日向導 - A Hyūga's Guide

Chapter Twenty Seven: Thirty Days (III)

When Toneri mentioned that they were to be wed from a young age; he came to understand why his father was happy when they agreed to marry. He had been kept in the dark by his own father, perhaps by a lot of other people as well.

Hinata was the young girl he remembered from his childhood.

Oh how she had changed, and he knew that it was because of the sudden death of her clan. Obviously he would not recognize her, nor would she recognize him, because they weren't the same people they were two decades ago. How fate had managed to mingle itself in their lives.

Sasuke laid there, not minding how she refused to leave his side as she slept. Any sudden movements he made were immediately followed by a sound of disapproval from her.

It's been this way for four days.

Since their brash encounter with Toneri, and the emotional overload that Hinata experienced, she had refused to leave the room. Her meals would be brought by him, and Yuriko would be the one to help her wash up. Meanwhile, he would go about doing what he was expected of, then he would return to her side right after.

The only thing she had energy for was supplying him with more chakra to fortify his eyes. She barely spoke but he understood that there was nothing that she wanted to bring up.

A decade without her family and that time only seemed to catch up to her with the sudden reminder from an outsider, who was far to content with his ignorance.

Had it been anyone else who brought it up, she was sure that her reaction would have been moderate. But hearing how happily Toneri laughed brought forth a different kind of wrath from within the pits of her stomach. To save both Toneri and herself, she stayed as far from him as possible, and that meant sitting in the room while she occupied herself with other things.

Sasuke spoke to Toneri about it, or rather, he expressed his anger on Hinata's behalf. If it had not been for the fact that the Uchiha family valued the cooperation of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, he would have immediately cut off any agreements they had because of the distress his future wife was experiencing.

Losing the Ōtsutsuki Clan's support would put the country, and the Royal Family at risk. Only a select few knew this.

Toneri apologized over and over again. Whenever he saw Sasuke, or Yuriko, he would make it his job to express his regret even if it became redundant. He too did not want to cause a problem and possibly break the bond between the Uchiha and Ōtsutsuki. His joke was distasteful, his happiness was misplaced, and for his mistake, he felt how cold Sasuke had become.

"Will you come outside today?" Sasuke mumbled.

Hinata shifted and shook her head. "Not today." The silence that followed made her sigh as she sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. "Why should I?"

"You can't stay cooped up in the room for too long. You should go on a walk at the very least." He sat up as well and rested his hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly. "Would you like to train with me?"

"I..." She hesitated. Hinata hadn't been keeping up with her training very much since she arrived at the Palace, which meant that she was bound to be somewhat rusty. Though, the longer she thought about it, the more she warmed up to the idea. It would surely take things off of her mind and allow her to get back on her feet. "Fine."

"Good." Sasuke stood up and went through one of the trunks that still had not been unloaded. He was silent as he dug through its contents until he pulled out something with a satisfied look in his face.

She itched her hand as she waited for him to show her exactly what he was holding. Once the handle was in full view, Hinata stared at him with slight disbelief, but underneath was excitement. "You're going to use your katana?"