A couple of weeks pass from that point. I know there is another part of the story line coming up, and I have spent all four years here trying to think of a way to change it, but can't think of one that works. For one of my main problems, I don't know when it will happen. I just know that eventually, Lady Hinata will be kidnapped, and our father will be sent to die in her father's place. I love our father very much, and want to prevent it, and the only thing I can think of is to either hide Hinata away, let her get kidnapped, or try and guilt our father to not sacrificing himself. The first plan is too difficult, because I don't know when she will be taken and am not allowed in the main family's home. The second plan is too evil, I have no grudge against Hinata, and I wouldn't know how to prevent her father from killing her kidnapper anyway. That leaves me only trying to guilt our father, but I can feel it, deep down, that I know that will not work.
"Harder." Hiashi calls out to Hinata, who struggles to get back up after her last attack missed. Neji, father and I are currently watching Lady Hinata be trained by her father. I observe that her form is timid and hesitant, and she is not using much force in her attacks. Her body seems frail and weak when I compare it to my own or Neji's.
"Listen, Neji, Ami. Lady Hinata of the main family..." Our fathers starts to tell us both quietly, "You will have to protect her and the Hyuga blood." He finishes firmly, a slight tone of bitterness. He has been getting more and more angry and bitter over the last few weeks. He hides it well, but I have caught him giving our foreheads dark glares ever since our curse was placed there.
"Yes, father." Neji and I both reply dutifully.
"Your footwork is poor!" Hiashi calls out to his daughter as we turn our attention to the match.
Suddenly, Hiashi takes a defensive position in front of Hinata and does a hand symbol, then our father is screaming in agony on the floor.
"Father!! What's wrong!?" Neji and I both shout out, getting up and going to his body, unsure if whether or not to touch him. My eyes flick back and forth between Hiashi and our father, and notice that he is the one harming our father.
"My head!" Dad yells out in pain, ripping his headband off. We can see his curse mark glowing brightly as he clutches at his head.
"Father!" We call out again desperately, trying to help. I start to feel a rage growing in me as I turn to glare at the family head.
"Stop it!" I call out at him angrily, taking a step towards him. Hiashi turns his glare to me, and instantly I feel a pain shoot sharply through my own head. I scream out too, the pain lasting a moment before Hiashi drops the technique, his expression looking almost surprised for a brief moment before returning to stern while I rip the bandages off my head, clutching at my forehead. My whole body is tired and my head is still in pain, but at least not the blinding pain of the curse seal anymore as I feel tears in my eyes.
"Leave." Hiashi says firmly to us, "I will forgive your foolishness no longer. You mustn't forget your duty nor your place."
Neji comes to me, shaking in anger as tears flow down his face. His eyes are full of concern when he takes my hand as Hiashi and Hinata leave the room. Our father slowly sits back up, his eyes full of regret. When he looks at me, with tears of pain still in my eyes from the curse and my hand on my forehead, his eyes grow full of anger and he seethes as he slowly stands back up.
"Come on now, let's go home." He says quietly, taking each of our hands as he does his best to stand tall while still in pain. I clutch tightly to his large hand as we walk back to our home.
"How did Lord Hiashi do that to you both, father?" Neji asks him quietly at dinner that night.
"It is our curse mark. A feature of it is that the main family can control the branch family with a simple hand seal. It will cause great pain, and even death. We live to protect the main family. No disobedience is allowed." He tells us honestly, looking sternly into our eyes. "Hiashi sensed my rage earlier today, my killing intent. That is what caused him to use the curse mark. Do not give them reason to use the curse mark on you again." I nod sadly in response.
Neji crawled into my bed that night, and held me tightly as I curled against him for comfort. The pain had mostly passed, but the memory of it was still there. It was just as bad as getting the mark in the first place. Since we began training a year ago, I have started to grow used to physical aches and pain caused from that, but the mental pain caused by the curse is something I could never train to get used to, and would never want to experience again.
Less than a week after that incident, we heard the awful news. The event that I have dreaded for four years came to pass as we all slept. Lady Hinata had been kidnapped in the night, and her father killed the intruder. Days passed after that, and I could tell tensions were high in the compound. Lord Hiashi was seen going back and forth with the Hokage, until one day we had a visitor from the branch family leader. Our father sent Neji and I out to train with one of the other family members so we couldn't listen in, but this must be when they decide to sacrifice him.
That night, instead of seeking out Neji for comfort as I usually do, I went to my father's room. He was awake, and looking through photos of us and of our mother.
"Ami? You should be in bed." He says gently to me as I sat next to him. He was holding a picture of him and his brother from when they were younger.
"I couldn't sleep. Can I stay with you?" I ask him timidly.
"Just this once, little one." He says, then lays down in the bed and I burrow in next to him. He wraps his arm around my small body as I curl into his large chest. We stay silent for several moments, both of our breathing starting to even out.
"Do you have to do it?" I ask him in a whisper. I feel his body tense for a moment, his muscles stiffening.
"I don't know what you mean." He says dismissively.
"You know what I mean." I say, trying to hold back a sob.
He hesitates for a long moment before replying. "Yes." He whispers simply.
"It's not fair. I'm going to miss you. So much." I start to cry into his chest as he hugged me tighter.
"Be strong, Ami." He places a gentle kiss on the top of my head. "Be strong for Neji too, he will not understand. You have always been the more mature of the two of you. Look after each other always. Do not worry about me. I will be free."
"I'm sorry, daddy." I choke out almost silently. "I'm sorry I didn't try harder."
"There was nothing that could have been done. Do not carry weights that are not your burden to carry. Sleep now, little one. I love you." I almost didn't catch what he said softly to me as I fell asleep in his arms, tired from crying and from my emotions.
I awoke the next morning in my own bed. I got up and got dressed silently, and went to Neji's room to wake him up. I can tell we've slept in past our usual training time, which father usually wakes us for.
"Neji, wake up nii-san." I shake him awake and he gets up groggily.
"Morning." He says sleepily. "Where is father?"
"I don't know, I just woke up. Let's go look." I say to him, handing him his clothes for him to change into as I wait by his door. When he's done, he joins me and we search for our father. He is nowhere to be found in the house, so we search outside. We finally take to calling out for him, and hear one of the branch family elders gasp when they see us.
"Young ones... Please come with me at once. I must take you to Lord Hiashi." She says to us and takes my hand. I grab Neji's on reflex to pull him along, and we follow the lady. I start to think to myself that surely it hasn't happened already.
"Lord Hiashi, I have brought young Neji and Ami to you. They were outside... looking for their father." She says quietly to the family head when we made it to the main house.
"Thank you, you may go. Neji, Ami, please take a seat." Hiashi says to us and we sit before him at his desk. He hesitates for a moment, schooling his expression before telling us, "The Land of Lightning called for recompense after I killed one of the leaders of the Cloud village when they attempted to kidnap my daughter. To avoid a war, a life had to be exchanged for the one they lost. They demanded the Hyuga main family's advanced blood and the Byakugan. They demanded my head, and Konoha agreed to the terms. Last night, Konoha delivered the body to the Cloud village."
"I don't understand." Neji says to him. "You're still here. Why are you telling us this?"
"Where's our father?" I add in, staring directly at Hiashi.
"The body they received looked exactly like my own. Your father's body was sent in my place, to prevent a war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, and to maintain the Hyuga clan's secrets. Your father is dead." He says emotionlessly, trying to keep his expressions neutral and remain stoic. "You will now be looked after by the branch family members. You are dismissed." He ends firmly.
Neji and I don't immediately get up. Both of us are seething with rage. Neji, likely because of his growing hatred of the main family that began when our father and I were attacked with the curse mark. Me, I was seething that this man thought that was the best possible way to tell two four-year old's their father was dead. And he didn't tell us the whole truth. I remember from the story, our father chose this, he sacrificed himself to save everyone. Hiashi chose not to tell us this. He's really going to let us both grow up with hatred him. I'm pissed off enough to let that happen, too. I grab Neji's hand, and pull him upright. We both give a glare as we exit, heading silently back to our home hand in hand.
"It's not fair." I say bitterly to Neji later that night as we held each other in bed.
"No, it's not. But apparently it is our destiny to die for the main family." He says in anger. "This curse mark keeps us caged, like birds."
"Caged like birds..." I repeat softly. "Father felt that way too. Do you think he is free now?" I ask him.
"Yeah." He replies quietly, "The only freedom is death, so I bet he is flying in the sky now."
We spend many days and nights holding and comforting each other, until after a while, our anger wins against our sadness. We stop spending our days wallowing, and resume our training with vigor. We tirelessly practice our techniques, and as soon as we learn and master a move, we seek out another. We never settle for being 'good enough', we are striving to become the best, to show the main family that a branch member can excel above them.
We are quickly becoming known as the genius twins of the Hyuga Clan.