Chapter Five

Past and Present

Neji limped to the nearest shower stall, after having his uncle rape him again. Hiashi was still rough on his now 13 year old slave. There was seldom any comfort for the Boy during these two years of hell. The only comfort came from his younger cousin, Hinata, who was the eldest daughter of his tormentor. The second comfort came from her as well, learning the main branch's "gentle fist" in secret. She taught him whenever he was free for a night, when Hiashi was attending to other matters and/or off on missions. He didn't know exactly why she was risking her life by doing this, but at least it helped.

The ones before him didn't have it as easy. There were four that were still in the lesser branch, but they were still scarred in many ways since they were allowed back.

The first boy Hiashi had bought killed himself only a month after he had been sent back. Reichi was deemed insane and is currently spending the rest of his life in a padded cell. Taru went away and was never seen again. And Renjiro is considered an outcast to both parts of the clans. He was hiashi's favorite pet, a beautiful intelligent young man whom Hiashi treated as a lover not as a slave. Hiashi didn't buy him because Renjiro came willingly into his bed. But as soon as Hiashi was bored with him and his obedience, he set him loose. Renjiro had developed Stockholm's syndrome and thus didn't want to leave. Neji remembered when that one came back. No decent person would talk to him and if they did they were treated most cruelly. So Renjiro left. He is now working as a prostitute in the "pleasure" district. The last two before Neji were the oldest of the slaves and were the only females and the only time that Hiashi had insisted on twins. Chiyoko and Raiku weren't treated any better but loved their "master". Raiku was killed in a jealous dispute with some of the main branch women. Chiyoko was sent to a whorehouse though not one of the best. She was seldom seen and when she was small round bruises dotted her arms and she was so thin no one recognized her. Neji was the 9th and the only child that was sent to the monster that was his uncle.

He kept a cold personality around anyone and everyone. His new sensei had tried to get him to tell what was going on but this only irritated Neji. He tensed up whenever he was touched by anyone but Hinata. Throughout these three years he grew to hate her for her relationship to Hiashi. He distrusted her because the only reason she would want to teach him the main branch Jutsu was so she could keep up her fathers legacy.

He twisted the shower knob off. While drying off he looked at himself in the mirror. The seventeen scars on his chest where starting to lose their freshness. Hiashi knew better then to mar his face or neck because then someone would notice. So he focused his attention on the back, chest and thighs. Hiashi loved using strange instruments on him. The five on his thighs were from those. The ten on his lower stomach were from when Hiashi took a shuriken and rolled it across his stomach pressing down enough to scare Neji with the pinpricks of blood but not enough to severely injure him. The rest were used to carve HIASHI across his chest. He already knew his rectum was severely scarred from the trauma it endured especially within those first days. It was after he left the hospital that he was given what Hiashi called training.

He had finished drying on and put on some lounge pants. Anything more and Hiashi would be angry in trying to undo everything if he were to come again tonight, which of course he did.

Neji walked slowly to the room across from HIashi. His uncle had not left. Neji looked beside the bed; the small pool of blood that had been smeared during that night's violation was still there. "Come here boy!" was the command. Neji stood in one place, his legs locking up. "I said, come here." When Neji still didn't move, Hiashi pointed toward the nightstand drawer. 'No, not anything from in there.' The youth thought remembering the torture instruments in that drawer. Neji's head jerked when he heard the bed springs creak. Hiashi got up and strode toward him. He held the genin's chin in his hand so he couldn't look away. "No, I don't think I will be the one to chastise you tonight. Let's go into town. I heard that their would be a lot of people there tonight." With that he grabbed the boys arm and led him outside the Hyuuga Mansion.

Neji was walking silently behind Hiashi. He didn't need the leash that Hiashi had for him. He learned quickly that he should walk a few steps behind the elder as is proper for one of the lower branch, but a little closer as well, not just to indicate obedience but to make sure that he isn't so far back that he should get lost in the crowds. If that happened he could find help or even run away, which was very dangerous. They were in a very populated section of town when Hiashi stopped so suddenly that the boy nearly ran into him.. A local Festival to celebrate the summer solstice must have ended but there were still a whole lot of stragglers. Neji was confused but relieved. No one he recognized was there. Then Hiashi grabbed him and shove him against the nearest wall. 'Oh, no! He's going to do this in public. Wait that may be a good thing. If they see he's doing that someone's going to call for help.' He tried to scream but Hiashi's shoved two fingers in his mouth. "Be quiet, Neji." Hiashi harshly whispered. He tossed the boy to the ground, Climbing on top of the struggling boy. He removed the lounge pants the boy wore exposing his privates and got off only to hold his arms down. Neji couldn't believe it. Hiashi was right, he wasn't going to be the one to punish him tonight. Instead perfect strangers were going to force themselves on him.