Hiashi Hyuuga

Aika confronts...a lot of people, and finds the secret to where all the answers to her questions might lie...Yamagakure.

I woke up the next morning with the birds chirping loudly outside my ears and Hinata asleep beside me. I didn't want to wake her up at the crack of dawn, especially since I knew she had cried herself to sleep over Mizuki.

Huh.

Mizuki.

If I ever found her, I would kill her, get Tsunade-sama to make her alive again, and then kill her again.

And then give her to Orochimaru.

Which is exactly what she deserved.

 

I walked out of my room into my bathroom to take a quick shower before mom, Hinata, and Neji woke up. After scrubbing, and scrubbing, and scrubbing, I finally deemed myself clean enough to visit Sakura and hopefully, Tsunade-sama. (I hadn't properly scrubbed for a few days.)

I stopped in front of my mirror to run a brush through my now waist length hair. I didn't bother to put on the khol that I normally did, especially not after 'THE INCIDENT' with Lee, Naruto, and Kiba.

Oh god no.

I also wrapped my terry-cloth robe around me and walked into my bedroom.

As I walked in, "Ohayo," Hinata called.

"Ohayo," called, pulling open my drawers to find a decent pair of pants.

Hinata softly chuckled when she saw me throwing out pants, after, shorts, after sweats out of my seemingly miniscule drawer.

"Need some help?" she asked, walking over to my side.

I paused and looked at her amused, naturally wide- like mine- eyes. "What does it look like?!"

Hinata burst out laughing. "You are worse than Hanabi at the crack of dawn."

"It is the crack of dawn." I grumbled.

She laughed again and helped me pick out some pants.

 

Finally, after much, much, much throwing, grumbling, complaining, and laundry sorting, I settled on a pair of black sweats with flames in golden embroidery down the sides.

"Huh," I said, after putting them on. "I didn't even know I owned such a thing."

Hinata dropped the bundle of pants that were to be washed into my hamper. "Aika, you really need to get more organized."

I dumped the mass of pants that were too small for me on the bed. "And turn into a regular Neji?"

She laughed. "Neji...isn't regular."

I laughed too. At least that much was true.

"Yeah, well. Neither am I. But who's complaining?"

She chucked a pair of white, airy, soft pants at me. "I am. Now help me clean up your mess."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Hyuuga-sama," and mock bowed.

She chucked another pair of pants at me, this time grey, knee length sweats. "Don't call me that."

"I'm sorry...Uzumaki Hinata!"

"What?"

"Exactly. Uzumaki-sama."

Even though I wasn't looking at her, I felt her blush.

Quite deeply, really.

I threw a neon yellow pair of shorts at her. "Stop daydreaming and start folding!"

She threw another article of clothing, this time a navy blue, semi-tight fit shirt. "You sound just like Father."

"Forgive me for saying this, but I do belive Hiashi-sama needs go get out more." I threw a pair of rainbow stockings at her.

"Huh," she didn't look up from her folding as she replied. "H-he's so, so o-old!"

I laughed. "Amen. Wait, he's not that old, is he?"

"Heck no, Aika, he's just so very old fashioned."

"Well, Hiashi-sama does make Tsunade-sama look like she just stepped out of Jiraya-sama's books."

Her moth fell open. "You don't mean..."

I threw my half folded grey sweats at her face and donned a devious look. "Yep."

"B-but Hokage-sama looks so, so young!"

I rolled my eyes.

She was worse than Hanabi, Neji, and Riyyku put together. (Riyyku was Uncle Khrou's daughter.) "She's 60!" I yelled, at her and grabbed the first thing I felt to chuck at her.

Man, was I in for a shock when I saw what it was.

 

As I held up the navy blue, white speckled shirt, I saw what was printed on it. On the front was the symbol of the Hyuuga, in the left corner of the shirt, while on the back was printed the symbol of the Uchiha clan.

Hinata stopped laughing and worriedly looked at my sudden quietness. "Aika-chan, is something wrong?"

I held out the shirt for her.

Her eyes grew, if possible, wide. "Is this...?'"
I nodded, blinking back tears.

"M-maybe you should p-put it on." she said quietly.

I nodded and ran out of the room into the bathroom.

 

Once the door was locked, I stripped off my robe and put a chain undershirt on before slipping on the Hyuuga/Uchiha shirt.

I hadn't seen it for seven years, not since Sasuke had first given it to me. We were young 'lovers' and Itachi and him, Sasuke said, had spent nearly a week figuring out how to screen-print desgins onto the shirt, and they had given it to me for my birthday. Unfortunately, it had been a bit too big for me at the time, so mother had put it away and we all had forgotten about it.

Untill now.

It was a perfect fit on me; the tightness at the waist that I liked and the lowness of the neck so that a bit of my cami and chain showed.

Wiping back the tears that I had refused to let out since Sasuke's departure, I hung up my robe and walked back into my room.

Hinata had finished folding all my pants and was putting them back in my drawers, but when she saw me, she merely stuffed the pile into the drawer and thrwe her arms around me.

"Oh, Aika-chan! Are you sure you'll be allright?"

I nodded and sat on the bed. I couldn't let her see me cry, otherwise she would start crying.

"By the way, that shirt looks very nice on you."

I smiled, weakly. "Thanks. But do you think-?"

"What do I think?"

"That Hiashi-sama might be able to help us with-"

"W-with what?"

"A multitude of our problems."

"I don't know. He might not be willing to help." She sounded unsure.

"Please, Hina-chan? He maybe our only hope of getting Sasuke and Mizuki back."

"I g-guess so."

At that moment three words pounded into my head: Murakage of Yamagakure.

 

Hinata and I walked downstairs, after waiting for Neji and mom to wake up. During that ime, we had carefully discussed how we were going to approach the head of the Hyuuga clan without insulting him.

Which wasn't really a hard thing to do these days.

 

"Are you s-sure this is g-going to work?" Hinata slowly asked as we sat down on the couch with a giant vat of breakfast noodles that we were sharing.

I nodded, mouth too full of noodles to speak.

"But w-what if he refuses t-to talk, or u-uses the...?"

She trailed off, knowing fully that Neji might overhear us and explode if the word 'curse' was so much as thought of.

I swallowed, both the noodles and the lump in my throat that had been growing since I had decided to talk to Hiashi-sama. "Hina-chan, I may not know your father as well as you do, but I don't belive that he's cruel enough to do such a thing."

She sighed. "I hope so."

At that moment, Neji walked into the living room and sat down on the arm chair on the side of our couch. He looked at the two of us, sunken into the cushions, bowl perched precariously on the edges of our laps, slurping noodles as if we had never eaten before.

"I swear," he said, studying us with his quartz glare. "If you two weren't Hyuuga, I'd swear you two had some kind of demon inside."

Me and Hinata looked at each other and burst our laughing.

"Please, Neji-niisan, that's quite ridiculous," Hinata said, her hair shaking from trying not to stutter. "If we had demons inside of us, the first thing we would do is attack you."

I laughed and held my fist for her to pound it.

She obliged, also laughing.

"Besides," I claimed, as soon as I swallowed the noodles I was chewing. "The only demons we have are ourselves."

"And yet you two are still weak," he rolled his eyes as he walked over and sat down between the two of us and pulled out a pair of his own chopsticks.

"Oh, puh-lease!" I cried. "When we're weak-"

"Is when Naruto stops being a perv," Hinata finished.

Bot Neji and I turned to look at her.

Hinata, however, just gave a cool little smile and shrugged.

Man, had she grown from being someone who could never find it in themselves to talk to her own teammates to being one of the funniest people I knew.

"Hinata," I began. "What have you and Naruto been doing together?"

We saw her face bathed in crimson. "N-nothing. You k-know I don't have that much courage."

Neji, supprisingly was the one to reply. "Hinata-sama, you can do anything if you set your mind to it, Hinata-oneesan."

Hinata blushed.

And she had much reason to.

I mean, just a few months ago, Neji had despised her, and look now- they were about as close as estranged brother and sister could get.

Quite sentimental.

But enough of that, we had somewhere to be.

"Very cute, Neji, Hinata. Now eat. We need to be at Hiashi-sama's office before ten-o-clock!" I yelled, picking up my chopsticks, and stuffing noodles into my mouth.

Neji, though, put his down. "And why are you two going to see Hiashi-ojisama?"

"We need to see if he can help us." replied Hinata.

"Help you with what?"

"Find Mizuki," I replied simply.

Neji's eyes transformed in the slightest bit. "Then I'm coming with you."

"Really?" Hinata and I both cried.

"Yes. Now eat."

 

As we finished the noodles, Neji, Hnata, and I, laughing and talking like cousins and heirs to the two Hyuuga clans should. Mom walked in, holding a giant pile of old clothes aloft with her chakra. As she saw us, her watery gaze grew in shock, and then in happiness. "You three having fun?" she asked, as Hinata and I broke into a particurarly girlish bout of giggles and Neji chuckling at our idioticness.

The three of us turned to look at Mom, who was standing in the kitchen doorway, happier than I've even seen her- for a while that is.

Neji rolled his eyes. "If we weren't, we wouldn't be laughing like that, would we?"

Mom laughed. "I guess so. You three have any plans for today?"

It was my turn to speak. "We're going to see Hiashi-sama."

Mom's face contorted with an undefineable anger. "You're what?"

"Yes, Aya-obasama," Hinata said quietly. "We'd like to see if he can help us."

"With what?" my mom yelled, all happiness vanishing.

"To find Mizuki," said Neji.

"And to find Sasuke." I said.

Mom dumped her pile of clothes and walked over to us. "You will not do such a thing."

"Why?" I whined.

"Because I don't- I mean, you needn't be worried about Mizuki and Sasuke. There are shinobi after them, and they needn't be troubled with a few shame-less, over-bearing children!" She was yelling now.

"Okasama," Neji replied camly. "Don't be worried; we'll be fine. And I was planning to ask father if he could come with us. Just for moral support."

Mom shut her eyes tightly and opened them again. "Alright. You may go with your father, but I'm also going to send a guard with you. And stay with Hinata."

Hinata nodded.

I groaned.

Neji did nothing.

"Jiro!" mom called from behind us.

After a few minutes, a guard, dressed in the traditional Hyuuga Branch guard garb, ran in and bowed. "Yes Hyuuga-san?"

"I want you to accompany Neji, Hinata, and Aika to the main house. After you leave them at Hiashi-san's office, please come back: I have something else for you to do."

"Yes, Hyuuga-san," he said.

"Father!" Neji called.

The ghost of my father, Hyuuga Hizashi, appeared before our eyes.

Only recently had he been able to appear to the non-Byakugan blessed, and the mortal. Before that, only Mizuki could see him, and Neji and I too- if we used our Byakugan.

"Hello, my children. Hello Aya-chan." he said, smiling. "What do you want from an old dead man?"

We, except Jiro, smiled.

"Hizashi," my mother said. "I would like you to accompany Neji, Aika, Hinata, and Jiro to Hiashi-san's office."

Dad snorted. "What could my children, not including Hinata, want with my brother?"

"We would like to talk to him." Neji said.

"Why then," dad bellowed. "Do you need a Hyuuga guard, and me?"

"Hizashi," Mom said. "Please. You know how I feel."

"Aya," dad sighed. "My brother is not evil."

"But-"

The (former) Head of the Hyuuga Branch House held up a hand to silence mom. "Aya, I will respect your wishes and accompany Jiro and those three, but only as far as his office door. After that, I will trust Hinata-chan to take care of them."

I saw mother clench her fists and then relax them. "Fine. Now shoo!"

 

"Why was Aya-obasama acting like that?" asked Hinata as we walked around the block to the Main House's residence.

I took a glance at her. "Because."

"Why? Father isn't as e-evil as she t-thinks."

"Mother doesn't know the truth."

"The truth about what?"

"About-"
"Enough!" Neji roared, violently turning around.

We stopped midstep and looked at him. He was on the verge of...eh, blowing up.

"This is not the time to discuss such matters!" he yelled.

Jiro turned around to look at us, confused. "Are you children alright?" he asked, curious.

Neji gave him forced look. "Yes, Jiro-niisan, don't worry about us."

Jiro nodded and turned back to face the large Hyuuga manor in front of us.

Reviews

[Vannah]

ow...i like......