Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto, I have some disappointing news for you. I don't.
Original Notes: This story was loosely inspired by the movie, "Pan's Labyrinth" (I don't own that either) It takes place in a little town of my imagination, and in my mind it looks like it takes place in the early 1900's. It is in an Alternate Universe, so no, no ninjas. I don't feel completely comfortable with this chapter, I just feel like something is missing…But I have a feeling that the rest will turn out nicely. Thanks and review!!
Secondary Notes: 9/6/08: Did some revamping and such and fixed some parts. Intend on doing it with everything else I have up here. So if you've already been reading this before, be sure to look through it again just so you know what's been changed!!
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Preservation
Prologue:The Beautiful Princess
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A long time ago, there lived a young princess. She had hair like midnight, and eyes of the moon, and was born of the stars and the cool evening breeze. She was beautiful.
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Hinata stared out of the tinted car window as rain splattered dismally on the moving vehicle. The drops of water that raced across the glass of the window smeared and blurred whatever view there was, so sightseeing was clearly out of the question. The twelve-year-old missed home already. Home was where she had all of her good memories. Memories of the small garden she had kept, all the friends she had had, the bustling town that was filled to the brim with so much laughter and joy, and the warm home that contained all the love in the world. Her home…
The memories of her home were the ones she adored the most, now painfully so, however. Hinata remembered her mother's musical laughter echoing off the wooden halls and the lovely smell that wafted throughout the entire household after her mother would cook. Mother…
The word brought tears to Hinata's pearl eyes and made her heart lurch in pain. No longer would she ever hear her lovely voice as she sang and laughed, no longer would she ever taste her wonderful cooking or watch in awe as she went through everyday without a care. All Hinata could cling to now were the bittersweet memories of her mother's angelic face and gentle, loving eyes. All Hinata had now were the memories of when her mother was alive; when her mother was a living breathing person; when her mother was real. Because when she was dead, she was nothing but skin, muscle, organs, and bones; she did not have that glorious soul when she was rotting away in a casket six feet underground!
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She was so beautiful, that the sun, envious of the light the princess radiated, ceased shining in anger. She had the voice of a chorus of angels, and the wind, upset over its song being forgotten, ceased to blow in revenge. She was so full of life, that every plant grew resentful, and ceased growing simply to spite her.
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A sharp pinch to her upper arm quickly removed Hinata out of her painful reminiscences.
"Stop crying, Hinata, we're nearly to Father's house. You know he won't like it if he finds out that you've been weeping," Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister, said dully. But Hinata could see that she made no move to hide her patronizing stare. Hinata nodded mutely, and quickly rubbed her eyes and turned her attention backed towards the rain streaked window, she hadn't even realized she was full-out sobbing.
Hanabi…
Hanabi didn't look much like her older sister. Hanabi's dark hair just reached past her small shoulders, while her sister's hair was cut into a boyish bob cut. Her pearl eyes were harder and more…definite, it seemed, when Hinata's were softer and calmer. They both had dealt with their mother's death. Hinata had, of course, wept for days inside of her bedroom, and completely lost all confidence in herself; she stuttered more and grew shy and insecure around other people. However, Hanabi had withdrawn herself, acting indifferent to everything; even the news that they were to live with their father now did not affect her. When she had heard the news, she simply nodded and went about the rest of her 'zombie' routine; Hinata had cried against her pillow.
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This, of course, caused problems for the world, and the king of the land decided that she could no longer continue to be as she was if she were to ruin the nation. He hired a witch to cast a spell on her to hide her true nature, and then he banished her to a realm of sadness and pain.
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Hinata and Hanabi's father was a cold person, and it was no secret that Hiashi Hyuga wanted nothing to do with his daughters. But because he was their father, it was law that he take care of them since their mother was no longer around. Her mother had divorced him when Hanabi was three and Hinata was eight, no longer wishing to spend her time on the man that was constantly away on 'business', a word which he never cared to elaborate on. So their mother had taken them and left to sunny Konoha, leaving behind the dreary land Hinata's father called 'home'.
Hinata had always been terribly uncomfortable around her stone of a father. He rarely spoke to her when she lived with him before; he rarely even looked at her! And she craved that attention…but when he did give it to her, Hinata would immediately wish she was invisible again. For he would look at her with so much disgust with those stone white eyes of his and would then often rudely ask her to step out of his path, muttering on his way out just loud enough so she could hear "what a failure" she was.
That thought made Hinata furious, but not with him, with herself. She was furious at herself for not being good enough, for not being able to meet his ever-changing standards, for not being the person he wanted her to be. She was sick at herself for being herself; the worthless little push-over, the lost cause, the nothing. It made her even more disgusted with herself, so much that she had to bite her lip to keep from crying again.
The rain began to fall harder as the black vehicle snaked up the rocky path that led up to Hinata's private hell-on-earth, reflecting her mood. She continued to stare out of the window reviewing painful memories until she felt someone pinch her again.
"Hinata," Hanabi said, making her older sister flinch under her dead stare. "Come, we're at father's home."
Hinata once again nodded mutely, turning her nervous stare to look behind Hanabi's shoulder at the looming shadow that would soon be her 'home'.
She silently considered fainting.
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But the enchantment would only last so long, and someday the princess would return, albeit maybe in a different body, in order to prove her place on the throne. Someday she would come back, and she would take what was rightfully hers.
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