The Hyuuga Slave
Chapter 4
Back Story
It is now the day of the party. Rebekah has now finished her duties in the kitchen of the Main House. Before the noon meal, she picks up Neji from his Hyuuga cousin. She also had Etsuyo and Etsuko put into her charge by Emiko for the day. Emiko was one of the slaves remaining in the Main House's kitchen for the day and couldn't have the twins getting underfoot.
"Miss Rebekah, I thought you had to help at the Main House? Why are you with them? Their weird, she keeps turning red." Neji whines and points at Etsuyo for his last comment. He had gotten used to Rebekah's focus being on his care and gets jealous when she has been assigned additional duties, especially when these duties consist of another child.
"Young Master Neji, the guests will be arriving soon and so the slaves are to return to their original duties and out of sight of those guests," Rebekah explained, "and that includes these two. Remember, Young Master Neji, if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all." Rebekah gently rebuked him.
"But why must you be out of site? It's not like the guests don't know the Hyuuga own slaves. Why are they hiding it?" Neji persisted.
"Does anyone know what the Lord Hokage thinks about slaves?" Rebekah queries the young trio.
Etsuyo pipes up hesitantly, "He don't like it. He don't like that the Hyuuga put seals on the branch."
Neji interrupts, "But if Hokage is the boss of everyone in Konoha, why doesn't he stop the sealing or slaves?"
Rebekah just sighs, "Young Master Neji, interrupting is a bad habit. From what I understand, when Konoha was made, one of the rues is that the clans can make up their own rules in how each clan is run. The Hokage is not allowed to tell a clan what rules to make up. To keep the clans here, the Hokage follows the rules."
By this time, the four of them have made it back to the small house that Rebekah and Neji shared. Rebekah begins to prepare a simple meal from leftover. "Do you understand why the Hokage cannot interfere?"
Etsuko pipes up, "So because the people have to be willing to be bossed by the Hokage, the Hokage has to follow rules so that they are still willing to be bossed."
"Very good Etsuko," Rebekah praises. She notices that Neji looks like he wants to say something but trying not to interrupt so soon after being scolded for it, "Young Master Neji, do you have something you wish to add to the discussion?"
"It's so stupid! How can the Hokage be the boss of everyone but he gets bossed around by the same people he bosses. He should be able to tell the Hyuuga Council to stop sealing the branches."
Rebekah just sighs, "Because, Young Master Neji, if the Hokage does that, the Hyuuga clan can just pick up and leave Konoha all together. If the three of you can remember what happened last year, the other shinobi villages would like to get a hold of the Byakugan. Without the village, what is stopping the others from taking more children from the clan? Now, enough with this serious talk, you all have free time for the rest of the day. Please be quiet and keep inside."
The three children scatter. Neji heads up to his room to hide from the little girls and the twins go to the common room to play a game of their own making.
Later that evening once Neji is asleep in his bed and the twins are asleep in a nest made from blankets in the living room, Emiko arrives to pick up the twins. Rebekah invites her in to sit and relax for a moment over a cup of tea.
When both are settled, Emiko grins and starts, "So let's begin with how old you are and how old you were when you became a slave because I know you were relatively new to being a slave. You would not have such a good position as a slave if you were sold from a previous Master for being a troublemaker. So?"
Rebekah sighs in resignation, "I am currently seventeen years old and I was sixteen when I was given to the slavers and became a slave."
"You are old enough for it, are you married or were you promised to be married?"
"No."
"Why? You are pretty in a lasting way and are built strong and sturdy and be able to bear children."
Rebekah smiles sadly, "In my homeland, my religion is punishable by death. My mother was caught six years ago and refused to either recant or tell the names of other believers. The government killed her for it. My twin baby brothers were not quite two years old. I took over the task of raising my younger brothers and sister."
Emiko suddenly grins, "So that's why you are so good with Young Neji."
Rebekah returns the smile, "Yes, last time I went through age five with a little boy it was with a set of identical twins."
Neji pads in with his eyes closed partially. "Miss Rebekah, I can't fall back asleep. Can I stay with you until then?" Rebekah opens her arms and Neji curls up in them. Neji gets comfortable and asks, "Miss Rebekah, you have kids my age?"
Emiko hides her grin while Rebekah sighs and answers the young boy who is too sleepy to be jealous. "No, Young Master Neji, I raised my younger sister since she was around your age. I also raised my baby brothers since their toddlerhood."
"So you have three brothers and sisters?"
Rebekah smiles sadly, "Young Master Neji, before I was taken from my homeland, I was the second child of six children. I had an older brother, three younger brothers and a younger sister."
"Where are they now?" Neji questions sleepily.
Rebekah closes her eyes in grief. "My younger brother and sister were killed before we were given over to the slavers. They were only thirteen and ten years old at the time. My big brother was separated from me not long before I was brought to Konoha. From what I heard he was headed to the metal mines outside Suna out in the desert. The average lifespan for a strong, healthy young man is eighteen months. He is twenty now.
"The baby brothers are now seven years old. They were separated from Caleb and I not long after we were marched out of Tea Country and into Fire Country. They were taken by the new shinobi village of Oto. There are not enough recruits to be trained to be shinobi in Rice Country. Because of this, 'recruiters' are sent out to the slave trains to find and buy young children around you age and a little older to be trained."
Neji takes more of an interest at this information. Rebekah gently rebukes him, "Young Master Neji, you need to keep in mind that if a shinobi war breaks out, it is a very real possibility that you will face my baby brothers on the opposite side of the battle field."
Neji snuggles in closer, almost asleep, and mutters, "Then I will win and bring them back to you."
With that Neji drifts off to sleep. Rebekah holds him tight, bows her head and whispers, "I can only pray, Young Master, I can only pray and have faith that things will work out to the Father's will."
Emiko quietly washes up the tea things and ushers out the young twins. Leaving Rebekah holds the sleeping Branch child while remembering the ones that have been lost and those that were as good as lost.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Naruto characters
Sorry there is no story is in this chapter but some back story had to be explained. There will be a new story for Rebekah to tell next chapter.