Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.
Chapter Two: Anger Management
I was irritated. Maybe a tad more than that, but I wasn't about to say it out loud. That's because I had no right to. Neji was getting it about a hundred times worse than I was.
It showed clearly on his face. Pale eyes fixated on the wall in concentration. Hands firmly clasped together in his lap. Posture that would make a sky scraper look sloppy. Ah, the typical Hyuuga display of tense-ness, if that was a word.
"Old man getting you down?" I mocked, but my heart wasn't into it. These past few days were weighing down on me and I just wasn't in the mood for picking on people. Neji's brows furrowed slightly, but he stayed silent.
"Cat got your tongue?" I prodded him dully with my words. "Wait, Hiashi's not a cat, I'll take that back."
He flew at me faster than I would have thought possible. Shutting down most of my chakra, he proceeded to pin me to the wall.
"Shut up, brat," he spat. My eyes widened. I hadn't known he was this angry. "Don't think because you're the heiress doesn't mean you have special authority over the rest of us."
"Neji…You know I don't see it that way," I said softly, but he wasn't listening.
"Get out of here," he said, defeatedly. "Go get Hiashi's laundry or his groceries or something. Just get out."
At this point, I knew it was no use. I silently grabbed my bag and swiftly left the compound. What a stuck-up prick, I thought nastily, heading for my one safe haven. Doesn't he know I was just freaking kidding? I'm not the one to blame. Blame the old man.
I knocked and waited as patiently as I could. Not counting my own frustration with Hiashi's condition, Neji's was also messing with my mood. The door opened promptly, revealing a pale girl with long midnight blue hair and bangs wearing a white cotton dress. The only thing similar about us were our identical pale lavender eyes.
"H-Hanabi," she said, stuttering slightly like she did when she was surprised. "What brings you here?"
"What do you think?" I snapped tiredly. Hinata looked slightly affronted, but didn't say anything. That's what I liked about her. She would let you take your anger out on her, and still love you. She would still love me, no matter what.
"Tea? Rice balls?" she suggested, heading for her small kitchenette.
"Just tea," I said, collapsing on her couch.
"What's been happening over there?" Hinata asked. "Neji was in a bad mood too when I saw him yesterday."
"Hiashi," I said. "Has the stomach flu. And he won't let us forget it."
Hinata made a sympathetic noise, setting the kettle on the stove. She strode over to the sofa, or glided rather, and sat down next to me.
"He's basically made everyone his slave," I said bitterly. "Neji, me, maids, even some of the Elders."
"Well he is sick…" Hinata said quietly. I shot a grimace at her.
"But when you or I get sick, we don't act like such wusses," I said.
"Is it really all that bad?"
"Nejiiii! Clean this up, its been sitting here for at least five minutes," I mimicked, whining in a deeper pitch. "Hanabiii I'm huungryy! I swear, he's like a five year old all over again."
Hinata made that sympathetic noise again as the teapot began to shriek. Huh, I had no idea teapots could imitate your inner thoughts.
"What you need," Hinata said, pouring the tea. "Is some outdoor time. You're always so cooped up in there. Stretch your legs or something."
"What I need," I said firmly. "Is to live somewhere far, far away where Hiashi will never find me to clean up his barf." Hinata made a face.
"It's true," I said, slightly apologetic for my blunt language. Even though she was older, Hinata was still pretty innocent mentally. I would bet money that she hadn't cursed yet. "Plus, I train all the time with those douchebags. Hiashi deserves his weak, immobile state."
"How about we walk around in the marketplace so you can relax a little and cool off your thoughts," Hinata said hastily. I grunted, which she took as an agreement. She went into her bedroom and came out a few minutes later with a jacket and shoes on and a small bag slung over her shoulder.
"You look kinda preppy," I said, eyeing her critically. The long-sleeved jacket only fell to her waist and made the fact that her cotton dress was only knee length more prominent. And to top it off, she was wearing flats. I mean seriously. She flushed slightly.
"You l-look kinda punk," she said. "But there's nothing I can do about that."
"There's nothing wrong with what I'M wearing," I said, looking down at my clothes. Hinata just laughed and pulled me out the door.
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"Do you like these ones?" she asked for the millionth time. I rolled my eyes. I think the vendor did too, but by the time I looked, her head was ducked and she was busily rearranging the boxes of earrings and necklaces and pendants and whatever other crap she was selling.
"Hinata, I don't want or need earrings," I said, hoping the message would sink in sooner rather than later. Else I would have to flip over the booth and I didn't want to have to do that. Or maybe I did.
"Well you have to have some for the Konoha Annual Formal," Hinata said, strangely bordering on whiny.
"Okay, one: don't say anything like that ever again, and two: I have no idea what you are talking about," I said, wishing she hadn't become so outspoken.
"You know, the Annual Formal…" Hinata said, trailing off.
"No I don't," I said, becoming a little irritated. I think the vendor was eavesdropping, but I couldn't see that far to the side with my peripheral vision.
"Well, the Hokage only instated it this year, so its only the First Annual, but still, lots of people are excited about it," she hastily continued under my intense stare. "I sort of assumed you were going, since it is mandatory-"
"MANDATORY??" I screeched. "HOW'S IT MANDATORY??"
I could feel the crowd to turn toward my sudden commotion. Hinata shushed me and pulled me into a nearby café. Serves her right, I thought nastily, to be embarrassed. She forced me into a chair and instructed me not to leave. I sat, fuming, in a chair as Hinata went to get me a drink. Not that I wanted anything. Like I needed another stupid party that the Hokage decided to throw. If I were Hokage…
"Drink this," Hinata appeared, holding out a cup. It was cool and sweet, but it didn't soothe my mind.
"So I have to go?" I asked, disbelievingly. Hinata nodded.
"You used to love parties and dressing up and all of that," she said. "Don't you want to go?"
"No way in hell," I snapped. "It's just a bunch of pricks pretending to have fun."
"Oh its not as bad as all that," Hinata said encouragingly.
"Yes it is!" I insisted. "I just don't want to go and dress up! It's a big waste of time. And it will be boring, like all the other stupid gatherings, and I don't know anyone and I'll be by myself. Again."
"You won't be by yourself," Hinata said, puzzled. "Wont Nii-san and Outo-san and all the Elders be there also?"
"They will?" I perked up.
"Well," Hinata said tilting her head to the side and looking up, as if recalling a memory. "Tsunade-sama was very, erm, insistent, that everyone would attend, unless she excused them for good reasons."
"Fantastic," I murmured, just picturing it. "Accidently" tip the ice sculpture over to Hiashi. Throw perfectly shining silver knives at Neji's back. Not to hurt them, but to embarrass them. The mighty Hyuugas not seeing anything simple coming their way. They had the Eyes after all, it wasn't like they would die. Just suffer for their mistreatment of me. I felt like laughing manically for the fun of it. "Revenge will be mine."
"Hanabi," Hinata said sternly, drawing me out of my thoughts. "It is a prestigious dinner, with many foreign guests. As a shinobi of Konoha and a member of the Hyuuga Clan, I expect the heiress to behave accordingly."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.
"I'm advising you to keep your anger an impatience in check," Hinata said, rather bluntly if you knew Hinata. "Because if the dinner is disturbed, Tsunade-sama is not your worst enemy, do you understand?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I said, returning to my daydream, only my actions were more subtle. Like maybe if I stole their silverware. Childish, I knew, but these thoughts crept up at me because I had a sufficient lack of a real childhood anyhow. But I totally did not have anger problems.
And then it happened. My semi-perfect outing with Hinata, ruined. Just like that.
One moment I was lost in my own thoughts and the next I was staring into a wide-eyed earnest face. Automatically, my thoughts reverted to one word. Idiot.
And automatically, my body took immediate action.
Hinata dragged me out of there too fast for me to see my beautiful work, but the satisfaction I got was still the same.
End of Chapter Two
Sorry for not updating sooner, for this being such a short, and for the hasty, badly written chapter! I know it's all so clichéd and weird and gooey like it belongs on a soap opera :P
Thank you for the positive feedback!