If Zack were being honest with himself, if not for the fact that Hinata hadn't been able to do more than twitch he never would have allowed his family to be alone with the girl. Child or not, he knew when someone was highly trained when he saw them.
And child soldiers are usually the worst when trained correctly.
He knew she was strange from the moment he carried her from the lake, she had weight to her, and when he and his wife were making sure she didn't die, it only confirmed his assumption. No little girl should have muscles like that. Streamlined and defined, light and efficient. Hers is a body built to fight.
He only figured out she was a soldier of some kind when they questioned her.
It's evident from the way she spoke about certain subjects and glossed over others. Granted her people's methods of warfare are clearly different from theirs. From what he could glean, they most likely focused on espionage and assassination, probably in a cold war of sorts if she is still as green as he believes. Of course that could be her age peeking through.
She's… casual about it, as if she doesn't believe anyone else hasn't been introduced to the act of killing in some way or form, and she frets over other more basic and less important things.
He noticed something else too. Judging by the way her training has shaped her body, her people have a very different style of combat than theirs too. Her musculature speaks of a heavy emphasis on close combat, usually, mages don't tend to focus on that until they're older and have a better grasp on their magic and that's if they train their bodies at all. His magic works best in close quarters so he's part of the exception.
All of it paints a very clear picture in Zack's mind.
Hinata is dangerous.
If only he could hold that against her.
Honestly, the girl is too sweet for her own good, fretting over so many meaningless things, like offending them by being unable to hold down her food -she swears it has nothing to do with the taste- or how she apologizes constantly for things that she can no way control.
The way she worries is endearing, however, it's also… sad. And a tad frightening. What kind of monsters does she compare herself to if she isn't happy she survived blind in a forest of beasts trying to gut her -and succeeding- but angry at herself for getting injured at all?
What kind of standard has she set for herself? Better yet, what level of standard has she been held to?
All of these factors were shots to his parental heart, so much so that he ignored his logical, more rational side he developed as a rune knight. Hell, if he ignored a child in such desperate need, could he call himself a knight at all?
No. No, he couldn't. Children, even ones such as Hinata, should be cherished and protected. Questionable past or not.
There are more pressing concerns right now anyways.
Since he found Hinata, he has patrolled the outer edges of the forest from dusk to dawn, and so far there had been nothing.
He phased through another kobold as it lunged at him and then the two after that. The pack had been going at it for around thirty minutes now. Eventually, he'd deal with them but until then they'd serve as decent enough deterrent for the other animals for now, and they'd buy him a few seconds if something he can't deal with comes along.
The state he and his son found Hinata in wouldn't have been concerning if she were any other child. Yes, obviously the injuries to her person were cause for concern but ultimately it'd be the expected outcome of a child alone in the forest. Wait, no, the expected outcome would be them getting eaten.
But it's been established that Hinata is no normal child. If what she's said is to be believed, she may be more capable than most adults. This forest is dangerous. Hell, even just these light outings in the forest would warrant a large party in most cases, however, he's uniquely suited for it.
The spell he's using right this moment creates a circle around him, an area all his own. If anything passes through the edge of said circle, his body automatically phases through whatever that thing may be. In this case, it's a pack of oddly persistent Kobolds.
The spell is useful, it allows him to not have to focus on evading or fighting, he's free to just observe. Phase magic in general is useful, the only reason it's not more popular is because of its difficulty to master, there are few with an affinity for it, and younger mages tend to go for the more flashy types of magic if they can.
Also, people tend to be lazy even when combat is part of their job, they usually avoid exercise and stick to attacking from afar. Phase magic works best in close quarters.
However, phase magic comes with its own drawbacks. Take the spell he's using right now for instance, he may be pretty much impervious to damage, but he can't interact with anything or use any other spells. Phase magic also, in general, has an overall rule that he can't phase himself while phasing another object.
That's not a big problem for him though.
Back to his task though. He's not seeing much that would be cause for concern. Yes, the animals are a bit more aggressive than usual, but that's just Deddith Forest itself. It's dangerous. That aggressiveness, along with its size, is the main reason a Beast hasn't risen to take the forest as its Territory.
The Beasts powerful enough to receive a seed die young, the only old animals in the forest hide away and avoid detection because they don't warrant it.
At first, Zack had been scared. Scared that the Great Forest of Deddith had been made into a Territory for the first time, that he had the bad luck to move his family to one of the only villages bordering it. But now, four days into worrying over it, the fear has mostly passed.
The animals so far have been behaving normally, and there's been nothing interesting to note so far. Granted she said she'd fallen down a cliff so she had to have been deeper than he'd been investigating, closer to the center of the forest actually.
She'd come a long way, the nearest cliff is dozens of miles into Deddith and from how she described it, he's pretty sure she came from even further in. Making it all the more impressive that she survived than it is already, the further into the forest you are, the higher you go, and the more dangerous and powerful the monsters become.
Even he'd have to have a specialized party to go anywhere but the outer edges and be back before dark.
It's part of the reason he's been following the river today. He's hoping that if there's anything amiss it'd be in the direction she came from, but so far there's been nothing.
Which is a good thing.
Zack looked up at the sky and saw the sun starting to set, if he wants to make it back before nightfall he'd have to start now.
Guess it's time to deal with his companions then.
Deactivating his circle, he held his fist out to phase it through an attacking Kobolds head. When his forearm was partway through he made his arm tangible again, the animal went limp, having died instantly
The pack that had been trying to kill him constantly for the past few miles stopped, cautious now that their packmate fell so swiftly. They fled when said packmate was thrown and partially phased into another, forming a mangled ball of fur, flesh, and limbs.
"Guess, today's another dud, huh…" Zack started his trek back to the village, eager to see his son and daughter. He's also curious to see if Hinata is up and about yet. The girl had been getting impatient with her recovery time.
Maybe he'll go a bit deeper tomorrow, sure he'll have to be more careful but it'd be worth it to be absolutely sure that nothing is stirring.
"Gods I hope it's nothing."
Hinata's POV- earlier that day
Hinata coughed. The pain in her lungs hasn't gotten any better.
It's been four days.
Four days of laying completely still, and circulating her chakra in a very unnatural way. Unnatural at first, at least. After constantly doing it, making her chakra flow in mildly uncomfortable ways has gotten much easier.
Still, not being able to move, exercise or train is the worst kind of punishment for screwing up. She deserves it, of course. It's her fault. She just wasn't prepared for how hard it'd be.
Yes, pain hurts and is uncomfortable. But laying in a quiet room, unable to move or see anything, with nothing but her thought to occupy her is so much harder.
At least she'd just gotten her stitches put in, she still can't move as much as she'd like but at least she can move a little now. Zachary-san even has a wheelchair if she feels up for it. Which she is.
Her eyes still aren't working though. Which is… not good. It's not good at all. She knows that she strained them and with the particles screwing up her control as much as much as they -probably- were, she likely strained them much more than she realized.
But she'll be able to go outside at least. Anything but a stale room that smells is an improvement.
Wait… she probably smells, doesn't she?
Oh, dear.
W-well it's not her fault. She hasn't properly bathed in… Oh gosh, she's just now realizing how long it's been. The only bit of cleaning she gets is when Miya-san would clean her wounds periodically.
Yes, she's filthy.
Nope, it doesn't matter. She can't let that drag her down no matter how embarrassing it is.
"Hey, Hinata -EEP!- ...are you ready?" She was so distracted she didn't hear Miya-san walk in.
Oh man, that just happened didn't it? It was so high-pitched too… She could feel her face getting warmer by the second, and it's not just her fever.
"Hey hey, just breathe. We'll both just forget about what just happened okay? We won't be able to get you dressed if you're unconscious." Miya sounds the slightest bit panicked, but she ultimately got her to calm down enough that she wasn't in danger of overheating.
"I've brought you something fresh to wear. They're James' so they might be a bit small but they should be fine for now." Hinata felt some clothing being laid out on the bed.
"T-thank you, Miya-san." Hinata bowed her head as well as she could, "You're t-too kind."
"They're just clothes Hinata. Don't worry about it," Miya gently started pulling Hinata up, "Alrighty, let's get you dressed."
Hinata almost groaned, this is embarrassing. She's nearly of age having to be dressed like a toddler. Yes, it's necessary but it is still grating on her nerves.
"Yes, Miya-san," she agreed as the woman lifted her, she tried to help as much as possible but it somehow felt even more difficult to move than it was a few days ago. Her injuries have lost most of their sting but it's slowly being replaced with a dull burn throbbing throughout her body.
Hinata had never been injured this badly before, so she wasn't certain if this is normal or not, and while most of her fears over her hosts had been settled, she doesn't want to bother them with her complaining.
A-and they could still be enemies! Yeah. It's mostly that.
They've been kind to her. They treated her, fed her, and even at times, put up with her when she was being impolite. She really doesn't mean to be, it's just sometimes she gets really tired and falls asleep when they're speaking.
She's seen the way the couple treat each other, howyhey treat James.
They're nice, but too… coddling.
Father is nice too. He's always pushing her to do her best, after all, reminding her when she isn't good enough yet. She needs that.
She does. Not her sister.
Yet, their niceness is soft. One time she heard James crying because he fell out of a tree or something, Miya and Zack were so concerned and gentle and soft.
It makes Hinata want to pull out her hair -but not really, her hair is amazing- because she knows they're setting James up to fail. And she's grown much more tolerant of his hyperactive rudeness.
Whenever she fell down the first time tree walking, Father told her Neji did it on his first attempt and walked away. It made her train that much harder. Who cares that her leg was broken? Or her ankle got twisted? Her body could be healed, and it even taught her how to land properly the next time too.
Maybe that was why? They just didn't have access to the healing techniques she did.
"Hinata, you with me?" Miya-san snapped her out of her musings causing her to nearly jump.
That would have been bad.
"Y-yes, sorry!" Hinata started.
Miya sighed, "Alright, let's get you clothed."
Carefully -and a bit painfully- Hinata was dressed in what felt like a baggy tank top and shorts that came up to her mid-thigh, "Miya-san, what c-colors am I wearing?" Because obviously she has to be matching at the very least. She's the Hyuga Heiress, even when she's at her lowest she needs to look presentable.
"Sky blue tank with khaki light tan shorts," Miya sounds amused for some reason.
Hinata nodded, that'll have to do, "A-and… um," Hinata paused, her face heating up.
"Yes?" Miya urged.
"I- um, I c-cannot see. S-so how d-do I look?" She knew her torso was still completely covered in bandages so she's not too worried about that at least.
"You look fine Hinata, albeit a bit more haggled than most. Still very pretty though."
Hinata said nothing while her face grew rather warm.
"All right, let's get you in the wheelchair."
"Yes, please," Hinata nearly forgot about her embarrassment at the prospect of getting out of this room, the smell was starting to get to her..
Miya called in James to help get Hinata situated in the chair, she thought that the extra help wasn't necessary and that by all means, she should be able to stand on her own by now, up until she tried. Well, tried is a strong word. It was more like as soon as she tensed the muscles to stand her body said 'no' in the form of pain.
It hurt.
"You're heavier than you look," James pointed out when they got Hinata in the chair.
Hinata pouted but before she could say anything, Miya spoke up, "James it isn't polite to talk about a lady's weight. Besides," the wheelchair started moving, "Hinata has far more muscle mass than other girls her age."
"Hey, I wasn't saying it was anything bad!" James defended himself, "It's just something I noticed is all."
Hinata spoke up, "I-It's fine." She's never been concerned about weight before, most kids training to be ninja aren't. Honestly, she's always tried to get as many calories as possible. It's something she wishes she appreciated more when she could eat without being sick afterward.
She's so hungry right now.
"Miya-san, before we go, might I try to eat again?" Hinata asked.
There was a slight pause in her response before Miya answered, "Sure thing. James, why don't you get Hinata a few apples."
"But Mom, won't she just-" "Honey, she needs to eat." Miya interrupted.
James sighed, "Yes, mom."
Hinata guessed fruit would do, she would have much rather had meat. If she's going to struggle to keep it down anyways, might as well struggle with protein.
When two apples were placed in her hands, Hinata immediately set to nibbling at one. She's pretty sure she's figured out how to eat without puking all over herself. It's tricky but she's practiced a bit.
Her theory is that the only thing that's making her sick is the particles everywhere. She's pretty sure that she can still get the nutritional value out of food regardless of poison as long as she keeps it down and doesn't die.
It hurts but survival comes first.
So, ignoring the burning sensation on her tongue, she swallowed and did her best to purge the particles from her body as fast as possible. It worked, somewhat, and she's pretty sure it only kinda worked because she was taking small bites. Her stomach still hurt immediately, but it was less so than before. Instead of feeling the overwhelming urge to vomit, she just was only sort of nauseous and had a particularly bad stomachache.
It's a win.
"Hey, are you okay?" Miya asked.
Hinata nodded shakily with a small smile, "Y-yes, thank you v-very much."
Two sighs of relief came from either side of her, and she heard a few light steps -James- and the sound of a bucket being placed on the floor. "Okay!" he shouted, "Let's go outside!" Hinata then the pattering of feet and a door slam closed.
Miya chuckled while slowly pushing her out the door, "You'll have to forgive him, he's been eager to show you the village for days now."
"I u-understand," And Hinata did, granted she's never gotten too excited to spend time with her peers but she's gotten excited to show Father something new she learned, or to tell him she'd beaten one of her instructors in sparring.
Then they were out the door. Hinata didn't hear what Miya had to say next because she was too busy basking in the feeling. The sun beating down on from above felt heavenly after not experiencing it for days, the cool breeze felt heavenly and sent tingles all over her body.
It was almost enough for her to forget about the burn that's been a constant companion since she woke up in this land.
"Hinata, you good?" Miya asked.
"O-oh, my apologies. Yes I-I am good."
Miya chuckled, "Alright then."
Hinata heard James, running back before she heard him actually speak, "C'mon! Let's show her the tire swing!" He sounded giddy with excitement.
Miya chuckled, "James, I know you know that she's still healing. Slow down. I'm sure she'd appreciate a simple stroll through the village, right?" Hinata knew that was directed towards her and merely nodded.
"Right. Let's go shall we?"
When Miya started to push her, Hinata noticed right away that the street was much smoother than her village's. Not by much, mind you, but enough that the difference was clear.
She also noticed that it was pretty quiet, yes, the sound of a woman shushing a baby, or young children playing could be heard. But the expected noise of the everyday hustle and bustle of vendors hawking their wares for customers, or just the general populace is absent.
Well, not absent exactly, but a lot quieter than what she was used to.
It's strange but pleasant.
"Oh! Is that the girl Zack found?" A man that sounded rather elderly asked.
Hinata's pleasant stroll was halted as Miya stopped pushing her, "Yes sir, she's doing a bit better now. Resilient as can be."
"Bah! Miya, what have I told you about calling a young and hip guy like me 'sir'? I'm only seventy-four!" the man exclaimed.
Miya chuckled, "I thought you were eighty-six yesterday?"
The old man feigned outrage, "Eh, tomayto tomato! Those are just numbers anyways. Huh…" he paused for a second, "Pretty little thing ain't she? And she's got plenty of muscle for a little girl." Hinata felt flush and her stomach lurch from losing focus while swallowing her food.
"Ho? Girly you need to eat more than just nibbling on those apples. Here." Hinata felt a basket that smelt delicious be placed gently in her lap. The weight hurt the cuts on her legs a bit but ultimately it wasn't too bad, "Eat that, you need some protein for them guns!"
'Guns?' The strange phrase made Hinata momentarily pause before she tried to thank the man, "O-Okay, t-tha-" while Hinata spent a few seconds trying to get herself together Miya, thankfully, cut in.
"She's just a bit shy, it seems like with strangers especially, but trust me when I say she appreciates it."
Hinata nearly sagged in relief, then bit her lip in annoyance. She's the heiress of the Hyuga clan, she shouldn't be stuttering and stumbling over her words while speaking to anyone that wasn't her sister or late mother, she should be confident and dignified.
She took a steadying breath. Okay, this is easy. She can do this, no problem.
Just as she was about to speak, the old man continued talking causing her to deflate, "Did she injure her eyes too? It'd be a shame to have survived all that and come out crippled in such a way."
Miya spoke up for her, again, "Nope, at least not as far as we can tell. She says it's just a side effect of overusing her magic. Should have her eyes back eventually."
The old man made an 'ahh' sound, "Hmm, so you're a mage, are you?" he asked her directly.
Hinata stayed silent, content to let Miya speak for her until she realized no one was talking, "Well Girly? I'm talking to you, not you're caretaker. Speak up," he tapped what's probably a cane against the ground.
"Y-yes, I am a m-mage," Hinata stuttered, realizing she didn't even know the man's name.
"I see…" the old man trailed off, "Surviving Deddith at such a young age I guess you'd have to be a mage to have even a chance." The man's voice grew a touch more serious, "Pardon my curiosity, but may I ask what magic you use? There isn't much someone so young could use to survive without quickly exhausting themselves."
Hinata was at a loss. How is she supposed to answer that? On one hand, she just learned that kids are usually weak by this land's standards, and on the other, she still had no idea what her cover for her 'magic' will be.
She really needs to get better at thinking on her feet.
"Eh," the old man sniffed, "Feel free to not answer at all. Won't hurt my feelings."
"She said it's good at immobilizing enemies!" James pipes up, eager to contribute to the 'conversation'.
"James!" Miya chastised, "Don't give information that's not yours to give."
Hinata internally agreed, but ultimately didn't mind much. She purposefully told that to James because it gave the least about her 'magic' as possible.
"Hoh? Did you immobilize your 'enemies' in the forest?" the old man asked.
Hinata shyly nodded and coughed a bit, "Y-yes, I used it t-to k-kill a sword-bear." As soon as she committed to the sentence she mentally groaned. She isn't used to having people so interested in what she's doing so it made her lips a bit looser than they should be.
It made her stupid.
Oh, dear.
"A sword-bear?" the old man mumbled to himself.
Hinata was surprised to feel dainty, calloused hands take hold of her face. "Hinata," Miya started calmly, "W-what do you mean when you say you only killed a sword-bear." Her voice was firm but a bit unsteady.
Hinata realized her mistake, "O-oh my apologies, I m-meant the large fuzzy c-creatures with blades sticking out of their bodies," she still doesn't know the proper name for them.
"Okay," Hinata heard Miya take a deep breath and then let it out slowly, "Hinata, this isn't the time for misplaced apologizing. Please tell me clearly: You killed a beast with magic, as in singular. And you spent the rest of your three days without magic. You told me you slayed lots of beasts, correct?"
"Yes," Hinata said in a tiny whisper. Why did everything suddenly get so intense?
"You did so barehanded?" Miya urged.
"I-I had tools…" Hinata mumbled.
"Hinata, that's not the fucking poi-" Miya suddenly cut herself off and let out a violent breath from her nose, "Sorry, sorry. I'm not mad, just a little shocked is all. My fault for not understanding the implications."
Hinata tilted her head, these people are getting stranger by the minute.
Miya took her hands off her face, "We were under the assumption that you killed beasts with your magic, then ran away the rest of the time."
Hinata's lungs burned but she did her best not to cough, "I did run away though…"
The old man spoke up from his mumbling, "Girly you killed an Ursa Razor?!"
Hinata didn't say anything to that, already even uncomfortable with this conversation. Now that the rush of getting to go outside had ended, she's distinctly aware of all the attention on her.
And how vulnerable she is.
"Wait, you meant you're magic's good at killing?!" James exclaimed. Loudly. Loud enough that anyone could hear.
Hinata shrunk in on herself, eager to be away from this conversation.
She felt the wheelchair start moving again, "James, quiet down now," Miya's tone left no room for arguments, "Please excuse us, old man. We still have to finish our stroll."
"Y-yes, of course," the man cleared his throat, "Make sure you eat that girly, recover soon."
Hinata nodded stiffly, "Y-yes."
After a few minutes of silence, Miya leaned down and whispered, "You know, that man has been worrying over you since Zack fished you out of the river," her breath tickled Hinata's ear.
"R-really?" Hinata didn't know how to respond to that.
"Oh, yeah," Miya continued, "He even cooked for us so I'd have more time to tend to you. Said, 'Just worry about that kid for now, the least I can do is handle this'. She quoted him in a poor imitation of the man's voice.
Hinata smiled a bit, "I see."
"Hey, what happened to those apples?" James asked.
"I ate them," Hinata answered.
"Yeah, but what happened to the cores?"
"I-I don't think I understand the question," Hinata blushed a bit, she's used to a lot more food than what she's been having lately.
"She's a growing girl James, be polite." Miya lightly scolded.
"Fine."
The rest of their walk lasted around an hour, during that time Hinata got to know the joys of being the center of attention. As it turned out, just about everyone in the village was worrying over her condition. Her. An outsider.
These people were strange.
She made sure not to get so overwhelmed she'd let her tongue slip again, and the majority of the time Miya-san had to end 'conversations' for her. Even James, who had been reserved for a while, started to chatter again. Telling her all the 'cool' spots he knew and which kids were fun to play with and which ones weren't.
Hinata did her best to listen diligently, but even in Konoha she'd never really played with other children, she'd stopped wanting to after she realized how much time something like that would waste.
Overall, this little trip made Hinata realize that this might actually be a regular village after all. It wasn't Miya or James or any of the other adults that convinced her, no, it was the amount of toddlers running around.
Children that age are cherished even in the Hidden Cloud so it'd be out of the ordinary for them to be put in harm's way. And if they really are part of a massive ploy… that'd be pretty bad.
Hinata always had a soft spot for young children.
So yeah, her shoulders relaxed just a little.
At the house
"Honey!" Miya yelled, Hinata heard rapid stepping followed by a very masculine grunt and a happy high-pitched squeal.
"How was your day, my dearest?" Zack asked.
As Miya started to ramble about everything she did today, James groaned, "Gods, why are you guys so embarrassing!?"
"I think it's r-rather sweet," Hinata countered with a soft smile. They were obviously very in love, and it was a treat to witness such a thing. Miya-san only got like this when her husband was near -when she's on the job non-withstanding- otherwise, she was a fairly cool and professional individual. "James, roll Hinata to the table please," Miya said off-handedly, too preoccupied with being in her husband's arms after a day without him.
"Yes, Mom," James grumbled, and Hinata felt herself being pushed again.
"Oh, and put Mr. Ericson's gift on the table too!" she called out. James didn't even respond to that, just lifting the food that had somehow maintained its temperature from when it was placed in her lap.
She wants to be able to use her arms properly, but as it was she could barely lift those two apples without struggling.
A few minutes later, they were all seated at the dining table. Hinata included for the first time. Turns out when they'd been out Zachary had cooked a broth for dinner.
"M-my apologies, but I-I would like to e-eat the food t-that strange man gave to me first," Hinata requested, bowing her head a bit. She didn't want them to think her ungrateful that Zachary made food. But the elderly man made meat.
She wants it.
"Oh? Are you able to keep things down now?" Zachary asked.
Hinata nodded, "Y-yes, I think I've figured it out. I should b-be okay as long as I'm careful."
"Huh…" Zackary clicked the silverware against the table, "Odd choice of words there, what did you figure out?"
Hinata froze. She messed up. She keeps getting too comfortable and letting things slip. She may be confident that they aren't allied with an enemy nation out for the Byakugan's secrets, but she doesn't know how they'll react to the knowledge that the very air she breaths being poison."
If they do have something planned like waiting until she's healthy enough to enslave and do their bidding, they might just write her up as a lost cause after learning she has such a handicap. Then she wouldn't get the chance to get better and escape. They'd just kill her where she stood.
It's simple logic.
"I-I don't k-know-" she descended into a hacking fit that shook her body.
"Honey, let her eat," Miya saved her, "And what have I said about the silverware tapping?"
"To not do it…" Zachary mumbled, scolded.
Hinata dear, would you like some water?" Miya asked.
Hinata nodded, her throat was so sore from the fit that she had trouble speaking. A few seconds later a glass of water was held up to her lips and she daintily sipped. She shakily raised her arms to hold it herself.
"Th-thank you," her voice came out slightly scratchy,
"Can we eat now? I'm hungry," James impatiently asked.
Zachary scolded him this time, "James be patient. Hinata, I won't take any offense if you eat Ericson's cooking. Don't worry."
Hinata smiled and nodded, not trusting her voice right now.
"I'll cut it for you," Zachary offered.
"Wh-" Hinata cleared her throat, "What is it?"
Miya laughed, "It's a whole roast duck, that man always goes overboard when his mind's made up."
"How much do you think you can eat?" Zackary asked.
Hinata took another sip of water, "All of it, i-if you don't mind."
"You sure?" Zachary sounded skeptical, Hinata didn't know why.
"Y-yes please."
"Alright then."
After he cut her food, they finally started to eat.
The duck was heavenly.
She could still barely taste it of course. The particles practically burning her taste buds every time she took a bite. But from what Hinata could taste, it tasted surprisingly similar to how duck should taste. She wasn't sure if their ducks were bizarre creatures too.
That wasn't what was so good about it though.
No. What was good was that it was the first actual meal she ate without puking in a solid week. She still ate carefully and slowly, purging all the particles she could once she swallowed, but that didn't detract from the fact it was protein.
Honestly, she almost moaned.
"A-are you sure I c-can have some?" Hinata asked once she was done with the duck and she politely asked for some broth.
"Yep, eat as much as you like," Zackary pushed a bowl in front of her and placed a spoon in her hand.
"H-how much can I eat?"
Zachary clapped once, loudly, "Like I said, as much as you want. We already ate our fill and there's plenty left."
Hinata ate seven more bowls, despite the increasing pain in her guts, and only stopped because the pot was empty.
Still, her stomach grumbled, though that could be from her trying her best to keep the food down. She might have overdone it.
"Huh, well I'll be damned," surprisingly it was Miya who said it.
"You said it," Zachary agreed.
James, on the other hand, was keeping the bucket at a ready, not wanting to clean any more puke from the floors.
"T-thank you f-for the food. It was delicious," Hinata politely said, despite her barely tasting anything at all and the fact she was looking a bit green.
"No problem, glad to see you have your appetite back," Zachary waved her off, what he doesn't know is that she never lost it. She's still hungry as can be.
"Well if we're all done eating," Miya stood with a scrape of her chair, "I think it's time to get the kids to bed so me and you can speak privately."
This confused Hinata, she knows what young couples did privately. She might have 'accidentally' stumbled upon a few dozen in the act when she was practicing her Byakugan at night, and sometimes even the day. She might have also accidentally grown a tad bit curious and stumbled upon a few more.
Those Inuzuka women really have no shame….
The point is there's no way Zachary and Miya, as happy as they are, haven't done 'it' once since she's gotten here. Plus the walls are rather thin even with how they were trying to be quiet.
So why did Miya phrase it like that?
"Miya, it's fine. This affects them as much as anyone else," Zachary told her, "Plus if I had bad news, we would already be packed and out of here by now."
There was a long pause, Hinata couldn't see what was going on due to the bandages covering her eyes, but she'd like to imagine the two were having an intense stare-down. "Alright, fine," Miya relented, "But Hinata does need her rest so make it quick please."
"Got it," Zachary agreed, "So as you all know I've been patrolling the forest for the last few days, making sure everything is behaving normally, after you- er after Hinata here told us about her experience."
Hinata knew this but never knew why.
"Yeah," James spoke up, "You never explained why you were doing it though… Or why we packed all of our things."
"Because we were worried Son, with the way Hinata described her time in Deddith, we thought there might be a Lord sprouting." Zachary continued.
"-Wait, what!?" James cut his father off again. Hinata blanched, she couldn't imagine doing anything like that with Father without severe punishment.
"Relax James. Like your father said, we'd be gone already if that were confirmed to indeed be the case," Miya said soothingly.
"Yep, I haven't seen anything out of the norm for Deddith so far, tomorrow I'll head a bit deeper but I doubt I'll find anything. Sprouting Lords aren't exactly subtle."
"Oh… okay that's good, right?" James asked, relieved, "I thought Deddith Forrest couldn't get any Territories."
"The possibility is always there, Son," Zachary said gravely, "However with Deddith's size the chance is just so low it's basically non-existent."
"So there's not gonna be anything wrong?"
"Nope, don't worry about it."
"U-um…" Hinata interjected for the first time, impolite as it was this sounded important, "W-what are you t-talking about?"
Miya let out a small gasp, "You don't know?"
Hinata merely shook her head.
Zachary sighed, "Consider yourself lucky then, it'd take hours to explain properly so that can wait till tomorrow. The short answer is, they're the monsters above monsters. Even the weakest Seeds can take a few S-rank mages to defeat and that's usually only barely. We try to nip them when they're sprouting when we can, but the older ones are left alone."
Hinata felt the breath leave her body, as her chakra layer flickered. This is a new development. A new threat that she was in no way aware of. And it sounds more dangerous than even these mages.
Anxiety poured into her stomach and threatened to send all the food she just ate back up.
"Hey, hey Hinata," Miya soothed. Hinata felt her chair being pulled out and was absently aware of her face being gently gripped by Miya's soft hands, "Zack says it's fine so don't worry. He's got some experience with these types of situations. Just breathe okay? I need you to breathe."
Oh. Hinata was breathing rather hard. That's embarrassing.
The realization only made it worse.
She tried her best to listen to Miya. To breathe normally. The older woman helped by murmuring soft nothings in her ear. It still took another five minutes or so for her to calm down.
"Hey, like I said, everything seems okay so far. You don't need to worry." Zachary reminded her.
Hinata only acknowledged him with a small nod.
It's not that she's worried about the forest, she was of course, but that's not the cause of her distress.
No, the cause of her distress is that she just found out that she's outclassed. Again. There's one more thing to worry over and it sounds even more menacing than the other threat that she was already worrying over.
It just never stops with this stupid land.
"T-thank you," Hinata whispered, "Miya-san, Zachary-san, you are both too kind."
Hinata felt her chair being pushed, "Nonsense, let's get those bandages changed so you can rest. We can talk more tomorrow."
"Okay," Hinata was still using that same soft voice.
"Don't worry, after a good sleep, you'll feel better in no time. Say goodnight boys."
"Goodnight/goodnight Hinata."
Ten minutes later
After Miya checked her wounds and changed her bandages, she left Hinata in the room alone telling her to call if she needed anything.
This gave Hinata the opportunity to think.
Okay, so turns out this place is just a bit more dangerous than she thought, but she'll never get anything done if she keeps freaking out every time she learns something new could kill her.
Wait, no that's not it.
It's not that they could kill her, it's that everything keeps getting in her way maybe? Patience has never been something she's had an abundance of, she's always moved forward, or could at least feel like she was moving forward.
That sounds right. Let's go with that.
At least her fears surrounding the family are quickly proving to be for nothing. The village itself is quaint and seems rather happy. Too authentic for a great trick by her Clan's enemies.
They still could be playing the long game, but at this point, it seems like it'd be a bit pointless to go through all that trouble. People do things she doesn't understand all the time though. She gets that many are a lot smarter than her so she'll try to remain vigilant.
Hinata yawned, she was getting pretty sleepy.
Hopefully, the old man makes a duck again….
She woke to the sound of screams.
AN: Hopefully that was worth the wait. I think I'm happy with it? Idk, we'll see.
And the official start of original content! Worldbuilding! And Magic! Woo. Next chapter we'll get to see Hinata get super creative so that'll be cool.
Also still working out the honorifics. I know it's pretty wishy-washy atm but they won't be there forever so it's fine right?
Let me know what you think pls.
As always thanks RedKing96.