Chapter 19: This is Your Punishment
Hyuga Compound, Basement, 12:15 pm
A single chair sat in the middle of a circle. There was one window barely letting in a strain of light facing the front on the chair. A figure sat slumped and worn, its long hair falling in front of its face.
Neji struggled against the ropes that held him.
Shit…they're infused chakra with this! That's why I could break free! Ugh! I still haven't recovered from the Curse Mark's effect on my body…and my head feels like its spinning…ugh…what's the matter with me?
"I see that the drug is taking is wearing off…how does it feel, Neji?" A man walked to the middle of the circle, his brown eyes staring intently at the young man rendered helpless. He closed the iron door behind him, with a loud thud.
"You…Mich-Michimoe…"
--
Hyuga GreenHouse, 12: 30 pm
"You sure are lucky…all you have to do is bloom and look beautiful. Sometimes…sometimes I wish I could be a flower, silly isn't it?" Hinata sat on the bench in the large greenhouse observing the different flowers. It was bright and sunny outside, but inside…she could hear her resolved breaking. It wasn't a loud sound, yet it seemed enormous in her falling heart.
I can't cry! I mustn't cry! I'm doing this to protect Naruto, Neji-niisan and Hanabi-chan! I'm doing this to protect my friends…and for father. I can't cry! I just can't! Please! Please don't let me cry! Don't cry!
She and Neji had been separated soon after they had spoken to her father. She could still remember him calling out her name, while the family guards dragged him away.
Clear fluid flowed from her eyes.
"No…I don't want to cry! I don't want to show weakness anymore! I promised… I wouldn't cry…"
"Do you need a kerchief my lady? Tears are not something to be ashamed of."
Hinata didn't have turn to know who the voice belonged to…
"Hiroshi-san…what are you doing here?" Hinata stood abruptly almost knocking the bench over. Moving away from him she estimated the distance to the greenhouse door. She briefly glanced between Hiroshi and the exit.
"I would suggest you not run away, Hinata-sama. All I want to do is speak with you, little one."
"W-w-what a-about? About w-what?"
"Why, about your marriage of course! You see I have a predicament and I believe you can help me. Will you?" Hiroshi stepped closer, ending the space between them until only a foot separated them. He leaned close; making sure his lips barely touched her ear.
"Your dear cousin has been snooping around of late…I don't like people sticking their nose into my business, Hinata-sama. I don't like them at all."
--
"You bastard!" Neji struggled against the ropes. He could feel his chest weighing down and his head throbbing.
"If you would have never interfered with Hiroshi's plans then maybe she would have been spared. This is your entire fault Neji." Kisuke frowned.
"Because of you Takuya is in critical condition. The wedding has to be held off until further notice. None of this going as planned…I don't know what Hiroshi is thinking."
"Once Hinata and Takuya are married…what is he planning?" Kisuke gave Neji a solemn look.
"That's up to Hiroshi. I'm merely a pawn for him…just like everyone else." Neji's and Kisuke's eyes met.
"You understand that Hinata has already given up hope. She has admitted that she will forget Uzumaki Naruto and marry Takuya. Thus combining the two most powerful clans…the Uchiha and Uzumaki…they are fallen and now the Hyuga and Michimoe…will take that fallen place."
--
"What have you done with Neji-niisan?!" Hinata demanded. She pushed Hiroshi away from her and began to run towards the entrance.
"You can't run away from your destiny Hinata! Ever since the day your mother rejected me I haven't forgotten the pain and hate that welled inside of me! If it weren't for her and your god-forsaken father than maybe you wouldn't be going through such sorrow! This is destiny!"
Time…stopped. Those words…words…what were those words? She couldn't move…but she could feel her body continuing running from…from what? Running from her destiny? What was her destiny? Though it seemed as though she were running…it felt to Hinata that everything had been slowed down and was waiting for anything to happen.
She could hear…those words…those words she didn't want to believe. Those words that…couldn't be true. Destiny…destiny…such a thing… didn't exist…
--
"What would you know about that Tsunade-sama?"
"Why else do you think they came running to me, Hiashi?" Tsunade grinned. She leaned over the table slamming her hands on the surface.
"What the hell are you doing to Hinata, Hiashi? Why in the world did my shinobi rush to 'your' manor and why were Neji and Hinata half dead when I treated them?! What the hell is going on?!"
"Half dead?"
"Yes half dead! Neji was in critical condition and Hinata was minutes away from death, Hiashi! Don't you value her as you daughter?! What kind of father are you?!"
"Hinata was what?" Tsunade stopped her ranting. She looked at Hiashi seriously. He was glaring at her…with what Tsunade thought were murderous intent and a strange concoction of worry and disbelief.
"You…didn't know? Hiashi, Hinata was dying!" His eyes softened for a moment, but turned back to that bare color of white.
"Hiashi…when I sent the shinobi to the manor, they told me that they could barely feel Hinata's chakra…it was almost like it was being sucked away by some force that they couldn't identify. Hiashi…you really didn't know this, did you?" Tsunade felt her anger subsiding.
"Why didn't you contact me? My daughter was dying and you kept this a secret?" Tsunade could feel the hair on her neck rising. She had never felt such negative energy coming from Hiashi before…
"I was worried enough Hiashi."
"I see…"
"You see what?"
"What I've been doing wrong."
--
"You…are planning a coup d'état?! Do you know the consequences of what will happen?! Do you have any idea-"
"Hiroshi knows what he's doing." Neji's mind felt like it was bursting under the horrible knowledge that had just been revealed to him. Why? Why was such a thing happening? Did Hiashi know anything about it?
"Didn't…didn't the Uchiha teach you nothing?!"
"Yes…they did…the way to eliminate the lower ones. In your case the Branch House."
Neji knew…he knew…but he didn't want to understand. Where this conversation was going…this voice that spoke to him so evil. Before his eyes, he could see dead bodies and a large fire and the smell of an adnominal stench…this…this was murder.
Why did this proposal sound so familiar?
"Hiroshi handpicked this mission out for you…after all. He knows you will do anything to protect Hinata."
"Hinata would not want the lives of hundreds of people put on the line for her! She would not want a single one to die for her!"
"So you'll just let her die?" Kisuke roughly grabbed Neji's chin, forcing eye contact once again. He bent down leaning his face, so close their noses almost touched.
"A hundred deaths is a statistic. One death is a tragedy. Until Hiroshi has no need for Hinata, it is your job to make sure she is protected. We wouldn't want misfortune to befall Hanabi-sama either would we?"
"Hanabi-sama has nothing to do with this!" Neji seethed.
"Hiroshi will come down to talk to you. As well as some others…you're very lucky Neji. You've been given an easy task."
--
"What is that Hiashi?" Tsunade had to tread carefully upon this subject whatever it was. She knew that Hiashi had a heavy conscience. If he thought something bad, or better he would go with that no matter what…that was bad.
"Nothing…please excuse it, Tsunade-sama."
"Sure. Well I have to get back the office. I'll be sure to check up on her later, if that's ok with you, Hiashi?"
"It's allowed."
Damn bastard…
Tsunade and Hiashi walked to the Hyuga Compound gate in silence. She could see where some of the housing took damage. A couple of small craters around the grounds and holes in the walls. They reached the gate.
"I hope you will be able to knock some sense into Hinata."
"She thought that by coming to me, she would be able to escape marrying Takuya. I was her last resort, Hiashi." Hiashi stopped right outside the gate.
"You feel guilt?"
"Yes. Hiashi…that girl…I can tell she will never love Takuya. She won't be happy. Oh, well…I can't do anything. When everything has calmed down, please bring the matrimonial papers to me, since he is from a different country. I'll look them over."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
Heya! I'm sorry this is taking me so much time to upload and such. I've been very busy of late :(. Babysitting my cute little neice and things :). I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! Don't stop reivewing! I want lots of them!