Song of the Caged Blackbird
Abby Ebon
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Disclaimer: I do not own 'Harry Potter' or 'Naruto'; heck, I don't even own the idea behind this – it is a Challenge from Serpent in the Shadows. Who is a really great author, and you need to go review her stuff! Please? She is the one I'm writing this for, after all.
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In The Longest Night
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Harry found himself telling all of his history behind the massacre in its entirety, for the first time in his life. When he was done, Hinata embraced him, holding him as he shook with years of suppressed emotions.
Harry, finding some form of comfort in this – having never been held by anyone before, except by Itachi when he was being healed, allowed her to hug him. He didn't notice his own tears when they fell silently down his cheeks.
Hinata, for the first time in her life, truly began to hate her father.
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Later that day, Harry found himself leaning against a tree, while watching as Hinata and others of her class received her forehead protectors; she was now a ninja of Konoha. Harry couldn't help but wonder how it would feel to be recognized by the Hidden Village of the Leaf.
To be seen…acknowledged by them openly, that was both Harry's greatest fear…and his hope. He wondered then, if he should reveal himself, and tell them of the Curse Seal, would they welcome him with open arms?
Harry shook off the brief flare of hope, knowing it was futile, as long as Hyuuga-sama held the Curse Seal over him, Harry would have but one mission in life – to protect Hinata.
Hinata had come to the academy alone, for it, despite Hyuuga-sama being wrong, it was expected of her to get a forehead protector – yet another event in Hinata's life that was not celebrated to her efforts, rather her family's expectations.
Hinata held the forehead protector clenched in her hand, the metal making white lines appear in her skin.
"I-I don't want this…" Hinata whispered, so only Harry would hear her.
"You have earned it Hinata-sama, not your Clan." Harry assured her, soothingly.
"N-no Harry, y-you don't understand, I never wanted any of this. The academy, it's just another thing expected of me. There is nothing in my life that I have done because I wanted to…" Hinata ducked her head down, her eyes falling to the ground, not wanting to read the emotions in Harry's eyes.
She knew he would find her words selfish…
"Then, why not start now? Do something that you want to, Hinata-sama." Harry told her, softly in undertone, instead. Hinata's eyes widened – and she looked up, directly into Harry's emerald eyes – seeing the truth in them, in what he had said. Slowly she nodded, and then smiled.
"Thank you, Harry…" Hinata told him, glancing down at the forehead protector, then to all the other students – all of whom wore their forehead protectors on their foreheads. 'But,' she thought looking down at the glinting metal, 'I don't have to be like them, this would make…a good-looking necklace…'
Hinata smiled slightly, her father had never allowed her to ware necklaces and 'girly' things that would 'distract' her attention from training to become a ninja.
If, however, she used the forehead protector as a necklace, her father would, undoubtedly complain – but he could not do anything to make her do as he wanted. So, that was just what Hinata did, wore her forehead protector as a necklace.
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That Night; The Park
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Harry was not trying to be quite as he waited for Itachi to appear. He had snuck out; sliding down the balcony to run to the park before the moon was a quarter of the way into the sky.
None the less, it surprised him when Itachi appeared in front of him on the tree branch with a swirl of leaves.
"Blackbird, you've grown." Itachi commented, letting his self sit beside the younger boy. Harry glanced at Itachi's nails, his nose scrunching up when he saw the purple paint.
"You should have gone with black, red, or green. Those are your colors, Uchiha-sama." The raven haired boy told Itachi bluntly, who laughed softly, ruffling Harry's hair.
"If anyone else spoke to me that way, Blackbird, I'd hang him by his intestines in one of these trees – they'd never be able to properly identify the body…" Itachi murmured softly into Harry's ear – his cool breath against his sensitive skin, making Harry shiver.
"Yes, yes, and then you'd eat his liver and give his heart to the one you love." Harry grumbled the last part of their routine.
It was a word play they'd work out, just incase someone ever tried to pretend to be the other. The past two years or so, Harry had been uncomfortable... whenever Itachi had done something like that with him.
Harry tried to tell himself it was just Itachi being, well, Itachi, but, somehow Harry felt something was…off; he didn't know what it was though… He was afraid of being laughed at by Itachi, so he didn't tell him of it, and Hinata, well the Hyuuga Heiress didn't know that Itachi still visited Konoha once a year.
"Are you alright, Blackbird?" Itachi asked, interrupting Harry's thoughts, Harry was quick to nod, and Itachi, frowning slightly, accepted this – though he knew it wasn't the whole truth.
"So, how is my little brother?" Itachi asked his voice icy. Harry knew what a sensitive topic it was for him, yet he insisted on asking each time he came to visit.
"As popular with the girls as he had always been…" Harry told him, Itachi would know that Sasuke had passed, and had always wanted revenge on him – so Harry did not tell him these things.
"And yourself and your 'Hyuuga-sama'?" Itachi inquired, moving on to the normal topics. Harry shrugged.
"Most days, he pretends not to notice me." Harry answered, not meeting Itachi's eyes. Itachi had learned early on that Harry looked away when he did not want his eyes to betray his thoughts or emotions – and living with the Hyuuga Clan, such was a mere survival instinct.
"Does that mean he hits you when he isn't pretending, Blackbird?" Itachi's spoke in a monolog, and that, Harry knew was when Itachi was considering murder.
"Do you want to spar?" Harry interrupted eager to change the topic. Itachi shrugged, letting the unspoken death threat to Blackbird's 'Hyuuga-sama' slide. Itachi would kill the man one day…when he found out which Hyuuga had done this to Harry.
They ran together to the ' Forest of Doom' to spar together till nearly two in the morning. When Itachi called off the spar, and walked Harry to the gates of the Hyuuga Clan home.
They bid good-bye to each other, and then…Itachi did something he'd never done before – he kissed Harry lightly on the lips, before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
Harry took a moment to shake off the odd behavior, finally dismissing it as Itachi merely being Itachi. He jumped over the gate, checked in on Hinata (she was sleeping, curled on her side); then, comforted by at least one thing being normal, he went to sleep on his balcony.
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Harry woke, despite the late hour he had gone to bed, before Hinata. Knowing his charge would want to be dressed and at the classroom before most of everyone else showed up, he woke her – then, almost surprisingly, Hyuuga-sama called for him with the Curse Seal.
"Hyuuga-sama?" Harry whispered, appearing before him.
"As you know, today is the day that Hinata is to be accepted into a team, I have been informed of who – or rather…what," Hyuuga-sama's lip lifted in disgust, "this 'Team 8' consists of. You are to inform her upon her learning of her…team…is, that she is no longer welcome here. You are, however, to continue protecting her."
"Hyuuga-sama, I do not –" Harry started, and confused by what Hiashi meant. Hiashi fearious at being questioned – turned upon Harry, shoving him into the wall, Hiashi's fingers tight around Harry's throat.
"My daughter is to be in teamed with two young men, a Kiba Inuzuka, whose Clan focuses on the ability to bond with charka-bred dogs," Hyuuga-sama did not seemed pleased with this, and sneered –nearly choking Harry, "and Shino Aburame, who's Clan has a 'useful' ability with bugs – interestingly, they feed off the charka inside of his body, and in return, they obey him. It has been reported that the bugs can eat through charka-shields, you are to see if this is true." Hiashi Hyuuga-sama ordered, and Harry nodded quickly, falling to the floor as Hiashi let him go. Harry rubbed the red welts that were blistering on his neck – a 'punishment' of the Curse Seal.
"Also… You are to reveal yourself to their leader, Kurenai Yuhi, if she spots you." Hyuuga-sama seemed finished with his orders, and knowing a dismissal when he saw one, Harry disappeared.
After changing his shirt into a turtle neck, for Hinata's sake, together, Harry and Hinata made it to the school before the others had arrived. Harry had always been amused by the antics of Hinata's classmates. Today was no different, and as Hinata sat between Kiba and Shino, Harry could not help but let his eyes wonder over to the only other Hyuuga in the room.
He was only other person in the room who held the Curse Seal of the Hyuuga Branch Family, Neji Hyuuga. He had always been cold to Hinata – even down-right rude, and Harry had never been fond of him, but Harry knew now that he had to find a way to be free of Hyuuga-sama.
Under his turtle neck, his burns painfully reminded him that he had nearly died by Hiashi's uncontrolled fury that very morning.
Harry's resolve hardened – he had to find a way.
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Forehead Protector : A token which proves that the person has graduated from the academy, the insignia on the protector shows which village the ninja is from. (All information seen above here is from; h t t p / www . narutochaos . com /)
How Kakashi apparently got his Sharingan-Eye.
Well it's basically happened when Kakashi was 13, just after he became a Jounin I think it was. They basically went on a mission where they were attacked by enemy Ninja. During the fight, Kakashi lost one of his eyes and Uchiha Obito finally activated his Sharingan. After they saved Rin (who was captured early, and another teammate of Kakashi's) something triggered a Rockfall Jutsu, and it fatally injured Obito. So while Obito was dying, he had Rin implant one of Obito's Sharingan eyes into Kakashi's eye. - Blades of Silver, Thank you for the further information!
