chapter 4 feeling lost
Sakura had barely slept in the past few days, and things got even worse when things couldn't possibly get any worse for her. She heard from her advisor that multiple revolts had happened throughout Konoha. There were shadows in her eyes. She was barely able to keep her eyes open as she listened to her advisors discussing their course of action regarding Hinata and her leading a campaign of retribution.
"I thought those monsters were eliminated, yet we find out they were among us the whole time? If that damn Natsu had eliminated those monsters when he had the chance, we wouldn't be dealing with this uprising," said Donzo. He was enraged that his entire family had been killed and had cuts on his face from barely escaping with his life. In Sakura's eyes, it was more than he deserved.
"She has declared open war against us. We should set our army to go to the land of Hyga and kill her and every one of her followers. We should have done what Natsu failed to do." Koharu said. She had been urging for open war with the rebels when her mother was still Queen. Not wanting to drag her people into war, her predecessor refused. They were trying to do the same to Sakura Hyga before Hinata killed Saito.
"You are the future Queen Sakura. Your coronation is soon; you must make a decision quickly. These devils should be dealt with swiftly." Homura was pushing the same position her colleague had. She felt cornered; she was grateful that Sasuke was with her, the one person she could trust, whatever decision she should make, despite not having feelings for him at all, despite not feeling anything for him, she could at least trust him where it counted.
"So your solution is to drag us all to war? Hinata has made it clear that she will free every single Fey, and it's up to your kind to free them willingly. We can avoid this right now. My lady signed a decree that everyone in Konoha is required to free every one of their slaves, and we will not have to deal with this problem. Our neighbor won't be so lucky, but that's not our problem." Sasuke said, not making it a secret that he doesn't respect any of the elders in the room.
"Preposterous, you expect us to give up what has made our nation rich in the past 200 years? Ridiculous, those abominations are fortunate that they have served a purpose to enrich our kingdom, and you want us to relinquish such wealth?" asked Donzo angrily.
"I wasn't talking to you, human. I was talking to my betrothed. Be silent."Sasuke said contemptuously.
"The nerve of you elves, don't forget you Uchiha's serve konoha." Said Koharu said arrogantly.
"The Uchihas are not slaves that you get to command. We serve the Haruno royal family due to their elven ancestry and having the blood of the ancient ones. I don't answer to you; I answer to them." said Sasuke, who was on the verge of shoving Koharu against the wall. Sakura was tempted to let him do it because of how much she despised these elders.
"I have no desire for war, and Sasuke speaks with wisdom; I will take his advice and I will write a decree outlawing all forms of slavery." said Sakura as she started to write down her decree into law. Once this was signed by her, there would be no way to overturn it.
"You can't be serious, our entire kingdom was built on the labor of the inferior races. You will literally have them set free?" Asked Danzo enraged.
"Sasuke, my future husband is from a long line of elves that have wisdom that spans millennia. I will take his advice over some old fool who cannot see the tide is changing. I don't need your advice. I'm building a new council with new ideas. I summoned you here to tell you you're dismissed from your post." Sakura said commandingly, which caused everyone in the room to tense.
"Watch yourself, girl; you may find a dagger in your back when you least expect it." Homura said as she stormed off, along with her colleagues.
Sakura signed in relief to finally be done with this tedious meeting she was having. She had barely slept. Sasuke noticed she was troubled; he didn't have to say anything for her to know what he was thinking.
"My queen, I'm glad you listened to my advice. I was afraid that never mind." Sasuke cut himself off. Sakura wanted him to speak his mind. She wanted to at least get to know her future husband but he had been distant.
"Speak your mind, Sasuke, we're alone, just the two of us." She requested.
"I don't think you should let them walk off. I think they need to be dealt with in a manner that will make it so they don't cause us problems in the future. They have a lot of people who will be angry with your decision, Sakura, enough that they are willing to start a coup to overthrow you. You would not be the first they have done this to. I'm not talking you out of your course of action; I'm just warning you that you will make a lot of enemies making this choice." Sasuke said bluntly. He wasn't a man of many words but when he did speak, he didn't sugar-coat what he saw and what he felt. This is the reason why her mother chose him as her husband, along with her father. Because this is the kind of man she needed?
She clenched her heart when she thought about Mema, her former betrothed. Why did fate have to be so cruel? She never expected it to happen but she truly did love him when she looked at Sasuke. She was told once about The Shining Star that once you find your Shining Star, you will know who they are, and the love that you will feel for them will never fade.
"What is a shining star?" Sakura asked out loud. Sasuke was cut off guard by her comment. She wanted to kick herself. Why did she have to ask such a stupid question? She thought.
"The Shining Star" there are many interpretations of what it means, but most people do not agree on what "The Shining Star" entails. Some might interpret it one way, while others might interpret it differently. I believe it's a myth. I don't think there is such a thing as a "Shining Star." It sounds like nothing more than wish fulfillment." Sasuke's answer wasn't what she was looking for; she was looking for something more concrete.
"Then how do you explain Mema and his insistence on tracking down his Shining Star? He has given up almost everything for eight years, searching for this woman, and even threatened to point a sword at me rather than point his sword at her. What is it about The Shining Star? What does it actually mean? Could it mean a love so strong that the only thing that can separate such love is death itself?" Sakura replied, not really satisfied with his answer.
"It's hardly relevant; there's a lot that this Kingdom has to do. A lot is on your plate, Sakura. Many of the non-human races do not trust the human race as a whole, regardless of what kingdom of man it is. This one action you're doing may not be enough to deter Hinata from going on her crusade, but it could keep the flames of War out of our lands, assuming they cooperate." Sasuke said, referring to the elders.
"Yes, of course everything revolves around those bastards," Sakura said with barely controlled anger.
"You should get some rest, my lady. Your coordination isn't too long, and we can't have our future queen look tired on her big day." Sasuke said, worried for her well-being.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke. It's just am I really fit to be a mother and a queen?" Sakura asked as she rubbed her stomach. She had found out yesterday that she was with child. The anxiety she was feeling over everything that was happening, all the pressure, and everything she had on her shoulders—the entire future of her kingdom—made her feel overwhelmed. Despite doing it before marriage, she had her needs that she needed met in order to relieve stress. Sasuke would never deny her. That's what made her feel terrible every time she asked him to do anything. He would do it without question.
"In a few days you're going to be my wife whatever is on your mind please speak it."Sasuke requested.
"Am I really fit to be a mother?" Sakura asked her soon-to-be husband.
He took a deep breath, as if thinking. He was as nervous as she was. Not only was he going to be a father, but also the future king and the first elf king in many generations. There was a lot on his plate. The last elf king of Konoha was Madara Uchiha. There was a lot to be expected from both of them.
"I think you would make a wonderful mother. I think you are worrying too much." said Sasuke. He tackled her to bed. He sat on his chair across from her as if watching over her like a guard. She wanted to say something but the words couldn't leave her mouth and she fell to a dreamless sleep.
Hinata wasn't used to so many people looking to her for guidance. For the first time, she was seeing children play who have never known anything but being in a cage. She couldn't help but see her children and herself; the adults had a different expression: sadness and hope for the future. Despite how much of the Fey she had freed, she couldn't help but feel like she wasn't worthy of leading these people. How can a monster guide a people that have been wronged?
The adults want retribution for what has happened to them. The children, for the first time in their lives, don't know what to do. They have not been allowed to fly or do things that normal children take for granted. She was just like this when she first met Naruto; she was scared and stayed in her room, which was Naruto's room. It took months for her to finally leave. Unlike her, these children have support from their parents and each other. The elder noticed her doubts without her voicing them.
"I know it's overwhelming, my queen, and it's not something that you're used to, but our people need their queen to guide them. Many of the children are orphans. I don't know if you know this about our people, but the queen is also the mother of all. You are looked at as a mother—the mother of the motherless. All of these children are your children, whether they're by blood or not." The elder said, helping to educate her about what it means to be a good queen. But how could she be a good queen? How could a monster with the blood of thousands possibly be a good queen, especially when her race is not a race of war?
"Most of these men, women, and children can't fight. They don't know how to pick up a sword. I tell them that the humans will pay with fire and blood. Yes, I can't have them fight. The masters were killed by people who weren't trained soldiers. Plus, there are children who are the same age as mine." She didn't know if she should reveal the existence of Boruto and Himawari. For so long, she could only count on one hand the amount of people she could trust. Now, she has an entire race of people to protect and look after, but how could she?
"You have children yourself, don't you?" the elderly man asked in understanding.
"How did you figure it out so quickly?" Hinata asked, not believing it.
"I knew through your actions you don't desire children to go off to war. I share those sentiments with you. You can't go back on your word. As Queen, you are the first in 200 years. We need a queen to look up to and be proud of. You cannot back down for what you've said, even if you wanted to. The Queen mother can't go back on her word; it would dishonor you. I know you would not go back on your word." The elderly man said, as if he knew what she was thinking.
"There's someone who is dear to me; he never went back on his word. Once he made a promise, he kept it. I want to live by his example." Hinata clenched her chest just thinking about Naruto. For the past eight years, she didn't even know if he was alive or dead. She couldn't bear the thought. When she heard her mother-in-law reveal that he was alive, it made her feel relieved, but she was also filled with anger. Where had he been for all these years? What had happened to the promise he made to her? She had so many questions and she wanted answers. But there were other things she had to consider. She shoved her thoughts about Naruto to the side for the time being. Her main focus was what to do about the landless Fey in her company.
"Is he your mate, the person you're talking about?" he asked again, seeing right through her.
"Yes," Hinata answered reluctantly.
"There are many in this community that will be eager to join you on your crusade. Will you really deny them that because of their lack of experience?" the elder asked her once again, bringing the topic back to what it was about earlier.
"My first priority is to get them back home. Our forest may be destroyed, but they can be rebuilt. My friend from the land of Yamanakan, the queen there is a friend. The fairies owe our family a great debt. With their assistance, the work can begin." Hinata said, referring to rebuilding the forest. She heard approval from her ancestors, but she ignored it as much as she wants to say she doesn't care. She doesn't want her children to live in a lifeless, barren wasteland that her ancestors' home was reduced to. With her people back, it will make things even more imperative to rebuild. But how will they when they don't know the first thing about how to do the craft of seeding?
"Other than the crusade to free your people, the hardest part will be rebuilding. Doing both will be difficult. How will you be able to focus on rebuilding and your crusade to free our people? I'm not against you doing that, but it's going to be difficult to do both if you focus on one. The other will be neglected." The elder said, making her think about her decision. She wants to be there personally to make sure her people are freed, but he was correct. She couldn't do both easily. She would need help.
"I thought you would want fire and blood for all the pain the humans have caused you. Why aren't you angry? Why don't you want to bathe in the blood of the people that destroyed your family? You saw our race when we were at our peak, when our forests were green, when our people had dignity.I don't understand why you're not full of rage?" Hinata asked him, not understanding how someone who lost their entire family would not want revenge.
"What would be the point? The people who did these things to my family are long dead. They've been dead for so long that I don't remember their faces or their names. Has it crossed my mind in the centuries? Have I thought about it? Have I ever desired to make humans pay for what they have taken from me? Of course I have, as a father thinking about the grandchildren I could have had had my daughters still lived, it makes me full of sadness. But I can't be living in the past; I have to live in the present. The people alive now, the children alive now, they are what I focus on to give them the future that my daughters were denied." The man answered, as if he was expecting Hinata to ask him that question.
"I can never forgive them as long as I live with those vermin; they took a part of me that I will never get back. I will never be able to teach my children to fly; I only had four years to experience the wonders of flying in the beautiful skies; I'll never experience that again." Hinata paused and clenched where her wings once were; just thinking about what happened the day her children were born was the day she lost a part of herself.
She continued.
"Does it get easier, Elder?" she looked at him, the first person she could ever talk to about losing a part of herself. This man lost his wings centuries ago; she was hoping he could at least give her something, but she didn't suspect that he had the answers she was looking for.
He put his right hand on his chin and then looked at the sky, and then he looked at Hinata with a sad look that a grandfather would give to his granddaughter.
"It doesn't get easier. I'm afraid that part of us that was ripped from our body will never return. The many things we will miss out on—like witnessing our children and grandchildren fly for the first time—will never be experienced. We will never see our newborn children fly. I wish I could give you words of comfort, but I can't."
The old man didn't sugarcoat the pain of losing part of herself and missing out on any activities involving flying with her children and grandchildren. For the rest of her life, she would never experience the wonders they would. It was painful for him to talk about it, so she looked at the other mothers and fathers. They understood her more than she wanted to admit, so she looked down. Then she saw the girl from four days ago approach her. She had blue hair and wore a white dress. From what Hinata could tell, she was part fairy from her facial features.
"What do we do now, Hinata Sama? We are walking towards that Dead Land up ahead. Is that really our home? Is that really where we will be safe?" the girl asked, concerned.
"Eida, I made a promise that I would protect our people, and I do intend to keep it. When we get home, it will be safe, just like the rest of our people. Nobody will harm you again." Hinata said reassuringly, but the girl didn't buy it.
"How can I be sure?" Eida said insistently. "How much of the truth can I reveal?" She thought to herself. How could she reveal to her people that she had used humans to help overthrow the king? But she had used them for her own ends; she didn't actually care about any of them. To her, they were all scum. They meant nothing to her.
"I had to do things that I am not proud of in order to take back our ancestral home, but believe me when I say that any humans who assist me, I only used them for my own ends. Humans are wicked creatures that cannot be trusted. They were a means to an end—nothing more, nothing less." Hinata said with honesty. She didn't reveal everything, but the girl couldn't take a half answer. Hinata had to reveal enough about what she had to do in order to satisfy the girl in any way she could.
"We could have easily taken back our homeland; we didn't need those vermin." Eida said with the venom, she could empathize with multiple generations traumatized; even the children were out for blood; she had no idea what to do. How could she guide these traumatized victims? She felt lost; she was looking at the elder for guidance, but he had none.
"Just like all of you, I had part of me ripped from me. I understand completely the hatred. I had my wings ripped from my body, and the people who did it laughed as they did it. I had to do things that were humiliating and degrading in order to protect myself and my children. I will never forgive those vermin; I never will, and I will not ask you to do so either." Hinata said to Eida. The girl was reassured, and she sat next to Hinata, looking at everyone in the community.
"I envy those who have their wings and horns. I will never be whole." Hinata saw tears fall from Eida's eyes. It was one thing to rip the wings off a Fey. Not all Fey were born with wings; most were only born with the horns. But fairies, on the other hand, are different. Flying is a huge part of their identity, and stripping them of what makes them who they are, she could imagine. Because she once had her wings, she could understand.
Soon her people would have to go on the move again but for now should let them rest and the children being able to fly and play freely. Even if she is a monster, even if the whole world sees her as a monster, and she sees herself as one, the least this monster can do is ensure her people can regain their dignity.
As soon as they return, she will have a lot to discuss with her cousin Neji.
A man was running for his life. He was in the forest, breathing heavily; he couldn't believe one of his own slaves had escaped. He was trying to save himself, why did that damn Queen have to announce herself now? Those damn monsters are killing their masters left and right. He never thought, in his 40 years of being alive, that he would be running from one of his own. He heard footsteps.
"I know where you are, do you think I would allow you to escape?" said a male voice, who was around the age of 12. He had raven hair and black eyes, with the facial features of the Fey. Unlike most of his age, he still has his horns. He was a Fey whose wings were ripped from his back about 2 years ago, in order to reduce the chances of escape.
"I know where you are, vermin. We could do this the easy way or the hard way; it's your choice." He launched a shockwave which knocked him against the tree behind him, exposing his position. He walked towards him like a predator who had finally caught up to his prey.
"Please spare me." the man begged.
"Why should I? You've taken parts of me that I will never have again; you've degraded my mother for her entire life and forced her to have your child that you don't acknowledge is yours. Why should I, after the hell your kind has inflicted on mine? The rape, the pillage, the humiliation—give me one reason I should spare your pathetic life." The boy demanded.
"I'm your father, that's why patricide is not what you want on your conscience, do you?" the man said, trying one last attempt to manipulate his son in order to get out of this encounter alive.
"You're not my father; I share blood with you, but that's all. What's my name? I want to hear it." The boy demanded, gripping even tighter around his throat.
"I don't even know your name, I never gave you one." he said, voicing the words out.
"That's exactly the reason why you're not my father; you never named me; my mother did before you died. Know that my name is Kawaii, and I am the last thing that you will ever see." Kawaii snapped his neck; the last thing he saw before his life ended was the look of a vengeful Fey.
Looking at the dead man who was once his father, he felt nothing. All the pain this man had caused his mother, using her as his personal slave, the very idea of being related to this man was abominable to him. He hated the fact that he even had human blood, half of which was human. The very sight of this man made him sick.
He looked at the place that had been his prison for his entire life for the first time he had freedom but didn't know what to do with it. There was one place he could go: the place where he could find answers—his ancestral home, Hyugan. Before he could go on his journey, he went back to the place that had been his prison for many years and stocked up on all the food he could find. He looked at the house he had once lived in—the prison—every memory he had here was of his mother crying herself to sleep after one humiliation after the other that his father put her through.
Started a fire and left the house, come to flame, and then turned his back. Whatever his life would lead him now, he did not know, but he knew one thing for sure: he would kill any human he ever ran into. To him, they were all the same: wicked creatures that only understood one language.
Kawaii began his journey not knowing what he would run into on the way.
Kushina opened her eyes and saw two sleeping children. She had almost forgotten where she was. She couldn't believe the two children in her sight were her own grandchildren. No matter what reason she tried to give to herself, when she tried to comfort them for the past few days, they were still wary of her, even though they didn't show it. Even though Himawari, the older of the twins, was more welcoming to her presence, she was scared because she was a stranger as far as the child knew.
Boruto was a different story entirely; he kept as far away from her as possible and only stayed near her because of his sister's insistence, due to her being scared of being alone. The voices she was hearing were becoming more and more difficult for her to expel; she was having great difficulty sleeping. The children knew it was affecting her; she hated this place as much as they did, if not more so because of her being from a clan of sages, one of her duties being to help the tortured souls find peace. But it was impossible with so many tortured souls, all locked underneath the Castle, which was a mass grave. She couldn't understand how the people who once occupied this Castle could even stomach this place. This is not a place children should be, especially minds that do not have the capacity to protect themselves from the haunted voices of the Dead.
Something had to be done to protect her grandchildren from this haunted place. Hinata wanted her to protect them by any means necessary; this place was not a place children should be; their minds couldn't handle it.
"I'm scared, where's Mama?" asked Himawari, who was crying despite her best efforts. The seven-year-old was scared and couldn't keep up the brave look on her face. Her younger brother was not as scared as she was. Boruto was trying to put on a brave face for his sister but it wasn't working; he was scared as well.
"Your mama's punishing bad people." Kushina tried to reassure her grandchildren, but they didn't feel better by hearing it from her.
"I don't like this place; I'm scared." Himawari broke down, and her brother wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. This was not a place children should be. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see it was Neji, who didn't look pleased that she was there. Though there was nothing that could be done about it.
"This place is not a place they should be; the voices of the Dead are not the kind of things children should be exposed to." Kushina said to Neji, not caring if he liked her presents there or not.
"I don't particularly like this castle either, but it is the heart of our kingdom." Neji said, as if he had reversed this before he spoke to Kushina.
"They shouldn't be in this castle; they should be somewhere else. This isn't safe for their young minds." Kushina said to the adult man.
"Where do you suppose they would be safe then?" Neji challenged, being hostile to the idea of moving them.
"There are plenty of places in this Kingdom you could set up a capital. This place is haunted by a mass grave of souls begging for release. This is not a place children should be. Their minds are not trained enough to protect themselves from this place. I can barely keep myself sane being here." Said Kushina trying her hardest not to let the voices that she's currently hearing drive her mad.
"This is where the capital of our kingdom has always been, even in ancient times. We can't just simply abandon this place." said Neji. Kushina didn't care. She did not want her grandchildren to be exposed to the horrors they're being exposed to now. She would leave one way or another. They would go somewhere else. Their young minds didn't have to deal with the terrors they are dealing with currently.
"You don't understand, it's in their blood; they can hear all the tortured souls right now, as we speak, I can hear them as well. They aren't just part Fey; they also have the blood of the Kitsune of the Uzumaki clan. They could feel it because of the blood of my clan. It's not safe for their minds. I will take them, and you won't stop me." Kushina said, which caused Neji to get defensive.
"You can't do that, they are", she interrupted him.
"They are children, Hinata has entrusted me to protect them, and I will do that even if I have to take them back to my home. I'll do it if I have to ensure that they are protected." Kushina said, not budging.
"Where would they be? Where would you take them? It is my duty to protect them too. They are family." Neji said. The children were looking at him. Obviously, they didn't want to be away from him, but they didn't want to be in the castle either. This man was likely the closest thing they had to an uncle. She didn't want to separate them from family, but she would do so if it meant that their minds were protected from this haunted place.
"Nobody knows where my tribe is except members of my tribe. That's where I would take them; they would be protected; nobody would harm them." Kushina said. The man in front of her was reluctant to accept that he couldn't protect them.
"What would I tell Hinata Sama when she returns if her children aren't here?" Neji asked her.
"That her children are protected, that they are with family, they're with their tribe. I will do what it takes to protect my grandchildren, Neji. They would be safer there than they would be here." Kushina said, the children looking between the two adults. They were scared but didn't like this place, and the only way she felt like she could protect them was to get them away.
"I don't like this at all, but if it will protect their young minds, I will have no choice but to reluctantly trust you with them. You've got to understand, Kushina Sama, they are the future of our kingdom. It pains me to even do this." Neji said, she knew it, it did not make it easy for him to admit that he was not able to protect them, but that was the truth.
Before anything more was said, one of the soldiers entered the room. The man saluted Neji before he spoke.
"Neji, there's an envoy that wants to see the queen. What will we tell her?" asked the soldier in the room.
"I will meet with Ino Sama at once." He looked at the children who were happy when they heard the name.
"Auntie Ino", Himawari said excitedly. The boy was also enthused, known for a different reason.
"She requests Kushina Sama's presence as well." The soldier said. She knew exactly why it was a decision. She regrets not letting Naruto meet Hinata again. It was a mistake. She knows this now. Considering the amount of Hell her son had been through in the past 8 years, Ino is a close friend of Hinata and a good friend to Naruto.
"Can we please get out of this castle, Uncle Neji?" asked Boruto.
"Only if you're under the supervision of your grandmother and myself." Neji said. The children looked happy about that and excited to be out of this awful place, though they knew they had to keep themselves under control. She thought they didn't know the cruelties of the world like their mother and father did.
She had to prepare herself for the confrontation she would have with the queen of the fairies. She was not happy with her, even if it was misguided, she had to explain her reasoning for not having Naruto meet up with Hinata. Her grandchildren, along with Neji and herself, left the castle.
They had an escort, obviously only those trusted by Neji, not to spill the secret of the existence of Hinata's children when they got out of the castle's entrance and into the open field. She saw the leader of the fairies. Alongside her husband, she heard her grandchildren going straight towards them. They were fast, especially with their wings, not able to fly well. She couldn't help but feel sad for Hinata; the woman would never experience this with her children.
"Oh my little ones, I'm so happy to see you." said Ino, rubbing both Boruto and Himawari's heads. The children smiled.
There were two other children present; one of them was a boy with the same blonde hair as his mother and her eyes; his skin was pale, just like his father. You've only heard of his name in passing, but you've never actually seen the fairy Queen's son.
The other was a girl with purple hair, who had a red look on her face when she looked at her grandson. The children, with permission from their parents, went out of earshot and did what children always do when they're away from adults: they still were far enough away where they would not hear what Kushina and Neji were about to talk about, but close enough to go to their children's aid if anyone threatened them.
Things were silent until Ino spoke.
"Where is Hinata, why isn't she here?" Ino, Neji was reluctant to share anything he didn't trust outsiders, then Ino looked at Kushina, she was not pleased, especially with Naruto not present.
"I came here to talk to Hinata about helping her rebuild the forest that the humans have burned down. My people owe a debt to the Fey, even if there aren't many of them, it's still an obligation on my people to restore this land to its former beauty." Ino said to Neji.
"I understand your people have served us well in the past," Neji said.
"We don't do this because we serve you; we do this because we owe you a debt. Without you, our ancestors would have been wiped out, and I wouldn't be here to stand before you. Fairies have a long memory. We always repay our debts, even if there were no debts. I would still help because I want to help my friend Hinata. It's as simple as that." Ino said
"There is one thing that has bothered me: why isn't Naruto here by Hinata's side?" Ino looked at Kushina in particular, knowing that she was the reason why her son wasn't here.
"I did it to protect him." Kushina said, trying to convince herself more than anyone that it didn't sound convincing.
"You had no right to do that for 8 years, he had given up everything to look for her. What right did you have to deny him going back to her side? You have no idea the hell he has been through, or the stuff they have seen, the stuff they have done just to survive. You don't know anything about how cruel humans are." Ino said, looking at her husband, the fairy that had no wings, the man that she had almost killed.
"I'm sorry, I was just"she got interrupted a second time.
"My adopted daughter Samire lost her mother, who was Hinata's friend. When I saw her body, she was not recognizable; the experiments the humans did to try to make a fairy look more human.You don't know the cruelty of what the humans are capable of—the things they forced Hinata to do, and you." She pointed at Kushina accusingly.
"You assume the worst of Hinata; she thought Naruto was dead. How is she going to react when she finds out the truth of what Naruto was doing for the past 8 years? 4 of those, he was locked in a prison cell, tortured by humans. He didn't come out unscathed and was forced to against hope to get help finding his 'shining star'. The humans took advantage of him. He became a hero, something he despised because he wanted to desperately keep a promise he had made to Hinata. You have no idea what either one of them have been through. It makes me sick seeing what you have done." Ino said, which caused Kushina to look away in shame. She couldn't argue anything that she said because Ino is right, and she couldn't argue to the contrary.
She remembered when Hinata had first disappeared, Naruto went straight to finding her. As soon as he fully healed, he didn't even bother waiting for any permission to leave. He left his clan despite the protest of everyone. She had not heard from her son for 4 years. After that, she had thought her son was dead. She remembers those years, she didn't want to lose Naruto again, she actually thought her son was dead at that time.
When she saw him, she saw a different person—no longer the confident young man she had known as Sasuke, but a bitter and cynical person, scarred and mutilated. His tails were all cut off, horrifying her at what humans had done to make him look more human. The one thing they couldn't take away was his fox ears. He was not the same when he was out on his missions; he acted like a different person altogether, hating those quests. He only had one goal, and he didn't care about anything else. Nobody knows about those four years; he had not talked about them, not even with his parents.
Though she knew when he slept, he had nightmares and she didn't dare ask him about them because she didn't want to make him relive them.
"I've made a bad decision. I thought I was protecting him." Kushina admitted.
"It hardly matters; you can apologize all you want, but delaying those two reunion is doing nothing but making things worse. It should be Naruto here instead of you." Ino pushed aside her apology.
"Excuse me, but don't we have other matters to discuss, which are urgent for our people?" Neji asked, trying to bring the conversation back to where it was before.
"Yes, I will resume this later. I will be speaking to Neji alone. My men along with my husband will keep an eye on the children." Ino said as she walked past Kushina. She wishes she could say more but she knows she can't.
She looks at where her grandchildren were; they were talking to their friends. So young, so innocent, they were exposed to cruelty at such a young age. Her son should be here; she cannot help but continue to tell herself that this mistake she had made was to protect her son, yet all she did was cause him more pain.
She looked in the direction where her son would be and prayed that the choice she had made wouldn't cost the world everything. She was told by Shion that he would have to kill someone he loved one day. Naruto really be able to do it? She doesn't think he could. He would sacrifice the world for his Shining Star.
Would she be forced to do the unthinkable to her own son? She hopes she never has to consider that option. She couldn't think about it; it's too terrible to even consider. She watched the children play in silence.
Naruto was in a dark room; the only thing he could hear was water dripping—the same thing he had heard before. His body was covered in cuts, but the pain on his body didn't compare to his heart. He didn't know how long it had been since Hinata was taken from him—was it a year, three, four, or a decade? He didn't know; it was difficult to tell how much time had passed. To Naruto, it felt like an eternity. He didn't remember the last time he had lain on a bed or heard the voices of the people he loved; all he heard was silence.
The silence was preferable to the mocking voices he heard every time his torturers entered his cell. Reminding him of his failures, they reminded him that he was nothing more than a freak. The pain in his back was nothing compared to his failure to protect the woman he loved, his child. He was nothing but a failure. The one thing that kept him from going mad was always thinking of her. The woman with her beautiful long hair, her beautiful wings, and her horns; he loved everything about her. His image of what she looked like was what kept him sane. It was what kept him from giving in to the madness.
Unfortunately, his solitude did not last when he saw another of his torturers enter. He was a man who showed nothing. Covered from head to toe in a black cloak, he had a knife in his right hand, sadistically licking it. He couldn't see the man's face, but he knew it was the same man who had taken his mate from him.
"Such an interesting turn of events, isn't it, Naruto?" asked the man, as he removed the hood. It was none other than Kabuto, the man who had stabbed him and knocked him off the cliff. He felt a rage that he hadn't felt in a long time. He fought with all his strength, trying to lunge at him. He laughed at the amusement Kabuto felt at the futility of his action. He screamed like an animal, trying to break the chains, but it was useless.
"Pathetic you should know better than anyone how strong those chains are Naruto such an interesting experiment she turned out to be." he said, referring to Hinata in a past tense, no it couldn't be.
"Not going to talk?" asked Kabuto as he slashed at Naruto's right side. He refused to scream; he wasn't going to do anything for him.
"She was such a great experiment, really, I must admit. She resisted at first, but she relented after all. All of them give in eventually; her being no exception. She died as a pathetic wretch, just like you will." Naruto screamed, trying to bite Kabuto's throat. He didn't care; nothing mattered, just hearing him talk about his mate like that. He laughed, as if he found what he was doing amusing.
The laughter enraged him even more; his eyes turned from blue to red. He struggled with all his strength to move the chains, but it was useless; all it did was make his body bleed even more, with cuts to his back, stomach, and chest, cutting him like a guinea pig.
He suppressed the pain. It didn't matter; he did everything he could to try, but it still wouldn't work. He didn't care; he wanted to get out to kill this man in front of him who talked about killing Hinata like it was nothing.
But that was not what he was doing; he felt something where his tail was. No, they couldn't do that; that was part of who he was. His tail was what defined him; it's what made him who he was. He heard laughter as Naruto felt his tails being cut one by one. He refused to scream, he refused to give his copter satisfaction. The pain as nine of his tails are being cut one by one, they didn't do it gently; they did it slowly as they removed parts of himself. He felt like parts of him were being stripped away.
Blood was dripping on the floor; the pain just wouldn't stop. When they got to the fourth tail, he was trying hard not to pass out, but Kabuto wouldn't allow him to. There was no spell or anything to suppress the pain or lessen it; they wanted him to feel everything. When it got to the fifth tail, he felt his body shaking. Then, when he got to the sixth tail, he had a difficult time breathing. When they got to the seventh tail, he didn't register. Similarly, he didn't register when they reached the eighth tail.
Then the pain briefly stopped until they ripped off his ninth tail. It was more painful than the others; it was almost as if they wanted to remind him that a huge part of his identity would be gone after this was removed. It would be easier to blend in with humans minus his fox ears, but this was part of who he was. If his tribe knew that he had lost his tails, he would not be considered one of them anymore. He would look more like a human. The hatred that he felt towards the humans for doing this to him made him want to make them pay. When the last of the tails was removed, he felt part of himself was gone. He saw all of his tails being lifted up like a trophy; a part of him that he had always had was not part of his body anymore.
He looked at Kabuto with the hatred he wanted to kill him and everyone of the people that removed a part of himself.
"Those tails will fetch a high price, thank you, Naruto, for your service." Kabuto said as he left Naruto hanging where he was. He sobbed, nobody was watching. He sobbed, he had lost part of himself, just like he had lost his mate. He had failed. He no longer felt he belonged to his own people. A part of himself, he has lost forever he screamed. He would kill these people all of them if it was the last thing he would do before he died.
Naruto woke up in a sweat; his father and sister were asleep. He took a deep breath; it was just a dream. When he got up, he walked to where the lake was and looked at his reflection. The tails that he had once had were now replaced by a human-looking appearance. It was hard not to hate humans, but they had taken so much from him.
Although it didn't matter, the pain was nowhere near the extent of his failure to protect Hinata, his shining star his unborn child. He had failed, and he might as well not be part of his own people anymore. He had covered it up what happened, hiding his tails because he couldn't imagine how his family or his clan would feel if they found out. There were many reasons, but he didn't care about being the head. Nothing mattered. His failure to protect his mate, the loss of his tails, and losing part of his identity—he had no idea what he was anymore. The only thing he could do was to serve Hinata, doing whatever she wanted him to do. He didn't care.
The vision he had days ago, when he saw him kill her, he couldn't let that happen. He would do anything to prevent it, even if it meant turning against the world. He had lost so much in the past eight years: time with his mate, time with his child (assuming his child is alive), his tails, his outlook on humanity. He had lost it all.
He had not spoken to anyone about his experiences and nobody could understand. The cruelty of humanity, the humiliation of losing part of yourself, nobody can understand that unless they personally went through it.
His father and his sister could proudly show off their tails, while Naruto can't because he doesn't have them anymore. He hasn't told anyone. He looks in the direction of where Hinata is. The one thing he fears more than anything is whether she still loves him after all this time. Would she still love him after his failure to keep his promise? Would she ever find out he was a hero by the name of Menma? She hated heroes, but he understood that only too well. He hated being one, hated taking orders from the queen of Konoha, doing her dirty work, being her lapdog. All in hopes of finding Hinata, only for those hopes to have been in vain. He had wasted years of his life when he could have been by her side. He didn't care, and that's the one thing nobody would understand. He only helped because that was part of his quest; it wasn't because he cared.
Humans were cruel to each other. What difference did it make to him? The one thing he wanted was to be by his mate's side—that's all he wanted. He was forced to do all those tasks for all those years, only to find out he didn't have to do them at all. He could have gone straight to where Hinata was instead of wasting years on a quest he could have finished years ago.
She looked at the village, filled with so many humans and vermin, and her people slaving away. She looked at humans filled with venom. A flame formed in her eyes; she wanted to burn the village to the ground and make these humans pay for feeling powerless. She even saw enslaved humans, but to her, they were all the same. Humans were scum, the parasites of the Earth.
Her loyal subjects were by her side: A fairy who had lost his entire family, just like her, was sold into slavery. She was a girl around the age of 16, fortunate that her wings weren't torn from her. Humans thought it was better to wait until a fairy was fully grown before they removed their wings, because it would kill them before they reached adulthood.
To the left was another of her kind, a Fey just like her. He had his horns and wings torn from his body; experiments were made on him to make him look more human. He could pass for being human if he wished, but he refused. He wore the clothing expected of the Fey when their kingdom was at its zenith. He was a proud Fey, refusing to bow down to any human.
"What shall we do, my lady?" asked her companion, the ferryman, eager to have a look at the bloodlust they wanted to destroy the humans. The village they were looking at was full of slaves, unlike the queen of Hyuga, who would not show mercy to any human. They didn't deserve even an option; she was going to kill them all and free the enslaved Fey and any other non-humans they had humiliated.
"We will do what we've been doing since the queen has returned. We will free our people and kill every human we see, leaving none alive. Spare no one." The woman said, there was no disagreement. Every one of her followers had lost someone to the humans. She had been sold to slavery, and she may never have seen her father or mother killed, but she knows they have been, and her sister, she knows she escaped.
Though as far as her sister knew, she was dead in some way, she was the seven-year-old girl who was stripped of everything she knew—her sister, her mother, her father, her real father, not the cruel man who was her grandfather. Her main regret is that she didn't kill the people in the castle herself—Keiko and her sons, who she knows violated her mother before they killed her.
She may not be able to get her revenge because her sister had already accomplished what she had always wanted to do, but the humans in this village she could and she didn't give a damn about the Queen's decree about sparing humans if they give up their slaves willingly, they won't. No, she will do what her sister cannot and will not. Her hands are already stained with blood; what difference does it make? She has been killing humans since she was 9 years old and she has not stopped.
"We will do as you command, Princess Hanabi." said her very companion.
Hanabi had brown hair that went down to her shoulders. She was wearing a black robe that covered her from her shoulders to her legs. She wore a tiara on her forehead to signify being the princess of Hyugan, openly displaying her heritage to the people she liberates and the ones she kills. She had been wearing this proudly ever since she learned of her heritage from her male Fey companion, Ko, who wore a black robe that resembled those of the magicians of the Academy of Sorcery.
She looked at her other followers, unlike her sister, who did not allow any humans to join her ranks. In fact, none of her followers were human; those who had human blood weren't their fault. After all, she has human blood. Those who renounce their human heritage and embrace the heritage of their forefathers were welcomed in her ranks, while those who refused were killed. She had no patience for people who betray their heritage to be like the humans.
With the power of her staff, which she carried, she amplified her voice so the slaves could hear her, knowing that she had come.
"My brothers and sisters, who have been enslaved by these vermin for too long, you have been enslaved in body and mind. I know the pain; I can feel it. I've been through the humiliation, the denial of your heritage and your culture. My fellow Fey, I know you're there; fight for your freedom. I, Hanabi Hyuga, say to you, free yourselves from these chains, destroy your masters. Never again will we be slaves, never again will our people bow to these vermin. Death to the humans." Hanabi finished. It'll be up to the slaves to rebel. As if they were compelled, she saw the first of the slaves, thanks to her elven ancestry from her elf grandfather, put a sword through a human's heart. The slave master died without seeing what happened.
Her men charged that she was going to free every person in the slave by the humans and destroy them.
She looked at where the human slaves were begging to be freed; she laughed and didn't even entertain the idea. With a snap of her finger, she burned them. They screamed, wondering why they were being killed. She didn't pay attention as the dying screams of children of the slave owners were being brutally butchered by the slaves. It didn't move her at all; it didn't even bother her seeing human children getting ripped apart by the enslaved children of other races.
The screams of mothers seeing their children being killed didn't move her either; with a swipe of her hand, she cut the grieving mother to pieces, thousands of blades at once slicing the humans in front of her like they were nothing.
The knights of Konoha tried to come to the aid of the families of the slavers, but it was useless, as her fairy companion, named Sophie, snapped the leader's neck with a magic spell she had cast. Between the powers of her followers, which consist of former slaves of various races, including Elves and Dwarves, they brutally killed the knights that tried to save their comrades, but it was useless.
She looked to her right and saw a man trying to run his sword through her. She raised her right hand in a stop gesture; the man froze, not knowing why he couldn't move.
"You pathetic vermin, you actually think you could kill me with a sword? Am I a witch? You're nothing more than a pathetic child. My race could have destroyed you centuries ago if we desired it." Hanabi said as she blew a hole through the Man's armor. He didn't even know what was coming. He didn't even know that she had pierced a hole through his chest. He fell face Dead with a look of shock knowing what killed him.
"It's a dark Fey run for your lives" said the youngest of the knights who ran for his life. She wasn't going to let him escape with a motion of her right hand. She lifted the man up who looked scared, she pulled him towards her close enough for her to face him face to face.
"Do you see what I'm capable of? Do you see what my people were capable of? What we could have done to you?" Hanabi asked him coldly. He was trying to move, trying to escape. So useless, she thought. She could snap his neck.
"You will make a great example to any fool that tries to fuck with me." Hanabi, with her right hand spikes, came out of the ground in the shape of an X. The man was wondering what she was going to do. She created more spikes, and the man knew exactly what she was doing. She created an entire chamber of spikes in the shape of an X. He was trapped in a room that she had made. He would not be able to escape, not unless someone from the outside destroyed the X-shaped building that she had created, which had spikes everywhere. Only the center of the room was free from spikes, and it wouldn't be for long. It would slowly close in on him until he was no more.
"Please, anything I beg of you." the man said, crying like a baby.
"So pathetic, begging me to save your pathetic life. No, I'll leave you here for the fools to see the consequences of dealing with a Fey. I'm not like my sister. I will kill every human that gets in my way. I judge all of your kind as wicked." Hanabi said as she turned her back on him. The man screamed, but she didn't listen. She told out his voice, and she felt nothing, the fire around her, the death.
Her face was covered in blood from the humans she had killed; her feet were covered in the blood of the entire village. Slaves freed, they celebrated the brutal murders of their captors.
"Long live the queen!" said the eldest of the group.
"Long live the queen!" said another.
"Long live Princess Hanabi, we will serve you. What is it that you wish, your majesty?" Asked the teenage girl who had recently had her wings torn from her back; she still had her horns.
"Your queen is still Hinata Hyuga. I have no interest in the throne. Know this. If you follow me, our road will lie with corpses. We will do what the queen will not and cannot. Her image cannot be tarnished. We will be doing things in my name, not the queen's. Know that we will be going the path of Hell itself. Do you want to stain your soul with these vermin? I don't believe in showing these vermin mercy. If you wish to follow my sister, wait for her. If you insist on following me, know that the road will lead us all to hell." Hanabi said, waiting for anyone who would reject what she was saying.
"You liberated me; you gave me a chance to avenge my family. I will lay down my life for you, my lady." Said a boy who bowed respectfully to her. She looked at him, wondering who he was. Who was he exactly? He wasn't human; she knew that. He was obviously one of the other non-human races.
"What's your name?"Hanabi asked him.
"My name is Konohamaru, my family has been destroyed by the vermin. I don't know who I am but I'd like to find out." the boy answered. He looked around the age of 16 to 17. He was 2 years younger. He must be from one of the Tanuki. It angered her that another non-human race that humanity had hunted down to near Extinction and he is one of their people. What clan she doesn't know.
She looked around at the dead bodies, the burning houses. She had long since become desensitized to the carnage she had committed. Nobody knew who she was when she struck; she struck fast and left. People thought she was a phantom whenever her handiwork was seen. It was difficult to even imagine that someone could commit such horrific acts. At least, that's what the humans would think. But she wasn't human. She may look human, thanks to the vermin removing her horns, but she refuses to acknowledge her human ancestry.
The boy Konohamaru awaited her orders.
"We should leave. Our next target won't be so easy." Hanabi said as she moved ahead of her followers. They were growing by the day; there weren't as many liberated slaves this time, but that's all right. Her army was only growing, ready to protect her people's reclaimed home. She looked one last time at the village, nobody would be able to notice the fire. With one last flick of her finger, she aimed towards the center and then turned her back, not paying attention to the last of the dying screams of the humans.
Sorry for the long wait for Chapter 4. Hopefully, Chapter 5 will not take as long, along with the second tale of the past chapter.
