Notes: Halfway through. :) If you're wondering when the mystery will be revealed, I think its around chapter 20. Thanks for sticking with me.
Enjoy!
oOo
Day 13 Prompt: Kyoka suigetsu (Japanese)
"Subtle and profound beauty that cannot be described in words."
"So. Sasuke." Fugaku set down his chopsticks. "I hear you've been talking to the Hyuga heir."
Sasuke raised a brow. "Hinata?"
Mikoto brightened, mouthing 'Hinata' to herself silently. Izumi looked up from her food, expression perky. Itachi sighed through his nose, knowing an argument would soon ensue.
"No." Fugaku pointed at his younger son. "No. We are not calling her by her first name. Nope. Stop that."
"Stop… saying her name?" Sasuke drawled.
Mikoto mouthed the Forbidden Name again.
Fugaku pointed at Mikoto. "You, stop that too."
Mikoto raised an eyebrow at her husband. He cleared his throat, realizing the fine line he almost stumbled over. He turned his attention back to Sasuke.
"Why are you hanging around her?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She was literally in my genin class. She's friends with all my friends. Why am I suddenly not allowed to be in her vicinity?"
"Because," Fugaku spat, "the Hyuga are fickle. You can't trust them. Look at what they did to, to her in the first place. They said she was too weak, so they deposed her as future Clan Head. Then, once she became jonin, they changed their minds!"
Sasuke groaned loudly, realizing where this was going.
"They're obsessed with power," Fugaku continued.
Itachi patted his mouth with his napkin. Everyone else except for Fugaku straightened. However, Itachi only put his chopsticks on their rest, seemingly content to let his father to further dig his grave. Three pairs of eyes ping-ponged between the two men avidly.
Fugaku just increased his volume. "They pretend they're high and mighty, but they would 'corrupt' their dojutsu in a second if they thought it would help them! They're infatuated with strength. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they're just trying to get Sasuke for his Sharingan!"
Sasuke wondered in a different life if he would like his father. But his father was a politician, and sometimes politicians went to strange extremes because they could justify anything in the name of protecting people. Maybe if they lived in wartime, Fugaku would be a great general. But now, in peace, he just seemed like a crackpot.
"Father-in-law," Izumi said, struggling to keep a straight face. "Are you saying that the Hyuga are trying to get ahold of Sasuke for… for breeding purposes?"
Oh geez. Sasuke forgot Izumi also had a parent who was not an Uchiha. He was glad she seemed more amused by it than offended.
"Yes!" Fugaku exclaimed.
"I think Sasuke and Hinata would have very cute children." Mikoto patted Sasuke's hand. "She's a very beautiful woman."
"You cannot be serious," Fugaku spat.
"Father," Itachi finally said. The silence that fell felt heavy and suffocating. "I think it's very interesting that you feel that way about the Hyuga."
"… why?" Fugaku asked suspiciously.
Itachi shrugged a shoulder carelessly. "We should find it admirable that such a proud clan was willing to admit they were wrong in such a public manner. They could have refused to reinstate Hinata to save face."
Fugaku frowned at the Forbidden Name. "She's not even that good a shinobi! Her sister and cousin would be a better fit. Especially with their obsession with strength. This is all just a ploy."
Sasuke bristled. He knew, however, that he did not need to defend Hinata. His brother would take care of it.
Itachi's face did not move out of its blank façade and his chakra did not flare with killing intent. But something, something changed. Maybe his irises adopted a maroon sheen. Maybe Itachi's brows lowered slightly. Maybe a muscle ticked in his jaw. Whatever happened, Fugaku blanched.
Fugaku was not the strongest person in this clan. Or even in this room.
"Hinata-chan, might not be the strongest Hyuga shinobi. However, her compassion, loyalty, and empathy are unmatched in the entire village. And there are no better traits for a leader to have. You'd do well to remember that."
Fugaku spluttered. He looked to his wife for help because she was the only one who could make Itachi stand down.
Mikoto narrowed her eyes at her husband. "Eat," she ordered coldly.
Fugaku shrank into himself. Mulishly picking up his chopsticks he muttered: "Yes, dear."
Izumi exchanged a smirk with Mikoto. Itachi picked up his chopsticks from their rest on the table and continued eating. Sasuke forced himself to do the same.
oOo
Hinata heard someone settle onto the tatami next to her futon. As her eyes were covered, and the lights off, she could not look. But she knew the chakra signature. Shino, his own chakra radiating warmth in the far corner, left the room. The third person stayed.
"Hinata," Hiashi, the newcomer, whispered in a low, mournful tone.
She forced a smile. "I'll be okay."
"No," he bit out without raising his voice. "This is not a noble sacrifice. This is suffering without a purpose."
Silence fell for a second.
He spoke again. "If you volunteered because you felt like you had to prove something…"
Hinata made a noise of protest. "I am secure in my position. But it's the fact that you deposed me as heiress that made me determined to see this through."
"Explain."
She breathed in slowly to fortify herself. "I spent time with our Branch members doing everything from the laundry, to the cooking, to gardening, and taking care of children. And what I observed, is that the Branch does not trust us. The unsealed."
Hiashi hissed.
Hinata continued before he could interrupt her. "They think we're only looking out for ourselves and that we only care about our power. If we made Neji be the first, the Branch would see it as confirmation. It could not be Neji. We would have made him a martyr and lost the Branch forever. It had to be you or me. And the elders would never allow you to put yourself at risk."
She sighed. "But me… They'd let me."
"What about Hanabi?"
Hinata chuckled. "I'd never let Hanabi go through this."
Hiashi shifted in his spot, the rustle of clothing giving him away. "You'd be the scapegoat?"
"Everyone expects me to be the scapegoat. If I come out of this healthy, then it will be a win. If I lose my sight, it would surprise no one."
"I don't like the way you're talking," Hiashi growled.
Hinata wished she was not in pain so she could face her father. Present a strong face, instead of this weak one.
"The elders are willing to sacrifice me because they have two other options as replacements. I'm willing to sacrifice myself because there is no one who can my place. Not with this."
Her father's chakra boiled in agitation. "I cherish you as my daughter. As my heir. You should not talk this way about yourself." His voice raised in volume, just a bit.
Hinata thought about being in the kitchens. When she learned how to use a nutcracker, and a pick. That day, she realized everything could be useful. She also concluded that if she could not achieve her goals one way, then she could use tools instead. It was not cheating.
"Father," she rasped. "If I make it. If I win, it will be okay."
"Why?" He sounded almost overcome with emotion, which surprised Hinata.
"If I win, this will all work out. The Branch will trust me."
"…Why?" he whispered.
Hinata thought about the days spent picking thorns out of the thin skin of her elder cousins' fingers and palms after gardening. Changing diapers of people now graduated from the Academy. The years of being browbeaten by the elders before they turned around and did the same to the Branch members.
Hinata was one of them, seal or no seal. Just like Neji. But she was born a princess, and all her vassals saw her humbled.
"They know me," Hinata said simply.
"And what happens if you don't win?"
Hinata firmed her jaw. "That's not an option."
"I understand," Hiashi murmured.
Neji, in the other side of the room, stood. Hiashi's chakra flared slightly in surprise. Hinata, who knew about her cousin's presence this whole time, did not react.
It is fine to have a viper in a corner, as long as the viper does not decide to strike.
"I'll get help," Neji said.
"Thank you," Hinata replied.
oOo
Finally done with work, Sasuke left the hospital so fast a military policeman passing by thought he was trying to escape. Sasuke had to tell the man, who happened to not be a cousin, that he worked there.
"Is… is that your dog?" The policeman suddenly cleared this throat.
Sasuke paused and looked down. He did not have to search far. The gigantic beast sat at Sasuke's side, panting happily.
"When did it get here?" Sasuke asked.
He had not heard anything. A creature that big could not sneak around a nin. Could it?
"I…" The policeman slowly backed away. "I don't know. But I think we're done here."
Sasuke tried to walk around the dog, but it calmly paced him. He stopped, feeling stupid.
He gestured at the hospital. "I came out of the back entrance. Were you waiting for me?"
The dog strode forward and carefully grabbed Sasuke's pants by the knee. With more gentleness than expected, the dog pulled him forward. Sasuke had no choice but to follow.
He grimaced at his pants. He was glad he was not wearing his scrubs because that was not very sanitary.
The dog let him go and walked forward at a brisk pace. Sasuke, trying something, did not follow. The dog stopped, then huffed. He returned, and gripped Sasuke's pant leg again.
Sighing, Sasuke followed without causing any trouble. Fine.
The dog led him through the streets. Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets and wished for dinner.
They stopped in front of a side gate, but Sasuke knew which compound it belonged to. An Inuzuka stood next to the door. Sasuke realized who this dog was now. Akamaru sneezed all over Sasuke's sandals.
He grimaced. "Really, Inuzuka? You had to send the dog?"
Kiba bared his sharp canines in a wicked smile. "It was either the dog, or the beetle."
Sasuke pressed his lips together.
Kiba laughed. "Thought so. Come on."
The closer they got to their destination; the more Sasuke's heartbeat sped up. After the realization from a few days ago, he felt hypersensitive to his feelings. Would he act like an idiot in front of her? Nervousness was not a normal feeling for him.
Kiba stopped in front of a wooden porch and gave Sasuke the side eye. He tapped his fist on a wood beam. In front of them, a door slid open to reveal a dark room. Neji, sitting in the doorway, blocked the view of the interior.
Neji pointed at Sasuke and then inside. Sasuke made a face. Who was he to be ordered around like this? Were all the men in Hinata's life so pushy?
He hopped onto the porch, glaring at Neji as he took off his shoes and padded into the room. Hinata lay on a futon, a wet cloth over her eyes and Shino sitting next to her. He stood, nodded at Sasuke, then he and Neji exited the room and left into the garden. The door closed behind them with a gentle whisper of displaced air.
Sasuke kept his steps silent as he paced towards Hinata. She must have recognized his chakra signature, because when he sat, she covered her face with her palms.
He pushed up his sleeves and calmly made the necessary hand seals. "You probably weren't wearing your glasses today, huh?" he whispered.
"I forgot," she confessed in an even lower volume. "Shino lectured me already."
He tapped the back of her hands, and she dropped them with a wince. He placed his fingers at her temples without moving the cloth.
"I used my Byakugan today, too."
"Why?"
"I was training with the children, and I didn't think…"
He hummed. "The Hyuga children?"
"Yes."
He stared at her for a second as he thought it over. Then, he allowed his eyes to wander. Her room was cleaner and more minimalist than his whole apartment. But on a set of drawers sat a tiny collection of dried flowers and a couple of ornate hairpins.
"Have your eyes been as sensitive since you started wearing the glasses?"
"No. That's why I thought it was okay to activate my Byakugan for a few seconds. In order for the children to see my altered chakra flow with theirs."
His gaze snapped back to her. "Altered chakra flow?"
Her pink lips raised upwards almost mischievously.
He rolled his eyes to the sky begging for patience. He did not believe Hinata would string him along like this without good reason. But sometimes he hated living in a nin village. Not everything needed to be a mystery or full of subterfuge.
oOo
Coming up: Sasuke finds out why Hinata was talking to Kakashi.