Scarlet Justice - ep. 122
"Daughter of the Sun"
[Days of Thunder: Chapter of Noble Eyes, Part 3]

Training Field 23. One of our homes away from home.

A place where we've grown as shinobi, and as people. Many long conversations, training sessions, and demonstrations. We've laughed and cried together here, shared secrets, and come to important decisions.

It's the place where we became a team together. More than that, it's the place where we truly became a family.

And now, on this cool spring night, it's the place where Hina and I will make even more of ourselves. The dwindling sunlight starts to reveal the stars in the sky. I step onto the grass and find my sister waiting patiently. Her eyes are shining with determination.

"Are we ready?" she asks calmly.

"We are," I reply.

She nods and settles into her stance confidently. One palm forward, the other back near her side. Legs slightly bent, one foot pushed out in front of the other. Hina is already locked onto me, eyes brightening as she silently activates her Byakugan, the veins popping up from her skin and reaching around her eyes and the sides of her head. Every bit the warrior I imagined her to be.

I will treat her with the respect she deserves.

My body turns slightly to face her at an angle, legs spaced at shoulder width. I have my arms hang loosely at my sides, fingers moving constantly so that I can make seals and shapes with my hands. My head is pointed forward so that I can track her closely.

"I want you to show it to me. Even if it means I don't last a second...I want to see what you're truly like. I want to see everything."

"..." I let out a breath. "You don't get to make those demands of me. Start with something impressive before you go on about true strength."

"Hmph."

I see her tense briefly.

"Go ahead, Hinata."

She pulls air in past her teeth and takes off, a small burst of smoke rising from where she stood a moment ago. A run straight forward, then she slips to my left before cutting back and aiming for my torso. I step backwards as she reaches me, then use my right arm to block her left by pushing her wrist up and out of the way. I push it further off and see that her fingers have extended to try and poke the pressure points on my arm. Her dexterity has improved sharply. Good.

"Your steps are much lighter than before. I'm impressed."

"Don't you mock me, Lilith."

"Should I wait until I have you on your back before praising you? I can accommodate you if that's the case," I say. She moves for a second attack, but I spin and drive her backwards with a side kick.

"..."

"You can see that I'm taking you seriously enough. But as I said, you'll have to do some impressive things before I unleash my power. If you can't accept that much, you can run home."

"Understood." Hina takes her stance again before charging, increasing her speed from before. Her first step is explosive and quick; I dodge her initial palm thrust before starting to sway around and through her attacks as I did with Neji. His strikes were more methodical in nature...I can see that Hina is moving and repositioning herself, trying to attack from broader angles so that I have more to consider. Her hands change shape, and instead of the set palms that normally come from Hyuuga, she has two fingers stretched outwards as much as she can, hoping to use the proximity to tag at least one part of my body.

She's steady and determined, moving in time with me and trying to predict where I will go next. My goal is to lead her on and then swerve as close to impact as possible, making it confusing as she tries to figure me out. There's no pattern as I move, and no pattern as her hands lash out.

"You want something to take seriously...try this then," she growls.

"Hm?"

"Eight Trigrams...Phoenix Bullet!"

Hina spins and thrusts her fists towards me, one over top of the other and wrapped in flames. I swiftly dodge to the side, but she continues to build energy.

"Burst!"

The explosion of heat radiates outwards, throwing me backwards briefly even as I block. Hina has already taken off from her position, those all-seeing eyes telling her everything she needs to know as she closes distance. I can feel her chakra building as my feet touch the earth. Is this where she thinks she can move in?

I accelerate before she can properly react, going low and driving my elbow into her stomach. She comes to a stop, gasping for air before I quickly kick her upwards and take aim with one hand.

"Target practice, then?"

Her face shows pain, but not panic. What will she counter with?

"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet."

The shark appears in front of me from thin air, and shoots forward. Hina has recovered somewhat while in the air, but not enough to evade this attack.

"No choice, then...Lightning Release: Valkyrie Arrow!"

She breathes in and shoots downwards towards me, smashing through the water shark with an open palm. I sidestep her initial thrust and wait for the next pass.

"!"

Or did she think further than that? Clever!

"Revolving Heaven!"

I don't have the angle to stop her from spinning, so I quickly use a body flicker to move backwards. The lightning-spiked dome of chakra appears not a second later, Hina cutting it off as soon as she realizes that I've cleared the area. Her chakra levels spike upwards and she accelerates towards me at full speed, driving forward with yet another palm thrust that I leap over so that I can reposition myself.

"I never realized how troublesome you were to fight," she says as she turns to face me.

"I suppose so. I would be a problem for you Hyuuga, as someone who likes to fight at a longer range."

"If it were just that, I could overcome it. You're also graceful at closer ranges too. And...never mind. We can talk about those things later."

"Yes. You've pulled out a few interesting moves for me, so I'll keep my promise to you. Let's go with the second stage...and something I was working on over the break. Try and keep up."

Hina charges at me and I dodge her first strike before kicking her away. She quickly finds her balance and recovers, but not before I activate the second stage of my chakra mode and weave handseals with my increased speed.

All forty four of them, in sequence.

"That's...!"

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet."

Water gathers around my outstretched hand before shooting forward, taking the shape of a long-bodied dragon and flying through the air. Hina weighs her options before deciding to hold her ground as the water dragon twists towards her.

"Eight Trigrams...Revolving Heaven!"

She spins and forms the dome of chakra around her body, clashing violently with the water dragon until it finally explodes in a shower of droplets. The light of the setting sun makes them sparkle as they slowly fall in my vision. I count Hina's rotations until she comes to a stop.

"There we are."

I accelerate through the fading wall of chakra and hit her in the face, sending her flying backwards and tumbling along the grass. I speed behind her and sweep her rolling form into the air, then kick her twice more to elevate her further.

"Not good enough. But you made me try a bit...so now you can work your way out of this."

I line up her as she falls and punch her in the chest, making her cough as she bounces once along the ground. I follow to grab one of her legs, then spin around to toss her even higher. To her credit, she snaps out of her stupor and starts to right herself while flying through the sky. But she only has that technique to move herself through the air safely. It's either fall and put herself at my mercy, or attack and risk getting countered.

What will you do, Hina?

Judging from the fact that she's letting herself fall, I suppose that her decision has been made. I ready myself to attack as soon as she nears the ground, and spring forward in a burst of speed. Hina's breath is held, and I can't figure out why...

"I wonder what you're planning...make sure it's entertaining, girl."

She looks at me defiantly as her chakra starts to radiate outwards. And as soon as I near, I can sense it happening. Chakra bursts out from every pressure point on her body, creating a wall of force that pushes me backwards and keeps her from hitting the ground for a few extra seconds. I had completely forgotten about that technique - she had described it to me back on the mission to bring Sasuke home to the Leaf. Looks like she's improved it greatly since then.

"Vacuum Wall Palm!"

Hina thrusts two palms forward and sends a wave of chakra towards me. I cross my arms and block, feeling the force lift me off my feet briefly.

"In the air...you're just as dangerous, somehow..."

She continues to send the shells of chakra at me, one after the other, forcing me to keep my guard up. It's not very effective in terms of damage, and her chakra is falling after her last series of attacks, but it's a good move to keep me occupied while she thinks of another strategy.

"Through the opening...I'll make it happen...!"

She pauses before rapid firing several of the hazy chakra shells at me, then charges straight at my position with lightning chakra pulsing over her hands.

"Lightning Release: Valkyrie Arrow Oversurge!"

"If that's what you want...I'll oblige you, Hinata Hyuuga."

I take a breath in before rushing forward, tearing past the barrage of chakra bursts and heading to meet Hina. From the way she's moving, I can find a way through to the perfect point. I have more than enough in me to crush her for good this time.

"It's only fair that I give you the same respect you've given me. This next move came from watching you, Hina...let's see how you like it. Lightning Release..."

"Haaaa!"

I can already see where she's about to move...there.

"Valkyrie Bullet."

"Guh...!"

I step under her attack and unload my lightning-boosted straight right into her chest. Sparks of blue shoot outwards from the impact, trailing her as she sails through the air and lands on her back, sliding through the grass. She comes to a stop, slowly stirring as my fist hangs in the air.

"It didn't take you out instantly...that much is admirable."

"I'm not..." Hina forces herself to her feet before stumbling. "I'm not done. I shouldn't be..."

"Hina."

"There should have been more...I didn't...I didn't want to waste your time here..."

"Shut up. This isn't a waste of time. Even if I crushed you in one blow, it wouldn't be a waste of time."

"Then I've earned it. Haven't I...?"

"..."

She coughs and takes her stance again, defiantly. "Go ahead and show it to me. If this isn't a waste of time, even with the gap between us...show it to me..."

"You're not going to attack again."

"This was always just...a less than friendly match between us. Between sisters and rivals. I knew where I stood next to you, and if this was a real fight...how many times would you have disabled me with that technique? Mobius...faster than my thoughts."

"You're not-"

"I don't have to be weak," she says fiercely. "This isn't me giving up, this is my selfish wish. Just once...let me see it."

"Your wish. When you put it like that, I can't refuse you," I say to her. "Then this will be the last dance we have tonight."

I plant my feet firmly on the ground, moving my arms out from my sides slightly. My fingers start to spread outwards as energy gathers in my body, making a low hum as it starts to build. Hina stands in place, her breathing heavy. I look into her eyes.

"True Lightning Release: Quantum Drive."

The energy surges upwards and outwards, through my body in that familiar flow. There's no pain, no fear. Just that intense wave of power that changes the world around me dramatically. I feel like I can see everything. The light coming from my form is bright, enough to completely envelop Hina as she stands across from me. Her eyes widen as she looks me, awestruck and frozen in place, her fighting stance long abandoned.

"I...I see now." She's trembling. "This is...this is your true strength. It was what I kept demanding to see. It's more than on that day. It's more than just that vision, I can feel it now. It's so much...all of it is just so much..."

"..." I cast a brief glance at the wings of light surrounding me. It really is a lot to take in for a normal person, thinking about it.

"You really are an angel. In...in body and spirit. You are...someone who cannot exist in the same space as us mortals. Aha...how could I comprehend it?" She smiles, tears running down her face. "Even if you tried your hardest to accommodate me, in this form...to think I would stand even a sliver of a chance. I was such a fool. Saying those things, making those demands of you. Foolish. I hope you can forgive me for my arrogance..."

"There is nothing to forgive," I say gently.

"So far away...you're so far away from me in this form. And yet...I can't feel any sadness at all. These tears come from the joy inside of my heart. Looking at you, like this...it makes me so happy."

"Hina..."

"I want you to soar through the sky...and change this world. Give us a future that we can cherish forever, a chance at a new world...a chance at peace and justice for all. And as your beloved sister, I will follow you wherever you go. Thank you for loving me, Lili. For respecting me enough to accept my challenge. And for this moment, where I could finally see the beauty I always knew was in you."

Hina wipes her tears and takes her stance once more.

"I love you, Lili."

Through her fear...through all of the emotions overwhelming her, she starts forward.

Hina has really become beautiful.

"Not just...the Will of Fire."

The world slows to a crawl.

"Your soul burns as brightly as any star. You are brave. You are loving. In the desert, when I poured my love into you...I remember what you wanted. And you have become everything you wanted to be. You have reached beyond that, even when you never had to, and made yourself into a wonderful kunoichi. But more than that..."

I watch her slowly cut through the air.

"...you gave me hope. When you let me take your hand...when you trusted me on that day...you did so much for me. I felt that I was worth something. I felt like I wasn't just a terrible, cursed child who hurt everyone she ever touched. You chose to be my friend when nobody else would. You accepted me, Hina. And my heart was opened because of your kindness. Thank you...I love you so very much. So please...don't you ever forget..."

I clench my fist.

"That you are strong, Hinata Hyuuga!"

I step forward and drive my fist into her, the earth slowly turning over in my wake. Time starts to flow forward at speed, and Hina rockets backwards into the ground, carving a trench through it before coming to a stop. That much should have properly knocked her out.

"It was only fair that I do that much for you."

I breathe out and exit my transformation, the glowing white feathers dispersing and drifting towards the ground. They turn into dots of light before fading away. The sun is still setting as I look into the horizon.

"A true grasp of that heavenly power, then. But...it won't end with this. There will be more. To protect all those that I love and have left on the other side of the cosmos, I have to go further. Though as I promised, I won't separate myself from mortals so carelessly. People like you especially, Hina."

I walk over and remove her from the small trench, then carry her in my arms back towards the Hyuuga estate.

"I will always be by your side. And you will be able to help me see those changes to the world through, reaping the great harvest for generations to come. That is my promise to you."

"Lili-nee! Onee-sama!"

"Hanabi." My little sister is waiting at the front gate, faithful as always.

"You're...back already. O-oh..."

"It wasn't a terribly long fight, but...yes, she's incapacitated for the time being."

"I see..."

"Your older sister has herself to blame for this outcome...she kept making foolish demands to see my true strength, so I eventually got fed up and obliged her."

"That...was that the light I just saw, then?"

"It must have been."

She gulps at that. "S-scary...really..."

"We should lay Hina down properly."

"Y-yeah. Sorry, follow me. There's an open room nearby." We quietly head inside, through the maze of halls and to a small, empty room. I lay Hina down on the nearby bed...curious how she looks so peaceful at the moment, but I can't complain about that.

"My apologies if I worried you any," I say to Hanabi.

"You really didn't. I knew that nothing bad would happen with you around. You love her too much, you know? Though...hmm."

"Though what?"

"Truth be told, I thought you would have just used your final form or whatever and knocked her out afterwards. I guess she was more aggressive than I thought," Hanabi says, rubbing her cheek. "So she used those moves, then?"

"Valkyrie Arrow, Phoenix Bullet, and Revolving Heaven. All cleverly done, by the way."

"Oh, really? Heh, she really did get bold in front of you...pretty amazing how much she's grown. Makes me giddy thinking about it, you know?"

"You really admire her."

"I always have...that space of time where I let the clan's ideology and junk get to me, it makes me sick to think about. How I looked at her, how I treated her...I didn't mean anything by it, I just thought that I had to be tough, that I had to be like a real leader. But that thing called destiny doesn't define us, and it doesn't control us. Naruto proved it, and so has my sister. Of course," she says with a smug look towards me, "having the affections of a goddess didn't hurt any."

"You go on too much," I say with a smile back.

"I'm gonna grab some stuff for when onee-sama wakes up. You want anything?"

"Tea would be good. Oh, Hanabi. How are those boys doing?"

"Just a bit on the sore side. One of the girls was still up, so she used some healing chakra to get rid of the bigger aches and pains. Neji will get checked out properly for a concussion tomorrow, but I don't expect anything out of it. They're all snoring away right now."

"That's good. I suppose if it comes down to it, I can say that I organized a little play date and things got too rough." I shrug. "It happens, you know."

"You're so awful," Hanabi says with a giggle. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time." I rest on my knees beside Hina. "It wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. But you did a splendid job, Hina. I'm truly happy."

"Here's your tea," Hanabi says as she returns.

"Thank you kindly."

"Mm...hurts..." Hina starts to wake and I set down my tea. I place a hand on her head as her eyes open. "Lili..."

"Good evening."

"Good evening." She smiles for me, and I feel my heart melting. So precious...

"Don't move around too much," Hanabi says. She puts a damp towel on her sister's forehead. "And you can go back to sleep whenever you want. We'll get you checked out properly tomorrow."

"It's...okay. I should be fine like this..."

I take Hina's hand in mine.

"You'll be more than fine," I say.

"Yes."

"Oh, Lili-nee. I wasn't expecting onee-sama to wake up so early, so..."

"Did you have a request?" I ask Hanabi.

"I wanted to hear a story from you again, to pass the time."

"What kind did you want to hear?"

"Um...I don't really have anything in mind. Whatever you can think of is fine," she says as she wipes the dirt from Hina's face.

"Mm...let's see." I do have plenty of stories, but...ah. Telling them is a way to refine them, right? In that case, I have something that I mean to work on. "Yes, I have one in mind for tonight. I think you both will love it."

"What's it about?" Hanabi says excitedly. I hand her my tea to sip on as she settles in.