Chapter 1

For nineteen years short of being twenty, she is living a perfectly normal life; last year in college, not-so-happy family home, boring part-time at the local library every Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and not-so-many friends. Everything is just perfectly normal. Everything is just the way she had always wanted it and more.

Until that morning.

She woke up with a start with her phone ringing on her bedside table. She grumbled before reaching for it and answering the phone call without even seeing who is calling her at thus early hour. Before she can utter a word, she heard someone yelling incomprehensively form the other end of the line.

"Ino, can you please try to talk slower?" she mumbled, before looking at her alarm clock. 6:45AM. Great! 15 more minutes before it even rings. Just what is so important that Ino, of all people, would call me at this hour?

"Hinata! Is it true?" Ino shouted at her from the other end of the line.

"Is what true?" Hinata asked, bewildered. She really has no idea of what is happening.

"That you're getting married, that's what!"

"What?" She sat upright. All the signs of sleep gone. Then she started giggling, which she thinks made her look crazy to her friend. "Where in the world did you hear that news?" Hinata added, not really fully comprehending the graveness of her situation.

"So, is it true?" Ino asked once more, now more calmly, trying to get some real answers from her friend.

"No! Of course not!" She answered vehemently, then as slow realization dawned on her, "Well, not that I know of." She silently whispered.

"But its all in the internet!" Ino raising her voice once again, "Unless, there is other Hinata Hyuuga, who has the same pale-lavender eyes, and blue long hair, who is an heiress to the largest media company in the whole Konohagakure, then maybe it is really not you." Ino added sarcastically.

"I don't understand." Hinata can now feel her mind fleeing when an idea comes to mind, "Uhmm, Ino, can you please send me the link of the news? It might be fraud, a false news, you know." She grumbled lowly.

She heard Ino growled before she heard some movement in the background. "Hinata, it is in the Konoha News! Your own company! How can it be fraud? Are you crazy?" Ino continues her rant while Hinata started getting up and going to her work desk. She opened her laptop, still listening to Ino's rants. She heard Ino said after a long pause, "Wait, I'll send you the link. Hmmm. Here it is."

She heard a ping the moment she was connected to the internet. She opened the article Ino sent her.

Well, it really is from Konoha News, and Neji-niisan wrote the article! The current Associate Editor-in-Chief wrote the article, this can never be a fraud!

She scanned through the article. She first saw a photo of his father in a podium holding a trophy; it was last week's awarding ceremony for the film festival. Then she scrolled down now seeing herself in a school uniform eating cinnamon rolls in a bench. Oh my goodness! How can they put an awful photo of me in the internet!

She then proceeds on reading the article. She was so shocked to her core that the only words she understood is the engagement, to be wed in few weeks' time, merger of two strongest telecom and media company, her name and –.

"Hey! Are you still there Hinata?!" Hinata squeaked hearing her forgotten friend on the other line of the phone.

"I'll call you back, Ino." Before Ino could even protest, the line was cut off by Hinata.

She hurriedly went to the bathroom, in an attempt to quickly look presentable before she goes hunting for her father and dear cousin. As she was brushing her teeth, her alarm goes off, cutting her off her trance. She went back to her bedside table and shut off the alarm.

Hinata ran towards the direction of his father's study on the East wing of the mansion. She knocked on her father's door for three times before she heard a faint, yet strong voice telling her to enter.

"Good morning Father." Hinata said as she bowed her head low. "I wish to speak with you about something." Hinata muttered her voice faltering.

"If you are to ask about the article written by your cousin, regarding on your impending marriage, then it is true." Hiashi said, not even looking at her astound daughter, "Do not ask me why, or my reason behind it, because as I have already told you countless of times that this wedding of you is inevitable. You are well-aware that this is to strengthen the legacy of our clan by marrying you off to a wealthy and powerful company. And I believe that the top company seconding after us, is the Hidden Leaves Telecom. You will be wed in three months, two weeks after you are twenty." Finally looking briefly at her daughter, Hiashi dismissed her, "If you have no more questions, you may leave and I will see you at the breakfast table with your sister and cousin."

"Yes, Father." Before she left, she looked back at the stoic face of his father and sighed. No arguments, and as if I can.

On the way out, she saw her little sister, Hanabi, just coming out of her room. When Hanabi saw her, she can feel the worry etched in her eyes. She smiled timidly, trying to show reassurance that she will be okay. Well, I really hope so. She thought grimly. They walked together to the breakfast table in companionable silence before they sat and waited for their father and cousin, Neji.

Breakfast in Hyuuga Mansion is as always uneventful. There is only silence aside from the clanking of the utensils. Nothing else could be heard.

One by one, they finished eating and left. They went their separate ways; Neji and Hiashi going to their office, and Hinata and Hanabi going to school. Hinata is currently on her last year of school, while Hanabi is on her last year in Konoha High School, which is on the other side of the town away from Hinata's university.

Hinata is a psychology major n Konoha University. It is her choice that has and is still frowned upon by her father, despite of being the top-performing student in the whole university.

She waited first before her driver pulled a stop in front of her school before going out. But it seems that it is the worst thing that she did so far on that day, after talking to her father.

Cameras flashed. People rushing towards her direction the moment she stepped her foot on the ground. Reporters are throwing questions at her direction; questions that she does not even know how or what to answer.

"Is it true that you are getting married with—"

"When will your wedding be?"

"Is this an arranged marriage?"

She can feel her head buzzing with everything that is happening. I never dreamt of this!

Before she can open her mouth, another car pulled a stop on the driveway, and a blue-eyed blonde went out and ran towards Hinata's direction, grabbing her and running towards the main building, successfully evading all the reporters, their questions and their cameras. Hinata felt a sense of relief the moment she realized she is now safe.

"Hinata, are you okay?" the blonde asked her, worriedly.

Hinata is still shocked from what happened. She looked unfocused and fazed by the situation. She did not even realize that she was staring blankly until she felt the blonde's hands on her shoulder.

"Ino, what will I do?" Hinata asked her friend, unsure and confused.

"So it is really true?" Ino asked her back, excitedly and not even noticing the panic on her eyes.

"Yeah, from what I heard from Sasuke, it is really true." Sakura butted in, angrily.

"Sakura," Hinata noticing her pink-haired friend.

I am so dead, Hinata thought