Naruto paused in the middle of eating his ramen. Side note, Naruto never paused when eating his ramen. If his hearing was working properly and he didn't need hearing aids, Hinata, the cocky and proud Hyūga, would do what ever her dad told her, with no questions. That's not it at all.
He lowered his chopsticks, licked up the ramen soup that had messed up his mouth and was about to counter back when Kushina let out a rather loud sigh it started attracting unwanted attention and stares from other costumers.
"What d'you mean? You gotta have your own opinion y'know? Between women and women, tell me, do you really want to marry that blonde pile of idiocy over there?" Kushina pointed to her own son who's face twisted in fake hurt.
Hinata hesitated before slowly shaking her head, "B-But I will!" She added quicker than flash, "It benefits my father so...I will." She muttered the last part while fiddling around with her fingers and twirling the end strands of her dark blue hair.
There was silence between the group and the only audible sound was the ones of people around them and the clacking of chopsticks on a ramen bowl. Naruto never took things seriously. Although they were not surprised, Minato and Kushina both kicked his leg under the table, his face scrunched up.
Served him right.
-
Finally, with a puff of breath, Hinata gripped the handle of the Hyūga mansion door, falling to her knees. She inhaled and exhaled large volume of air as she tried to catch her breath. Mustering the amount of strength she had left, she pulled herself up and hit the doorbell weakly.
It felt like time dragged on, and in that time, no one in the household moved. She hit the doorbell again and when no one came to answer, she was convinced he had told them not to. She pulled out her phone and dialled a number then pressed the phone to her ears.
It rang for a while before going into voicemail. Even she was ordered to stay put. A shaky breath escaped her lips as she slid down the door and sat at the doorstep. She rested her head on the door and looked up to the once blue sky.
Dark clouds had started to form and were hiding the blazing sun from view. Great. If only she'd shut up and said what her dad told her to, she wouldn't be in this mess. But although she felt stupid, she also felt as if a small portion of the weight had been lifted off her shoulders it made her smile.
Hinata felt heavy drops of water hit her head slowly. She extended her hands just for it to get wet too. She tilted her head upwards to the sky with closed eyes. The rain drops hit her face quicker then slid down her now pink cheeks before dropping onto the floor.
She hugged herself tight. Wearing a thin dress with an off the shoulder sleeves wasn't really going to protect her from the cold and the weeping of the earth.
Anger.
That was the emotion that swelled up in her. How could someone be that wicked? How could someone be so heartless?
Every passing second she felt the beat of the water meeting with the ground around her quicken and the cold impact on her skin as if millions of poisonous needles were being dug into her skin simultaneously. She shivered vigorously and felt her shoulders rise at least twice a second.
It had been an hour since it's started raining and she sat on the porch outside the house and no one had come to open the door for her. She covered her head with her hands ad buried her face between her legs. She felt warmer liquid trail down her cheeks and dropped onto the floor. Was it the rain or was she crying, she didn't know.
She knew nothing.
Suddenly, she heard a click and the door behind her slowly swung open. Hinata slowly turned her head to witness a brunette gripping the door handle with one hand and the other gripping the hem of her dress. Tears pulled under her eyes and threatened to fall.
As if she were never tired or exhausted, Hinata scurried to her feet and rushed over to her, using her wet hands to wipe out the tears she hadn't suppressed. "What happened? Did he do anything to you? Speak to me Hanabi!"
She grabbed the girl's - Hanabi's - hand and examined her palms. There were red and inflaming marks that seemed to pierce into her soft skin. Hinata looked into Hanabi's pale lilac eyes as she bit her lips. Hinata looked to the side of her face to see a red mark contrast to her pale skin. A frown adorned her smooth skin.
"I'm sorry." Her breath was shaky, affecting how her words came out, "When you rang the doorbell, father told us not to open the door. I wanted to protest but I remembered what you said, but then it started raining heavily and I could stand it any more and-"
Unknown to herself, Hanabi broke down in tears. Hinata hushed her before walking into the house finally and closing the door behind her. She guided the little girl up her bedroom, then sat her down on her bed. She then opened a drawer under her dressing mirror, pulled out sanitizers, a ball of cotton, tweezers and bandages.
With total concentration visible on her face, she dipped the ball of cotton into the sanitizer and wiped the red marks on Hanabi's hand. Due to the stinging pain, she flinched a little. After enduring the temporal pain, she finally had bandages wrapped around her palms and plasters on the side of her cheeks where she had been slapped.
"Thanks." Hanabi muttered, rubbing the bandage around her injured arm. Hinata gave a faint smile, shaking her head in a reassuring manner. She guided her out her room then sat on her bed where her sister had once sat.
He'd promised.
He'd promised to keep his filthy hands of Hanabi and poured out his anger and wickedness on her instead. But she should've known.
He never kept promises.
Suddenly, a knock came on her door, taking her surprise. She slowly got up and opened the door. There stood one of the maids who looked at her with the same cold eyes every Hyūga had. It was dull, boring and had no life or emotion. This was how inhumane everyone who originated from the household was.
"Hiashi-sama had called for you Hinata." What, you expected some kind of honorifics at the end of her name? Wake up to reality. Despite being the first daughter of the man of the house, she was considered the lowest of the beings due to Hiashi's teachings and lies he had fed the maids and servants.
Why he did that, Hinata would never know. But he did. She sighed, nodding in affirmation before watching the back of the maid get smaller and slowly disappeared. Why was Hiashi calling for her? He never wanted to see her face except when he absolutely needed to. What did he want now?
Still in her wet dress, she slipped on her house slippers and slowly walked down the spiral stairs. She stopped in front of the double white doors of Hiashi's office and was about to knock when it slowly swung open and one of the maids walked out with a look of pity on her face.
She eyed Hinata then with a sigh, walked away. What was her deal. She brushed off the thought and dragged herself into the dimly lit room where Hiashi sat, one leg on top of the other at his desk. She walked in and dipped her head slightly in respect. "Good evening Father." She greeted.
"Spare me your empty greetings." He said in a low menacing voice, narrowing his eyes. He uncrossed his legs and stood up, walking slowly towards are as if he was a predator, cornering his prey, "Tell me, who gave you permission to speak?" He stopped directly in front of her, his shadow looming over her maker her seemed as if she was trapped in thicker, stronger walls of insecurity.
And then it hit her.
Almost immediately, a maid walked in with a whip in both hands and handed it to Hiashi, dipping her head slightly. She looked up and the same Hyūga eyes she had met with Hinata's, filled with pity and sorry. Now she understood.
Hiashi stretched the whip violently, making it produce a stinging sound. Hinata gulped as he looked back at her, wickedness written all over. His eye brows were tightly knitted and his eyes had no positive emotions whatsoever, not like he always did. He raised his hands slowly, gripping the end of the whip, then, as if in slow motion, lowered it with great force till the wire met her back.
The pain surged throughout her body, not missing one inch. "Repeat after me," he started, raising the whip again, "'I will do what my father says'." As he spoke, he lowered the whip once again with greater force.
Hinata stood there, tears swelling up in her eyes as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fist, "I will do what my father says."
"'I will only speak when I am asked to'."
"I will only speak when I am asked to." Hiashi raised the whip for the umpteenth time since she entered his office and lowered it once again.
"'I am an obedient daughter'." Hinata hesitated when he finished the sentence she was forced to recite. If it was possible, Hiashi's frown deepen as he swung the whip and landed it violently at her back once more, creating a long rigged hole on the still wet dress.
Hinata flinched and tumbled forward before her knees gave way sand she crumbled to the floor. She stared wide eyes and her hands and tears started to drop on them. Her whole body was cover in scars, bruises and fresh injuries tiny puddles of blood had started to form around her. "Repeat after me," he dragged out his words slowly, venom dripping off each one of them, "'I am an obedient daughter'."
Hinata swallowed the lump at the back of her throat and shut her eyes tightly. "I am an obedient daughter," she whispered then flinch as she felt the same pain surge through her body once more.
"Louder!" He boomed, hitting her again.
"I am an obedient daughter." She cried as Hiashi landed on more hit on her back. He pulled his whip one more time then crouched down to her level, pulling her face violently to look into her eyes.
"Make the same mistake you made today and we will have problem, do you understand?"
Hinata nodded as much as she could in his grasp before being pushed away from him. It's not like they never had problems to begin with. The fact that he could treat her as if she were a slave slapped her harder that the whip had, leaving a permanent mark in her heart. But that would all be gone when he dies.
"Clean this up." He instructed a maid, snapping his fingers. Hinata's eyes narrowed as she glared at him under her bangs.
How wicked.