Good day everyone. Random dragon themed one-shot.
This piece is dedicated to the fox with a fish. Cheers to her for the suggestion.
"What do you know about dragons?"
"They're big, scaly, four-legged creatures with wings who terrorized small villages until a virgin was offered up as a sacrifice."
His grinned again. "I do miss the virgins."
Her first memory of it went back to the time when she was but a child. Along with Hanabi and Ko, she had been playing a simple game of hide and seek within the grounds of the Hyuga castle. Ever looking to test their faithful attendant with better and better hiding places, the two sisters had stumbled upon an entrance to the catacombs beneath the fortress.
"I… I don't know, Hanabi. This might be taking things a bit too far."
"Don't be such a scaredy cat, Hinata. Are you afraid of the dark now? Don't you want to finally win once against Ko?"
Before Hinata could muster a response, her younger sibling darted into the dark tunnels. In the grip of the moment, though more afraid not to let anything happen to Hanabi, Hinata rushed after her. It only took a few panicked minutes to realize that she had not only lost sight of her sister but that she herself was lost amidst the sprawling labyrinth below.
"Ha-Hanabi! Can you hear me?!"
Nothing but silence. The walls and ceiling of the corridors were pressing down on her and the small lamp she had picked up before rushing inside no longer seemed adequate to keep the darkness at bay.
"Hanabi! This isn't funny! Say something if you can hear me."
This time, the stillness was pierced by the distant sound of wind. Full glad at the prospect of finding another exist to this maze, Hinata rushed towards it, only to gradually realize that the closer she got the more and more rhythmic it sounded – not unlike somebody breathing, though if this was the case, then whoever was doing it must have been a giant.
The narrow tunnel she followed eventually opened up into an immense hall that her lamp could not but illuminate the entrance of.
"Hello? Is anybody there?"
The rhythm of the wind broke and all fell into silence again, much to Hinata's growing despair. In response to her words, however, two lights flickered brightly into the dark – bloodred orbs followed her movement whenever she'd make a timid step.
"Can you please help me? My… My name is Hinata Hyuga and I-"
"HYUGA!"
A wave of chakra flooded the room as the terrible growl thundered from the creature before her, knocking Hinata down and breaking the lamp. The hall had not gone dark, however, and instead seemed to light up more and more. It took Hinata a few seconds to realize that the new light source was a terrible gaping maw, filled with rows of teeth as long as her arm. From it, as if barely contained, spilled forth embers and dancing flames, much like the oven in which her nan would bake bread every morning.
"HYUGA!"
The entire hall started quaking and before Hinata could find her feet, a stream of pure flame poured forth from the maw. In a flash of blinding light, the entire hall lit up with seals and barriers of varied colors, preventing the torrent of destruction from reaching her frail body. Within that cacophony of lights, Hinata caught a glimpse of her attacker. A monstrous form, covered in oily black scales that appeared to draw in and absorb the light around it. It stood on four legs, each one ending in claws that could rend flesh as if it were nothing. From its back, leathery black wings stretched forth to the corners of the hall, clearly stifled by the enclosure. From atop its spike encrusted head, the two eyes she had seen earlier were watching with what could only be described as hatred.
Its hulking mass moved with outstanding speed as it whipped its tail around, aiming for the girl. The seals in the room pulsed once more and the twin spears that made up the tip of its tail stopped a few meters short of Hinata.
"That is enough, beast." Hiashi Hyuga stepped forth weaving signs, and all the seals in the room erupted at once with jagged metal chains, coiling around and binding the creature down.
Then… all silent again.
[…]
The nightmares from that day lasted for years. Her father had refused to comment on what was kept in the debts below until the day she took up the mantle of leader to the clan. It was then that she found out the creature was the last of the black dragons – the most powerful and wicked of the elder wyrms. Only through the combined efforts of the Hyugas and the other dragon hunter clans was his despicable brood hunted to extinction. Though the name of the creature itself was long forgotten, in a twisted fit of irony, the ones who captured him, centuries ago, named it Sasuke – meaning 'The one who helps' – for it was their wish to one day tame the beast and use it to hunt down other monsters. In short, it was a weapon. No more, no less. Even bestowed such information, Hinata had been forbidden to interact with it, as the creature itself had devolved into a mindless beast, after generations of imprisonment. She would act as its jailer, just as her father had.
"You will carry a heavy burden, my daughter. As the head of the strongest clan, you will be the only one fit to bear it."
Hiashi held out his hand, and when Hinata took it, her entire body felt as if it had been dipped into molten metal. Shadowy coils erupted from her father, skewering her arm again and again. When the pain subsided, a black sigil marred her white skin, stretching from her wrist to the base of her elbow.
"You hold its key, now. My vigil ends, and yours begins."
[…]
It was yet several years later - when Hinata had grown into a woman - that she mustered the courage to go down into the labyrinth again. Throughout her life, for all the hardships of her training and all the burdens of leadership, the thought of the monster trapped deep in the bowels of the earth still haunted her. But now she was no longer that same, frail child. She had seen wars and taken life; hunted monsters not meant for the human world; led her clan to ever higher peaks of greatness. Today, she would face that fear.
She takes a deep breath and descends into the depths. With mastery of her doujutsu, the darkness does not bother her any longer, and within minutes she stands at the entrance of the hall.
"Sa-su-ke."
She spells out its name. The barrier of its prison is so strong that not even her eyes can pierce beyond it. The overbearing silence presses on her psyche and a wave of memories from her first encounter with it surges into her mind.
"I am Hyuga Hinata… Heiress of the Hyuga clan." Just like the first time, she expects her name to draw out its ire… but the hateful howl that woke her up during so many nights is absent. She swallows drily, trying to ignore the hairs rising on the back of her head. "I- I demand that you answer me!"
"You've grown, little Hyuga." The low rumble of its voice shakes her to the core. "I did not expect that squirt I saw years ago to survive the life of a hunter." The grinding sound of its scales scraping the floor of the chamber as it moves, is akin to a swarm of locusts taking flight. "But look at you now… standing before me. Making… demands of me." The dark behemoth raises a claw, dragging it slowly across the barrier, and the sigil on her arm reacts, sending short bursts of tingling electricity through her body.
"Y-you can talk?" She takes a step forward, not just a little surprised. "My father told me you were just a beast…"
"Hiashi… The man was wiser than most. How else could he quell the curiosity of his two daughters, if not by weaving a clever lie?"
"Will you talk to me, then? Tell me of your kind? Your story? The story of when dragons ruled the world?" Her emotions get the better of her.
Through the darkness beyond the barrier, Hinata sees its eyes open lazily, then hears its mass move inside the cage, testing its boundaries. The dragon brings his snout close to the barrier and presses on it, enough for some of the prison's seals to light up his entire head. He waits there for a moment, locking eyes with this upstart human, scanning her, judging her… then, without a word, shoots back around and slithers again into the shadows, letting his tail whip across the barrier, and sending another strong jolt of electricity up Hinata's arm.
[…]
Two days later, Hinata stood before the barrier again, with a single persimmon in hand.
"Sasuke?" She did not expect an answer, so was not discouraged when it did not come.
She placed the fruit on the floor and with a nudge, it traveled past the barrier and got swallowed by the darkness.
"What is the meaning of this, Hyuga? Your predecessors were at least smart enough to understand that poison does not work on me…"
"Wha- It's not poisoned! It's just a persimmon… I like them. They're sweet… I thought you might… like them too."
"Have you lost what remains of your limited faculties, human?" Much as Sasuke tried, he could not come up with a better explanation for the weird gesture.
"If you don't like it, you can just give it back." She chose to ignore his condescending question.
"No. It is mine now. And don't expect anything in return for it." A dismissive snort and the sound of his body retreating to the opposite end of the hall made it clear to Hinata that the conversation was over.
[…]
By her fifth visit, Sasuke had had enough of this charade.
"What is it that you really want, Hyuga? Is your life so boring that you must come and pester me with your presence?"
"I just want to understand…" Hinata brought a hand to her chin, mulling over his question. "And if my presence is so distasteful… why do you even bother to answer?"
He growled in annoyance, and a hot wave of air and smoke washed over her, ruffling her hair and clothes.
"Got some bite to your words… That's fine by me, princess. Maybe you won't be such a bore after all."
"Don't… call me that." Memories of her days as an apprentice, when her peers, jealous of her high-born status, used that word to mock her frailty popped into her mind.
"Struck a nerve, did I? Alright, then… princess it is."
Hinata crossed her arms in annoyance, then turned on her heels to leave.
"Where is my persimmon?" The question echoed after her. She had made it a custom to bring him one with each visit after the first time, despite his apparent indifference to the gesture.
"I thought you didn't care for them…"
"Maybe I just like to hoard them. Dragons are known for hoarding things…"
"A persimmon hoarding dragon…" For some reason, the thought itself brought a smile to her face. Still, she could work this in her favor. "If I give it to you, will you tell me what I wish to know?"
"Yes." Came a quick, stoic reply.
Full glad of the deal, Hinata immediately dug into her pocket and pulled out the prize. A few seconds later, the orange tinted fruit rolled past the barrier, just as its predecessors. Yet, when the long silence that followed became uncomfortable, she started to suspect deceit.
"Well…?"
"What? You may leave now."
"But you said-"
"I know what I said… And you have only yourself to blame for trusting a black dragon."
"You! You are…" All manner of insults rushed to the forefront of her mind, but she ultimately bit them back, when her better nature caught up with her.
"Goodbye, princess." Was the last thing she heard as she stormed out of the hall.
[…]
Her next visit happened a full week later. Hinata silently walked into his prison hall and rolled the fruit through the barrier.
"Just like that?" The low rumbling of his voice made the air stir. "No deals or incessant questions this time?"
"I am… sorry… for last time. You have been a prisoner of my clan for generations. I cannot imagine how it must have felt… all these centuries, trapped in darkness. It was foolish of me to act as if you owed me, of all people, an explanation." She bowed deeply, then turned to leave.
Crimson eyes fixated on her.
"Why do you care?"
Hinata stopped in her tracks and turned, chakra focused into her eyes. Despite her vision not being able to pierce the barrier, for a moment, she could make out the faintest figure of a pale man.
"My father described you as a weapon… A tool to be used when needed." She walked closer but the figure vanished. "The Hyugas branded the branch members of the family with a curse mark, and all heads of the clan were taught to use them as tools. Through the eyes of a person very dear to me, I saw the truth of such heartless traditions and vowed that when I became the clan head, I would forbid such practices. That change came too late for him… but I carry the legacy of what he taught me, still."
"A hunter with a conscience. Huh… Now I truly have seen everything." His laughter filled the hall. "I was right about you after all. You are the weakest hunter I've ever met."
"Why?!" The word passed her lips before she got a grip on her feelings. "Why is it weakness to strive for peace? To want to save life, instead of… instead of wasting it…"
The reply never comes.
[…]
He stirs from his slumber when an explosion shakes the castle's foundation. The seals on the walls come to life, lighting up his prison for a brief moment. Before long, an all too familiar sound reaches him – the noise of humans killing other humans. Another tremor follows, this one stronger than the last. Then, the roar of battle above him intensifies, pierced by the screams of the attackers and the wails of the dying. It lasts for hours.
When the dreaded silence he is used to inevitably returns, she stumbles into his hall, bleeding from her shoulder, and ragged of breath.
"It's… it's all gone…" her voice cracks under the strain of keeping her body upright. "The village… the clan…" She collapses to her knees in front of the barrier, tears streaking down her face. "Hanabi… Father… I'm so... so sorry."
"Hyuga…"
"But I can still save you…" Hinata's eyes shoot up, locking with his. "Set one more soul… free…" She summons the last vestiges of her strength and touches the barrier. The sigil on her arm flares once… then, the ink forming it peals away from her skin and evaporates in a cloud of black smoke.
The ethereal barrier that kept him imprisoned for centuries dissipates unceremoniously, and for the first time in his entire existence, Sasuke feels doubt. He could kill her right then and there. Snuff out the light of her life and reap revenge for the hubris of her predecessors… for all the indignities he has suffered at the hands of her kind.
Only one word comes to his mind as he watches her lay in a pool of her own blood, struggling to draw breath. She, who dared make demands of him. She who was the leader of his most hated enemy.
Weak… So weak… And yet…
She, who dared hope to bridge peace with a dragon.
"Over here! She must not be allowed to escape!" The voices of her pursuers drag him out of his own thoughts. They flood the room, weapons at the ready. Their vestments carry the marks of another clan. Rivals or betrayers…? It did not matter to him. Human politics were ever beneath his attention. But she did matter… and they would not spill more of her blood this day.
"Hunters…" The veil of shadow that kept him hidden even from Hyuga eyes melts away, revealing his monstrous form to the trespassers. "It has been too long since I enjoyed the simple pleasures of battle… Do not disappoint me."
[…]
She wakes up in the grip of strong arms… human arms. The one carrying her is a young man, his body and features sculpted in marble. Dark strands of hair dance across his face in rhythm with the icy wind. He looks down at her and she recognizes the familiar blood-red eyes of the dragon.
"Sasu-ke…?"
"Princess."
~fin
Hope you enjoyed it.