Chapter Twenty-Seven

Akemi Hyūga leapt forward toward her target, careful to block low before springing upward, and reversing into a roundhouse kick. Without losing any degree of momentum, she surged forward into an aerial forward somersault igniting her chakra, willing it into the shape of a phoenix. She suddenly understood why Kushina had longingly practiced this kata for years, trying to remember when she was at full strength. The flow of chakra through Akemi was the same exhilarating feeling she felt the first time she resumed her dance routine after being declared cancer-free years earlier.

"Bravo!" the audience of Naruto, Lord Sarutobi, Minato, Konohamaru, and Hiashi exclaimed in unison as they clapped. Kushina, Hinata, and she bowed to their audience. All three women blushed gently, none of them had performed before an audience in years, or ever in Hinata's case. Prior to today, it looked as if it wouldn't happen; the weather had suddenly turned cold and first snow now blanketed the ground. Even the relatively hardy Kushina and Hinata were not in the mood to practice kata in the bitter cold. Because it was supposed to be a surprise for the Hyūga Clan's New Years celebration, they couldn't do this at the compound.

Thankfully, Lord Sarutobi graciously offered them use of his sprawling dojo, much larger than Lord Minato's indoor training area, and still away from prying eyes. "Okay ladies," Kushina said, as the head of the now extinguished flames wafted of her body, "let's take five, and we'll run it again!"

Akemi exchanged a look with her daughter, "Is she always this demanding, Hinata?"

"You have no idea!" Hinata giggled playfully. After the crazy last month-and-a-half, the music of Hinata's laughter could keep Akemi going all the way to midnight repeating this routine – not that Kushina would force them to. No, she'd probably start us doing other ninjutsu drill, culminating with my daughter handily whipping my ass! Akemi chuckled quietly at the thought of her twelve-year-old princess taking her down a few notches. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think this would happen when she'd been young.

As she looked at her husband, past the slight greying at his temples, she could still see the handsome young man she'd fallen in love with a little over thirteen years ago. Back then, their love had been forbidden, but it didn't stop them. And his father has never let us forget about it, either.

Akemi pushed away the dour thought, turning to Naruto. He wasn't quite the image of his young father, but he wasn't far off, either. She could picture him: handsome, tall like his father, and every bit crazy brave as a young man as he had proven thus far as a boy. It had nearly broken her heart as badly as Hinata's when she found out about Sakura asking him on a date. "Mom, can you help me stretch?" Hinata interrupted the thought.

"Sure hon!" Hinata laid back on her back, and Akemi pushed her daughter's leg upward, stretching Hinata's hamstrings. From the corner of her eye, she spied Naruto's wandering eye, pretending not to stare. Soon, he'd hit his growth spurt, and his eyes would be wandering more and more. It doesn't help that the legendary horndog is training him, too!

As she switched legs, Akemi noticed Hinata had been staring at Naruto with the corner of her eye as well. For the first time since before the first mission, Akemi was truly looking at her daughter without some crisis hanging over her head. Hinata's normally short hair was starting to lengthen slightly. While she'd never been flabby, her girl's body was tight where the Nomex jumpsuit clung to her, but her shape was starting to fill in in other places. My god, when did my little princess start turning into a young woman?

As Akemi released Hinata's leg, the thought of her little princess made her thing of her other little princess – Hanabi. Despite the fact they were family and lived under the same roof, Akemi felt like she hadn't seen her younger daughter since being diagnosed with cancer. One day she was there, barely speaking her first words, and the next, she'd vanished into dark shadows, never to be seen again.

"What are you doing here!" Hinata shrieked, waking Akemi from her pensiveness. Hinata wasn't prone to flights of anger, but her voice made it clear the intruder was not welcomed. Akemi looked up and saw why – it was Sakura and Sasuke.

Akemi, herself, had to resist the urge to walk up to the pink-haired girl and slap her. Akemi finally took the time to breathe, and she looked down to see her right fist shaking, knuckles white with anger. "Sakura, what's the meaning of this!" Akemi shouted authoritatively. The green-eyed girl stared with eyes, face full of uncertainty. Sasuke's doll eyes, reveled a level of fear his determined face tried hiding. Hinata had not yet forgiven either, and Naruto's forgiveness was contingent on getting Hinata's forgiveness – they had less than twenty four hours remaining.

"Get out of my face, Sakura! And take your boy toy with you!" Akemi and Kushina were both surprised how hostile Hinata had become toward Sakura – everyone had expected her to be the first to forgive. Instead, Hinata put a standing order with the gate guards of the Hyūga compound that Sakura and Sasuke weren't to be admitted to the compound. Even after Hiashi countermanded the order, Hinata refused any audience and promptly left any meeting with Sakura or Sasuke.

"Hinata, please!" Sakura pleaded, with green eyes growing wide with tears, "I'm sorry!"

"You're sorry!" Hinata yelled, "You were my teammate! You were my big sister! AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY THAT!"

Something in the words of Hinata's rage made Akemi curious. Hinata started getting friendly with Sakura, having her over for tea several times before Sakura decided to throw a wrench into everything. Hinata was casually friends with Ino and a few other girls her age, but Sakura had been the only one she'd ever invited over from outside the family. Hell has no fury like a woman scorned, except maybe a sister betrayed.

The hardened lines that had formed on Hinata's face made Akemi think of Hanabi. Did something like this drive the two apart? Are you really going to just stand here and let your other daughter follow the destructive path of anger her younger sister has taken? "Hinata, may I speak with you," Akemi said calmly.

Hinata turned to stare at her mom. Her little girl's smile was now replaced by a scowl passed down through the Hyūga bloodline, the scowl Hinata's grandfather had passed on to Hizashi and Hiashi, and it was the same scowl Hanabi wore almost non-stop. "If you can't see a Hyūga's eyes the next best way to spot them is by their scowl." Is that really what we've become – a clan of perpetually angry snapping turtles? Akemi hadn't been born into the Hyūga clan, but it was the only family she had left. Akemi had already lost one daughter to the Hyūga scowl; she'd be damned if she lost Hinata to it as well! "Hinata, I need to speak to you, privately," she turned to Lord Sarutobi, "Is there somewhere we might use for a few minutes?"

"Of course," the kindly former Hokage said with a bow, "My office is the second door on the left in the hallway. Please, take tall the time you need."

Akemi took Hinata by the wrist and gently but firmly guided her daughter past Sakura and into the office. The room was spare, a solid red oak desk was the most prominent feature. A simple settee of similar wood stood before the desk. It wasn't Kushina's plush living room sofa or the Hyūga Clan leader's private bedroom, but it would suffice. "Hinata, sit with me, please," Akemi said as she sat, patting the space next to her. Hinata nervously complied; her darting eyes hinted that she worried about being in trouble.

For a long few moments, they sat in silence. "Mom," Hinata said nervously, "did I do something wrong?"

Akemi remembered her first love and how she lost him. It was time for Hinata to know. "Honey," Akemi said, "I know what Sakura did was awful, but I think you need to forgive her."

"Mom, if it were only that simple!" Hinata cried. "She… didn't just hurt me! She hurt Naruto! She betrayed her team!"

"Yes, I know, Hinata. She took someone you loved away from you, albeit briefly," she acknowledged. "And you're angry not simply that she did it, but how she did it."

"Mom, she had to know," Hinata sniffled through tears of anger, "How could she not know that others would get hurt!"

"Yes, it was thoughtless and cruel, but I've seen something else happen, something that frightens me even worse. I saw my sweet little girl, my little shinobi, turning into the thing she despises most!"

Hinata's eyes widened in horror as she turned face to face with Akemi, "Mother?"

"Hinata, is it a punishment to fit her crime?" Akemi asked, "Is it worth sending her back to the Academy or worse because she slighted you?"

Hinata looked down at the floor, tears choking her words, "Why shouldn't I have my revenge!" She sobbed, "It's what Hanabi would do! And she's everyone's favorite!"

"No Hinata," Akemi corrected. "It's what your grandfather would do; it's what he wants Hanabi to think is normal!" Akemi shook her head, her own tears beginning to run. "Hinata, nothing gives me greater fear than your walking that path. I've already lost Hanabi to the same mistake as your grandfather," Akemi choked on a sob, "Please… please don't become lost to me!"

Hinata wrapped her arms around her. "Mom," she cried, "what mistake are you talking about? Why does grandfather hate you so much?"

Akemi the dark secret that she had carried for almost for fourteen years. If it means setting her free, then let it see the light! "Hinata, before you were born, your father had been engaged to another woman."

Hinata's mouth dropped at the revelation, "Mom?" she gasped.

"It was an arranged marriage. Your grandfather had promised to marry your father to a cadet branch of our family when your father was just a boy."

Hinata's jaw still hadn't come off the floor, "Wha-what happened?"

Akemi sighed, "I happened." She shook her head. "Your father fell in love with me over a girl he'd barely met," Akemi blushed, "and I fell in love with him."

"But," Hinata paused, "I thought people were supposed to fall in love!"

"Your grandfather would hear none of it," Akemi explained, "I was an outsider and a homewrecker in his eyes – especially when your father explained to him that I was pregnant, and he wanted to marry me instead."

"But Mom, you were in love!"

"Yes, and your grandfather was greatly embarrassed by not being able to keep his promise he had made," Akemi looked at the ground as she shook her head again, "And that is why to this day he still treats me with disdain, why he treats you with disdain. We are both living reminders of a great dishonor he suffered" Akemi began to cry again, "His quest for revenge on us has poisoned our family because he could never forgive us for something that happened so long ago!"

"And that's why you want me to forgive Sakura?" Hinata stared wide-eyed, "You think I'll follow that same path?"

"Hinata, it takes more strength to forgive someone who has wronged you. It would feel good for a moment, but would you feel good knowing you'd destroyed two other lives?"

"Mom, I," tears choked Hinata's words.

"Hinata, you've always been strong enough to show kindness to others, even those who weren't deserving." She rocked her daughter in her arms, back and forth. "Please, this is your chance to prove you're the clan heir for a reason more than birth order."

"A clan leader does what is best for her clan," Hinata whimpered. Soon Hinata rose from the settee. She heaved a deep breath, and the scowl she wore turned into a look she'd seen on Naruto many times when things were tough – determination.

Akemi stood up next to her and place a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "Hinata, I hope when the time comes, you have the strength to do the same with your sister." Akemi considered he next words carefully, "Some part of the sweet girl is still in there."

"I long to see her again, every day, Mom," Hinata took her hand, "I hope we find her again soon."

Both women took several moments to straighten themselves and wipe away tears. Akemi silently hoped along with Hinata. She longed for the day when the four of them could be family again. Hopefully that day would be soon. They returned to the dojo, Sakura and Sasuke were still standing among the others. Sakura trembled as they approached. Her future and Sasuke's future were in Hinata's hands. As much as Akemi hoped Hinata would find it in her heart to forgive her friend, she couldn't tell which path Hinata would take – forgiveness or vengeance.

"Sakura," Hinata's voice was crisp as she bowed, "Sasuke, I have no interest in making enemies of either of you or your families. And," she paused, considering, "it would be a mistake for us all to miss our Chunin Exam because of one mistake." Another long pause, Sakura's eyes went from trembling to hopeful. Hinata resumed, "Do you both promise to never do anything like this again, and keep the best interests of your teams at heart?"

"We do, Hinata," Sakura replied tearfully. Hinata turned gazed to Sasuke. The normally passive boy nodded his head in acceptance, "Yes, I swear."

"Then I shall give my written forgiveness to the Hokage, and I shall instruct my parents to do the same." Akemi felt the weight crushing her chest lift. Her daughter still had many challenges ahead; however, Akemi now had renewed faith that her daughter could make the right decision when a situation called for compassion. It will serve you well, love, when it is your turn to lead.

"As a token of good faith," Hinata said, smiling gently, "I ask that you both be my guests at the Hyūga Clan's New Year's celebration."

Akemi curled her eyebrows in surprise. She caught a startled reaction from Hiashi at the request. There was also something else, a strange smile forming at the corner of Hinata's mouth as Sakura and Sasuke accepted the invitation. Something odd is going on here; one minute she's ready to condemn both of them, the next she's inviting them to the clan's biggest even of the season. Akemi didn't know what was at work, but after seeing Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto reunited in friendship, she really didn't care. Whatever it was, she knew it would be fore the best.


Lord Hiashi walked the long pathways of the Hyūga Compound, now dimly lit by lamplight. The shadows danced melancholically as he strode past the dormant remains of Akemi and Hinata's garden. Even buried in early December snow, warm memories of watching mother and daughter at work together emanated from the now barren space. Life was here, if only hidden by the shroud of the season.

He strode past the empty planters to the simple stone bench at the end of the garden. His fingers traced the cold stone. This had been the spot where he'd first laid eyes on her; this was the spot almost a year later where he confessed his undying love. It was also the same place he asked her to marry him. So many happy thoughts memorialized in a piece of stone.

He turned to the obsidian marker Hinata had carved with seven scratches, each one for a year Akemi had been cancer free. This year will be eight, surely a lucky number. Hiashi sighed. While he was glad Akemi had lived, the struggle of keeping the clan and his family together had taken its toll. His father had never liked Akemi, could never see past what the outsider brought with her.

He turned around and stared at the garden. When he had been a boy, this had been nothing but an empty courtyard in a frequently abandoned part of the compound – a place to keep outsiders such as the midwife who had been hired to look after Hizashi's wife, Yukio. While most of the clan treated Akemi with disdain, another hired helper, Yukio had treated her like a sister throughout her pregnancy with Neji. No one had been more heartbroken than Akemi when Yukio died shortly before Hinata was born.

Hiashi shook off the regret of family lost as he walked toward the main part of the compound. He turned back one last time to see the ghost of his younger self spying a glance at Akemi, hoping to summon the courage to talk to her the first time. There is hope in this place, even if it seems to be far away.

He resumed his walk past Hanabi's room. The room was dark, as was most of the house at this hour. Part of him wanted to knock on the door and talk, but the other part of him knew the words he had would be met with indifference at best. If only I'd paid closer attention to her when her mom was ill. If only I'd insisted father stay away from her! If I hadn't been too embarrassed to ask Kushina to raise not one but two of my daughters!

Hiashi walked past his regrets, walking past Hinata's room. She was still preparing to get ready for the night, having left her door ajar. Hinata sat at a vanity and brushing her hair. She wore the purple pajamas with cats on them; the one her mother had gotten her for her birthday last year. A trained shinobi, still a little girl! Hiashi had been surprised by the difference his eldest had made in such a short time – she had become a genin, she had survived her first mission, and she had earned an award for heroism. Her deeds hadn't silenced the elders; they merely forced them to be discreet. For the indifferent or the undecided members of the family, her acts only made it harder and harder to decide which faction to support.

"Father," her soft called, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, dear," he lied. Hiashi felt the weight of his guilt in his stomach. He wished he could send her away from the clan, wished that he could simply replace her with Hanabi and let Hinata live a normal life. He wished he could protect her from the negativity in this compound. But you can't, no one can. She is the future of this clan. Whether or not the clan has a future all hinges on her.

"Father, you look like you're ready to cry; did I do something wrong forgiving Sakura and Sasuke?" Hinata asked. Her look betrayed the fact that she expected him to say yes.

"No, you more strength than any member of this clan today, Hinata," he shook his head. "Your grandfather would have insisted on exiling them both, your uncle would have let them go back to the academy, and you sister…" Hiashi paused. His youngest would be eight this March, and Hinata would turn thirteen next December. Hanabi was precocious compared to Hinata at the same age, but she also displayed the malice of a mean teenage girl, a malice that Hinata couldn't summon.

"Father," Hinata looked down at the floor, "You mustn't say things about her," she looked up at him, "She is still your daughter and my sister."

"For once," he rasped, "I find myself wishing she was more like you, and not the other way around."

"Father," she stood up, walked over, and hugged him, "she won't always be this way. That's why it's so important that we continue to love her, just as you still love your brother and your father, even if you don't agree with them."

For a long moment, he embraced his daughter, letting a few singular tears flow. Even Hinata, who knew full well how bad the situation was still had hope for better days. If she can still dream, then so can you.

She released him, "Good night, father. I love you!" she said sweetly. "I love you, too, princess," Hiashi said. She reentered her room, sliding the door closed, giving him one last smile for the night. Finally, he continued on his way.

The Hyūga Clan leader's private quarters were plush despite their seemingly archaic, traditional design. Unlike the house that Lord Minato shared with his family, there was little modern in appearance. Even modern fixtures such lighting and electrical components were carefully disguised to look a generation out of date. Frozen in time, like most of this clan; at least the bathroom is relatively modern!

When he reached his actual bedroom, he was surprised to see Akemi dressed in a red silk robe, practicing diligently through a simple kata with the lights dimmed. For a long moment, he watched, saying nothing. When his wife told him what Kushina had roped her into ahead of the New Year's celebration, he thought it was an attempt at humor. But now, he knew that wasn't the case as he watched his wife go through combat drills. Something about her here and now took him back to when they first met. She had been so quiet yet so earnest. And so damn sexy!

"If this is a genjutsu, please don't wake me up," he chuckled as he admired his wife's form as she completed the kata. She bowed in mock salute before assuming a not so threatening fighting stance.

Akemi grinned mischievously as she locked eyes with her husband, "As if I'd need some shinobi magic to entrance my husband." She giggled playfully. Only now did he see her lips were red as the silk robes she wore, and there was just enough eyeshadow and eyeliner to make her eyes smokey and mysterious in the shadows of the low light in their room.

Hiashi was indeed entranced, much as he was the first time he'd snuck out of his room at night to make out with Akemi by the moonlight on their stone bench. His heart bounced like a scared rabbit in his chest as his mind wandered back the most irresponsible thing he'd done in his young life – fall in love. He was supposed to be the heir of the Hyūga Clan. He was supposed to be a good boy and marry the girl his father had chosen for him when he was only ten. But his heart knew what it wanted, and it wasn't some girl he had no connection with. He had rebelled against his father and followed his heart to Akemi. I think we can all agree it was for the best right now!

"What's wrong, sweetie, cat got your tongue," Akemi giggled as she slithered closer to him. Her arms sent shockwaves through him as they snaked around him.

"I don't ever remember you being this forward," Hiashi grinned as he kissed her, enjoying the cherry flavor of her lipstick.

"Never?" she smiled coyly in return as they separated. She began kissing along his neck, working her way toward his left ear. Hiashi's chest constricted as her tongue flicked along his earlobe.

"Well," he giggled as she tickled the inside of his ear. "I seem to remember a young couple that got in an awful lot of trouble one time?"

"Mmmm, what did they do again?" she hummed.

"They made love in an abandoned courtyard in the wee hours of the morning," Hiashi replied in his best husky voice, "and got in an awful lot of trouble with my father a few weeks later when they explained to him they were going to have a baby together."

Akemi stared at him thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side, "It was totally worth it!" She kissed him deeply. His hands began massaging her shoulders, skillfully pushing away the collar of the robe until it fell off her shoulders and onto the floor. His suspicions were confirmed – nothing underneath.

Hiashi didn't even remember stumbling to the bed, nor did he remember Akemi wrestling away his outfit – disarming him skillfully. In this precious moment, he was lost in her fiery passion more powerful than any genjutsu known to any shinobi. For at least a short time, the difficult challenges of the future didn't exist, and the sins of past were washed by the love they were sharing right now.

As they laid intertwined, basking in the ecstasy and afterglow of the moment, Hiashi's thoughts turned to his daughters. For all the terrible things he'd lived through and seen in his time – war, death, family rivalry – he knew his daughters had been the best things to come from his life. And they came from her. She was the best thing to ever come into your life. Hiashi held Akemi close as the first waves of sleep came for them. He'd never let her go, just as he promised on that wild night in the courtyard almost twelve year ago – the night they'd made Hinata, the night they'd become a family.