Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I only own the plot of this fic.
Whoa, I'm about to actually finish a fic. The world is about to end…
Neji walked down the hallway, the scuffing of his shoes oddly loud in his ears. The other sounds, the people moving about, the clicks and beeps of the machines, were oddly muted, their quiet whispers anxious and fearful.
There was no one else in this wing of the hospital. If people were in critical condition, they quickly recovered and were moved to a lower floor or they died, passing on while their loved ones wailed and sobbed, the machine emitting a monotonous, high-pitched tone as their vital signs flat-lined.
The only patient on this floor currently held the record for being in this wing for the longest period. Previously, it had seemed impossible for someone to be in critical condition for more that two months. You were either about to die or you weren't. You couldn't just stay on the cusp of death for six months. Unless, of course, you were put in the hospital by your very angry and vengeful ex-older sister who also happened to be very knowledgeable concerning poisons and the human body. It could just be that Hanabi was strong and refused to die, but it was more likely that Hinata was cruel and wanted her younger sister to survive.
Sometimes living can be worse than dying.
Neji reached the end of the hallway and grabbed the handle of the door but did not enter. He could leave and say he had checked in on the girl; she couldn't tell anyone, and no one left really cared about it anyway.
But no, Neji was not like that. He would go in and sit and look out the window for half an hour as he had done once a week for the past 5 months. The Hokage might come to look in as the Hyuuga Case, as the villagers called it, was extremely complicated and intricate and was still being sorted out.
Neji twisted the handle and pushed the door open. As usual, he avoided looking at the bandaged figure on the bed, his gaze wandering to the single vase of flowers on the bare bedside table. He wandered to the chair in the corner and tried to find someway to pass the time.
The window looked out on the Hokage Monument, but Neji had gotten tired of the view within the first month. The room was a glaring white, bare and empty. The vase held two bouquets, both from the Hyuuga Clan. A get well card from Hanabi's class at the Academy was propped against the vase. Hanabi has made few friends in her ambitious quest to control the Hyuuga and become stronger.
The hands of the clock had only moved an agonizing 5 minutes when Neji heard footsteps in the hallway. Tsunade peeked in and flashed him a quick smile as she came in. She watched the monitors for a moment before speaking.
"We should be able to move her soon provided Hinata left no more surprises." Hanabi had seemed to recover twice already when a present left by her older sister sent he back to the edge of death. "She may wish that she had not recovered though. Hinata knew a great deal about the human body." Neji leaned forward with interest. This was the first time he would hear about Hanabi's condition.
Hinata had knocked him out, and he had awoken in the hospital with a lump where he hit his head on the ground and a few minor injuries from his battle with Hinata. Only he and Hanabi had been injured, and his were only superficial wounds. He had been discharged that day. Only he and Hanabi knew what had happened, and he only knew part of the story. He had related what he knew, and Ridou had confirmed that the council had wanted to separate Naruto from Hinata, although he had been unaware of the plan.
A month after the attack, a letter from Hinata arrived in which she confessed everything that she had done. She had learned the truth of Naruto's death when she discovered a letter in her father's study, and she had immediately begun to plan her revenge. She took full responsibility for her actions, and finally asked Neji's forgiveness. As the oldest daughter, she would inherit the position of head of Hyuuga. Her father had not changed that part of his will before his death. As she had left the Hyuuga, she named Neji as the new leader.
And that was why Neji had to visit Hanabi every week. As head, he had to show concern for the family members. Surprisingly, no one protested Neji's appointment as the new head. He was much preferred to Hanabi. He was the only one to visit Hanabi after her first week in the hospital. Apparently the golden child was no longer quite so wonderful without her father and the council's support.
And Hinata had thoroughly destroyed that faction. All of the powerhouses were out of the game; a new order could be established, and she trusted Neji to do it.
Technically, Hanabi could contest Neji for his position, once she awoke from her coma, but Hinata had acted against such a thing happening.
Tsunade told Neji the details. A modified palm strike had destroyed the chakra pathways around Hanabi's eyes, ensuring that the girl could never again use the Byakugan as well as frying her optical nerves to leave the girl mostly blind, although still able to perceive some blurs. Hanabi's internal organs were permanently damaged, and she would likely suffer from pain for the rest of her life. Her inner coils were destroyed and any attempt to manipulate chakra would damage them further as well as the surrounding tissue.
Hinata's knowledge of the nervous system ensured that the girl would never walk again. One leg was paralyzed, as well as one hand and the middle, pinky, and ring finger of the other hand. She had stabbed Hanabi in the shoulder and the hip, and then proceeded to heal both places sloppily. Hanabi would have a humped shoulder and drag a crippled leg behind her. A strike to Hanabi's ear may have deafened her, although they wouldn't know how much hearing the girl retained until she recovered from her coma.
Hinata had destroyed the girl's body and taken measures to prevent her from living any semblance to a happy life. Hanabi was crippled and weak and would be dependent on others for the rest of her life. No one in her condition would ever be able to live by themselves. It would be a miserable and painful life among those that disliked her and inwardly gloated that she got what she deserved.
At least in hell, one retained their sense and their bodies and knew that others suffered as they did. Hinata had condemned Hanabi to a dreary and disappointing shadow of a life on earth; Hinata's idea of a fitting punishment for a demon.
Two months after the Hyuuga Case, Neji slid open his bedroom door and promptly cursed as he tripped over a bundle outside his door and slammed into the opposite wall. Bouncing off the wall, the faltered for a moment before turning to glare at the baby that had begun to squall quietly.
'What the--' Neji's thoughts were cut off as Ten Ten appeared at the end of the hall.
"Neji, it's time to go. You're late and--is that a baby?"
"No, it's a rock," Neji said sarcastically. The baby fussed some more and Neji looked at it uneasily.
"For crying out loud," Ten Ten said as she watched Neji eye the baby warily. "Jeez, leave me to take care of things for you." She lifted the bundle and began cooing and making noises as the baby.
Neji rolled his eyes but was more interested in the letter that had dropped form the blankets.
Neji-oniisama,
I am sorry for all of the trouble I have caused you. This is the only able member of the main house, and I trust you as her guardian. Please take care of her and change the destiny that has always existed. I wish you luck and long life and hope you never live as I did.
Hyuuga Hinata
"This is Hinata's baby?" Ten Ten asked after he looked up from the letter.
"Yes." Neji stepped forward to look at the baby. It was only a few months old and had her mother's pointed elfin features and the family's colorless white eyes. It was appropriate that Naruto's daughter would help change destiny, Neji thought as he stroked the wisps of golden hair.
Oh my god, I actually finished. SHOCK Now I have to finish all my other fics --;. Hoped you liked it, and please review what you thought of it. I know I left a lot of open ends, but I wanted to leave it a little vague so you can decided for yourselves what happens. If you want a more definite end, say so in your review and I might make another short afterwards of what happens. Thanks for reading and not abandoning me when I didn't update.
Star Lily