I have to tell you- this is all Airyo's fault. Trust me. She got me all fired up, even before I wrote the second chapter to stronger. I'll never get any of the fics finished at this point! Oh well! Anyway, same pairing, and same theme, this story is. Read, review, this is all for Airyo! Hey, that rhymed! So anyway, please enjoy!
Hide and Seek
Her feet thudded against the hard wood floors, set in a brisk pace, as she quietly headed for her hiding spot. Hanabi had challenged her to a game of hide and seek; and like always, she could never say no to her only sibling. Hanabi, her sister; she was a calm little thing, always respectful of her elders, and rarely asked for anything. Only to her closest would she ever show signs of weakness, signs of emotion. Hinata was exhilarated that Hanabi trusted her enough to share her desires with her. No one shared anything with her, not any more. Not after mother died.
Mother. Hinata's white eyes started to water as she thought about the gentle woman that was known as Hozuna Hyuuga, the Hyuuga matriarch. Her mother's kindness was unique, as none of the Hyuuga were ever kind. However, she was strong. Something that Hinata was not.
Weak. That's what she was. Hinata was weak.
Hinata shook her head, ridding herself of the tears. There was no time for that; she had to play the game properly, or else she'd upset Hanabi. He pace slowed as she reached her hiding spot, a spot that Hanabi had yet to discover. It was the cupboard, next to the door of the meeting hall for the Hyuuga elders and council. They usually had all sorts of meetings, most of which Hinata overheard, but ignored. She had no business with their politics of money and such. Last time Hinata was here when there was a meeting in place, she was stuck hearing a long, gruelling conversation about whether they should buy fish or chicken for the very important meeting they would be hosting. Hinata hoped to never experience something like that again.
She opened the door, crawling in. There was no chance of discovery; the elders were too prideful to check the perimeter with their Byakugan, much to Hinata's distaste. Pride was a horrid thing; it only got in your way in the best of times. It was only for fools.
Not that Hinata would ever tell the elders that, anyway.
She closed the door, leaving herself in a dark, cramped space. It was a good thing she wasn't claustrophobic; or else this hiding space would be rendered useless. Not that Hinata would have a problem with that; she had learnt that she was particularly good at hiding. Another reason for her father to look down at her. He had always said that hiding was for the weak, and that you should always fight your battles head on.
Just as she had settled down, she heard voices. Ah, so there must be a meeting taking place, Hinata concluded. She might as well listen; she had nothing better to do, anyway. "Are you sure about this, elders?" Hiashi said, his voice sounding doubtful. Hinata straightened right away; she had never, ever, heard her father sound, 'doubtful'.
"Yes, just think about it, Hiashi! The Hyuuga would be more powerful than ever before!" Now, Hinata was really curious. Just what were they talking about, anyway? The Hyuuga were powerful enough as it was. They were more than powerful, as it was. Why on earth would they need more power? Oh, that's right. Pride. Hinata inwardly scoffed.
"Fine... would you care to explain in more detail?" Came her father's polite, clipped tone. What came next however... was so horrifying, that Hinata couldn't even think properly.
"The Hyuuga's have always been ignored in Konoha, for generations! Look at how the Hokage disregards us- as if we were nothing more than an annoying bunch of parasites."
Another elder's voice chimed in. "Yes, Hiashi, Uchiha got the police, what did the Hyuuga get? Nothing. The Hokage doesn't even allow a Hyuuga to go into ANBU; something preposterous about how the Hyuuga's loyalty would be towards the Hyuuga, not Konoha. We can read underneath the underneath; we know exactly what they imply when they say that the Hyuuga would be more useful as Jounin."
Hinata was growing confused. So what did all of this mean? The Hokage seemed to be on bad terms with the Hyuuga, that she could understand. But what did the Hyuuga plan to do about it? What could they do about it? "We can't let this go on, Hiashi... is this what our fathers and fore fathers taught us? We can't let ourselves ruin the Hyuuga!" Said the first elder, angrily. Hinata might have been only ten... but she was very wise, for a ten year old. The elders were talking total rubbish. The Hyuuga were fine as they were; they had money, nobility, land, fame. What more could they possibly want?
"Doing this, we will achieve more power than ever. We must plan this coup d'etat carefully. We cannot let it fail." What was a coup d'etat? Hinata wasn't certain.
"Yes. Konoha will be ours" At that moment, a light bulb flickered to life in Hinata's head. The Hyuuga were... the Hyuuga were... the Hyuuga were planning to take over Konoha! Hinata was prepared to run and get out of there, but forced herself to stay. She needed to know what would happen.
"Our attack should be perfect, so therefore, it will take us a couple of years to plan. The best period of time to attack is when Hinata has turned a Genin, because, as weak as she is, she will surely betray the Hyuuga for Konoha." Hinata knew this was the truth, but couldn't help, but feel dizzy at how her family disregarded her. "Yes, that is a good plan. We will attack when Hinata has turned a Genin. She will be busy enough to ignore us stocking up."
"True," Her father said, and then Hinata couldn't take it any more. She needed to get out, and just think. But before she left, she heard, "Who will be on the front lines?."
She quietly opened the cupboard, and tip toed out of the room. When she reached the corridor, she set out in a brisk pace, but when she was far enough away, she broke into a jog. When she finally exited the winding corridors of the Hyuuga Compound, and into the garden, she started to sprint. She needed to get out of these oppressing walls!
Her mind was racing with thoughts and feelings, and soon she found herself at a lake, by the path. She stared into the water, thinking about what she had just heard. The Hyuuga were going to start a war against Konoha. That meant people fighting. Which led to death. And the next step, after that, was sadness and sorrow. The Hyuuga's were going to kill loads of people, just because of their pride.
People, no, ninja, would die. Iruka-sensei could die. Kiba could die. Naruto could die. Would she let this happen?
No. She started shaking, and started rocking herself back and forth, her feet skimming over the water. She held her head in her hands. What would she do? What would she do? What could she do? Everyone was going to die, and it was going to be her fault. All her fault. Because of her family, her family with her white eyes, every one was going to die. And it would be her fault. Hers. Naruto would die, and it would be because of her. Because Father valued pride over people.
She started laughing. In the end, nothing mattered to them, but pride, did it? Nothing did. Not people, emotions were useless, and Hyuuga had no ties... except to themselves, and their family.
Hinata shakily got up. This village, this beautiful village would be destroyed, and it would be all her fault. Because she was too weak to do something to stop it. Too weak to save the only thing she really, truly loved.
Then a memory of Naruto came into her mind. How everyone jeered at him, how he never gave up. What was Hinata's problems compared to his? She had none. Did she have the right to do nothing, and stand back while her family killed everyone? She had no right.
Her large, doe eyes became glassy and blank. Her trembling stopped, becoming non existent. Her embarrassed stance, the one that always made herself try and hide herself in a corner, disappeared. And her face- her face- was a mask, an unreadable, emotionless mask. Nothing had a purpose any more. Her family was going to kill Konoha... was there really a point in herself? Was there a point in making herself shy, because if she did so, her loved ones were going to die? She could not afford to be weak. If she did it would be all her fault.
Hinata's first thought was to go to the Hokage. But then again- she was a Hyuuga. And that was the worst thing she could possibly do to her family: tell the Hokage to make them either suffer in prison, or be killed by some outsider. No. This was a Hyuuga problem, and a Hyuuga problem it would stay.
And then young Hinata was stricken by a horrible realisation. In this world, in the ninja world, it was kill or be killed. Like always. If she left this situation be, then Konoha would suffer loss, suffer death, suffer killings. If she told Konoha, the Hyuuga would suffer loss, suffer killings, suffer death, or suffer worse: prison. Because in prison, they would be in shame, and would no longer be able to be the prideful creatures they once were; they would self destruct, and for them, death would be better.
Everything lay on her weak, fragile shoulders.
It was up to her. No one else could bear this burden. This was the best for the world: for the Hyuuga and Konoha alike. Konoha would know not of this horrendous betrayal, and the Hyuuga would die with pride. But could she do it?
She would have to bear this guilt for the rest of her life. She would have to leave Konoha like a criminal, would have to train every day like never before to get to the level needed. She could not afford not to have confidence; without confidence, she would get no where. Hinata knew that it was her lack of confidence that was stopping her from going anywhere. She no longer had the luxury to be weak.
It was up to her to kill these power hungry prideful creatures, once and for all.
She knew that she would be mad afterwards. She would be everything she had avoided to be. She would be cruel, callous, and would have to act bloodthirsty- something that Hinata, no matter where or when, could never imagine herself being. But she'd have to do it. She had to do this for her family. For Konoha. For all the memories, good and bad, that she had in this place. For her mother, God bless her soul. For Hanabi.
Hanabi. Hinata paled. She knew she would be unable to kill Hanabi; someone who regarded her as a mother figure. She knew that she couldn't bring herself to kill Hanabi; as Hanabi was not only like her child, but was the last living link to her Mother. But if she didn't kill the Hyuuga, Hanabi would have to grow up in war; she would have to suffer they misery of her family's betrayal.
Hinata felt her resolve grow from rock hard, to diamond hard. She stood up from her seat on the docks by the lake. She shed her big, baggy coat; she had no need to hide any more. The coat would only hinder her training. Underneath the coat she had a tight black, mesh shirt. When she got back to the Hyuuga Compound, she would change her baggy trousers into tight, black pants, and black boots, that would allow her to be quick, and would not hinder her training.
She started walking towards the Compound, recognizing where she was. She was by the lake, that was near the Uchiha Compound. How ironic; Hinata thought bitterly. Of course she'd be by the Uchiha Compound, where the tragic incident happened. She was going to repeat the same, 'mistake', wasn't she?
Growing nearer to the Hyuuga Compound, she felt people staring at her. Good, she thought, snorting. Let them stare. Let them stare all they like; those, who still had no idea that their lives were in danger. Then the cursed mantra started repeating in her head: her family wanted to kill innocent people. Her family wanted to kill innocent people. Her family wanted to kill innocent people.
She was almost relieved that even before she stepped into the Compound, Hanabi was on her. "Where were you, sister?" she asked, still hugging her slow to respond body. "I couldn't find you-" Hanabi froze, after she had looked at Hinata's face. Hinata knew why. She looked different. Hinata certainly felt different. She felt like this morning, when she had still been care free, was a life time ago; not only a couple of hours.
"Sister?" Hanabi asked, her eyes widening, as she started shaking her shoulders. "Sister?" she asked again, for good measure.
"Yes, Hanabi?" Hinata asked, politely, distantly. This morning, she would have probably said, 'w-what's w-wrong, Hanabi?' but, now she had asked this with not even a hint of stutter. Hinata inwardly snorted. How could she stutter when her family was plotting mindless wars?
"N-nothing." Hanabi stuttered. That was unusual, Hinata noted. Usually, it was the opposite, with herself stuttering. "A-anyway, I f-found you" Hanabi said, trying to break the building tension, it seemed. Hinata tried to oblige; she really did.
"Yes." Then she though about it. Without this game of hide and seek, she would have never have found out her family's plans. Without Hanabi nagging her to hide, she would have never stumbled upon that conversation that changed Hinata's future forever. Without Hanabi, she would have never have had the chance to stop her family from making a terrible mistake, costing more than just a couple of lives. "Thank you, Hanabi." Hinata said. The words, 'for giving me this chance, to right the Hyuuga's wrong', was left unsaid. Hanabi must never learn of the Hyuuga's treachery. No. One of them had to stay sane, after all.
"Y-you're w-welome, Sister. I'm going t-to my r-room, now", Hanabi said, and left as fast as her feet would allow her to. Hinata mused that she was shocked by Hinata's behaviour; she had never been like this before, after all. No matter. Hanabi had to get used to this change; it was necessary for Hinata's and Konoha's survival for her to act this way. Or else, how could she ever hope to save Konoha, if she could not even stop her stutter? Hinata then looked at her pants distastefully. It was time for a change. She walked to her room.
Opening the closet, she checked the clothes that she owned. All of them were of the same restricting fashion; the same fashion that would be horrible for her training. She was annoyed, but nothing showed outwardly on her face; it was the same blankness that had appeared ever since she made up her mind about her family. The same, smothering blankness.
She made up her mind. There were no problems with the money; she got allowance every week, for whatever she wanted. It was part of being in a rich family; it was expected, a given, no matter how weak she was. Grabbing her purse, she made her way out of the silent Hyuuga Compound, towards the market centre of Konoha.
The walk was uneventful. It was mid afternoon by now; people were still staring at her. People that she recognized, but none that she knew. Still, most people knew her, the Hyuuga heiress, and most people stared, especially with her new attitude. Hinata wouldn't really call it an attitude; it was more like a desperate time that called for a desperate measure.
She arrived at a ninja equipment store, entering it soundlessly. She walked up to the counter, ignoring the numerous ninja staring at her in curiosity. The worker smiled at her, although uneasily, she could tell. Hinata was, after all, only ten years old. Her coming alone was strange; most ten year old children come along with their parents.
"Show me all the black pants you own, and if you have any, black boots would be pleasing, as well" Hinata informed, because that was what she was doing, informing. She would have the black garments, and if this store didn't have them, she'd simply move onto the next. The cashier assessed her silently, taking in her posture, manner, and the cool, blank tone of voice. Then she hurriedly moved to please her with what she was looking for; her new training clothes.
Hinata was shown black legging type pants, black leather pants, as well as black shorts. Seeing as it was autumn now, she got the black leggings; she would get the shorts once summer came. Then she was shown to the shoes section, where she picked out a pair of black leather boots that came up halfway to her knees, that were said to be water proof. Hinata was taken to the counter, to make her purchase.
Not wanting to stay in the disgusting clothes she had on any longer, she immediately went to the changing rooms to change, into her new and improved outfit. No longer would she have trouble moving with these tight fitting clothes; no longer would she look like a weak, stuttering fool. She had no right to.
The fate of Konoha rested on her shoulders.
As she watched her black clad image in the mirror, she mused on the way it started; all of it. It started in a game of hide and seek. And when it all ended, when she had saved Konoha, killing her prideful family, it would end in hide and seek. As always, she would be the one hiding. She was always good at hiding, after all.
Sometimes she had wondered what would happen if she was the one actually seeking. If she was the one actively searching for someone; would it be as boring as sitting, and waiting in a small and cramped space? In the end, she didn't think she would find out, because, she was sure of one thing.
In this lifetime, she would always be the one hiding.
Taaa-daaa!~ Blame Airyo-chan for getting me fired up for this fanfic. Anyway, I hoped you liked it. It's basically the same idea as the Uchiha Massacre, instead this is worse, because out of all of those loyal to Konoha, Hinata is the only one who actually knows of their treacherous plans. Unlike Itachi, who told them all to the Hokage. So it's wayyy more guilt for Hinata-chan, cuz she wasn't even ordered to do so!
Anyways, review, review, and thank Airyo-
Sincerely,
Aurora-chan!