[Author's note]
Thank you for your patience! Studies, exams, and personal stuff have prevented me from writing for so long. Please enjoy the 6th chapter of Gift of Divination.
The chapter happens in January 1576, north-east region of Japan.
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The White Eye
Hinata and Kiba had expected to meet Lord Uchiha Fugaku in the main hall of the Uchiha palace. Instead, they encountered his wife, Lady Mikoto, and their eldest son, Itachi. Both were clad in stark white robes.
"Your arrival coincides with a most unfortunate time," spoke Itachi, his voice low and grave. "The Lord of this palace has recently passed away. I, Uchiha Itachi, am his successor. But tell me of your young Mistress. I hear she was cursed in her sleep?"
"Yes, that is exact," said Kiba. Both he and Hinata sat, their legs folded neatly beneath them, in the middle of the spacious hall. A piece of cloth shielded Hinata's eyes from view. The two of them kept their heads bowed. "This servant and my Lady, and her personal guard, have been searching all over the province for someone to cure her eyes. Yesterday, our convoy was attacked by bandits. We barely escaped. We have come here to plead for your gracious help, my Lord."
They were told however that no exorcist or other person with holy powers lived in this region. They would have to travel towards the capital.
"My younger brother will set out on this same journey in a few days," said Itachi. "You may stay until then, and accompany him to Kyoto."
From the far wall, the sound of soft footsteps approached. Lord Itachi stopped in front of Hinata and knelt to her eye-level. With one finger he easily removed the cloth around her eyes. His sharp gaze observed her face. This disregard of decorum startled Hinata.
Soon she was requested to open her eyes. She silently obliged, bracing herself. His handsome face, framed by long locks of hair, was inches away from her. His dark, upturned eyes, shaped like tender leaves of the peach tree, reminded her of the young man of the Uchiha clan she had met by the river. The resemblance was striking.
Lord Itachi took both her hands and made her stand up. He was at least a head taller than she was, a fact which relieved her. It would be easier to hide her eyes behind her fringe.
To Hinata's great dismay, Lord Uchiha was adamant on helping her make her way to their quarters. The two of them walked at a much slower pace than Kiba. The latter suspected that Lord Itachi had taken an interest in the young lady.
"Your Ladyship can see," said Lord Itachi when those in front of them had turned a corner. "Is that right?"
Her shoulders stiffened at his words.
"Why tell your servant that you were blind?" he went on.
"I … I truly cannot see with these eyes of mine."
"Is that so?" A low hum vibrated in his throat. "Those reddened cheeks belie your words." She felt his hand release hers, and brush against the side of her face lightly. "Besides," he was saying now, still in a quiet voice, "my younger brother told me of a country boy and a beautiful girl with white eyes who saved him a few days earlier. And that girl could see perfectly."
"Your … brother? Uchiha Sasuke?"
"So you have met him. On the day you rescued him, he should have gone to the capital with a convoy – by imperial order. That fool is repulsed by the thought of serving our Emperor. He tried to run away. At some point, our men thought him drowned in the river, yet he dared show his face here on that very evening."
A shadow fell over Lord Itachi's face. His expression and the disappointment ringing in his words revealed the tension running between both brothers. Uchiha Sasuke had attempted to flee his duty and had risked tainting the Uchiha family's honour.
What punishment was he inflicted?
As though reading her mind, Lord Itachi added, "Our mother, Lady Mikoto, was most gracious to this cherished younger son. She was firmly opposed to banishing him."
By now, they had reached the room where Hinata would stay. The broad sliding doors, ornate with paper screens, each bearing a scenery of mountains and rivers, stood wide open. The floor was neatly lined with straw mats. In the middle of the room lay a single futon. A small pile of folded silk robes had been placed atop the mattress.
"Those belonged to my mother. I hope your Ladyship will find them to your liking. By the next sunrise, shall this Lord be granted the honour of your society?"
Your Ladyship.
His tone was light, playful. She looked at his face, at those eyes that held unfathomable darkness. To be treated so kindly by the head of a clan … his actions spoke of sincerity and goodwill. He appeared hardly a few years her elder, yet his eyes were those of a man who had borne sorrows.
Hinata promised that she would join him for breakfast.
Lord Itachi bid her farewell. He had a prayer service to attend for his late father. A handmaid would be sent later to prepare her bath. She watched him retreat quietly, the hem of his white kimono trailing behind him.
As soon as he was gone, Hinata set off in search of Kiba. His voice was echoing down the hallway – she found him in a room similar yet considerably smaller than hers, with other male servants. When she saw their faces, her body froze and a gasp escaped her lips. The male servants, though their bodies were human, had the head of a cat.
"K – Kiba. These men – their heads –"
"Kiba, who's she? Didn't you say she's blind?"
By the way they spoke, it seemed like they were acquainted with her friend.
"She shouldn't be able to see our true form," hissed another man.
"They're like me," said Kiba, coming towards her. "Half-yōkai. They used to roam the forest. The Uchiha clan took them in to chase away evil spirits. That's why you won't find an exorcist anywhere near this place. They drive them away too."
One of the servants drew nearer, and sniffed the air with narrowed eyes. "You're a Hyūga, aren't you?"
"How – how can you tell?"
"The smell can't lie. You smell like your old man too."
"You met my father?" Surprise rose in her voice. She stared, wide-eyed, at the black-spotted feline face. The latter nodded.
"A year ago, Lord Hyuga Hiashi came here to negotiate a marriage between the two clans. Though the late Lord Uchiha agreed, I heard that your father did it against the will of his own kin. Then, this one Uchiha – Lord Itachi's close cousin – was found dead on your family's territory. And I suppose you know the rest."
"Yes," replied Hinata. Her hands were curled into fists at her sides. She envisioned her father presenting a painting of her sister, Hanabi, to the leader of the Uchiha. Her sister would have married the current Lord Uchiha. The young Lord was a just, kind man. Hinata was sure that Hanabi would have led a happy life here.
Yet I don't understand. Why would the Hyuga oppose a marriage that promised peace and prosperity for both families?
"Will –" Hinata hesitated for a moment. "Will you reveal my identity to your Lord?"
"I think it unnecessary," replied another, this one a black-haired cat-faced retainer. He introduced himself as Kurotama. His attire, of a rich blue color, was more refined in style and fabric. The other servants were now filing out of the room. "My Lord has already deduced it by himself. He has provided you a room fit for your noble status. Besides, before the battle broke out between the two clans, you should have been his bride-to-be."
Lord Uchiha's bride-to-be?
"My family never spoke of my existence beyond the Hyuga's walls," said Hinata. "You must have meant my sister, Hanabi."
"I am not mistaken in the slightest, Lady Hinata," stated Kurotama, his green eyes twinkling in the lantern light. "Your father knew you would be safest here – while your family, who condemn anything preternatural, deem it a curse, the Uchiha would have welcomed this gift of yours. Yes, those eyes are a gift. You can see spirits and the true form of yōkai. Who knows what other secrets they hold?
"But I must leave you," continued Kurotama in haste. "The young master is waiting for me. Until tomorrow, Lady Hinata, Kiba."
Hinata silently watched hanyō – the half-yōkai – rush out of sight.
"By young master, he meant Uchiha Sasuke, didn't he?" said Hinata softly, more to herself than to Kiba. She hadn't left a favorable impression of herself to him, and dreaded the next time they would cross paths.
To Kiba, she confided, "Lord Itachi has shown himself merciful towards us. Nonetheless, the rest of his clan, were they to learn who I am – which they most certainly will, before the end of our stay here – they would without delay banish us from these grounds."
"We could still try to ask for their protection. Hyūga or not, you're innocent. You weren't involved in that battle. Even better – what if Lord Itachi wants to take you as his bride?"
"He wouldn't." She shook her head, stray strands dancing around her face. "The Hyūga have disowned me. Marrying a disgraced heiress would be an affront to the Hyūga, and strengthen the discord. If they seek some possibility of peace between the two families, they will have to marry Hanabi."
"That sounds simple enough. What's the issue? You're making a gloomy face."
"However," she went on, thoughtful, "the Hyūga forbid women of the main line to marry outside the family. Hanabi and Neji-nii-san are the only remaining descendants of the main family line. The elders will pressure the two of them into matrimony, to produce a pure Hyūga heir."
"Blood purity over peace and prosperity?" said Kiba, sarcastic. He made no further remark. He simply shook his head.
"Where is it?" muttered Neji under his breath. He was looking through the wooden chests of the late Lord Hiashi. The hem of his long sleeves was covered in dust.
"My Lord?" asked the retainer standing on the threshold of the room. "If I may be of service –"
"Go and seek the elders. I desire an audience."
"Very well, my Lord." The man scurried away.
Lord Hyūga Neji got to his feet and swept the room with a contemptuous look.
A low, wide table stood in the middle of the lantern-lit room. Atop the smooth surface was an unfurled scroll, detailing myths and divine properties on an ancestral jewel, and beside it was a palm-sized, lacquered box. The black box lay open and empty. The silk cushion within had been molded, it seemed, to hold a single spherical object.
Hyūga Neji sat down at the table. With a look of growing impatience and irritation, he read once again through the contents of the scroll.
「 The White Eye 」 was the title of the document.
Byakugan – literally, "white eye" – was a precious snow-colored orb guarded throughout the centuries by the Hyūga, and passed down from one clan head to the next. The scroll revealed that this jewel could grant any wish against compensation of equal value.
Healing a mortal wound against shortening one's life.
Seeing one's fate against losing one's eyesight.
Even though Lord Hiashi had made him, Hyūga Neji, his successor, he had never mentioned the Byakugan. From his bedridden grandfather, Hyūga Hinode, he had ultimately learnt the truth. This very jewel had allowed the Hyūga clan to foresee and flee the initial war that had ravaged the capital and thrown the country into a state of perpetual chaos.
Hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor.
"My – my Lord." The servant was back, panting heavily. "The elders will be waiting for you in the main hall."
Neji gathered the box and the scroll in his hands, then exited the room. The jewel was nowhere to be found in his late uncle's quarters.
Where could it be?
His mind replayed vivid images of his pale-eyed cousin. He had sent men after Hinata, who he suspected had somehow got hold of the jewel. None of them had returned.
It was but a mere assumption, yet he presumed her father had considered her the rightful bearer of the White Eye.
Nightfall crept in quietly, plunging the cold corridors in darkness. The servants meanwhile hastily lit and hung lanterns throughout the castle.
Within the main hall, the elders were assembled in two rows facing each other. A dozen of uncles and some older male cousins all turned to follow his every movement as he made his way down the middle to the far wall.
"Lord Neji, you sought an audience so late at night. Could it not wait until the morrow?"
"I give you my sincere apologies," replied Neji, taking his seat at the head. He brandished the objects in his hands. "This meeting was arranged on such short notice, for it concerns an urgent matter."
He had successfully captured the attention of every men in the room.
"It concerns a secret, a centuries-old secret passed down the main family line of the Hyūga. Currently, only Lord Hyūga Hinode and myself have had knowledge of it. But no more.
"This scroll in my right hand – it tells of a jewel, a holy white orb, entitled the Byakugan, sought by both men and yōkai to grant any wish they desire –"
"Nonsense!" interrupted one of his uncles, outraged. A long scar ran across his face. "Such absurdities belong in myths and legends."
"With all due respect, Uncle Asahi," replied Neji gravely. "I jest not. Have you never wondered the cause of Hyūga Hinata's peculiar eyes? Her mother, the late Lady Hikari, must have wished upon this jewel for her daughter to be born strong and survive the winter, at the cost of her own health.
"Long ago, when the Hyūga still lived at the imperial court, the bearer of the jewel used its power at that time to foresee the war in Kyoto, and, to escape the calamity, forced our clan into exile. See for yourselves." He handed the scroll to Hyūga Asahi on his right, who read in silence. By now, murmurs rippled across the hall. Speculations and realisations resounded from every mouth.
"This document bears the Hyūga's seal," muttered his uncle, astonished.
"The jewel was kept in this box," continued the clan head. "By my uncle Lord Hiashi's will, I, his successor, ought to have it in my possession. However, the Byakugan has been removed. I believe it was taken by my cousin, Hinata. So, my objective is to find her –"
"Lord Neji, this will be an impossible task. She could be anywhere at this hour. After all, it has been days since we were informed that she fled the Inari shrine."
"We will find her, I assure you. Were this jewel to fall in the wrong hands – us, the Hyūga, the rightful guardians of the White Eye – would inevitably suffer its consequences."
He paused, looking out for their reactions. Confusion and suspicion painted their faces. They deemed him too young and naive to lead the clan. Too easily impressionable by fables recorded in an old scroll.
"Moreover, with the Byakugan's power granted upon us, we could finally put an end this era of war, as well as restore the Hyūga clan from our exile. No matter the means required, I shall return the jewel in our possession."
Though mere words would not suffice to persuade the elders, Hyūga Neji noted the evident change in their expressions. They were all weary of the ongoing battles. They could not venture towards the main towns without risking an ambush. The trade routes were disturbed by battlefields, new and old, which were still rife with abandoned corpses.
A faint rustle caught his attention; he turned his head, his gaze running over the paper screen next to him. No one was there.
He dismissed the meeting, his head filled to the brim with unpleasant thoughts. If indeed Hinata had hold of the jewel, she would be targeted by those creatures and unseen entities which, until now, he was convinced existed only in folk tales. His brows furrowed in frustration.
If so, for how long would she escape them? He dared not pursue this train of thought.
"My Lord," said his servant, waiting for him by his private quarters. "The young ladies would like you to accompany them to see the snow tomorrow." He was referring to the daughters sent by families in neighbouring regions to become Lord Neji's concubines. The youngest ones, who were still children around Hanabi's age, were from more modest backgrounds. They had been sold off to subvene to the rest of their families.
"Very well. Let them know we shall set out two hours after daybreak."
"Also, my Lord –"
"What is it?"
"A young lady is waiting in your room, my Lord."
Hyūga Neji let out a low grunt and shrugged the warm woollen cloak off his shoulders.
He was not against a means of forgetting the thoughts that plagued his mind. Wordlessly the young man stepped into his bedchamber.
A chill ran down Hinata's spine.
The sun had already risen, so she and her handmaid had been walking down a corridor to meet Lord Itachi. On the way, going in the opposite direction, was none other than the boy she had met by the river.
Uchiha Sasuke.
His fine black hair was no longer gathered into an elegant top-knot. Such a hairdo would be impossible now. His hair had been cut short, making one suspect that it had been pulled back forcefully and slashed through in a single rough chop. The survivors of this disgrace stood up in all directions at the back of his head in mute exclamation of their revolt.
His hair was noticeably shorter at the back. At the front, the longer strands fell over his forehead and on each side of his face.
Though Lord Itachi had confided that his brother had not been banished by his family, Uchiha Sasuke had still received severe punishment. One's hair was a visual statement of his social standing, of his wealth and background. To have it cut off was the height of humiliation and dishonor.
"Hinata, was it?" said Sasuke, stopping next to her. His informal address left her confused.
He looked about her age, yet he was already as tall as his elder brother. The hem of his dark-blue kimono stopped half an inch above his ankles.
The servant excused herself and went to wait at the end of the hallway.
"I was told earlier by my brother that we will be travelling together. Shall I ask for a handmaid to come along?"
Shame and embarrassment heated Hinata's cheeks. She had barely shown any civility in their previous encounter, yet he held no resentment in her regard.
"I would be most grateful, uhm … Uchiha-san."
He made a soft hum, and crossed his arms over his chest. His gaze wandered over the kimono she wore. It was of the colour of fresh peaches; cranes and peonies were embroidered over the skirt and sleeves. Though unspoken, his appreciation was apparent in the look in his eyes.
"The journey will be long," he said, his voice low, steady and smooth. "As such, we ought to prepare against eventual attacks. Can you shoot an arrow?"
Hinata responded in the negative, and added that she could handle hand-to-hand combat. Sasuke nodded, eyebrows raised. This piece of information piqued his curiosity.
"Join me outside in one hour," he told her. "We will spar together."
Once they parted, the young lady was left, though for a brief moment, to her own thoughts. Both Uchiha brothers treated her kindly, for which she felt immense gratitude.
Lord Itachi was waiting for her in a rather spacious room overlooking the back garden. The snowy scenery reflected the morning sunlight and brightened the interior. As they ate, she watched him from the corner of her eye. He was observing the wintery landscape, seemingly lost in thought.
"I believe you saw my brother earlier?" he said after a while. Itachi was still dressed in white, with an open dark robe draped over his back for warmth. "I called for him to join us this morning, but he claims to be engaged in some other matter."
"He has invited me to spar this morning."
The conversation she had had earlier felt so strange, so disconnected from her mind. Oh, how she wished for her senses to have returned much quicker! She had not yet apologized for her impolite behaviour so many days ago. Guilt clouded her conscience and stained her thoughts like ink spilled upon silk.
"In such cold weather?" Itachi eyed the thick layer of snow.
"Kurotama!" he called out. Almost immediately, the retainer appeared at the door. "Tell Sasuke to use the training hall instead." Kurotama bowed and left. His footsteps were barely audible.
To Hinata, Itachi added: "The training hall is in the east wing. Worry not, Kurotama will guide you there. If I may be of any help, do not hesitate to let me know."
She tried to smile in reply. Another invasive thought was perturbing her. She could not forget, not yet, the fact that Hyūga Hiashi's killer was walking among the Uchiha.
For so long as she stayed here, and despite the extent of their generous hospitality, this conflicting knowledge weighed down on her shoulders. The past had woven their fates together and robbed her of a most beloved father. By instinct, she could not restrain herself from doubting their sincerity.
The culprit could be Uchiha Itachi, or Sasuke, or any one of the numerous unknown faces she encountered within the palace walls.
In her father's memory, and more so for her dignity, she decided firmly against beseeching the Uchiha's protection.