Betrothed 7

Hinata watched him as he left. She knew he had tried his best to cancel the arrangements, but it seemed it was going to have failed no matter what. She wrung her hands together in front of her as she entered the Hokage's office. She glanced around her and saw that her father and some of the Hyuuga elders were in the office already. Kakashi smiled at from beneath his mask and she smiled back, although on the inside her heart was breaking.

"Hinata forgive me for calling this meeting on such short notice." He said and she shook her head at him. "Please, don't apologize. I understand things are important." she said softly, and he nodded. She understood the need for urgent meetings, but this wasn't urgent. She had gotten notice early this morning about the meeting, so she was well prepared. Although she didn't know what it was about, she knew it was important if her family were here. "Well, I will get on with it then." He droned off and she furrowed her brows as she listened to him.

She was not expecting the things that had come out of his mouth. She knitted her brows together as she tried to make sense of it all. "I'm sorry... I... I don't understand." she said, and he chuckled lightly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, let me repeat. We have a series of clan weddings coming up. Your family has notified the elders that you were unable to find a husband before your eighteenth birthday. And being that you were once betrothed to Sasuke, and he has found another bride... you were supposed to be wed on your eighteenth birthday." he said and paused for a moment.

"We have to find you a husband now since you are unwed and of age." he said and her whole world came crashing down around her. The tears started to pour down her cheeks and she couldn't contain her sadness any longer. She ducked her head and allowed her tears to fall. She couldn't handle any more in one day. "But I'm in love with-" "I'm afraid we can't help that. I'm sorry Hinata." Kakashi said, but her father wouldn't meet her gaze when she whirled to look at him. Nor would the Hyuuga elders.

"You all knew and yet you wouldn't let him out of it! You said I had free choice!" she sobbed and none of them would even look at her. "You need to be silent, you ungrateful brat." the Konoha elder male said, and she whirled on him with her Byakugan flaring. There was a ferocity in her gaze that she had never seen before. "It isn't our fault you took two years and still haven't found a suitable husband." the man said, and her heart was racing, her rage pounding her heart against her ribcage.

"You are not to engage in any sexual activity, if you have already you are to go to Tsunade and ensure no pregnancy has occurred." the man continued, and her rage continued to boil up in her chest. "NO!" She snapped, and he glared at her. "No what?" he asked, and she shook her head. "Hinata... think about this... you will be disowned, stripped of your last name and branded if you decline marriage." Kakashi said and she turned her rage filled eyes on her family members once more, the tears shining brightly in her eyes.

"How could you do this to me?" she sobbed, and they still refused to meet her eyes. Her fists clenched by her sides and Kakashi frowned as she continuously furled her fists. "Hinata, this is in the best interest of you and your clan." he said softly, and she whipped her gaze to him. "He... he just told me he loved me... and I've been waiting all my life to hear that..." she sobbed, her anger fading as she fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands. "Hinata I'm very sorry... there's nothing I can do..." Kakashi said softly, and she continued to sob. "When...? When do I get married?" she asked through her tears.

"In three weeks, just as the rest of the arranged marriages are." the elder said and Hinata managed a weak glare at him. "You mean Kisame and Itachi's weddings?" she hissed, and the old man narrowed his eyes at her. "How did you find out about them?" he asked, and she opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off. "Never mind that. The weddings will go on as planned. You won't see your husband until the day of, nor will you find out who he is before then. And that's because of your little outburst." he said, making her glare up at him once more.

What an irritating old man. Her father placed his hands on her shoulders, and she looked up at him with teary eyes. "I'm sorry. I promise everything will be ok." he whispered, and she ducked her head once more. When they had all cleared out of the office, she took off running. Where she was running to, she had no idea. She was just following wherever her feet would take her. When she finally stopped, she gripped the railing that was nearest her to steady herself as she cried. She leaned over the railing and let out a pained cry as her heart continued to break.

She continued to cry out loud, even as someone's arms wrapped around her and held her tightly. The person slowly turned her in their embrace and hugged her tightly. She cried out once more and he leaned away from her the slightest bit, only to press his lips against hers to silence her pained wails. "Somehow I knew you would come here." he whispered the moment he pulled away from her lips. She sobbed once more and he reached up and cupped her cheeks with both hands, his thumbs brushing away her tears.

"Shhh... no more tears... it's going to be ok..." he whispered as he pressed his lips to her forehead. She bit her lip and stifled another sob. She reached up and gripped his shirt tightly. "I heard you went off on that old geezer." he said in amusement, and she nodded. "He... he said it didn't matter that I loved you." she managed, although a hiccup escaped her. "I got something similar when I went in there. I told them that I had found someone, but they told me it didn't matter because they had already found a wife for me." he sighed, and she gripped his shirt tighter.

"I'm so sorry Hinata... I..." "You were always worthy of my love... you were the only one..." she whispered, and a sigh escaped him. "How did you know?" he asked, and she frowned as she laid her head on his chest. "I always knew... it's who you are..." she whispered, and he grunted to acknowledge he had heard her. "We could always run for it..." he offered, and she pulled her head up to look at him. "Become missing nin and just... be free." he offered, and she shook her head.

"That's too dangerous." she whispered, and he chuckled. "As if we aren't both extremely dangerous nin ourselves." he mused, and she cracked a small smile. He thought she was dangerous. That made her feel good honestly. "I bet that old geezer was shitting his pants when you turned on him." Kisame's voice echoed across to her. She looked over Itachi's shoulder to see the man leaning on the railing. "I'd hate to see you two lovebirds get separated, so if you wanna run, you best bet I'm going with you." he said, and she smiled a little wider.

"However, there's something they didn't count on... If we put up as much of a fight as we can they may pair us up." he said, and she shook her head. "They've already chosen our partners..." she whispered, and he cursed softly. He hugged her to him tightly and buried his nose in her hair with a sigh. "I'm so sorry..." he whispered into her hair, and she hugged him back just as tightly. "Itachi I'm gonna head in for the night, I will see you in the morning." Kisame said with a small wave and Hinata peeked over his shoulder at the towering man. "Goodnight Kisame. I'm so happy you came to Konoha with us." she said and he chuckled.

"I missed you too, brat." he said with a half wave as he walked away. Itachi released her from the hug he was holding her in, making her look at him oddly. His hands found her cheeks once more and he sighed as he brushed his thumbs over her cheekbones. "I'm so tired of pretending I don't love you... I want you to run with me... we can hide, we will be just fine. You, me, and Kisame." he whispered, and she frowned at him once more. "Itachi... they will find us... and you just got your brother back... you shouldn't have to leave him behind for me." she said softly, sadness filling her being as she reached up and cupped his cheeks as well.

He leaned his face into her palm, and she felt her lips twitch up into a soft smile as his eyes slipped shut. She pressed her lips to his and his eyes slipped open the slightest bit. "I... Love you..." she managed in between kisses. With every word she uttered their kisses became more heated. His hands fell from her cheeks and gripped her hips, pulling her flush against him. Somehow, they had maneuvered to where she was on the railing with her legs wrapped around his waist, his fingers wrapped up in her hair and hers were still on his cheeks.

She let out a gasp as his lips planted themselves on her neck, leaving little nips and bites down the hollow of her throat as she leaned her head back. His hand trailed up and began unzipping her coat and she gasped once more as the cold air hit her exposed skin. Her fingers found their way to his hair as he nipped and bit down the valley of her breasts. She wasn't sure how far they were going to go with her sitting on a bridge railing, but the way he was making her feel... she didn't care what happened at this point.

His lips were leaving trails of searing heat over her flesh, and she couldn't help but whimper as he slipped his hand up her fishnet shirt, his rough padded palms brushing over her smooth skin as he did so. His other hand grabbed her hip and he pressed himself against her once more. It was as if he couldn't get close enough to her. One particular gasp escaped her lips, and he chuckled as his hand brushed over the sensitive nipple beneath his palm. Everything he was doing to her sent her brain spiraling. She wanted to be closer to him as well, she just couldn't handle their inability to get closer to one another.

She gripped her legs around his waist as tight as she could get them and he buried his face in her neck, trailing kisses up her neck to her lips once more. This kiss was a slower, more sensual kiss than the heated one from before. It was conveying all the words they couldn't think of saying. He licked her lower lip and she parted her own for him to explore hers. There was no battle for dominance between them, she just submitted to him in every way. He pulled away and brushed the tip of his nose across hers, his breath fanning out over her lips.

"I hated seeing you with them." he growled lightly, and she furrowed her brows. "I don't understand..." she managed, and he began gently rolling her nipple between his fingertips. "I just hated seeing you with those other men. I couldn't stand it with every fiber of my being." he said, his voice taking on a husky and possessive tone. "I didn't want them, I only wanted you..." she whispered, and he captured her lips in a kiss once more.

"Can um... you guys break whatever this is... break it up?" a familiar voice sighed, and Itachi chuckled as he removed his hand from beneath her shirt. He zipped up her coat swiftly and pulled her down from the railing. "As if you didn't know what that was, you have a child on the way brother." Itachi mused and Hinata smiled bashfully at Sasuke, who had just arrived back in the village it seemed. "Hinata... Itachi... I heard about your situation..." he said, and Sakura made her way out from behind him, a slight blush littering her cheeks.

"I told him everything, Hinata... I'm sorry." she said and Hinata smiled at her. She had no hard feelings for the other woman. "I'm glad to see you two finally made up, but out here in public is not where to do it." Sasuke mused and Hinata blushed a little darker. "Just wait it gets better." his voice took on that same husky tone from before as he looked over to her. She felt the air leave her lungs and she felt lightheaded.

"Itachi, don't make her faint." Sasuke chuckled and Itachi only smirked. She wrapped her arms around his hips loosely and he chuckled as he patted her arms. "I don't know how I might be able to help but I will talk to them." Sasuke said and Itachi shook his head. "There's no need. They've made up their minds. Kisame is getting married and so are we, although not to each other." Itachi said and Hinata buried her face into his muscular back. She could feel every movement of his muscles as he moved and spoke.

"If we don't get paired up, we are going to run." Hinata mumbled into his back, and he tensed up. "I thought you said no running..." he said as he gripped her wrist softly. "I just... I can't live without you Itachi. I don't want another man to touch me." she said softly, and he rubbed circles into her hand with his thumb. "I'll let Kisame know then." he said, and she nodded into his back. "Do the elders know this is what you're planning?" Sasuke asked and both of them shook their heads. "Good, don't tell them. If they catch you, I'll do everything in my power to set you free." Sasuke said and Hinata smiled softly.

"I heard the third man is the fire Daimyo's son." Sasuke trailed off, looking at the two before him with frustrated eyes. "I just hope you two get to be together somehow." Sasuke said and her heart thumped within her chest. She didn't want anyone else to touch her, not like Itachi did. She wanted him and him alone. She placed a kiss into the center of his back between his shoulders and he chuckled once more. She felt his amusement rumble into her through her lips.

"Hinata... I think you should go home tonight. We will figure things out in the morning." He said and she nodded as she pulled away from him. He turned towards her swiftly, catching her off guard as he pressed his lips to hers one last time. "Please, be safe getting home." he whispered against her lips, making it to where she couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. She deepened the kiss once more, making him chuckle and lean her back some to deepen the kiss further.

"I love you, forever and always." she said with a smile as she slowly let go of his hand. She waved to Sasuke and Sakura, who both offered her small smiles before she took off running to get home. When she got there, her father was waiting for her at the gates. A frown marred her lips as she approached him. "You know... I requested that you marry Itachi. I did this for you, Hinata... he was drifting away from you, and you were miserable. So, I told the elders that I wanted you to marry him. They seemed amicable to the idea, even excited... until your outburst..." He sighed and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You couldn't just leave it alone?" she asked softly, and he frowned as well. "I was trying to help..." he said, and the tears welled up in her eyes once more. They started to flow freely as he opened his arms to her. "I just wanted you to be happy. It was supposed to be an arranged marriage that bound you and Itachi regardless of the situation going on between you... but they turned it into something heinous and added a third contender. There will be three weddings that day and I have no idea if you will be with Itachi... I'm sorry Hinata..." he said, and she started sobbing all over again.

"They have requested that I ensure you don't leave the compound until the wedding day, because there are already rumors that you may run away again..." he said this so softly she almost didn't even hear him. But she had and she was furious all over again. "I need to see him..." she bit out and he frowned. "If you run and you were the one engaged to the Daimyo's son... you will be condemning our whole family, Hinata... we will lose clan status and more."

:-:-:-:

"You truly love her... don't you?" Sakura asked and Sasuke chuckled. "That fool has always loved her. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think of her." Sasuke said, making Sakura frown up at him. "Then why?" "Because I thought she might be happier with someone who didn't have my track record. I thought maybe if I pushed her away and let her live her life, maybe she would marry Naruto and be happy." He sighed and Sakura knocked him over the head with her fist, making his eyes go wide. He hadn't been expecting that.

"You absolute fool! She's been in love with you forever! We talked about it as kids! We always thought it was Naruto, too... but when we ran up on her that day... where you were dying..." Sakura trailed off for a moment, then furrowed her brow and looked Itachi dead in the eyes. "She had her hand inside your chest and was crying as she did everything that she could to save you. She was begging and pleading for us to help you. Her arm had shattered from how hard she had hit Sasuke, and yet, she wanted us to help you and not her. My friend would have rather had you live than use of her arm." Sakura managed, tears brimming in her emerald eyes.

"And you! You pushed her away because you were trying to shove her off to someone else!" The woman snarled, making him slip his eyes shut and sigh. "You better fix this! She loves you with everything she has!" Sakura snarled her face contorting with her rage. Itachi nodded; he knew he needed to do everything in his power to fix this. Not because he wanted Hinata to be with him, because he did, but because he owed it to her for getting them in this situation in the first place. He flinched as her hand came at him, but instead of a smack like he thought it was going to be, it was a gentle caress of the cheek.

"I may not see what she sees in you, but she lost her temper and went against the village elders to try and be able to be with you... that isn't something Hinata normally does... she doesn't lose her temper... she never has. She just accepts everything as it is and takes it for face value." Sakura said softly, the tears spilling over her cheeks as Sasuke wrapped his arms around his wife to comfort her. Itachi nodded; he knew this about Hinata.

"I will do everything in my power to ensure we are together..." He said as he turned to make his way inside the compound. He had to plan this out, without the option of running. He slipped into his bed and thought over it all night. He didn't sleep, which was something he was also used to. He slipped out of his bed the moment the sun lingered above the horizon. He made his way into the shower and allowed the water to trail over him to comfort him. He sent out clones to sneak around and figure out what they could before he himself went out to learn what he could.

He ran his hands through his hair and sighed as the water poured over him. He reached up and touched his left eyelid, his vision was completely gone there and his depth perception was slightly off but over the last two years he had overcome that. He sighed once more and slipped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his hips and draping another one on his head so he could dry his hair. He was always an early riser, but today he chose to linger in his thoughts until a reasonable hour.

He worked on drying his hair and raised a brow as there was a knock on his door. He secured the towel around his hips better and made his way over to the door, slipping it open without a second thought. Sakura and Kisame were standing there and while Kisame was used to seeing him like this as they had no boundaries with one another, Sakura was not used to this. She sputtered and threw her hands over her eyes, a deep red blush flooding her cheeks.

"Why are you naked answering the door!" she squealed, and he quirked a brow as Kisame chuckled. "I'm clearly wrapped in a towel, but nonetheless what's going on?" he asked and she sputtered once more. "Hinata isn't allowed to leave the compound because she took off over here last night. They made her undergo an examination from Tsunade that proved she was still... Untouched..." Sakura said when she snapped out of her embarrassed state.

Fury flooded his veins, and he gripped the doorframe tightly. "She told them she was in love with someone, but she didn't tell them who, so they are trying to keep her away from whoever it is, even though some of us already know it's you, we haven't told anyone." Sakura said and he nodded. "Kakashi knows... I'm going to go talk to him today." he said and they nodded. "She's been trapped there since she got home last night, someone also told them that she was going to run." Kisame said, causing Itachi to frown.

"They must have had someone follow her here, so now they are actively trying to keep her away from me." He sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. This was stressful, but nothing he couldn't handle honestly. He could figure this out for her. He had a slight headache from all the sake he drank last night, but he was fine for the most part. "I'm going to go check on her and see if she's ok." Sakura said suddenly, making him look down to her once more. "Please do. Let her know I'm going to do everything in my power to fix this..." he said, which made her smile at him for the first time in a long time.

He was glad he was slowly winning over the pink haired woman. He slid his door shut and proceeded to get dressed. He looked everywhere but could not find his hair tie. He was curious as to where it could have gone, but he continued to brush his hair. He would deal with his hair later. The brief idea of cutting it came through his mind but he shoved it away, he liked his long hair. He shoved his now dry locks over his shoulder and slipped out of his room.

The floorboards still creaked when he walked over them, but the compound no longer held the emptiness it had once held. He slid open the front door and took off. He landed on the Hokage's rooftop and knocked on the window. Upon seeing him, Kakashi opened the window. "Itachi." he greeted and allowed him to slip inside. "Kakashi-sempai." he greeted the man amicably. He had no issues with the man, in fact he rather enjoyed the man's presence.

He crossed his arms over his chest and the other man released a sigh and waved a hand to the chair before him. Itachi sat down; his arms still crossed as he slipped into the chair. "Why is Hinata locked in the compound?" he asked and Kakashi released yet another sigh, he knew he was getting on the man's nerves, but then again, the whole marriage arrangement was getting on his own nerves. "You told me to pick for you and I did. I picked her, so I don't understand why you are all so angry. Her father put her name in just for you, because someone avoided her like the plague for two years." Kakashi grumbled as he flipped through the pages of his little orange book absently.

Itachi couldn't keep the shock from slipping onto his features. "What?" "You're going to marry Hinata regardless. Her father only put her name in because he heard you were going to be arranged a marriage. He wasn't trying to force you two into anything where there was no love. He cares deeply for his daughter and was trying to make up for his past mistake of not believing her when she told him she never believed you did it out of pure maliciousness." Kakashi explained, moving his hand to place itself on his cheek. A small smile reached his eyes and

"You turned that shy little girl into a hellion." he sighed in amusement, making a burning sensation reach his ears. He knew he was embarrassed by the words the older man said, purely because he knew he had done this to her by avoiding her. Or perhaps it was the way he had cornered her in the alleyway and kissed her. That could have done the trick too. The latter though had the pink tint slipping to his cheeks now. He knew she had loved him, but he never truly knew the extent of what she would do to be with him. He only knew what he would do out of love for her.

"When can I see her?" he asked and Kakashi sighed once again, he was starting to get fed up with the sighs that escaped the man's lips. "She will be released outside the compound on this day, for her birthday. But... there's a catch... she will only be visiting a bridal shop to pick her dress. And she will be guarded." Kakashi warned, making Itachi nod. He knew he could get past her guards. "Please don't tell her that you're going to be the one she marries, let her find out two days later on your wedding day... it'll be my head if the elders found out I told even you about it." Kakashi said as he continued absent mindedly flipping through the pages of his book.

"Want proof it's going to be you?" He asked and well, how could he not want the proof? Kakashi slipped a folder out of his desk, and he flipped it open. The names Kisame Hoshigaki and Sayuri Hozuki were the first names on the page, along with pictures of each. Sayuri was a beautiful girl with long white hair cascading over her shoulders and shining silver eyes. A wicked smirk was plastered on her lips in the picture, and he knew then that Kisame was going to have a run for his money with that one. A marriage certificate with their names on it was behind the images.

The next set of images was his own and Hinata's. Hinata looked so sad in her picture, but she was the most beautiful woman he had seen, in his own mind that is. He was sure some others would beg to differ. Their marriage contract was the one he had signed when he snapped at Kakashi to choose for him. He was eternally grateful to the man for his attention to detail when it came to the two of them. He wondered just how the man had figured out he was in love with her.

"How did you-" "You had it written all over your face when we were helping you clean your house up. It wasn't hard to tell that you cared for her. That would be why I decided not to join you for dinner. I'm highly surprised Tsunade's evaluation came back that she was... well... untouched to put it kindly. I figured if I had left you two alone long enough you both would be going at it like rabbits." Kakashi chuckled softly, making that same embarrassment creep up his ears once more.

"I get it, she was only sixteen and you were twenty-one. You were respectful about it." He said upon seeing the blush that spread across his cheeks ever so slightly. "What I don't understand is why you pushed her away knowing how she felt about you. You deserved every bit of affection you received from her. But I'm not going to tell you how to live your life." Kakashi said, although his visible eye took on a sharper glint. A more menacing one.

"If you run, I can't save you. I was coming to talk to the both of you and tell you the situation and I overheard you three planning to run." Kakashi said, his voice a cutting blade. He should have known Kakashi was the one who had found out about their plan, it made sense after all. Kakashi would have honestly told him to run if they hadn't been paired together and he knew this. He was grateful for the man regardless of the veiled threat of what would happen if they ran. He stood and slipped out the window once more when the man had cleaned up all evidence that he had even been there.

He couldn't honestly believe it, but at the same time it was very easy to believe. The elders had been thrilled with the idea of Sasuke marrying Hinata when they were younger, so why would they pass up on the opportunity to create phenomenally strong clan of Hyuuga Uchiha hybrids. He didn't know what exactly it would do to their doujutsu being blended in such a manner, but he was interested to find out. The thought soon left him as he hopped from rooftop to rooftop, stopping only to peer at the bridal shop in question.

He would be back here in two days to see her. On her eighteenth birthday.