Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Pure Dawn ❯ My Dress ( Chapter 1 )

"Hinata! What are you doing out here?"

The small girl jumped at her father's harsh voice, twirling about to face him. Clasping her hands over her chest and pulling her arms close to her body, she bowed and peered up through her eyelashes at him. "I - I always come out here… T-to read…"

Hiashi scanned over the small garden, the sight of pastel flowers swaying in a gentle wind causing no reaction in his white eyes. The koi pond flashed in the afternoon sun, the towering oak tree casting a cool shadow over a small portion of the water. Off in the distance, the brick wall surrounding the estate was hardly visible. He cast his glance to the young woman before him, noting the leather-bound book held to her chest. Snorting, he told Hinata, "Don't bother ever coming back. Hanabi will be using this area for her training."

The young woman's eyes widened, but she bit down on her bottom lip to keep from saying anything. Lowering pure orbs, she ignored the soft hissing voice in the back of her mind and quickly passed her father by, feeling his eyes piercing her shoulder blades.

As Hinata passed by, stepping up on the porch, she accidentally brushed up against nineteen-year-old Hanabi. The younger glared, flowing black hair drifting over her shoulder as she yelled, "Watch where you are going, failure."

Hinata winced but bowed, apologizing profoundly for her fault and quickly ducking into the house, fighting back tears.

Weakling, came the voice. Just a regular doormat.

"Be quiet," Hinata breathed, wincing. "Please."

Just leave. Rid them of you. Why haven't you done this before?

The girl stumbled into her room, sliding the door closed and leaning heavily against it. Crystalline tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping down onto her chest as she bowed her head.

Or, even better - rid you of them.

Her head snapped up and she stared at the nothingness ahead of her in horror.

Yes… Just like the Uchiha clan. No one will mind a few more deaths, especially in a ninja village.

"I can't!" Hinata cried, dropping her book and clasping her hands over her ears. "I can't - I refuse!" Shaking her head roughly, she ran to her closet, ducking inside and curling up on her stored bedroll. Shutting her eyes to the world, tears pushing past her eyelids, she curled into a tight ball and awaited the blissful oblivion of sleep to overtake her.

~*~

She walked out of her bathroom, confused by the soft noises she heard. Entering her room across the hall, she started at the sight of Hiashi surveying her wardrobe.

"F… father? What are you… I mean, if you would tell me… a-anou…"

"I was looking for something like this," the man replied, ignoring Hinata's stuttering and pulling something from her closet.

The dark haired woman gasped when she saw her only dress held in Hiashi's hand.

Her saved-every-yin-she-ever-earned-for-eight-months dress.

Her only-worn-once-to-try-it-on dress.

"What are you doing with my dress?" Hinata demanded before clasping her hands over her mouth in horror.

Hiashi sent her a glare that would have frozen the fieriest of all hells before turning about to slam the back of his hand into the woman's cheek. "Don't ever speak to me like that again - do you understand child?"

Sliding one hand to her reddening flesh and feeling hot tears washing over her fingers, she nodded, but her mind remained focused on her dress.

Her father continued to watch her for a moment longer before turning and leaving, dress still trapped in his fist. With blinded eyesight, she stumbled after him, one hand remaining over her mouth and the other stretched out to one side to guide her. Down the halls she followed Hiashi, terror and rage building within her at each step.

Finally, they entered the main room where she saw a golden flame blazing in the fireplace casting a flickering light over a small pile nearby.

Why was there a fire in the midst of summer? Hinata thought as Hiashi stood before the golden heat. No one is coming over and… Her eyes widened as she focused on the objects near the fireplace and she cried, "What are you doing with my books?"

"I finally took the initiative," Hiashi said calmly, though his eyes could have rivaled the flames before him as they burned with rage at Hinata's second defiance, "to look though your library, and I have found several very inappropriate books." He kicked the objects over and Hinata saw several of her favorite titles such as The Mammoth Hunters, Witches Night Out, The Vampire Lestat, and Dealing With Dragons.

Terror continued to well in Hinata's eyes as she looked at her books - her escapes from her Hell known as Life. "W… what are you doing with my books? And my dress?"

"No child living under my jurisdiction with be tolerated with these kinds of filth," Hiashi snarled, Byakugan activating in his fury. He drew back the fist that held the dress, the white cloth fluttering like it knew his intention, and hurled it into the fire.

Hinata stuffed her fingers in her mouth, biting town on them, to stifle a shriek as her other hand fisted in her hair. Tears poured from her eyes as flames blackened and befouled the silken cloth as though raping a virgin. She could feel her dress's burning pain all thought her body, forcing her to her knees as Hiashi began tossing her precious books into Hell.

The young woman howled and dropped her hands, pressing her forehead to the dirty, wooden floor, mocking a bow and bawling. Hiashi threw A Demon In My View into the flames, content to be rid of all that fictitious crap that might have poisoned Hanabi's mind and turned to his mess of a daughter, sneering at her huddled form as she shuddered with sobs.

"Your room is cleansed but your soul is still black as you weep for these sinful items. Go to your room and fast to purify your spirit."

Hinata bit down on her fist and could barely even bring herself to her hands and knees as she crawled away, stumbling back into her room. For minutes more, her chest heaved and her hear cried even after her body had run out of tears.

Her eyes and cheeks itched and burned from the dried salt, but she ignored them in favor of listening to the voice hissing in the back of her mind.

Poor child, it was telling her soothingly. To have your dress - and the books! Your precious books! - all burned in front of you… You shouldn't have to go though that…And you wouldn't have had to if you had listened earlier.

"I know," she breathed, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her head upon them. "I know… I'll listen."

Good… Very good…

~*~

She shifted uncomfortably as sharp, cold steel pressed into her spine. A small trickle of blood ran down her flesh and she stood straighter, praying the liquid didn't stain through her shirt and jacket.

Dark, she thought amidst a tumble of others. Should have been darker. Wouldn't see.

Stepping out of her room and into the bright hall, she didn't even wince when the sunlight struck her eyes, now activated into the Byakugan, but instead she welcomed the pain, allowing it to deepen the swirling void of thoughts. Continuing down the hall, he steps light and a manic glint in her enhanced eyes, it wasn't long before she stepped out onto the patio, garden just under a mile out, though, with her blood stimulated, she could plainly see it and the five clan members as though her were trolling though it.

"Books…" she mumbled, stalking off towards Hanabi as she trained.

~*~

The young woman placed her hands on her knees, panting heavily and feeling her lungs burning from that evening's training. Reaching out, she took the bottle of water the Branch member offered and took a long drink.

"I will excuse you this time," Hiashi told Hanabi, watching the girl's eyes flick up to meet his, "but you must not make light of showing weakness in front of others. That was why your sister was disowned and why you shall receive punishment."

Hanabi flipped a few strands of sticky hair out of her sweaty face as was about to reply when Hinata stepped into view. "What are you doing here, failure?"

Hiashi turned about and his eyes narrowed as he demanded, "What are you doing? I told you not to leave your room."

"My books…" Hinata giggled, Byakugan pulsing, hands behind her back, and rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet like a child who knows something others don't. "And my dress. They all hurt. They were hurt bad, you now, father. And they screamed. They screamed and screamed and got mad."

"Hinata-sama," Aye, one of the Branch members, called, stepping forward and casting a nervous glance at Hiashi. "Please, you're making Hiashi-sama mad."

"I'm making him mad?" Hinata suddenly shrieked, dropping her childish pose and causing all but her father to jump. "I'm making him mad? He's already made me mad!"

Without any further warning, she pulled a seven-inch dagger from a sheath hidden along her spine and drove it into Aye's chest.

"My books…"

Hinata snarled, yanking the blade free, splashing herself with blood, Aye's body falling lifelessly to the ground.

"My dress…"

She turned to the others.

"We…"

The blade rose.

"Are…"

Hanabi felt her spine hit a tree as she backed away from her sister.

"Pissed!"

~*~

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I've wanted to write this for a while, but I've never been able to figure out how to start, so - here you are. First chapter up. And, because I can't think of anything else to say, Itachi - say the disclaimer.

Itachi: Angel doesn't own Naruto or any of the books mentioned (all of which are very good -hinthint-), so don't sue.

Angel: So, till next time! ^^