The Unexpected

Author: Reflection of a Broken Dream

Pairing: Shino x Hinata (From Naruto)

A Quick Note:

- Warning: the first part of the story is a little confusing...but keep reading! You'll understand what's going on a little ways down. :P

- I hope ya'll like it!

- Please review!

Disclaimer:

I do NOT own Naruto or the characters!

NOTE:

I'm sorry this took so long to come out! I meant to have it out a LOT sooner... Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I'm sorry again, but thank you for your patience! For the fans of Arranged Marriage, I am about to start working on it again, so don't fret! A chapter will be out before you know it! (Probably shorter chapters, too, like Moony suggested. I might be able to do a chapter a month that way...)

P.S. I got a new laptop for Christmas! My parents are the BEST! (So's Rent-A-Center and their Black Friday Deals! lol.) So maybe- MAYBE, if RL works with me- I can dish out a couple to a few chappies of some of my stories a month now. No promises, but maybe now that I can work on stories more now that I can get on my compy at any given time. :3

The Unexpected

Chapter 2 - A Disturbing Dream and Wedding Preparation

A young woman stood out in a field of snow, her black hair whipping about in the ice-cold wind. She was dressed in a long sleeve silky lavender evening dress, lavender rhinestones making it glimmer like the calf-deep snow around her. The dress wasn't warm by any means, but it gave her arms and legs a little bit of cover from the whipping winds, at the very least. She pulled her ghostly white hands to her lips in an attempt to warm them, her rosy lips expelling a warm breath, steam puffing out into the cold night air in a wispy cloud. She idly noticed that snow was starting to come down in drifts in the pitch black sky, illuminating some of the darkened trees farther out. The twisted trees were rooted deeply into the pristine white snow, down into the hidden earth, and they reached for the black sky with their bare, gnarled branches. The whipping winds made them come alive, their branches reaching out like mangled fingers, swaying towards the hellish obsidian sky.

A figure appeared from within the snow drift, moving towards the young woman at a steady pace, seemingly undeterred by the snow and wind. The figure was draped in black clothing, the night easily cloaking it. The woman shifted from side to side, trying to get a good look at him, but failing in her attempts. One thing she was sure of, and one thing alone- the hooded figure was a man. His cloak had opened, as if it wanted her to understand what he was; the snow blowing against his flat, uncovered chest, his skin as white as the snow.

"Hello?" She called out to him. Her only answer was his steady pace, his feet making an audible 'crunch' in the snow as he approached. "Who are you?" He finally stopped about fifteen feet away from her, the hood shadowing his face. He didn't even look cold... White hands rose up, parting his cloak, showing his black pants, as they reached for his hood.

"You don't remember me...? Hinata?" the voice asked softly, huskily, barely heard over the howling wind. White eyes shadowed in lavender widened in recognition as the hood slid back.

"Shino!" Hinata cried, her voice somewhere between a gasp and a cry, as she stared at his face for a long moment. It was so pale it frightened her; his long dark brown hair starting to be disturbed in the wind, as well as his now-visible goatee. He wasn't wearing his shades, so she could see that his expressive chestnut eyes were sunken in, dark circles etched around the edges...but that's not all that bothered her... A smile tugged at his lips, but it didn't fully carry to his haunted, torn eyes. Something was wrong- inexplicably, horribly wrong- and it made shivers that had nothing to do with the cold weather race up and down her spine. "Shino...what's wrong?" She took a tentative step towards him and he held up a hand for her to stop. She paused, rocking on the balls of her slipper-clad feet.

"He's coming," Shino whispered as the wind died down to low-pressure breeze, his smile gone.

"Who is coming?" Hinata asked, her brow furrowed in confused alarm.

"He's coming," Shino repeated. Something about his expression and his features combined made him look like a shell of his former self. "And he wants you."

"W-Who...?!" Hinata asked, feeling more than alarmed when arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

"So this is where you've been, koi," a vaugely familiar husky, velvety voice whispered into her cold ear. "I missed you..." Realization dawned on Hinata as she remembered who the voice belonged to. Shinji. She was engaged to him. Shino was off on a mission.

This wasn't real...but it felt real.

"N-No!" Hinata struggled against her amused and overly affectionate captor, the man kissing just behind her ear and holding her tightly to him. Glancing up, she noticed that Shino was starting to turn away, disgust and hurt clearly written on his face and in his eyes. "NO! Shino!" She reached out for him desperately, ignoring Shinji. "Don't leave! Don't go!"

"I wonder...with whom you'll side...when worlds collide," was Shino's odd and pained response as he fully turned his back on her and started to walk away.

"NOOOOOOO! SHIIIIINNOOOO!" Hinata yelled at the top of her lungs, trying to will herself to break free of Shinji and grab hold of him before he dissappeared back into the darkness of the night...
Suddenly, the world began to spin...and then...there was only darkness...

"No!" Hinata gasped as she started awake, her white eyes looking around warily for Shinji, Shino, and the black and white hell that she was just in. Wooden floors and a plain room surrounded her, her familiar ocean blue and lavender bedding beneath her as she sat up slowly, wearily."It was a dream...it was just a dream..." She sighed as she collapsed back down on her bed, a hand covering her face. She felt cold...because she wasn't wearing covers or her jacket and it was getting colder at night now. Somehow, she hadn't fallen out of bed and she had righted herself in her sleep- she had gone to bed sideways, her feet still on the floor.

Hinata let out another breath, calming herself, as she removed her hand from her face. She peered at the clock on the wooden stand by her bed. "Four-thirty...A.M..." She was shocked that she was up so early, the sun not even out yet. Six was her normal waking time. "The mission must have thrown me off...and then I went to bed early last night..." Yawning and stretching, she noticed that her leg didn't feel as badly as it did the night before. That was a plus. She didn't want to think about how it got better so fast after the nightmare she'd had...she also didn't want to think about the wedding, Shinji, or Shino. It was still a little much for her after that dream...

After a moment of laying there, she knew she wasn't going back to sleep. Hinata's mind was racing too fast to allow her to rest again. "A shower...I need a shower..." It would help her relax and she could clean up and feel better at the same time. Slowly, she sat back up and lowered her legs so that her feet touched the cool floor. Shivering, Hinata slowly got up, being careful of her right leg. She made her way to the bathroom adjoined to her room, entered, and promptly shut the door behind her.

Hinata sighed to herself in contentment as she stepped back into her room, a white towel wrapped tightly around her supple body. She went to her dresser first, pulling out underwear and a bra before going to her closet and pulling out a long sleeve lavender shirt and pair of black pants. She dropped her armload of clothing on her bed, letting the towel fall from her lean and lithe form.

"That was exactly what I needed," Hinata smiled to herself as donned her clothing piece by piece. "I feel refreshed and clean...and awake, too." She had let her mind go back over the dream, somewhat hesitantly, while she was in the shower. She knew it was nothing but a dream now, disturbing as it was, and she had picked it apart for what she was sure it meant. (They say all disturbing or different dreams mean something...and it seemed to be right, ninety nine point ninety five percent of the time.)

The landscape was snowy like the land she was moving to, and the black sky with the turbulent wind indicated her reluctance to go and her fear and anxiety of it. Shinji was rich, so she saw herself in something that a rich housewife might wear. Shino was in it because she loved him and she was having trouble accepting that she might never see him again...and he was changed so much partially because he'd changed drastically before he left. The other part was that her memories of being near him were plain and didn't hold the same feel that he actually had in real life...that's why he was so hollow-looking. It was a shell of a memory of him...and it only felt horrible and wrong because that's how she felt- it was wrong not to be with him. Shinji was there because he was going to be her husband, obviously, and she felt like he was taking her away from Shino. Not that it would actually happen...she wasn't with Shino to begin with... Her struggling coincided with her feelings that she tried to hide and bottle up (why couldn't her heart just accept it and let go of Shino already?) but there was still one thing that didn't quite add up...

Shino had said 'I wonder...with whom you'll side...when worlds collide'. That made no sense to her whatsoever... She wasn't picking sides, she had no choice in the matter. At all. If she had told her father 'no' to marrying Shinji, he would have taken her to another study and...changed her mind. That would have included an argument and a possible beating, Hiashi going back in without her to tell Shinji that she was his. If she had tried to escape, her father or another Hyuuga would have just drug her back. She wasn't in any condition for that, anyway... So she was just...stuck.

'Besides...,' Hinata thought silently as she sat on her bed, fully dressed. 'Shinji is kind to me...and it's not like I could have ever been with Shino in the first place... It will be alright.' She held a hand to her aching chest. 'The pain will lessen in time. I can come to love Shinji. It would be better if I forgot about Shino altogether.' She knew that permanently forgetting Shino was impossible, but she could forget about him temporarily...at least until after she was settled with Shinji in his home in the Snow. It would make her time now with Shinji that much easier and it would make things run a little more smoothly for her. Mind set, she stood from her place on the bed and she went back to the closet, set on wrapping a couple of her larger injuries- it would satisfy Kiba's needless worry for her and consume a little bit of time...

It was six when Hinata walked out of the door to her room, her jacket on but not zipped up. Her leg was much much better than the day before, Hinata barely having any trouble with it as she strode out towards Hitomi's room; Hitomi was the best Hyuuga seamstress in the Compound. According to her father, he had already had Hitomi make a kimono for her...Hinata just had to make sure it fit. She would also have to ask Hitomi who was in charge of the guest list so that she could invite her friends to the reception... She didn't let herself think about it too much or she might start to panic or become depressed... Instead, she focused on getting things done in small tasks, leaving room for a meeting with Kiba at three. Her walk to Hitomi's room became a little easier for her.

Hinata knocked on the door of Hitomi's room as soon as she got there.

"Yes?" a voice called from within, Hitomi's voice, and Hinata heard feet padding towards her.

"It's Hinata...may I come in?" Hinata called, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Of course...," Hitomi replied, at the door now. She slid it open with a smile. "I was hoping you would drop by and see me this morning. I was just getting my sewing supplies out. Please, come in." Hinata nodded once as the slightly older woman stepped aside and let Hinata in; Hitomi was only ten years older than Hinata. She had thigh-length obsidian hair that was tied down low, her bangs parted in the center of her forehead and swept back behind her ears. She had delicate porcelain features and the trademark white eyes of the Hyuuga, a charcoal gray tint to the edges. Hinata noticed that she was dressed in a white haori today with gray hakama, a black tie keeping it together. Hinata shut the door behind her as she entered, the younger Hyuuga lead into a side room of Hitomi's multi-roomed home. There was a folding mirror off to the far right side of the room as well as a platform for a customer to stand on, so Hitomi could make marks and measurements and such as she worked. "Stay right here a moment. I'll go get your kimono right away, milady."

"Alright," Hinata replied softly as the woman walked off, leaving her in the fitting room. Hinata looked around, seeing modest decorations and a clock ticking on the wall. Five minutes had passed since Hinata left her room; it was six 'o five. She found herself anxious for time to pass so that she could get out to see Kiba and Akamaru, so she could tell him and get it over with and then occupy her time with something else. Maybe a spar. She desperately needed a distraction... Each moment that ticked by was torturous to Hinata...

Thankfully, it didn't take long for Hitomi to return with her kimono, bringing it back in on a hanger, the dress preserved in a large protective plastic bag.

"Here we are," Hitomi smiled proudly at Hinata, the woman shutting the door behind her. "There is a shoji screen off to the side, milady. Let's get you undressed and into your wedding kimono."

"Hm," Hinata hummed softly and nodded, moving towards a shoji screen in the far right corner of the room, Hitomi close behind her. In a matter of twenty minutes, Hinata had undressed and had been re-dressed in her wedding kimono with elaborate ties. The kimono was, as all of Hitomi's works were, absolutely beautiful. It was a thick white silky kimono with two layers, the inner layer a pristine white and plain. The outer layer was the same pristine white, but it was embroidered with flowers that dripped down almost every inch of the kimono, vines intertwining with the flowers and leaves, linking it all together. The embroidery was subtle, the thread the same color as the fabric, a hint of silvery threads accenting every flower and the occasional vine. Her white silk obi with elaborate ties was wrapped in matching lace, the intricate lace sewn into the inside of the obi so the seam went unseen. All in all, it was one of the most beautiful and elaborate kimonos that Hinata had ever seen.

"Oh, milady...," Hitomi gasped softly as she finished tying the tie. "You look...ohh...so gorgeous! Please...let's move to the platform so that you can see for yourself...and so I can make sure it fits properly everywhere."

"Okay," Hinata agreed easily, her cheeks lightly flushed from the compliment. She picked the front part of her kimono up so she wouldn't trip on it, Hitomi lifting the back to make it easier to walk. It was a long kimono, spilling a few extra feet over the floor to pool around her. Hitomi helped her up to the platform, Hinata surprised by her own reflection. This dress was...amazing. Beautiful. It had a subtle, intricate beauty about it that made her like it all the more as Hitomi arranged the dress around her and began fussing with it, making sure every little thing was in place. Before Hinata knew it, Hitomi had pinned up a few areas and stepped back, looking at the dress with such scrutiny that she had Hinata shuffling nervously.

"Stay still, Hinata-sama," Hitomi chided lightly. Hinata fought hard to stay perfectly still. After a few more long moments of Hitomi circling her, she stopped in front of Hinata. "Alright...I've pinned the necissary areas. I will help you down and help you out of the kimono. Please return later today for a fitting."

"Alright...thank you, Hitomi-san," Hinata replied politely with an incline of her head. Hitomi bowed and helped her down and back to the shoji screen to change. "Ano...Hitomi-san...do you know who is in charge of the guest list?"

"Hmm...," Hitomi hummed softly as she deftly untied Hinata's obi. "That would be...Satoshi-san. Do you know where his room is?"

"Yes," Hinata nodded, grateful that she knew that he was in charge of the guest list. "Thank you. I'll need to visit him in a moment..."

"Alright," Hitomi agreed easily as she slipped the kimono off of Hinata and hung it back up on the hanger. "Oh...I forgot...you might want to drop by and see Yukari. She is in charge of your make-up. She's already seen the dress, so she has already gotten make-up and accessories ready for you to try on and approve."

"I'll be sure to do that," Hinata nodded, sighing inwardly. Yukari wasn't the easiest person to deal with, but she'd go ahead and get it done while she could... Today was going to be a looonnng day... Re-dressing, Hinata bid Hitomi goodbye, the woman already absorbed in fixing Hinata's dress. She checked the clock on the way out; it was six thirty seven. Only thirty five minutes had passed...

Hinata walked to Satoshi's room, knocking on the door when she arrived.

"Yes?" A man's voice called, Hinata noticing that his door was cracked a sliver.

"Satoshi-san," Hinata called back. "It's Hinata. My father asked me to drop by so that the guest list for the reception could be constructed."

"Come on in," He called back, Hinata slowly opening his door and moving in. She shut the door most of the way, leaving it open a crack as she peered around for him, the man not in sight. "First door on your right." A little surprised, Hinata wandered towards the door and stopped at the entrance, seeing the man working at a large desk. Satoshi was over a head taller than her, when standing, nearly her father's age, and he had semi-short dark brown hair that was tied back into a short ponytail. He was dressed in a white male kimono, a black undershirt, and black pants. "Hold on a moment..." Hinata looked down and noticed he was working on a particularly elaborate piece of paper, decorating it with elegant swirls and well-placed flowers, leaves, and vines with his calligraphy pen. He finished drawing and looked up at her, Hinata amazed at his level of artistry. "Alright...who are we inviting? You need only include the people outside of the clan." His hand slid to the side, pushing his work of art aside, and pulled out a fresh, blank piece of paper.

"U-Umm," Hinata faltered slightly, quickly remembering who she wanted to invite. "The Inuzuka family, Kurenai Yuhi and her son, Hiro Yuhi, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura and Sasuke Uchiha, Sai, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Rock Lee, Iruka-sensei, Kakashi Hatake, Might Gai, Yamato-sensei, and...Shibi and Shino Aburame." She had to include Shino...just in case he miraculously returned. Anyway, that was a low enough number- it was all of her friends (Neji and Ten Ten were family, so they weren't going to be on this list) and teachers- and that would keep her father happy.

"Got it," Satoshi replied easily with a smile. "That's fewer than I was expecting, so I have more invitations made than needed. I've got addresses for everyone in Konoha, so they'll go out later today."

"That's great," Hinata nodded and attempted to look happy about it. "Umm...if it's not too much trouble...could I ask you to go ahead and make out the invitation to the Inuzuka family? I'm going to see them a little later today..."

"Hmm...," Satoshi hummed, his head tilted to the side a little as he thought about it a moment. "Sure." He quickly got to work, scribbling in his neat calligraphy on an intricate paper he'd designed. She could see that it was already dry, the basics filled out. He simply scribbled in the family's name in the appropriate spots and blew on it to dry it quickly. He then got an envelope with a similar pattern and addressed it to the Inuzuka, blowing on it until the ink dried. It only took a few minutes, Satoshi slipping the invitation into the envelope and sealing it with a glue dot. "Here you are, my dear." He held out the invitation. "Don't lose it."

"I won't," Hinata promised softly as she took it from him. "Thank you for this."

"No problem," he waved off with an amiable smile. She gave a polite bow and he returned it from his place at his desk. "See you later, Hinata-sama."

"See you later," Hinata waved as she exited the room, then his home, shutting the door as he had it the first time. She sighed softly, eying the fancy invitation. "I wonder how Kiba will react... Probably not well." She sighed again as she stuffed the invitation into her pocket. "I'd better get some breakfast before I go off with Yukari. That will take a while." Hinata hurried off to the cafeteria and got her breakfast (eggs, bacon, a biscuit, a sausage patty, and a piece of toast with strawberry jam), eating with the other Hyuuga, before she slipped out of the large, and slightly claustrophobic, place and back into the hallways. Her feet lead her straight to Yukari's room, the girl taking a breath before knocking.

"Yes?" Yukari's loud voice drawled sweetly. 'At least she's in a good mood,' Hinata thought silently, taking it as a good omen.

"It's Hinata," Hinata called through the shoji screen door. "Hitomi-san said you wanted to see me?" All at once, there was a loud pattering of feet and Yukari was at the door, her white eyes with a baby blue tint to them alight with pure joy. She was a half a head taller than Hinata and had mid-back length charcoal black hair tied back near to the end of her hair. She was dressed as fashionably as ever in a tight trendy white overshirt that had sleeves that ended a couple inches short of her wrists, a black spagghetti-strap top beneath the white overshirt, and black capris.

"Oh! Yes," Yukari smiled a bright smile, her pearly white teeth glinting in the morning light. "Thanks for stopping by. Come, we have to choose your make-up, shoes, jewelry, hair accessories, undergarments..." Before Hinata could run away, Yukari had slipped a hand around her waist, pulled her in, and shut the door behind her.

Seventeen pairs of undergarments, twenty pairs of shoes, fifty changes of jewelry, twenty hairstyles, thirty hair accessories, and twenty-six changes of make-up later...

"No...I like this one better...," Yukari smiled at the miserable Hinata as the girl attempted to smile back. "What do you think, Hinata-sama?"

"I think it's great," Hinata replied with forced enthusiasm. She was sitting, embarrassed as all hell, in a pair of white lacy ruffled low-rise thin panties, a microfiber white corset with shoulder straps, molded cups, and a plunging neckline, and a pair of lacy white thigh-highs that were clipped to the bottom of her corset to keep them in place.

On her feet were expensive white pumps that were about six inches tall, giving her legs the 'miles and miles of leg' effect, as Yukari put it. They were giving Hinata miles and miles of pain and stumbling.

Wrapped around Hinata's neck was a white lacy band that matched her obi, and simple white pearl earrings were pinned in her ears. Lacy white armwarmers adorned each arm, the pattern the same as the rest of the lace, the ends near her hands angled up towards her middle fingers, little white silky ribbons looping around her middle fingers to keep them in place.

Her black hair with blue highlights was pulled back into elegant and complex knots, black bobby pins with a single white pearl on the ends keeping the strands in place, the pins strategically placed throughout her hair to mimic the pattern of the silvery threads in her kimono. In the crown of her knots, a haircomb was placed, white pearls lined it and her veil attached to it, flowing down her back and nearly to the floor. It was lined in matching lace.

If she remembered correctly, Hinata had on a layer of moisturizer, concealer, and foundation that matched her skin tone. Hinata was mildly surprised that the products made her skin glow; it reminded her of a model's skin...secretly, she kind of liked it. On her eyes were four shades of silver eye shadow that blended together well, a silver highlighter in the corners of her eyes, a dark silver eyeliner around her eyes, and a black waterproof mascara on her long eyelashes. (Yukari was envious of her eyelashes, for whatever reason...) Then Yukari had gone back to her face, applying a light blush (since she had such fair skin), a bronzer, and a hint of highlighter on her cheek bones. And, lastly, Yukari had used a lip balm on her lips and followed up with a concealer, then a sheer pink lipstick with a hint of gloss in it to make her lips shine. Yukari had just changed her previous lipstick to the sheer pink she had on now. Needless to say, Hinata was tired of make-up.

"Hm...," Yukari nodded thoughtfully. "I think this is the one. I'll write it down." She did so quickly, scribbling on a nearly-filled sheet of paper nearby. "Alright..." She looked between Hinata and the sheet, Hinata trying to sit still as she looked around impatiently. They'd been in here a long time...past lunch. Yukari had given her a granola bar and told her no heavy eating until after the wedding, irritating Hinata a little. "You're done. Want to take a look in the long mirror and see how you look before you get undressed and redressed?" She really didn't want to, but...Yukari had gone through a lot of trouble to do this.

"Sure," Hinata replied softly with a nod. Yukari helped her stand from her chair she was seated in, Hinata unsteadily shuffling to the long mirror Yukari had in the corner. She had to do a double-take, not recognizing herself at the first glance. A beautiful stranger stared back at her in the mirror, her matching white eyes tinged with lavender widening as her own were. She lifted a hand to her face, her reflection doing the same. Yukari laughed softly.

"That's you," she confirmed Hinata's silent question, the younger Hyuuga staring at her reflection.

"Wow...I...I didn't recognize myself for a moment...," Hinata admitted softly, looking herself over. She had a blush on her face because of the showy underwear...and she had goosebumps over her skin here and there... (It was cold in there!) There were things that Hinata liked about her reflection...and things that she didn't like. She didn't like not recognizing herself. She didn't feel like herself now...more like a small, average person stuffed into this foreign beautiful visage.

"I know- I did a great job, huh?" Yukari beamed. "On your wedding day, I'll give you a mani-pedi and french tips pretty early on so we don't have to worry about your nails. Let's get this stuff out of your hair, then the rest will be pretty easy..." Hinata didn't disagree, letting Yukari pull the pins from her hair and the veil. Hinata shook out her hair after Yukari pulled her locks down, feeling a little more like herself again...and she looked it, too. Hinata felt a little more at ease, Yukari helping her take off her jewelry and accessories, then her shoes, and her underwear. Hinata re-dressed in her original clothes, feeling much more comfortable, only the make-up remaining.

"Can I wash this off?" Hinata asked hesitantly, knowing that the eye make-up was waterproof.

"Absolutely not," Yukari frowned. "Wear it today and then scrub it off tonight. Get used to wearing it- I'll teach you to do it sometime before you leave so you can wear more for your handsome hubby." She winked and giggled at Hinata. The younger Hyuuga could only find it in herself to smile at Yukari...though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Thank you, Yukari...for everything," Hinata thanked as she bowed to the woman.

"It's what I do," Yukari bowed back proudly with a smile. "You're welcome." With an incline of the head, Hinata left Yukari's studio, glancing at the clock on the way out. It was two thirty-two.

"Talk about cutting it close," Hinata sighed as she shut the door and started down the hallway.

"Wait! Hinata-sama!" Yukari burst from the room Hinata just came from, the tired girl looking back at Yukari warily. "I forgot...I want you to take on a project today." She beamed and pushed a pair of five inch pumps at Hinata, the set a shade of lavender that matched her shirt.

"Do I have to?" Hinata asked softly, dread filling her to the brim.

"Of course you do, silly!" Yukari scolded gently. "You have to learn to walk in them so you can walk properly at the wedding!" Suppressing a groan, Hinata took the heels from Yukari with a forced smile.

"Thanks...," she replied simply.

"You're welcome," Yukari giggled, her sight flickering behind Hinata. "Future hubby incoming! I'm outta here!" She all but pranced back to her room, Hinata left behind with a sweatdrop on her brow. She turned back, not at all surprised to see Shinji striding towards her. He was wearing, what looked like, a sleeveless black haori with black netting beneath it, both tucked into black pants like the white ones he wore the day before, his black and silver plated armguards, and simple sandles. His scar on his right shoulder was a little more visible today, along with a few more small scars here and there. Shinji paused a brief moment, his surprised eyes meeting Hinata's, before he quickened his stride. He was before her in a mere moment, an almost admiring smile on his face.

"Shinji," Hinata greeted politely with a small bow and a light flush on her warm cheeks.

"Hinata," Shinji greeted in return with his own small bow. "You look quite lovely today." Hinata felt her cheeks burning hot as she faced him again, shy white meeting appreciative white.

"T-Thank you," Hinata managed as her eyes found purchase on his shirt, rather than his eyes. It was awkwardly silent a moment.

"I saw that woman give you those high heels...," Shinji pointed out, her vision re-directing to the troublesome heels in her hands. "May I ask what for?"

"Oh...umm...," Hinata hesitated as she looked back up at Shinji, the girl embarrassed to admit the truth. "I'm not used to wearing heels...Yukari wants me to get used to wearing them so that I can walk in them come the wedding..."

"Why not wear flat shoes, then?" Shinji surprised her. "Shoes without heels? I don't want you to be uncomfortable or in pain..." Hinata felt her cheeks heating a bit more as she blinked at him in surprise. Already, he seemed to care for her...even though they didn't know much about one another... 'He really is kind...,' she silently admitted as a small smile crossed her face.

"I would really like to wear flats...but Yukari-san is being stubborn...," Hinata admitted softly. "She said-," Hinata hesitated, editing what she'd been told, "-that you would like heels better and she wouldn't let me get another word in." What she had actually told Hinata, that had caused her to flush down to her toes, was that men liked heels better because they are sexier. They make the legs look longer and more desireable...and it makes them want a woman more... Hinata wanted no part of that...though she didn't have much choice in the matter... Shinji blinked at her once...twice...then he shook his head, as though shaking off a stray, distracting thought.

"You would look nice in heels," Shinji admitted, a hint of a light blush on his cheeks. "But, really, you would look good in anything." Hinata felt the heat spreading down her neck as she blinked at him in surprise and he smiled a kind smile at her. "Why don't we go visit Yukari-san and see if she will change her mind?"

"...Okay," Hinata managed to get out softly with a small nod. She wanted to exchange the shoes...but a small part of her also wanted to keep them, to know what his reaction would be if she wore them for him. She shook that part off as he escorted her back towards Yukari's studio, his large hand gently resting on her elbow. Before Hinata knew what was happening, Shinji had knocked on the door and Yukari was standing there, smiling widely.

"Can I help you?" Yukari asked sweetly, her eyes dancing between Hinata and Shinji.

"Yes...," Shinji replied in kind with his own smile. He turned to a stiff Hinata, gently plucking the heels from her hands. "Hinata would like to wear flats at the wedding, if that is alright with you." He handed the shoes back to the immensely surprised girl, Yukari blinking as she recieved the heels.

"I know she isn't good at walking in heels, but she could if she practiced," Yukari stubbornly replied, pushing the heels back at Hinata while her brow furrowed lightly at Shinji. "I thought you'd like the idea of her being in heels...most men seem to like them and the way they accentuate our bodies..." Hinata couldn't help the blush as she bristled at the topic- in front of Shinji, no less!

"They are...nice...," Shinji hesitated with a light frown. "But I don't want Hinata to be uncomfortable at the wedding. She would be in pain and possibly sporting swollen feet by the end of the night... That is not how I want the first night of our lives together to start." Hinata couldn't help feeling a small amount of warmth at Shinji's words. Yukari seemed to be mildly affected by his words...for a moment.

"You could give her a foot massage," Yukari responded with the suggestive waggle of her eyebrows.

"A foot massage can't cure blisters or swelling," Shinji retorted. Hinata looked back at Yukari, seeing her wince a little. He'd gotten her there...

"Alright, alright, if it's that big a deal...," Yukari sighed dramatically as she reluctantly took the shoes back. "I think I might have something that will do..." She spun on her heel, leaving a mildly surprised and triumphant Shinji standing in the doorway with a shocked Hinata. No one had ever gotten Yukari to relent to them before...

"Thank you...," Hinata managed to reply softly as she looked up at her amused husband-to-be.

"You're quite welcome," Shinji beamed back at her. "I'm glad I was able to help...she seems...stubborn..."

"She is," Hinata confirmed with a smile of her own and a small hint of a laugh in her voice. Shinji's smile warmed a little more as a small chuckle spilled from his own thin, but not overly so, lips. Hinata raised a hand to her lips to keep a small giggle withheld. Her cheeks dusted a light pink at the warmth and laughter twinkling in Shinji's eyes. 'Maybe...it will be easy to come to love him...,' Hinata admitted in her mind. 'Easier than I had imagined...'

"Okay...," Yukari sighed, breaking Hinata and Shinji's little 'moment'. Both turned back to Yukari, the woman looking a little frazzled with a small box in hand. "I found these...they've never been worn because I was afraid to get them dirty...and they're not really my style, so if you like them you can have them." Hinata blinked in surprise as Yukari opened the box. Inside were a pair of simple white satin flats with what looked like a brooch on the front of each shoe. The metal of each brooch was an antiqued silver, glistening in the light, but not quite shining like new metal. The brooches were shaped like intricate flowers, little pearls and rhinestones decorating them.

"They're lovely...," Hinata spoke softly, her voice filled with admiration. Simple but beautiful; she loved them.

"I'm glad you like them," Yukari replied cheerfully. "They're yours now." She pushed the box into Hinata's hands.

"You're sure?" Hinata asked hesitantly.

"Of course I'm sure," Yukari reassured with a hint of a smirky-smile on her face. "They match your dress and I'm never going to wear them. ...You look like you really like them and you're going to place where you can wear them in the house as much as you'd like..." Yukari wiggled her brow at Hinata now, an amused smile working its way onto Hinata's lips. "Those slippers were made for you, I swear..."

"Thank you, Yukari-san," Hinata gave a polite bow to the woman before her. She was barely able to hold back a soft laugh at Yukari's antics.

"You're welcome, Hinata-sama," Yukari responded easily with a bow of her own. "See you later." With that, she promptly shut the door.

"Well, now...she's a character," Shinji looked over at Hinata, who looked back at him amusedly.

"Without a doubt," Hinata agreed with a shake of her head.

"Are you doing anything today?" Shinji asked, surprising Hinata a little. 'Oh no...Kiba...I almost forgot...,' Hinata silently panicked for a half a second.

"Umm...actually, I need to go meet my friends at our old training grounds," Hinata admitted softly. "We agreed to meet at three..." She thought a moment, Shinji looking a bit disheartened. 'This may be the only time he'll get to meet my friends...and I have a feeling Kiba's going to want to meet him...,' she silently mused. 'Or go after him. At least this way I can keep Kiba from attacking him...' "You can come with me, if you'd like. I have a feeling Kiba-kun and Akamaru-kun are going to want to meet you."

"It won't be a bother?" he surprised her.

"Not at all," Hinata shook her head with a soft smile. He inclined his head slightly with a smile inching its way back onto his face.

"Alright, then," he agreed easily. "Are you going to take the shoes to your room first?"

"Mnn," Hinata nodded. "I don't want them to get dirty."

"To your room, then, and the training grounds after," Shinji spoke, offering his arm to her. She took his proffered arm with a small smile before they set off towards their destinations with a companionable silence between them. 'I hope everything goes well...,' Hinata mused to herself silently, worriedly, as they began their trek to her room.

- This was originally going to be a little longer, but I had to cut it short to get it out about Christmas...sorry everyone! v.v I meant to start this again sooner, I really did...but my life has been very crazy the past few months. From a bad tooth that wound up pulled and strong medicine that made me loopy as hell and gave me vertigo, to sickness, and my papaw's death in October...everything has been a little overwhelming. I apologize again. I love everybody! All my faithful fans and those who review...I can't express my gratitude and how sorry I am...and I hope that you can forgive me. Thank you, everyone!

- BELATED MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

- Hope ya'll enjoyed!

- Please keep reviewing!