So... this is my first try at writing Hinata (don't kill me ^.^') and I have no idea if I'm capturing what people see in her- so please review and let me know what you think! There will be more on Hitomi in later chapters.
-Ch. 1-
Two wide opalescent eyes peeked into the cradle next to the rocking chair, trying to make out the small wriggling thing that lay in the swaths of silky white fabric. There was a swatch of soft brown hair that looked distinctly similar to the bunny rabbit Hinata had seen earlier in the gardens, but that was all that could be distinguished from the lumpy mass.
"Mama, are you sure this is my little sister?" The little girl asked. "Can you check again?"
Hitomi Hyuuga laughed softly, her voice calming her five year old daughter's nerves. For one so young, she spent a great deal of time worrying that things had gone wrong. Still, she was exceptionally bright, and had a smile that melted the hardiest man's heart.
Her father recently had his wife cut Hinata's hair short so she could practice martial arts with him, but Hitomi styled it as cutely as she could. The little girl's deep black hair highlighted purple from the lights above now fell into a bob that tapered in the back, and into full wispy bangs in the front and that then fell long to frame her round face on each side. At least she wouldn't get gum stuck in it anymore, Hitomi thought with another soft chuckle.
The woman then bent down from her seat with her own waist long hair falling around her in the process and lifted the blanket folds to reveal the little baby girl within; her two week old daughter Hanabi. "There, Hinata, can you see her now? Be careful, you don't want to wake your sister up."
Hinata nodded wisely and then sat on back onto her pillow before the low table. With tremendous effort and a puckered mouth and furrowed brow, Hinata managed to lift the full teapot to pour her mother and herself another cup each. It was a small triumph, but her mother praised her none the less; the love for her children was clear on her face.
Hinata smiled as bright as the sun in return and handed her mother the full cup carefully, all the while trying not to wake the baby. For a second she let her fingers wander to the beautiful long hair of her mother's that was so much like her own from the bangs to the color, and then she stepped back demurely like a good Hyuuga.
She loved spending time with her mother, not only because she had a brand new sister, but also because it meant she had a moment of reprieve from her father. The man was strict, and he cared in his own way, but he rarely ever praised her efforts no matter how hard she tried. Hinata was naturally weaker than her cousin Neji, and she could rarely do as her father wished. The five year old let herself pout as she walked to her pillow, with her back to the room as she tried to school her expressions but failed as she sat down.
"Has Hiashi been harsh with you again dear?" She asked so softly, it would be so easy to say yes.
Instead Hinata found the serving plates and began doling out the tiny cookies onto each one with precision. Finally she looked up to her mother, who sat wrapped in a lovely light blue kimono. As she placed one of the sets in front of her mother, the girl kept her eyes trained on the ground.
"I just think sometimes, Mama, does Daddy like Neji and Hanabi more than me?"
Her mother sighed and clucked at her daughter's silly question. "Your father loves you no more or less than he loves your new sister and your beloved cousin. He and Neji are males, so they have a natural connection, and he just isn't used to seeing Hanabi yet, right? Kind of like my Hinata hasn't gotten used to seeing Hanabi either?" Hinata nodded in stubborn agreement. "Hinata, if there is one thing that I can ask of you in this life, it is that you watch and protect your sister Hanabi and your cousin Neji, for all that he teases you, if only because they will both need your help at some point in life. You are such a very, very precious person, my sunshine."
Hitomi held out her pinky finger and Hinata tried to hide her smile, as she had been told that in politics displays of emotion were bad. The girl crossed the room, clasped her mother's finger in hers, and they shook on it designating the beginning of a lifelong contract. The moment was ruined as Hitomi gathered her daughter up into the most undignified hug she could muster.
"Cherish them, Hinata. Cherish the ones you love."
And that was the last conversation Hinata could recall between her and her mother before Hitomi Hyuuga's death.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Her eyelids were heavy as if a thousand men pulled on them to try and keep them shut, and her mouth was as dry as sandpaper by the time she finally came around. The peels of light that were coming in through her overreached eyes were bright and fluorescent, and reminisce of the Kohona hospital. She was stationary, that much she could conclude, and the room or place that she was in was silent except for the humming and beeping of equipment.
Finally she found her voice, and when she spoke it came out so hoarse that she couldn't tell for a moment that it was her own. "W-where am I?"
A nurse in the room relayed what Hinata had already suspected, and then rushed out to fetch the doctor. Soon enough, Sakura came trailing in with fatigue in the lines by her eyes and her long medic apron billowing around her as she walked. She doled out a few orders with a commanding tone that Hinata would always envy, and then the kuonichi made her way over to the bed.
"Welcome back, Hinata. You've been out for quite a while, do remember fighting Pein?" Memories surged through the Hyuuga's system as she remembered fighting on the brink of death to protect Naruto. "Everyone knows what you've done, and I have to thank you. If you hadn't taken that courage, and attacked him then, Naruto wouldn't have been pushed to go that far."
Sakura wasn't looking at her, but instead out the window and into the debris that used to be their village. Hinata could see moisture forming in the medic's eyes, but chose not to say anything as the moment seemed to be a sore spot for her friend.
Finally Sakura dashed her palm across her face and resumed the mode of someone devoted deeply to her work. She channeled chakra into her hands and ran them over the Hyuuga's pulse points, and then major chakra points. The process didn't take nearly as long as it felt, but when it was over Sakura smiled tenderly.
"Well, I'm glad to say that whatever Pein did to restore you after his attack brought you back to about fifty percent, and then my work combined with Shizune's brought you back to around seventy five. The rest was up to your body, but you seem to be making a speedy recovery. I'd say you only need to spend about two to three more days here, and then you can move back to the Hyuuga compound to rest." Hinata thanked her, and while she had a load of questions to ask about what had happened, she let Sakura return to the many patients she had in the wake of the head Akatsuki's attack.
Fiddling with her blankets, she let exhaustion wash over her and then fell back into a heavy sleep. This time there were no dreams of her mother, or the days when everything had been good and well.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
She woke up with a start several hours later to see Naruto collapsed by her bedside. His tanned skin was glowing softly as his body regenerated skin cells, and his bleach blond hair was soft in the afternoon light. A blush formed rosy on her cheeks and she tentatively brushed at his hair with the tips of her bandaged fingers; did he remember what she had said to him in the midst of their battle?
As she continued the soothing gesture the boy sighed deeply and mumbled something about her that she couldn't catch. She then withdrew her hand out of embarrassment and closed her eyes once again as sleep fell like a heavy cloak.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
The third time Hinata came around, she was distinctly aware that someone was watching her. She swiveled her head and smiled in earnest delight as Hanabi sat perched on the edge of a stool peeling fruit. It was a pleasant surprise, as the younger girl had never liked hospitals, especially after she had been placed in one at the end of her Chunin exam. The tangerine smelled ripe and sweet, and Hanabi had already eaten half of it. With a guilty shrug, she handed her sister a glass of water and the other half, assuming correctly that she was incredibly hungry.
"So, Nee-san, you're being released today. Sakura-sensei says that even though you're sleeping a lot, it's okay because your vital signs are perfect. Great, huh?" Hinata was so tired she almost didn't pick up on the nervous edge in her sister's tone. The two girls had been exceptionally close ever since they made Chunin together three years ago, and she could tell something was off.
"And how is our Hiashi-sama?" Hinata asked. Her question was distant but still inquiring. If something was wrong it was bound to lie in something Hiashi had done, and knowing her sister, it was only time until the over talkative girl spilled the proverbial beans.
"Ano..ne… Hiashi-sama is doing quite well actually. He didn't want me to take time out of my busy schedule as always to come see you, but I needed to make sure you were okay. I mean, I don't know that many people who have recovered so quickly from a coma and I just need to make sure you're in the best care, and plus it sort of gives me hope." The girl was now talking at a speed that rivaled Ino's most caffeinated state, but Hinata didn't miss the coma distinction.
"Is that so, Hanabi. Who else do you know of who is in a coma, then? I haven't heard much news since the town was destroyed." The younger girl broke out in a cold sweat, and things were suddenly very much not okay. She was never afraid of anything. "Hanabi. Tell me what you know and leave nothing out." Her voice was soft but convincing, drawing upon the same strength she had used to face Pein.
"Hinata, well, you know Tsunade-sama's charm? In the battle she released it to protect the entire village, and her power and chakra were amazing. My byakugan caught everything but-" She hesitated but continued when Hinata didn't back down. "It drained her completely and she collapsed mid-battle, and hasn't woken up since. Sakura-sensei doesn't even know why she's asleep, and is hanging onto a thread of hope that she will wake up at all."
The little color that Hinata had gathered over the course of the past couple of days drained from her face, and she too felt cold and clammy as sweat rolled down her spine. Many people wanted power on the village, and with the Hokage in a coma, it would be easy for the spot to be usurped. It would also be equally opportunistic for any village that decided Kohona had recourses that they wanted, as they were currently operating in emergency mode and wouldn't be ready for an attack. She sucked in a deep breath but that was all she managed before Hanabi continued.
"Danzou took the title of Hokage yesterday with the help of the Fire Country diamyo. He's trying to get laws in place as fast as he can, and Shikamaru hasn't been able to figure out his motive or goals yet, but he's hoping Naruto will help once he's recovered. Unfortunately, if anyone were to try anything they would be stripped of their title as a Konoha shinobi and locked away. Romors have been going around, and I only know what I know because Sakura spoke to Neji and me privately when we were here yesterday and heard the news. Apparently, there is more to the man than it seemed."
Hinata nodded. She had heard whispers of what Danzou had forced Itachi to do for the sake of the Third Hokage and the village from Naruto, Sakura, and Sai but she still didn't know the whole picture. All she knew was that it had been a very closely guarded secret of one of a part of her village's very dark past, and that the elders had wanted the skeletons to remain in the closet.
Still, Hinata was scared. She had seen the man talking with her father a number of times in secret meetings over the years, and always dismissed it as clan work that happened to involve the council. Now, a whole new meaning was being brought forth as she connected some dots and realized that she needed to talk to Neji as soon as possible. The two weren't on great terms, but they got along in conversations and could cohabitate on a mission, which is more than could be said of the past.
Hanabi was fiddling with the rinds of the tangerine peel, and Hinata knew she had saved the worst news for last. She lifted a heavy arm and placed her small palm on her sister's shoulder. "Why isn't Neji with you today?"
"I'm not supposed to say anything, but with Danzou as Hokage I think you need to know." Hanabi was staring at the floor and her own translucent opal eyes were looking far into the distance to a place where Hinata couldn't go.
"Nii-san wanted to do something to help the village when Tsunade-sama collapsed, so he joined ANBU. He passed the tests with flying colors, and all was fine until we heard the news of the new Hokage yesterday. Since then he's been away on a classified mission, and I haven't had word of him since. I tried using my byakugan to locate him, but even if he is within the village perimeter, I can't find him. His chakra signature is gone." Hanabi wasn't crying but her voice was wavering. She loved her cousin like a brother in a way that Hinata couldn't, but she didn't begrudge her sister that bond. If anything, she encouraged it.
Hinata's mind was sluggish as it tried to work out possible explanations. It was so hard in her current state, and she was having enough trouble processing the news about Danzou. Sakura had told her earlier that her body was in a hibernation mode, working to correct what had been undone in the process of her fight and it was obviously affecting her thinking. Turning to Hanabi she smiled weakly, although it didn't reach her eyes.
"Let me rest, and go check again around the village and gather as much information as you can. After you do, find Naruto and tell him everything you just told me. He may not be-" she struggled to put it eloquently, "Shikamaru, when it comes to tactics, but he'll think of something. He always does. Now, I need to sleep before they send me back to our clan for the rest of my recovery. I will also work on thinking of a way to make sure he is safe."
Hanabi nodded, and grumbled at the prospect of dealing with Naruto. The youngest Hyuuga was much like her cousin in that she had a hard time dealing with impatience and foolishness.
The young girl then hugged her sister around the shoulder and whispered something in her ear, and Hinata nodded against her arms, making the promise in return. When Hanabi got to the door, she turned back to her sister once more to concrete the image in her head, and disappeared.
Hinata closed her eyes but couldn't sleep anymore. Either the nerves that she worked so hard to hide were eating her raw, or she had simply gotten enough sleep over the past several days. Whatever it may be, it was putting her on pins and needles and she almost jumped when she caught the sight of the Hokage's robes float by in the doorway in her peripheral vision.
And that was it; the answer to why she was so scared, and maybe even the answer to what she had to do. The image of the man she and team seven hated so much had triggered a string of odd memories of a boy she didn't know much about, and a conversation she had had in Sakura's room several weeks ago. Danzou had his hand in ANBU in a division called ROOT, the same division that had controlled and brainwashed Sai into an emotionless killing machine. This was what had Hinata terrified.
-TBC-
*Warning- This story is rated Mature, and it will contain graphic violence and memories of child abuse.
I'm writing this story becacuse this plot bunny hopped it's way into my head and made me see my love for Hinata and Hanabi.
Don't read if you don't like.