The True Definition of Strength

(A.N. this is thru the eyes of Neji a little after the chunnin exams….)

This is my first time ever writing a song fic but this one just kind of rammed into me and I had to Wright it. Tell me what you think okay.
Also obviously naruto and the song Never Again don't belong to me if they did I'd be one rich bitch, and Shino would be MINE
Also I suck with spelling so some things may be misspelled please correct mentally or ignore thank you

Damn it. The chunnin exams have ended, and I had almost killed my cousin. A girl who I have despised since my father's demise. Hinata. Never has there ever been so weak, powerless, just all around use less person. Well that was my thoughts before Hiashi my uncle invited me to stay at their compound, after I lost my fight to the damn baka Uzamaki, instead of the shit hole left to me after both of my parents died. I was happy to finally get some recognition from the head of my clan. Unfortunately I also learned a few things about the main branch. After hiashi had Hinata released early from the hospital claiming that the clan's healer could do a better job.

She ran from me for the first couple days, seemingly avoiding me and strangely enough her father. I found it odd but I was too pissed that he even cared for the weakling enough to bring her home. I thought he was just going to ignore me and dote on his precious little angel. Fuck. For a prodigy of the Hygaa I was blind.

For the night after Hinata was released, Hiashi came home drunk hands clenched. Hinata who was reading in the corner avoiding me but trying to make sure her sister was safe. As Hanabi and me talked animitley about the jyukin (sp?) style and which of the 64 points was the most effective. We were totally ignoring Hinata besides the occasional glare. When Hiashi came up behind her and grabbed a handful of her hair throwing her to the floor. He ordered Hanabi and me to our respective rooms. Surprised and slightly disgusted I want to my room. After all the reason why I hated Hinata so much was because I was envious she had a loving parent how wrong I was. For several hours I heard her being berated for not being stronger than a measly branch member, for stuttering, and a few other select deficiencies she had. I heard a body getting slammed onto counters and walls left and right along with a dry painful sounding cough, that I remembered from the match I had had with her a three months before, and that was just the first night.

He's drunk again, it's time to fight
She must have done something wrong tonight
The living room becomes a boxing ring
It's time to run when you see him
Clenching his hands
She's just a woman
Never Again

It's been a month since I first arrived at the main hygaa branch compound. I realize now what a lie the main branch really is. It's disgusting and I really don't know what to do after all I have the caged bird binding I can't really help her, and even if I could she still avoids me with fear in her eyes. Almost every night Hiashi comes home cussing at Hinata. She's bruised and for the most part broken but she still goes through every day as if nothing happens at night. She's just as kind to her friends and strangers. I will never understand this girl. Tonight it stars again. I hear glass break and her scream. That's a first; I'm actually surprised she can scream after all the coughing fits she has. I can't stand it. Tonight I have to do something if I don't I'll never be able to forgive myself. I run to the living room where it always happens to See Hinata with a large shard of glass through her ribs. Hiashi is standing over her telling her to get up pulling at her hair trying to get her to stand as she lets out another scream. I order him to stop when he turns to me calling me an ungrateful brat and telling me to shut up, as he forms the seal to kill me via the seal. Hinata surprising both her father and myself cries at me to go to bed her eyes begging. Why? She is scared of me I tried to kill but still she's willing to save my life. Only Hinata would do such a sacrificing thing. Unfortunately I'm not Hinata and I don't want to die, I leave frightened tonight might just be the night she dies. I hope she doesn't wind up dead. My mind and my body conscience and common since are viciously attacking each other. Berating me for not helping and for trying to help in the first place that just made it worse. Fuck. Later that night as I here Hiashi dragging her to her bed and her ragged breaths after she has been thrown on to it I ask her why she helped me. All she did was smile and say because I love you Neji-nee-san even if you do hate me, you're still my big nee-san. My heart screams as tears start to fall. Something needs to be done, but I can't do a thing. I realized in that moment who was stronger when it came to the two of us. I was
pathetic compared to her.

It's not like I've never seen this type of abuse before either. I've been to villages who find abuse in women totally excepting. They beat their females whip them, mentally and emotionally abusing them. But what my uncle is doing to Hinata right now a mere couple of rooms away is making me physically ill. After all she's just a woman. Ninja or not. She doesn't stand a chance, she doesn't even defend herself. Why?

I hear her scream, from down the hall
Amazing she can even talk at all

She cries to me, Go back to bed
I'm terrified that she'll wind up
Dead in his hands, She's just a woman
Never Again
Been there before, but not like this
Seen it before, but not like this
Never before have I ever
Seen it this bad
She's just a woman
Never Again

The next day she has no other choice but to go to the hospital. Her face is distorted, puffy red, and twice if not three times the size it usually is. Hiashi has no choice but take her to the hospital. Hiashi tells the nurse of how klutzy Hinata to busy daydreaming to pay attention fell down one of the many flights of stairs at the Hygaa complex. She just nods compliantly agreeing. Sakura our nurse just raises a finely shaped eyebrow looking between the three of us. She hasn't been in the field long but she knows Hinata is friends with her and suspects something fishy. She looks at Hinata expectantly she just smiles painfully apologizing for being such a klutz and wasting her friends time my stomach drops I'm about to hurl. Why does she cover for that ass hole so? Why does she even take it is a better question though. And another part of me asks were the fuck she learned to lie so well. If she ever got to full strength she would make a stunning ninja. After Hinata was healed we go to make our leave I open the door for her and am about to follow but Sakura grabs my arm with her vise like grip. She asks me as she squeezes harder what the fuck happened and I like the weak lowly boy I realized I am say she fell down the stairs looking her in the face my eyes daring her to tell me different as she averts her eyes and nods though I know she's still suspicious. I hope she's a better friend than I am a protector. If only I could tell her it's the man in the waiting room with the shark like smile, talking sweetly of how he wasn't such a klutz, to all the regular nurses nod laughing in understanding. How sickening. As he hugs them good bye with the hands he used the night before to put his daughter in submission. I get ill again.

Again I try to compensate my spine-less ness with facts. It's not like I've never seen this type of abuse before. I've been to villages who find abusing women totally excepting. They beat their females whip them, mentally and emotionally abusing them. So what my uncle is doing to Hinata right now a mere couple of rooms away from me is acceptable right? No no its not and I know that. Soon she's going to break and no one will be able to help her. After all she's just a woman. Ninja or not. She doesn't stand a chance, she doesn't even defend herself. Why?

Just tell the nurse, you slipped and fell
It starts to sting as it starts to swell
She looks at you, she wants the truth
It's right out there in the waiting room
With those hands
Looking just as sweet as he can
Never Again

Seen it before, but not like this
Been there before, but not like this
Never before have I ever
Seen it this bad
She's just a woman
Never Again

Father. Father. Father. If she calls him that one more time, if she apologizes one more time to that thing I am going to go insane. I would kill him but I'm to chicken shit and it would just be an empty threat, on top of every other mental threat I've sent that scum bags way. A father is not someone who acts like a petulant little child who acts up because he couldn't have what he wanted. I want to demand him to stop. My father his twin never hit a lady or a female of any kind so I know his mother raised him right in fact Gram mas probably rolling in her grave along with all the dead in our ancestry. Though not only with the fact that Hiashi is beating his first of kin but because I'm too weak to frightened to do a thing about it. If only I could kick his ass it would be my greatest pleasure and something I would do thoroughly with no remorse even if he has shown me respect. His respect means nothing to me if he can do what he does to poor Hinata and still smile at me and Hanabi as we spar. It sickens me.

Father's a name you haven't earned yet
you're just a child with a temper
haven't you heard "Don't hit a lady"?
Kickin' your ass would be a pleasure

He comes home drunk off his ass on Saki again but like the first night Hanabi and I are in the room. He orders us to leave but Hanabi tells him to fuck off. She's sick of seeing the fear on her sister's face and she's sick of waiting for me to do something. Hiashi swears and grabs Hanabi by the hair, yanking her to the floor. Hinata gets up hatred seeping from her lavender eyes. Never did I ever think in a million years did I think she could muster a death glare too rival the traitors or mine. Everyone in the room freezes. Hinata snarls. Hanabi stares at her sister in wonder as she holds her ribs, Hiashi snarls back at her and I stand there speechless whatever is about to happen can turn either good or bad. Hinata says in an icy voice "Father, you promised never to touch Hanabi. I told you a million times I'd never say anything to anyone as long as you never touched her again. Apparently you're not even good on your promises. I promise you shall pay for what you have just done." Her voice is venom it paralyzes everyone within its range. She is serious she has had enough. Her chakra pours into the room, at an astonishing rate. I almost feel bad for the geezer. Almost. She forms her signs before any of us think to even activate our byuogens (sp) and activates her jutsu before we realize what's even happened shooting Hiashi in every one of his 64 points with controlled chakra beams. He falls to the floor dead. Hanabi and I just stand there shocked as Hinata passes out. Exhausted from her rage and release. I am proud of her; though I am deeply ashamed I let down my two little cousins.

He's drunk again, it's time to fight
Same old shit, just on a different night
She grabs the gun, she's had enough
Tonight she'll find out how fucking

Tough is this man
Pulls the trigger as fast as she can
Never Again

Seen it before, but not like this
Been there before, but not like this
Never before have I ever
Seen it this bad
She's just a woman
Never Again(4)

We get to the hospital and explained everything to Tsudena and Sakura. Neither seemed shocked to hear the news, as they nodded and healed up our Hinata and alerted anbu of Hiashi's corpse. They apparently had suspected that much for awhile. Hinata was not punished for the death of her father. Though she did have to speak to Tsudene once a week for counseling. She explained Hinata's situation to the rookie nine plus my team. Ten Ten and Lee both kicked my ass thoroughly for not really doing anything to help her. Kiba and Naruto freaked out and almost destroyed half of our village in a rage. Shino just glared at the wall but you could hear the thrum of angry beetles, Shikamaru and Chouji just looked a mixture of depressed and angry for their friend, Ino and Sakura just stayed quiet thinking about things that they should have noticed in the bath house. I didn't really do much to defend myself that "training" lesson after all Hinata took what I took if not worse every night since what I found out to be her mother's death. Apparently he blamed Hanabi but Hinata always got in the way of Hanabi beatings because she was defending her. So all Hiashi's rage and sorrow got literally plowed into Hinata.

I also promised myself to never let a women get hit unfairly in my presence again caged bird seal be damned. No one was going to go through what my cousin went through if I had anything to say about it. Though I can tell you right now I will never be able to forgive myself for ever calling Hinata weak.