Define Destiny

A/N: The second chapter! Weee! Well, this chapter took me so long to write since I kept on starting it over and over again. I'm rather happy with how it turned out. It's long. -smile- And the quote at the end is from a Linkin Park song, but I can't remember which one. Oh, well. Review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Hinata, or any other characters.

Chapter 2

The sun was barely visible on the horizon, lone, pale tendrils of light reaching beyond the mountains. The darkness of the night was just disappearing. She loved mornings when the air was cool and everything was quiet. It was the perfect time to think, with no one awake to bother you.

Hinata sat in the middle of the Hyuga gardens, surrounded by different flowers. She took a breath of the fresh air and smiled softly. She heard the distant call of a bird. Soon, the village would awaken from its slumber and the silence would be gone.

It was then when she sensed a presence entering the clearing she was in. She quickly recognized the chakra. It was Neji.

"Ohayo, Neji-nii-san," She said without turning.

"Ohayo, Hinata-sama," He replied. Ah, Neji was always so respectful. And that would only get worse, thought Hinata with a frown, once she became the head of the family.

He sat down at her left side, keeping a well-placed distance between them. He gazed beyond the wall that marked the end of Hyuga grounds with a far-off expression of longing, one she knew well.

"I suppose you've heard the news."

He glanced back at her, uncertain whether that was a question or an accusation. Perhaps it was both. Her head was tilted so that she could read his expression; her bangs slanted oddly, the blanket of her dark indigo hair spilling off one shoulder. She was the image of innocence yet she knew more than most people thought.

"Yes, I did." He confirmed. "Though it occurred to me that—despite the façade you put on for Hiashi-sama—you were not happy with the decision."

Her eyebrows rose, her expression slightly surprised.

Did she seriously think she had fooled him?

"Was…was I that obvious?"

"Just a bit, for those who chose to look closely." He raised his eyebrows, glancing at her briefly: this was his turn to be accusatory. "Or did you intend to hide it from everyone forever?"

She shook her head.

"It's not that," She said. "I just didn't want Kiba-kun and Shino-kun to worry and fuss and tell everyone else so that they would fuss and…" She sighed.

"Hmm,"

She bit her lip. "I do want to ask something of you, though I hope it's not too much."

"Yes?"

"Would it be too much if I asked you to speak with Hanabi?"

"I will try."

"Thank you, Neji-nii-san."

Her face revealed that small, hesitant smile of hers. Then she stood up and said, "I have to go train now. Tell otou-san that I left early for me, will you?"

Neji nodded and turned away. He closed his eyes and Hinata knew he had begun his morning meditation. She left the garden, grabbed her stuff, and was out of the house within seconds. She felt a bit happier, as though a weight had been lifted off her delicate shoulders.

&&&&&&&&&&

Hinata walked slowly along a well-known trail in the forest. Rays of sunlight poked through the canopy of leaves above her, lighting up parts of the path. She rounded a corner in the path and found herself face to face with Shino. Since she knew him and his habits well, she was not surprised to see him.

He was holding a bug in his hand, quite gently as expected from him.

"Ohayo, Shino-kun," She said, stepping around him to set her equipment down on a tree stump.

"Ohayo," He responded. He held his hand up and muttered something to the bug before letting it go.

"Did you send it to go find Kiba-kun?" She asked.

"Yes, he's late again." Shino sounded as if he didn't really care if Kiba was late but cared more about what he was doing that was making him late.

"I suppose he's helping his sister or something," Said Hinata.

"Yes…" said Shino.

She took off her jacket and placed it next to her stuff. She adjusted her shuriken/kunai holster and turned to face a target they had placed on a tree. She took a deep breath and activated her Byakugan before flinging a kunai at the target. It hit dead center and activated a sort of training activity.

Fake enemy 'ninja' targets popped up in various places in the clearing. They held kunai and shuriken, which were launched the moment they appeared. Hinata successfully dodged and blocked all of them. She reached down for her holster and grabbed kunai, three held in each hand. She threw them and stood in place.

She had missed the center of one target but the rest hit the middle. She smiled, happy, and said, "I've gotten much faster, right, Shino-kun?"

"You sure have, Hinata-chan,"

She froze when she realized that Shino had gone off to train, leaving her alone. She turned to face the newcomers. A blush quickly rose on her face and her Byakugan was deactivated. Kiba stood there holding one of the kunai that had been launched, a grin on his face. And standing next to him was…

Uzumaki Naruto.

He had been the one who had agreed with her, sort of praised her too.

She averted her gaze and played with the hem of her shirt. "Kiba-kun, I didn't know you were bringing Naruto-kun with you to training today," She said softly, yet there was an edge to her voice that Kiba understood too well.

His smile dimmed a little and he laughed nervously. Scratching the back of his head he said, "Well, I ran into him on my way here and he tagged along, I guess…"

"You don't want me here, Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto, fake hurt entering his voice.

Hinata shook her head. "No, no, Naruto-kun! I was just surprised to see you here!"

He smiled at her. "That's good."

"You did get better, Hinata." said Kiba. Her eyes snapped up to meet his and her gaze softened. He was trying to apologize for putting her in the spotlight. She nodded and saw him relax.

"I've been training at home." she said. Hinata walked to her stuff and slipped on her jacket. She felt their gazes on her and flushed. Spotlight… She thought vaguely as she turned to face them.

They were just standing there. She cleared her throat and said, "Aren't you two going to train?" They seemed to snap out of their trance and nodded. Hinata sat down on a tree stump and proceeded to sharpen her kunai, yet at the same time, she was watching Naruto and Kiba.

They turned to each other and grinned.

"A battle?" suggested Naruto.

"Sure," agreed Kiba. "But I don't want to see you using that fancy move,"

Naruto sighed, but his smile didn't fade. "Ok, ok."

"Let's start!"

They lunged at each other. They collided with a loud clang, kunai stuck between them. Naruto sprang back from Kiba and grinned. "You better have a comeback for this!" he shouted.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Four Naruto clones appeared in a cloud of smoke and they ran at Kiba, the real Naruto disappearing. One of the clones caught Kiba off guard and kicked him into the air. The four slid under him and began the 'Uzumaki Naruto Rendan'. As they kicked at Kiba, although several of the kicks missed, they shouted the syllables of Naruto's last name.

"U!"

"Zu!"

"Ma!"

"Ki!"

The clones disappeared and Naruto appeared. "Naruto Rendan!" He aimed a kick at Kiba and hit him in the stomach. But Kiba had managed to block the worst of the move and moved to Akamaru.

"Gatsuga!" he shouted. With that, the two began to spin at a ferocious speed towards Naruto, targeting the ground underneath him. They impacted with the ground fiercely, bits of dirt flying as they did. Naruto fell back, losing his balance.

The fight continued that way for a few more minutes until they both collapsed on the ground, tired and panting for breath. Hinata stifled a giggle as she got up to go to them. She towered over them and said, "Are you both done?"

"Yea," panted Naruto. They both stood up. Hinata went to speak again when Shino appeared. Kiba and Naruto jumped at the sudden appearance, their expressions hilarious. She would have laughed if not for the anxious feeling her teammate's arrival brought.

"Hinata, your cousin is looking for you." said Shino.

She felt her heart pick up pace. Why would Neji be looking for her? A thousand possibilities ran through her head, only to fade once she caught sight of her reflection in Shino's dark glasses. She was pale and looked as though she was going to fall apart any second.

Hinata took a deep breath and asked, "Where is he?"

"In front of the academy," replied Shino.

Hanabi…

She nodded and left, ignoring Kiba's calls behind her. They would follow her anyways, so there was no need to waste time explaining.

She leapt from tree to tree and was out of the forest in seconds. She ran to the academy, pushing aside villagers that stood in her way. This earned her several glares and curses, but she didn't care. She stopped suddenly as she spotted Neji. He was standing at the entrance and her sister stood next to him. Her face was devoid of expression. Yet, Hinata could see the tears flooding her eyes, threatening to spill.

She approached cautiously, unsure whether she wanted to hear what he had to say or not.

"Neji-nii-san…" she said. Her gaze flickered to her sister and she cringed inwardly. The eyes that met hers were furious. The tears were gone.

"Hinata-sama, I had the un-" He paused, seeming to rethink his word choice. "I ran into Hiashi-sama and he revealed some information to me that I believe he did not mean for you to hear. But I decided to tell the both of you."

"You already told Hanabi?" she asked, although she knew the answer already.

"Yes, he told me." said Hanabi. Her tone was louder than necessary. Hinata blinked, surprised at her sister's acknowledgement of her existence.

"Well, what is it?"

Her sister looked away, her arms crossed over her chest. Neji sighed and said, "She's going to receive the cursed seal the moment you turn of age."

The world seemed to slow and narrow down, all onto Neji as he uttered those words. "Cursed seal?" she said. Her voice was faint. "Would otou-san really do that?"

She almost missed the flicker of anger in Neji's eyes.

Almost.

"Those part of the branch family are destined for it…like me."

Hinata suddenly flung herself at her sister, throwing her arms around her neck, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry," She murmured into her sister's hair. "I never wanted any of this to happen." Tears fell from her eyes, disappearing in Hanabi's black locks.

Hanabi's arms wound around her and she heard her sister's faint sob. "I'm sorry for being so mean, nee-san," Hanabi's arms tightened. "Otou-san has been pressured by the Elders; I overheard them talking once. I know it's not your fault."

They must have been a sight, the two sisters sobbing in each other's arms. Thankfully, the academy day had ended a few hours before so there had not been any students around to witness it. But, Hinata had forgotten about her teammates and Naruto.

"Hinata, are you alright?"

She stepped away from her sister, wiping away the tears from her face. Neji whispered something to Hanabi and the two left, ignoring the questioning glance Hinata sent them.

"Um, yes, just some family problems I had to resolve." She forced a fake smile onto her face. She caught sight of Naruto's frown and blushed. "Um…well…can I go home today?"

Kiba sighed, saying, "Take as much time as you need, just tell us what's going on in your life. We want to help you, Hinata."

Her smile melted into a real one. "Thanks for the concern, Kiba-kun. I'll tell you all when the time comes."

Kiba and Shino nodded and they were gone in the blink of an eye. Probably off to train, thought Hinata. She realized how close friends they had become over the years. She turned and made to leave when a hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back.

She let out an 'eep' of surprise as she lost her footing and began to fall. Strong arms caught her a few inches from the floor and the person muttered, "Sorry, don't know my own strength."

"It's alright, Naruto-kun." she said.

Naruto set her back onto her feet and stood there, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I just wanted to let you know that, uh…well, I'm here if you need someone to talk to." A slight blush appeared on his cheeks. "I'll probably understand more than you'd expect me to." There was a dark undertone to that statement that Hinata couldn't quite understand. It was a sort of bitterness that had built up over the years.

She felt a deep pang of disappointment as his blush faded. The blush hadn't been because he felt anything for her, besides friendly care. It had been the result of him actually offering a shoulder to cry on, something boys didn't do too well. She withheld her sigh.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She had lost count of how many times she had thanked people today. "I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she began walking away, not willing to watch him leave again.

She wondered how many times she would have to lie and say 'I'm fine' in the future…

A thought came unbidden to mind:

Even the people who never frown eventually break down…