So guys! Chapter twelve!
Guess what I just realized. This story's ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY has just passed! WOOT! Celebrate! Free cookies! Really, though, it's amazing. I hadn't even realized it's been so long, and I had no idea I could stick with a project so long! It's amazing. :)
Along with the one year anniversary comes the dubious honor of finding out... that I've been plagiarized. On Fictionpress. Someone basically pasted up the first five chapters of my story on there, and all they did was change the names and turn Sakura's hair white instead of pink. I mean, sure, imitation is the best form of flattery and all, and I feel strangely accomplished THAT YES I FINALLY HAVE A RIPPER! But all the same, I feel like my baby has been molested or something. Okay, maybe not to that extent. Child molestation is serious and shouldn't be joked about. But it DOES kind of describe how I feel. Anyways, my question was, is there some sort of accepted, like... process for getting rippers reported and getting their plagiarized story down? I don't have a Fictionpress account so I can't exactly like... message the "author" and be like I SAW WHAT YOU DID THAR AND I WILL FIND OUT WHERE YOU LIVE, but is there at least a place where I can report them? ...Or something?
The Gate Amidst the Ivy
Chapter Twelve
(A house, burning down—down—down—
Someone, come help us, please! PLEASE!
Neighbors hissing furiously. Those damned demon-lovers deserve it anyways—
HELP US, PLEASE! Papa's in there! Oh gods, Papa's in there!)
"Sa-Sakura!" called a tentative voice over the hustle and bustle of the ball, jolting the pinkette out of her thoughts.
She looked around in curiosity, searching for the lady who had called her name, and smiled in spite of herself at the dark head of hair heading towards her. "Lady Hinata?" she asked.
"Y-yes!" agreed Lady Hinata, as though honestly surprised Sakura had remembered her. How could I forget? thought Sakura sardonically, behind her smile.
"I didn't know you were coming to the ball," began Sakura conversationally as she led the Lady Hinata to another, emptier corner of the ballroom where they wouldn't be in the way of the dancers. "I wasn't aware that you were housed here at the main castle."
"Oh—yes, my c-court and I are housed here for the n-next few months—it—it's a bit of… a gesture o-of reconciliation, if you g-get my meaning—"
Sakura did get her meaning. The Hyuugas and the Uchihas had historically been at war with each other, and even now in these times of relative peace, they were hardly friends. But apparently both factions were making overtures of peace, signified in the trust the Hyuugas gave the Uchihas by letting their primary heiress reside in the Uchiha palace, and the hospitality the Uchihas extended towards the Hyuugas in making the offer in the first place, when nearly everyone knew how expensive it was to host such an important lady and her court.
"How long have you been here?" asked Sakura curiously. It was a testament to how large the main castle was that the two had gone on for so long without even hearing of the other.
"I—I have just arrive t-today, for the ball." The other noble glanced away quickly, but not before Sakura caught the quick flash of homesickness in her eyes. It must be terrible to be used as a political pawn, she decided, and felt like she could not envy the milky-eyed girl in front of her.
"If—if I may be so bold—" murmured Lady Hinata tentatively—yes, you should be so bold, you are the Hyuuga heiress, it is expected of you, advised Sakura mentally—"why are you—I was under the impression that you were—were a—"
"You're wondering why I'm at this ball when the last time you saw me, I was clearly a lowly servant."
(I—I hear that maids g-get very little free time?)
She blushed and looked down. Everything about her was submissive. "N-not in so many words, n-no."
"It was simply a stroke of luck," said Sakura decisively, and she forced a hard look into her eyes that said quite clearly that she refused to elaborate.
(I—I like you very much. I hope you don't find me too pre-presumptuous for saying this, but… I feel we—we could have been g-good friends.)
The timid Hyuuga fairly crumpled inward at the look and visibly gathered up the vestiges of her bravery to ask, "And—and—did Prince S-Sasuke—?"
"No. He did not," said Sakura firmly. His name still brought up feelings that were far too confusing to sort out now.
"W-well, then, I am—h-happy for you, th-that your fortunes h-have turned out so well," smiled Hinata.
And suddenly Sakura was hit with the overwhelming urge to confide, to tell someone something. "I'm not so sure that they have…" she sighed softly, almost before she realized what she was doing.
"Wh-what?"
Her green eyes widened. "I meant—I don't mean to sound—no, it's nothing, my lady, nothing at all."
(Are you alright, Papa? You're starting to look a bit sick...
No, dear, it's alright, it's nothing at all. I'm fine.
Papa, you're looking awfully tired lately...)
"N-no—I understand how difficult it g-gets s-sometimes, t-to be a lady," admitted Lady Hinata. "Y-you oughtn't co-come to me f-for advice, I mean, b-but if you w-would like to share, then I—I would be g-glad to hear."
Sakura stared at Hinata for a moment, weighing, calculating… Could she afford this little carelessness? Could she afford to tell the Lady Hinata about the less than savory dealings of Prince Sasuke's court? Would Hinata simply run off to the Hyuugas, use what Sakura had told her for her own political benefit? It was possible, certainly, but… Lady Hinata simply didn't seem that sort of person. Sakura realized guiltily that a small part of her looked down on Lady Hinata for her simple political incompetence, how she missed the little nuances that even a simple village girl like Sakura had picked up. That small part believed that even if she confided to Lady Hinata, the other girl would never realize how to use that for her own benefit. But a larger part of her somehow knew that Hinata was someone to be trusted, potentially a good friend, potentially a good ally—because very few names had the political clout and protection that the Hyuuga name provided.
"I—come with me," decided Sakura suddenly. "There's a perfect balcony I know of where we could speak—you wouldn't mind leaving the ball, would you?"
"N-no…" murmured Lady Hinata in surprise, allowing herself to be dragged along by Sakura.
In the end, Sakura told her nearly everything. She told her about the healing training back at the village, the bracelet Prince Sasuke had left in the garden, Kiara the bird, Ino's sudden summons to the main castle, the bitter handmaidens, the poisoning, Ino's disappearance, finally, finally being made a lady—everything except for the kiss. But it wasn't that important anyways, rationalized Sakura, not in the large scheme of things.
Lady Hinata frowned, and the almost unpleasant expression was unsuited for her soft, mild, pixie-like face. "I—I can't say I've h-heard anything about L-Lady Ino's d-disappearance—"
"No one has!" exploded Sakura frustratedly. A cool breeze tickled her face, passing through the arches of the balcony and momentarily cooling her ire. "But—it's rather obvious that Prince Sasuke has something to do with all of this."
(I heard the Lady Ino left the castle.
Yes, you would know all about that, wouldn't you?
Well, I don't usually follow the palace gossip, but such an event was remarkable enough to pique my interest.)
"I—I d-don't believe so," contradicted Hinata, hunching her shoulders inwards as though expected Sakura to fly into a terrible rage.
Blinking in honest surprise, the pinkette asked, "But how? He practically told me so—"
"D-did he, Sakura? S-so far, the p-poisoner has attacked L-Lady Ino and Lady I-Isabi—"
"Lady Isabi said she hadn't any enemies."
"N-none that she knew o-of, I'm sure," pointed out Hinata gently. "A-and anyways, be-before the arrival of Lady Ino, L-Lady Isabi was r-rather well-known for her… d-desire to unite Prince S-Sasuke to her in matrimony. And, w-well, Lady Ino—I b-believe the entire c-court knew exactly w-why she was brought to court."
To be Sasuke's new Bonded. The words remained unsaid between them.
"And," continued Lady Hinata, "d-didn't Prince S-Sasuke seem ignorant, a-almost indifferent t-tonight? If—if he h-had truly… d-done something to I-Ino to f-frighten you, wouldn't he h-have made a bigger uproar about it than h-he has? P-perhaps he simply hasn't e-even noticed…"
"I don't… well, I don't believe so… You're correct, his behavior has been rather odd, but… to honestly suggest the poisoner is a jealous lady simply bent on keeping Prince Sasuke to herself… that sounds rather—far-fetched, if you understand what I mean—"
"I-it could be something else," prodded Hinata. "S-something e-entirely… political."
Something entirely political? Well, exactly what was his Bonded good for, politically anyways? Lady Ino had absolutely no practical power of which to speak. Lady Isabi had some, but not nearly enough to get poisoned over. Alright, thought Sakura, what was the function of a Bond? At the most fundamental, biological level, Sakura remembered from her healer training that it was to ensure to continuation of a line by matching two parents perfectly suited for each other together… to ensure the continuation of a line… and the Uchiha line had only two living members now, Prince Sasuke and King Itachi, since the rest had somehow dropped conveniently dead one by one…
Sakura stared with wide eyes at Hinata, finally understanding. And here she had thought the other girl was politically inept… yet obviously, she had a deep understanding of court intrigues, just no skill on how to act on that knowledge, how to turn it to her advantage.
"But—who would want to—" Who would want to end the Uchihas? But even before she asked, Sakura knew it was a useless question. Who wanted to end the Uchihas? Who didn't? Their rise to power had been meteoric, catastrophic, leaving few of the old clans intact. The more recent generations had shown no inclination to apologize either, to make amends, to kowtow, and though that left the Uchihas virtually impermeable to outside influences and utterly independent, it had given them no shortage of enemies. The Hyuugas… they were just one of many enemies.
"Well, who at the court would have the opportunity to do all this?" asked Sakura instead. The Hyuugas, perhaps, if anyone else but Hinata was here.
"S-sometimes," hinted Lady Hinata, "I s-see a snake—a terrible snake—in my p-prophetic dreams."
There was only one noble who reminded Sakura of a snake, but… "Duke Orochimaru? But why would he want to—he's already King Itachi's right-hand-man—"
"F-for some men, th-there can n-never be enough power."
Sakura tried to look at it from Hinata's viewpoint. Duke Orochimaru, the third most powerful man in the country. And how had he become so? He had risen through the gaps of the nobility, had become King Itachi's most trusted confidante because Prince Sasuke was off in distant lands leading some war and there were simply no other Uchihas left to fill that absence. Duke Orochimaru was now so powerful he had his own army, his own forces, his own lands within the Konoha kingdom… and, well, the jump from Duke to King was not all that much. Not when one had the support and allies that Duke Orochimaru did.
It would be far too suspicious of him to outright kill King Itachi or Prince Sasuke if he wanted the power of a royal title, not when both were powerful in their own right. But to slowly isolate the two… slowly woo their supporters away… then perhaps have Prince Sasuke die in another war, which would not be all too uncommon for a general of the army, now would it?… then carefully hide King Itachi away, so carefully that the brilliant man would not even realize until too late… and slowly ensure that the Uchiha line did not continue, so no inconvenient future challenges to the throne could show up… now wouldn't that quite easily make Duke Orochimaru the most powerful man in Konoha? Wouldn't that easily make him… king?
Sakura stared at Hinata in horror. "Do you think—" And then Sakura realized that Lady Hinata was not staring at her, but at some point beyond her…
She turned around. Standing at the entrance to the balcony, partially hidden by the dark shadows of the night, was a member of the royal guard, as evidenced by his dark uniform. He had strangely silver hair, and a thick scar ran across his left eye, rendering that eye completely closed and useless. His one other eye was as dark as obsidian and just as dead. The rest of his face was obscured by a dark mask.
Something about this man made her inordinately nervous.
"Who are you?" Sakura demanded imperiously as the silence stretched on, hoping to intimidate him. "What is your business here?"
His one eye flicked over to her momentarily, giving her a cursory once-over before he focused back on Lady Hinata. "Would this be the Lady Hinata Hyuuga?" he asked, almost courteously.
Hinata drew herself up, sitting up straighter and raising her chin. "Y-yes, th-this i-i-is she," her voice wobbled traitorously, at odds with her regal bearing.
He regarded Lady Hinata clinically.
"Sir, if you do not state your business immediately, we will be forced to ask you to leave—" began Sakura testily, when she saw that Hinata refused to break the silence.
"Lady Hyuuga," the guard cut in, "you have been found guilty of one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. If you will come with me peaceably, I will escort you to your facilities in the castle prison. If you do not, I will be forced to subdue you, and what will await you afterward will not be pleasant."
Hinata gasped sharply in shock, and Lady Sakura stood up in anger, glaring at him. "What are you saying, you idiot man! Clearly, someone has gotten your orders grievously incorrect—"
"Step away from her, Lady Haruno. You have no idea what she is capable of. If you do not comply, I will also have to subdue you forcibly for your own protection."
"That is ridiculous! I know perfectly well what she is capable of, and Hinata couldn't hurt a fly! You will be doing more harm than she has ever done cumulatively in her entire life if you subdue me!" hissed Sakura, stepping forwards. What infuriated her even more was how absolutely unconcerned this silver-haired idiot seemed at the whole situation—couldn't he see—"Lady Hinata wasn't even in the castle when Ino and Isabi were poisoned, or when Ino disappeared! You are simply—"
"Sakura," said Hinata, uncharacteristically sharp.
Sakura froze in surprise and looked back. "What?"
"Pl-please, b-be qu-quiet," said Hinata. She looked back at the guard, and suddenly Sakura could see how eighteen years of life had taken its toll on the fragile girl. Hinata Hyuuga looked exhausted, bent over, defeated, and her eyes were bleak. She then spoke slowly, ploddingly, "Sir Guard, th-thank you f-f-for being discrete. I—I a-accept th-the ch-charges and would be honored t-to have you escort m-me."
"Hinata!" hissed Sakura furiously. She turned on the guard again. "You! You! Can't you see that if—if you arrest her, it'll be war! The Hyuugas would never stand for this insult! All those years the Uchihas and Hyuugas have tried for peace—!"
"Sakura…" Hinata gave Sakura a sickly attempt at a smile. "C-can't you see there's n-no way for me t-to fight this? P-please, do not w-worry yourself o-overmuch. Th-they will g-give me a-appropriate accommodations. And I-I am not s-so important as to w-warrant a f-full rescue effort."
"Yes, you are!" insisted Sakura. "Who ordered this? Who ordered this arrest? Can't you see that whoever it is, he's an incompetent fool! Hinata, I will not allow this to happen to you! I will do everything—"
The guard finally spoke up. "Lady Haruno, your concern for your friend is admirable, but it is misplaced. Those who abandon their friends are scum, true, but a wise man once taught me that those who disobey the rules… are worse than scum. I trust that we may leave without having to… take care of you."
"Sakura…" Hinata attempted a smile one last time. "I-It will be alright, you w-will see."
And Sakura stared helpless, in impotent rage, as Lady Hinata Hyuuga was taken away.
(Can't you see that if—if you arrest her, it'll be war! —
—then perhaps have Prince Sasuke die in another war, which would not be all too uncommon for a general of the army, now would it?—
—now wouldn't that quite easily make Duke Orochimaru the most powerful man in Konoha…?—
—Those who abandon their friends are scum, true, but a wise man once taught me that those who disobey the rules… are worse than scum.)
How terrible it must be to be used as a political pawn, she remembered thinking earlier.
Review and, not only do you get free cookies, you get a Sasuke plushie! You know you want him. Sasuke is a smexy beast. And since THIS plushie doesn't talk, you don't have to listen to his annoying BS about how he needs revenge and stuff. Don't you just hate it when the pretty people open their mouths and ruin ALL YOUR FANTASIES? Well, with this extremely lifelike plushie, you won't have to worry about that!
added 6.05.10