Blood Princess Chapter One
Author Note: I am very new to this site, so I apologize now for the mistakes I will most likely make as I get used to the site. This is the first time of made any of my drabbles public, so stay with me.
Important Note: This story will be lengthy. I like to try my best to be detailed in the character's feelings, relationships and environments. I don't believe in love at first sight either. Even though there is romance in this story, it won't be particularly fluffy. There will be some mature content, but I'm not entirely sure it will contain outright smut. It will be rated accordingly. If you are looking to read a cute, fluffy oneshot, then you must turn back now.
Disclaimer: As much as I wish the characters and plot line of Naruto were my own, I can not take credit for the amazing series. Sadly, I do not own Naruto.
Chapter One: Silent Comfort
The afternoon sun was merciless, and the Hyuuga Princess felt the full effect. Her hair, normally a shade of Indigo Blue, glistened in the sunlight. It was a stark contrast to her tinted cheeks. Even her pale skin was beginning to burn in the August heat. Still, she continued her work.
Her nimble fingers gently placed the herbs, roots intact, in the small hole she had made in the dirt. Her hands were stained with dirt, and she could feel the accumulation of earth beneath her fingernails. She didn't mind. She just had to be sure that no one from the Main Family saw her doing the work that was assigned to the young girl sitting beside her.
She was no older than twelve, and Hinata had felt bad for her. It was hot, and the girl had already injured her hand. Hinata had left the cool interior of the castle to take a walk through the flower gardens when she happened upon the young Branch Family girl doing her best to dig the clumped soil with her bandaged hands. At first the young girl insisted that she was fine. She had become flustered at the idea of the princess kneeling in the dirt with her beautiful dress on. However, as Hinata persisted, the girl allowed Hinata to help her.
Hinata may have been raised as the Hyuuga Heiress, but to the seventeen year old, that was only a title. A label that her blood had given her; it meant nothing to her. She was a human, and she couldn't watch as the girl suffered in the heat alone. Yes, she was raised a member of the Main Family, but she did not have the steely demeanor that usually came with that title. Her late mother had taught her too much about kindness to be as impassive as her father or her cousin.
She knew that her father would scold her if he saw her doing the other girl's work. It wouldn't be a half hearted scowl because her dress was dirty. That would have been her mother's reaction. It would be disappointing glare reminding her of being the utter failure she was. Her father wouldn't be proud of her for helping the girl. Her father wouldn't even bother calling the girl anything more than vermin. To Hiashi, Branch Family members were nothing but tools.
He even treated his own brother, born just minutes after himself, like scum. Hinata hated the Hyuuga way. It wasn't fair that the simple act of being born before another instantly made you their superior. How she wished things were the way they were when she was younger. People were people. Her young mind couldn't understand why the Branch Family members were treated differently. They even looked differently. Although they possessed the same pupiless Hyuuga eyes as the Main Family, a ghostly shade of lavender, they had markings on their foreheads. She had always wondered what the beautiful markings meant.
She even faintly remembered asking her father why she couldn't have pretty markings. The innocent question, to which he scoffed, was given an answer the day she witnessed her cousin being given the Curse Mark. It seemed painful, and Hinata remembered crying for her cousin as the man branded his forehead with the mark. Neji had passed out from the pain. It was too much for his small body to handle. He was only five years old. It would be another year until she witnessed the Cursed Mark being used.
Hinata inwardly cringed at her line of thought. Her pale, lavender eyes glanced at the girl who smiled back uncertainly. She still seemed nervous about Hinata helping her plant herbs. Hinata's eyes rested on the Cursed Mark adorning the girl's forehead. How unfortunate. She then wiped the sweat off of her untainted brow. She was no more special than the girl sitting next to her.
"There. All done." She announced as she covered the last herb's roots in soil, patting it down firmly to prevent it from being uprooted easily. She sighed and looked up at the afternoon sky. It had begun to turn an orange hue. She loved sunsets.
"Th-thank you so much, Lady Hinata." The young said, inspecting the grass stains on the princess's dress. Her brow furrowed.
"Don't be silly. I'm glad to be of help." Hinata insisted. She watched as the child bowed her head and got up from the grass. She was very fair, and she had beautiful blonde hair. It was a very uncommon trait for a Hyuuga. She must be the child of a Branch Family member and someone of another nativity.
The princess got up slowly. Her knees were sore from kneeling for so long. She wobbled slightly. Surely someone was looking for her by now. She had set out on her walk at least an hour ago. She usually never had privacy for more than a few minutes. There were always guards or servants hanging around her. It wasn't in her nature to be rude, but she had to admit that she felt annoyed by them at times.
She hurried back to the Main Family house. Crossing the big marble flat that surrounded the herb gardens, she idly wondered if she'd be able to slip in unnoticed. She hoped to do so. She had not forgotten the state of her dress, and if anyone saw her they would surely know that she had done something she wasn't supposed to do.
She slowly opened the door, and slipped inside. Sure enough, she met her father's icy glare.
"Hello, Father." She stammered quietly. She could not bring herself to look into his eyes. They were so full of disappointment. She closed the door behind her and found herself pressed against it.
"Why are your clothes so-dirty?" He asked. While it was a question spoken in a low voice, the calm tone of his voice demanded an answer.
It was in the princess's nature to be easily intimidated. She had very low self confidence, probably stemming from the countless times she had failed at being nobility. Just a passing stranger with an unfriendly stare was enough to frighten her. Now, she couldn't bring herself to look into her father's ghostly eyes. She knew that all she would see is disappointment. She swallowed thickly as she tried to will her mouth to produce an answer.
"I-I was in the garden and tripped." She choked out, nervously. She met his eyes for a moment to see if he had bought her white lie. His demeanor was still cold and impassive. She couldn't tell if he had believed her excuse.
"Change. Now." He stated icily. "It would be unbefitting for the princess to attend dinner in such a state." He turned on his heel and left the large hall. She waited until she could no longer hear his echoing footsteps to climb the stairs to her changing rooms.
She passed several guards who, by the look on their faces, heard every word that had just been spoken. She was met by both awkward glances and hints of sympathy as she walked past them. Her gaze never left her feet as she looked down in embarrassment, walking to Sakura's room on auto-pilot. If she had a friend, it was Sakura. She couldn't count the number of times that Sakura, her maid, had eased her troubling mind.
"Sakura, can you assist me for a moment?" Hinata softly called after knocking on her maids' door. Sakura was not of Hyuuga decent. It was definitely strange for the Hyuuga, and all of their secrecies, to allow an outsider to work in the Main House. The Elders grew to trust Sakura when she arrived five years ago. She had been a gift from the the neighboring country Shinrin. It was a beautiful land. They hardly had a winter at all, and the temperatures tended to be consistent throughout the year. Dipping only mildly during the winter months.
They had given her as a gift to ease a tension that had somewhat divided their trust. Shinrin and Tsuki were not by any means allies, but they helped each other when they could. Back then, a rouge Shinrinian soldier happened apon a group of Hyuuga and decided to engage them in combat. The soldier, who had fled his home country, must have needed supplies.
He had managed to kill one of the guards who just so happened to be the nephew of a very high ranking Hyuuga Elder. The guards brought both bodies back, and the Elders demanded that their were to be consequences. King Naruto of Shinrin had visited Lord Hiashi himself. There was a huge meeting, and Hinata still remembered the tension hanging heavily in the air. Shinrin payed an adequate amount of coin and gave Tsuki's Kingdom a servant. A life for a life.
Hinata remembered how relieved she had felt when the Elders decided to use Sakura instead of killing her. Because of the similarities in age and gender, Sakura was assigned Hinata's personal maid after passing the tests and proving herself trustworthy. She still wondered about Sakura's past, but the pink haired maiden was mute.
Footsteps were heard approaching the door and, seconds later, Hinata was met with Sakura's knowing green eyes. She could tell by the princess's tone of voice that her father had been cruel again. She needed only to glance at her dirtied dress to know why. Her emerald eyes then scanned the Hyuuga's face. There was no discoloration. Sakura sighed, relieved. Many times had Hinata come to her with bruised cheekbones. Her father's handiwork.
"I need help changing into evening attire. Please." She said quietly. She knew that Sakura knew that that wasn't her only issue. She needed her help to hold herself together. Sakura nodded and bid the princess to follow her to the changing rooms.
Once inside, Sakura closed the door and put a gentle hand on the Princess's shoulder. It was strange that Hinata's problems seemed but to melt away when she talked to Sakura. Even though her maid couldn't participate in their conversations, she never seemed perturbed, and she always nodded while she was listening intently. Hinata had wondered if the girl ever got tired of listening to her. It wasn't as if Hinata was whining, but she truly only had Sakura to talk to about her issues. She always found a solace in it. It calmed her.
"I helped plant herbs in the garden today. I missed the feel of the dirt. I had to lie again. About why my dress was dirty. I told him I tripped." Hinata said.
The Hyuuga stripped of her clothes and allowed Sakura to take a damp cloth to her fingers. They looked utterly atrocious. She worked quickly and silently.
"I don't know why I can't ever do anything right. It was only a dress. I have hundreds more at my disposal." Hinata sighed. And she did. She had more dresses and jewelry than most people could even imagine. She didn't like wearing them. They limited her range of motion, and the tight bodices always made it hard to breathe.
When she was around eight, her father began enforcing certain rules when it came to Hinata's apparel. She was now to wear dresses at all times. No more childish tunics and such. It was high time for her to be attracting a suitable husband. It seemed young, but the Hyuuga had to continue their lineage.
To this day, Hinata had not attracted many suitable husbands. Few of them were of high enough social status to even consider wedding the princess. No. Hiashi would expect nothing less than nobility when it came to a suitor.
Sakura held two dresses out for Hinata to look at them. The one on the right was classy and red. It had frills and glittery silver beads that accent it. It was truly beautiful, with it's plunging neckline and seductive color. It was nothing like Hinata. The other one suited her much more. It was lavender and less intricate than the other one. It had long sleeves and a white sash that adorned it.
"What do you think?" Hinata asked. She knew that she would definitely feel more comfortable in the lavender one, but she wanted someone else's input.
Sakura gave the questioning princess a look that clearly said which one her father would rather her wear. She compared them and, with a huff, threw the red one back in the closet. She knew the Princess would rather risk being lectured by her father about feminine priorities than wear something that would attract so much attention to herself.
Hinata smiled and, with the help of Sakura, got dressed for dinner. She knew she could always trust Sakura. The silent friend was exactly what she needed.