Chapter 3: Clipping her wings
"So this fiery-haired boy, you liked him right?" Kira asked.
"More then you know," I said blushing. "He was so perfect, like some kind of God, unreal, inhuman. It was like he just swept me off my feet that night and it was just so perfect! I was really sad though when he didn't tell me his name but one thing I was for sure of. I had to find him again. This didn't prepare me for the news the next morning though…"
"The news?" Kira asked lightly.
I looked down at my hands again. "Terrible news that would have changed Neji's and my destinies forever…"
(Start)
Hinata's eyes blinked open lightly, her heart pounding with excitement. That boy was just so perfect, so unreal she wasn't even to sure he was there. One thing she remembered for sure was the colour of his piercing aquamarine eyes and his bright blood red hair. She wished she knew his name…
"Hinata-chan, father wants you in the conference room," Hanabi said knocking on the door. "Immediately. This must be big news!"
Hinata quickly jumped out of bed remembering what her father had told her last night. She quickly dressed in her normal clothing and tied her hair back Hyuuga style then ran downstairs as quick as possible, her heart still pounding heavily within her chest. That's when she felt Neji's presence behind her running at the same pace she was.
"Do you know what Hiashi wants?" Neji asked a little confused, also wearing his normal clothes.
"No but I hope it isn't bad news…" Hinata said as they entered the conference room and stopped dead quiet. In the room stood the Hyuuga's council of elders, Hiashi sitting in the main seat as always. What the hell was going on?
"Hinata, Neji, please sit," Hiashi said directing them to the two chairs in the middle of the very dimly lit empty room, that had a long desk in the front which had the council of elders sitting. It was like they were on trial for something and it was quite intimidating. Hinata and Neji quickly sat down in the chairs, Neji's eyes jetting around for answers, Hinata's looking down at her hands shyly. She hated when people were looking at her so.
"This might be hard to take but we will take this very slowly," said an elder Hyuuga woman maybe in her 60's. She sat tall, her back poised as was the rest of the Hyuuga clan members. "You must know that the two of you are some of our last full-bred Hyuuga's."
"Yes," Neji said speaking up. "But what does that have to do with anything?"
"I would ask you to quiet down Neji especially since this is a great honour for someone of the lower branch to even be in front of the council of elders," Hiashi snapped which made Neji slump a bit but soon regain his poise.
"Our bloodline is growing weaker every year," another elder male continued maybe in his 60's, his hair jetted with streaks of white. "In coming years we will soon lose everything if we don't rise to the occasion and stop it."
"And…what do you mean by stopping it?" Hinata asked lightly looking up from her hands with as much courage she had left.
"By having more full bred Hyuuga born," Hiashi spoke up this time.
Hinata's eyes widened. No he couldn't mean… her eyes jetted to Neji who had suddenly gone fierce and realised what she had been pondering had been the truth…
"It couldn't be helped…" another woman said who looked to be in her upper 70's.
"She is my cousin!" Neji said loudly not able to control his anger now, his eyes flaring into byakugan by the force of his fury.
"You should be honoured that you were even considered!" Hiashi said back his own eyes flaring into byakugan as well. "Being a lower branch as yourself!"
"Father…" Hinata said, her eyes filling with tears. "How could you do this?"
"You will be wed in three months," Hiashi said, his eyes flaring down once again as he watched his daughter cry. "As soon as you both get back from Suna…"
"What?" Neji asked his eyes now so fierce Hinata was frightened.
"The Hokage has asked of you to be in the Suna exchange," Hiashi said. "And since Hinata is of a fertile age it would be best that she has a child before her 19th birthday."
"This is sick!" Neji said angrily. "I don't care what any of you have to say. Disown me if you wish but she is my cousin and I refuse to do such a thing!"
"Then will you let her get disowned as well for what you are about to do?" Hiashi asked. "Not to mention the fact that this clan will soon disappear because of you. Do you really want that Neji?"
Neji looked angrily at Hiashi, his eyes piercing but lowered his head. "No I do not…"
"Then you shall wed Hinata in three months," Hiashi said.
"But I love Kiba!" Hinata cut in quickly. "I don't care what you have to say about losing the Hyuuga clan because I would rather this Hyuuga clan be freer, less uptight then it is. I love Kiba and I don't care what any of you have to say about it!"
"And you don't care that you will be disowned, pushed out on the streets by yourself and Neji with you?" Hiashi asked. "Do you really want to lose everything you have and let him lose everything he has because you are selfish enough not to care at all about the Hyuuga clan? If this is true then you are no daughter of mine."
The tears were now spilling down Hinata's cheeks roughly splattering all down the front of her jacket. She wouldn't let Neji fall if she was going to. They backed her into a corner where its be unhappy or be unhappy and make others unhappy. All she ever wanted to do was appease Hiashi and make him proud of her but now, the only way she could do that was by making herself miserable…
"Hinata, have you made your decision?" the one older woman asked.
"Goodbye Kiba," Hinata whispered to herself. "I will do what is best for the clan…"
These were the hardest words she had ever had to speak. The hardest words that should never had been spoken. Hard words that proclaimed that she was no longer ever going to be happy again.
"Then you are dismissed," Hiashi said waving them off with a hand. "You must pack for you leave to Suna in two days."
Hinata held herself high as she walked out, not wanting to show her weakness. Her sadness that seemed to creep into her heart and take over. She looked to her left and saw Neji doing the same thing she was, holding himself proudly while his eyes spoke a different story. As soon as the door was shut behind them Hinata's knees buckled and she fell to the ground, eyes spilling with tears, her face buried in her hands.
"I'm so sorry Hinata," Neji said falling to his own knees and putting his arms around her in a comforting way so that she could cry in his shoulder. "We will get through this together alright. I promise you if there is a way to get out of this I will find it, I promise."
Hinata buried her face in her cousin's shoulder, crying so hard that she couldn't remember a day when she had ever cried more. It was like all the happiness was drained out of her, the happiness from the night before, the happiness Kiba had given her, the happiness that that mysterious fiery-haired stranger had given her…
(pause)
"That is a sad tale," Kira said lightly. "A sad tale indeed. You are crying again."
I couldn't stop crying as tears spilled down my cheeks, freezing, then falling in little chunks of ice onto the covers of the bed. Restrained tears that I had wanted to let go of but never did. Neji…
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That night, Neji was to stay in her room, for obvious reasons and Hinata sat on her bed nervously. She was not ready yet. She was far from ready. If she wasn't ready to with Kiba then she sure as hell wasn't ready to do it with her own cousin.
That day she broke up with Kiba…the hardest experience of her entire life, her eyes so full of tears it was unbearable. Kiba took it well especially when she explained it and he had said he saw something like this coming when the Hyuuga clan was as small as it was. He was just sad. Sad that they weren't ever allowed to be together especially in a world such as this… Later she told Hanabi who was ready to go kill Hiashi when she found out but Hinata had stopped her. She should at least be able to be happy…
(Start)
"Hinata?" Neji's soft voice said outside the door. It sounded flustered and also nervous. This was so wrong…
"You can come in," Hinata said lightly looking down at her hands. She wore her normal night gown as always and her hair was let lose just like every night. Her heart began to pound faster then she ever thought it would. The door opened lightly and Neji walked in in what he always wore when he went to bed. A pair of navy trunks that he used to wear all the time when he was younger. He was shirtless, his flat stomach toned and covered in battle scars. He no longer had his shinobi band covering his forehead any longer so you could see his the x etched in green across his brow, his hair let lose behind him.
"I…" Neji said scratching the back of his head.
"You can sit if you…um…like," Hinata said pointing to the end of her bed. He quickly sat down not really to sure what to say. It was very awkward between the two of them, neither too sure what to do.
"How about tonight we just talk," Neji said looking at his hands, his calm pale lavender eyes shaking lightly.
"I would like that," Hinata said, some of the tension and nervousness in her stomach disappearing.
The night that had once started out awkward soon became easy and smooth. They talked to each other about everything. Neji had spoken of Tenten and how he had never seen her cry so hard before when he told her he was not to be with her any longer. He told Hinata about how Tenten told him that she never wanted to see him again and that he should go die. He hated himself more then anything. Hinata then told him about Kiba and how she wasn't even ready to do anything with him yet. She was to afraid of changes and moving forward. Telling Neji was like telling a trusted best-friend about basically everything that was making her sad or depressed. It was like when he was near the words just came easily. That's why it was so hard that they would be forced into being a couple. They were best-friends, their feelings of love for each other only the love between family members and friends.
"It was very great talking with you Neji," Hinata said lightly with a smile, wiping away stray tears that had fallen down her cheeks.
"Wait, let me help you," Neji said lightly reaching his hand out to wipe away some of the tears away with his thumb. This sent shivers down Hinata's spine and her cheeks went bright red for the touch ended up more intimate then originally planned.
"Neji, do you really think we can get out of the marriage?" Hinata asked lightly when his hand pulled away. "Do you really think that you can be with Tenten again and I can be with Kiba?"
"I don't know anymore…" Neji said softly. "I wish I knew…"
"Are things going to be different between you and me?" Hinata asked even softer. "Will we ever be friends?"
"That's exactly what we'll be," Neji said strongly. "No matter what happens. So what if we are married. It doesn't mean we have to hate each other."
"I know its just…"
"I have to sleep with you…" Neji said finishing her sentence. "I know and I don't want to do this as much as you don't but we obliged to the Hyuuga clan. It's all we have Hinata, and we have to keep going even if it hurts. I just want you to know that I will always, always be here for you no matter what."
"Um…Neji?" Hinata asked lightly her cheeks going red. "Can I ask you something?"
"Hmmm?" Neji asked.
"Will you…kiss me?" Hinata asked looking down at her hands. She knew this question would definitely confuse him and probably make things very awkward and waited in silence knowing what would come next or at least she thought she knew.
That's when she felt his lips press gently against her own for the first time, soft, tender, a kiss that sent the heart racing and the mind swirling. A kiss that should never have passed between two family members but Hinata couldn't help but kiss him back. It felt so good…
Neji put his hand behind her back and gently lowered her so she was lying down, his lips still tenderly kissing hers. Her lips parted softly granting him access if he wished and he slowly slipped his tongue into her mouth not wanting to make her uncomfortable. Now if the other kiss was not a kiss that two family members should be having, this kiss was just pure wrong. They laid in each others arms, just kissing passionately. Hinata had never felt this way before but then again no one had ever kissed her like this before. A soft kiss gone wrong. She wondered deep inside if this was really alright to be doing…wasn't it that a kid born between cousins would have some kind of weirdness like a strange foot or something? She realised something deep inside that very moment. Was this really what she wanted?
"You loved him," Kira said.
"And now that I am dead he is going to be disowned and thrown out of the Hyuuga clan because I was so useless…" I said angrily. "I was stupid, trying to protect one who could not be protected especially by someone as utterly weak as myself."
"I'm guessing this isn't the end of the story?" Kira asked lightly his hand grabbing my own again. "Please, I do wish that you would continue."
"Ok," I said starting up again. "We fell asleep that way, him and I, in each others arms…"
"I believe it was successful," Hiashi said outside his daughters door, speaking to the one Hyuuga woman who looked to be in her late 70's. "Hinata never sleeps in this late."
"Don't you think that what we're doing to these children is wrong?" the woman asked. "The girl is no more then 18 years old and they are both unknowing to the real world. They are not ready for parenthood yet. Wait at least until they are in their twenties…"
"I made my decision," Hiashi said a little fiercely. "And they have made theirs. We need their children for this clan and you know that Hikari. They don't have a choice but to be ready."
"She is much older then what her body shows," the woman named Hikari said a little angrily. "Because you have forced her to be as such. You never stopped to think that maybe your daughter had grown up more then you have." And then Hikari stomped away obviously annoyed at the Hyuuga male and his insensitivity towards his own daughter and not to mention nephew.
(Back with Hinata and Neji)
Hinata blinked her eyes open lightly feeling warmth all around her. A soothing warmth that killed away all the cold in her heart returning even just a little bit of it's former happiness. The only thing she could see was pale skin. Slowly she turned a bit and noticed that her face was buried in Neji's shoulder, her cheeks caked in dried tears. Neji had a hard facial expression on, his hair fanned out over his shoulders like a veil keeping in the warmth. His arm was grasping around her waist protectively like he was trying to block her from something. Slowly she sat up but his arm gripped around her waist tightly from the unseen attacker.
She couldn't help but feel her cheeks burn bright at the fact that she was pressed against his bare chest, her face so close to his own that she could feel his warm breath against her cheek.
"N-Neji, wake up," Hinata said lightly. Neji's eyes flicked open drowsily, drooping half open when he realised how close he held his cousin and jumped up in surprise, his arm retracting from her.
"I am so sorry!" Neji said quickly.
"It's alright," Hinata chuckled lightly. "I don't think it really matters anymore if you hold me or not. You did kiss me quite passionately before we fell asleep."
Neji's cheeks went a little red at this.
"Only because you asked me to," he challenged.
"I asked you to kiss me," Hinata said. "Not lay me down and kiss me passionately like we've actually kissed before or something."
"Oh…" Neji said going even redder. "Then I am sorry for making you uncomfortable…"
"You know I'm just kidding right?" Hinata asked chuckling more. "I welcomed that kiss more then anything. It was…really really good."
"Is this right?" Neji asked lightly looking down at his hands. "Is it right that I can kiss you when you are my cousin? Is it right that I might have developed feelings for you?"
"Does it feel right to you?" Hinata asked raising an eyebrow. "When you kiss me is the first thing that pops into your head is how wrong this kiss is?"
"No," Neji said going even redder.
"Then what is?" Hinata asked curiously seeing the bright shade he had become.
"It's inappropriate to say…"
"Just tell me."
"I cant…"
"And why not?"
"Because I don't want you to think I'm like every other guy in this world!" Neji said louder then he thought he was going to. Hinata looked at him a little confused and was about to ask but he finished his sentence. "When I think of how far the kiss will go…"
Hinata could feel her cheeks go so crimson that she felt like she could pop. Did Neji really actually lust for her? A weak 18 year old who was not very pretty and not at all strong? This couldn't possibly be…
"I picture…" Neji said his face full of shame. "I picture what it would be like…claiming you…"
He did lust for her. This was the most surreal moment of her entire life. He was the perfect male specimen. Perfect muscles, perfect skin, even perfect cheekbones. He was literally perfect in every single way and she was so…ordinary.
"Did you know I've never actually done it before?" Hinata said her cheeks going bright again. "I was always to scared or to nervous. Kiba had…wanted to but every time I would say no…"
"I wish that you wouldn't have to do this yet," Neji said. "I wish that they would let you wait just a little longer, then maybe you would at least be ready…"
"And that's why I want you to claim me…right now…" Hinata looked down at her hands as Neji stared bugged-eyed at her. This was truly a bold statement but she finally had the courage to stand up to the task at hand but if she waited any longer she didn't know if she could… "I know you want me to be comfortable doing something like this, to be ready, but we have to do this if I'm ready or not, and I finally have the courage to go through with it. Please, I need you to take me now or I'll never have the courage."
"You aren't ready for this yet," Neji said stroking a piece of hair from her cheek. "But when you are I'll be right here."
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be Neji," Hinata said her eyes suddenly light and calming trying desperately to make him believe what she was saying. "I want you inside of me."
Again another bold statement, but she had to go through with this, even if she wasn't ready. This wasn't some kind of fairytale where the prince comes to rescue her and take her to his magic castle. This was life and she was going to live it. And anyways, she was lucky that she was able to be with someone as wonderful as Neji. Neji, her wonderful, attractive cousin, would be the one to claim her as his own.
(Pause)
"I had to do what I had to do," I said lightly. "So I acted like I really wanted it."
"You are full of great sadness," Kira said once again. "You can be happy here though."
"I wish I could…"
(End chapter)
Me: I hope i get lots of reviews for that one . I just screwed everything up and i left a fairly decent cliffhanger.
Gaara sobs.
Neji: Um... if anyone asks, i was forced into anything she puts me through out of my own will...
Me: You can tell us the truth Neji, we know you want in Hinata's pants.
Neji: HELLS NO!! SHE'S MY COUSIN!!
Kiba: ok this is getting weird even for me...
Hinata: Um... please R&R...
Gaara: Hinata, dont leave me!!
Hinata: Gaara... are you alright?
Me: Yes, i did create a bunch of moody, upset, and questioning their own sanity shinobi. You're welcome .
