitated, weighing up the pros and cons. She knew that meeting her future groom like this, alone, without a chaperone, and without announcing herself, was totally against tradition. If her family ever found out, it would bring disappointment and shame on the Hyuuga name. And that, after all she'd already put her family through, she couldn't afford. That's why she had left her house discreetly, and had been careful not to let anyone see her enter the Uchiha district.
"Well, speak up then," he told her in a voice that had no appeal.
Sasuke had always had a lot of trouble with people who didn't get straight to the point. He didn't like beating around the bush, and even less liked it when others did. He liked it when people expressed what they wanted directly. This was one of the qualities he appreciated most in Naruto. His blond-haired friend was always frank and direct, which Sasuke really appreciated.
Hinata took a deep breath before exhaling softly. She then looked up at the man who was to become her husband and locked eyes with him.
"Could you let me in Sasuke?" she asked, her cheeks flushing crimson.
The girl had indeed blushed, but she had uttered her request without stammering, and in a strong voice. Better still, she'd been on first-name terms with him.
"Not too bad" thought Sasuke again, observing the little mouse standing in front of him. The young man frowned, however, and was about to reject the girl's proposal. But as he opened his mouth he noticed the girl's slumped shoulders, her ears almost lurking, and her eyes flickering. "Is she afraid? But of what?" he wondered. The young man finally shrugged his shoulders as an answer to his question and his thoughts.
He then turned his back on his future wife, unlocked the door to his home, and entered. And if she had the courage, all she had to do was enter. Hinata didn't wait long before joining him, and entered the house of the last Uchiha.
Sasuke invited her to sit around the kitchen table. Hinata thanked him with a nod and took a seat opposite the raven-haired young man. Hinata was immediately impressed by the neatness of the Uchiha's house. Indeed, everything seemed impeccably tidy, everything in its place. The young man didn't have much furniture; nothing was superfluous in this house. Everything Sasuke needed was there, without extravagance, and very well maintained. Hinata was lost in thought when she heard a disapproving click of the tongue from Sasuke.
"Uchiha-san, I'm, I'm really sorry to bother you but-but I needed to ask you something," Hinata began in a jerky voice.
All the confidence she had displayed earlier seemed to have completely disappeared. Seeing that Sasuke wasn't responding, Hinata forced herself to continue.
"I'd like to discuss my duties as a wife," she continued, before burying her head in her hands.
Sasuke was stunned. Seeing the girl's crimson face, he realized that she wasn't talking about her domestic or household duties, but about her marital duties. The young man felt himself accelerate and for a moment he was truly caught off guard. He didn't know what to answer, what to think, what to say. He hadn't really thought about this aspect of marriage yet. Even if he had chosen to marry in order to rebuild his clan, he had still only thought about this aspect in a particularly abstract way.
As Sasuke was stunned by his future wife's question, silence fell over the two young men. Hinata finally dared to raise her head, and saw Sasuke Uchiha's utter confusion. The young man's eyes were closed, his lips were pursed and a slight tremor had taken hold of his shoulders. Hinata realized that she had made a mistake, and that she had to leave. She should never have been so direct and questioned the Uchiha. It was against all rules of decency.
"I'm sorry, Uchiha-san, I shouldn't have bothered you," she murmured, rising to her feet.
Tears of shame (and rage) ran down the girl's pale cheeks. She blamed herself for having been so naive, and for having thought she could talk to Sasuke Uchiha like that. She should never have gone out and broken etiquette. The young man was taciturn, she knew, but above all he had a bad temper. Asking him such an intimate question, when their union hadn't even taken place yet, was certainly not a good idea.
As she pushed back her chair to leave, Sasuke grabbed her arm. Hinata gasped as the young man caught her gaze with his dark irises. For a moment, the young girl was lost in the jet-black ocean of his eyes. She had never really looked at Sasuke. Never seen how angular his facial features were, how precisely drawn his jaw was, how his hair fell like a cape over his forehead, hiding part of his face. No, Hinata had never really taken the time to look at Sasuke. And this second during which she was watching the young Uchiha seemed to last an eternity.
Finally, the young man, keeping his grip on Hinata's arm, came a little closer to her and put his mouth to her ear.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, Hinata," he murmured, before letting go of her arm.
Stunned, Hinata palpated her arm, astonished to realize that despite the young man's tight grip, it didn't hurt. She then looked up at Sasuke, but he had turned his back on her.
"Go home now," he announced in a voice with sharp accents. "We'll see each other on Saturday".
Hinata nodded gently, as if the young man could still see her. She turned and left, her heart heavy and her head full of questions.