Chapter 5: Chapter 5
I just want to assure everyone again that this fic WILL have a happy ending with SasuHina and GaaSaku.
Thanks for reading!
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-Sasuke's POV-
I could feel Sakura staring at me as the three members still living in the Prestige house watched the official announcement of Hinata's engagement to Toneri. The Hyuuga woman's ability to steel her expression when uncomfortable has improved substantially since our debut. She's never been good at looking excited when dreading something, but someone who doesn't know her personally would never be able to tell she's shaking in her hypothetical boots.
A part of me is angry, seeing her hand in his, but the more significant portion is anxious. We need to get her out of this before something irreversible happens. It could be any number of things, but by how white Toneri's knuckles are while he's holding her hand, I fear him hurting her the most.
"She really doesn't like him," Gaara mumbled sadly.
Sakura made a slight sound of agreement, "She told me after the dinner party where she met him that he's fake. Apparently, he acted one way until Sasuke showed up and switched his personality completely."
My throat tightened. They were obviously waiting for me to chime in with my two cents, but I could only focus on the dull expression on Hinata's face.
A vibrating sensation came at my thigh, snapping my focus, and I pulled my phone out to see my brother's name cross the screen. Sparing the others a glance, I stepped outside, allowing the evening air to calm my heightened emotions, "Did you get it?"
"You're actually trying to save her, aren't you? That's why you want the phone."
I couldn't speak because I couldn't breathe. I hadn't expected him to read me so quickly without seeing me face-to-face.
After a moment, Itachi continued with a quieter voice, "If you aren't, I'll be incredibly disappointed in you."
My teeth gritted, but I forced myself to respond, "Did you get it or not?"
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway outside the fence met my ear.
"Let me in, brother."
Clicking the call to an end, I crossed the large yard to open the gate. Rather than walking into the house like I expected, Itachi simply came to stand before me with an unreadable expression and shut the gate behind him. I opened my mouth to repeat my question for the third time, only to freeze with my mouth half-open when I realized he had several folders plus the phone in question.
My eyes darted back up to his face, "Those aren't what I think they are, are they?" Itachi wouldn't bring me the blackmail they have on Hinata. Not now that things have already been taken this far.
The man's expression remained unreadable, as did his tone, "Before I hand anything over, I need to say something to you."
He did.
I fisted my hands and did everything in my power not to lose my temper like the last time he was at this house, "Why the hell are you doing this now? Why didn't you do this weeks ago?"
"Because you and Hinata made me realize how wrong I've been. About you, about her, about our parents, everything."
My mouth clamped shut in surprise at the sudden genuine regret about his entire demeanor. I watched as Itachi admitted to being incorrect for the first time in my life. He admitted to failure.
"More than that, I realized that I don't like anything about myself," his voice was softer. I looked down as he handed everything to me before meeting his eye again in disbelief.
A bittersweet smile met his lips, "I want you to know that I'm sorry for everything I've done that's hurt you in the past. You probably don't believe me, and I don't blame you, but I hope this at least makes up for some of it."
Then he turned, intending to exit the gate, but I stopped him. Something's been in the back of my mind since I realized Hinata was forced into an engagement, and that's the fact that Itachi asked her out. Sure, he told me he would try to woo her, but she and I agreed it was obvious the man didn't feel that way for her.
"Were you a candidate?"
He froze momentarily before turning to face me again, obviously uncomfortable with the topic, "I was. I didn't find out about what's in those folders until a few days ago, though. That's when I called you."
As much as it hurt, I had to ask, "Why didn't she choose you? Why'd she have to choose him instead?"
Itachi's brow furrowed as he searched my face silently. Then he defeatedly sighed. With a sad expression, he admitted, "She wouldn't want me to tell you this, but I feel like you need to hear it."
"I begged her to choose me, but she said she would only take our family's name for one person, and he wasn't in that room."
Being made aware that Hinata felt so strongly was like a punch to the gut. Especially when she's in the position that she's in. \
Itachi smiled softly, his tone more reassuring, "Every decision she's made in the past few days has been for the sake of you and those two inside. I hope you realize lucky you are. I've never met someone so selfless."
The man patted my arm, changing the subject, "Do whatever you have to do with what's in those folders and on the phone, even if it means I'll be incriminated." My eyes widened in surprise, but he patted my arm again before leaving.
Semi-robotically, I went inside. The press release on television was muted. Gaara and Sakura rose, the former asking hesitantly, "What's all that?" I sat it all on the dining table, and they came over, Gaara bringing his laptop and plugging the frozen cell phone back in so he could finish downloading the giant recording.
Since I knew at least some of Hinata's photos were inappropriate, I handed the file with their names scrawled across the top to Sakura. If similar things are inside it, I'd hate to see something they wouldn't want.
Gaara was busy setting up the phone, but he and I froze when Sakura gasped. Her face paled to paper white. Green eyes were wide and watery with shock as she stared at the open folder. Her boyfriend came to stand behind her, his eyes widening when he saw what she was panicking about.
He swiftly took the file from her hands and closed it, "Sit down."
The pink-haired girl did as told, bursting into tears with her hands covering her face. Gaara got her a glass of water before returning to sit in front of his laptop, opening the file and beginning to flip through the photos and papers within. The glare on his face was one I'd only seen twice, both times being when Sakura was physically in danger.
Sakura was silently crying as she sipped her water, with a faraway look on her face, so I averted my attention back to my folder. Whatever was in theirs was obviously bad, so I was much more worried about what was in this one.
Each photo I looked at made me more angry than the last. I expected pictures of us together, but I hadn't expected there to be ones of us together in an explicit manner. How did they even get these photos? Many of them were in her bedroom. As I thought about the angle they were taken, I imagined where the camera would've had to be and gritted my teeth.
Her laptop. She rarely closed it. It sat on her desk, open, and Hiashi must've hired someone to hack into its camera.
There were photos of her alone, too, many of which were out and about when we had to run separate errands or attend interviews or photoshoots on our own. Itachi was right. She'd been followed for a long time. A few photos had snow in them, meaning they started stalking her last year, before she and I ever began dating.
By the time I was finished going through the awful photos, I was livid. Gaara appeared to be, too. No one spoke as we sat there in silence for a few hours. Sakura eventually fell asleep, her arms crossed to rest her head on them.
A little after midnight, Gaara mumbled loudly enough for me to hear, but not so much so that it stirred his girlfriend, "Hinata did it for all of us." His voice was monotone, as though he couldn't believe it.
I nodded, vision glazed over as I stared at the table, "Is it bad?" I was referring to whatever dirt they had on him and Sakura.
Gaara nodded, "I had…anger issues when I was younger. It was so bad that I put a few classmates in the hospital. And Sakura…. They…." He gritted his teeth, his glare darkening further as he clicked away on his laptop. Judging by both his and her reaction, I inferred it was likely related to what happened with Sasori.
Sure, our parents are monsters for blackmailing us and taking inappropriate photos, but to exploit Sakura's situation like that? That might be the worst part of it all. It was evil.
Sure, the pink-haired woman gets on my last damned nerve, but she's still my friend. If I was put in Hinata's place, I know I'd do the same thing she did. I'd agree to whatever I had to if it meant none of this would be released to the public.
When all that was left was to wait for the giant file to finish downloading, Gaara took Sakura to bed, and I retreated upstairs even though I wouldn't get much sleep.
Come morning, I trudged downstairs feeling more exhausted than I'd been when I went to sleep. "There you are! It's done!" Sakura's voice woke me up. She and Gaara sat at the dining table with coffee mugs and the laptop. I poured myself a cup and joined them. "It's video and audio."
We watched for hours, but the screen was black or unfocused for most of the first twelve hours. Due to the audio, we could tell it'd begun recording shortly after she left the hospital.
My teeth gritted as I stared into my mug and listened to Gaara fast-forward the video while searching for something relevant. "Oh, stop there! It's her dad!" I looked over in shock to see Gaara back up to a shot of Hiashi Hyuuga sitting at a large desk. It was crooked and fell out of focus occasionally, but it was him.
When the redhead hit play where the image first showed up, we listened to the conversation carry out. Since Itachi already gave us all this information, and I saw the marriage contract, most of the audio didn't come as much of a surprise. In fact, I felt incredibly proud of how strongly Hinata stood up for herself and me until she was given the file with Gaara and Sakura's blackmail.
"I'm not taking the Uchiha name for any man but Sasuke."
"Th-This is going to hurt him, but that would destroy him. I-I can't do it."
My eyes stung at her heartbroken voice. Itachi warned me that she'd said something like that, but it didn't make it easier to hear.
Gaara soon stopped the video because that alone was enough for us to start the process of bringing the awful men in the video to justice for their crimes. My gaze glazed over on the table as I brought a loose fist to my lips, trying to imagine what Hinata must've looked like while saying those things, surrounded by intimidating people.
"She really does love you, y'know," Sakura softly offered.
I refocused, glancing at the two to my left before nodding and averting my gaze again.
"When she told me she was in love when we were in Suna, I didn't know she was talking about you, but I do know I've never seen her look so happy."
Stressfully, I ran a hand through my hair and took a deep breath.
"Sasuke," Sakura waited until I met her eye to continue, "We'll get her back."
-Sakura's POV-
Gaara and I waited for the sound of Sasuke's bedroom door closing to meet one another's gaze. Seeing those photos of me, especially unfiltered, brought up some buried trauma I wasn't happy to see back on the surface. I've felt shaky and anxious ever since then.
"If we do this, there's a chance all of this will find its way online," Gaara's voice was soft and calm. I nodded but couldn't bring myself to respond right away.
I'm terrified of anyone seeing those images because I don't want to be seen as a victim. I must get past it because I won't let Hinata ruin her life for my sake.
Before Sasuke woke up this morning, I went through the file while Gaara made coffee. He was so worried about what I read about him that he's been quiet all day. I glanced at his face as he focused on his computer, trimming down the video to the needed parts for the case. He obviously felt my gaze but pointedly ignored it.
My chest ached.
All I could think about was the look on his face after he and Garrett got into a fight backstage at our debut and again when he saved me from Sasori in my bedroom. He was terrified he'd hurt me in his blind rage. There wasn't a need for him to explain himself because I could tell he blacked out at those times. It's likely that's what happened in the fights mentioned in those reports, too.
"Baby," I finally managed.
Beautiful teal eyes turned onto me since he couldn't continue pretending not to notice my attention. I reached over and rested a hand on his thigh, "Nothing in that file changes how I feel about you."
His jaw flexed, "I've hurt people, Sakura. How does that not bother you?" He averted his gaze back onto the screen.
I shook my head, "It's in the past. Now, you're the most gentle person I've ever met. There's no one I trust more."
Gaara met my eye again, tears watering up in his. I leaned over and kissed him, "The Gaara I know, that all of us know, isn't the same one in those reports, so everything's gonna be okay. I'm sure our fans will agree."
He kissed me again, and I gave him an encouraging smile. After a quiet moment, his brow furrowed, "What about you? Are you going to be okay if-" "I'll have to be," I cut him off.
Just because I've been feeling better and everyone's support has helped me handle my trauma doesn't mean I've turned a blind eye to self-care. I still haven't stopped visiting a therapist at least once a month.
I closed my eyes and faced the dining table again, "I'm scared, but I know I'll be okay. Besides, maybe others out there'll feel encouraged to speak up if they know that I've gone through the same thing."
Gaara reached over to intertwine our fingers. I glanced at him with a nervous smile, "I at least hope I can help someone."
So, I began researching charity organizations for abuse victims, hoping to get a headstart on this mess. I'll come clean about what happened around the same time that we make our move against Fugaku and Hiashi; that way, they don't take it as a warning that we're aware of their blackmail, and I can hopefully get the admission out prior to those photos' release.
-Hinata's POV-
After setting up my new phone, I put it on the charger and began downloading the small number of photos and contacts backed up on my old phone, barely a fraction of the total. The messages and missed calls from my old phone were also pouring in endlessly, making the device unusable until it catches up.
So, I remained in my hotel room for most of the next day.
I sat at the small desk with my laptop and began putting the majority of my social media accounts on hiatus. The glimpses I got of trending topics told me that the news of my engagement was a popular topic of discussion. I was too afraid to click anything and read comments. If they were supportive, I'd be just as upset as if they weren't.
Around four in the evening, the door to my room opened and closed. I did my best to appear unfazed as I glanced over to see Toneri tossing a small suitcase onto the sofa. In reality, my heartbeat quickened because I thought he only intended to stay one night. If that was the case, he wouldn't have brought an entire suitcase, no matter how small. Before he could catch me looking, I faced my computer again.
"Good afternoon, Hinata."
I made a confirming sound, listening intently as he moved around the room behind me. This is uncomfortable. Internally, I've been trying to convince myself to relax around the white-haired man because I don't have a choice but to get used to him, but my body wasn't listening to that advice.
"Where would you like to go for dinner?"
It wasn't a question of if I wanted to go out; it was a statement that I was, regardless of how I felt about it. So, an hour later, we were sitting in some fancy restaurant with low lighting and romantic piano being played live in the center of the room by a pretty older woman. I kept my gaze on the plate before me, attempting to make myself eat but struggling to palate the pasta. It was similar to what I ate with Sasuke the night we first slept together. The memory wouldn't leave my mind for a second.
"Do you like it here? I chose it because I know you love music," Toneri tried to start a conversation for the millionth time, but I simply nodded, barely sparing him a glance. I don't want to meet his gaze because I know he'll have that better-than-you expression like yesterday.
"Won't you sing for me sometime, Hinata? I'd like that."
My eyes snapped up to meet his as he struck a nerve. The glint in his eye said he knew it, too.
"I'm not allowed to continue my career because of this marriage, so, no, I won't be singing for you anytime soon."
Rather than get angry like last night, Toneri smiled happily, "Finally, you're paying attention to me! Eating together's more fun when we're speaking, right?"
Sighing in irritation, I took another bite and fought the urge to spit it back out. Instead, I chewed slowly and averted my gaze back down. The rest of the meal was just as uncomfortable, and soon we were in the man's expensive car again.
"Should we stop and get some wine? Or do you prefer champagne?"
My initial response was to deny him, and he glanced over to smirk at my annoyed glare, but then I dropped it in realization. Awkwardly, I asked, "What are your plans for tonight?" Toneri's grin widened, but he didn't verbally respond.
Fear and unease flooded my veins. I looked out the window again, "I want tequila."
The man snickered, "That's more like it!"
Weekly Power Status
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