Chapter I — Overlooked
Blue hair hung limply in front of the small girl's face as shouts echoed throughout the spacious dojo. Eyes trained on her clenched fists, she cringed under the harsh words her father dished out.
"Disgrace! Your younger sister shows more promise! You are the heir to the Hyūga, so act like it!" She sighed inaudibly before filling her lungs up in preparation for a response.
"I-I am s-sorry, Father-r." She offered weakly. Her forehead even touched the tatami floor, and she closed her eyes before a sharp pain registered in her side.
Her lids shot open, revealing milky grayish white before they closed again in agony as she was propelled onto her back, clutching her side.
"Get up." He bellowed and the short figure staggered to her feet, ripped black training clothes flapping aimlessly around her calves. Without warning her father strikes, in perfect form with palm outstretched, and without time to recover hit his child straight in the chest, uncaring of the blood and phlegm spurting from her lungs and the way her eyes widened with fear and anguish.
She crashed to the floor, her small six year old body curling in on itself pathetically as she was beaten ruggedly by her only living parent, blind with tears.
No one said a thing.
[Overlooked]
The mattress screamed under her weight as she flopped harshly on the soft material, wet drops seeping into her tank from her eyes, the little girl fighting to hide her sobs.
Weakly, she reached for her medical cream, halfheartedly plucking a dollop from its tiny plastic container and smearing it on her battle scars, feeling the sting and wincing outwardly before wrapping it too tightly with bandages.
Her clumsy, pudgy fingers working quickly to get rid of the largest of pains, though in her head she knew, she just knew, that it was all for naught and the signs would stay.
"Hinata. It's time for training." The loud overpowering voice she recognized as her father's rang throughout the Hyūga Compound.
The eight year old shot to her feet, struggling off the mattress and padding quickly to the private dojo, shoulders sagging with resignation.
[Overlooked]
"I got seven out of ten with kunai handling in class today, Father." Big young eyes shined with admiration for their parent, and the man met the gaze with a stern glare.
"Your brother got tens throughout the Academy."
Onyx orbs dimmed at the reminder of their sibling and the unbidden pride shining through the words of their strict father figure.
"You will get no 'seven out of tens.' I expect to see better." Fugaku responded gruffly to his youngest's hero-worshiping stare. The boy nodded stiffly and the six year old child excused himself, all rigid and hard.
[Overlooked]
He was sent sprawling to the floor in a heap.
The young Uchiha dimly heard the quick pattering of footsteps and felt the gentle touch of his older brother bringing him to his feet, but he averted his eyes. Didn't want nee-san thinking of him as a failure, too.
"Itachi was never this weak. Do not fail me, child."
The aforementioned older sibling was too busy wiping his little brother clean to react.
Though the 'child' was narrowing his eyes privately; not everyone was Itachi.
As soon as the weasel's touch ceased, the eight year old Uchiha Sasuke slumped to his seat on the sidelines to watch his father spar with his older brother, bruises patched.
"Now, watch your brother."
The clan head flashed forward, but of course Itachi was able to retaliate seamlessly.
The claps of flesh against flesh was the only sound heard in a while while Sasuke watched the fight spitefully.
Not everyone is Itachi.
[Overlooked]
"Begin!"
Chakra pulsed from their hands as they meticulously threw off each other's attacks. With the piercing yet dead stare of white eyes, both wanted to put their best foot forward.
Hanabi slid around her older sister's slow attack and jabbed her in the side with a chakra powered finger, watching as she jumped and retreated, cradling her side with five different sealed tenketsu.
Both siblings slid back into their stances, one staggering and the other easily, and dashed one more.
The younger girl quickly gained the upper hand, planting her foot in the dusty ground before turning on her opposite heel and jabbing her sister in the back of the neck, then the right side of her chest, the space between her ribcage, sealing.
"8 Triagrams 16 Palms!"
The older sister fell in a heap. As her blue-black bangs covered her features, she couldn't quite keep the small smile of satisfaction off her face when she felt Hiashi's disappointment pierce through the skin on her back.
Hanabi would be a better heiress than she.
The elders shook their heads, staring at nine year old Hinata with contempt before turning, new heiress in mind.
[Overlooked]
He knew when his foot slid through his opponent it was time to stop.
Ending his shaky pursuit with a roundhouse kick and a pivot, he was steady on his feet as straw flew in front of his eyes.
Nine year old Sasuke glanced at his older brother through the corner of his eye, who was smiling at him widely, eyes closed with the force of his happiness. His father, on the other hand..
His father's face was grim with displeasure. "Itachi would have lasted longer against a real training dummy. Continue." Sasuke's shoulders slumped for the nth time at his assumed failure, but he couldn't quite shake off the feeling of disinterest at his father's opinion as quickly as he would have liked.
It resulted in a slight hesitation with his shuriken and they landed on the floor in front of him instead of imbedded deep into the wood before him.
A dissatisfied grunt from his father at his idiocy had him scrambling stoically to pick up his weapons, all thoughts of his emotions clear from his mind, eager to please his unpleasant parent.
[Overlooked]
"Hinata-sama, this is Sasuke-sama."
She didn't bother to react at the sarcasm when he recited her title. Her bodyguard always seemed to hold a large amount of spite towards her and she knew he felt sick satisfaction when he saw her fail.
She just couldn't find it in her kind heart to correct him.
Instead she peeked shyly behind the older man's pant leg, though not daring to touch him, at Fugaku-sama's son, her classmate in the Academy. Black hair, black eyes, black clothes, black demeanor.
Both their fathers had come to the Hyūga Household Meeting Room to discuss clan matters, and the children were forced to meet. 'Itachi-sama' whoever that was, was currently entertaining her younger sister in the courtyards, as two heirs professionally.
So the rejects had to come and make do.
"H-hello.." she whispered. Try as Hinata might she was just too meek. His eyes narrowed slightly at her unwillingness before he bent forcefully, a practiced manner that she followed easily as her bodyguard left the two to their own devices.
"Uchiha Sasuke, pleased to meet you."
"Hyūga H-Hinata, likewise."
They stared at each other.
"Would you l-like some tea?" The young Hyūga breathed out. The boy started, almost fearfully, before nodding his head slowly.
She led them at an appropriate pace to the kitchen, thinking they wouldn't need to take up an entire kotatsu for just the two of them.
With her all-seeing eyes (well, her range isn't that far yet,) she noticed Sasuke giving her passing looks, and the curiosity on his face. Well, the side she could see.
It seems as though he has been groomed for excellence, though natural urges as a 9 year-old would still shine through.
[Overlooked]
He took a halting sip of the tea and nearly spat it out, but his control hardened and he choked it down, feeling it warm his insides nevertheless.
Now, he was never one for tea, but as the Uchiha Clan head's second son there were some things he had to do.
Now alone, away from the piercing white eyes that scanned him like a radar through the long and cold hallways, he let his feet swing back and forth in a nonchalant manner, the urge to spin relentlessly on his cushioned black high chair getting stronger.
Setting his cup back on the marble kitchen table and pride in order, he glanced up at the expecting lavender orbs. He faltered slightly before answering.
"I don't like tea very much, I'm sorry."
But he had to admit, it was the best he's had in awhile. Who taught her?
Her eyes dimmed and eyebrows furrowed with disappointment. At herself, he realized, recognizing the self-hating look he had seen and felt so many times on his own face.
But why? She was heir to the entire Hyūga Clan, shouldn't she be parading around with her nose upturned?
"It's not you; it's me. Why are you sad?"
She responded with a small 'eep' and a blush at first, but answered quietly. "I'm sorry..I-i can't do anything r-right.."
"What do you mean?"
"M-my father...i'm sure he h-hates me...I can't e-even beat my y-younger sister..she's the h-heir now...h-he's going to get r-rid of m-me..!"
She got her title passed to her younger sister in public?
Sasuke could only imagine how his father would feel if he was that pathetic..not that she's pathetic.
He couldn't help but notice that her stuttering increased and she got louder when she was distressed.
"I'm sorry..I didn't know."
She's a lot like me.
"N-no..it's not your fault. It's mine."
"How?"
"I'm weak! I-i can't get my Clan techniques right...I can't spar right... I can't lead right...I'm just a pushover."
Maybe that assumption about her stuttering was too early.
The Uchiha did see a lot of himself in her, though he couldn't describe it, the right words weren't coming to his young brain.
But what he did know, though, was that he wanted to help her with all his heart.
Sasuke took another grudging sip of his tea, reminding her he hadn't forgotten about it, though the sip was minuscule and shot back into the cup like a bullet with the grace and shamelessness only a boy could achieve.
It seems the small girl heard the small plop of spitty liquid colliding with warm sludge because she lost all composure she had (being alone in a too-white kitchen with someone of her age group sipping and spitting idly) and put her head in her hands, sobbing quietly.
Sasuke hesitated when he saw her crying, though he couldn't see any tears. He wasn't going to comfort her, he decided. He was just going to wait her out.
The boy made a move to grab his polished teacup before realizing how unsanitary that was and retreating, instead running his hands over the smooth rock he was sitting before, soon giving into his urges to spin.
[Overlooked]
It didn't take Hinata long to realize he wasn't about to yell at her for her weakness or forcefully comfort her.
Peeking out through two separated fingers, she saw him, an almost constipated look on his face whenever she could see it as he spun wildly on the metal kitchen stool, cup of brew leaking burgundy on the kitchen table as it laid on its side.
Before scurrying about to clean up the mess, she let a light laugh erupt from her throat and wiped her blurry eyes, and he screeched to a startled stop, black bangs whipping his cheeks.
When he turned his head towards where her prone form was supposed to be laying, he instead found her across the large cooking area, determinedly stripping a roll of paper towels of its coverage, grinning idiotically.
[Overlooked]
"Hey! Stop laughing!"
The ex-Hyūga heiress tried muffling her giggles to no avail. Sasuke fully stopped now, feeling his puffy cheeks heat up.
"Come on! Laughing at others is rude!" After saying this, she sobered up rather quickly and began sopping up the now cold tea from the cool counter. Sasuke glanced at it and frowned guiltily.
"Ah-...sorry about that." The brew was dripping off the other side of the table by now. He hadn't noticed he knocked something over with his dizziness.
"I-it's alright, Sasuke-san."
"Well, at least let me help!"
He jumped off the stool and brought back a few more sheets, placing them on top of the spill and watching them stain pink. Hinata stammered a thank you.
Sasuke looked at her with lidded black eyes.
"So...I was thinking, Hinata-san.." the little boy started. The girl looked up, big milky eyes curious.
Do you not do that often, was the immediate, snarky reply that popped into her young head for some reason. She clamped it down.
Her eyes looked like they had a hint of lavender a second ago, Sasuke thought.
Instead of deciphering her eye color and getting distracted he shook his head and moved to discard one thoroughly wet towel.
"..we're a lot alike." He decided to go with.
The Uchiha felt her glance at him through the corner of her eye, as she followed him to throw her own dripping paper in the waste.
"W-what do y-you mean?"
The roof of the trash can swung lazily as the threw his towel in the bin. "Our situations as...rejects." The boy felt his stomach drop at the confession, but it was true. Tears welled up in his new friend's eyes once more.
"Oh.."
"...But I don't want to be a reject anymore."
She turned and looked up at him, surprise written all over her face at his tone. Sasuke elaborated.
"Don't you want to get better? Don't you want to show your father your promise?"
Fear appeared in her lavender-lavender again, when does it stop-eyes, but the nine year old could see a burning determination to change behind the white-you're KIDDING-curtains.
So there the two stood, hands wet with cold tea, frames stiff before the metal waste can, staring into each other's eyes, and finding what they are looking for.
Longing to change.
"But...how will we do it?" A meek, feminine voice cut through the tense silence. Sasuke averted his eyes from hers, instead looking up at the swirling ceiling fan, it's pursuit soundless.
"We'll train."
[Overlooked]
Seated around the pristine black low table in the kitchen, papers from on-hand scrolls scattered askew around the two nine year olds, they were hard at work.
Discussing training times, when they will be able to meet up, twisting and turning around their parent-made schedules to find a time to meet.
"I-I'm not available t-that day."
"I can get out of the Compound for a bit around this time."
"W-will I really be a-able to lose m-my bodyg-guard?"
"This is the day I train till evening."
"I'm f-free that d-day."
"I'll ask for no one to follow me. Can you do the same?"
"..I thin-...yes."
He nodded at her determination.
Hinata shifted on her knees, the freezing tiled floors biting into her skin as she moved from her warmed space.
"Ano...S-Sasuke-san..."
The boy looked up from his fervent hand movements, pencil momentarily stopping. A lollipop stick hanging out of his mouth, he rolled the treat to the other cheek, grimacing slightly at the overly sweet flavor before answering in a swelled voice.
"W...vhat ish shit?"
Clearing her throat, Hinata continued. "A-are you really s-sure.. that t-this is g-going to work?"
He stared at her for a long moment before putting down his pencil softly on the hard surface. He looked straight into her left eye, taking out the green candy. "Hinata-San..."
She looked up hopefully, as if he had all the answers in his next words.
"I have absolutely no idea."
[Overlooked]
Hinata didn't know why she didn't slide away from the attack, but her feet stayed firmly in place and she felt foreign chakra ravage through her veins and close her nerves, and she landed on her back in the gritty, sandy training area.
"Halt."
Her bangs covered the bewildered expression that was no doubt on her face. She heard crackling footsteps and saw her father's sandaled feet through the cracks her midnight hair still in front of her eyes.
"Get up. We have much to discuss."
His tone was...pleased, for once.
As the Hyūga staggered to her feet, her mind raced. What were they going to talk about? Was she in trouble again? Why couldn't she dodge that attack?
Tears sprung To Hinata's ducts at the reminder of her loss. It's been a month now since she started training secretly with Sasuke-san and she could tell there was improvement, as his prodigy-tinted lenses informed her that the rigid style of the Hyūga Clan was not her own to bear.
Instead of tweaking the style and making simple mistakes, she looked into finding a different style and her search has been going well.
Taijutsu practices with Sasuke-San nearly every day after the Academy, meditation and chakra building, muscle work and katas, she was doing it all. And she was, for once, happy. Even happier not telling a soul about it, though not knowing why her mouth refused to open.
So why did her feet fail her and allow her to get pummeled? To lose?
Was she never meant to win, ever?
She passed silently behind her father meekly as he slipped into the main household, crossing her younger sister Hanabi, who was being praised by the elders, without even a glance.
The young girl's face hardened as her father led them to his meeting room, taking a seat across from her at the narrow low-table, eyes dim with disappointment. A look she has come to recognize, which explained the reflexive tightening of her fists out of his sight in her lap.
"Hinata. Your younger sister, who isn't even enrolled in the Academy, is currently beating you in all spars. You have had your title passed down to said younger sister, who will start being groomed to take the role of heir in a year's time. You have failed me, your family, and your mother miserably. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Hinata learned to take a lot of things. Due to her weakness in all areas and her father's eccentric ways of punishment, her skin has become very thick, even though it may not appear so. Hinata knows she's disappointed her father, she knows she's disappointed her Clan, but...
Did she really disappoint her mother?
The mere thought flashing across her mind was enough to have tears running down her cheeks. Her head lowered. Her mother was her only pillar of strength..and even after she passed, her smiling face as the only thing Hinata had to hold onto in the confining Clan walls. To know that she had failed her...
Her heart plummeted with the sheer amount of the self-hate that shot through her system.
If she failed her mother...
An unbridled, burning rage built up inside of her, but this time it was directed at her father, who continued passively speaking of her failures as if it were telling the weather. How dare he speak that way about his own wife..
"You don't know anything." The young girl whispered harshly, but it wasn't near quiet enough to escape her guardian's sharp ears.
"Excuse me? Speak up, child."
Hinata looked straight into his hollow white eyes before answering defiantly, raising her voice minutely, "You don't know Mother. Don't speak of her in that way."
His head titled skyward the slightest bit, allowing him to raise his nose at his eldest. "I don't know her? I know her better than you ever have."
Hinata found Sasuke's influence flowing through and her tongue loosened. The atmosphere dropped ten degrees after her risky words.
"Mother..Mother has had to put up with all your crap for who knows how long! I saw how you acted towards her." She accused snidely.
"Like she wasn't even worth even a fraction of your attention..as a husband and a father, you are the only one who failed!"
She flinched as his hand slammed down on the spruce table. "Watch your tone, child!" Hinata felt her confidence drain out of her blood but felt something lift from her shoulders at the same time.
"You have no right to speak to me in such a manner! You are the lowest of the lowest in this family, and you disappoint everyone you come across! YOU ARE NO DAUGHTER OF MINE!"
Her mind went blank at that admission. Hiashi stomped furiously over to his daughter and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.
She shrieked away from his touch, eyes wide yet defiant, and in his rage, his fist glanced across her face, whipping her neck around and knocking her out instantly.
[Overlooked]
"What did you do in training today, Sasuke?"
He heard his mother's soothing voice calling him sweetly, eliciting a raised eye brow and for his onyx eyes to leave his brother to land on his mother.
Processing her question, he ran through a long explanation of every tiny detail of what he did today in school, jumping up and down on his knees at the dinner table, reliving his adventures.
"And then, I-"
He paused, like he has been doing for the past month, to collect his words. No matter how hard he tried, the explanation of his work with Hinata would never come out.
It would freeze in his throat and leave his brain quietly, as he hurriedly made up a tight excuse for his after-school activities.
It was the easiest with his father, for some unknown reason, because he tried his hardest, his absolute hardest with all his might to get recognition from this man, but he couldn't find it in himself to finally acquire that prideful look he has always desired once and for all.
Almost as if they didn't deserve to know about his secret training.
But that's stupid. Even so, the boy couldn't bring himself to mutter a peep. He would occasionally wonder if Hinata has said anything about it at all..though he had a feeling in his gut that her lips were sealed, also.
Shoving food into his mouth to relieve the tension and give him time to think, the family moved on with the conversation, directing it towards Itachi and Sasuke was entirely forgotten.
[Overlooked]
With a barrel roll her quick pursuit halted.
"Stop; this is...enough...for today."
With a sigh, Sasuke collapsed onto the grass after his words, Hinata following quickly, straightening from her roll.
Their last spar was intense, but a great way to end their training session.
Scooping up his water bottle and wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, he studied Hinata. She was breathing heavily and her complexion was blotchy red with fatigue, but her eyes were dancing happily.
Sasuke imagines he looked the same way, feeling rather giddy after such a draining fight.
Hinata let the passing breeze cool her heated face; never in her life has she felt so accomplished in the past few months.
"Hinata-San!"
Big lavender eyes turned to look at childish onyx. Her stutter was limited around her new friend. "Sasuke-San?"
The Uchiha turned to lie on his back, arms outstretched, holding the clouds. "I was thinking..we should spice things up a bit."
She blinked. "H-how?"
"What if.." he smirked mischievously. "..we keep our training a secret?!"
Hinata's eyes widened with comical horror, even as a grin was threatening to split her lips, flopping on her back just like him.
Their heads tilted to face each other.
"Why would we d-do that? What if our p-parents ask?"
"We won't tell anyone, of course! I've been having trouble doing it anyway. Haven't you?"
"Yes.."
The twittering of birds was audible when Sasuke clamped the clouds above in his fingers. "Wouldn't it be exc-citing? The p-pros-spect of keeping secrets sounds fun!" He amended, fumbling with the bigger words.
Hinata stared at him, digesting it. While she was never up for trouble, the thrill of secrets certainly does sound exs..c-citing.
The idea of keeping something from her family was frightening, because keeping secrets was bad, but the happiness she felt, working with Sasuke in such a big project quickly overrides the negative.
Hurriedly flipping onto her side facing the boy, the lavender eyed-girl held out a determined pinky to Sasuke, a fire in her eyes. He was quick to follow.
"On this pinky promise, we vow to never tell a soul of our training, positions, or our knowing each other. Vow." He stated, before gingerly wrapping his pinky around hers and cracking a smile. It was returned swiftly.
"I vow.." she started softly, "..to never tell a soul of our training, p-positions, or our knowing each o-other. Happy?" Hinata asked hopefully. Their fingers disconnected.
"Totally! Today is the first day of many days!"
And it was.
END
Well..that was enjoyable.