Chapter 1
Hyuuga Hinata goes out in a blaze of glory, a death befitting the Heiress of the most powerful clan in Konoha.
There is nothing glorious in death. It is blood and tears and last words, fear and despair and trying to claw your way back to consciousness, but failing anyway.
This is the death of a shinobi. This is the death Hinata chooses, because Hanabi is her most precious person, and there is no price too high to pay for her safety.
Onee-sama! Onee-sama! Wake up! Hinata-nee, please wake up!
Hanabi. Hinata struggles to stay awake, but she can feel herself fading, the edges of her vision blurring into gray. Foreign chakra probes at the edges of a gaping wound, but she can already tell that it is useless. Her injuries are too serious, too numerous, and Hanabi is no healer.
"Hana…bi…" she rasps, ignoring the taste of metal and the blood trickling from the corner of her lips. "Love… you…" Every word is harder to say than the last, but nothing would hurt more than not telling Hanabi she loves her.
"…Run." When Hinata dies, she wants to leave knowing her precious people are safe, and her little sister is the most precious of all. But Hanabi is not safe, not here, not now, not when another ambush could take her eyes or worse, her life.
Hanabi cries through her apologies, and promises that people will definitely come for her. There is the sound of receding footsteps, and then Hinata is alone at the edge of the Land of Fire with only corpses for company.
Her heart slows, and beats a final time before it stills. Sightless eyes gaze blankly at the sky, painted red and gold and beautiful by the sunset.
Hinata is Hyuuga, and shinobi, but first of all, she is an older sister.
For you, Hanabi, I would die a thousand deaths.
-x- -x- -x-
There is warmth, and she is floating. Sometimes she thinks she can make out a voice speaking to her, light and joyous and loving, but so distorted that she cannot understand.
Then there is cold, and she feels so weak. There is ice in every breath she takes, then a sudden, sharp pain on her bottom and Hinata, confused and frightened, does not manage to choke back her cry.
"Nanako," a voice breathes, the same voice that she's heard so many times before but never managed to understand. "Her name is Nanako."
-x- -x- -x-
Hinata realizes that she is a baby again very quickly. She has never been an impatient person, but the general floppiness and weakness of her new body is disappointing. She spends most of her days sleeping, and any attempts to speak appear as inarticulate wailing. She can't even crawl, let alone walk, but that's not the worst part.
She has no chakra, no byakugan, and the feeling that a large part of her is missing is one that never disappears.
Hinata feels incomplete, and there is nothing she can do about it.
-x- -x- -x-
Her mother's name is Meino Emiko, and she is beautiful; tall and slim, with purple hair cascading over her shoulders and a laugh like silver bells.
Every time Hinata looks at her, she is reminded of her own dear mother a lifetime ago and a world away, sleeping peacefully in her grave but not alone any more.
Emiko is kind and loving and patient, everything that Hyuuga Harumi was and Hinata wished –wishes- to be. She only hopes that her mother in this time will have a longer life.
-x- -x- -x-
Nanako is a quiet, clever child. She hardly ever cries, preferring to sit in her crib and watch the world go by. Emiko is grateful for this, because she has to work from home and a crying baby would make it impossible, but she still worries because her daughter is so unlike what the books say, and she is left floundering, like a fish learning to fly.
Hinata is glad that her crib is by the window, and she can look out onto the street. Emiko is swamped with work, and her new father, Nanashi, spends his days cooped up in the office, so there is nothing and no one else to entertain her.
She refuses to speak yet, limiting herself to cries for her parents and food, because she doesn't want to be known as a genius and have the weight of the world on her shoulders, the way Neji and Hanabi and Sasuke always did.
Instead, she watches and listens, hoarding knowledge of this new world, both so similar and unlike her old one, and flourishes under the love and affection of her new family.
-x- -x- -x-
Hinata-Nanako is three, still quiet and clever. She goes to Nursery-daycare now, so Emiko can go back to work, but does not complain or whine, only hugging her mother's legs before she is left with the other children.
Her new family is not poor, but not rich either. They are comfortably average, and Hinata finds that she is happy, though this life is so different from what she is used to.
There are no ninja here, no chakra or jutsu or kage. Instead there is technology, and sports like football and tennis. It is a new world, and Hinata has her whole life in front of her, and parents who love and support her. She is happy here, but she will always miss the people in her old life.
-x- -x- -x-
Hinata is six, and excelling in elementary school. She will always be Hinata, but now she is Nanako as well, and the longer she lives this life, the more her memories recede into the background. Sometimes she feels more Nanako than Hinata, and this worries her, because she does not want to lose everything she was and still is.
She is still quiet, but willing to defend her opinions. Hinata is popular in class, which surprises her, because it had not happened last time. Still, she finds she enjoys the attention, and she has always been good with children.
She is at the top of the class, because new life or not, she is Hyuuga, and that means being nothing but the best, and she is also Hinata, which means being the best she can be. Her teachers are lovely, and her classmates lively, and while there is no Naruto to admire from afar, she has never enjoyed school more.
-x- -x- -x-
The first physical exercise class of the year is a sort of wake-up call. Hinata isn't the slowest or weakest in class- actually, she is doing quite well, but it is a far cry from what her abilities used to be, and how can she protect her precious people like this?
So she trains. She makes herself run ten rounds around the school track everyday, and when she can do that with ease, adds another five, and five more after that. She begs Emiko to enroll her in self-defense classes, and goes to every one eager to learn and with fire in her eyes. She practices her kata in the backyard, running through the flowing jyuken moves, slowly making her new body more graceful. Even if there is no chakra or byakugan, she still knows all the pressure points and weak spots of the human body, and she is no less deadly in this new life.
In less than a year, she flies through the ranks, a veritable combat prodigy, or so they say. Only the best of the other students can hope to stand against her and even her instructors have trouble against her now. In another year or so, she will have surpassed most of them as well.
Hinata trains and fights, sheds tears and blood, launching herself toward and over any obstacle she sees.
She still doesn't feel strong enough to protect her precious people.
-x- -x- -x-
She has a new class and new classmates this year, and she doesn't expect it, but some of them remind her so much of the people she left behind and it nearly sends her to tears.
Misato is loud and vibrant, determined in a way that refuses to let the world move without her. Hinata sees Naruto in her blonde hair and conviction, Ino in the assurance in her eyes and Kiba in her smile, and has to bite her lips to stop herself from crying.
Norio has long brown hair, like Neji and Hanabi, tall and pale and beautiful like them. But there is Shino in his stance and Shikamaru in the way he rolls his eyes and sighs, and behind that is Sasuke, hiding his laughter behind smirks and teasing.
"I'm Misato! Let's be friends!" She introduces herself with a blinding grin and thumbs up, and there is no sunset or crashing wave behind her, but there is Norio, who shakes his head and introduces himself politely.
It's not the same and it never will be, but Hinata thinks that it feels a little like coming home.
-x- -x- -x-
"Give me your lunch money!" The boy orders, towering over tiny Misato, who staunchly refuses to give in despite her shaking knees and trembling voice.
The bully tugs cruelly on her pigtails before snatching her bag and shoving her to the ground, mocking laughter filling the air as his two cronies snigger behind him.
The Hinata from before might not have been able to do anything, crippled by fear and an inferiority complex, too scared to even try.
But she isn't the same Hinata. This time, she will fight, and even if she loses, it is with the knowledge that she at least tried.
"I think you should return her bag," she says, drawing their attention to her position at the side. "Bullying is wrong."
The boy sneers, shoving Misato's bag at one of his friends and stomping towards her. He cracks his knuckles as he does so, and Hinata slides into her stance in response.
When he takes a swing at her, she ducks under his arm, lashing out with a leg and slamming a palm down as he crashes to the ground. It's over as soon as it begins, and he lies there in a moaning heap.
Point to Hinata. She might not be Hyuuga this time round, but she still knows over 357 ways to take a man down and a further 296 ways to kill him.
The other two boys stare at her in horror, before dropping the bag and running when she slides into her stance again.
"You're crazy, man!" One of them yells as he runs. "Get the hell away from me!"
Hinata straightens up and turns to help Misato, who is gazing at her with stars in her eyes. "That was so… cool!" She squeals, flapping her arms and bouncing around like someone who hadn't just been shoved to the ground.
"Thank you," Hinata replies, expression serene although inside she is screaming her victory and crying tears of sheer relief.
As immovable as the mountain, as untamable as the wind. That is the Way of the Hyuuga.
There is a slow clapping sound from behind them, and when they turn around, it is the sight of Norio and a strange black-haired boy that greets them.
"Norio!" Misato roars, charging at him with her yellow pigtails streaming out behind her. "Why didn't you help me?"
He shrugs. "I was going to," he offers with a smirk, "but you didn't seem to need my help."
Misato skids to a halt and scratches her head. "That's true. I didn't know that was going to happen though. Nanako, where'd you learn to do that?"
"Self defence lessons," Hinata smiles. I was a ninja in another life, she doesn't say. I was trained to kill since before I could walk.
"That's great!" Misato grins, bright as the sun. Then in true Naruto fashion, she switches tack just as quickly, pointing to the boy beside Norio. "Who's he?"
"Iwayama Takeo," he introduces himself as he bows slightly, before turning piercing gray eyes on Hinata. "Would you like to join my club?"
-x- -x- -x-
A lot of yelling- mostly on Misato's part- noises of confusion and some laughter, Hinata manages to sort-of figure out what is happening.
Iwayama Takeo is the Captain of their school's Martial Arts Team, which Norio is apparently part of, and has extended an invitation to Hinata asking her to join, with the possibility of taking part in competitions.
Norio nods along, promising eternal honor and glory as well as a group of minions to pander to her every need if she accepts.
It's a tough choice, but, well. "I was actually planning on joining the gardening club."
"You can join more than one club," Takeo is quick to fire back, and he doesn't seem like he'll take no for an answer.
Hinata is torn. On one hand, she's had enough fighting for a lifetime. On the other, she rather misses the adrenaline rush, the thrill of fighting, of pushing so far beyond what you could ever imagine to emerge bloodied and weary but triumphant. Then she remembers this isn't her world, her life – and the lives of so many others- isn't at stake and now she has all the time in the world to choose.
"I'll think about it," she says at last, and it's rather freeing to be able to make a choice without thinking about who she'll be hurting instead. And she will think about it, just maybe not today, and maybe she'll say yes, but she could say no, and there is freedom in being able to do that.
Takeo's glasses gleam, and suddenly she isn't so sure she has that much of a choice anymore.
-x- -x- -x-
Takeo, despite being a year older- physically, anyway- and supposedly very mature, acts like a complete child.
Hinata supposes she can cut him some slack because technically he is one, but even her supposedly limitless stores of patience are fast depleting. He'd even stalked her to the gardening club, to her own exasperation, Misato's disgust, Norio's amusement and the delight of Asano Suzuki, her gardening club senpai.
"Please leave me alone," she frowns, forcing herself to be polite in the face of an unrelenting nuisance as Suzuki-senpai giggles behind her hand and blushes, accidentally pulling herbs out of the ground instead of weeds.
Takeo stops right in front of Suzuki-senpai, smiling charmingly as she turns red. "Ah, Suzuki. Fancy seeing you here," he says, leaning against the low wall beside her.
Hinata rolls her eyes and continues weeding the herb garden with Misato's enthusiastic attempts to help. His statement might have been slightly less fake if Takeo and Suzuki weren't actually classmates and he hadn't been visiting the gardening club during club hours.
"Takeo-kun!" Suzuki practically screams in excitement. "What are you doing here? Can I help you with anything?"
Takeo sighs in mock despair, running a hand through his hair slowly. "Actually, Suzuki, I have a really big problem I need your help with." He sighs again for dramatic effect, pausing for Suzuki's enthusiastic assurances that of course I will help you, Takeo-kun!
"You see, Suzuki, I'm the captain of the martial arts team. Some people had to stop club activities to pull their grades up, so now we need new people in order to take part in the national tournament. Your friend Nanako, here, is a really good fighter, and we think she could really help us."
Laying it on a bit thick there, buddy, Hinata thinks sourly, resisting the urge to launch a few clumps of soil at his smug face.
"Oh, Takeo-kun, that's awful! You'll help him, won't you, Nanako?"
"I don't think that's a very good idea, senpai. I'm really quite busy with school and helping at home and the gardening club." After I kill you, Takeo, no one will ever find your body.
Suzuki gasps in horror, before grabbing her by the shoulders and dragging her away with a surprising amount of strength.
Hinata sighs but lets herself be pulled along, turning back to glare daggers at Takeo just as Suzuki pushes her behind a large tree.
"Please oh please Nanako! Our school is really proud of our martial arts team and Takeo-kun works so hard. He'd be devastated if they couldn't join the competition!" Suzuki begs, clinging to her shoulders.
"But, senpai-" Nanako tries to turn her down gently, but finds her protests ineffective against the immovable mountain that is Suzuki's complete and utter infatuation.
"I've never been able to help him with anything before," she whispers, eyes large and pleading. "He's so clever you know, and I've liked him for ages. Please won't you help, Nanako?"
Hinata has always been too kind, and that is where she finds her strength, even though everyone else looked down on it as a weakness. Too gentle, too weak, too kind, she'll never be a good ninja. She had showed them the truth, in the end, and stayed true to herself every step of the way.
"I'll help, senpai."
Hinata has always been too kind, and becoming Nanako has not changed that.
-x- -x- -x-
Author's note:
Hiii. It's me again :D Am I the only one who thinks PoT's Nanako looks a little like Hinata? Because once I thought about it I couldn't unsee it and so ta-daaaa here I am with this new fic even though I have a bunch of other ones to update T-T (actually I wrote this a few months back hahhaha)
Ascension followers, I am like, a quarter into the new chapter. Sorry. I've been procrastinating like mad and now is crazy time. I have 3 exams next week and I am not ready I understand nothing oh my gawdddd I'm sort of freaking out now and that's why I'm here trying to give myself excuses not to study. I'm a terrible terrible person.
The Ocean Never Ends followers, I have like a hundred words of the new chapter so it's going to be a pretty long wait? I'll probably get something out this summer break though. Fingers crossed.
Anyway, this fic isn't going to crash PoT much. Anyone who has read my other stuff will know I'm not one for huge intricate plots – I just kinda stare at the screen until something appears. I just have sort of vague ideas and a hope that everything will fit together somehow. (It's worked, so far.) But I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be a long fic unless I magically get hit by some super awesome inspiration that will actually work here, so just expect a couple more chapters (which will be spread out and slow in coming). But I do know who else is going to appear here as a fellow reincarnated soul, so feel free to make your guesses!
Anyway, do let me know what you think!