Falling

Chapter 1

It was 9 in the morning when she woke up. She was late for breakfast. Tardiness was not welcome in her clan.

Just as she finished making her appearance tidy, the little girl flitted out of her room, walking swiftly, preparing herself for the worst. Father was going to be upset.

She ignored the whispers of the branch members as she swept by their legs. They would just get her depressed. Failure, disappointment, insult to the main branch, she had heard them all from her own father. She had no desire to be told twice.

Upon arrival at the dining room, she stopped in her tracks, in the doorway, confused. There was her father, long brown hair and cold silver eyes, already seated, eating his breakfast… that was expected… but then there was Neji, her cousin, seated at the dinner table, engaging in conversation with her father, not being an annoyance to him like she always was.

Replaced. She was being replaced.

It hurt. More than it should have.

She continued to watch them from the doorway. Neither noticed her. She was being ignored.

Without thinking, she spoke up, "Good morning Father, Brother Neji."

Instantly, the attention was diverted to her small form.

"Good morning, Hinata-sama," Neji bowed. The girl watched as her father nodded in approval towards Neji and then back to her with cold, steel eyes.

"Child, you're late," her father stated emotionlessly. "Can you not even get that right?"

A sob choked her throat. Quickly, she pushed it down. Tears only caused even more pain. Hinata bowed, taking the time to blink her tears away as her face was hidden. "I… I… apologize Father… I w-woke up l-later than I-"

"I do not care for your excuses," Hiashi interrupted. "This will never happen again, understood?"

"Y-Yes, Father." She scurried to her seat, placing small amounts of food on her plate and keeping her head down to avoid being a nuisance.

"As you were saying before we were rudely interrupted, Neji?"

That stung.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama. I was saying that it amazes me how powerful our clan is. I've been watching Tokuma train lately. I've heard that he has our clan's best Byakugan, correct? His style intrigues me to no end…"

Hinata snuck a glance upwards as Neji continued to formulate well-organized sentences, clearly impressing her father, gaining the respect that she wanted. She looked back down to her food, taking small bites. If only she could be as strong and confident as Neji. Maybe her father wouldn't hate her so much then…If he would just give her a chance to show that she really wanted to change… to become the heir he wanted so badly…

"And what have you been doing, child?"

Hearing something being directed at her, Hinata's head shot up all too eagerly. Her father and Neji were looking at her. She forced herself to not quiver under the attention. What would she say? What should she tell them? Instead of speaking she unwillingly remained silent.

Hiashi frowned and said with no regrets, "Nothing. Just like what you are..." He turned away.

"Reading."

Hiashi quickly turned back, a bit surprised that his daughter spoke up. "What did you say, child?"

She squeezed her thighs tightly, forcing herself to maintain eye contact. "I…" She took a deep breath. "I've been reading… studying actually."

For once, her father didn't look utterly and completely disappointed with her. Instead, he expressed his curiosity. "You've been studying? Studying what exactly?"

She nodded, gaining a small amount of confidence from the new treatment. Neji was interested too. Finally, people were paying attention to her. "I've been studying… the Byakugan. I… I learned that it is one of the Three Great Eye Dojutsu, along with the Sharingan and Rinnegan…"

Her father nodded. "Good. What else?"

She squeezed her thighs tighter, ignoring her sweaty palms. "Um… I … I learned that when activated, it… it gives us a …360̊ field of vision… um… but we still have a blind spot! It… It's located above the… the…" As they continued to watch her intently, she began feeling pressured, feeling all the information she gathered slowly slipping away. "the…the… theortic vertabra? Um, no that wasn't it… it … it was the um… um…"

"Thoracic vertebrae," said Neji matter-of-factly.

"Y-Yes," Hinata admitted, dejected.

"In vertebrates," Neji continued, "thoracic vertebrae compose the middle segment of the vertebral column, between the cervical vertebrae and the lumbar vertebrae…"

As her cousin went on and on, drawing the attention of her Father to himself, Hinata clenched her fists. She knew that too! Why couldn't she have just said it without freezing up like she was stupid! … like… like she was deformed…

"L-Last night," Hinata interrupted, drawing her Father's attention back to her and cutting Neji off, "I saw Akihiro-san and Shō-san bringing this small person to the guest wing of the complex! I-It's true! I saw it with my own two eye-!"

"You saw what?" Hiashi asked, no sound of curiosity in his voice.

Hinata leaned back, wondering if she shouldn't have said anything. She kept quiet.

Hiashi scowled. "Don't go mute on me, child! What did you just say?"

She gulped and looked down, nervous at her father's cross glare. "I-I saw Akihiro-san and Shō-san bringing this small person to the guest wing of the complex…" she murmured quietly.

Hiashi scowled even further. "What were you doing up so late, poking your annoying nose in business that does not concern you?"

"I-I was studyi-"

"So you didn't sleep at your bedtime? You defied my orders? To do unbeneficial acts such as spying and sneaking around?"

"N-No, father… I-I wasn't sneaking around! I-I was just studying so I could-!"

"Be quiet, foolish child!" Hiashi yelled. Hinata cringed, heart beating painfully fast, eyes hollow with fear and brimming with tears. "Who do you think you are to defy Hyuuga orders? You disgrace! Get out of my sight!"

She remained seated, frozen with fear.

Hiashi rose from his seat and slammed his palms to the table, shaking the entire room. "I said leave, you damned brat!"

That caused her to run. Instantly, she dropped everything and ran to her room, pushing past annoyed Branch members, head down and tears falling down her cheeks uncontrollably.

She closed her door quickly and ran to a corner in her room, crying and crying and crying.

What did she do? She just wanted him to pay attention to her! Not make him upset!

"I just wanted you to acknowledge me…" the small girl sobbed, shoulders trembling. "to not be a failure anymore… Why do I always ruin everything?... Why do I have to be the weak one?... Why?"

She shook her head, trying to blink the tears away but they just kept falling, falling, falling. She quieted down her sobs and drew her knees in to her chest, letting the tears flow.

Weak. Unwanted. Useless. Disgrace.

Those words would never leave her. She would always be weak, always be unwanted, always be useless, always be a disgrace.

The tears stopped and the room was still. Her eyes remained hollow and her face kept neutral.

But she wouldn't stop trying. She would add more words. Strong. Desirable. Useful. Honor. And she wouldn't stop until it killed her. She swore it upon her life.

"Hinata-sama!"

She slowly looked up to see Ko, her bodyguard. She didn't say anything.

His eyes saddened and his mouth dipped into a frown. "Hinata-sama…" he murmured to himself. She continued to watch him with bored, innocence-deprived eyes. He slowly approached her and lifted her to her feet, cleaning her tear-streaked face and straightening her wrinkled kimono. He bent down to her height and held her cheek, smiling faintly. "Let's go for a walk, hm Hinata-sama?" he whispered.

She didn't reply. Instead, she remained silent, looking dead.

Ko frowned. He hated seeing her like this. She was such a kind, inquisitive young thing and she had grown on him, attaching herself to his heart…but… she was born into the wrong family.

Quietly, he took her small hand in his and led her away. "C'mon Hinata-sama" he whispered to the little girl. "Let's talk."

It was quiet outside, as it always was in the compound. They walked in silence, small hand in big, to nowhere in particular. It was an absent-minded stroll.

"Your father doesn't hate you," Ko whispered, breaking the silence.

Hinata remained quiet.

"He just expects more from you, wants you to be the best there is. Hiashi-sama's been under a lot of pressure lately with your mother's passing, your newborn sister and his father's requirements. Not to forget that Hizashi-sama is on a long mission right now. Your father's trying. He really is."

She continued looking forward. "…But I'm making him upset, aren't I,… Ko-san?"

"Hina-."

"I'm useless… I'm weak… I'm the Hyuuga's deformity…why wouldn't father hate me so much?"

Ko could feel his heart breaking. Her voice, still soft, held a cold edge to it. "He doesn't ha-"

"Father wishes Brother Neji was his child instead of me, aren't I right Ko-san?"

"Hinata-sama, please…"

She remained quiet, feeling the emptiness rush through her. She smiled. "It's okay, Ko-san. I understand… But at least I have you, right?"

Ko did his best to smile. "Of course, Hinata-sama."

"…Ko-san… may I ask a question?" Hinata asked, now looking up towards him.

"Why, yes, Hinata-sama. Ask away."

She furrowed her eyebrows, contemplating whether or not to ask. She decided to ask. "…Ko-san… that little person… do you know-?"

Ko went rigid, recalling what Hiashi had told him. "About that… Hinata-sama… I need you to forget about that little person. Can you do that?"

"Why?"

"For your safety."

"But if someone that small is trying to hurt me, why would they be here?"

Ko frowned. "Hinata-sama, the Kyuubi isn't something you should inquire abo-"

"What's a Kyuubi?"

Ko bit his tongue. "Ignore what I said please, Hinata-sama. Just forge-"

Screaming. Someone was screaming.

Instantly, Hinata broke off Ko's grip and ran in the direction of the screaming, curiosity taking over.

"Let me go! Let me go! It hurts! It hurts!"

Her running came to a slow stop when she saw a little boy, right about her size wearing a blue hospital gown. The same strange colored hair is what she recognized. The little person. Him. It was him. They were separated by a small fence. The guest wing was on his side.

Her eyebrows furrowed when she realised he was clutching his stomach in pain, crying out in agony. She reached out to try and help him but the fence kept her away. Instead, two of what seemed to be Hyuuga doctors stuck him with some needles.

She gasped as the boy cried out. For a brief second, his eyes met hers. In that brief second she witnessed anguish, hatred, loss… fear.

His screams died down and the boy became unconscious. Muttering under their breaths, the two doctors carried him back inside the building.

Ko finally caught up to her, dragging her away and reprimanding her greatly. "Hinata-sama! Why did you run off like that! I want you to ignore what you've heard, what you've seen! Understood!"

She just nodded as he continued to drag her away but she wasn't paying attention to him. She was paying attention to the drumming of her heart thumping in her ears. All she could see was a breathtaking blue. She'd never seen that before. Blue eyes. So much emotion… so much pain… so much fear… Those eyes were the ones she saw in the mirror every day.