/You're the one I want to hold/
Now, two months later he was no closer to her. He didn't want to stalk her, but it seemed the only way to learn her schedule. He could have asked someone, but he would rather not die of embarrassment and then have to answer a load of questions. He had even taken a step down from shinobi, he, like Kakashi, became just a jounin, and not an ANBU anymore. He really didn't need to risk his life everyday when he was trying to build one. He knew people noticed, and he knew it was the talk of the town, but he really could care less.
--
He should have known. He should have expected this. Naruto of course would have noticed, and cornered him, and beat it out of him if needed. He should have avoided him! He knew he was being stupid, but all his thoughts here on Hinata, and not who would catch him.
"Tell me now." Naruto demanded. He had that determination in his eyes again, nothing would stop him now.
"Fine." Sasuke sighed and led the way to the Uchiha estate. Once they were in the confines of his home, and no one could eavesdrop he waited for the first question from Naruto.
"Why did you take leave? It's not like you Sasuke, something's up." Naruto began with the most important thing, to him anyway.
"If I told you that I've found what I've been looking for, would you believe me?" Sasuke shot back.
Naruto frowned. Looking for? Sasuke had been looking for something??
"Looking?" He inquired. Sasuke smirked.
"Since Itachi's death, I've been looking for a woman. Someone to rebuild my clan with. Would you believe me if I told you I found her, and that she's everything I ever wanted?" Sasuke asked again.
"Y-you mean Hinata-chan don't you?" Naruto said in realization. His reply was only a nod from Sasuke.
"Wow..." Naruto breathed. They silently stood there and stared at each other.
"Do you love her?" He finally asked.
"I know I could." Sasuke replied evenly.
"Aa." Naruto sighed, then nodded.
"Just don't hurt her, ne?" Sasuke looked insulted.
"Well, I have only one piece of advice for you, talk and clear it with her father first. And make a good impression." Naruto finally let up, nothing he could do, and if it all worked out he would be very happy for his friends. Very happy indeed.
Sasuke nodded, it was actually good advice. But then again, she was just named the heir, that means I'll have to be suitable to run the whole friggin Hyuuga clan! He almost gasped, this would be harder then he originally thought.
/I won't let another minute go to waste/
Two days later he was in formal dress and sitting before a very old Hyuuga Hiyashi. He wondered if he had gone crazy.
"You." Hiyashi pointed to Sasuke, "Want to court MY" he pointed to himself, "daughter?" He asked incredulously.
"Hai." Sasuke replied, surprised with the dramatics.
"Well," Hiyashi started, "I'm sure Hanabi will be most flattered, but isn't she a bit... Young?" He asked.
Sasuke almost spit his tea out. This old loony thought I was talking about that brat of a girl? How utterly disgusting.
"I meant Hinata." He said bluntly. This seemed to be even more of a shock, he hoped the old man didn't have a heart attack.
"I... See..." It seemed his age really was catching up with him. He narrowed his eyes suddenly.
"Why?" He asked suspiciously.
"Because I want to rebuild my clan." He answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"And what of MY clan?!" Hiyashi asked angrily.
"I could care less if children have Hyuuga or Uchiha names. I just want to keep my blood alive." He said coolly.
"And what of the hate between our blood?" Hiyashi continued, Sasuke felt like he was being interrogated.
"Again, I could care less of family feuds, I was a child. My family was killed when I was seven, there wasn't much they passed down to me, and it certainly wasn't hate for the Hyuuga." Sasuke replied coolly, keeping any emotion off his face and voice. Making sure his body language screamed 'don't touch'.
"Most will not accept this." Hiyashi countered. This man might just be worthy of leading my clan.
"I don't think I'd be here if I knew otherwise." Sasuke replied arrogantly.
"Hn. What do you really plan to get out of this?" Hiyashi demanded, no more games. This was his whole clan they were talking about.
"To speak bluntly, family." Sasuke dead panned, he had to be truthful to gain this mans trust.
"I see. Well, if you can woo my daughter, then I will accept." Hiyashi then waved him out. He hated the idea of making Hinata marry, he had gone through that, and it was terrible. Sasuke bowed before he left, and after he was outside the compound, he breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could freely court Hinata.
/I want you and your beautiful soul/
Of course, very few use the old courting rituals. Today it was just hook up, the standard 'date me'. He thought that was a bit, impersonal. He wanted to make her feel special. He wanted to make an impact on her heart (not to mention the clan). The old courting rituals were very romantic, and almost formal. Only old clans used them anymore, and he thought it would be appropriate from one heir to another.
The first step was to, of course, get permission from the father. The mother will always have say, but the ultimate decision was on the father. And since Hinata didn't have a mother, as she died when Hinata was very young, her father was the one who made the decision. He had gotten clear, and now he was on to the second step.
The second step was to find out as much information as possible, without the courtee knowing. So, he arranged a mailbox at one of the Mailbox places so he would be anonymous, he sent out a few letters requesting information, for the courting. He sent them to a few maids at the Hyuuga house, one to her father, of course, one to her Sensei Yuuhi Kurenai, one to her cousin, who she was very close with, Hyuuga Neji, and one to her best friend, Aburame Shino. Also reminding them that this was a courtship ritual and to guide by the rules. I.e. Don't tell Hinata.
So he spent the next few days being his ordinary self, pretending to know nothing. It was rather amusing though, watching Neji, Shino, and Kurenai glance at every man they saw suspiciously. He finally did get a reply though, from all of them. He had any letters mailed to his mailbox forwarded to his home, and no one but the mailbox people would know. He was good.
Sitting nervously by his fireplace, he glanced at the letters in his hand, then outside. It was getting dark, and cold. He sighed and lit the fireplace. Glancing back at the letters he sighed again, wondering again if he was crazy. He shook his head and took the first letter, Hyuuga Hiyashi's.
Uchiha Sasuke,
I'm rather surprised. When you said 'court' I failed to realize that you meant to actually court my daughter. I'm pleased with your way of going about this, and yes, the Maids and even Neji came to me with the letters, I have let them respond anyway they want. I do hope they are at least formal, for I know Neji's will have death threats. For the advice you asked for, I have only this to say.
She is a very gentle girl, and she needs some kind of assurance in life. I failed to give that to her after her mother died, and I have only done what I think is best for her. I was harsh, because not everyone in the world is going to be there for her. She will be walked all over otherwise. She has made many good friends becoming a ninja, and they hold her together. She has grown into a fine woman, but she still needs that support. Do not take any of the people she loves away from her Uchiha, she needs them like you need air.
Hyuuga Hiyashi.
The letter was stern and mean and sweet and complimenting at the same time. He didn't think he would ever understand this man. He folded the note and put it back into the envelope. Looking at the next in the pile he almost gulped. Hyuuga Neji. He hoped it wasn't too bad.
Dear Mysterious Courtier,
You might have gotten Hiyashi-sama's go ahead, but I will NEVER forgive you! If your intentions are anything but loving her I will personally SHRED YOUR INSIDES AND STRING THEM ACROSS THE TREES OF KONOHA!! If your intentions are good and not to have power over the Hyuuga or Hinata or any such rubbish, I will give you SOME advice, but you had better be EVERYTHING SHE EVER DREAMED ABOUT!!
Do you hear me? I will hunt you down like a wild boar!
Hyuuga Neji.
P.S. My advice to you is NEVER HURT HER IN ANY WAY... EVER!!
That, was scary. Sasuke decided he had better steer clear of Neji. He was as kooky as the old one. The next on the pile was Hinata's personal maid.
Mr. Hinata's Courtier,
I'm so happy you mailed me a letter for advice on Hinata! I have taken care of her since she was a tiny baby! And now she is going to be courted! How happy this day is!! She's so grown up!
Her favorite flower is a Orchid, it means Love; beauty; refinement; beautiful lady; and is the Chinese symbol for many children. These go wonderful with Gladiolus, which means Love at first sight, I'm sure she will like the thought.
Hyuuga Mii
Hmm, the only place I will ever get flowers like that would be at Ino's flower shop. How humiliating. The next was from her butler, it said pretty much the same thing, only her favorite foods, that will come in handy. Next was her Sensei's. Yuuhi Kurenai.
Dear Courtier,
Please be a perfect gentleman in her presence, as she will have nothing to do with some foul perverted man who wants to take advantage of her! I have little choice though, as you are using the courting rituals I'm assuming your absolutely serious. As a woman, and as her teacher I can say a few things you will need to know if you really wish to do this.
Hinata has a deep connection with the past. She won't hold grudges, but she will never forget if you wronged her. She will never forget if you righted her either. Because of this she has never, and probably will never get over the death of her mother. I see her as my daughter, and I know that no one could replace what was, and she will never have another mother figure in her life. Respect that, and her mother. She will need that most of all.
Yuuhi Kurenai.
Well, anyone who can put up with that crazy loon and have two kids gets my respect automatically. No problem there. Now, the last letter, from Shino. He didn't know Shino, he didn't think anyone did. He was more silent then a bug, I tell you!
Give yourself and everything you are to her, and she will do the same.
Aburame Shino.
That was... Brief. But it got the point across. Sasuke sighed, packed the letters in his desk and went to bed. This was a tiring week. He only hoped step three went as smoothly as one and two.
Step three. For six days, a continuos gift is given, usually flowers, of course. So he gritted his teeth and ordered a few dozen of both Orchid and Gladiolus to his house. Thank god Ino wasn't working that day. On the seventh day you give something other then flowers to the courtee, usually something personal.
It was 2:30 in the morning, and he had just ducked into the Hyuuga compound unnoticed. He crept quietly to Hinata's window, and easily set two of each kind of flower on her pillow, by her sleeping head. My, she was beautiful. He shook himself, time to go. Sasuke hurried out, and back to his own compound, to sleep, and search for the perfect gift he had in mind. It would be hell to find though.
Hinata awoke at 7:00 am, on time, like every morning. She was surprised, however, to find four flowers staring back at her. She sat up slowly, and took the flowers in her hand. "Orchid." She smiled softly, she loved orchid. "And... Gladiolus.." Her eyes widened, is this what everyone is going crazy about? Namely her maid and Neji. No no, Hinata get a grip of yourself. No one would actually court you. Sure, ask you on a date etc. But actually court me? Stop dreaming! Never happen, ever. She put the flower in a vase and dreamed, just for a moment, that she really WAS being courted, but it went away as soon as it came. It was probably someone playing a prank. She nodded, and went about her day just like any other. Though she didn't notice it, but everyone else did. She had an extra light step in her that day.
She had forgotten all about the flowers, so tired she barely changed into her night clothes before falling asleep. In the morning, however, there were another four flowers, just like before. She added them to the vase. She smiled, maybe it wasn't so far fetched after all. She decided to not completely reject the idea, but not get her hopes up either. Every night she slept, and dreamed about being courted, it was so romantic, she would melt into a pile of goo if it actually happened. Every morning she would wake and smell the wonderful fragrance of the four fresh flowers on her pillow. She came to almost expect them. A week later, one morning, she awoke and there were no flowers, to her disappointment. But it was lifted soon enough with a beautifully scrawled letter, with a white ribbon tied to it.
Hyuuga Princess
'Tis the seventh day of courting, as such, enclosed within this envelope are not my memories, but some of the memories of my clan.
May it be held close to your heart.
Your Courtier.
/I know that you are something special/
She almost squealed, it was true! Someone was courting her! She felt light headed. It was like a fairy tale. He even called her Princess. She trembled as she opened the envelope. It wasn't anything fancy or expensive, but it brought tears to her eyes. Pictures. Her mother and father's wedding pictures. Taken obviously by one of the clan members of this mysteries man. Pictures of the chapel, and her mother in her wedding dress, when they kissed at the ceremony, and ones from the reception, eating cake and dancing. It was the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for her. Her father hadn't taken many pictures of the wedding, only a few of them posing outside the Hyuuga compound. She spent hours looking at the pictures, she didn't notice Neji come in to check on her.
"Why are you crying?" He asked briskly. He knew it was this courtier making her cry already. He just knew it. Hinata sniffed a little, and showed him the pictures.
"Isn't it just wonderful?" She said, gazing at her mother and father dancing in their wedding apparel. Neji was, to say the least, shocked. It was very thoughtful. He hated to admit it, but this guy, whoever he was, might just be good for her. Although just a few stinking pictures aren't going to convince me, oh no.
"Neji! I'm being courted! Can you believe it? Really courted, the old way!" She was so excited. If someone was thoughtful enough to do all of this, then she had to give it some thought. You don't engage courtship rituals if your not serious.
"Hn" Neji looked away. He still hated the idea.
"You should be training right now, you know..." He said while standing. She checked the clock.
"Oh no!! Im so late!" She almost yelled, and ran around the room getting ready.
"Thank you Neji. Bye." She ran out of the room. Their probably sooo worried about me!
TBC...
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