Summary:

The eyes of the Hyuuga are as cold and glittering as the iced-over snowflakes. Are their minds, their hearts, their souls any different? [AU] [Non-Chronological Linked Drabbles]

General Disclaimer For The Entire Story:

I don't own Naruto. If I did, I'd have given Deidara more screentime, because he is awesome and a pyromaniac and thus doubly awesome. In fact, he's 120% awesomer, you could say. Oh, and the cover picture isn't mine, either. Should I change it? (Does anybody actually read this disclaimer?)


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("forever on and on, I continue circling, with nothing but my hate and this carousel of agony")

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[Age 9]

"Neji-san."

Neji pauses in his precise Jyuuken katas, one palm thrust outwards.

He has his Byakugan on.

It is a simple matter to identify the outline and the brilliantly shining network of lights behind him as his... cousin, Hinata.

"Hinata-sama," he snips tightly, punching his other hand forward and smoothly withdrawing the first, not moving his head in a blatant show of defiance.

'-Sama'; hah, what a mockery of titles this is.

Just a few more minutes and he'd be heir and his father would be alive.

Admittedly, the talent gap between him and 9-year-old Hinata is rather slim, but apparently the gap between his father and her father had been similarly thin, so that didn't change things a bit.

His father should still be alive, not sacrificed just because he was in the Branch just because he was the younger just because of those few more minutes-

Hinata was weak; he remembered that, faintly, of times before the Affair, when she'd cling to him for advice and meekly offer tokens of her adoration and burst into messy watery tears after yet another dismal training session.

Hinata had been weak.

The times following the Affair had changed both of them, tweaking motivations and probing ambitions and ripping out personality cores for harder, polished replacements.

Near-kidnapping scared Hinata, and she had found a steely resolve within her, aiming to improve herself, to strengthen herself.

Losing his only parental figure (having lost his nameless mother to the strains of childbirth) jaded himself, and he had found a bitter truth about the too-perfect Clan, aiming to change his own destiny, to prove a mistake had been made for condemning the superior twin to the sidelines, and later, to death.

Destiny is destiny is destiny is destiny.

Destiny is not fate.

There are shallow destinies and strong destinies; destinies are self-chosen by the actions one makes.

A stronger destiny, a stronger self making stronger actions, will always overrule a shallow destiny.

Shallowness is weakness.

The strong prevail over the weak.

That is life that is death that is a ninja that is power that is fate.

Fate is not destiny.

They run together in a haphazard mess, entangling and twisting and frayed at the tugged ends tugged by willpower and blind determination but persisting and still holding together because despite how frayed it is-

It is fate, not destiny, and fate is fated.

He chafes at his seal, at the sign of superior strength, and vows to change his destiny, because he is strong he was always strong even at 3 far before Hinata decided to try and he will have a strong destiny and freefate and will either make the Main House see their errors or he'll die trying and if he dies trying he'll still die knowing that he's dragged the Main down with him and that the Branch House have tasted the sample of rebellion of freedom of strength-

(But no matter what so long as that seal is there he cannot escape that destiny even if his changes his destiny to a stronger one because there is only so much you can do when already tied to another destiny as he is and he doesn't want to think about how maybe he was fated to forever bear that cursed seal that cursed destiny that curse he can't shake with snapped words and killing blows because it is mtaphysical it s always there and not he can't breathe don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it for what good kami can do-)

'Breathe,' he reminds himself, dropped back in reality, fists clenched dangerously firm at his sides and he doesn't recall them moving and he does't recall turning to face Hinata and he doesn't recall glaring at her past her through her at something he can't blame them for so he blames her for and he doesn't recall Hinata stepping forward with a solemn face affixed.

"I would like to discuss your philosophy of fate," she monotones.

Neji wants to laugh.

He doesn't, and turns away once more.

"There is nothing to discuss; people are judged by their true nature, and their true nature was fated from the moment they were born. We are who we are, and we must live with it."

"One can improve themself, through work and drive," she notes.

"It is possible it change one's physical appearance, and to improve skills through training and study, but we are judged by what we cannot change. Born talent will trump learned skill."

"And yet, here you are, training."

"If someone naturally talented trained an hour and someone not naturally talented trained an hour, then the talented one will triumph."

"That is not an exact answer, Neji-san."

"You did not ask an exact question."

"Very well, then, I will ask you this: Are you someone who you can live with? In the future, when you look back, will you be proud, or disappointed?" she challenges.

"The only person whose opinion I would seek was my father," he coldly replies, accusation rife in his voice.

Hinata does not use the seal to punish him for his outright opposition to the Main House, because she was born weak, and even if she had trained and studied, she was still weak in spirit weak in character weak in heartmindsoul.

(He never contemplates that maybe Hinata never used the seal on him for the same reasons she never used the seal on anyone.

One of those reasons is Hyuuga Hisoka, a Branch House Hyuuga who died before Hinata even entered the Academy.

Neji did not know of Hisoka.)

She is silent, and for a second Neji believes he had gotten the last word in.

Then she promises, titanium in her words, "I will defeat you one day, and you will see my strength," before leaving noiselessly.

Angry without knowing why, Neji started up his katas again.

(He spent a lot of days angry without knowing why at that age.)


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Philosophy stuff.

Like, why is it called peanut butter, if there's no actual butter put into it?

At least, I don't think there is...

The quote in the parentheses is from 'Bad Apple', a Vocaloid song that I do not own.

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-Review.-