A Place To Belong
Standard Disclaimers Apply
Hinata learns to love Neji after being engaged to him for two years but the elders worried that her weakness might breed into the future heirs. Hanabi took Hinata's place. Hinata finds solace with Sasuke who understands the emptiness in her eyes as a mirror of his own. Will Neji allow it?
Pairings: NejiHina and SasuHina.
A/N: Another fic from me. I hope you enjoy it. Please review and tell me what you think, if I should continue this fic or concentrate on Calm Waters.
Chapter One:
Her blood was weak.
Neji's blood was strong.
The Council had expressed their concerns about the match. Would not Hinata's weakness dilute the strength of Neji's blood? To produce a truly strong heir, the strong needed to be with the strong. Why partner someone as pathetic as Hinata with the Hyuuga genius when there was also another one who was much closer to Neji's capabilities and strengths.
Someone else from the Main House ruling family
Why Hinata when there was Hanabi to consider?
The strong needed to be with the strong.
Neji needed to be with Hanabi.
Hinata covered her mouth with her hands to stifle the sobs that were trying to break free. She didn't want to cry and give them the satisfaction of making her weep. Looking back, Hinata knew that most of the times she had cried from despair, it had been because of her family. Her family who were supposed to protect and cherish her were the ones who were making her existence almost unbearable.
They were taking Neji away from her!
Neji stood beside her, his hands fisted at his side and shaking with the effort to contain his temper. She had felt him stiffen when the Council had told them the news and now, she could feel his anger and outrage at the sudden change of arrangement.
Although Neji had never once told her that he loved her, Hinata knew he felt something for her as well. He had shown her in many different ways over the past two years and he must be suffering just as she was.
Neji opened his mouth to protest but the Council stopped him with a few choice words.
Branch House serves the Main House.
You do not have a choice in the matter.
Neji and Hinata both stood, suffering silently as the Elders nodded and dismissed them.
That was the end of the discussion and there was nothing else they could do.
Hinata turned and ran out of the room, uncaring that it was not proper Hyuuga behavior.
She needed to get away…
They weren't her family, they were monsters that used her and Neji and Hanabi and everyone else as pawns in their silly power games. Hinata choked on her grief, feeling invisible fingers closing around her throat and stifling her.
She stumbled but caught herself before she could fall to the floor.
She kept on running and running.
Dimly, she was aware of someone calling out to her, but she didn't stop to see who it was.
For the first time in her life, Hinata didn't care if she was being rude to someone else.
She hurt too much and all she was really aware of was the empty feeling spreading inside of her.
.
When the Council, with her father's approval, had first betrothed her to Neji when she was thirteen, Hinata had been petrified and devastated. She felt cheated and pained. She loved Naruto! She wanted to be with him and not Neji-niisan who would probably love nothing more than spit in her eye and set her on fire.
Neji-niisan was always angry with her, he hated her and now, her father and her uncles were condemning her to a life with him?
Someone who wanted her dead and gone
Someone who thought she was useless and weak and better off dead
Someone who was not Naruto
A part of Hinata had died then.
There was nothing more to look forward to and those first few weeks, she had woken up in the morning and laid in bed for as long as she dared, looking up at the ceiling and wondering why she didn't die just then.
Can a person die of too much sadness?
Surely not, for if so, Hinata would have long been a rotting corpse buried deep underground.
Naruto had been her hope.
He'd stood as the symbol of her will to change.
There was no use to try anymore.
The only ray of hope in her life that had kept her clinging to the desire to change and given her hope that she could and would someday succeed if only she would try…was gone.
Her hope that Naruto would one day notice her was dead.
Even in the highly unlikely event that he did, eventually, notice her…Hinata was no longer free to be with him.
She was a caged bird; slowly dying inside the gilded prison she called her family.
Eventually, Hinata and Neji came to accept each other. They had tried to come into some semblance of truce and in the months that followed, Hinata fell in love with her cousin.
Being with him would not be so bad.
Neji wasn't especially affectionate; he didn't hug her or kiss her or tell her that she was the prettiest girl in the word.
Neji was Neji.
He was always there.
He supported her in his silent way.
He pushed her to be better.
He protected her.
His presence was a comfort to Hinata and her heart warmed whenever she saw him. His mother would tell her stories about Neji's childhood.
Did you know Hinata-chan, that Neji told his father that you were cute the first time he met you?
Did you know Hinata-chan, that Neji thought you were the prettiest thing in the world?
Did you know Hinata-chan, that Neji said your eyes had a different color than all of the other Hyuuga girls?
Neji had spent his early years loving her…Hinata had been surprised by that revelation. It was so far removed from the caustic words he had heaped upon her when they had grown old enough to know the difference between the Main and Branch House.
Having these facts now available to her helped Hinata appreciate Neji more, she recalled all the wonderful moments when they were small and he still loved her. Her future had no longer seemed such a barren, desolate wasteland. She could picture herself sitting in their house, waiting for him to come home from a mission. She could see herself standing up to greet him, pouring him a cup of tea and telling him quietly, that she had missed him when he had been gone.
The future had looked so promising…happiness was once more within her reach.
Only to be taken away by her family once more.
Her family!
How could they do this to her?
How could they hurt her again and again and again?
When would it be enough?
Fifteen year-old Hinata buried her face in her hands. She could not cry, she just felt empty right now. Her back pressed against the gnarly tree trunk where Neji had first told her that he would not mind being married to her at all. It had only been a couple of months ago, but it now seemed like such an eternity away.
She felt someone approaching.
She knew it was Neji without looking. She was so attuned to him by now, she could usually tell whenever he was near her. His sandaled feet appeared in her line of vision.
"Hinata-sama…"
She had to become Hinata to him…only Hinata.
Now, it seemed she was back to being Hinata-sama once more.
"Hai, Neji-niisan?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from breaking but failing miserably. Her lower lip trembled at the effort it took not to cry, as she looked up at his solemn face and his beautiful silver/white eyes.
He dropped down on his knees in front of her so that his face was at level with hers.
She stared into his eyes, so like her own.
His hands moved slowly as he stared straight into her eyes. She could feel the warmth of his fingertips as he gently traced each of her features as if he was embedding each and every one of them into his mind. Finally, he lowered his head and touched his lips to hers in a soft, gentle kiss.
It was the first and last time.
His warm, strong arms went to envelope her in an embrace.
They didn't speak.
There were no words.
.
Shino and Kiba were also worried about their friend.
They had been friends for so long and both boys knew Hinata well enough to know when something was bothering her. They were extremely protective of the shy kunoichi and treated her like a sister.
Hinata had always been shy and quiet but her silence now, was different from her silence before. She seemed somewhat empty, and the gentle light that had showed warmly from her eyes was all but extinguished. It was a flickering flame, struggling with the void of darkness that seemed to enshroud the gentle girl.
"What's wrong Hinata?" Kiba asked as he sat down beside the girl.
Akameru whined softly as Hinata gently stroked his fur.
Shino was silent as usual, but he emanated concern for his teammate and friend.
"You can tell us." Kiba urged.
Hinata smiled at them sadly. They hadn't known about her engagement to Neji two years ago and Hinata couldn't tell them about Neji's recent engagement to her sister Hanabi, because it was supposed to remain a secret until the family was ready for it to be revealed to outsiders.
The Hyuuga clan was a very private lot.
"Nothing is wrong Kiba-kun…" Hinata answered. "I am just thinking about the chuunin exams coming up soon…"
"But you've been training so hard Hinata! You'll pass this time for sure!" Kiba assured her.
"It's more than that…" Shino said as he looked down at Hinata from behind his glasses. "Something's bothering you."
"I…I…I'm sorry S-Shino-kun, I c-can't…" Hinata bit her lip and looked away.
Kiba looked worried. "Whatever it is Hinata, me and Shino will fix it, okay? Don't worry…"
Hinata smiled faintly and nodded. "Arigato Kiba-kun. Shino-kun. Thank you for caring…"
.
Neji hasn't seen Hinata for a long time after that day his engagement to Hanabi had been decided. His talks with her had ceased and the ritual cup of tea they shared every morning had stopped altogether. Neji went to the usual training spot where he had helped Hinata to master the gentle fist style of their clan and improve her fighting skills. Most of the time that he had looked for her in the past, she could usually be found training there.
The emptiness that greeted his pearl eyes hit Neji like a physical blow.
Where was Hinata disappearing off to?
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Neji was bothered that she didn't tell him where she was going. He had grown used to being in her confidence and the sudden lack of conversation between them was painfully obvious to him.
He had been assigned as Hinata's personal guard at the start of their engagement but after being engaged to Hanabi, another branch house member, Shin, had taken over Neji's place as Hinata's protector.
Neji was Hanabi's now and the few times he caught sight of Hinata, he was always with Hanabi.
Hinata would bow to them and greet them politely before moving on.
Neji's hands would ache with the need to reach out and detain her.
He decided to wait for Hinata to come home. Hanabi was off somewhere, practicing with her father most likely and Neji was free to do what he wanted. He would never admit it to anyone, but Neji wanted to see Hinata, to speak to her. She had always had a calming effect on him and he needed her right now.
He missed her.
He stood by the entrance of the main house, waiting for a glimpse of lavender tinted, short black hair. He straightened when he spotted her walking up to the house, her head bowed and her face shielded by her bangs. Her hands were shoved deep into the pockets of her baggy and shapeless jacket and she walked, staring at the ground as usual.
He'd never seen such a lovely sight.
He waited.
Hinata was startled when Neji's sandaled feet came into her line of vision. "Hello niisan," she said bowing as she greeted him.
"Hinata…" Neji began to reach for her only to remember that he no longer had any right to do so. "…sama…"
"Hai, Oniisan?"
She no longer even spoke his name. Neji cleared his throat, willing away the sudden pain he felt in his chest. "How is your training going?"
"A-alright."
"You have not been training at the usual grounds…"
"N-no…"
"Have you mastered the Kaiten, like I showed you a few weeks ago?"
That was the last time they had trained together.
"N-not yet niisan…I am trying though…"
"If you need help…"
"I will ask S-Shin," Hinata said, her eyes still downcast. She shifted uncomfortably, "Anou…Shin-kun says that you have also been helping Hanabi-chan with her training."
Neji stared down at the top of Hinata's head, willing her to look up at him. "Your father insisted."
Hinata looked up and gave him a small bitter smile. "I'm sure she's a much better student than me."
Neji's breath caught at the look in Hinata's eyes. "Hinata-sama…"
Hinata wiped away the tears that she could keep at bay…just another sign of her weakness. "The strong is for the strong. No one ever saw me as anything but weak…no matter how hard I try…no one ever saw me…"
"I saw you…" Neji told her simply.
"I know." Hinata said with a sob, "That's what makes it so hard…"
With that, Hinata turned and ran back outside.
Neji made a move to follow her but a small hand caught his wrist. He turned to see Hanabi looking up at him with blank eyes. "It will hurt her more if you try to stay close to her side. Cut her free completely so she may learn to relive her life without you."
"I can't…" Neji said as he twisted his hand so that Hanabi released him.
She raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
"I don't want her to."
.
The next day, Kurenai appeared in front of the Hyuuga mansion and asked to speak with Hiashi. She requested that Hinata once more be released into her care upon Hinata's preference. Kurenai doubted it if Hiashi would let his heir leave the Hyuuga compound, but then again he had done it before. He had thrust Hinata out in favor of his younger daughter, Hanabi.
Two years ago, Hiashi had taken Hinata in and set her as heir once more…Kurenai knew not what the real reason was, but she had been pleased for her student nonetheless.
Hinata had worked hard to be stronger and to change herself and it seemed her father was finally stating to notice.
Kurenai wondered why Hinata would willingly leave her family's home when she had been working so hard to make herself stronger so she could be more 'worthy' of them.
In Kurenai's opinion it was the Hyuugas who were not worthy of Hinata. Were they so blind they couldn't see how much she's changed? Couldn't they recognize the strong will beneath her shyness?
"She asked to be allowed to train with me once more," Kurenai informed the Hyuuga head. "She also requested that I ask permission for her to live outside the compound."
"And why did she not ask me these herself?"
Kurenai didn't know the answer to that.
Hiashi sighed, "I care not what Hinata does as long as she does not bring further disgrace upon the Hyuuga name."
Kurenai would have stabbed him then, if it weren't for the fact that she was sure Hinata would cry for the unworthy man.
.
When Neji got home later that day, no one told him Hinata was gone.
During dinner, when the family ate together, one seat was glaringly empty.
His eyes kept going back to that one empty spot, but he didn't ask.
No one volunteered the information.
Neji found out from Ten-Ten the next day that Hinata was under Kurenai-sensei's care once more.
She was gone from the compound.
"Why did she move out from the Main House?" Ten-Ten asked, puzzled.
Neji heard Ten-Ten ask him the question again, but he turned away didn't say anything.
.
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry if they are kind of Out of Character. Also, I'm not very knowledgeable about the Naruto series, I only caught it until Orochimaru was trying to get Sasuke…?
But anyway, in this fic Hinata is 15 and is going to be taking her chuunin exams again. Shino and Kiba and the others have already passed. Neji is sixteen…
Can anyone tell me how much younger Hanabi is that Hinata?
How many years younger is Hanabi?
Hope you enjoyed this chapter…do you like it? Hate it? Please review! Encouragements, constructive criticisms are all welcome. Thank you!