Hyuuga Clan Act 2
-Author sits watching Neji try to wake the fainted Hinata-
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Hinata: Oh....my head...
Neji: Gah!! You're awake!! Thank goodness.
Hinata: You were worried about me?
Neji:Uhm...well...yeah...
Hinata: That's so sweet...
Neji: -backs away-
Hinata stands and starts walking toward Neji, but he turns and runs. Then Hinata runs after him.
Master Poet: Err....thats just not right... Anywho...On to the story before I go off to capture them again..
The next morning....Hinata realized she had awoke late. Her head was swimming from the dizziness of sudden waking.
She was covered with something...she looked and it was Neji's kimono. Nearby sat Neji, still asleep yet he was sitting upright with his legs crossed, His neck down.
Hinata quietly moved the kimono off of her,Neji as well as 'Pistol', 'Old man', 'Haze' and Yukitake, stirred from sleep.
Neji looked up in disbelief at seeing Hinata. "My lady, I thought you would've awoken hours before us and move to your quarters...Why did you stay here?" he asked incredulously.
"Uhm....I..I was tired and I guess I slept the whole night and half the morning here...sorry.." Hinata said holding her head down in shame..
"Now, now child, no need to appologize to us grunts." 'Old man' said.
"Yeah, you let us do the work.. even if you don't apologize for something...its alright, we're devoted to our lord's and lady's safety." Said the brash, young 'Pistol'.
A messenger ran by with terror in his eyes, he stopped as he seen Hinata.. he kneeled down and began to speak. "Report! Lord Hiashi has been murdered! An enemy ninja was sighted by camp guards!"
'Old man' looked down as he kindled his fires again..as he did so...he gazed into the flames...
'Pistol' looked for lost..he sat back looking at the sky..silent.
Hinata had the expression of true terror creasing her face...the horrored look even horrified Neji...
"As a result, You, Lady Hinata are the Lord and Lady of the Hyuuga." The messenger added...his eyes even displayed grief.
Neji, standing at the time, knelt beside Hinata and patted her back. He sat beside her..and to his surprise, Hinata hugged him tightly, crying. He patted her back and let her cry.
After nearly thirty minutes of crying...She sat up in front of Neji...The messenger left to report his terrible news elsewhere..
'Old man' looked up from gazing at his fire..."Child," He began, he always seemed to call Hinata that, though sometimes scolded for it..Hinata didn't mind it..to her, 'Old man' was like a grandfather to her now.
"Are you alright?...I could cook some of my special soup..it could take the sting of grief from you..it always has for me." he continued.
"If....If...If...you don't care to.." She said, in a heartbroken voice..a voice that caused everyone heartbreak.
'Haze' sat silent, unaffected by the news...
Hinata sat, gazing into the flames of the newly kindled fire..just as 'Old man' did before. Before her, stood Neji..he was speaking to one of the regular foot soldiers.
The soldier saluted and walked off toward the inner camp..Neji turned to Hinata and whispered in her ear,"Lady Hinata, the retainers formerly under Lord Hiashi, are requesting an audience with you."
She only nodded and let Neji help her up..she walked wearily toward the inner camp..her head was still swimming over the news of her father's death.
As Hinata walked beside Neji into the inner camp gate, the soldiers bowed as they passed. The retainers were all seated on either side of them..behind them stood their attendants.
Hinata took her father's seat and gazed out...Neji took a guarding position behind her seat. An older retainer..a man in his sixties bowed his head in a customary request to speak.
"Y-yes..?" Hinata asked. "My Lady, with all due respect...you must decide the position of the retainers as well as who will lead your bodyguard unit...." He continued speaking..Neji took this opportunity to tell Hinata the retainer's name. "Junkei Tsutsui, age sixty-seven..your father's strategist."
"Uhm..Junkei...you can be strategist again...the rest can be just as my father had assigned them...except, Neji Hyuuga, I assign you as my bodyguard." Hinata said, growing more comfortable talking.
Junkei bowed his head, as did Neji. "Thank you..My lady." They said in unison.
Another, younger officer immediately spoke up. "My lady, what of our current campaign of peace here in Bizen?"
Neji whispered again, "Mokura Inaba, age twenty-seven, in charge of camp defenses."
"I've....I've thought it over...I think we should return to Owari....that...Nobunaga is untrustworthy at being there...all alone." Hinata said, tears still stung her eyes..though she held them back.
"I...I guess we should start packing up the camp." She half ordered and half asked.
Neji placed a hand on her shoulder and then looked up. "Mokura, Junkei, Daneamon, Ittetsu, Manpukomaru, Hisamasa, Yasumasa."
Several retainers of a wide variety of ages stood up...from young to middle aged to senior.
"Now Hinata, this is when you give the order to pack-up." Neji whispered.
"O...Okay.." She whispered, "Officers...lets pack-up...we must move before word of my father's death spreads...Owari would be easy to take if we're not there."
"Yes! My Lady!" They yelled in unison.
"Come, My Lady..we must prepare for our journey ahead." Neji said as he led her off toward the stables. Just before reaching the stables, an explosion hit the main camp gate and blew it open.
"My Lady. Find some place safe." Neji said calmly as he drew his sword and walked toward the remains of the gate.
Battle cries were yelled as the smoke cleared and Samurai of the Azai charged through slaughtering the Hyuuga soldiers. "Ha! They're not so tough!" Yelled some. "Kill all of the scum!" Yelled the leader of the group.
Before their eyes, a line bisected the leader and he split into two sides and blood exploded everywhere.. just as the blood mist cleared, A Samurai in white armour calmly walked toward them.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Yelled one veteran warrior of the group. "Ha..you aren't even worth the dirt under my feet." He said amusedly.
"Wha'd you say? Do you want to die!?" The warrior yelled again. "Come get me, scum...all of you.." The Samurai in White replied.
As if on cue they all charged. "Too slow." Said the warrior in White. He disappeared in a blinding flash of light and appeared behind the band of warriors who stopped dead. Their bodies fell as if the wind itself knocked them over.
Hinata peered out from her hiding place near the stables. -Behind a barrel- "Neji-Nii-san....his skill is very frightening..." She thought and cringed at the sight of the men he killed.
Neji turned and looked, his arm went to the sky and the slashed down, then side-ways. He made a hand sign. "May your souls find peace." He said aloud. As he turned he flicked the blood from his sword and sheathed it. He looked over to a near-by astonished group of soldiers and yelled. "Someone bury these bodies, and get a crew to fix that gate."
"Hai! Lord Neji." They said in unison.
Hinata crawled out from her hiding place and walked to Neji who stood looking at the damage and casualties. "Your orders?" Neji said casually as he didn't even look to see her.
Neji turned his head and out of thin air an oversized cannon ball flew at him and crushed him under it. Hinata turned her head and saw an unfamiliar Kunoichi sitting on a comically over-sized cannon, leaning against it was a ninja dressed in orange. The kunoichi waved, '' Sorry, we wanted to get your attention, not crush somebody." She glared down at the ninja in orange, "Naruto-kun, you put too much gunpowder in the barrel." She scolded.
"You told me to Tenten-chan..." He replied.
Beside Hinata, Neji jumped up with the boulder balanced on his head. "WHAT MORONS LOOKING FOR WORK TRIES TO KILL THEIR POTENTIAL EMPLOYER!!!???" He roared pointing at the boulder on his head.
"Um...you've got a little something right here.." The kunoichi said pointing to the top of her head.
"I BLOODY WELL KNOW THAT!!" Neji Roared his reply. "Now, now, Neji-nii-san. Calm down, it was an accident." Hinata said patting his shoulder.
"Yes...Lady Hinata." He said, still seething in anger. "Anyway, I'm guessing you both are ronin, correct?" Neji asked.
"Yeah..We saw this camp so we thought we could find some work here or something." Said Naruto.
"Well, Lady Hinata, do you wish to hire these ronin?" Neji turned to Hinata whom only nodded.
Their forms flickered and they appeared kneeling in-front of Hinata. "You have our gratitude, Lady Hinata." They said in unison.
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It took nearly half the day to disassemble the camp, The ninja helped and so did Neji..Lady Hinata was told just to sit in her comfortable little cart..the cart itself was boxy and had perforated windows to see out, it was plush on the inside. Every pillow imaginable seemed inside. Anywho... They finally set out..everyone on a horse or on foot back to Owari, Their journey will be a treacherous one..many bandits roam the roads and back country of Japan...the same roads and back country they will travel.
---- A/N: Hmm...Don't mind if something may not make sense, I wrote half of this while I stayed up till' Five in the morning.---
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