After Tobirama's departure Kurō pranced back over to Sei and rubbed his cheeks against her cold arm as she sat in the grassy dirt. She patted his head crying self-piting tears. Kurō spoke, "Did he hurt your feelings? Mother? If he did I will personally get revenge for you by trashing his room with the other village cats! I will poop on his bed, blankets and scratch up his paperwork!"
Sei started to giggle, "Kurō, There is no need for that... I am the problem."
"How can you be the problem? You always say that!" He growled slapping his tail on the grass.
"No, This time I am... Let's go home." She picked up Kurō holding him as she walked back to the village. At the bridge point Sei who did not pay attention to her surroundings collided with a stranger.
"You better watch where you are going, Vixen." Sei recognized the voice of Madara.
She placed Kurō on the ground. Watching her cat run off she said to Madara, "What are you doing out late?"
"Just taking a nightly stroll." He replied with a candid smile.
"Now a sleep deprived oaf? I'm guessing?" She noted with a sassy smirk.
"Hilarious... Having now encountered 'The Goddess Of The Reflecting Moon' here may have cured me of my sleeplessness..." He flirted standing with his hands rested on his hips.
"Goddess Of The Reflecting Moon? What do you see in such a reflection?" She moved her estranged hair from her eyes.
"A dancing and untouchable goddess clothed in a robe of fire." He mused eloquently.
She giggled wiping her tears away, "Luscious and descriptive."
"I can go deeper than that." His coy grin ensued a proposition of that same flirtatious vigor.
"Such would be amusing, however, I better leave before my family catches me talking to you, comes to the conclusion that we are having an affair, lock me up for the rest of my life or banish me." She said glancing around her.
He gave her an inquisitive look, "Your family would disinherit their most valuable asset because of her private inclinations? Foolish."
"Yes, Those who break the family rules of pure blood or prove incompetent
are shunned."
He nodded feeling a strange coldness, "What I'm saying is that they don't deserve you..." For a split second Madara's sharingan eyes activated and shifted into the darkness catching the sight of something foul lurking through the street behind them. He grappled Sei and teleported underneath the bridge. Fearfully Sei whispered to him, "A spirit... It must be searching for something."
"You can see it? Obviously, You have blessed eyes. No one else can perceive them and my clan doesn't have any concerns about it." Madara spoke to Sei who trembled and attached herself to him, Her toned arms hugging tightly around his waist. He waited for the spirit entity to pass and added, "You are beautiful when you are afraid."
He took Sei by surprise. She murmured back blushing, "Are you trying to seduce me?"
He sincerely rebounded, "I don't have the time or temperament to deceive a goddess. Such would be asinine and dangerous."
Sei took in his words. She noted weighing the pros and cons, "Honest and forward."
"Are you sizing me up? Seihana?" He teased pushing back her hair behind the ear.
"I'm done with all the insults... I just want to be..."
Without injunction he kissed her bittersweet lips. Taken by surprise scarlet faced Sei felt the urge to slap him on the face. Instead she put her own ego aside and gently returned an adoring kiss with many blessings bestowed onto him by her soft lips. Pausing the exchange between them, She lectured playfully, "Kissing a moon goddess is not a decision you should take lightly."
"Don't deprecate my affection you enjoyed profusely... It is pointless." He reflected caressing her back. Timidness overcame Sei to sensation of his fond touch.
"Forgive me, You kissed me. This is rather strange to me." She murmured. meekly.
He kissed her forehead and suggested, "With the dark disturbances... Maybe I should take you home with me for safe keeping..."
Sei explained taken back, "What? It's nice to be graced with affectionate hugs and kisses but I'm not going to have intercourse with you..."
"Intercourse? You are misleading yourself... I was thinking of a sleep over." He corrected her quickly.
Sei retorted firmly breaking away, "Still, Absolutely not. I would be taking too many chances... I must return home."
That night Sei could not get Tobirama and Yoshiyuki's words out of her head. Both men were right in what they said to her. Sei could not deny the truth. She had been lying to herself, hating herself and fearing what she should be fighting against. What she should be fighting for. She desired her life and her freedom from everything that was chaining her down.
"Seihana's absence should not come as a surprise... My twin sister was assumed dead for ten years... How can we be soo sure that she is herself anymore? Who knows what happened to her when she was with the onikage and the possible danger such a legend could bring onto the Hyūga. He may be after our secrets and is using her as an outlet for such a goal. She cannot be the next head of Hyūga. Such would be disastrous." Within the clan meeting room Daisuke spoke to the other members of Hyūga who sat backs straight and ears listening intently to every word he had to say. Most agreed with him nodding their heads. However the only opinion that mattered was his father's.
Shōten spoke his tone flat and joyless, "Who would be a better person for such a position? You? My son? Are the better pick? Or is this a personal rivalry with your sister?"
"It was you father who named me as next clan head after Seihana's assumed death. I had prepared myself for such a day my whole life. Is there any other choice?" He reminded his father.
"Do not test me. To solve this problem I call you to face your sister in a duel tomorrow. Whoever wins will be my heir... If that cannot be done with civility neither of you will be my heir... Such a position will go to your younger siblings Raikō or Suzume. Failure will result in Seihana and yourself to be condoned to live out the rest of your life's in silence." Shōten proclaimed laying down the hatchet or in this case his fan.
Sitting beside Shōten's wife Natsuki Tora watched as this was happening. She feared what may happen next to both Sei and Daisuke. What they may do to each other. Natsuki sympathetically rubbed her back and assured her without ever talking.
After the clan meeting Tora confronted Daisuke in the hall. She pulled him back, "What do you think you are doing? Sei is your sister!"
"Tora, You are the one closest to my sister. You must know everything about her. Is she fit to lead us?" He inquired turning to face her.
"What makes you think you will do any better? Sei might have changed since we were kids but she is still herself." Tora defended, "Though, I must admit you and her are not fit for the position. An insomniac drunk who has nightmares about terrible memories of his past and a woman with odd habits and a demon on her shoulders."
"Drunk? Thanks to you I don't drink anymore."
"Please let me take care of you... I want to help you." She clutched onto his wrist.
"We will be wedded on Wednesday... Wait until then." He gave her a wary smile and kissed her fingers.
"If you are still alive..."
"My sister is not going to injure me... She will refuse to and I will not seriously injure her."
"I have seen Sei in battle... I don't think she is consciously there sometimes... She might actually kill you... This may be our only chance."
He said before leaving, "Please come to my chambers at midnight."
Standing in the corner nearest to the grand door arch stood Yoshiyuki. He watched his cousins speak. His silence allowed him to be invisible amongst the passing Hyūga. Only Tora noticed him.
"I see you have returned... Have you spoken with Sei yet?" She moved on to his side.
"Yes, But I wouldn't say our conversation produced anything beneficial." He informed lazily crossing his arms. "She said something about suitors... Do know anything about these men?"
Tora somewhat revealed to Yoshiyuki, "Well, All I can say is that these admirers of Sei are not Hyūga. They belong to a few of the other clans and out rank you in every way. Style, skill, class, attitude and sex appeal. The one thing you have going for you is your engagement to her."
He claimed proudly hinting at his inner gloom, "I leave for five years and already men are trying to usurp my harpy-bride-to-be. Sei is a wonderful woman who doesn't realize how strong she really is. I have loved her since we were children. I may have bullied her but it was to mask that I liked her. There is a second thing these suitors do not out do me in is my wealth."
Tora did not believe him, "You are wealthy? Hard to believe."
He explained exemplifying his regal appearance, "I'm wearing the finest fashion, leather, carrying a silver cane, jewelry and a feathered hat upon my head. On my venture I found a hidden fortune inside a cave in the mist and started my merchandising company... I came back to marry Sei and to expand my trade here."
She simpered, "You resemble a ridiculous dandy... You went and became a pirate? Why? You had a comfortable life here?"
Yoshi concluded before strutting off, "A life none of my own... Since Sei will not have me... I'm paying off her dowry and giving her a monthly stipend in honor of her descendants and her own... Hopefully but unlikely may she find a man better than me."
Author: So I decided that I'm not going to rewrite this story. However I will rewrite/fix some of the chapters to have a more accurate portrayal. This story is slightly A.U. The only thing I will not include in this story is the curse seal the cadet branch members wear. I thought wouldn't ALL Hyūga have to wear the curse mark to seal away Byakugan when they die? To keep Hyūga secrets to themselves? Not just the cadet branch? Just because a C.B member sacrifices themselves by using the curse doesn't mean the M.B person is going to survive the battle anyhow and there is many other ways to make someone compliant other than cerebral torture like brainwashing. In this fan fiction the cadet branch is not a servant house instead is a sibling clan to the main. I will keep the usual clan social dynamics: All members follow a strict rule of purity, arranged marriages and obedience to their fathers, mothers, clan elders, guardians and lords, similar to a feudal hoisehold.
Though I must admit if the clans of Konoha were not soo keen on keeping to themselves and mingled together they would have descendants that even these moon alien gods would not want to fuck with. What I disliked about the Hyuga background was that the author seemed to change the nature of juken. Instead of a style that promotes organ failure it now depletes chakra? Depleting chakra would make someone weak but it doesn't kill them. In this fan fiction it will do both. Thank you to those who read this fanfiction. I will try to get the next chapter in a week or two. Thanks!
