The Way Of The Hyuuga

Chapter 8

A/N: If you don't like angst, TURN AWAY NOW!! STOP READING…I SAID STOP!!

Continue if you don't mind it xD

OOOOOOOOOO

"Is that true Hanabi?" Tenten asked with eyes widened as the young Hyuuga allowed tears to stream down her pale features.

"It is! But, but no-one believes me, Father wont believe me, and if he doesn't, then things will never change!" She wept into her hands as they sat on the outer decking together. And while Hanabi looked completely distraught, as if she'd never be able to smile again, something made her expression change into one of shock. It was probably due to the fierce hug Tenten was giving her. It was practically suffocating her, but…why on earth was Tenten hugging her?

"That's great news!!" The kunoichi exclaimed happily before pulling away from a completely dumbfounded Hanabi.

"What!? What are you on about?!"

Tenten hugged her again, unsure of why…but it was probably now that there was a light at the end of the tunnel for her, for Hanabi, and for Neji. There was hope and Tenten would definitely do something about it, she'd make the people she cared for and loved happy…They deserved some happiness. A gentle smile curved onto Tenten's lips, she knew she'd made Neji happy when she accepted his hand in marriage, but now she knew how to make him happy for all eternity. She'd change the way of the Hyuuga.

"Hanabi you long-haired, white-eyed, angsy little cherub I could kiss you!!" She yelled, Gai-sensei and Lee would've been proud to hear such profound words escaping the young woman's lips.

"Oh god…you're not coming out of the closet are you?"

---

While it was all laughs and smiles where Tenten and Hanabi were situated, making their strange plans to help Neji and the other residents. Neji was still stuck in the dojo, watching Hinata cry her heart out to him. Her body withering as the hysterical cries she made weakened her body.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji really didn't know what to say, and even if he did say something, she probably wouldn't hear it due to the fact she was sobbing so much, so loudly. His eyes looked to the floor in contemplation, before a series of wheezes and coughs erupted from his throat. But it felt more like a bolt of lightning, striking him with a sense of realisation, giving him back his usual logic.

If she loved him so much…she wouldn't have chosen him for this task…Neji knew despite what Hinata said, she had been given the choice of which resident to test on, and she had chosen to hurt Neji. This was her cold revenge to mend a broken heart.

"You can turn the waterworks on all you like. I wont believe you love me, ever." He managed after his series of coughs, his voice back to its icy tone.

"B-bu-" She sobbed. "But I did!"

"That's right, you did." He reminded her, and Hinata's eyes narrowed at her own foolishness, she walked right into that one. "Nice try." He finished, and Hinata silenced…her plan had failed, miserably.

With that Neji stood, making his way to the exit, he wanted to be with the people he cared for and loved, he wanted to help them through this time of despair, he wanted to spend as much time with Tenten as possible until Hinata was declared their leader. He wanted happiness, even if it was only a temporary fix.

Too caught up in his own thoughts he failed to realised Hinata had stopped sobbing, she'd given up on the hopeless act and was now giving Neji's back a cold glare. Her eyes felt as though they were burning through his skin, silently commanding him to stop and look her in the eye once more.

"Don't walk away from me!" She screamed before also standing. And just that shrill scream alone was enough to stop Neji in his tracks. He'd never heard Hinata with such a voice, it was not a hysterical scream, but and angry one….He turned, and met an expression as cold as his own.

"Hinat-"

The hand seal was formed again, and the past begun to repeat itself as Neji fell to the floor, screaming in agony all the while.

She smiled. Perhaps her defeat had not been so miserable after all…

OOOOOOOOOO

"Hm?" Tenten looked up, her eyes fluttering from left to right in curiosity, her ears twitching all the while as she sat with Hanabi on the decking. "Did you hear something?" She couldn't help but ask as a small gust of wind swept by.

Hanabi raised her brow at Tenten, and it was obvious that Hanabi was now feeling a lot better than before, she didn't know how or why, but Tenten was strangely good at cheering people up…and now that the two had a plan to boot that would help everybody, she couldn't have felt better.

"Nah, you're just going crazy." Hanabi sufficed, but apparently that wasn't good enough for the weapon's mistress.

"No, I'm sure I heard something." A cold shiver ran down her spine at the next though she didn't care so share out loud. 'It sounded like Neji…' She gulped audibly before standing. Hanabi quickly followed suit.

"Well, I should get going, I need to train for when I get my Genin cell!" Tenten beamed a chirpy smile at the other Hyuuga, but on the inside her stomach was doing somersaults of nervousness, it really had sounded like her Husband…She wasn't going to go train…

"Right! Thanks again Tenten, I think this plan will work…I hope so anyway…" Her eyes skimmed the floor before a gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder, causing the teen to look up to hazel eyes.

"Everything will be fine, trust me."

"Hai. I do…"

OOOOOOOOOO

Tenten's footsteps were a little faster than she would've liked them to be, she didn't want to look like she was rushing, or looking for something….but truth be told she was. She was in a rush, and she was looking for something, well…someone.

'Please be OK Neji…'

It were as though she couldn't stop herself, her mind said let things be and not interfere with matters that didn't concern her, she didn't want to feel or act so paranoid, but her feet wouldn't listen, and step by step they were getting closer to the dojo. A pair of hazel eyes landed upon the building and audibly she gulped…there weren't anymore noises coming from inside, but Tenten knew…Tenten knew he was in there, and she knew Hinata was too.

By now she was running, the wind whispering through her hair and whipping her attire, her state lost its collected manner as a panic-stricken look glued itself to her face.

In a swift movement the large panelled doors were slid open with a loud 'swishing' sound, Tenten's eyes looked upon the sight before her, though it took her some time to adjust to the lack of light…but soon enough she found two figures among the darkness, one crouched over the other trembling one.

"You'd like more, niisan?" Hinata whispered seductively into the air as Tenten's legs began to buckle beneath her. What she found was sickening, it made her stomach churn, it made her want to clench her eyes shut and forget what she was seeing, but she couldn't, and never would.

Tenten tried to call out, tried to run to Neji's aid or at least scream to catch his attention, but fear had paralysed her body when Hinata moved away from his trembling one again. Her hands that were decorated in the blood he'd coughed up made another hand seal, sending another surge of pain into the branch-member's forehead.

"AUGH!" It was happening all over again, and as the seal triggered Neji's pain, it managed to trigger Tenten's unconditional love too. Her motor-neurones grew lively once more as she ran as quickly as her legs would take her, one hand reached into a pocket, pulling out a scroll and summoning a Bo-staff.

"NO!!" She screamed, and Hinata who'd been too lost in her own thoughts of revenge hadn't even seen Tenten coming, and Neji's state of pain was still making him unaware. He just wanted it to stop, before it would stop him forever.

The Bo-staff was whipped through the air as Hinata turned to counter, already her hands had come apart, easing Neji of his agony, pale eyes looked up at the advancing weapon, and without a moment to react Tenten had hit. The staff thundered across the Heiress' head, sending the woman crashing to the ground. She didn't make a sound and neither did Neji, only Tenten's panting filled the air.

The grip on the staff was loosened, sending the pole of wood to the floorboards as Tenten collapsed by Neji's side, weeping into his shoulders, begging him to get up as she lightly shoved his torso, sweat and tears decorating her face all the while. He didn't move though, he was just as silent as Hinata was. The weapon's mistress felt something warm against her toes, looking down, she saw Hinata's limp body, a pool of warm blood forming underneath her head, staining Tenten's open-toed sandals.

Tenten gasped, now unsure of what to do, when logic finally sunk in over her state of over-protective mindlessness, she realised she needed a medic nin, and that she'd done something very, VERY terrible.

"What…have I done?" Tenten's voice managed to rasp out of her throat, but she couldn't say anymore as she began to cry again, she shook Neji's body again as he finally managed to regain consciousness.

"Neji!!"

He mumbled incoherently, his vision a sea of black and blue blurs.

Before he could say anything more a beam of bright sunlight hit both his and Tenten's eyes. Both looked towards the door where they met the eyes of Hiashi, Hanabi and a few members of the Hyuuga council. They'd obviously heard the noise from outside…

Hanabi quickly covered her widely ajar mouth with her hands, gasping at the site before her as the hairs on the back of her next stood on end. The council members rushed to Hinata's aid, checking her pulse before lifting her and calling for one of the medic nins.

Hiashi was the last to react, too stunned at the site before him…The first things his eyes traced were the shards of wood from the dented and bloody Bo-staff, and then his eyes went to Tenten, and the pool of blood near her feet where Hinata's limp body had once been. The young woman's eyes shook terribly from the fear of Hiashi's gaze.

"I…I…" She could speak, and it felt like she couldn't breath when he advanced. Her small hands clasped the material of Neji's robes, of whom was too weak to stay conscious, he'd left her here all alone, to deal with his Uncle's simmering rage…but her love was unconditional, she stay by Neji through the worst of times, and she knew, that this would be one of those times.

"Step away from him."

Her hands shook on the material; she could feel the sweat in her palms, the tears pricking in the corners of her eyes.

"NOW!!"

She hunched her shoulders, bracing herself for an attack, but it never came. Cracking her eyes open again she saw Hiashi was still standing there, anger burning in his eyes as he waited for her to move. Reluctantly she let go of Neji and stood on trembling legs.

"I didn't mean-"

"Come with me." He ordered her, before reaching his hand out and tugging her out of the room by the ends of her hair that had fallen loose from the usually neat-looking buns. She screamed out at the pain but he only tugged her hair harder. Tenten turned back one last time to look at Neji, the tears were now streaming down her face, why was no-one helping him?!

"Neji!!" She called one more time, but it came to no avail when Hiashi had finally taken her outside. There she met Hanabi, a forlorn expression adorning the young girl's face.

"Hanabi! I didn't mean to hurt her, I swear!! I-" Hiashi covered the young woman's mouth, his hand quickly became soaked by her tears.

"Hanabi, please deal with Neji." The young girl nodded, doing everything she could to fight back her sadness, she wouldn't cry, not in front of her father. She shot Tenten another sad look, and it tore the weapon's mistress's heart in two…she had never meant to…to hurt, or kill Hinata… had she killed Hinata? She didn't know, no-one had said anything, but then why would they tell her? She was the cause of the pain! She didn't mean it, she only wanted to protect Neji…Neji was always the protector, forever a servant, so who would protect him?

'I will,' She told herself over and over again, and what a mess she'd made of it…

OOOOOOOOOO

"How is Neji? And Hinata?!" Tenten screamed at the council members as she stood in the middle of yet another plain looking room. In front of her it was like a panel of judges, Hiashi was in the middle, and all of them were giving her murderous looks.

"For attempting to kill the Heir, your puni-" One spoke, but Tenten quickly interrupted him.

"NO! I didn't try to kill her!! It wasn't like that!" Tenten was a fighter; she would not let these people tell her she'd done something she hadn't, no matter what their supposed status was in this family. The look on her face was fear, but inside she felt anger when she looked at their bare foreheads, showing them off with so much pride, mocking the people she cared about who had to suffer the caged-bird seal.

"SILENCE!" Hiashi commanded, and the room quickly hushed.

"Be that as it may, you are still responsible for Hinata's injuries, no?"

Tenten gulped, he was right, and slowly she nodded. "I did it to protect Neji, if I didn't hit her, then he probably wouldn't be alive." Her hands fisted by her sides, in both fear and determination. "Hiashi-sama, It is your daughter that wanted murder to take place in that dojo, not I." She knew it was a risky thing to say, and her assumptions were only confirmed when the Leader narrowed his eyes even more.

"Unfortunately…We will not know the true extent of what happened until Neji regains consciousness and tells us, seeing as he was the only witness."

"He'll tell you the same thing." Tenten confirmed, until another councilman interrupted.

"I don't think his word will be reliable sir. Not only will his opinion be biased in favour of Tenten, but he was not fully conscious throughout the ordeal."

"Because of Hinata!!" Tenten spat, knowing she shouldn't have…but she couldn't keep quiet at that comment. All eyes were back to her. "She was trying to kill him!! I know it!!" They paid no attention to her, only making Tenten madder.

"Then, we'll never know." Hiashi said solemnly.

"I'm not so sure…think about it, Neji's always wanted the position of Heir, if it's true that these two are so in love, they're probably working on wiping out Hinata together. Not only that, but Hanabi mentioned something about planning to prove Hinata is 'mentally unstable', and not fit to become Heir."

"They're all in on this sordid little scheme." He finished.

"HOW DARE YOU!!" Tenten hissed at the other Hyuuga, no longer being able to conceal her rage. "I don't want that and neither does Neji!! We want freedom!! Freedom of choice and speech, what we DON'T want, is having to serve people that don't deserve serving!!"

'We want to change the way of the Hyuuga...'

At the mention of Hanabi, Tenten's eyes lowered, she'd told them about the plan to expose Hinata's secret…it was one of those little signs that Hanabi now hated Tenten for what she'd done. They were sisters, and after all, blood was thicker than water. 'But, I didn't mean to! She has to understand!!'

"Shout all you like. The facts that remain are for one, you attacked Hinata; and you have admitted to it, whether it was out of hate or protection, you did it. And for that, there is punishment."

Tenten's feisty demeanour shrunk back down at that statement, no matter what she did or said, they were going to punish her, there was nothing she could do about that; this was her fate.

"Permission to proceed?" Asked one of the councilmen to Hiashi; who merely nodded.

All excluding the Leader stood. Surrounding Tenten on all sides in the form of a circle; and a not-so-heavenly wheel of torture. Tenten's hands twitched by her sides, she could've easily reached for her scrolls and defended herself; she had the option of fighting back. However, if she were to do that it would mean leaving the Hyuuga's and running away afterward so they didn't kill her, and leaving Neji…No, she couldn't do that.

She was a fighter, but also a logical person, and she knew when it was best to just sit back and bare the punishment bestowed upon her.

A set of activated Byakugan were all around her, they had almost gone in for the attack, but once those veins around their eyes appeared the men suddenly retreated. Tenten's taut body loosened up a little, why weren't they just attacking and getting it over and done with? All eyes were now on Hiashi.

"Sir, It appears the girl is wi-"

"I know." He told them, and all seemed shocked and frightened, Would Hiashi really let them go through with it considering the circumstances?

"Then we can't proceed…"

"Yes, you can. And you will." Hiashi raised his brows, daring the others to fight against his word. None of them did, and all turned back to a bewildered Tenten.

The one who had actually been saying the majority of spiteful things against Tenten now gave her a look of sorrow. "I'm so sorry ma'am." He said politely, and she was completely stunned, this man had spoken awfully of her in the meeting beforehand, and now he was apologising to her?

"Why did you all stop?" She turned to Hiashi. "What's going on?" Panic overtook her mind once more.

The man behind her slammed his palm into her back, sending Tenten to the ground…The punishment had begun. And Tenten would have to find out the hard way.

---

It was only a few minutes later Tenten realised the punishment would've never happened had she had white eyes like Neji's or at least a curse seal to show she was a Hyuuga, the act they carried out was cruel beyond words, even if bestowed upon a lowly branch member…But they didn't care for a woman who looked just like any other, a woman who only bared the name and not the genetics of a Hyuuga…They didn't care for an unborn child spilled across the floor in a pool of blood, her closest connection to carrying the Hyuuga blood…They didn't care, they never would.

She wept as the punishment ended, and now who were the murderers?

"I'm sorry." One spoke again, making her cry harder.

She was not a true Hyuuga by blood, and never would be.

But she would change them. Someday. With the help of the ones she loved.

'Neji, I'm sorry.' Was her last though before darkness took over her mind.

OOOOOENDOOOOO

A/N Yeeah, I'm evil. Poor Tenten (if you didn't get it, she was pregnant, but the punishment killed her baby…geddit?), what will Neji do when he finds out? And is Hinata dead (I'm sure you all hope so xD)? Who knows? I do! xD

Remember to R&R, and until next time, ja ne!!