A/N: Well here's the next chapter. Sorry if it's a little short. Haven't had a lot of inspiration lately and my shot attention span certainly doesn't help much. There was one person who had asked if Hinata was even in the story. I must implore you to read the summary where it clearly says "NaruxHina" , indicating that she is indeed in the story. I just didn't put her in the first chapter. Well, rest assure she has an appearance in this one and please forgive me if I made her a little different than how many see her as.
owo
He awoke to one thing. Pain, a feeling that had been his constant companion for all of his life, was already assaulting his senses. It tore at him, ripped his consciousness, and mocked him at his powerless state.
Pain.
Searing pain.
Oh how he wished that it were to end. Through his entire ordeals, he had never once experienced the sheer level of intensity that this experience has just given him. Yet, despite the having his senses muzzled by the white-hot intensity of his pain, he was still able to pick up a few words spoken through the darkness.
"Hmmm… it would appear that the technique was a success."
"Chakra is flowing out of him in large quantities. Could this be a side-effect?"
"No matter. Continue the experiment. We do not come across such robust test subjects like these that often."
Once again, that searing pain invaded his senses, causing his body to shudder against it. He opened his mouth, attempting to finally scream in pain, only to realize that his mouth was bound shut. Another jolt of pain caused him to fall once more into oblivion.
owo
It was quiet within the Hyuuga mansion. In the meeting hall, those directly related to the event that took place sat down with solemn expressions. Only the two mothers, still bearing the lost of their children, were leaking tears in silence. To Sarutobi, who sat down with them, he could sympathize with them. Having the potential loss of their clan secrets was already a blow to the Hyuuga clan but to lose their children and wife as a whole… it must have devastated those directly related.
Sitting in the middle of the group was Hyuuga Hiashi. Though Sarutobi could see that he was doing his best to maintain that solemn persona, the old Hokage also knew that the abduction of his wife has brought fresh pain onto an already wounded heart. Seeing his wife abducted must have reminded him of the sacrifice he had to give in the form of his twin brother, Hyuuga Hizashi.
"Hiashi…" The Hyuuga clan head looked up from the floor mat and met the old Hokage's eyes. A moment passed between them before Hiashi looked back down onto the floor mat.
"…Forgive me." Everyone returned his or her attention towards him in shock. To see their leader, Hyuuga Hiashi, kneeling before them with his head pressed onto the floor.
"Forgive me." Hiashi repeated. "I was too weak. In that moment of weakness, I have allowed Orochimaru to take what we hold dear. Please… forgive this foolish leader for allowing your children to be taken."
The woman next to him, the mother to Hyuuga Hikari, suddenly began to shake. Her husband gently placed a hand onto her shoulder as her sobs began to grow louder and louder. As he held her, he stared up towards his leader with solemn, yet resolute eyes. "We forgive you." He replied determinedly. "And please, forgive us for not allowing you the time to grieve over the lost of your own." His wife nodded, still sobbing gently against her husband's chest.
"Yes… your forgiveness is not something we deserve." Hiashi turned his attention towards the other side where the mother of Hyuuga Ume smiled at him. Although her own tears had not subsided yet, she bowed as well in apology. "Please forgive us for not being there to protect Hinako-sama."
"Everyone… you have my most sincerest gratitude."
Sarutobi smiled at the scene before him. Despite the heartbreak that this clan had suffered, they proved that they were indeed one of the strongest in the village by not allowing themselves to fall so readily into despair. He could see, in each of those blurry pale orbs, the burning Will of Fire was strong as any in the village.
Smiling, he silently got up from his seat and quietly made his way out. 'Perhaps… all hope shall not be lost.'
owo
Hinako was tired. There was no other word to describe how her body screamed for a chance to finally slip into unconsciousness. However, she would not allow herself to drift into the escape that was her unconsciousness. She had already paid that price when she feinted, only to find herself a prisoner to one of Konoha's greatest traitors. Now, she found herself, along with both Hikari and Ume, bound by a seal that locked their movements. As if that did not prove soul-rending enough, they were forced to watch as Orochimaru continued with his twisted experiments upon the young Jinchuuriki.
The Hyuuga consort flinched and looked away as another blood-curdling scream rang out from where Orochimaru was experimenting. It pained her to be bound and helpless while a child, an innocent child was forced into so much pain. Her maternal instincts, fresh from her giving birth to Hanabi, were screaming for her to kill the one responsible for the young boy's pain.
"H-Hinako-sama…" Hinako immediately returned her attention to Hikari, who had just woken up. "Hinako-sama… where are we? The last thing I remembered was feeling this fear wind up within me and then I-"
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
The young Hyuuga immediately stopped and turned her attention towards the operating area in front of her. From what she could see, two men were currently operating on a small individual. Her eyes widened at the sight before her. There… there was so much blood! The stench of blood even overrode the faint smell of disinfectant that she could barely make out.
"H-Hinako-sama!" Hikari's form was slowly beginning to shake in fear. "W-who are those people?"
"Orochimaru." The young Hyuuga visibly stiffened as memories from the night before assaulted her. "And the one whom they are operating on is little Uzumaki."
"No…" her voice came out in little more than a whisper. The small blond whom she had seen on occasions was the one being operated on? She had heard of Orochimaru and his human experiments. To think that he would now do it to someone she had seen sickened her.
"What do we do Hinako-sama?"
"I don't know…" Hinako bit her lip and looked down. "There are no one in the village capable of defeating Orochimaru save for the two other Sannin and Hokage-sama himself. Moreover, I doubt that we can escape easily in this place."
"Uuuu." Both Hinako and Hikari turned and looked towards their left. Before them, Ume slowly began to rise from her position on the ground. She tried to move but immediately found that her limbs were shackled. "W-what? What is this? Hinako-sama? Hikari? What's going on?"
Hinako merely closed her eyes in sadness while Hikari explained the situation. "We have been captured by Orochimaru… we don't know where this place is."
To her credit, Ume did not break down in denial as both Hinako and Hikari had expected. Instead, she merely looked down onto the floor below her in silence.
"Oh forgive me Hinako-chan. I have neglected you and those two young Hyuugas haven't I?" All three snapped up and met the grinning face of Orochimaru. What shocked them the most, however, was the large amount of blood that was on his surgical clothes. Panicking, Hinako swept her eyes onto the operating table and quickly activated her Byakugan.
What she saw was the bloody figure that scarcely resembled the little blond she had seen from time to time. It looked like someone had taken the skin from his chest to torso and literally ripped it off, revealing his bleeding muscles and sinews.
"Kukukuku… there is no need for you to worry Hinako-chan. The boy's little tenant will be healing him shortly."
True to the sannin's words, steam slowly began to rise from the boy's body. To Hinako's bewilderment, the areas where the skin had been ripped off slowly began to regrow itself, turning out fine, unblemished skin. It seemed that the demon did not want to die as well.
"Now… who shall I start with?" Hinako snapped back to Orochimaru's direction. The snake sannin was staring at the two younger Hyuugas and chuckling to himself. Both Ume and Hikari looked at him with fear in their eyes and subconsciously tried to get away.
Suddenly, the snake sannin reached down and gripped Hikari's wrist tightly in his hand. His chuckles grew louder as the young Hyuuga winced in pain. "Yes… you shall do nicely."
"No!" Ume tried to get up but the chains bound her steady. "Stay away from her!"
"Kukukuku…this little specimen will be part of a special experiment." Orochimaru undid the chains and hauled Hikari up by her arms. His long, snake-like tongue drifted down to the trembling Hyuuga and licked her cheek in a twisted form of perverseness. "Very special indeed."
"You-!" Before Ume could do anything, she was suddenly backhanded across the face, sending her crashing to the floor and crying out in pain.
"Ume!" Hikari tugged against the sannin's grip but it was useless. He was far too strong. Orochimaru merely grinned and began to tug the young Hyuuga out of the room, ignoring her screams. "Ume! Hinako-sama!"
"…" Hinako narrowed her eyes angrily at Orochimaru. Her Byakugan flared heatedly against the dimly lit room, blasting the sannin with her killing intent. However, Orochimaru merely chuckled and kept walking, completely shaking off her killing intent. She angrily cursed herself for her weakness. Now, because of it, a person that she considered to be a surrogate daughter is being taken for that man's twist experiments.
"Hikari…" The older Hyuuga gazed at the younger girl in silence, lamenting her own inability to protect them.
Ume latched on to the older Hyuuga, sobbing silently in her arms. It wasn't fair. To her, Hikari was the kindest girl she had ever known and now, she was being used for experimentation. It wasn't fair at all.
owo
It was dark from within the Hyuuga compound and not many people would stay awake at that time. The solitude provided the necessary companion that Hiashi needed so that he could finally brood over the loss of his wife and the two girls he saw as daughters. It was far too sad to go back to bed without the unconscious warmth that his wife would generate and Hiashi himself could not help but stay awake.
Orochimaru, the traitorous Sannin, had overpowered him seemingly without an effort. To think that he was one of Konoha's worst enemies was something that the Hyuuga clan head was not looking forward to acknowledging. Yet, he could not do a thing about it. He, the Hyuuga clan head, could not do a thing against the snake and before he knew it, that man had stolen those precious to him.
'Hinako… my dear wife… please forgive me for being too weak.
"Father?"
Surprised, Hiashi whipped his head around towards the opening. Almost immediately, his eyes fell upon a surprised looking Hinata. Mentally, he cursed himself for delving so deeply into his thoughts. Had there been an assassin, he would not have known until the proverbial knife was literally on his throat.
"Hinata." He struggled to maintain calmness in his voice. "What is the matter? You should be in bed and asleep."
The five-year-old heiress looked down almost in embarrassment. Even that small gesture reminded him of his beloved wife who, in their youth, had been just as shy if a little more enthusiastic in certain things. His heart sang with pain. Hinako was not with him. The traitorous snake took her from him, from everyone.
"A-ano…" Hiashi returned his attention towards his daughter, who was fidgeting slightly with the hem of her yukata. "I-I couldn't sleep. Mother would always sing a lullaby but she wasn't there today. D-did something happen?"
Something did happen. Hiashi almost wanted to scream it out in frustration. Your mother was taken away from all of us! However, he kept his mouth shut, observing his timid daughter who grew more and more embarrassed as time went on. Finally, he spoke up in an emotionless tone. "Your mother will not be singing lullabies to you any longer. Learn to grow up Hinata. You cannot expect someone to keep singing you to sleep every night can you?"
Hinata pursed her lips, obviously disliking what he was saying. "But-!"
"Go to bed Hinata."
"But-!"
"Did you not hear me?" Hiashi's eyes hardened into a pair of frosty orbs and the room suddenly became denser. Unbeknownst to both Hiashi and Hinata, he was emitting a very low amount of killing intent and while it did not cause her to feint, it frightened Hinata terribly to be on the receiving end of it.
"You are the heiress to the Main Family. You are expected to follow orders until you are old enough to give them yourself. Now this is an order issued by Hyuuga Hiashi to Hyuuga Hinata: Go to bed and erase any foolish notions you have of your mother ever giving you those lullabies again!"
Hinata literally jumped at the sound of her father's ice-cold voice. Her entire body was shaking horribly as she looked up towards her father with wide, fearful eyes. Tears quickly sprang up from those innocent lavender orbs but she ducked her head and bowed towards her father before running out of his room in obvious distress.
Hiashi kept the cold façade for a good while and only after he was sure that Hinata was out of his Byakugan range did he even allow himself to sag back into his weary self. He truly did not mean to frighten his little Hinata so terribly but seeing her acting so meek, so innocent, it reminded him so much of Hinako that he wanted nothing more than to swipe at that face for being such a amazing mirror. It pained him. Not only was his beloved wife gone from life, but also his little daughter bore such a strong resemblance that even looking at her causes pain in his heart.
"…It is for her own good." He spoke up softly, as if to reassure the quiet night sky. "She is kind, caring, and loving. Many will see this as either a sign of weakness. Orochimaru took three examples, my wife and both Hikari and Ume. Hinata will need to grow strong both emotionally and physically if she is to survive in this world."
Despite what he was saying, Hiashi could barely ignore the twists his heart would go through as he utter each and every syllable. It was as if his very being was rejecting the idea but he remained firm. He stare up towards the night sky and made a promise to treat both Hinata and Hanabi as nothing more than 'potential heiresses'. He will look on not as Hiashi, their father, but as Hyuuga Hiashi, the clan head.
From where he was sitting, Hiashi noted the sudden absence of chirpings and croaks of the natural animals that made their home in his pond. It was as if they disapproved of his resolve almost as much as his heart was. Hiashi remained silent as he stared up towards the silent white moon, looking for the answers that were not present, looking for the signs that were not shone, looking for the hope that was not there.
owo
A/N: Well there goes another chapter. I hope you guys liked it as it was a definite pain to write. Pairing for Naruto has been decided but if you guys want, pairing for Sasuke and Gaara are not completely finalized. If you guys want to choose, then vote. I will go through them and see if they can be plausible choices for the two of them.
Review and give some ideas on what could be done better. My writing has gotten incredibly rusty as I've been incredibly busy these past few months but I'll try and write as much as possible.
-Phoenix