Author Uozumi
Genre Drama/Romance
Rating PG
Disclaimer I do not own nor claim to own this. The characters, ect...contained within are not my property. This is an act of fandom and I do not make a profit from this endeavor. I also do not own the song contained within, it is property of its respective owner(s).
Summary The Hyugi protect Konoha by sacrificing the self for the good of the people. To insure peace between the Sand and the Leaf, Hinata is promised to Gaara. Though she is waiting for Naruto to return, she agrees because to give herself up for Konoha is her ninja way.
Chapter One
Previous Chapters None
Chapter One:
"Perhaps, but if it is how to keep the peace between the Village of the Sand and the Village of the Leaf, I will do it. I'm going to be Kazekage after all, and I have to protect our people."
They Hyuga family is one of the most power families in all of Konoha. They are well known for their connections and the power and affluence they have brought to what once was a very small and desolate Village of the Leaf. Brokering treaties and halting probable wars are essential skills the Hyuga must know by a very young age. The Hyuga are barterers and martyrs spanning generations of keeping Konoha from destruction, though in the present time, the fear of the instant destruction of Konoha is a very distant memory. After the invasion of the Sound during the Chunin exams, the Village of the Sand and the Village of the Leaf searched for a way to insure that their villages would not go to war. The Village of the Sound, disguised as ninja of the Sand proved a treaty necessary to promise the peace between both countries.
Each Hyuga is instilled with their destiny and a strong sense of responsibility. They know that Konoha is their city to protect and defend. They are to rise to the challenge to keep the peace and safety of the people. Their kekki genkai of Byakugen is their mark and their promise of their duties and destinies. Each generation faces their own trials and own tests to their promise. When the Sand and the Leaf began treaty negotiations, all Hyuga paid attention to the transaction.
Hyuga Neiji watched the closest of all, with the exception of the lead Hyuga. He was the oldest of the younger generation and of the second house, making him most likely picked for whatever was needed. The second house took most of the missions since they were lower ranked and not as important as the first house. He was the first to see the messenger coming towards the large Hyuga complex. Neiji's haunting translucent eyes fixed on the Genin as the boy ran up to him, panting.
"Is Hyuga Hinata here?" the boy who came up to the middle of Neiji's chest looked up at the Chunin with a mix of fear and hope.
Neiji didn't show his surprise. He thought that the messenger would be delivering the result of the peace negotiations and would be looking for someone of his house. "She's inside. I'll get her." Neiji turned and walked into the large Hyuga mansion of the main family. He walked down the hall of the first floor when he watched his target come around the corner down a few yards away.
Hyuga Hinata looked up at Neiji, about to ask something when he spoke. "Someone is here to see you."
Hinata's heart jumped. No one ever came to see her. Her heart hoped for Naruto, but he had been away for just over a year on a special training mission with Jiraiya-sama. She nodded. "Thank you." Then she walked past her cousin and out into the front yard. It was odd having Neiji be rather nice to her. During the Chunin exams, Neiji had nearly succeeded in killing her, but after the exams when everything was over, Neiji was very different and less hostile.
"Are you Hyuga Hinata?" a boy of about eight or nine asked hastily.
"Yes," Hinata answered, offering a disarming smile. The boy looked intimidated.
"This is for you." The boy handed her a folded paper with the Hokage's symbol stamped on it. "It's a summons to see the Fifth."
Hinata stared at him and nervously took the paper, studying the seal a moment before opening it. The boy stood nervously in front of her, unsure if he was supposed to leave yet or not. Hinata read the paper, her hands shaking. The boy shifted his weight, watching her. She didn't seem to be paying attention to him, but the Hyuga Clan was the most powerful clan in all of Konoha, so he decided to wait to be dismissed.
Hinata refolded the paper and spoke in a shaky, quiet voice. "Is there anything else?"
"No."
"You can go," Hinata stated, watching the boy walk quickly away. Looking down at the summons, she pursed her lips and whispered quietly, "Naruto…"
"It's barbaric, don't you think?" Kankuro looked over at his younger brother. The older teenager had his special ninja clothes on and his face was painted in an archaic pattern.
"It hasn't been done in centuries," Gaara acknowledged. "The last time it was between the Sound and the Mist."
"I know that you won't become the Kazekage for five months, but…" Kankuro sighed. "I don't know. It just seems weird, like something out of a fable."
"Perhaps, but if it is how to keep the peace between the Village of the Sand and the Village of the Leaf, I will do it. I'm going to be Kazekage after all, and I have to protect our people." The fourteen-year-old met the eighteen-year-old's eyes. "That is my first duty."
Kankuro held his gaze. Only last year, he wouldn't imagine that Gaara would become the Kazekage, let alone be talking about his duty to protect their village. It had to be because of that Genin from Konoha, the Chunin thought. Gaara had been steadily changing since their fight over a year ago. When the door opened, Kankuro looked away and to their visitor.
"They have secured her," the messenger reported. "She is speaking with the Godaime at the moment."
"Who is she?" Kankuro asked.
"I haven't seen her," the messenger replied, shaking his head. "Shall I relay anything back to the Godaime?"
Gaara shook his head. The messenger nodded and then closed the door after he left.
The girl was cute. She was too cute and too innocent to have this done to her. Tsunade, the fifth Hokage of Konoha leaned back in her seat as she surveyed the girl in front of her. Judging by her looks, Tsunade estimated her to be roughly fourteen or fifteen. She finally leaned forward in her seat, shirt hanging dangerously low. Speaking in a calm voice, she asked, "So you agree to this?"
The girl in the baggy clothing nodded. "Yes." She was trembling again but tried to straighten herself and look braver. "I do."
"You will have to speak with the next Kazekage then," the current Kazekage stated. "He must approve of you before I will accept your agreement."
Hinata nodded, watching as one of the Kazekage's attendants stepped forward. "This way, Hyuga-sama."
Hinata fell in step with him and looked down at her feet, watching her steps as she followed him. Her heart pounded in her chest and ears. She tried to imagine what the junior Kazekage looked like but she was too nervous. She almost walked into the attendant when he stopped outside a door. "The junior Kazekage is inside with his guard." He knocked on the door quietly.
"Come in."
The attendant opened the door and spoke in a formal tone. "Will you see her now?"
"Yes."
The attendant stepped back and looked at Hinata, his face expressionless. "He will see you now, Hyuga-sama."
Hinata stepped past him and through the door, forcing herself to look up from her feet. When she did, her translucent eyes widened. Seated before her were two of the Sound ninja, Gaara and Kankuro. Kankuro seemed to openly recognize her, but if Gaara did, he didn't' show it. "Hyuga Hinata reporting," Hinata said in as loud a voice she could manage, bowing before the upper level ninja.
"Stand up," Kankuro said after glancing at Gaara to see if he would say anything.
"Kankuro, leave us," Gaara instructed, catching Kankuro slightly off guard.
The taller brother blinked and then rose from his chair. "I'll be outside if you need anything." He nodded to Hinata as he passed, then exited the room, closing the door quietly.
Once Kankuro left, Gaara indicated his seat. "Sit down. We need to discuss this."
Hinata sat down in the offered seat beside him and folded her hands in her lap so she wouldn't play with her fingers. She could feel Gaara's eyes on her and she knew that she should look at him, but she couldn't. After she woke up, she heard all about Gaara from the others, although Naruto didn't seem as terrified when he talked to her. She felt her heart jump. She had to stop thinking about Naruto, she couldn't think about him like that any longer.
"In my country, one is an adult at fifteen," Gaara said, "but here, you are an adult at eighteen." He paused as though checking to see if Hinata would look at him, after a moment, he continued, "In January, I'll be fifteen and will become the Kazekage of Suna. To keep the peace with Konoha, we will be married." He paused again.
Hinata saw his hand come towards her chin and she slid back slightly, evading him. "Don't - "
"Then look at me. I don't know if you're even listening," Gaara interrupted.
Hinata summoned all of her strength and turned her eyes up to his. She tried to hold his gaze, but faltered, yet kept her head up so that he might not tilt it up himself. "I'm listening."
Gaara surveyed her and then he asked, "When do you turn fifteen?"
"December twenty-seventh," she answered, trying not to look down at her hands.
Gaara nodded. "We will not marry right away. Since in Konoha, you're an adult at eighteen, we will wait until you are eighteen." He watched her shift her weight in her chair as she fought to keep her head from bending downward. "What are the customs in Konoha?"
"Customs…?" Hinata blinked. "There are several."
When she didn't elaborate, Gaara spoke. "In Suna, when someone marries a foreigner, the foreigner comes to live in Suna during the year before the wedding. They learn the way of our people and live as one of them so that they understand the family they will enter. When the wedding comes, it follows the tradition of the foreigner's country. What are your traditions?"
"In Konoha, there are many different traditions, there isn't any one tradition everyone shares," Hinata explained quietly. She cleared her throat and forced herself to speak louder and avert her eyes from her hands to him. "In our clan, the wedding takes place outside in the front lawn of the main house. The bride wears a white kimono with a flower embroidered on it and the groom wears a kimono displaying the colors of his clan." She took a deep breath. "They kneel before the Hokage who officiates the ceremony and drink from the same cup, which the bride offers to the groom. It's very complex and very simple."
Gaara remained silent and then nodded. "We will have to meet together several times before you come to stay at Suna. Until I am Kazekage, I will come here, but after I am Kazekage, you will have to come to me except on special occasions when I have to come to Konoha."
Hinata nodded. She couldn't think of anything better to do. She knew she should say something or do something. She forced her eyes away from her hands and asked, "How long are you staying?"
"Not for too much longer. I will tell you before I come back."
"Thank you," Hinata commented. It was the only thing she could think of to say.
Before Gaara could respond, a knock came at the door.
"Come in," Gaara instructed.
A different attendant appeared. "The Kazekage is ready to leave."
Gaara nodded, standing. Looking down at Hinata, he said, "I will see you soon." Then he left through the door.