Note from the Author: Hey, everyone, sorry I haven't updated. I've had tonsillitis, but in my feverish delirium, I have two more chapters written out in my head – I just need to get them down on paper.
The bluest summer skies cloudless in your eyes …
Lately, Hinata found eating at home about as pleasant as tooth decay.
She was currently stabbing lasagna and pushing it around on her plate, watching the marinara sauce ooze through the prongs of her fork and thinking it looked like vaguely like blood. It made her stomach turn. "May I be excused?" she asked suddenly, already pushing back her chair.
Her father looked up. "Sure."
Hinata stood, picking up her plate and taking it to the sink.
"Don't worry about it, baby." Her mom said softly. "I'll take care of it."
"Thank you." She whispered, leaving the plate and running up to her room.
The table was quiet except for the dull clink of silverware on china. Hanabi was lightly but rapidly tapping her knife on the edge of her plate, her leg bouncing spasmodically in the near-silence. Finally, she burst. "You two are so horrible!" she exclaimed, standing up so fast her chair fell over.
Both her parents jumped. "Hanabi, what the hell is wrong with you?" her father said, standing up too so that he could look down on her.
"What's wrong with me?" Hanabi gave a bark of disbelieving laughter. "You're the ones more worried about reputations and 'right and wrong' than about your daughter's happiness!" she leaned on the table, glaring forward into her still-sitting mother's face. "Did it ever occur to you guys that loving someone is right, no matter who the person is? Hinata-nee-chan was so happy all the time because Neji-nii-san loves her. I can't believe you would want to take that away!" she shook her head, walking away. "You guys disgust me."
They listened to her angry footsteps ascend the stairs, staring down at their plates. Somehow, food didn't seem so appealing when both daughters hated them.