Author's note [2015/04/09]
I have decided to expand my original first chapter into four chapters, so please read the rewritten chapter 1 if you have not done so yet!
A Maiden's Voyage
White. Everything was so white. From the inclined ground to the high treetops winter had laid its cold mantle. It shimmered in the morning sunlight and made the day appear even brighter to an awestruck Hinata. She had previously never been allowed to step outside in the cold season… back when her father had been among the living. So far, all three of them – Hinata, Kiba and priestess Kurenai – had not uttered a word since their departure. They were travelling on horseback along an ascending path – Kiba's horse was the one in charge of pulling the loaded cart. At times the hooves crunched through patches of snow and left crescent-shaped marks behind. Each sound was amplified in this cold silence.
It was not Hinata's first time riding a horse (Neji and she had raced each other from time to time in the adults' absence), but still she had to concentrate on not to fall off the animal's back. Hinata absently noted that they were riding all the way upstream – now and then she could glimpse the frozen river surface gleaming in the distance. They had passed many glens while following a narrow dirt path. It was easy to spot in the white expanse since they had set out before the next snowfall.
She had been given a conical straw hat to wear under the midday sun by Kiba; she used it mostly to hide her eyes from view. But a small voice at the back of her mind was telling her how vain her efforts were. Several times she noticed the sunkissed servant boy turn his head in her direction and his lips quiver impatiently; it was quite evident that his mind was full of the desire to strike up a conversation and shoo away the awkward atmosphere. It was a bit amusing to furtively watch him mentally struggle with his words.
From time to time her thoughts were stained with regret. It was an unfulfilled desire of finally meeting her younger sister; she had learnt the news while eavesdropping on some gossiping maids about a week or two ago. They had been charged with preparing a room for "the young Lady". Hinata had expected to see Hanabi much sooner – at their late father's funeral, to be precise. But given the circumstances, she had assumed that the ongoing conflict would jeopardize her safety during the journey. After the fall of Lord Hiashi, the Hyuga had lost a considerable portion of their land to the Uchiha. Her family was planning to restore peace between the two clans (and snatch back their territory) through Hanabi's union with a son of the leader of the Uchiha.
"What would Father think of such a fate?" wondered the conflicted Hinata.
An involuntary cringe marred her features at a brief memory of her father's body. The tail of an arrow sticking out of his back, the tip piercing right through his heart. The water of life had left his body and spread all over his armor. He had died with his eyes wide open.
She mentally shook her head, trying to replace the morbid image with something else. Right – Hanabi. I wonder what she looks like now…
From her birth, Hyuga Hanabi had been showered with much more attention in a day than Hinata had ever received in her whole life. The first words of her uncles and aunts had been: "What a beautiful baby!" and "Congratulations." Of course, Hinata remembered hearing a murmured "Are you sure it's not a boy?" amidst the general celebration. She had not yet turned five at the time but she was already sensitive to the difference in attitudes. On numerous occasions she had felt an overwhelming desire for isolation. More often than not, the unfair treatment had made her burst into a sobbing mess in the privacy of her room. As much as she craved for some acknowledgement, something inside her refused to allow others to witness this vulnerability of hers.
Deep down inside, there was this lingering dread that a reunion with Hanabi after all these years would only open the scars of the past. She could almost imagine the elderly aunts comparing the two sisters in terms of beauty and manners.
It was hard for Hinata to clear her mind afterwards.
In the end, the one who broke the silence first was the priestess. Her voice was low and flowed like a humming stream. But what she said threw Hinata totally off guard: "It seems like we have some uninvited guests. Kiba!"
Wordlessly the boy tugged hard on his harness and his mount swerved to the left – straight towards the river. He blurred past his two companions, whistling all the while. As if on cue, Hinata's horse immediately gave chase. Behind she could hear furious rustles and some strange hissing. The sibilant sound was increasing rapidly. Her instincts ordered her to duck – she sensed something dart over and past her head.
Her life was in danger.
It felt as if cold fingers were crawling up her back; her mind went blank for a millisecond as she registered this unexpected turn of events. For fifteen years she had lived, safe and warm, within the high walls of the castle. Now she was discovering the adversities of the outside world. The whooshing wind was overwhelming her hearing and she was forced to squeeze her eyes shut against it. She had no idea when they eventually reached the frozen river. Countless questions were running through her mind.
Who were they escaping from? Why had they been attacked in the first place? Moreover, how come the priestess had not followed them…?
Hinata dared to crack an eyelid open only once the mad galloping had ceased. From the looks of it, they had stopped on the bank of the frozen river. From the corner of her eye she noticed Kiba talking softly to his puppy Akamaru. Both were standing on the snowy floor. But someone was missing…
"The priestess is still back there," said Hinata, starting to panic. Her voice almost sounded like a low screech. "We should go back – she might be in danger!"
Giving her a sideways look Kiba said, "We'll wait here for Kurenai-sensei." He kept looking at her for a while longer, mulling over his next words. "Hinata… You can see perfectly well, can't you?" came Kiba's husky voice. The young lady felt her body tense; her throat had gone completely dry.
You're supposed to be blind, remember? So smart, Hinata. So smart…
Her immediate thought was to deny all allegations. Still… was that course of actions the right path to take?
At first she hesitated, but her reason strongly advised her to stay honest. Now was not the time to worry about what-ifs and maybes… Mutual trust was the stepping stone for a solid bond. Kiba watched her slowly nod.
"To be honest, I was told beforehand by the priestess, Kurenai-sensei."
And you just waited for me to blow my own cover? Wait a moment –
"How come the priestess knows about it?" came Hinata's incredulous voice.
"Apparently she met your father long ago. Your…," he went on, "… condition is not a unique case."
A pair of shocked eyes looked straight at Kiba. And for the first time Hinata met his gaze… and she was even more stunned by what she saw. The questions that had been hanging on the tip of her tongue were carried away by the wind. Stray strands of midnight-blue hair were tickling her cheeks, but she paid them no heed. She could only stare… and stare.
Kiba had slits for pupils.
Never in her life had her body refused to obey her mind's instructions as right now. She wanted to run away, to get as far as possible from this boy – but her body was frozen in place. Kiba's eyes reminded her of paintings and drawings she had seen in folklore books. Those pictures and stories had terrified her as a child.
Could Kiba be…? Could he possibly be…?
"… A demon," she murmured. The mere thought sent a chill down her spine. She felt her breathing quicken and her shoulders stiffen automatically. Kiba's eyes had widened noticeably. But as much as Hinata secretly wished for it, for some sort of reassurance, he made no attempt to deny her words.
"Here you are," came the familiar voice of the priestess. It was accompanied by the clopping of hooves. Hinata inwardly heaved a sigh of relief and turned in its direction – only to freeze once again.
Kurenai's eyes were no longer the dark auburn hue that she had glimpsed this morning. Her irises were –
"Crimson," said the priestess all of a sudden, startling the frightened girl. She was looking at Hinata straight in the eye. "I was named after the color of my eyes. Kurenai." She contemplated Hinata's confused expression for a while without uttering a word. Judging by the slight upturn of Kurenai's lips, the young lady's reaction seemed to amuse her for some unknown reason. "No need to pretend anymore."
Aye, ma'am.
The more Hinata stared at those crimson orbs, the more she felt her body relax and the tension and dread fade away. What was the priestess doing to her? "Let's move now. I've managed to stun those bandits." Kurenai then looked at the perplexed Hinata and added, "We'll talk as we go. There is a merchant town upstream. That's why bandits were ready to ambush us back there – they probably thought that we were traders. If we hurry up, they won't be able to catch up to us before we blend with the crowd."
Hinata watched as the crimson darkened to a rich auburn. It was the first time that she witnessed such a strange phenomenon. She tried to keep her calm by reasoning that her own eye color was in itself something out of the ordinary. At least now she could relate to her family's negative reaction upon noticing her "difference". The demon child is no better than them, she realized bitterly.
"Just… who are you?" asked Hinata unsurely.
WHAT are you two exactly?
The priestess brushed bits and pieces of snow off her red hakama (long, divided trousers) and readjusted the thick mantle over her white kimono jacket. Hinata almost felt like she had been utterly ignored. But then, as Kurenai examined a red dot on the pristine fabric, she finally spoke.
"That, I am unable to answer… for I don't know who I am myself." She raised her head and looked at the confused girl. The corners of her lips curled upwards but there was no joy in the priestess' eyes. "I was born with those red eyes. Just like what your family has done to you, I was sent to serve at a shrine as soon as I was old enough. My parents wanted the gods to 'purify' me... or at least to make my eyes an acceptable color. The gods never answered, obviously." Her tone was full of scorn, it made Hinata feel uneasy. But now she could understand the situation a bit better. They were two women with a similar past. The thought that Hinata was not alone in this ordeal brought her some mild reassurance.
"However," continued the priestess, "you should remain on the lookout. After my departure, people from my hometown sent ninjas to finish me. They were scared that I might curse them as revenge for exiling me."
A look of terror crossed Hinata's features at such a possibility. Still, her family would never stoop so low… would they? Taking a deep breath she said, "If I may ask, how did you escape from them?" So far, Kiba had kept quiet. But as soon as he heard Hinata's question his face whipped around in Kurenai's direction.
"I received help from a samurai passing by the shrine," answered the priestess quietly. And that was the end of their discussion.
For some reason a shiver ran down Hinata's back. The town was now upon them. They were greeted by a cold wind that blew snow off the shimmering rooftops. It was now around midday and the main street was full of horse-drawn carts and people despite the chilly air.
Hinata realized at that moment that she still knew nothing about Kiba. She looked at him hesitantly – as if a mere glance might earn her a punishment.
Why am I acting so scared?
From the way that Kiba had acted around her until now, it was obvious that he meant her no harm. She just had to trust him… and stop focusing on little details like his slit-shaped pupils and the sharp dogteeth that flashed at her whenever he grinned. Why did he have to grin so much? He was presently talking proudly about the food that he had prepared himself – terms like gaijin and bread peppered his enthusiastic explanation.
"Gaijin?" echoed Hinata before she could stop herself.
"Those who came from the West," replied the priestess, startling Hinata. "Kiba and I met foreigners when we travelled south in spring." She looked carefully around before adding quietly, "They are the ones who provided new kinds of weapons for the ongoing… conflicts."
Why did you travel south? The question whirled around in Hinata's head but she dared not voice it. She personally thought that she was asking too many questions and prying into others' matters was unbecoming of a lady of the Hyuga clan. She had to suppress a pang of bitterness at the small voice in her mind reminding her of her new status. Not Lady Hinata anymore but shrine maiden Hinata.
Her thoughts travelled naturally to Hyuga Neji, the cousin and brother figure who had replaced her as successor of the family leadership. In her opinion, the serious young man deserved such an honor. She had lost count of the conversations that she had overheard about the "prodigious Neji". His training had progressed at an alluring speed, according to the uncles supervising her cousin. On the other hand, no one except her own father had praised Hinata… but approving nods and raised eyebrows had never really thrilled Lord Hiashi's student. As a young girl, her best rewards had been pats on the head with each new accomplishment... However, even these had disappeared after her mother's death. Had Hinata actually been a good student?
But now was much too late to ask.
Eventually the three stopped for lunch and Kiba fed the horses and Akamaru. The remainder of the day was uneventful after they exited the town and engaged the forest path once more. Given that both Kurenai and Hinata were reserved by nature, Kiba had to resort to chatting away with his puppy. Along the way they did not encounter their assaulters again and for that Hinata was thankful. She watched the light dim drastically and the shadows elongate, forming distorted and intertwining patterns on their environs, as the sun dipped behind the mountains.
"Aaaand here we are!" exclaimed Kiba as they reached another clearing. Directly on the other side rose a Shinto gate guarded on either side by two statues, followed by an impressive flight of stone stairs. As soon as they arrived at the shrine entrance, Hinata realized that the statues depicted two foxes, each with a scroll in its mouth. She had seen a drawing of those animals in a book before. The messy-haired boy jumped off his horse and asked Hinata, "Need a hand?"
"No, thank you. I think I will be fi—kyah!" While trying to dismount, Hinata had inadvertently stepped on the hem of her kimono. Almost at once a firm arm wrapped around her waist before she could fall face first into the snow. "Ah… t – thank you, Kiba-san." She was still trying to avoid eye contact with him. And to say that she was embarrassed was an understatement. To her chagrin, she had inherited the trademark Hyuga pride… Any display of clumsiness made her awfully self-conscious.
Hinata patted her hair cautiously, ensuring that it was still arranged into a perfect bun. Although the idea had crossed her mind, in the end she had not had the heart to cut off the long midnight-blue cascade. To her, it represented the sole souvenir of her deceased mother that her family could not take away. Her mother had been the first person to call her strangely-colored hair beautiful. It was a memory that Hinata treasured.
After a look around, Hinata noted that there were a small cottage and an empty stable inside the clearing. She deduced that Kiba and his dog probably lived here and looked after the horses. Her reasoning proved to be true when, once Kurenai had dismounted as well and they stood, luggage in hand, the priestess thanked and dismissed him despite his protests to help. Kiba bowed before trotting off towards the small house. To Hinata's surprise, Akamaru and the horses followed him at once.
"Let's go, Hinata," said Kurenai once she saw light from one of the windows. It was easy to climb up the stone steps since Hinata had not brought much luggage along. After all, she would be living in austerity from now onwards.
Once they reached the top, Hinata immediately caught sight of different types of wooden buildings with tiled rooftops. The main path was lined with lit lanterns hanging from equally distanced wooden poles. To her disappointment, Hinata saw no other shrine maiden in the vicinity. "I will show you around the place tomorrow morning," informed Kurenai, "For now, come over —"
"Weeelcome!"
"YOSH! There's a newcomer, 'ttebayo!"
Startled by the sudden voices, Hinata whirled around. Only to find no one else with them. Had she just dreamt it all? But those voices had sounded too real to be simply imaginary. "Priestess Kurenai… I think I heard voices just now."
"What? You can HEAR us? Oi, I'm here. Over here! Look up, look up here –"
"We got it, stupid Naruto! Shut up already." There was the clear sound of a punch and what looked like an orange blur suddenly fell to the ground. This caused Hinata to involuntarily jump back in surprise and almost trip over her kimono once again.
For a moment, the orange form lay utterly still. By the lantern light, it was obviously a boy. But to Hinata's astonishment, it had brightly colored fox ears and a tail. She watched mutely as the boy stirred then got up – unscathed. "Ah! So mean, Sakura- chaaan," whined the boy, his pointed ears twitching as he rubbed his sore head. Then he tilted his head upwards, eyes gleaming at something above. Or someone. Mimicking his gesture, Hinata's gaze fell upon a pink-haired girl floating just above their heads. Pink hair. It was unmistakable: Hinata had seen this color saturated by lantern light countless times before. As for the fox boy, his hair matched the light perfectly. Was it really yellow? In any case, it was the first time that she saw such strange hair (or was it fur?) colors. There was a loud thump as Hinata's luggage escaped her loose grip and fell down.
In any case, she could now feel a strange, swirling feeling in her mind. She heard Kurenai shift beside her, which attracted her attention. The priestess was observing Hinata's reaction, her eyebrows raised and lips pursed. Then with a reluctant voice, the priestess said, "Hinata, here are the guardian fox spirits of this shrine – Naruto is the blond's name and the girl is Sakura."
Oh! So he is blond, was the first albeit silly thought that crossed the new shrine maiden's mind. Wait a minute – did she just say 'fox spirits'? Her head whipped around in the priestess' direction, eyes wide and speechless. Everything was getting all too confusing. Her mind had a lot of trouble processing all of that. Besides, Sakura was still floating –
"Yup! We're the kitsune of this shrine," said Naruto cheerfully. The other fox spirit had landed beside him by now. Both he and Sakura were wearing what looked like orange and cerise versions of Kurenai's hakama respectively. However, Sakura's kimono jacket and hakama had much shorter sleeves and legs, so much so that Hinata could clearly see the bangles she wore around each wrist and ankle. "Eh… are you alright? You look a bit weird, like you might pass out any moment now –"
And faint she did.
.
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[Author's note]
Thank you for reading! J Also, please leave a review. I'd be thankful to know your opinion on this story, if it is worth continuing or not.
