At first, I walked slowly down the hallway after my father but my imagination got the best of me despite my many quotes and I sped up my pace to get to the room he stepped into. The room must have been his office, for there was a desk, a computer and lots of paper, not to mention his big, plushy leather, wheely chair. Rich bastard, the chair probably cost the same amount as Uncle and I's whole house.
Father picked up the phone after dialing a number and the room was filled with a stuffy silence. Gulping and looking around, I spotted a large painted portrait of him and my mother, looking happy, dressed in their wedding attire. Ire rolled and rumbled within me and I wanted to scream at him. He couldn't keep me but he could keep a large painting of her? How did that even work? I was not her and he couldn't stand to look at me yet he could look at a huge painting of her face. Asshole.
"Yes." I jumped and looked away from the painting, turning back to him. His gaze was locked onto the screen of the computer which was casting a pale glow on his waxy, old face. "Yes." he glanced at me rapidly, before turning back to the screen, "Yes, she's here. Yes. Fine. I will." then he hung up.
Leisurely, he turned to me and his cold eyes ran straight through me like daggers. Ordering me to sit down, I thought about the way he looked at me. Like I was a band-aid that needed peeling. Not a way a father should look at his daughter but I doubt that my gaze of complete abhor was any better. I did not look at him as he was my father, but as my adversary. As the antagonist to my protagonist. As the Voldemort to my Harry. As the Darth Vader to my Luke.
He told me to sit again and I resisted snapping at him. Instead, I did as told and sat, my bag sitting on my lap like a wall between my father and I. "I know my brother left everything to you." I just stared. "The Uchiha won't let me near any of his belongings." at this, I did my best not to smile and thankfully succeeded. "What did you find?"
I was surprised by his eagerness and rather taken aback. What would he want with Uncle's stuff? Both my head and my heart told me something wasn't right. There was something wrong. If my father hated me so much, why would he agree to take me in. He could easily ship me off to Canada and never see or hear from me again. He wanted something that Uncle Hizashi and Police Chief Itachi were hiding from him and I wasn't going to squeal.
An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness, promised Elbert Green Hubbard.
Loyalty is the pledge of truth to oneself and others, Ada Velez-Boardley pronounced.
"I don't understand." I grit out, my fingers rubbing circles on the ring box as my hand rested itself in the sweater pocket. Even if I had barely even possessed the rings, they felt familiar in my pocket, like they were mine. Like the bands belonged to me. It was absurd and I knew it but it felt so right and my fingers itched to try the feminine ring on.
"Hizashi has a few items of mine." his long fingers tapped on the wood surface of the desk impatiently, "Like a pair of rings." Freezing, I forgot how to breath. My heart clenched and my face felt hot similar to how I felt after physical education in middle school. A protective instinct came over me and I was tempted to push the computer monitor onto him and run for it. That would be stupid though. He would find me and it was not like Konohagakure was that big. Not to mention, Father had enough money to send a S.W.A.T team after me. I could hid in Africa and they would still find me.
"Rings?" I repeated dumbly, my fingers wrapping around the worn, velvet box. "I didn't find any rings. I took mostly clothes." mentally swearing, my mind raced several possible lies through my brain filter, all of them on the tip of my tongue.
Leaning forwards, my Father echoed me, "Mostly clothes? What else do you have in the bag Hinata." he put unnecessary force into my name. It seemed almost vulgar on his lips and I wanted to punch him. If I were one of my friends, I would have already. Luckily, I was the most patient of our group for none of them would have put up with such torture.
"I took some antiques from the store." spilled out of my mouth. More word vomit continued, "Like a few lamps, scrolls, pens, inks, caps. Love it." calm yourself Hinata. What would Uncle Hizashi say?
Discipline is remembering what you want, a quote from David Campbell.
What do I want? I want my uncle back. No. He's in a better place. What do you want Hinata? Love, eat, pray. No. What do you want Hinata? I want a rocket ship. And Hermione Granger. Damned it Hinata! Getting off track!
I want to be in peace. I want to find love. I want to be free.
Mother Teresa had preached, if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong together.
Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end. These words were spoken by an author I can not name.
Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke, freedom has its life in the hearts, actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.