I thank my friend LexKixAss for letting me abscond her twins for my story. As always Naruto belongs to Kishimoto. Also, I've chosen to not have Iruka as their teacher in the beginning since, if his age is correct, he'd be between 17 and 19 when the kids start and it does appear the teams stay together into late teens. So he'll be joining in a couple years.
"Hinata, remember to stay with your escort and don't leave the academy without him. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Aunt Naomi," Hinata whined as her aunt zipped her jacket closed.
"And if anything happens you find one of your teachers," Naomi continued.
"Yes, Aunt Naomi."
Naomi held onto the edge of Hinata's jacket to keep her from running off to the boys waiting for her. "Maybe I should take you today."
"Come on Aunt Naomi, we'll make sure she gets there safe and sound," Osamu called from where he, Isamu, and Neji loitered.
Isamu nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we don't even need the escort for Hinata-sama. We'll take care of her."
"Maybe in two years when you're both genin we'll let you take Hinata out on your own, until then she gets an adult escort." Naomi kissed Hinata on the cheek and the moment she released her, Hinata ran to the waiting boys.
Hinata felt like she was going to burst out of her skin with excitement. She could only remember going out of the compound once or twice, and even that was a bit of a hazy memory. But this time she wasn't just going out into the village, she was going to the academy. Just like Neji and the twins and all the branch kids. Not that any of them would be with her, she reminded herself as she took Isamu's hand and the four of them (and her escort, Ko) left the compound. There weren't any other Hyuugas her age, so she'd be the only one in her class. As much as everyone told her it would be okay (Neji was the only one in his class, too), Hinata still squeezed Isamu's hand a little tighter at the thought.
"It's okay, Hinata-sama," Isamu said with a smile that eased her fear (a little). "Everyone's nervous on their first day at the academy."
"Yeah," Neji piped in, turning around to walk backwards in front of her so they faced each other. "Just don't think them staring at you is a big deal. After a while it'll stop."
"I bet Hinata-sama will be staring right back. They'll be as weird to her as she is to them," Osamu joked.
Hinata scooted closer to hide behind Isamu as they walked. They'd entered the commercial district and people hurried here and there while others sat at cafes or stood at food stalls chatting away over their breakfast. She'd seen non-Hyuugas before, when they came to talk with her uncle for official business, but never so many all in one place. She'd always thought the Hyuuga compound was huge, a whole world in itself, but here on this one street the only white eyes she saw belonged to the people walking with her.
"Are they going to be nice?" Hinata asked.
"Don't worry, you'll find some nice friends," Neji encouraged.
"But some kids are just jerks," Osamu warned, "so if anyone messes with you, you tell us after class. We'll fix it." The twins shared a scary grin Hinata'd never seen on them before. She turned to Neji for help but he just nodded along with them, though not with the scary smile.
"If she has any problems with the other kids Hinata-sama should go to her teachers," Ko corrected, giving a reproachful glance at the three boys.
"Right," Isamu drawled on for effect before sneaking a wink to Hinata.
"Come on, Hinata-chan, it's right up here." Neji snatched Hinata's free hand and pulled her out from behind her shield. He pointed to a large building and tugged her free of Isamu to hurry her forward. They stopped at the edge of the sidewalk and Neji beamed down, flourishing his arm out so exaggeratedly even the twins laughed behind them. "Welcome to the Ninja Academy!"
The building was huge. Bigger than anything at the Hyuuga compound. If not for the cliff side behind it, Hinata would've thought it was a mountain inside the village. She felt tiny staring up at it. And there were so many kids! Hinata didn't know what to think. Some were her and Neji's ages while others looked older than Isamu and Osamu, and none that she could see were Hyuuga. Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her jacket even as the smile threatened to break free of her face and fly away.
"Come along." Ko gently ushered her to continue in, Neji taking her hand for support.
Osamu and Isamu waved good-bye to the two smaller children and hurried in before they were late. Being in older grades they had to go to the upper levels of the academy. There were a few other adults sending their young children off, but none went into the building the way Ko followed her and Neji. Suddenly she felt completely out of place, though the fewer Hyuugas there were around her the more she wished Ko could stay with her the whole day.
They passed Neji class first. He gave her a hug and told her (once again) that she'd be fine before disappearing into the large classroom. They continued down the hall until Ko stopped in front of a door on the right and knelt down so he was level with her.
"This is your classroom, Hinata-sama. I'll be waiting for you and Neji-sama at the front door when your lessons are over. If for any reason I'm not there, you're to wait in front of the building for me. Even if Neji-sama or the twins say they'll walk you home, you're to wait here. Do you understand?" Hinata nodded. "All right, good luck, Hinata-sama." Ko handed her a small bento box for lunch and, with an encouraging smile, waited for her to enter before leaving.
Hinata took as deep a breath as her body could inhale and crossed the threshold. She'd entered a new world. Ascending rows of tables filled one side of the large room and a long blackboard lined wall to wall on the other. A woman who looked younger than her aunt and uncle stood near a podium centered in front of all the desks and welcomed them as they entered. There were fewer children in here than earlier but still more than Hinata had seen gathered together, and they all looked so different. Not just from her but each other, too. None of them appeared as terrified as she felt though.
"Get in," a boy called from behind Hinata and shoved her away from the door where she'd been taking in the scene.
"I–I'm sorry," she mumbled to the three boys now standing around her.
"Who stands in front of a door?" the middle one jeered, looking at his friends for expected laughter. He got it.
"Whoa," the one on the left leaned in close, his face twisting up like he'd eaten something gross. "What's with her eyes?"
"She must be one of those Hyuugas," the last one said. "My brother's got one in his class, said they're all snobby."
Hinata dropped her eyes to the ground and struggled to say something back, but all that came out was a frightened wheeze. She didn't know what snobby meant, but she knew the way he said it was bad. Suddenly the three boys scattered and a pair of adult feet came into view. When she looked up the woman that had been at the podium was smiling down to her.
"You must be Hinata," the woman greeted her, " I've talk to your uncle already. Why don't you go take a seat? We'll be starting soon."
Hinata nodded, but still couldn't bring herself to speak. She wondered if that was what Osamu meant by someone messing with her. At least it seemed the teachers really did help with that.
She stared up at the desks. Some already had kids sitting down, talking and laughing excitedly, and others were empty or had a few standing around waiting for class to start. Hinata made a special note of where the three that had 'messed' with her were and went to the seat furthest away. The table she found was empty still, so she took the seat next to the window. The cooling breeze that filtered in through the cracked window calmed her down again, as did the view of the training yards outside. So the day hadn't started well, that was okay. The boys had told her a few people were just jerks and not to let that bother her. She was almost relaxed again when a hand slammed down on the table in front of her.
"That's my seat."
Hinata's head snapped up and her hands still holding her bento shook beneath the table. The three boys from earlier loomed over her and blocked any chance of escape. She knew they hadn't been sitting there before, she'd made sure of it, but with all their faces glaring down at her, Hinata found herself speechless once again.
"I said, that's my seat," the middle one repeated with a twisted grin on his face. "Get out, or are the Hyuugas so special they can kick anyone out they want?"
'It wasn't your seat!' she wanted to scream, but all she heard was a tiny squeak.
"Are you dumb or something? Get out of my seat."
Lost and on the verge of tears, Hinata forced her way between the boys and ran to the other side of the room, to the highest, furthest desk in the whole class. She checked three times to make sure no one was going to take it before sitting down and forcing herself not to start crying. She put her hand to her mouth and ran her bottom teeth against her skin to try and calm down. A squeak really did pop out when a boy with a spiky ponytail sat down next to her. He eyed her with a confused expression before sighing and laying his head down on the table. That was at least better than being mean.
If everyone else just ignored her the rest of the day then maybe she'd survive. She wouldn't make any noise, wouldn't speak to anyone, she'd stay hidden in the corner until it was time to go home. That'd be good.
Hinata didn't like the academy so far.
"All right," the woman called everyone's attention and waved the last wandering kids into their chairs. Even the boy sitting next to Hinata sat up. "Everyone, welcome to the Ninja Academy. This is the first day in your journey to becoming shinobi. It's not going to be easy, but if you make it you'll get the honor to wear this," –she pointed to her forehead protector– "and serve as a shinobi protecting the village."
Excited murmurs filled the classroom, making Hinata feel even more like an outcast. She wasn't there to become a shinobi.
The woman motioned for silence again and continued, "I'm Akiyama Kiku, and I'll be here to help you on that journey, so feel free to come to me when you need to. Now why don't we go around and I want you to introduce yourself. You'll all be together for the next six years, so everyone get to know each other."
Hinata curled as far into the corner as she could move her chair. She wanted to hide, not have everyone's eyes on her. She gazed at the space beneath her desk and seriously contemplated ducking under and praying no one noticed her absence. The boy next to her didn't seem to care enough to tell on her, maybe.
Too late. The boy next to her offered an unenthusiastic wave to the class. "Nara Shikamaru."
And everyone was staring at her with their strange, colored eyes. She couldn't talk with three people looking at her; now her heart felt like it was ready to jump out of her throat.
"Go on," Kiku encouraged pleasantly.
"Hyu–hyu–hyu."
"She's the legendary stuttering Hyuuga," the boy who'd stolen her seat called and the whole class laughed. Kiku silenced them all with a heavy glare.
Hinata twisted her hands under her desk, her face bright red in embarrassment and sheer will not to cry. "Hyuuga Hinata," she finally managed to say, but so softly even Shikamaru beside her was straining to hear.
"It's all right, Hinata," Kiku said, though Hinata didn't know if it was to comfort her or simply so everyone heard her name. The train of names continued, but Hinata wasn't listening. Her head was swimming. She'd met a few members of the clan before that weren't nice to be around or who made her shiver when they looked at her, but nothing like these kids. If this was what non-clan was like, she didn't want to be here.
A shout from across the room broke through Hinata's frightened cocoon. A blonde boy stood proudly, one foot propped up on the table, one on his seat. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and one day I'm gonna be Hokage!"
The room burst into laughter as they had against Hinata, yet the boy held his ground. His blue eyes narrowed at the class. "You'll see! I'll beat up anyone that gets in my way!" The children's laughter only got louder.
Hinata watched the boy with awe. She wished she could stand up against all those nasty kids that way. No fear, no embarrassment, just confidence and certainty. It seemed so easy when he did it.
"All right everyone, settle down," Kiku snapped the classroom back into order. "Naruto, please sit down."
They finished going around the room without anymore fuss, and somehow Hinata had calmed a little since Naruto's outburst. It wasn't that she'd become braver –she still wished she could hide under her desk the rest of the day– but suddenly she wasn't alone. Maybe, just maybe, the day could get better. It gave her hope.
"Now that we all know each other a little," Kiku took command of the class again and returned to the podium to grab a stack of papers, "time for me to find out about all of you. A lot of you come from shinobi families, so I need to know what everyone already knows. If you don't know the answer to a question, don't worry, this is just for me, no grading yet."
She handed the papers off to one of the kids on the front row who passed them on. "I'll be assessing each of you on basic ninjutsu and genjutsu theory in this exam, and then afterwards we'll go outside and do some basic taijutsu. Remember, no grading so answer what you can and don't worry about what you can't."
Hinata stared at the paper Shikamaru gave her and a sick feeling swirled in her stomach. Hizashi had taught her a few things on there, and she recognized some terms from what the twins talked about from their classes, but that was all. So much focus had been on bringing her physically up to her age level they hadn't gotten to ninjutsu theory yet, nothing more than byakugan and that wasn't anywhere on the exam. Yet she could still remember Neji say he knew at least half of the exam they gave him on his first day. Shouldn't she have known some of those?
A half hour later Hinata handed back the exam that had only taken her five minutes to fill in the three or four questions she thought she knew. The only thing that made her feel a little better was that the boy next to her –Shikamaru– hadn't filled in anything. Kiku spent the next couple hours going over different techniques that they would be learning throughout the year and what each child would need to do outside of the academy to keep up. At least that part didn't scare Hinata. Hizashi already had her doing most of what her teacher mentioned.
Once a sufficient number of the children had spent the last ten minutes fidgeting in their seats, Kiku knocked on the podium to gather their attention once more. "All right, we'll take a short break for lunch then outside for some taijutsu."
Hinata was still too nervous to be hungry, but she knew from her training with her uncle if she didn't eat when it was time she'd suffer for it later. Shikamaru left to go sit with a slightly chubby boy with circles on his cheeks a row down from them, leaving Hinata alone at their table. Not that Hinata was disappointed, after all the teasing she appreciated being alone.
Her pale gaze passed over the room as she carefully unwrapped the bento Ko had given her. Everyone was talking and laughing away in small groups of two or three. Hinata didn't need those mean kids. She'd go home and she'd have Neji and Osamu and Isamu to play with. She was going to go back to the clan eventually anyway. She didn't need non-Hyuugas. A flash of blond hair flickered in her peripheral; well, maybe she wouldn't mind being friends with him. He'd understand. (If only his exuberance didn't scare her.)
The lunch inside her bento box brought a smile back to Hinata's young face for the first time since she'd entered the classroom. Two apple bunnies sat alongside a panda face made of rice and cut-up nori. Tucked behind the apple bunnies was a little note bearing Naomi's handwriting. "Do your best!" was all it said, but it made the whole day seem better. She missed her aunt and uncle.
"It must be nice being a Hyuuga," an all too familiar and loathsome voice heckled. The leader of the three boys (she hadn't bothered to hear their names; she didn't want to know them) sat down in Shikamaru's chair and eyed Hinata's bento. Behind him his entourage stood in silent mockery of her.
"Wow, my mom never makes anything that fancy for me," one of the other two said with a whistle.
"She probably has servants and stuff that make it," the leader dismissed, causing a frightened scowl to cross her lips. Her aunt had made it for her, Hinata was certain of it. She'd made a similar one for Neji on his first day.
"Ooh, I don't think she liked that," the last one sneered.
"I bet Hyuugas get better food too," the leader continued, obviously pleased by her reaction. He snatched away one of her apple bunnies and popped it in his mouth before she could stop him. "Yup, much better," he fumbled through the mess of half-chewed food.
That was all Hinata could take. She grabbed her bento into her lap and curled around it protectively. Naomi had made the lunch for her and they were stealing it. She didn't want to be around those horrible out-of-clan kids anymore. She wanted to go home. She should have listened to her uncle and never asked to come to the academy. It was an evil, mean place. Why did Neji and the twins love it so much?
"Hinata," her teacher called softly, scattering her tormentors back to their lair on the other side of the room. She knelt down next to Hinata's desk, a warm smile brightening her face. "Your uncle said this is the first time you've really been away from your family. How're you doing?"
Hinata didn't answer; she just poked at the orphaned apple bunny as tears threatened to overflow her white eyes.
Kiku gently helped her set the bento back onto the table. "You shouldn't let those boys bother you too much. Pretty soon they'll be far too busy to pick on anyone. It'll get better, I promise."
Still receiving silence, Kiku patted her hand and returned to the front of the class. Hinata stared at the happy panda face looking back at her and the lonely little apple bunny wondering when its friend was going to return. She couldn't bear to eat it now. In slow, sacred movements, she covered and retied the floral cloth around it. Not even her aunt's words of encouragement seemed enough anymore. She couldn't run away; she wasn't allowed to leave the academy without Ko, and he wouldn't be back until classes were over. Why wouldn't the day just end?
Shikamaru returned to his seat when Kiku called the class to order. Hinata didn't hear much of what she talked about, she was too busy dreading going out into the training yard. At least in the classroom those foul boys couldn't come near her while Kiku was lecturing.
Finally the loathsome words came out of her teacher's mouth. "Okay, let's go outside."
Hinata ran down the stairs to stand next to her teacher faster than any of the other children (even those in the front row). If she had to be out of her seat, then she'd stay as close to Kiku as earthly possible. Kiku smiled down at her, but Hinata could see something in the back of her gaze that she recognized from adults when they looked at children. She wasn't sure what it was, but she noticed it.
Kiku lead them out in a single-file line to the training yards on the side of the building. It was plain, semi-enclosed with a fence and scattered about with training posts or hanging targets. When everyone was gathered sitting on the ground (Hinata's tormentors thankfully at least ten kids away), Kiku asked, "So, has anyone already been taught some taijutsu from their families?"
Over half of the children raised their hands so –hesitantly– Hinata followed suit. Naomi always scolded her if she lied, even by omission. Kiku nodded to them all, pleased. "Wonderful. Why don't we have some friendly spars to see what everyone knows? Remember, today isn't about proving anything, it's just about finding out what you know."
She waved up one of Hinata's tormentors and a black-haired boy with a red and white fan design on his shirt to stand off in front of everyone. They nodded to each other before slipping into a strange stance Hinata had never seen before. She almost wondered more about it, but the spar was over in second, and to Hinata's delight, her tormentor was on his back.
"That's was great, Sasuke. Though I hardly expected less, being Itachi's brother. Your family's obviously been teaching you at home. Daisuke," –that was her tormentor's name– "that was very good, too. You have the basic form down well."
The two returned to the group and Kiku looked over everyone again. "How about Ino and Mia?"
A blonde girl and a brunette took the boys' place up front and slid into that same strange stance as the others. The fight took a little longer than the boys, but eventually the blonde girl managed to knock her opponent down and once again both were praised.
"Next, let's try Goro and . . . Hinata."
Hinata froze as she saw the leader of her tormentors stand and replace the girls now sitting down. Why would her teacher make her fight him?
"Come on, Hinata, why don't you show us what your uncle's taught you?" Kiku encouraged, a meaningful wink sent only for her. Her teacher was giving Hinata a chance to face her enemy, she realized. But Hinata didn't want to face him. Hinata wanted to run as far away from him as possible.
Still, everyone was watching and Hizashi had told her when she was out of the compound she represented the Hyuugas. And she had to represent them well. Slowly, Hinata stood up and faced off against her nightmare in the academy. She wasn't confident, not at all, but she tried to think of what Neji would do and knew he'd be brave no matter who he was sparring against.
Her opponent slipped into that strange stance the others were using and Hinata followed, dropping into the well-rehearsed starting form of her kata. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Pretend it's Neji-niisan. Pretend it's Neji-niisan. Pretend it's Neji-niisan.
Her tormentor's laugher broke Hinata out of her mental preparations. "What kind of stance is that?"
Hinata looked down at herself. Her form was right. Why was everyone laughing at her again? She searched her teacher's face for answers, but the confidence Kiku'd had a moment before was quickly disappearing.
"This is a good lesson for all of you who make it to becoming shinobi," she announced, reclaiming her certainty. "Not all families fight with the same style of taijutsu, so you may encounter enemies whose style you don't recognize at all. Hinata is from the Hyuuga family and they have a very specialized form of taijutsu called jyuuken. That's the form for jyuuken, isn't it Hinata?"
Hinata nodded her head furiously and tried to ignore the heat burning under her flushed skin. She might not have been as good as Neji, but she'd finally mastered her basic forms and it wasn't weird. Theirs was weird.
"There's nothing wrong with using different styles," Kiku explained. "This is good for you too, Hinata. Only Hyuugas use jyuuken, so you'll need to start learning how to spar with people who don't use it." She motioned for the two children to start.
Goro rushed Hinata before she'd even recovered from her confusion, and for the split second her focus wasn't set, instinct took over. Hinata deflected the punch he threw at her, but the strangeness of parrying a closed fist instead of the fluid jyuuken strike befuddled her. She matched his next strike; still, the difference from her normal spar pushed her back. Nothing felt right. Goro's fist came at her again. Hinata steadied herself to deflect it, but the strike never connected. Goro smirked, grabbed her hands, and pushed Hinata to the ground.
"So much for the fancy Hyuuga taijutsu," he sneered, returning to his friends victorious.
"Goro, that wasn't a proper spar," Kiku admonished.
"We're supposed to be ready for anything, right?" he countered innocently.
Kiku kept an cautioning glare on Goro before easing up and motioning Hinata to join the group again. "You did fine, Hinata. You'll get used to fighting people who don't use jyuuken soon enough."
Kiku called the next group up and everyone's taunting attention diverted from Hinata. She sat on the edge of the group, dirt on her back and tears in her eyes, willing herself with every last ounce of strength in her beaten and battered confidence not to cry. Not in front of them. Not in front of him. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hid her face against them, just breathing. One, breathe in. Two, breathe out. One, breathe in. Two, breathe out. Over and over she repeated it until Kiku had them all stand and run laps around the yard.
Kiku ended their outside training by having them all practice katas of this strange out-of-clan taijutsu. It felt unnatural to Hinata; it didn't move right with the way her body had been conditioned. She wanted to ask to practice her jyuuken katas instead, but that would only draw attention to her and, worse, more taunting from her three tormentors (if not the whole class).
The class returned to the room, slightly dirty, tired, and sore for those of who didn't practice taijutsu on a daily basis. Hinata just wanted the horrible day to be over with finally. It felt like she'd been trapped there for days and days with no chance of escape. As her teacher made a few last remarks and notes for the next day (which Hinata had no intention of coming back for), Hinata had her uneaten bento tucked securely in her lap and all her muscles poised to flee. Ko would be waiting outside and they could leave this awful place and never, ever, ever come back.
"And that's it for today. I'll see everyone tomorrow." Kiku words were a starting pistol to Hinata. She was the first one out the door, her little feet pushing her as fast as she could. She didn't bother stopping at Neji's classroom, she just wanted out, and the tears she'd managed to hold back all day poured without restraint before she even made it through the front doors.
Whatever pleasant expression had been on Ko's face to welcome her disappeared in a heartbeat when she grabbed his hand and yanked him away with all the strength she could muster. "I wanna go home! I wanna go home! I wanna go home!"
"Hinata-sama, calm down. What's happened?" Ko soothed, squatting down to see her on her level.
"I wanna go home!" she cried. Pulling and twisting in a vain attempt to be released so she could run away, back to the clan where things made sense and people didn't laugh at her because her eyes were white.
"Hinata-sama, please calm down. I'll take you home, but we have to wait for Neji-sama or he'll wonder what's happened." Ko stood up again and searched the sea of children for Neji, all the while keeping a firm hold to Hinata's hand.
Minutes passed and still no Neji. Had she been calmer she might have thought he went to her classroom to meet her and that was cause of his delay, but Hinata was far from calm. The longer she waited the harder she cried and the scarier that building looming over her became. They were supposed to be on their way home, not stuck there still. She tugged and squirmed to free her hand of Ko, but he was too strong.
Finally three pairs of white eyes settled on the waiting pair, but what Hinata saw back made even her hysteria pause a moment. She wiped away the tears clouding her vision and looked again. She still didn't know what to make of it; neither did Ko apparently.
Neji walked –or more accurately was being forcibly ushered– towards them by the twins, each of whom kept a firm grip on his shoulder. Splotches of blood stained Neji's shirt, the source of which was his nose, still bleeding as they walked.
"What happened to you, Neji-sama?" Ko gasped, handing Hinata off to the twins in order to wipe the blood slowly dripping from Neji's nose.
"We were on our way out when we saw him in the hall fighting with a couple kids," Osamu explained.
"They were making fun of Hinata-chan," Neji defended as sternly as a seven-year-old boy could. He looked at Hinata's tear-streaked face and glowered. "You shouldn't have stopped me."
Ko sighed and grabbed both Neji and Hinata by the hand. "Let's get you both home. Hizashi-sama's certainly going to have his hands full with you two today."
The walk home was not fast enough for Hinata, who cried the entire way despite coddling from both Neji and the twins. They tried to get her to tell them what happened, but she didn't want to remember it. The only thing that was going to make this day better to Hinata was her aunt and uncle promising she never had to return to that miserable academy.
When they were close enough to see Naomi waiting at the gates of the Hyuuga compound Ko finally released the children from his grip. Hinata burst away from them and threw herself into her confused aunt's embrace.
"Don't make me go back! I promise I'll do everything you say and I'll train really, really, really hard. Just don't make me go back!" She wept and clung to her aunt, not noticing Ko and Neji joining them or the twins silently slipping away.
Naomi petted her hair in slow, gentle strokes. "It's okay, you're safe here. You're home. Why don't we all go inside and get cleaned up and then both of you," –she sent a sideways glance at Neji– "can tell me what happened today? Ko, can you go see if Yumi-san is free to take a look at Neji. I'm sure Hinata would enjoy a visit from her grandmother, too." Hinata pulled back at Naomi's urging and nodded. Ko bowed and left them.
"Now then," Naomi wiped the tears from Hinata's flushed cheeks, "let's go inside and get both of you a bath. You don't want your grandmother seeing you all dirty and mussed up like you are, do you?"
She shook her head and sniffed away the last of her sobs. Naomi took the bento still in Hinata's hand and stilled a moment. She shook it slightly as if to test the weight. "Hinata, didn't you eat today?"
The tears flooded down her face again before she could even cry out.
Naomi bundled Hinata into her strong arms and took them both inside. At Naomi's instruction, servants gathered them up and whisked them off to be bathed and dressed while Naomi disappeared into a private conference with Hizashi, who'd come out at the commotion Hinata made. The hot bath helped, as did being home and Naomi's tender words earlier. Most of all it was knowing that those mean kids would never get near her inside the compound that finally relaxed Hinata.
Clean and dressed and no longer a blubbering mess of fear and tears, Hinata found Naomi and Hizashi waiting for her in the sitting room with a steaming cup of tea. She took the seat between them unsure of what the serious expressions they wore meant.
"Your instructor came by just now, Hinata," Hizashi started in a firm, yet tender voice. "She told us what happened today, about the boys who were teasing you."
At the mention of those awful boys the whole day's affair gushed out of Hinata in one long, frantic mass. "They were horrible and mean and I didn't do anything to them but they kept teasing me about being Hyuuga and they said Hyuugas are snobby and I don't know what snobby means but they said it all mean-like and they made fun of my jyuuken and everyone laughed at me and they stole the apple bunny Aunt Naomi made me!"
Hinata wasn't sure why, but the last offence was the worst and very nearly sent her into tears again. She took a drink of tea to try to quell the sobs before they came. Naomi pulled her into a half-embrace and rubbed her arm soothingly.
"You can't let what those boys said get to you, Hinata," Hizashi counseled.
"But everyone was laughing and I didn't do anything wrong!" Hinata whined. "Please don't make me go back. I'll do what you wanted me to. I'll train really hard here."
Her aunt and uncle exchanged a look Hinata didn't like. She wasn't sure what it meant, but it made her stomach twist just witnessing it. Naomi answered first, her voice gentle and patient, "Hinata, do you know why we agreed to let you go to the academy in the first place?"
Hinata looked between them confused. "I asked?"
Hizashi shook his head. "No, not because you asked. We sent you because you need to learn to interact with non-clan and you need to learn how to handle people who aren't nice. It's a part of growing up."
"But non-clan are mean and horrible. Don't make me go back," she pleaded.
"That's exactly why you need to go back," Naomi said. "Not all non-clan are like that, and you won't understand that until you go out and meet them."
"But . . ." Hinata gazed up at them with all the terror and horror that day inspired painted plain as day in her white eyes.
Hizashi placed a comforting hand on her head but didn't waver. "Hinata, even if they're mean to you, you must learn to deal with it. I'm not trying to be cruel, but the truth is that you'll one day be the authority of the clan and you'll have to face many people who don't like you and who you'll dislike. You won't be able to runaway then or hide behind Neji (and yes, he will be punished for that fight). You have to stand strong and proud against anyone, because how you handle yourself is how the Hyuugas will be. And the Hyuugas aren't weak and when we're frightened we stand up to whatever scares us, and so must you. You may not always be stronger than your enemy, but you must be better than them."
Hinata stared at the ground before her in disbelief. They were going to make her go back? It didn't seem real, yet their expressions were resolute and she knew no amount of crying and begging would change their minds. "How can I be better than them if I'm not stronger?" she whispered in defeat.
"By not letting them win," Naomi answered firmly, forcing Hinata's head up. "By going back to that classroom and showing them you won't be bullied into hiding and that no matter what they do you'll always come back, because they aren't worth your fear or your tears. You show them you can do anything you put your mind to and they can't stop you."
"But . . . what if they all laugh at me again?"
Hizashi pushed in her back and forced Hinata to sit up straight. "You hold your head up and let them, because you'll know that one day you'll prove them all fools for laughing at you. One day you'll be a great leader to this clan, and that's all that matters. But in order to be that leader, first you have to face things you don't like and people that scare you."
"I have to?" Hinata tried one last time.
Naomi kissed her atop the head and hugged her. "You do, and I promise it'll get better, but until it does, Uncle Hizashi and I will be here for you every day when you get home. And Neji will always be there for you."
"So can you do this us, for the clan?" Hizashi asked, not like an adult asks a child with patronizing patience, but like an adult asks another adult with serious expectations. He'd never talked to her that way before.
Wiping the unshed tears from her eyes, Hinata nodded.
Hinata stared at the bright purple wrapping cloth holding her bento as Naomi walked her and Neji to the compound gate where Ko was waiting. Naomi gave Neji a kiss on the cheek (which he promptly wiped off) and turned to Hinata.
"Do you want me to take you to class today?"
Hinata closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and shook her head furiously. She really wanted her to –she wanted to stay home and never see that place ever again– but she'd told Hizashi she'd face her fears and Hinata knew if Naomi was there she'd break down again once they arrived.
Naomi planted a wet, smothering kiss on Hinata's cheek until she giggled. "Good luck, Hinata. And you," –she leveled a cool stare on Neji– "absolutely no fighting outside of class for any reason. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Mom," he replied, though a tiny scowl was set on his childish face. He snatched Hinata's hand protectively in silent defiance.
"Have a good day," Naomi called as they headed out.
The streets were just as busy as the day before, with all those strange looking eyes darting back and forth and completely over-looking them. Hinata was beginning to understand that the Hyuugas were only a small part of the village, but that didn't make the majority any less unnerving to her.
"Where's Isamu-kun and Osamu-kun?" she asked Ko in order to distract herself from where she was going.
"They left earlier, Hinata-sama. They had something to do before class," he answered.
Hinata sighed and stepped closer to Neji. Having Neji made her feel more comfortable, having Neji and the twins was even better. The twins were bigger; she could hide behind them easier, and she really wanted to hide behind someone when the red and orange rooftops of the academy came into view.
Ko escorted them inside again, taking longer than before to make sure Neji entered (and stayed) in his classroom before moving onto Hinata's room.
"Good luck, Hinata-sama," Ko bid her off warmly. She wished she could see luck as easily as chakra with byakugan. If she could, she'd search out the mother lode and bathe in it each day before class. Taking a deep breath, Hinata opened the door.
"Good morning, Hinata-sama!" Matching byakugan eyes and hyper smiles greeted Hinata behind the door. The veins across their temples receded from the twins' faces as they knelt down to dwarf her in an over-exaggerated hug that left Hinata dumb from shock.
"We told you, Hinata-sama, if anyone messed with you, tell us," Osamu whispered in her ear.
"Neji-kun doesn't know the best way to screw with people, yet" Isamu agreed just as quietly. "You fight them and they come back for revenge. You've got to inspire terror in them to make them stop."
Osamu snickered. "And nothing inspires terror like matching byakugan gazes staring at you for fifteen minutes."
"Blinking in union," Isamu finished.
Before Hinata could even process what was happening they planted mirroring kisses on her cheeks in perfect time and called out loud enough for the entire class to hear, "Make sure you tell us all about your day, Hinata-sama. We'll be waiting."
And they were gone, leaving Hinata red-face and dazed amidst a sea of snickering children. When she finally shook off her surprise and slunk up the stairs to her desk in the corner, she peeked over at her three tormentors. They were all bruised up from their fight with Neji and avidly avoiding meeting Hinata's gaze. As much as Hinata was dancing inside that her tormentors might actually leave her alone, did the twins have to do it in such an embarrassing way?
Shikamaru sighed as she sat down next to him and rolled his head over his arms to look at her. "That's the reason my Mom isn't allowed to bring to me the academy."
"Huh?" Hinata blinked at him. Did he just talk to her?
"My mom," he explained, misunderstanding her confusion as a question about what he'd said, "she's either scary or so lovey dovey it's embarrassing. That's why Dad brings me. Overbearing families are so troublesome."
Was that really happening? He was talking to her – not laughing or teasing or being mean, just talking.
Hinata laughed. "Yeah, they can be."