"How dare you!"

Her cheek throbbed so tremendously it was a wonder that her teeth were still intact and her jaw without fractures. Even the light touch of the pads of her fingers escalated the pain, and so she allowed her hand to drop to her lap uselessly as she sat upon her knees, fingers slowly clasping as if in prayer. She was no stranger to the show of physical domination, and this, like countless others before, would only be allowed to rattle her bones and not her spirit. She remained still, listening to the unspoken murmurs of shock, anger, and disgust that radiated off of the expressions of the council members shrouding her. Her eyes were unwavering, staring straight ahead at nothing with a raised chin and posture as elegant as a doll's. She had gone to the Godaime with the Hyūga as her leverage, yet she had returned to the Hyūga with an uninvited Uchiha in tow, and was immediately unhinged when the elders all met her at the gates. She was naïve to think that word would not almost instantly make it back to the Compound, and honestly she had not properly thought about the consequences that would most certainly befall her or how it would affect everyone around her –including Sasuke. Still, while the guilt chipped away at her, she knew when she had met the cold, unabashed fury of her father's gaze that she would have to do something she never thought she would be able to.

She would have to be strong.

"As the heiress to the Hyūga I upheld our tradition of handling matters within our-"

"You incorrigible girl! Silence!"

Taking a deep breath, Hinata slowly turned her gaze towards the offending elder, pearls boring through and thoroughly. "You were not granted permission to speak by Otousama or myself Kiri-san, and while I understand that this convocation is proving to be far more eventful than previous ones, I ask that you either refrain from further outbursts or take your leave." There was an immediate strain on all those in the room, tension spilling into the air as the council members digested such a bold, unabashed display from the normally timid, unremarkable Hinata. Eyes soon went from the young heiress to the current head that was standing above her, having ceased his obsessive pacing from the shock of yet another display of bluntness. Hyūga Hiashi was a man easily accustom to tradition, a man that formed habits and allowed change only when it was out of his capable hands, a man that made certain that said capable hands shaped and sculpted all else into his desired preferences. Always shy, and weak, and meek little Hinata. Always overlooked and forgotten, like an uninteresting miniscule detail that was unanimously irrelevant to the grander picture.

Yet within a few hours' time, she had traded her meekness for disobedience, her shyness for aggression. Certainly these things were not so extreme really, she was clearly nothing more than a naïve, emotional girl after all, but even the slightest deviation rubbed him raw. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her in the silence. Her lips trembled slightly, her eyes were sightless, her knuckles taunt and white. Yes, this was a mere deviation, nothing that would last past a few more hours let alone today. Hinata was reliable in her inability to surpass docility, and had long ago accepted her place below the heels of the strong, courageous, and assertive. With his mind now completely at ease, Hiashi allowed his gaze to land slowly upon each set of eyes that were set upon his. "Hinata, you are dismissed until the Uchiha has awaken, but because you have dragged this mongrel into our home you are charged with its' complete care." He glance down at his eldest, making sure contact was to be had. "I will not accept hospitable treatment to be given by any respectable Hyūga or anyone outside of the Compound, and therefore will make sure you are its' sole caretaker. If you cannot abide by my words than the Uchiha's life will then be forfeited to the Godaime and Konoha."

He watched her steady breathing, catching the few hitches that she quickly tried to hide. Already she was breaking; he just needed to allow time itself to pressure the cracks he had made. "Is that understood?" She bowed her head in respect, surely in synch with the rest of the council members. "Yes, it is understood." He nodded slowly, "You are dismissed." Once more Hinata bowed, then quietly stood and turned on her heel, exiting and all but shaking from the anxiety of it all. She padded down the hall, willing herself not to run for the solace of her room, keeping her head up to fool herself into believing that she was braver than she felt. She was met with whispers and loud glares, and although her courtiers were perhaps only a few minutes from the council room, it felt like an eternity. She was under heavy scrutiny by her clan, and while no one had directly assaulted her with their opinions outside of her father, she could feel their emotions getting under her skin. Even as a child she had always been sensitive of those around her, and now that these emotions were directly aimed at her, she was overwhelmed. She was near tears when she finally reached her room, sliding the door open and quickly shutting it behind her as if something awful would slip in and swallow her whole otherwise.

She felt a small amount of peace loosen the weight of the chaos she was thrust into, but soon that peace was shattered as she realized that she wasn't the only occupant of the room. Haphazardly stretched from her bed to the floor was the ragged, broken body of Uchiha Sasuke. Covering her face in shock, she slowly approached him, struggling to keep the sudden ripeness radiating off of him from agitating her stomach. He was unconscious, and as she kneeled before him she also noticed that his pulse was nearly untraceable. She was overcome with sorrow as she gently lifted his head from the floor, wondering just how cruel humans could be especially to the weak and incapacitated, but as she struggled to lift the rest of him onto the bed, she remembered just who it was soiling her sheets.