Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto or any of its respective characters. This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only. (Mostly my amusement.) However, if I DID own Naruto, it would be called "Neji and Hinata: Byakugan Babies Galore!" That has a nice ring to it...
Author's Note:Well, sorry everybody for the long wait. Life happened. You know how it is. I was planning to have a more substantial update for you, but you've waited long enough. So here it is, Chapter Fifteen. Hmmm. We're nearing the end. I know I've been saying that for a while now, but it's true. I hope you all like where this is headed, and when it's over, I'll begin work on the sequel, because some things, like the KakaHinaNeji triangle, not to mention Naruto, will not be fully resolved in Possession. Anyway, that's enough from me. Get reading, everybody, and please review.
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Possession - Chapter Fifteen
The door creaked open, and a single flame illuminated the engrossing darkness. Hyuuga Hinata held out the oil lantern, as she carefully descended the rickety staircase. Her footing was sure, though she was not. Below, in the cellar of the Hyuuga Main House, her father's corpse waited for examination.
Shortly after receiving news of the council's barricade of the Branch House, one of her shinobi had informed her of her father's condition. That is to say, he had been removed from the office, washed and cleansed with sacred herbs, then redressed, and finally stored in the coldest room in the house. She hadn't seen him since setting out to avenge his murder, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle it without shock and adrenaline surging through her veins.
But she had to, for she was not alone.
Behind her, Shizune also descended the stairs, followed by Neji and Kakashi-sensei. She had asked the Godaime's assistant to perform the autopsy, because she needed to know what poison had been used to subdue her father. She would learn everything about it, and especially, where it came from. If it were at all possible, she would see to its destruction in its native land. Samples would then be brought back to Konoha, and only the Leaf Village would possess such a substance again.
She glanced over her shoulder. Neji had come along because he was now her Branch leader. She felt his eyes following her every movement, yet they did not hold any of the familiar lust she had come to expect from him. Now, when she looked into his eyes, she saw reverence, guilt, dismay... and fear. Hyuuga Neji, prodigy of the Clan and strongest of them all, was afraid of her.
Good. It was as it should be.
Hinata continued forward, nearing the bottom of the staircase. The lantern light was dim, and she couldn't quite see what was in front of her. It had been years since she'd last snuck down here with Neji. This was one of their secret places, where they would come, and kiss, and get to know each other in more ways than were appropriate.
She rounded a tall shelf, brushing her fingertips over the many bottles of wine stored there. A slight blush crept onto her cheeks as she remembered her first taste of the strong, sweet, red liquid.
Neji had spread out a blanket for them to lounge upon, as they sampled some of the fancy foods he'd pilfered from the kitchen, just before the start of the important dinner party. He'd brought dozens of pillows for her to lean against, and she'd sprawled out on them like some foreign empress, letting him feed her by hand. He lavished her with attention, complementing her and filling her long-stemmed glass with ruby red wine. She had sipped it slowly but eagerly, and when her lips were sufficiently stained, he leaned toward her, claiming her innocent lips as his own.
They were only children then, at the tender ages of eleven and twelve. That night was the last time everything was right between them. Things had been changing for a long time, but it wasn't until then, that their relationship had all but collapsed.
"Hinata-chan?" Shizune nudged her shoulder. "Are you alright? You blanked out for a moment there."
Hinata avoided her eyes, and the eyes of the other two following them. "It was nothing. I'm fine," she answered. She didn't want to think about the past, but her mind kept wandering, drudging up old memories and long dead emotions. She and Neji had not been that close in ages. She could hardly remember anything but intolerable cruelty and possessiveness from him, so why were these memories coming back to her now? She turned down another aisle between shelves, and was halted by the image of her father's corpse, laying on a narrow table with a white sheet draped over him.
She sucked the breath into her lungs quickly and forcefully. Her temperature spiked, and her mind became foggy and muddled. Could she do this? Could she look upon her dead father, stark white and drained of his lifeblood? Her body trembled, and she wondered if she would collapse on the spot. Her knees buckled, but she did not fall. Neji was there, beside her, holding her in his warm embrace.
"Hinata-sama," he whispered in comfort, while passing the lantern to Shizune. "If you can not– "
"I must!" She forced out. She glared into his weary eyes, her own shining with hatred and confusion. "Let go of me!" She wailed. Hinata tried to push him away, but he held firm, pulling her back against him, concealing her face in his chest. Hot tears flowed from her eyes, saturating him with her grief.
She let go of the hatred, and only the familiar need remained. She needed him, and they both knew it.
She sobbed, body quaking as her cousin's arms wrapped tightly around her. She wanted to hate this, but could not bring herself to reject the comfort of his touch. She wanted to hate him, and in many ways she did, but how could she truly hate the man who knew her more completely than she knew herself?
"Niisan..." Hinata whimpered against him.
"Shhhh," he soothed, stroking her back, her hair, her face. After lifting her hitai-ate, he planted one firm kiss upon her forehead. "I will always be by your side, beloved," he whispered, and she clutched onto him with more desperation than she realized she'd even possessed.
This... despite everything that had occurred these last few days; despite it all, this still felt right. Why? Why, when all she wanted now was to make him hurt, as thoroughly and heartlessly as he had done to her?
Hinata raised her head once more to gaze into Neji's silver eyes. "Branch House," she composed herself, and he loosened his grip. She turned from him, though his arms lingered at her waist. "Your loyalty is well received, but I need not your pity." She felt him flinch, and his arms fell away. She sniffled once, and was surprised when Kakashi held a handkerchief in front of her face.
"Ka-Kakashi-sensei?" She asked. He merely shrugged.
Hinata accepted the handkerchief, and Kakashi led her forward. The Copy-Ninja cast a glance back at Neji, and found the Hyuuga prodigy staring intently at the hand pressed against the small of his Leader's back.
"Hinata-chan?" Kakashi inquired in a low tone, as he slid his arm around her narrow waist. She leaned into him, and they stopped in front of the table, where Shizune waited on the other side. "You know, you don't have to stay for this," he said.
She sighed, reaching for the top of the white sheet. "I know," she answered. Neji came to stand by her side, and before her fingers touched the cloth, her other hand clasped his instinctively. He squeezed back, and Kakashi's good eye narrowed. "I won't be staying for long. But," her voice threatened to break, "I must see him– one last time."
She lifted the sheet.
Hinata gasped at Hiashi's pasty complexion, and the pale, blue tint to his lips. His face was hollow, almost sunken, and his closed eyes were still. Tears pricked at her eyes again, but she did not allow them to fall. In her heart, she wished that he were only sleeping, that if she looked hard enough, she would see his eyes flitting under the lids, as he lay there dreaming. But, she was never one to wallow in her imagination. Hyuuga Hiashi was gone, dead, murdered by two traitors whose blood she would gladly spill, when she got her hands on them again.
"Otousan," she whispered, matching Neji's grip on her hand. "I swear, on my honor as a Hyuuga, and as a shinobi of Konohagakure, I will avenge your death, and all those responsible will pay with all that they have, and all that they are. This, I vow to you, my father."
Then, she bowed and left, Neji walking by her side.
After the creak of the cellar door was heard, along with the thud of it closing again, Shizune glared hard at the Copy-Ninja.
"What do you think you're doing, Hatake?" She interrogated.
"Who me? Nothing really, just– "
"Seducing Hyuuga Hinata." Shizune grimaced, and Kakashi shoved his hands into his pockets. "You do know what she's been through?"
"Of course," he answered, seriously.
"Then you know how fragile she is!"
"With all due respect, Shizune-san," Kakashi started toward the staircase, "there's nothing fragile about Hyuuga Hinata."
"Damn you, Hatake!" The dark-haired jounin seethed.
He shrugged, back turned toward her. "That's alright," he said, in his usual bored tone. "I'm probably going to hell, anyway." He was almost at the staircase.
"I won't say anything else," she spat, and he waited. "Except this." Shizune pulled a surgical coat and mask from the pack slung over her shoulder. She set the pack down on a another table that had been placed beside the corpse. As she shrugged into the garments, her voice was harsh with warning. "She is an adult, in more ways than any fifteen year old should ever be, so she can do what she pleases, including you." Kakashi smirked, though she couldn't see it. "However," she flung the white sheet away. "Don't push it." She paused. "And remember that she is just a fifteen year old girl."
Kakashi kept walking, not bothering to face her. "She hasn't been a girl, since the day she graduated from the Academy," he waved while ascending the stairs. "Hinata is a kunoichi, and I think you need to remember that."
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Hinata and Neji walked the long hallway leading to their rooms. They had long since released each other's hands, having reapplied their stoic Hyuuga masks. As they passed frantic Clan members in the halls, Branch and Main House Hyuuga alike, bowed, shifting backward to let them through.
There wasn't much time, but Lady Hyuuga desired a good scrubbing, and a fresh change of clothes. She had ordered Neji to do the same, so he escorted her to her bedchamber.
Neji was both confused and hopeful, as Hinata-sama so expertly dangled his heart over the inferno of her whims. One moment she was cold and uncaring, the next, she melted into him, as though he were her missing half. Those were the times when he felt complete, but they didn't last nearly long enough. She would inevitably return to the frigid Clan Leader she had been forced to become in his absence. He frowned. She was so much like Hiashi, it was scary.
"Hinata-sama? I– "
"You there!" She cut him off, as two Main House girls passed by. The girls stopped immediately, bowing to their Leader. "You will help me. Come," she ordered, and they trailed behind without hesitation.
"Hai, Hyuuga-sama," the girls answered in unison.
Neji kept walking with her, but dropped back two paces. It was obvious that she wanted the proper forms upheld, and he would do what was required of his station. It was frustrating, though. With the other two following, he would not be able to address the question nagging his mind.
Did she want him? In any capacity?
He knew he was not forgiven, yet. He would be a fool to think such a thing. But he was her Branch leader, if only for as long as she chose to keep him. She could replace him at any time. That was her right, and he would have to accept her unwavering decision.
They stopped in front of Hinata's door. Neji didn't want to part ways with her, but when she open the door and stepped inside without a single word, he knew it would be best if he just went to his own room. He could ask her later, after the council had been disposed of.
He stayed, only until the two girls were over the threshold, and the door slammed in his face. He twitched his nose, crossing his eyes at the red mark blooming on its tip. That brought back another question. Just what did Hinata-sama plan to do with the council?
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He swiped at her, and she dodged. He launched a kick in her direction, and she spun behind him. Her Gentle Fist landed hard blows across his back, for one as small and young as she. Tomomori whipped around, swinging a backhanded fist. Her arms flew up to block, but he caught her before they could stiffen into any real resistance.
Hyuuga Hanabi was thrown into a tree, and her head smashed against the trunk with a resounding crack. The young kunoichi slid to the ground, clutching her throbbing head, as her assailant rushed forward again.
"You murdering bitch!" He screamed, kunai drawn. Hanabi sprang to her feet, retrieving a kunai of her own from the pouch strapped to her leg. Her Byakugan eyes narrowed– watching, waiting. Her opponent was wild, crazed with hate. Just as he was nearly upon her, she thrust her weapon into the tree trunk, swinging herself up, into the branches. He slammed into the tree, rocking her in the foliage. Hanabi rained shuriken upon him, and the spinning blades sunk into his back and shoulders.
"Shut up!" She answered back, by looping a noose of wire around his throat. She flung herself, along with the length of wire, over a thick branch. As she fell toward the ground, Tomomori was hung, high in the tree. He struggled. He was heavier than her, so she had to act fast.
Hanabi swung by the wire, using all her leverage to keep him aloft. She kicked back from the tree, then swung around the trunk, wrapping the wire tightly. She quickly tied it off and dropped to the ground. Near the tree's crown of leaves, the elder Hyuuga writhed, reaching down for the kunai she'd left when she swung into the branches.
"Serves you right," she hissed, as her hand found the hilt of another kunai. She was going to end this, and her neechan would never again question her loyalty. Hanabi allowed a small, satisfied smile to grace her lips. She had only Hinata to thank for this victory. It was obvious that she'd injured him, slowing and weakening him. Hanabi wasn't sure she could have taken him, otherwise. But, as she drew her arm back to fling the blade into the base of his skull, she wondered how he had escaped from her sister in the first place.
Her face paled, and her eyes darkened. Her limbs grew taut, and her teeth clenched. Hinata might be dying, or dead– because of him.
"I was going to make this quick," she said, pulling a long twine of leather from her waist pouch. "But not anymore," she pulled the leather through her slick palms. Hanabi cracked the whip, and his struggles increased. "Now, you're really going to pay."
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"Old woman," the vulture kunoichi rasped again. The old crone was testing her patience. She refused to answer, and the ANBU was beginning to suspect some treachery. She signaled to one of her team, and the ninja sprang from the trees, up and over the hill in mere seconds. She waited, all the while glaring into the Hyuuga elder's back.
The shinobi returned, scant seconds later. He whispered to the kunoichi, and she hissed through the vulture mask.
"Hyuuga!" She dropped to the ground. Her feathery, purple hair whipped around, as she approached the old woman. The hag still did not speak, or flinch, and the kunoichi was not pleased. "I'm talking to you!"
She grasped the hag's shoulder, spinning the Hyuuga around, and was shocked when smoke shrouded them both, and the body disintegrated beneath her touch. The smoke cleared, and her two subordinates were at her side.
"Shadow Clone," she whispered. That old crone was trickier than they'd though. How had she managed to slip away, right under their noses? No matter. She couldn't have gotten far. "Fan out and bring her back," she commanded. The other ANBU dashed off, leaving a very perturbed Cloud kunoichi awaiting their return.
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The hag ran. She ran harder, faster than she ever assumed her tired, withered legs would carry her. Her Shadow Clone, genjutsu combination wouldn't fool them for long, but at least she had a head start.
How had she allowed herself to be taken in by Tomomori's sweet words? All he and his brother said about restoring the Hyuuga to its former glory... Lies, all of it. All they ever wanted was power, and to gain it, they sold her, along with Hanabi-sama, to the Cloud. Her robe was caught on a branch, and she yanked it loose, tearing the cloth to shreds. They couldn't take all the blame, however. It was her own foolishness that got her tangled up with those two Branch snakes in the first place.
Where had she gone wrong? When had she changed? It wasn't immediately after Hizashi's death. She had been utterly loyal to Hiashi, serving as his chief advisor after the passing of the Branch leader. She thought back to a meeting, so long ago. Yes, that was it. When her great-grandson was killed by Hizashi's son. The Leader had refused to punish the whelp, and hatred had rooted itself deep inside her bones. So deep in fact, that she no longer cared what was best for the Hyuuga.
She nearly tripped, but caught her footing before she tumbled forward. Leaning over a fallen log, she wheezed the moist air into her starving lungs. There was no time for rest. They would be upon her soon, and then, they would be upon Hanabi.
The hag ran, again pushing herself as far as humanly possible. If it was the last thing she ever did, she would get Hanabi-sama out of here.
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Lady Hyuuga waited, staring into her reflection, as her two Main House cousins finished tying her obi. It was her most beautiful, elegant kimono, a perfect match to the one her mother had worn on the day of her father's ascension. The previous Lady Hyuuga had it made shortly before her tragic death. It was never worn before tonight.
She strapped the Leader's sword to her waist, and it hung down, nearly grazing the wooden floor. She was ready now, ready to cement her rule.
Hinata glided toward the door as soon as the last fold was complete. "The two of you will be my attendants from now on," she said to the girls, who bowed before opening the door. Hinata stepped into the hall, and waiting for her, as expected, was Neji, washed and dressed. He hadn't bothered to bind his hair, and it flowed freely over his shoulders.
She took a moment just to admire him, handsome as he was, but those thoughts were soon lost in the cacophony of bitterness raging in her soul.
"Let us proceed to end this charade," she passed him, and he fell into step, two paces behind her. "The traitors have long since lost their right to life. All those who have been captured, will go to Hokage-sama, but all those holding themselves inside the Branch House..." She trailed off, and heard Neji's footsteps grow heavy at her heels.
"What would you have me do, Hyuuga-sama?" He inquired.
She smiled. He was an observant one, wasn't he?
"What any competent Branch leader would do." Her voice was small, but the force of her next words cut him to the quick. "Execute them."
End Chapter Fifteen