Hinata held the paper talisman in her trembling hands, her lips parted in wonder and her eyes bright with possibility. She stared reverently at the deceivingly simple characters decorating it, the very fact that this seal could be the solution to the biggest obstacle to her clan’s reunification.
“Ao-san…are you sure, you would be willing to show me how?” She said quietly, her voice hoarse and slightly muffled in shock.
The Mizukage’s eldest bodyguard merely smiled brightly, placing a firm hand on the kunoichi’s slim shoulder.
“I mean sure…Mei said it was fine. But-”
It was then that he looked over her shoulder at a taciturn Sasuke Uchiha. His tall frame and flowing attire only served to make him seem more formidable, and Ao swore that the temperature in the room dropped several degrees before he continued his sentence.
“..but, I’m only going to share it with you, Hyuuga-san. Don’t want the secret getting out!”
He nodded meaningfully towards Sasuke, his mouth twisting into a grimace as he still remembered the dreadful Hokage summit and the countless times the Uchiha had turned on his comrades. He shivered and quickly removed his hand from her shoulder. (The room got noticeably warmer after that..less scary.)
Hinata frowned slightly, because she knew that Sasuke had to deal with this on a near day to day basis, and she hated it. She hated that they couldn’t see the other side of the story, that this man had sacrificed everything without being given a choice, was willing to take all the blame and become the enemy of the world just so that there could be peace. He was in so much pain, that he had to wander the world before he could ever even think of visiting Konoha again…
And she had been just like them at the beginning, wary and unsure. But traveling with him, laughing with him, talking with him, exploring with him…these had been the best moments of her life after the war. She had never felt so free and light. Being with him had made her feel invincible and worry-free, for much, much more than just having the security of his strength…
“Sasuke-san is the absolutely most trustworthy individual I have encountered in all my travels.”
“Bu-”
“I trust him, Ao-san.” Hinata said with a firm finality, her small smile and hardened eyes telling him that was that.
Ao sighed, his frame sagging because he had been bested by a girl several years his junior and almost a foot smaller than him. Before he could relent, however, Mei Terumi entered the room, sweeping in with all the grace and elegance a woman of her position should be in possession of.
She smiled affectionately at the lot, winking saucily at an increasingly annoyed Sasuke.
“Well, well…hello there Hina-bunny…Sasuke…”
Her smile grew dangerous at his name, her chakra rising and his crackling to match. Hinata and Ao could only stare in shock, afraid to intervene because of the sheer power emanating from the two.
“Hina-chan…Ao, please go on without us. I have something I wish to discuss with Uchiha.” Mei waved them off slightly, her gaze never leaving her unwanted guest.
“Sasuke-san?” Hinata asked quietly, turning to look at Sasuke. It was only then that she noticed he was already looking at her, his gaze had never left her back and she felt a sudden warmth at the thought.
His expression seemed to shift minutely, and she couldn’t tell exactly what was different about it, but she knew it made her a whole other kind of nervous.
“Go Hinata. You need to get this done.” He nodded towards the door leading to the conference room and Ao took the cue without question.
Hinata gave one final and hesitant glance and nodded, following Ao through the carved wooden door. It closed behind them with a soft thud, and finally Sasuke turned towards the Mizukage, his gaze stony once again.
Mei Terumi then did something completely unexpected. She lifted a delicate hand to her lips and laughed. She laughed until she was leaning on the wall behind her, the tips of her auburn hair shaking with her mirth.
“Oh…this is absolutely precious.” She gasped and Sasuke frowned. This lady was insane.
“What do you want?” He spat out, his voice dark and without patience.
Mei wiped the tears from her cheeks. She had noticed it, with a shrewdness most would never guess she had, she had noticed it. To be fair, Sasuke had made it as obvious as he could possibly be, but that wasn’t saying much. Sasuke’s face had a limited number of expressions and even those were all variations of the same cold and emotionless template.
But she had seen it, had seen the way his eyes had hardened as Ao drew closer to Hina-chan and noticed the black coloration soften to almost gray as he turned to look at the little Hyuuga. He may not know it, but Mei recognized the look, and it was the look of one already well on their way to falling in love.
“What’s your plan?” She asked abruptly, her smile widening eerily.
Sasuke blanched because this was not what he had been expecting. He stuffed his fists into the sleeves of his robes, looking a bit like a petulant child.
“None of your business.”
Mei sighed. “You’re dumber than you look. Not THAT plan…”
He frowned, still confused by her madness.
“What will you do when she’s accomplished her mission?”
His gaze narrowed and he turned to look out the wide windows into the misty city. The gloom pervaded his being and Mei felt the heaviness of his past all the more than when Hinata had been in the room. She realized with a shock that the girl was actually helping alleviate some of the gloom and she wondered just how things had gotten to be so strange. Hadn’t the Hyuuga heiress loved Naruto?
Her look turned to one of pity, because no matter what, she was still a romantic at heart, and unrequited love was a pain that ate away at one’s sanity, leading to an unhappy ending for all involved.
“We’re going to the sea.” He said quickly, and he continued to stare out the window, his expression blank.
“And what makes you believe she will say yes?”
Sasuke stiffened, the tension threaded through his stance visible and his anger palpable.
“We have an understanding.”
“You love her then?” Mei said softly, gently as one would hold a frightened bird.
“Tch. Don’t say such fucking stupid things.” He bit out, turning quickly towards her, a bit too defensively to make him seem believable.
She sighed again, because it would take a long time for this idiot to realize his feelings for the girl, and an even longer time to act upon them. By then, it might even be too late.
She wanted to push him a little.
“You know…she’s an heiress, a near princess where she comes from. What can you, a wandering lost boy…offer her?”
“Protection…” He answered quickly.
“So can Naruto…”
She winced as the pressure of his chakra grew, almost visible in roiling waves. It grew so strong and pulsed at the mention of Naruto’s name, breaking the glass in front of him into thousands of glittering shards.
“I don’t care. She’s useful to me right now.”
Mei resisted the urge to roll her eyes and delicately picked up an errant glass piece from near her foot. Her point proven, she decided to let the poor sap go.
“I see. Well then, I’d like an invitation to the wedding please.” She laughed as she exited the way she came, hair sweeping behind her like a victory banner.
Sasuke simply stared at the shattered window, the mist rolling and drifting lazily.
“I don’t care.” He said to no one in particular, the usual confidence in his own self non-existent.