Since that time, Hanabi had this strange feeling in her stomach, like an strange guilt eating her away from the inside. She thought about what her father had said, about what she had done.
"We don't need such a disgrace in our clan," he had said. Her father.
Their father.
She had felt it, at that moment. His sister had heard it too, and Hiashi hadn't bothered to hide his hatred. Hanabi knew her father had sensed it too, her sister, right outside the door. Listening, probably with some despair, as her family let her down as if her whole life was worth nothing.
Hanabi hated herself for it.
Because she let them do this, of course. She had been so proud of her victory that day that she hadn't thought about what it meant. That her sister would lose everything because she refused to beat a child, perhaps to death, for a simple title.
When Hanabi thought about the fight, she understood it, that Hinata should have won. She had had the perfect opening to strike, but she hadn't. Why?
Because they were sisters, of course. They had shared so many memories together, so much joy, pain, frustration. Hinata had refused stoop so low as to fighting for a title she didn't even want. Maybe there was some sort of rebellion behind it. Some sort of courage, because for once she knew she had made the right decision.
Her sister always had a terrible self-esteem.
That was her biggest flaw, everyone knew it. Because Hanabi knew that her sister was not weak. She had such determination in her eyes, sometimes! Hanabi wondered how she had managed to forget it, to believe that Hinata had been beaten by her in such a pitiful way because she was weak.
It was wrong, oh how wrong.
Hanabi was waiting for the day when Hiashi would realize his mistake. He would remove Hanabi from her throne the same way he did for Hinata, but she didn't care. Hanabi was only four years old, and yet carried the weight of the entire clan on his shoulders. That's why she wanted to see her sister smile again. Her who had carried this weight much longer than she had.
Because, despite appearances, Hanabi would still admire Hinata, who had been strong when no one asked her to be. Like when she was hiding to watch him train against cousin Neji.
After all, they were sisters.