Scarlet Justice - ep. 26
"Revisions"

I walk home, feeling bitter and upset.

"..."

I really hate to admit it, even a little...but there was something to what Lee said. I was frustrated, and I was using the fight as a bit of an excuse to pay Sakura back. But it wasn't just for fun...I was honestly trying to get her to learn something.

It all turned into a mess.

As I reach the stairs leading up to my apartment, I see that Hina is sitting at the bottom. She's staring out into the world, thinking of something. I know that she's been focused on training lately...

"Oh, Lili. I was...waiting for you."

"Hina. Is everything okay?" I ask.

"I'm fine. I just...wanted to see you. Um...do you think we could go somewhere together? For a while?"

"..." I'm not too sure. I feel tired and like I don't want to do much. But...I want to be there for her, even if I'm not at my best. This time, a compromise should work. "Come upstairs with me."

"Ah...?"

"Come on," I say, taking her hand in mine. We go up the stairs and I unlock the front door before opening it. The lights were off just now, so that means we're alone. "Luna isn't home yet, which means Midori-nee isn't here either. We have the place to ourselves for now."

"Oh...okay."

"Want something to eat? Some milk?"

"Milk is fine..."

I nod and grab a cold bottle from the fridge, along with a packet of sweet biscuits just in case. "Sorry. I'm going to take a shower...you'll be okay while I'm gone, right?"

"Y-yeah. Take your time..."

"Okay, thank you." I head to the bathroom, get undressed quickly, and turn on the water. It's ice cold to start, but refreshing all the way through. I needed this, more than I realized. I simply stand where I am and let the water fall over me for a while, before starting to wash thoroughly. Some of the stress from earlier is disappearing, and I feel much better as I turn off the faucet. After making sure my clothing is put away, I put on a bathrobe and head out to check on Hina.

The biscuits are on the table, but the milk is gone...I see that the door to my room is open. Heading in, I see Hina with the milk bottle in her hands, staring at the bookshelf that consumes the far wall of my room.

"That's where I keep all of my stuff," I say, making her jump a bit. "Don't mind me."

"You didn't seem yourself earlier," I hear her say from behind me. I rub moisturizer into my skin and sort through my underwear drawer before finding what I wanted.

"I had a fight with Sakura earlier. It didn't go well."

"Didn't...go well?" she asks, confused. I see her head turn towards me before she pulls it back, blushing. "Did you...lose to her?"

"I beat her soundly. It's just that some child named Rock Lee wanted to play as a knight, and then Sasuke was there...I feel like I tried to do the right thing, only to have everything tumble down again. It felt like I was back at the Academy."

"I'm sorry..."

"Thank you, Hina. I'm simply tired today...but please, don't take it the wrong way. Whatever you need, I'm here for you," I say as I finish getting dressed. A light shirt and bottoms will work for the evening. I have no plans to head out after this.

"Yes. I'm thankful for that, Lili...um, why did you two fight? She's not...on our level, I mean."

"I know. It was her request. Everything that happened was really her fault, from bringing people along that didn't need to be there, to being stubborn and obstinate, to...just a lot of things."

"I see...I'm sorry again that it didn't go so well. I don't think Sakura is a bad person, either..."

"I feel the same," I say as I stand beside her. "But that doesn't mean I have to like her."

"It doesn't, no. What I see with her...I think, based on her relationship with Ino, she's the type of person that will get sucked in. To more easily cope, I mean. The type of person who thinks that if they work hard enough and apply knowledge, they can fix a situation...or a person." Hina takes a sip of her milk. "It's noble, I think...that sort of thing. Certainly better than being cowardly like I was."

"Her family clearly treated her better," I point out.

"Yes, but...still. It's something good in her, but it's also a weakness. Rather than...the type of person who has enough will to pour our love freely, like you and your elder sister can...she will use herself as a means of healing. It presents a danger if...if that person ends up using her until there's nothing left."

"Referring to Sasuke, then."

She nods. "Yes. I don't think he is purposely hurting her. From the last mission, he looks different. But he is also fearful...somewhat of you. It's tragic, I think. This sort of thing that is nobody's fault, but still hurts so badly. And even if it isn't anyone's fault to start with, this harmful cycle is continuing because he wills it. I...won't abandon you out of compassion for someone else," she says as she looks at me. "I love you too much for that. And you have given me too much for that."

"Thank you, Hina. I love you, too."

We give each other a smile before she returns her attention to the bookshelf. "It's really big, Lili. There are...sections, I can see. Is that right?"

"Yes. Furthest right is where I keep my manga collections. Left of that are the videogames. Left of that is the light novels, and the left of that is the section with long form novels. I have non-fiction in its own section next to it, and then all of the academic material and shinobi stuff."

"That's the biggest section. You really do take it seriously..."

"There's an art to the things I like to do, and much to read so that I can properly experiment."

"Ah." Her eyes fall on a small section furthest left. It's locked and has a door over it. "What's...over there? Furthest left?"

"That's secret," I say. "There are...things inappropriate for little girls in there."

"I-is it...lewd?"

"Not necessarily, though that might be part of it. Secret...personal things," I say quietly. "Dark things. Things I want to keep hidden away for a while, even from my loved ones." I run a hand through my hair. "Not even Luna knows what's inside, and she hasn't asked."

"I...I see. I understand, Lili. I'm sorry if I was too pushy."

"No, no...it's fine, Hina. You were curious. It's natural to want to know. Perhaps one day, I'll show you everything in there..."

"I can wait until then."

"Good." I smirk. "Besides, all the lewd stuff is in plain sight anyways."

"A-ah?" Hina fumbles her bottle a bit and I laugh softly. "Lili...you really are, sometimes..." She frowns and pouts at me a bit. "I don't really understand it. You're a bit..."

"What? Perverted?"

"Maybe that's not the exact word I want to use..."

I shrug and steal a sip of her milk. "My stepmother flaunts her body all the time, and she's probably sleeping with the help. Luna is in a relationship with Midori-nee, and they both have pretty great bodies. I don't know. It seems inevitable that I'll get worse from here on, with those sorts of influences."

"That doesn't have to be the case...I think."

"I think it's too late for me." I pat Hina on the head. "You can remain pure, though. I just hope I'm not too much for you to deal with."

She smiles. "Well, it's...a little racy at times, but I don't mind. I'll always love you for who you are, Lili."

"I'm happy to hear that. So...you wanted us to go out earlier, and I decided to pull you up here instead. What did you want to do, Hina?"

"I really wanted to talk...more than anything. And ask something of you."

I take a seat on my bed and motion for her to follow. She sits next to me and takes a breath in.

"So, what is it you need?" I ask.

"I...I know that you have your own things to take care of. But I was...wondering if you would...h-help me with training."

"Help?" I make a face. "Hina...your specialty is taijutsu, and you make use of a bloodline limit. Not only do I not have a Byakugan, taijutsu is one of my weakest areas. No matter how bad you think you might be, I'm worse."

She looks at me with surprise. "Weakest? But...you move so gracefully and you're so quick, and..."

"I offset that weakness with my speed and chakra control, yes. Which is something that Sakura also did well earlier today. Otherwise...I'm not very good in a straight fight. If we went head to head with taijutsu, you could beat me as you are now."

"I don't..." She shakes her head. "E-even if that is true...I...want you by my side..."

"Listen, I don't think I would be much help-"

"I just think...I think that if you were nearby, I would have some extra confidence!" she suddenly says. "Ah...I meant...I just meant that..." She hangs her head. "Sorry. I..."

I wonder what it is I'm doing. I said that I would help her, didn't I? I said that I would listen, and...did I suddenly lose confidence after things slipped out of my hands earlier today?

I need to focus. Believe in myself, like I said I would. Maybe I'm not good enough to help directly with taijutsu, but I can still do something. I can still help my sister grow. It will cut into the time I have to learn the chakra mode...but Hina has shown me resolve. With that, and such a cute face, how can I possibly turn her away? No, I'm going to find a way. I can be honest with her, and do it for sure.

"Hina, I'm sorry. I don't think I can help you all the way with your training."

"I see...y-you're probably busy with something important..."

I nod. "I'm learning a new jutsu. I'll have to do it on my own, and it'll be tough."

Hina puts her hand on top of mine and nods. "Please...do your best, Lili. I'll be thinking of you."

"Don't talk like that. I'm not abandoning you, Hina. We're going to work together, and help you grow. Just like you wanted. I've been watching you the past few weeks, and I know that your family has left you to work on your own. So we're going to start a new journey together. Encouraging one another as sisters."

"Yes...that sounds wonderful," she says with a smile. "We...we can start with exercise. Together in the mornings before we meet with Kurenai-sensei and Shino. Would...that work?"

"I'm used to getting up early by now. That would be fine."

"Good...that much will make me happy. As long as I can spend time with you, I can work hard. I want to make you proud."

"Your specialized training will be more effective without me," I say. "For that, you need to look inside of yourself. But...Midori-nee taught me a bunch of things that I do on my own already. We can train your footwork. It connects to what you've learned as a Hyuuga and should help. Also, extra things to do with flexibility, and..."

We spend a while talking about possibilities. Hina talks to me about her fighting style and I adjust each idea I get for her sake. The beginnings of a training schedule are in place.

"Anything else that you can think of is fine with me. Lili, thank you."

"It's no trouble. We can start tomorrow. Let's do laps across the village."

"Yes. I'll be ready, then." She smiles and gives my hand a squeeze. I smile and squeeze right back.

The next morning is where it all begins.

Hina's stamina is a bit on the lower side. I don't get much out of the run this time, but she's encouraged to go further with my presence. The time at the Academy comes back to me, with our first partnership. That run through the obstacle course which turned into our friendship.

I really do need to stop coming down on myself. I can be useful to her, just like this. I always have been. Now it's time to help her grow, and become strong like I am. Midori didn't just love me, she trained me and helped shape me. It's my turn to do the same.

Kurenai moves around the D-Rank missions that we're still doing so that they're occurring daily, and are more spread out. This means that we have something every day of the week, but that's far from bad because it leaves more time to train as a result. I can work on the chakra mode every day before taking time off.

"Routine and endurance," Kurenai says before each mission. A test, meant to make us stronger. Managing time and resources, growing as people.

Shino's bug constructs are improving. He seems friendlier now that we've spent so much time together. Definitely taking more pride in the team.

We finish working on substitutions during the week, and he takes time out to talk to me.

"Hinata is growing a bit, I noticed."

"Oh?"

"She seems to be finding herself. Improving, I would say."

"She is," I say to him. "Please watch over her...she does push herself too far sometimes. Her desire is to escape her family's shadow."

"I see. That's...a strong want." He focuses on me. "You're working on your own technique in the meantime."

"I am. Unfortunately, I can't show you the results just yet."

He nods and adjusts his glasses. "Understood. For the sake of my comrades, I'll have to evolve as well..."

I smile and take a sip of water. Shino's a funny sort of guy, but reliable. I'm glad he's with us.

Weeks start to pass. Kurenai throws wrenches into the routine to keep our minds active. I continue running with Hina in the mornings, and she is becoming stronger with each passing way. When she exhales, there is weight on her breaths. She can keep pace as I increase my speed a bit each week. We share a sort of serenity during our runs, where it seems like there's nobody else in the world around us. Our stretches improve her flexibility, too.

All of that hard work has made her first attacking step much faster than before. And to a Hyuuga, that's quite a big deal. Kurenai says as much during our observations, where Hina practices her Gentle Fist forms.

"That's really fast. Even for their clan."

"Really, now."

"Neji is...definitely an outlier, especially for a Branch House kid. A real genius like you. Hinata has really changed." She smiles at me. "Lift your head a little, okay? You've done a better job than even I could."

"Kurenai. Don't fill my head with nonsense."

"Oh, shut up."

"Your training is important, too." I watch Hina move gracefully across the field, breathing in and out in time with her attacks. "She's determined on all fronts. I might be a good motivator, but I'm not the best teacher."

"You don't need to be. You just need to be Lili right now. The rest will come later."

"And if it doesn't?" I ask.

She shrugs. "You'll be like Kakashi. That's a compliment, by the way."

I think of him and his orange book. Well...she's not wrong to call it a compliment. If I can grow up with that level of restraint, I'll be happy.

"Thank you, Kurenai."

"Yeah. Lili...I'm here if you need anything. On and off the field. Life isn't easy, and I know how much a good adult can change your world."

"That's true. I'll be sure to reach out, nee-san."

"...yeah."

Hina completes her drills, and bows towards the three of us. We clap for her, and she gives us a beautiful smile.

Something that I will always fight for.

"Lilith."

It's today while shopping for for frozen treats that I hear her call to me. Today is an off day for Team Eight, and it's warm out. I want to have a day out with Luna and treat her a little bit, as I usually do. She's surprised me in the same way, though our schedules don't always line up properly. It's still nice to do with the limited time that we get.

"Sakura." She's wearing her regular outfit, which means it must have been a work day for her and the others.

"I wanted to talk."

"About?"

"The other day. What you said. What I said."

I move away from the frozen dessert section and into a more open area, then gesture for her to speak. I might as well entertain her attempt at conversation.

"I didn't want Lee to interrupt. I didn't want any of what happened to happen."

"But you created the conditions. Right?"

"...I did. I want to apologize for that. But at the same time...at the same time, you really went too far. Sasuke...Sasuke risked his life for us when we went to Wave Country. I thought...I really thought he died. And Naruto did, too. I don't think of them as bad people, especially Naruto. I just..."

"Slow down. Gather your thoughts," I instruct. She nods and takes some more time to think.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Continue," I say patiently.

"Sasuke...you should give him another chance. Try to be nicer to him...please, hear me out when I say this."

"You have the floor," I say. "Continue."

"He's not...the person you think he is. He's not violent or bad or anything like that, he's just...alone. And scared, just a bit. Like I said before, he really did his best at all times to protect us. That's why I got so mad when you bad mouthed him, and said all of those things about him. Maybe I'm not as good as you, and maybe I am weak, but Sasuke...he deserves better. I thought that you knowing that might...change some things."

"..." I look at Sakura, processing what's she said. It's all sincere, but...nonsense to me. I don't care. I don't feel anything. Sasuke being hurt, almost dying...experiencing what I did, and still choosing to act that way the other day. That makes it even worse. Why would she...?

She's the type of person to get...sucked in.

Hina's words come back to me. I think I understand...this is how she's expressing her love. Trying to fix someone wounded with the strength of her support. Figuring that this is the best she can do, even if that might not truly be the case. Kakashi has been looking at this, too. It's a hard web to untangle. I feel sorry for her.

I don't feel anything other than that.

"What does he say about this?"

"Huh...?"

"Sasuke. What has he told you about our relationship?" I ask.

"..." She looks towards the ground. "He's...he hasn't..."

"You don't need to say anything. I understand. Let me...tell you what I said to him, the day I rejected his fake apology." I reach past her and open the door, grabbing a bucket of ice cream. "I told him that the only way he could pay me penance is by spilling his blood at my feet. Do you understand why I said something like that?"

"It..." She gathers herself and raises her head. "It was...an accident."

I stare at her for a moment, making her wonder what I'm actually feeling. With a finger, I push the freezer door closed, and glance at the label to make sure I have the right product.

"Yes. Of course it was. Take care, Sakura."

"Lilith-"

"I really should be going. And you should go too. Please understand," I say clearly. "Until the next, Sakura."

She nods and backs down, then turns and walks away. I head to the counter, pay for my ice cream, and head home.

"..."

I wonder how Naruto is doing. He should appreciate these sorts of outings...I'll make more time for him on my schedule.