A Growing Affection

Chapter 85: Hinata's Fiancé

Hinata was tired, but pleasantly so, as she entered the Hyuga manor.  Tenten had been working with her on the three common short swords, the  xiphos, gladius, and wakizashi. The pale beauty had been put through her  paces with the trio of weapons, both alone and in mismatched pairs.  Hinata felt she was finally mastering the light blades, particularly the  xiphos, the leaf shaped blade having elements in common with both of  the other two swords.

And whenever Tenten was not commenting on  her technique, the older teen was pestering Hinata about her love life.  For the first few hours, Hinata tried to ignore her friend, occasionally  asking her to stop. Then the decreasingly shy teen realized the teasing  was part of her emotional training. So she tried to turn it back on  Tenten, but Hinata was at a disadvantage. The Byakugan user was  uncomfortable asking for the details of what was also Neji's love life.  After all, he was not only her cousin, but essentially her half-brother,  too.

Before she could reach her room, Hinata was intercepted by her father.

"Hinata,  there is something we need to speak on," the clan leader began without  greeting her, failing to hide his dissatisfaction, his voice oddly  proper.

"Hello, father," she said carefully, "Can I drop off my bag and get cleaned up first?"

"I am afraid there is no time for that," he told her regretfully, "You need to come with me right now."

She  nodded, worried, and allowed him to lead her deep into the mansion. He  brought her to one of the multi-purpose rooms, designed to be used for  meetings or as a small-scale practice room. He opened the door, and  waited for her to step through. Inside the room were the five Hyuga clan  elders, her grandfather Hyouta in front and the other four arrayed  behind him. Other than her grandfather's sister Hiroko, she did not know  her exact relationship with the other elders. They were all kneeling on  pads quite formally. Directly in front of the head elder, a silken  cloth covered a long, shallow box. Opposite the elders was another  pillow, with one final position open between the elder and the lone  seat, but far off to the side. After he closed the door, Hiashi Hyuga  moved to the observer's spot, and knelt rigidly.

"Hinata, please have a seat."

Her  grandfather's tone was polite and seemingly open, but she detected a  current of pride and anticipation in his words. She unshouldered her bag  and set it by the door, before taking her place as the target.

"To what do I owe this honor?" Hinata asked neutrally yet officially.

"Your  seventeenth birthday is fast approaching," Hyouta answered, "and we  need to start considering your future, Hinata, and the future of the  Hyuga clan."

She watched him carefully, but did not respond. In  her entire life, her father's father had only called her by name three  times before. But now he had used her name twice in under a minute. This  only increased her worry about what he had planned, but she kept her  emotions tightly hidden.

"To that end I have been investigating  potential suitors," the previous clan leader continued, "And I am  pleased to say we have arranged an excellent husband for you. He is a  Jonin from the Village Hidden in the Mines, and also a noble in the Land  of Silver. He holds the position of 'duke', which is like a regional  governor, only as a hereditary position. And he is quiet anxious to meet  you."

"I am afraid I must decline," Hinata said carefully, "As is  my right under the laws of the Hidden Leaf Village, I will not enter  into an arranged marriage."

"Is this because of the Uzumaki boy?"  Hyouta asked, his mask slipping slightly at her refusal. He had insisted  to Hiashi that Hinata would offer no resistance.