Author's notes: Should I be concerned with the absolutely low number of reviews for this fic? =_= Are there NejiHina fans still out there reading NejiHina fics? O,O Just a bit disappointed with the low number of reviews I've gotten. I can accept it if this was a one-shot, but… oh well. Here's an update. ~,~
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ ~ }{ ~ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Have you decided it's
Safer in cages,
Singing when you're told?
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ ~ }{ ~ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Everyone in the Hyuuga clan has taken note of how Hanabi spends more time at the Branch family's side of the estate. Upon returning from her missions, her first destination is always her sister's house, where she prefers to get her medical treatment. And even after that, she'll stay there just to keep her sister company, keeping up their custom from before.
The Elders do not like this unexpected turnabout of events. They had not known that Hanabi had an attachment to her elder sister. They had thought that sibling rivalry would break the familial bond between them, that fear of the seal would come between them, that the claim to ascension as the next Head of the Hyuuga would be the rift between them.
Alas, for all the 360 degrees field of vision of the all-seeing Byakugan, it cannot foresee the future nor accurately predict it. They had not known the real nature of the sisters' bond, nor the real depth of their father's love for both of them, hidden as it was from sight and sense of outsiders.
Ah, but the wheels of fate have been set in motion, like creaking gears of an unoiled machine. And it is turning against the flow that the Elders want it to go. It is the price they pay for miscalculation and assumption.
If the Elders had thought to preserve and protect the status quo of the Hyuuga clan by casting aside the real heir, Hinata, and propping up Hanabi to the post, then they were wrong. It was clear that whichever daughter would succeed Hiashi, change would be enacted, the kind of change that would break the discrimination and oppression present within their clan.
They cannot do anything to prevent Hanabi from visiting her sister without being apparent in their intentions of separating the two. They also cannot concoct any scheme or plot to drive a wedge between the sisters. If they are caught, they can be banished and tried for treason against the clan. Not only will they be banished, but they will also be sealed. The Elders admit defeat, and retreat. They take consolation in the fact that at least they have caged Hinata.
But what the Elders do not realize is that, though they have managed to cage Hinata, her will and her wishes for change within the clan has been passed on to the next generation heiress.
The tide of change is coming to the Hyuuga, and none can stop it. Some fated events are inevitable.
Even though Hinata has been disinherited and branded while Hanabi has risen from second daughter to the next head, jealousy has never had a hold on Hinata. She has only ever been happy with the success of others. Knowing Hanabi's admirable traits, Hinata has faith that her sister will be a great leader. She has no hard feelings towards the younger sister, the second daughter, who has ousted her from her position in the family. Hinata knows Hanabi will do right by the Hyuuga. She is not worried for the future of their family.
Perhaps that enduring trust in a promising future is why not even Hinata's sealing can dampen her newfound happiness as a new bride and wife. When her forehead heals and she is back in commission, Hinata goes through her life just as she had before. Except now, she goes home to her husband in their own dainty cottage in the Hyuuga compound. She shares her bed now and nights become heated with passion and desire that she had never experienced before.
It's ironic, Hinata shares with Neji as they lay in bed, that she feels freer now. As if the seal has somehow liberated her in some way, rather than trapping her. Even with the loss of her status and all of the perks that came with it, she is still content with what she has left. Even more, she is grateful with what she has gained since then.
Hinata even admits to Neji, that she feels she has gained more from her sealing. She finds that being relegated to the Branch family does not bother her. She's optimistic about her future with Neji, and the future of the Hyuuga family as a whole.
"Our love, our bond, is greater than this seal," Hinata answers Hanabi, when the younger one asks how she is able to go on with life with the easy breeze of smiles and happiness after such a traumatic ordeal. Hanabi's hand is covered by her sister's, and the younger one feels a reassuring squeeze. "This seal holds no power over us."
Neji knows that Hinata is not only referring to him and her, but the sisters as well.