The rain pounded hard on my windscreen while I drove through the storm. A flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by the loud rumble of thunder that roared so loudly that my car shook along the road. Such a fitting scene for the day that I had just endured. Everything felt so grim and depressing and when I woke up this morning, I didn't expect it to be a reality.
It all started with a phone call, one from my cousin who worked for the local police department. He was an Investigator and mainly spent his time away from his family, keeping his mind and body focused on his job. I was a little surprised to hear his voice, it had been a few years since I had heard it, and sadly his tone was not of the happy sort.
"Neji?" I asked warily.
"Hinata, I have some terrible news."
Our conversation didn't last much longer than that. I quickly readied myself, mustering all the strength and boldness I could as I made the three hour trip north. I didn't really believe what Neji had said; I couldn't believe it. Who would want to hurt my little sister?
The rain thundered down on the roof of my car, the three hour trip taking nearly five. The land of fire was going through a series of storms, and it had been a few weeks since we had some real sunshine. Like I had mentioned before, the setting in this land was grim and depressing, but it usually wasn't what it seemed. We were still living happy lives, my friends and I, it was just that I was no longer accepted as the heir to my fathers fortune. Hanabi was.
I pulled up to the eastern river where Neji had told me to. Squad cars were surrounding the river, while 'danger' ropes boarded where the scene was at hand. Men in dark suits and men in uniform were all looking down to the water, umbrellas covering their heads while rain poured off of them like waterfalls.
My heart was beating fast, and I didn't realize how worried I really was. The information Neji had given me didn't really give me an insight on what was really going on. I understood the desperation, for Hanabi's sake, but the seriousness of this case seemed to be more dull than I would have thought.
With a deep, reassuring breath, I pulled an umbrella out from the back of my car and made my way over to the men in uniform. I could barely hear my feet patting along the ground the rain was pouring so hard, but the men seemed to hear me perfectly.
I paused a little, all I could see was the darkness of their features as they stared at me like I was a foreigner. One man stood out, his pale eyes, so familiar to my own came forward.
"Hinata," Neji said under his own umbrella, pulling at his dark tie that complemented his suit perfectly.
"Neji," I tried to smile, but under the circumstances I couldn't make myself do it.
He came closer to me then, our umbrella's colliding as he pulled me into a hug. He lightly kissed my cheek before pulling away, leaving a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry we have to meet on such difficult terms."
"It's okay," I nodded lightly. "I understand."
"You probably shouldn't see her," his gaze drifted to the storming river. "She's in bad shape."
I didn't drive five hours for nothing, I was determined to see what I came here for, whether the scene was horrible or not. Hanabi was my sister, and I was going to do this for her. Even if it meant I had to crawl out of my comfort zone.
"I have to do this Neji. If I don't, what kind of sister does that make me?" I muttered over the sound of the pattering rain.
"A brave sister that did her best to protect her, to show her that life wasn't all about money."
There was some truth in what he had said, even if he had been away for several years. Neji seemed to understand me more than he did my father and my sister. We were much more alike than people generally thought. I wasn't too bothered that I was cut off from my fathers money, I had a job as a journalist and it paid well. I was only bothered that my father didn't believe I had the mental capacity to process the amount of money he had left for me. Well, for my sister.
"I'm not sure that I was able to teach her much about that," I said regretfully. "Father kept a tight leash on Hanabi. We never saw much of each other after they moved away."
"Do you find it hard? Living in the city by yourself?" Neji asked sympathetically.
I shook my head. "No. I have my friends, the same friends we grew up with when we were all young."
He smiled a little then, as he tilted his head in the direction of the river. I held a breath lightly as I followed my cousin, past the squad cars, past the men that whispered strangely as I walked past; past that ropes that said 'danger'.
Neji stopped at the edge of a small cliff, his long hair blowing in the vicious wind. I came to a stop by his side, tightening my grip on my umbrella as it threatened to be blown away. Down below the brown water crashed and flooded up the banks, pushing up logs and branches that had been snapped off trees.
I didn't see her at first, I was too busy focused on how fast the river was flowing, but as I looked closer, closer to the bank, she was there.
Her brown hair was scattered on the rocks, drifting with the water as it came up the banks. One of her arms were contorted in a strange way, almost as if it were broken, while blood mattered over her face in large patches. My sister was dead. Hanabi was dead.
My grip on my umbrella began to falter, the wind seemingly stronger than my own will told hold onto an object. The wind won, my umbrella flew out of my hands like a bird would have gracefully flown out of its nest, the rain then pouring onto my exposed body. I didn't feel it, I couldn't feel it, I was numb all over.
My sister's body was being thrown onto the rocks, being tangled with branches and logs that the river had thrown up the bank. Why hadn't anyone retrieved her body? Why was she still there, being tortured even after death?
"We aren't allowed to recovery her body, Hinata. I'm sorry you have to see her like this." Neji stood close to me, so his umbrella covered me as well.
"Why not?" I asked with tears burning in my eyes.
Neji hesitated slightly. "The weather has been too bad for us to get down there to examine the scene. Her body must remain there until an investigation can be completed. Then we can retrieve her body, and take her for post-mortem examination, to see what really happened to her."
"So my sister willl still suffer, even after death?" I looked up to my cousins pale eyes.
"I am so sorry, Hinata."
I couldn't stop myself from crying, I couldnt hold back the whimpers that escaped my lips. I was never going to see my sister again, I would never hear her voice, see her dance the way she used to, watch her smile when we used to practice our Taijutsu together. My little sister was gone. She was gone forever.
"I need to go home. I need to rest." I pulled away from Neji, running towards the men that were watching us so carefully.
I could barely feel the water hitting my head, the water splashing up my legs as my feet slammed in the puddles. I couldnt think about that, I needed to think about Hanabi. She was gone and I needed to deal with that. But how was I going to do it? I hadn't felt this way since mother died when I was young. I felt hopeless then and I felt hopeless now. Two of the most important people in my life were gone now, and I had deal with the idea of being alone.
I slammed into something hard, my hair falling in front of my face and sticking to my wet skin. Two strong arms grabbed at my shoulders holding me firm and in place while I pushed my long hair away from my face and behind my ears. The rain wasn't falling down on me anymore, the only wet thing I could feel was my tears falling down my cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Miss Hyuuga. But you aren't allowed to leave this town."
I looked up to a man with short blonde hair and blue eyes as bright as the blue sky when you could see it. My bottom lip quivered. "What are you talking about?"
"You are being charged on suspicion of murder, we need to speak with you down at the station."
This was where I was now, driving down a long road, with thunder and lightning threatning to throw me off course, driving down to the police station where I was to be charged with the murder of my sister. My own sister. Did they really think I could have killed her?
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be upset about, the fact that my sister was dead, or the fact that I was going to be charged with her murder. I didnt know how long I could cry for, or how my day could have got any worse. I didn't kill Hanabi, I could never kill anyone! But it didn't seem like any one was going to believe me. Well, maybe one. My cousin, Neji.
AN: So what did you think? I'm not sure whether to continue this story or not, it was just an idea that I had in my head. If you want to see another chapter in this and possibly a really long story, just review and tell me what you think :)
