Someone New | A SasuHina Story (completed)

chapter eighteen | well done

Hinata knocked on the dojo entrance. She waited for a response, and quietly entered when she got one.

She walked across the tatami mats and sat down in the center of the room. She propped herself on her knees and graciously bowed to the man in front of her.

"Father." She said, greeting the towering figure.

"Hinata." He responded, looking her up and down. "I figure you've been well, yes?" He asked. Hiashi hadn't seen his daughter in close to 4 months. He was relived to see her well and healthy. He smiled, it was small and barely noticeable, but it was a smile no less.

Hinata was stiff. "Yes father. I've been doing just fine." She replied.

She loved her father and had a fairly good relationship with him, but he was far too serious. You never knew what version of him you were going to get on any given day. She prepared herself for anything.

Hinata glanced at the clock behind her father. 10 more minutes.

Hiashi stood. "It's about time we head to the room." He said, smile gone and voice stern. This meeting was very important to him. He'd show Hinata no favoritism.

Hinata got up and followed him out the room. She closed the entrance behind them and excused herself, telling her father she had something to do first. She ran to Sasuke who was standing across the courtyard waiting for her. He watched as she rushed to him.

"Give me your hand." She said, holding out her palm. Sasuke held out his hand and she grabbed it firmly. She squeezed it, closing her eyes she chanted aloud 'I can do this.'

Sasuke grinned at her child like attempts to encourage herself. He squeezed her hand back and closed his eyes as well. "She will do it." He said. It was faint and easily hard to miss, but Hinata heard him. It filled her with confidence.

Hinata cupped Sasuke's face and gave him a bright smile. "Thank you." She said, lightly kissing him on the cheek and heading in the direction her father had went in earlier. Sasuke stared at her as she walked away, a blush creeping up on his light cheeks.

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So far, Hinata had been excellently displaying her leadership capabilities. She answered all her questions without stuttering or stumbling over her words. She laid out the groundwork for the type of clan she wanted to run. And she explained how she planned on making the clan more inclusive. Hinata wanted everyone's opinions to be voiced before signing off on executive decisions. She told the council how she didn't want there to be division amongst the members.

The elders and youth alike were in favor of Hinata's ideas. After about an hour or so they dismissed her to talk amongst themselves. This was only the first of many more discussions she'd have with these people. She hoped she made a good impression.

Hinata bowed and exited the room swiftly. Sasuke was leaning against the conference room wall listening in, just like he said he'd be. Hinata grinned. She pulled Sasuke away from the room, leading him towards the main house. Sasuke let Hinata guide him every which way, not really caring about their destination.

Hinata led him into the foyer, past the living room, and up the stairs. Then she stopped walking. She stood in front of a room. It was at the end of the hall, cut off from the bustling servants and lively atmosphere. The room was secluded and the surrounding area was oddly quiet. Hinata opened the door. In the left corner, was a western style bed. It had white sheets and a purple comforter. In the right corner was a vanity. Across from it, by the door, was a full size mirror. A big wardrobe stood at the foot of the bed. The whole room was painted lavender and all the furniture was white.

Sasuke assumed this was Hinata's room.

She gestured for him to sit on the vanity's chair. She sat on the bed.

It silent for a while. Hinata only let a select few boys into her room, despite her being grown. To Hinata, her room was a sacred space. Nearly no one was allowed in, not even her younger sister. There were times she'd felt generous, and let Hanabi and Neji hang out for a couple hours, but that was very seldom. Of course there were exceptions, like Ino, Tenten, and Temari but even they would usually just say in the living room. If it was anyone outside that circle, she didn't like the idea of bringing them home, for fear her father would scare them away.

Naturally, these rules did not apply to her apartment. She became way more lax once she moved out of the main house.

This was the first time anyone outside of her family or close friends were allowed to enter.

But..Sasuke was technically a close friend, right?

She didn't know why it was so odd for her to think of him in that light. Was that not what they had been? Close friends? She tried to compare her and Sasuke's relationship to that of her and Kiba's. For some reason, the two didn't feel the same. Hinata shook it off, deeming this the wrong time to be thinking about such things.

"I think I did okay." Hinata said, looking down at her lap. That's the only thing she could come up with to say at the moment.

"You did great. They should have no doubts about instating you." Sasuke said, tone same as always. Hinata was ecstatic. She trusted Sasuke's words more than her own. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She did good.

"They told me to come back after a few minutes to hear the evaluation results." Hinata told Sasuke. She bounced her leg in anticipation.

"I'd say it's been a few minutes by now. Let's go back." Sasuke suggested. Hinata nodded. They quietly walked back to the conference room. Outside, Hiashi was waiting. When he spotted Hinata he waved to her, signaling her to come over. She jogged to him, eager to hear his feedback.

Hiashi stared at Hinata for a minute before suddenly hugging her. It was too out of character for him, even with his constant mood swings. Hinata slowly hugged back, wondering if she was being embraced by someone who only appeared to look like her father. Hiashi was not at all known for physical contact.

He pulled back and looked her, taking in everything. "You did a wonderful job today. Well done, Hinata." He praised. "I'm so proud of you. You've grown up so much over the years." He continued. Hinata shed a tear. It's been the first time in a long time that her father had been so vocal with her. She was glad to have come this far.

"I want you to take the rest of the week off." He told her. "You deserve it." Hinata nodded, glad she had an excuse to dodge Kakashi's summons.

Hinata bowed. She was about to leave when her father quickly gripped her arm, stopping her from advancing. "Next time you visit, I want to hear all about why Mr. Uchiha is accompanying you." Hiashi said. His speech held no malicious intent. He was just surprised to see the man within their compound walls.

"Yes father, next time." Hinata said, breaking out of her fathers grip and skipping over to Sasuke.