Road to Redemption
by Ave Jane
I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.
Part Two: Homecoming
Creeping through her bedroom window at four in the morning, Hinata headed straight for her shower. It is a testament to her growth as a shinobi that she managed to infiltrate the Hyuga compound without raising an alarm, but the sound of the shower would certainly wake her cousin, who sleeps in the room beside hers. At this particular moment, Hinata does not care.
It took effort to peal her clothing off and Hinata was sure that some of her skin had come off with it, but being free of her armor is well worth the cost. Wrenching the shower knob towards scalding she unbound her long hair before silently gagging at its rancid odor. Wasting no more time she slipped into the stall, silently moaning in pleasure as the hot water burned away all the filth from her body. Pressing her forehead against the cold tile, she stays under the scorching spray and recalls the last few hours.
Six months in the Land of Waves, trudging through swamps and caked in the remains of enemies, had finally drawn to a close. Her ANBU comrades had pushed a hard pace back to the village driven by news of a success. Despite being of a lower rank, Hinata had championed the break neck pace with little difficulty. Once they had reached the gates one masked ANBU member had even given her a gruff complement. For some reason all the black cloaked shinobi has been shocked that she had even survived the mission with them, even though they had been informed previously that it was not her first S-Ranked objective.
From that point they had split up since the Black Ops unit did not have the same end of mission procedure that she, did being a simple jonin, did. As she headed toward the Hokage Tower to make her final report, Hinata felt vaguely lonesome. She had never seen the faces of her mission squad, but for the last few months she had been constantly in the company of some masked person or other. It was unnerving to suddenly be so obviously alone.
Or so she thought.
At the time, Hinata had not considered that the dreariness that had suddenly surrounded her was nothing more than the psychological effects of drawn out mission exhaustion. It was only when she was met with Shizune's red rimmed eyes that Hinata realized that the Village Hidden in the Leaves was heavy with sorrow of mourning. This new burden weighted itself in Hinata's chest as she left the desolate stone tower.
She was a day late for Tsunade-sama's memorial service, so at three o'clock in the morning Hinata found herself kneeling before the smooth marker embossed with the Fifth's name. She said a quiet prayer for the departed's soul and watched as the incense offerings burned away to nothing. This was all she could do in observation of the remarkable woman's life.
On her way to the compound, Hinata sincerely hoped that the afterlife treated Lady Tsunade, and the others who had passed, with joy enough to compensate for their sorrows and struggles faced here amongst the living.
That was perhaps this Hyuga's only hope, for no matter how many missions she completed; no matter what victories she reaped there was no happiness in her mortal toils. There was only death and blood that could only be prevented by more death and blood. It was senseless really. Her job was to maim and kill and deceive in order to maintain a precarious peace that would one day inevitably be broken. So then, why did she do it?
She did it because every day that twelve year old genin did not have to die in war against seasoned killers was a day well worth her flaking soul. The world was evil, but its children and civilians did not need to know that yet. Now, there was a new reason to continue her soulless work. Tsunade-Sama. She had died to preserve this Village and its people, just like the Fourth and Saburto-Sama. She died a hero, just like Asuma-Sensei.
Kami-sama, their sacrifices would mean something.
The shrill cry of the rooster pulled Hinata from her thoughts and the shower. She could not recall the last time she had slept, but by now her clan is probably well aware of her homecoming. This pleasant fact made her attendance at breakfast this morning required, unheeding of how enervated she felt. Pulling on a pattern less white kimono after tying her wet hair into a neat bun, she pulled the shoji screen to the hallway open.
Her cousin stood across the doorway, with his signature blank expression firmly in place. Neji's appearance was unusual. Despite amicable circumstances, the two not managed to bond beyond civility. Still, he was her neighbor and they were both attending the same morning ritual, coincidental run-ins were bound to occur. Unfortunately, Hinata was not naïve enough to believe that her nii-san left anything up to mere coincidence.
The two stood frozen as Hinata waited for her cousin to speak. Although, Neji was a man of few words, he was a man who believed in speaking what needed to be spoken. This was far more words than Hinata was ever willing to speak, since she believed speaking to be a last resort of all possible means. A pregnant pause followed before Neji's patience broke.
"Where have you been, Hinata-sama?"
Hinata frown and contemplated if answering was the best course of action. She glanced at the sun and realized that they would be late to breakfast if this continued. She gave a thought to walking past him only to consider the strong possibility that he would physically retrain her progress. She had better just answer.
"Mission."
"You rank is not qualified for missions spanning more than two months."
"Many missions, nii-san."
It was a simple explanation, but Neji was not convinced. Before he could voice his objection, Hinata chose to quietly intercede.
"The morning meal is starting."
Seated at the long polished table, Hinata remembered as children the clan was taught that meals in the Hyuuga compound were an internal symbol of the clan's strength. This being said, it was nearly sinful to miss any meal time for a reason less than official shinobi business or serious illness. For most of her young life she thought this "strength" related to the ties of the blood that made the Hyuuga a family rather than just a clan of Byukugan users. Now, she saw it as it really was, a demonstration of main branch authority over all others.
It was a subtle tyranny, but tyranny none the less. It had taken Hinata many years to decode the signs. All Hyuuga members were mandated to attend under penalty of punishment. All Hyuuga were seat in accordance to branch and rank without consideration of age or socialization. All food was prepared before hand with regards to only nutritional value and medical restriction not personal preference. All generic Hyuuga clan members must withhold from eating until the Head and Elders designated the order. In a complex way, it was a reminder to everyone that they were all slaves to the Hyuuga tradition.
It was, in simple terms, ridiculous, but no one else seemed to notice. So, Hinata remained silent and kneeling until her Father and the council of Elders arrived. There were no words said, not even a short speech on the passing of the Hokage. It was not the Hyuuga way. Still Hinata was disappointed, even if she was not surprised.
As soon as the meal was over and it was appropriate to leave, the Hyuuga heiress did so. But before she could disappear back to her bedroom, she overheard her father speaking to her nii-san behind the thin shoji screens of the dojo. Moving slowly, she melded into the very shadows of the compound.
"You must watch her more carefully, Neji-kun. Hanabi-chan is favored, but her accession is not yet guaranteed. Until Hanabi-chan's future is certain, Hinata must not be allowed to stray. Her behavior is too unnerving already."
"Hai, Hiashi-sama."
"One more thing…."
Hinata's focus wavered. An approaching Hyuuga was compromising her position with every step he took. When he came too close, the kunoichi slipped easily back into the brightness of day. Moving with determined strides towards the gate, Hinata discard all thoughts of resting. It was a good thing she had been an insomniac since the age of three.