Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Hinata's Choice ❯ Chapter 3

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Hinata's Choice

by thatreevesgirl

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A/N's: This chapter isn't too great, but the last one is pretty good, so please stick with me for just a bit longer.

 

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Chapter 3: Sasuke's Decision

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Sasuke sat at the bar nursing a drink as he listened to Naruto drone on and on about the daily happenings in Suna…when had the idiot become so interested in things that occurred in Sand? Sakura was sitting on the other side of him smiling and humming into her drink as she focused her gaze on nothing in particular. The site of a completely drunk Sakura made Sasuke want to smile, only a little bit, but smile all the same.

 

“So what are you going to do with the rest of your days as a bachelor?” Sakura asked as she leaned into Sasuke and clinked his mug of beer with her own.

 

“Hn?” he asked, trying to rid himself of the thoughts that seemed to be plaguing him more and more about his pink-haired teammate.

 

“Bachelor…you…no more. Whatcha gonna do with the time you have left?” Sakura reiterated.

 

“Don't know,” he grumbled into his drink.

 

At the age of seventeen Naruto and Sakura had forced him to come back to Konoha. Back then he hadn't been quite right in the head. Sasuke was irreparably changed by his years with Ochimaru, dark and twisted…nearly soulless according to Kakashi. Naruto stood by his side, and Sakura…Sakura never gave up on him during all the years that it took to even remotely return to his senses. Sasuke was grateful for that, but he also knew that Sakura's love for him had diminished, and that something was now budding between her and Naruto, so he stepped back. He allowed himself to entertain the idea of uniting the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans after meeting with Hinata's father, even agreeing to an arranged marriage with the eldest Hyuuga girl.

 

Hinata…she was beautiful, kind, shy…everything that a man should want. Why was it then that Sasuke found himself secretly wanting someone a bit more bold and a tad more boisterous. Someone like…

 

Sakura leaned against Sasuke's shoulder and he sighed. Sasuke had agreed to the marriage to keep Sakura at bay, but as the day of his wedding grew closer he realized that he had made a horrific mistake.

 

The doors of the bar opened and in walked the Hyuuga heiress's team, all three strolling right up to where Sasuke was. Sasuke tried to shrug the drunk Sakura off of his shoulder with little success.

 

“Sakura, get off,” Sasuke hissed, “My fiancé is here.”

 

Sakura grinned up at the Uchiha, completely oblivious to why having her draped on him was a very bad idea. Sasuke didn't want to shove Sakura off of himself forcefully, and shot Naruto a plea that begged for help. Naruto, a bit drunk as well, hopped off his barstool and drug the pink-haired kunoichi to the dance-floor and began to grind with her to the sound of the jukebox's fast beat. Sasuke decided that he didn't know which situation was worse, watching Naruto grope Sakura or having Hinata find Sakura hanging all over him.

 

“Sasuke…” came the meek voice of Sasuke's future wife.

 

The raven-haired man's eyes couldn't drag themselves away from his other two teammates…it was disgusting and it angered him completely that Naruto was holding Sakura close and dancing in a completely inappropriate way with her. Hands formed fists that balled around his beer mug's handle and the other on the edge of the bar. Sasuke made no attempt to respond to Hinata, only ignored that part of the situation entirely.

 

“Uchiha, Hinata needs to talk to you and you are going to listen,” Kiba growled as he walked directly into Sasuke's field of vision, blocking the dirty dancing session that had started between Sakura and Naruto.

 

“I'm busy,” Sasuke huffed, pushing Kiba away and walking out on the dance floor to break up Sakura and Naruto. Naruto was angry as Sasuke drug Sakura back to her seat.

 

“What in the hell are you doing, Sasuke?” Naruto whined.

 

“Stopping you from taking advantage of her,” Sasuke grumbled as he ordered Sakura to remain seated at the bar. “Go home, Naruto.”

 

“Hell no, you go home, bastard,” Naruto threw back at the Uchiha. “Me and Sakura were having a good time. Right, Sakura?”

 

Hinata forgot about her immediate mission to break things off with Sasuke and walked over to the other kunoichi, whose head was lying on the bar as she muttered incoherently. Every few words would either be Sasuke or Naruto's name, and Hinata comprehended quickly how drunk Sakura really was. Being trained in med-nin basics Hinata laid her hands on Sakura as she helped to relieve some of the damage caused by the alcohol.

 

“Someone needs to take her home,” Hinata whispered as she soothingly ran her fingers though the drunk kunoichi's hair. Naruto volunteered, but Hinata shook her head. “I think it would be best to have someone that wasn't so closely involved with the argument take her home. Shino? Kiba?”

 

The bug-nin was completely exhausted himself, so Kiba took charge and picked Sakura up and began carrying her to her apartment.

 

“I'll get her into bed, and then I'll return. Wait for me?” he asked Hinata. The Hyuuga woman gave him a nod in reply. Kiba left quickly and now there were only two drunk and angry men left quarreling, an exhausted bug-nin, and Hinata.

 

“I need to speak to you, Sasuke,” Hinata insisted as she laid one of her hands on Sasuke's shoulder.

 

Naruto huffed as Shino pulled him away from the Uchiha and his current quarrel with the raven-haired Sharingan user. Then there was only Sasuke and Hinata, finally Sasuke acknowledged the kunoichi's presence.

 

“What do you want?” Sasuke mumbled.

 

Hinata was going to bring up her and Kiba, but the Hyuuga girl was very in-tune with her surroundings and had gathered enough information to break things off with Sasuke with another way.

 

“You love her, don't you?” Hinata asked Sasuke, referring to Sakura of course.

 

“Who? Sakura? No, of course I don't love her. I'm engaged to you,” Sasuke retorted loudly, hoping that greater levels of volume would get his point across better.

 

“It's okay if you do. I would understand it if you loved Sakura…she saved you,” Hinata told Sasuke with a smile.

 

“I don't…”

 

“Would you be happy, Sasuke? If we were to get married, how many regrets would we have? You love Sakura…I can sense that. And I…I love…Kiba. I didn't want to tell you, because I was afraid of what might happen, but we can't lie to each other. I can't be your wife if you are in love with another and you can't be my husband for the same reason. We love other people, and that's okay…”

“You love Kiba?” Sasuke asked quietly, interrupting Hinata's long speech.

 

Hinata nodded, there was no doubt in her mind that she loved the dog-nin, and it was a love that seemed to consume her completely. “We deserve to be happy, Sasuke, even if that means we are happy with other people.”

 

“Hinata…I don't think she loves me anymore. I've lost her.” Sasuke's voice was low and the admittance was very quiet. It hurt more than all the physical pain that he had gone through in his life to verbally confess that Sakura's love for him wavered, especially at a time when he truly wished to be with her.

 

“Fight for her, but do it the right way. Talk with Naruto…I think that you'll find that there is more to his story. He's been visiting Suna a lot…I think you need to ask him about that specifically…and when you do I think you'll find that Sakura isn't as far away as you think. Sakura knows why as well…so just talk to them.”

 

Hinata was privy to information about Naruto that very few were, even Sasuke was one of the people that Naruto had kept his secret from.

 

“What are you talking about?” Sasuke queried, hoping to get more information out of Hinata before their conversation ended.

 

“It isn't my place to tell, but if you show Naruto that you can be trusted I'm sure that he'll tell you the truth,” Hinata told Sasuke with a grin. “And about us? I think that I need your help. I want to call off our engagement.”

 

“Call it off?”

 

“Yes, I would rather be happy with the one that I love, than be stuck in a loveless arranged marriage. You are a good person, Sasuke, but I could never love you. We were never meant for one another.”

 

Sasuke nodded, Hinata was right…there was no sense in putting the two of them through such an ordeal just to appease the elders and the powerful elements of Konoha. Sasuke and Hinata's misery or happiness was not something to bargain with, therefore this marriage would not happen.

 

“Can I ask you what made you decide this?” Sasuke asked Hinata.

 

“I quit lying to myself, and I'm ready to face whatever consequences there are for being with Kiba. I can't imagine my life without him, and that is why I need your help.”

 

Sasuke was confused. Breaking off the marriage was good for him and all, but really what was left for the Uchiha to do? The Hyuuga's were a prestigious clan and the thought of marriage to an Inuzuka was nearly blasphemous to the Hyuuga elders, but what did any of this have to do with Sasuke?

 

“Help me convince my father to let me have control of the clan,” Hinata continued, “I will break away from them if needed, leaving them behind, but I want to first challenge my father for leadership of the Hyuuga's main branch.”

”You want to take over control of the Hyuuga's?” Sasuke asked dumbly. It was an outrageous thought to him. How could Hinata, who Sasuke thought was still the weak genin of her youth, take the power from her father who was the rightful leader.

 

“I do, I'm a jonin and I'm as powerful as any of the other ninja in the village, why shouldn't I be deserving of the position of the ruling the Hyuuga clan?”

 

Hinata wanted to tell Sasuke that she was part of the ANBU, something that even Sasuke had yet to accomplish since his return to Konoha. There was more to being a leader than brute strength or simple strategy. Someone that wanted to be a great leader had to have compassion for those they led and enough willpower to make the right decisions, this combined with power and intelligence made a good leader…and this was definably Hyuuga Hinata in every sense. She was destined to lead the Hyuuga's and it was time to let her family know this.

 

“What do you need me to do?” Sasuke asked.

 

“I need you to stand by my side…just like I need Kiba and Shino, and Neji, even Sakura and Naruto. I need all of my friends to be with me and give me their support as I fight for something that needs to righted. Can you do that for me, Sasuke?”

 

“Of course I can, Hinata. I would be proud to stand at your side as your friend,” Sasuke told her with a slight grin.

 

“Always as friends…don't forget that I will be there for you when you are in need as well, just let me know if there is something that you need help with,” Hinata told Sasuke with a small giggle as she offered her hand to him, and Sasuke took it as they shook hands vigorously in agreement.

 

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END OF CHAPTER

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