He had known this day would come—what he hadn't expected was that he was still alive when it arrived. His eldest was in his private tea-room, sitting demurely on one of the few zabuton scattered on the floor. In her hand she clutched a small piece of paper that had that too-many-times-read wrinkle to it.
Hiashi noticed all of this the moment he entered the room. He had only a few moments to compose himself and seat himself on his favorite zabuton before she spoke. Tears streamed down her face in torrents, though her eyes lacked the red puffiness that developed from rubbing them.
"F-Father," she whispered hoarsely, the sound nearly breaking him then and there. "W-Why?"
Hiashi closed his eyes and rested his palms flat on his legs, attempting to keep his fingers from clenching into fists. 'Tolerate... Tolerate...' He repeated the mantra silently, knowing that the moment he opened his eyes, he would lose all control.
"The Elders have deemed it necessary to... ostracize you from the clan. Had I any sway still in the matter, you would have remained as my appointed heir. But recent events have made it apparent that you are no longer fit to inherit the title as Clan Leader." Hiashi took a deep breath, as if the extra oxygen would lessen the severity of his next statement, "Nor are you fit to remain a part of this clan."
He heard the sharp intake of breath, the subtle rustle of her clothes as she moved, and the crinkle of paper as she clenched the note tighter.
"N-No longer... a-a Hyuuga?" her voice was soft, unreadable, and for a moment, Hiashi wasn't sure if she was going to laugh or start crying again. "Th-Then, I'm g-going to be killed."
It wasn't a question—more, an acceptance of fact. Still, Hiashi couldn't help but let out a small snort as he heard her solemnly embrace her fate.
"You aren't going to be killed, Hinata, merely shunned. You're twenty years old; isn't it about time you moved out anyway? To 'find yourself' or whatever it is you do." He opened his eyes, having maintained his composure, and tried to make his smile as reassuring as possible.
Hinata did not look convinced.
"I d-didn't know we were allowed t-to live off of c-clan grounds."
"It doesn't matter much now, does it?" he mused, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly from holding an unfamiliar facial expression for too long.
Hinata's lower lip quivered unexpectedly, which seemed to renew her tears, as they streamed down the irritated paths of skin on her cheeks.
"B-But, w-w-why?" she sobbed, the paper protesting again as she held onto it with both hands and nearly tore it in half. "A-All I get is th-this letter, telling m-me I'm k-k-kicked out of the c-clan! I-I know I'm n-not strong, and I a-accept I'm no l-longer heiress, but I just want to kn-know why." It was, likely, the most she had ever spoken to him in one sitting, and he could tell from the way she blushed and her watery eyes glistened that she realized she might have crossed some tacit line. But he could see something else behind the unshed droplets: determination.
"Kai!" Hiashi barked suddenly, causing his daughter jump. A lower-branch member (they all looked the same to him, although he assumed this one was 'Kai', since he had answered) slid open one of the shoji doors and bowed humbly at the Hyuuga lord.
"Bring me a jug of our most aged sake and two cups." he instructed. The man nodded and bowed again before sliding the screen shut with a barely audible snap. The few minutes' wait for the desired drink gave Hiashi time to think on what he was about to do—and he was going to do it, dammit—and how, exactly, to do it. Hinata tried to remain as still as possible, choking back the sobs that were threatening to burst out of her and interrupt her father's meditation.
His plan now formed, Hiashi settled back on his laurels and took the time to assess his daughter's appearance. Her clothes looked like they had been thrown on at the last second (and by the mud and blood stains, he assumed they had been yesterday's outfit as well), and the thick, unflattering jacket that had become his secret ally was gone. Her hair, also, was disheveled and rough, flowing down her back in dark, blue-black waves that enticed the touch, just like—
Hiashi shook his head forcefully, interrupting the flow of thought.
"Your sake, my lord." The branch member somehow managed to bow, pour the drink, give the cups to their proffered hands, and back out of the room all at the same time, a feat the servants had mastered that amazed Hiashi to this very day.
"Father, I-I didn't know that y-you drank." Hinata commented after expertly downing her own cup (Hiashi's eyes had narrowed at this, and he made a small reminder to himself to find out just what that traitor of a bastard was teaching his precious daughter).
"Hinata, what I am about to tell you can only be said with the excuse of being intoxicated." he informed her calmly before taking a small sip from his cup, just enough for the scent of fermented rice to be hinted on his breath. He nodded once, resolutely, before turning his gaze on his daughter.
"There has never been a 'Hyuuga Hinata'. Your entire life has been a lie."
Pairing: HiashixOC with mentions of SasuHina and maybe some HizashixOC and SakumoxOC
A/N Just a bit of a warning, there are going to be some OC's that may or may not be recurring. I've been toying with this idea for a bit, mainly brainstorming on Hinata's past and character. So, basically, just some short ficlets centering around Hiashi and Hinata's (OC) mother. These are all going to be unbeta'ed, as they'll only be a few pages long each, and that's simply not enough to bother someone with. Also, I will be updating my other stories sometime in the near future (meaning, Christmas Break), so while it seems I'm simply writing new stories and forgetting the other ones, I am not. And... yes, that's all.