Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Fragility Strengthened
Kohonagakure was the brightest star in Fire Country that night.
The vast, entwining streets of the Village Hidden in the Leaves were full of anticipation, excitement and curiosity. The preparations for this very moment had been planned, revised, and fretted over for several long months, down to the very last grain of rice and every artistically placed bell, whose low chimes were currently lost amongst the fearful whispers and the hushed rumors of the citizens of Konoha.
"I've been told one of them is looking for a wife."
"How do you think they'll make their entrances?"
"Is it true that all four are coming?"
"Have you heard the rumors of the one from Suna?"
The villagers, dressed in their finest at this late hour, were awaiting the arrival of the Kages, who were attending the Centennial Peace Conference held in the heart of Fire Country. Not one soul in the whole of Konoha could be found somewhere other than the wide stretches of road, eagerly craning their necks to obtain a better view of either one of the four powerful men. Every shinobi in the village, jounin, chunin and genin alike, was gathered at the front gates to greet their honorable guests. Every shinobi, that is, except one.
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Hyuuga Hinata was running.
The moonlight illuminated her path ahead as she distanced herself farther and farther from the prison that she had once called her home.
Sharp thorns grabbed and tore viscously at her clothes, gnawing, biting, and scraping her flesh until they drew red roses upon her skin. But Hinata did not care. This excuse for pain was nothing compared to the one ripping out her heart, consuming her spirit.
It wasn't as if she hated Konoha. In fact, she loved it more than she had ever loved anything—its dreamlike nature was a hard thing to leave behind. No—it wasn't the village she loathed, but the agonizing memories that lived inside it.
A single tear shone brightly upon the shinobi's porcelain face, trickled down her soft cheek and disappeared into the dark depths of the forest.
Things seemed to have been going wonderfully for Hinata—she had become a chunin and finally restored her title as Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan. Other than that, Neji had learned to deeply respect his cousin and the two of them formed an unbreakable bond.
But the universe, as it tends to be, is cruel. Hinata's becoming a stronger ninja was a bitter blessing, a sweet curse. Her talent consumed her, slowly weakened her mind and body. On the surface, Hinata retained her usual kind and comforting visage. Inside, however…
Could no one see the she was drowning?
The "Great Hyuuga Hiashi", would never let her forget her place in the Hyuuga household. Once her father had seen her prove herself as one of Konoha's elite ninja, he abused her talent and raped her of her freedom. As heiress, she was to devote more hours a day to political matters than reality would allow. Hinata was lucky if she received even one hour of sleep. But the worst of it all was that Hiashi did not realize, nor care about the strain that he was enforcing upon his own daughter. She was a tool to him, and nothing more.
Hinata smiled bitterly as she clenched her fists and continued to sprint into the cold November night.
She had just recently been a victim of her father's more…brutal form of cruelty, not but three weeks ago. Hinata had returned from a particularly nasty A-ranked mission—An unsuccessful A-ranked mission to be exact; it was her first failure in almost two and a half years. Exhausted and two days behind schedule, Hinata ignored Tsunade's orders and returned home instead of retreating to the hospital—to complete copious amounts of paperwork, nonetheless. When she trudged through the snow and approached the Hyuuga compound, she saw her father standing at the entrance gate, a look of pure malice resided in his eyes. He strode forward toward his eldest daughter, grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled hard, dragging her toward the back of the house. Hinata screamed in agony; already bruised and injured from her duties as a shinobi. Hiashi threw Hinata into the woods behind the house.
"You will not fail again, do you understand me?! Do you not care for your reputation as heiress of the Hyuuga Clan? Do you only heed to your own well-being?"
Hinata moaned and struggled with the pain as she attempted to lift herself off the snow and ice. Hiashi saw this and kicked her back down. He glared at Hinata with pity and loathing.
"How you ever managed to become a chunin, I will never know."
And with that he strolled back into the house.
Hinata had not moved from the site where her father had discarded her that night. She could only think of what he had said. How could he say that his daughter was selfish? Everything Hinata had done was for the sake of others. She hated him. She hated the way he used her as a doll to dress and display. Hinatapunched the icy ground hard, puncturing her skin so that the blood started to seep through the snow. She did not feel pain, however, as the cold had numbed her body. She wished it would numb her heart.
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"Hinata-sama, what were you thinking? Training in the forest at this time of night, in the cold no less? Your body is already under severe stress from your mission." Neji stared worriedly at his cousin. He had carried her limp, unresponsive form into the Branch House earlier and tended to her wounds.
Hinata had obviously not told Neji the truth of her current state, with good reason. Though she doubted she could fool his Byakugan eyes.
"Do not worry about me Neji-niisan. I am capable of taking care of myself." said Hinata monotonously.
Neji blinked. He stood up from the table so fast; the tea kettle he just brought in flew off and spilled over a straw mat some distance away.
"Damn it, Hinata! Don't you dare speak that way! You would have died, had I not found you!"
Neji glared at his cousin, anger pulsing through him. Hinata stared fixedly at the floor. Blinded by her father's harsh words, she hadn't realized how ungratefully she was acting.
"I'm s-sorry."
Neji relaxed. He glanced shyly at her and whispered
"I…I just…I can't bear the thought of losing you Hinata-sama."
But did Neji not realize? He had already lost her.
Hinata's heart had been broken far beyond repair. She could no longer feel the warmth of the sun upon her skin. Honey turned to vinegar on her tongue. Life had lost its luster.
So she would hers tonight.
Another tear graced the young shinobi's cheek as she rushed deeper into the heart of the forest. There was a steep drop-off approaching in one kilometer and Hinata would make no intention to halt at its edge.
I need to free myself
This fateful decision, made not but a moment ago, had been sparked by rejection. Hinata, as immature as she was, believed that however brutally and wrongly she was treated, she would survive if she had the love of another. If Naruto could somehow…show her that life was worth living, that her presence meant something to the people around her, she could find a way to survive. But oh how naïve she was.
100 meters…
Naruto had made it obvious to HInata that she was a friend, and nothing more. In this simple statement, she had experienced pain beyond anything she knew.
50 meters…
Hinata clenched her heart. The tears were flowing freely now, cleansing her soul of disappointment. Every step she took toward her fate was a worry vanquished, a sorrow freed.
10 meters…
Hinata squeezed her eyes shut
Three meters… two meters…
I'm sorry Neji…
One.
And soon, her feet were no longer touching the rough surface of the forest.
She soared through the air, arms wide open, embracing the freedom which she so passionately desired, like a bird that had been sprung free from its cage for the first time. She wrapped her arms around her body, hugging herself as she felt her elevation slow, before she would plunge and let the darkness consume her.
In that brief moment of stillness, the corners of Hinata's mouth angled upward.
Let me become free…
And she fell.
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