Meiwa Says: Hey guys! I'm so so so so sorry I haven't updated in 2 weeks! I've been so busy with life (particularly drama) that there wasn't time to finish this. Hinata is eighteen here, and Sasuke is nineteen. Hiashi might seem a little harsh now (especially considering the fact that Hinata is more confident and stronger,) but then bear in mind that he's comparing her to his wife, and that he, once again, starts beating her for her weakness. I know it's not clear, but please bear with me for the meantime.
Notes: Honestly, I'm not very satisfied with the ending, and it didn't portray what I planned for it. And also, somewhere in the middle I just...I lost their characters. Hinata and Sasuke both became OOC. But I guess every writer has her day, huh? Well, I'll try to finish the next chapter as soon as I can! I promise it gets fluffier and fluffier.
Warning: Some OOC up ahead, but I couldn't resist giving Hinata a little more - as Hinata-er said - backbone, and I made her into a jounin. I realized that even Sasuke has some soft points, in which I portrayed in this chapter! Hope you like it either way. And I'm sure the fight scene (with all the techniques and whatnot) is all messed up - gomenasai for that!
Disclaimer: Wouldn't be writing this if I owned it. Apparently, I am writing it...and sadly, I don't own Naruto and any of its characters.
Mittsu no Kotoba: I've Always Cared.
Meiwa Chinmoku.
Focusing all the chakra she had in her system to the heels of her foot, Hinata ran away from the Hyuga compound gates. Her eyes were clouded with tears, and her arms, covered in bruises. It was a surprise that she, yet again, survived the daily beatings she received from her father. He claimed that her medical ninjutsu had not surpassed her mother's, and that she had disappointed him once again.
It wasn't fair, Hanabi always reminded her. The younger Hyuga would always claim that Hinata's medical abilities surpassed even the Hokage's apprentice, Sakura Haruno, and that it was unjust for her father to still be angry with her. Hinata appreciated that her sister was siding with her, but she had already accepted the fact that her father and the Hyuga family expected more from her than anyone, and it didn't matter if she had outdone most of the medical-nins out there. Nothing was ever good enough for her father.
She really didn't know where she was going; she hadn't thought of what she was going to do. Hinata knew that it would merely be a blow in her pride if she'd come back, begging her father to let her stay. The heiress knew her father had informed the guards and Hyuga members to watch out for any signs of her. He had even restricted Neji and Hanabi not to follow her, saying that it would be a burden and that she would come back anyways.
To Hinata, the bruises, cuts and wounds were nothing she couldn't heal. She was a ninja of jounin rank, and she was used to the tough missions and injuries she received from them. What really hurt was the knowledge that she wasn't good enough for anyone – not good enough to be the Hokage's apprentice, not good enough for Naruto to notice her and certainly not good enough to be one of Konoha's most prestigious clan's head. It hurt to think that Neji didn't defy Hiashi like he did nowadays to follow her, and that he agreed with her father.
Her thoughts were suddenly cut short, as an unfamiliar chakra signature wafted through the area like it had belonged there. Tensing up, Hinata wiped her eyes and brought out a kunai, chanting, "Byakugan!" instantaneously activating her bloodline limit.
"I know you're out there!" Hinata yelled, swiftly turning around at the feeling of being watched. She made a mental note to thank Kiba who helped her improve her confidence and erase her stutters. As a ninja, it was downright embarrassing. "Show yourself, coward!"
It didn't occur to her that the person might just reply. "Hn. It seems as if I'd missed a lot."
Sasuke Uchiha, the last person she'd ever expect to see on such a cold day. He had returned a little over two years ago, but had been under strict probation and wasn't allowed to leave his cellar without bringing two ANBU guards with him. At first, Tsunade insisted that he was to have at least ten ninjas scouting his every move – due to his impeccable skills – but he threatened her to burn the entire village down when she'd least expect it. The irate Hokage accepted.
"Sa…er, Uchiha-san…it's nice to finally see you in person." She replied, deactivating her Byakugan and keeping her kunai in her pouch. Suddenly, a shuriken whizzed past her cheek, grazing her porcelain skin ever so slightly. Hinata gasped as she suddenly fell onto the ground, being pinned down by Sasuke.
What was he trying to do?
"You're still pathetic." Sasuke snorted, narrowing his eyes at her to get a better look. Hinata merely cowered underneath his dark gaze, flinching at the last word of his sentence.
"…I know…"
For a moment, something flickered in his depthless eyes. An emotion in which Hinata had never encountered before – well, not in an Uchiha anyway. "Hm…weak, pathetic, useless and still a coward. You haven't changed, have you, Hyuga?"
"I…I um–"
"Fight me."
"W-What?" she gasped, her eyes widening fearfully at him. She couldn't beat him even before he went to Orochimaru for power, and now, he wants her to fight him? Is he that deranged?
Sasuke got on two feet and sped back, waiting for the heiress to rise on her feet. Although she didn't know what to do – standing up and preparing herself for defense would only mean that she was accepting the fight…but there was no way that she'd lie on the ground, being watched by such an intimidating person.
So Hinata, collecting all her courage, stood up and set up her Jyuken stance. "Byakugan!" she called her kekkei genkai, as Sasuke did the same.
That started the spar. At first, Hinata summoned two clones, but Sasuke had countered her by sending out three clones to fight off hers. He was originally confused when three Hinatas 'poofed' away after effortlessly getting defeated by his clones, but then realized that the real one was not in sight and used a diversion. Before he knew it, a kunai hurtled past his cheek, barely missing his face.
"Shit."
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!" Out of nowhere, she appeared and had prepared for one of the most effective jutsus she had mastered. But Sasuke had already predicted her actions, as he effortlessly stepped aside and away from her path. At the sudden movement, Hinata's palm smashed on the ground, causing debris to fly around.
Sasuke was about to throw another kunai at her, when she gracefully spun around, even with her fist on the ground, and started to shoot out chakra from her free hand. The fragments that were floating in mid-air were suddenly directed towards him, as if an uneven force was controlling them. Sasuke could not be any more impressed.
The fight continued on for what may say days, but it had only been roughly two hours. From time to time, the Hyuga would gain the upper hand – but Sasuke was merely going easy on her, to see her capabilities – but then the Uchiha would counter with something equally effective, and if not, more effective than her attacks.
Hinata had felt her heart constrict with the tension and stress that was building inside of her. The horrible memories of Neji brutally beating her during the chuunin exams all came rushing back into her brain, something she could not willingly fight off. The pain of having publicly known her cousin despised her had already disappeared – Neji is now playing the role of overprotective cousin – but the physical pain she endured had not deteriorated, even for the slightest bit.
Sasuke noticed the falter in her feet and unsurprisingly knew he won. He knew from the start that he would be the victor, but he had just wanted to observe the Hyuga. But with his keen sense of sight, something was amiss.
Although her coughing had greatly ceased, she was still hunched down. From his point-of-view, it seemed like she was…talking to herself. Realizing that this was actually very strange, Sasuke approached with an air of fidelity and asked, "What are you doing, Hyuga?"
He couldn't be more surprised at her grumpy disposition.
"Are you now happy, Uchiha-san?" Hinata replied, shooting him daggers with her glare. "I've lost. I have now been more shameful to the Hyuga clan than I already was."
"Hn, what's your point?"
"My point is that I'm weak! Everyone knows it…even…even Naruto-kun…" she trailed off a little sadly.
Ah, Sasuke thought wearily, crossing his arms over his toned chest. As a little boy, Sasuke was taught well by his mother. His mother was the total opposite of his father – she was compassionate, and made sure that her two boys were not only perfect in terms of skills and intelligence, but also with their values. Even until now, Sasuke thought that the things she taught them were bull, but – although sappy and disgusting in his dictionary – very helpful when it came to others.
Sasuke smirked at Hinata, who was trying hard not to shed her ungodly tears. "You're wrong."
"W-What?" Hinata threw her head upwards, looking at him with questioning eyes. For a moment, she had opened her cage, but then realization came into her mind and she closed all of her doors again. "I…I know I'm more than that…I'm…I'm pathetic…"
"The mere fact that you lost shows weakness in terms of skills," Sasuke actually thought Hinata looked better scowling at him than crying. "But it does not mean that you are weak."
An Uchiha was always confusing, Hinata remembered Hiashi telling her. Remembering her father and her initial mission when she came out here, her features gradually darkened.
"Looking for power will never make you stronger, Hyuga…especially if you look in the wrong places."
Her left brow twitched as he mentioned the atrocious deed she was supposed to commit, before he stepped in the way and prevented her from doing so. She was angry with him for stopping her, but deep down inside, she felt a twinge of regret herself. "…What do you know?"
"Hyuga." Sasuke snorted in amusement, rolling his eyes at her. "I have been with Orochimaru for three years, struggling for power to kill Itachi. It seemed all useless in the end, and it will be too…for you."
He had always astonished her – in more ways than one. As kids, he astonished her by showing his heightened amount of skill and accuracy, whereas she couldn't activate her Byakugan until the tender age of six. Whilst growing up, he surprised her with his aloofness and unwillingness to make friends with everybody. And now, he utterly shocked her by showing signs of kindness.
Without even realizing she had said her banter aloud, Hinata murmured in a heartrending voice, "Why are you saying these things? You don't…you don't care."
Hinata heard him chuckle. Sasuke was the most unpredictable boy she had ever met. "I don't know how many times you're going to be wrong today, Hyuga."
And he left. But Hinata Hyuga still couldn't move, because his last words literally made her stop in her tracks.
"I've always cared."
Meiwa Says: I hope you got it. Natsuai (which is Hinata's mom.) was one of the topic medic-nins until she died, and Hiashi wanted his daughter to learn medical ninjutsu. Hinata did, but since Hiashi compared her to his wife, she was called a weakling, and the rest is self-explanatory. Also, I know last chapter he said that he hated her, but that will all be explained in the next chapter! Hope you guys review! I hate flames, but love constructive criticism.
fat cherries: Sorry I couldn't update asap, like you wanted me to. :) And I'm so happy your curiosity is piqued! Another achievement, yea!
lover9: Thanks again for your review! Sasuke is very attractive when he's jealous, and I love him too! I hope you like this chapter!
Hinata-er: I guess I tried to hard to make her in-character that she became too weak, huh? Haha. Sorry 'bout that! And the reason why Sasuke hates Hinata is...well, you'll find out soon enough. :) And don't worry. I gave Hinata a lot (maybe too much) backbone here. But, hey, she's eighteen! She should have a spine already, lol.
Darkangl28: Yup, totally agreed. But I hope I didn't make Sasuke too OOC here. O.o It's so hard trying to make him nice. It's almost like making Hinata mean. Aw. Thanks for putting this in your alerts list! It gives me more drive to write!
Thanks to to lavlilac and fat cherries for adding MnK to their favorites, and Darkangl28, fat cherries, LishaVilla, lover9 and Sana N for adding this fic to their alerts list! This chapter is dedicated to you guys!