"Father, I am not marrying a person I do not even know."
"Yes, you are."
"You can't force me into this."
"Yes, I can."
"Father!I am notmarrying some daimyo's son in the Land of Tea!"
The room was filled with heartless, pallid eyes, all blankly staring at the feud unfolding before them. Hyuuga Hiashi harshly stared at his daughter, whilst she returned the intense gaze with just as much bitterness. After Hyuuga Hinata's mother had died, her family fell apart. Her father was strictly-for-the-clan, her sister disappeared when she was old enough to fend for herself, and all the clan elders around her were her father's dogs.
After her mother had died, she had given up all hope.
"Hinata, you are."
"Father," the girl coarsely said, "I willfollow Mother's dying wish. Why do you think Hanabi disappeared? Why do you think -"
"ENOUGH!"
The eighteen-year-old bitterly stared at her father, harshly biting her lip. He held all the urges he had to slap her, hit her, punchher for irritating him.
"Your mother is dead," his voice calmly came, "And now you are under my wishes."
She gave her father one last look before submitting to his deathly glare. She bit her lip to prevent herself from an outburst, her eyes watering with bitter tears.
"Fine," she replied, "But that doesn't mean I'll be happy for you."
She could feel her insides twisting and turning.
Her life had fallen apart.
Her family was in turmoil, half of them missing, dead, or both.
And she had given up.
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Fairytale
Chapter 1 –Eyes of Longing
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Hinata sat in the midst of autumn flurries, the red-orange leaves swirling around her as the gentle winds twirled them at their mercy. Her pearl eyes blankly stared into the distance, their endless color of pure pearl holding an emptiness and longing. She sat still and unmoving, as if she were a statue, ever looking to the distance.
It was two months ago when she had been sent away to the Land of Tea by her father to marry the daimyo's son. She was unable to fully settle in, all her loved ones from Konoha continuing to haunt her memories and fill her with longing. The Land of Tea was welcoming and warm, but she knew that it could never rival to Konoha's. She knew that if she had tried, she could have been happy about marrying the daimyo's son from the start.
But she knew that happiness with the man could never happen. She knew that he was gone until before dawn, sleeping with other women and committing crimes that he could not be accused for. She knew that once she was under the binding marriage, he, too, would abuse her, using her to create heirs and nothing more. Hinata was a smart girl; she knew that the daimyo's son had played her father well, sweet-talking him with fake promises of protection.
"Ah, Hinata-sama. You look beautiful today."
Hinata turned and was met with the lovely maid, Tenten. Tenten was probably the only person she could trust in the whole royal family, knowing that there were twists and turns and corruption in every single person. Hinata also envied her; Tenten was a strong woman of determination and power. Tenten knew how to fend for her and trained everyday, honing her unique abilities.
"Thank you, Tenten. You look dazzling yourself."
Hinata offered her a smile, which Tenten returned to its full extent. The maid sat next to her, she too contemplating on her life and how it had unfolded.
"Hinata-sama," she began, "your eyes are full of longing. What do you long for?"
The Hyuuga's smile faltered and broke, her eyes returning to the empty distance of autumn flurries.
"Ah. I was digging through my memories. Thinking of my mother, my father."
Tenten nodded, knowing from two months experience that the Hyuuga's family was a sensitive subject to touch. She smiled and lay down on the soft grass, her serenity and grace seeming to mix into the season.
"I can understand that."
"Tenten," the girl softly began, "do you think my sister is alive?"
There was a long silence between the two, the maid thinking of the best answer. Two months experience with her new superior also taught her that the Hyuuga loved honesty, even if the truth would kill her. Tenten knew that Hinata loved her sister more than anything, but had long since given up searching for her and trying to bring her back.
"She's alive if you believe her to be."
There was a comfortable silence between the two, before Tenten had gotten up from her place from the grass and stood.
"My break is over, Hinata-sama. Please call me if you need anything, okay?"
She offered the Hyuuga a smile, which she timidly returned.
"Thank you."
Hinata continued to stare at the distance quietly, basking in the midst of autumn splendor.
"Hanabi," she gently whispered, "I wish I could have helped you. For that, I truly apologize."
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Hinata wandered through the quiet streets of the Tea country, her footsteps gentle and light, never once making noise as they scratched against the dirt surface or cracked against the leaves. It was close to midnight, most of the villagers asleep. She could feel the wandering eyes of the shinobi on night duty, their haunting stares shivering up her spine.
Ah, she missed the feeling of being able to be a kunoichi. After Hanabi had run away, she was forced to give up her career to support her father, who also had forced her to give up her honorable life of the shinobi. Her senses and skills were still honed, she being so free in the country that she occasionally decided to continue to sharpen them.
"Wandering the streets at night isn't very smart, Hinata-sama."
Hinata sighed and turned around, met with the golden-yellow eyes of her soon-to-be-husband's mistress, Keiko Himawari.
"Keiko-san, you know as well as I do, that I can fend for myself."
The two offered each other forced smiles, their rage and tempers slowly increasing to breaking point.
"Ah, I forgot, Hinata-sama.Where are your body guards on this lovely evening?"
"They are sleeping. I don't need to keep them restless."
"You kind soul."
Their voices slipped out icily, both bearing hatred and annoyance. Hinata's was better controlled and less threatening, as her voice was naturally quiet and gentle. Keiko's was icier and bitter, her voice naturally serpentine.
Hinata quickly weaved to the left, kunai flying through the air, which she had just been. She turned around and found five masked ninja facing her, cynical smiles on their faces. She mumbled beneath her breath and activated her Byakugan, their chakra points becoming visible through the darkness. She quickly dashed forward and engaged a ninja who had a delayed reaction in her Gentle Fist technique, the releases of her chakra filling the night air with suspense. The ninja was inexperienced in taijutsu, Hinata noted, because of their sloth ness in reaction time. When the opening came, she sent a fatal jab to both arms and legs, disabling them. The ninja fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
"Keiko-san," Hinata icily said, "What is the meaning of this?"
She was met with maniacal laughter matched with serpentine pitch. Hinata turned around and found Keiko smiling at her, the golden-yellow eyes dancing in the moonlight.
"I want you to die, Hyuuga."
At that the remaining four ninja charged at her. Hinata cursed beneath her breath, knowing that she was outnumbered and there was low chance she could take out all of them. When she got into the stance of Gentle Fist, she was met with a rushing whirlwind, and all four ninja were blown away and knocked out. She turned around and was met with electrifying cerulean eyes, their orbs glazed over with longing and emptiness.
"Fox Demon, stay out of my affairs!"
The "fox demon" turned and faced Keiko, his eyes becoming a menacing red.
"Damn you, Keiko, don't get your filthy hands on the Royal Family!"
Hinata watched the scene before her unfold, but continued to stare at the person's back, her fingers quivering with unknown fear.
His eyes...
...They were so like mine...
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Ah, the becoming of a fairytale is always so sweet.
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A/N:Hi everyone! This idea just came to mind, so I'm not sure if you want me to continue it or not. Just let me know in your reviews!
Thank you so much for reading.