Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
A Mother's Love
Hinata picked at her dinner. Today was her mother's birthday, her parent's anniversary, the anniversary of the truth.
She slowly got up, pushing away her food as she did. She slowly made her way through the village. The houses, the stores, friendly citizens calling friendly greetings to her. If only her mother had been so nice.
Through the woods, where dead and alive trees glared with equal unhappiness at her, where thorns groped at her, hoping to drag her down, keep her back. Angry animals glared at her through trees, ready to attack at any moment. Getting closer.
And then Hinata reached destination.
A shabby cabin sat there, worn and old. As Hinata opened the door, it creaked and threatened to fall off its hinges. Every inch of the place was covered in dust. Paper and pictures rested carelessly on the floor.
It had been twelve years since the last visitor had been there. It ought to look like this.
Carefully, she picked her way to the single hard bed and sat down, sending dust everywhere. There was a picture on the pillow.
Hinata picked it up to examine. And she saw her face as an innocent five year old staring up at her. In fact, her whole family was there.
Her. Her father. Her sister as a baby. Her mother. Not her fake mother. Not the mother that passed herself off as the wife of Hiashi. But her mother. The one with black hair chopped off at the shoulders. The one with calm black eyes. Hinata felt a sudden stab of emotion at how her mother looked so calm, when so much was wrong. And then she spiraled into a series of memories.
When she was three…
"Hi mommy!" A happy, now-three-year-old bounded to her mother's room.
"Hi, Hina," her mother replied in her usual cool tone. "I can't come to your party, if that's what you want."
"Why do you always have to keep inside this room?" Hinata complained before the picture faded.
At four years old…
"They're on to us," Hinata's mother warned from the other side of the door Hinata was hiding behind.
"There's no way." her father's voice was unusually off-key.
"You trust me, don't you?"
Five years old…
The picture was taken. Finally. Hinata smiled and looked at her family. The problem was that one person was missing.
"Mother?" Hinata scrambled off until she found her mother standing before a homely cabin.
"I'm leaving, Hinata." Hinata was shocked. Not only was her mother using an icy voice instead of her nice cool voice, but she had just called Hinata by her full name, something she never did. "You will tell no one what you saw today."
And then her mother's hand grabbed her small chest and squeezed, sending agonizing jolts throughout her body, forcing her out off consciousness…
Hinata's knuckles were white as she gripped the picture. She was sure her mother wanted to kill her that day. She was sure.
Without second thought, Hinata went home. She had just entered the village when some anbu came through, a single figure in the middle of six.
A sudden adrenaline rush coursed through Hinata's body, and her heart tried to escape its bone cage as Hinata realized who the person in the middle was.
Hinata's mother put a finger to her lips, telling her to be quiet.
"E-Excuse me, who's this?" Hinata asked the anbu.
"Hana Ko." A dog-masked figure answered. "She is the last of her murderous clan. We intend to execute her and if anyone is found to be close to her, then them, too."
And with a sickening jolt, Hinata realized the truth. Her mother had never hated her. She hadn't tried to kill her. It had all been to protect her. Her mother had pretended to hate her and her family. Maybe all for love. Maybe because she was crazy. Maybe it was because she had already caused too much death. But it was probably because a mother's love ends…nowhere.