Reborn as Sakura and Hinata: Lost in the Wind

Hyuga Time: Hiashi is a Dad and it's Great

The weather was nice enough for a walk, sunlight filtering down over the rooftops warming up the air to a comfortable temperature to be tempered by the occasional breeze. I had to be thankful for it given that the decision to walk was not my own, but I wasn't exactly in the position to make demands with Neji at the moment. My little stunt a few days ago had understandably shaken him, but I wasn't quite sure how much of the blame for his change in attitude fell on me. He seemed more assertive now, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but I certainly thought it was when he came into my room and told me that he wanted to go on a walk, that not being a notification but an assertion that I was going with him.My reluctance certainly wasn't out of laziness, but yet another thing I had to come to accept. That was what I kept telling myself as I tried not to focus too much on the occasional stare from the passing pedestrians as we walked down the street, or how the occasional passerby would actually cross the goddamn street to get away from me. I suppose I deserved it; I had a reputation after all, but it didn't mean that being treated like a ticking time bomb felt any better. I glanced at Neji to see if he had noticed the behavior, but if he did he didn't show it. He gazed purposefully ahead at the road, giving off an air of confidence that I didn't quite recognize from him and it took me a moment to realize that his perceived disinterest was indeed a result of the stares. "I know it can be difficult," he suddenly said, "But you just need to try and ignore them. They don't know anything about you, and their opinions don't matter." With a sigh I glared at the ground, "I appreciate the advice, I really do, but being treated like a monster hasn't gotten any easier over the years." He frowned at that, "I guess I have forgotten how long you've had to deal with that." "It's nothing you have to worry about." I shrugged, "I should get over it eventually." "You shouldn't have to though." he replied softly, "But maybe what I should be reminding you of is that you don't deserve to be treated this way, and you shouldn't feel like you do." "You don't know what I've done." I chuckled. "And they don't either." he stated flatly. That made me pause. I suppose the only concrete information the villagers would know would be what I did to Sasuke, and the rest would technically be hearsay, "That's actually a pretty good point." "Of course it is." he scoffed, "because I'm right." I let out a laugh in disbelief, shaking my head, "God, Sakura has really gotten to all of you, hasn't she..." "I don't know what you're talking about." he replied. I gave him a teasing nudge before we both stopped in our tracks, looking down the road to see that Hiashi... my father was walking towards us with a smile strained by discomfort and uncertainty. He stopped in front of us, hands behind his back and clearly uncertain of himself. "Is there something wrong?" Neji asked after an uncomfortable silence. "Oh no, nothings wrong." Hiashi quickly answered, his hand moving from behind his back to be clasped in front of him, "Are you two busy?" I was going to answer that we were on a walk, but before I could get a word out Neji quickly answered, "No, we aren't." "Excellent," Hiashi's smile lost some of its tension, "If it wouldn't be an inconvenience, Hinata, I would like to invite you to tea." "'Tea'?" I echoed, Neji seeming to be similarly surprised by the request. "Yes, it is about time for tea, and I would like you to join me." Hiashi restated, his expecting smile not wavering in the slightest. "Why?" I asked without considering how the question might come off. "Well," Hiashi didn't seem to be bothered by it though, "At least three times a week I have tea with one of my daughters, and it's tea time so-" "'Tea time'?" I repeated again; that phrasing sounded suspiciously familiar. "Tea time," Neji nodded, placing his hand on my back to subtly push me towards my father, "We were only on a walk, so you should be open, right?" Did Neji somehow know Hiashi was going to ask this? Or was he simply an opportunist? The most logical answer was that he believed this would be good for my mental health, but I wasn't quite sure I was in agreement. "I-I mean... yeah?" I mumbled, glancing between him and Hiashi nervously. "Excellent," Hiashi began to turn back in the direction of the compound, offering an arm, "Will you join me then?" Neji gave me a small shove, and I stepped forward and linked my arm with my father's only muttering a quiet, "'Tea time'?" as we began to walk to the compound. We walked for a while in silence, Hiashi's expression sobering to a slight frown, "I know you must be uncomfortable. I apologize... I am not particularly skilled in casual speaking." "We all have our faults." I said, not quite sure how to address the apology, "I guess I wasn't quite expecting my day to take this kind of turn." "And that is perfectly understandable," Hiashi affirmed, "I have not acted like a father to you for many years now, but I want to change that." I glanced up at him; he really had changed a lot since I'd left, "You shouldn't have had to deal with what you did alone and raise Hanabi on top of that, and Neji shouldn't have had to be the one to care for you." his brow furrowed in frustration, "You're so young, but you've had to live as the most responsible person in your life, while I, instead of caring for you, tried to fix many years worth of my own mistakes." We reached the gates of the compound, and I was surprised by how much quieter it was. Hyuga's had never been particularly loud, but I was used to hearing the sound of sparing or quiet conversation. Hiashi led me inside, "And for the past two years, you've had to take care of yourself in environments that never guaranteed your safety," he looked down at me with an air of genuine severity, "There is no reason for you to continue living that way when you are home, and I am determined to make sure that you are the happiest and healthiest you can be." With that statement, we entered his office, a low table sitting in the middle of the floor with a tea set already prepared. I let go of his arm and sat down, Hiashi moving across from me and taking his seat. I was still trying to process all that he had just said to me, and I couldn't help but wonder how long he had been resolved to do what he said he would. He cleared his throat, drumming the fingers of one hand nervously on the table before taking a breath and smiling gently, "Please have patience with me, I honestly have no idea how to talk to you." His smile widened slightly, "You've changed so much." "I feel the same way." I admitted, "I'm not going to judge you." He nodded, seeming relieved, "Well, I guess the best way to start is me asking 'how are you doing'?" his expression grew a little somber, "And it is okay for you to be honest with me, I would prefer it." I sighed, deciding I should reward his efforts with the honesty he asked for, "It has been really difficult coping with everything." his brow furrowed at that, "You know... coming back and having to care of Sakura, immediately going to war..." I glared at the table, "And then it all ends just for her to disappear and for the village to hate me... but it's her leaving that hurts the most." Hiashi nodded, "I understand, I had actually grown quite close with her myself." "Really?" I shouldn't have been surprised. He smiled fondly, "Yes, she actually is the reason I started having tea with company," hence the 'tea time' name I guess, "She helped so much with the rehabilitation of the clan, and I came to think of her as one of my daughters." "That's right," I noted more to myself, taking one of the jade glazed cups in my hand to inspect it, "She solved the caged bird seal." "Yes, quite incredible is it not?" Hiashi chuckled, "The state of the clan now is all thanks to her." I shook my head with a reluctant smirk, taking a sip of my tea, "She can't just keep her nose out of everyone's business can she." "That's certainly what I thought when she first started talking to me." Hiashi stated with a touch of humor before his eyes softened, "But... now that I think about it, those changes are also thanks in part to you." I looked at him in surprise, "How so?" "Your words showed me the error of my ways." he answered, "I am not sure if I would have ever considered to overthrow the elders if you hadn't left the way you did." "I was just trying to protect Neji." I tried to dismiss. "Yes, you were protecting your family," Hiashi affirmed turning his cup in his hand, staring down at it with a sense of regret, "Something I should have been doing years ago. As much as I hate to acknowledge it, not having you with me reminded me of how much I love you, and that I had been taking you for granted for so many years." I didn't quite know how to respond to that. I wasn't going to try and console him or anything because he was right, and there was no way I was going to try and justify his behavior for him, "At least some good came out of it." Hiashi eyed me with an almost teasing glint in his gaze, "From what I've heard, a lot of good has come out of you leaving." "Not that much," I shrunk down a little sheepishly. "How is making a new village 'not that much'?" Hiashi leaned forward, propping his head on one hand, "If I had known what a capacity for leadership you had, there would have been no questions as to who would be leading the clan." "Hanabi's capable too!" I huffed, "And it wasn't like I made the village on my own." "No, you only killed one of the legendary Sannin, rounded up his crew of psychopaths and test subjects, lifted multiple slums out of poverty, and managed to get all of them to work together to create not only the physical village itself, but a sustainable agriculture system and functioning infrastructure." Hiashi listed off in a mockingly blasé manner, "But I guess there's nothing impressive about that." I tried to come up with some sort of counterargument, but I could only utter a few failed sentences before I crossed my arms over my chest in a pout, "It wasn't that hard to get them to work together." "Yes, because you put in the effort beforehand to make them like and trust you." Hiashi sat back up straight, teasing gone from his eyes in a more serious expression, "I don't want you to think that you are just an instrument of someone else's plan, Hinata. Sakura wasn't the only reason we all are where we are now because her plans relied on you being able to make your own choices to bring out the best outcome." he smiled, "Your planning and tenacity and her drive and creativity is why we can enjoy peace now." I didn't know how much I had needed to hear that until he said it. Perhaps I had been thinking of our relationship all wrong, maybe it wasn't puppetry, but more like a co-op video game. "Hinata," my eyes met Hiashi's, "I am so proud of the woman that you are becoming."His tone was so full of warmth and affection; how long had I been waiting to hear those words again? My father said that he was proud of me. My eyes began to water as I began to chuckle quietly in an attempt to stop myself from crying.He watched me with a kind smile as I wiped my eyes, standing up and coming around the table to hug me. I didn't hesitate to hug him back, realizing how touch starved I had been, how much I had missed feeling safe in someone else's arms. After I had calmed down, my father sat back with an oddly disapproving look on his face, "You joined the Akatsuki.""Wha-!? I had to!" I blurted in reaction to the sudden tone change."Hinata, they all were criminals." he stressed, "Who knows what they could have done to you!""It was necessary for her plan to work!" I defended, "And I was fine-""One of them almost sliced you in half!" he retorted; how had he heard about that?"On accident." I scoffed."Yes, while he was murdering one of our-" he stopped himself once he saw the hurt that slipped into my eyes. He sighed, pulling me to him again, "I'm sorry... I know it wasn't that simple for you. Nothing was simple for you, and that's what scares me... all the things you've seen and had to do... the things that were done to you.""I wasn't alone." I mumbled, "There were a lot of people who came to care about me, and that's what I try to focus on instead of everything else." Hiashi let go of me to look me in the eye, "Those days are behind me now, and things are finally getting better.""I suppose that's the best outlook you can have after all this time." he mused, "And I can rest easy now knowing that you are here, home, safe."I smiled slightly, "It's nice to be back, not have to worry about the people I'm living with suddenly turning on me and all that.""I'm not sure the people you met out there would've turned on you." Hiashi noted with a smirk, standing up and going back to his seat, "You seem to be quite the heartbreaker.""Huh?" I quirked an eyebrow at that."Don't tell me you haven't noticed." he quirked an eyebrow back, "You've had people following you around everywhere you go since you've come back.""Like I said, I wasn't alone out there." I defended, although I wasn't quite sure why I felt the need to be defensive."Clearly not," he hummed, "It's such a pity that so many are going to be let down once you settle down with someone. I'm surprised you haven't chosen anyone already."I huffed out a laugh at that; little did he know.His eyes narrowed at me; it really was 'little did he know' now, "Hinata." Jeez, way to out myself."What?" I blinked at him, feigning innocence. "Hinata." he repeated, tone growing grave."What?" I repeated back, crossing my arms over my chest, "He isn't someone from outside the village!""Is he now?" Hiashi leaned forward, once again propping his head on his hand in piqued interest, "Who?""Someone from the village." I rephrased, not quite wanting to expose Kiba for fear of his safety. I didn't quite know what 'dad Hiashi' was like, and I certainly didn't want to find out he was a helicopter dad at Kiba's expense, "Who I really trust and have known for a long time.""School friend?" he pressed."Maybe.""Teammate?""Who knows."He seemed to try and do the mental calculations as to who it could be, "Your age at least?""Yes." I decided to give him that peace of mind.He sat back with a sigh, "So I suppose I will meet him when you are ready for that then?""If you promise not to kill him." I grumbled."Now, why would I do something like that?" he crossed his arms over his chest in a very Neji-esque manner, and I couldn't help but wonder if Neji's dad happened to have the same mannerisms. "I dunno, I just don't want to find my boyfriend dead in a ditch somewhere." I scoffed snarkily."How morbid." Hiashi commented, "I would never."I let out a laugh, "Sure."Hiashi smiled back, standing up, "Would you like to continue your walk? Maybe we can continue to talk about the more mundane things going on in your life."I stood up as well, walking over to take his arm again, "Sure." We stepped back out into the streets, and I noticed Hiashi studying me, "You have quite the interesting style." "You think?" I smiled shyly, "I guess it is a little unique to what most people wear here." "You seemed to have grown a liking for black since you became a genin." he commented, not seeming to be disapproving of that fact, "But the shoes are certainly new." I glanced down at the ground in front of us, these weren't even the most extravagant platforms I owned, only a mere 2.5 inches, "They have their uses." "Do they now?" he asked with genuine curiosity. "Well, physical intimidation is how I avoid most trouble." I admitted, "Sure, some of the people I've met care about me, but for others they just think that it's better to stay out of my way." "And is it better to stay out of your way?" his brow furrowed. "Yes." I answered bluntly. His eyebrows raised, and he hummed at that, "Now I'm not sure if I shouldn't be more worried for this boyfriend of yours." "People would probably say that you should." I laughed, "But I'm with him for a reason, so it's not like he's in danger around me or anything." "And why are you with him?" He asked. I shot a glare at him, and he held his hands up, "What? Don't I have a right to be curious?" I sighed in resignation, shoving my hands into my pockets in an attempt to appear more disinterested, "He's one of the first people I've ever fully trusted. I've never felt uncomfortable around him, never judged, and like I can just exist without having to worry about anything." I smiled fondly, "He's seen me through some of the worst times of my life, and even in those moments he made me feel safe." "I... wasn't expecting such a nuanced answer." Hiashi admitted, "But, then again, I wasn't expecting for you to already have someone so close to you." "Well, there are more cliché reasons too." I chuckled, "He's a goofball with a great sense of humor, curious, energetic..." I dropped off as I heard a familiar voice approaching. Akamaru came around the corner, sniffing around before spotting me and barking. I stopped in my tracks as Kiba came around the corner after him, Hiashi analyzing me curiously as my brain tried to come up with some sort of plan to get out of this situation. Unfortunately for me, fate was once again not on my side as Kiba looked up, face lighting up when he saw me, and he began to job over, "Hey, I didn't know you were going to be out and about today!" He finally noticed Hiashi standing next to me, skidding to a stop and stumbling back, "O-oh," he choked out, a panicked grin forming as he glanced between me and my father, "I-is this your dad?" "Yes, I am Hinata's father," Hiashi replied, eyes narrowing at Kiba, "And you are?" "Kiba Inuzuka... sir." he answered evenly enough, his nerves dying down now that his surprise was wearing off "Inuzuka..." I realized that Hiashi's gaze wasn't one of disapproval or intimidation, but one of deep thought, and soon enough his eyes lit up with recognition, "You're the one that trained Hanabi while she was living with Neji." Kiba glanced at me uncertainly, "She told you about that?" "Yes, she had put one of her classmates in an armlock, and I had asked her where she'd learned that technique from." Hiashi nodded. Kiba paled, "I-I'm sorry, sir, we had told her not to do that, but she didn't really like to listen to us." Both of us were surprised when Hiashi started laughing, "I'm not angry with you, young man, I'm quite appreciative actually. I've heard a lot of good things about you." Kiba visibly relaxed, "Oh... it's nothing, just wanted to help them out is all." "How do you know Hinata?" Damn dad, you just couldn't wait any longer could you. "Teammates." I answered quickly, "We were on the same genin team." Kiba nodded in agreement, and Hiashi gave us both a mildly unimpressed look. "She's not lying." Kiba affirmed, "We were put on Kurenai-sensei's team." "Oh, I see," I didn't like the look on Hiashi's face, he was planning something, "Would you like to walk with us? I am quite curious to hear what my daughter was like during missions." There it was, at least he wasn't making a big deal out of it. Kiba glanced at me before shrugging, "Sure, I've got nothing to do today." He then came to my other side as we resumed walking, beginning to tell the story about how I had fought off an enemy shinobi with nothing but a table lamp, which my father found equal parts hilarious and frightening. This day was turning out better than I could have ever hoped.