War of Love And Lies 2

My life couldn't get worse could it? I had just lost my honor due to the fact that I wouldn't marry someone that wouldn't have any feelings for me, nor me for him… Life for the modern woman was not fair, I felt like this world only revolved around men… that men were the only ones that could make a difference in this world…

But today, I'm going to do something stupid… stupid, stupid, stupid… for if I get caught, I won't just lose my life, but my family will NEVER regain its honor no matter how many years passed… all in order to save my father from his own death… but, I'm going to ask myself this…

Am I doing the right thing?

Sighing softly, Hinata lied on the bed since she had gone to sleep late last night. She hadn't had any kind of sleep though… no matter how hard she tried, it was as if something had kept her up… a strange voice rang in her ears, telling her that it was her fault for not doing as she had been told… but, another voice told her that she had done the right thing…

But because of those voices, Hinata didn't know what she was to do… she didn't know which voice was right… which voice was telling her the truth… was she to marry Kiba and regain the family's lost honor or… or was she to do something else?

No matter what she thought of, she just couldn't think of anything that could or would help regain her lost honor… Frowning, the young woman looked at the ceiling, thinking that maybe if she stayed in her room today, that her father wouldn't find out… she knew how much honor meant to him… for him losing the tending's in his leg, he wouldn't be able to fight any more for him to maintain the honor himself…

Unless Hinata's sister could do something to regain the honor… there was still time to do that right?

The sound of her stomach rumbling caused her to sit up… she knew that she would have to get herself something to eat… (And try to avoid her father) Yawning, the young woman walked out of her room after putting on a robe to keep the chill off of her… everything was strange in the Hyuuga Manor; everything was decorated as if they were still outside… the soft smell of cherry blossoms hung in the air…
Making it almost seem as if they were still near the trees that surrounded their home, making this place almost seem magical… Sighing softly, the young woman walked down the hall and into the main dining hall, where she was greeted by her father, mother and sister… this could not be good… She had to pretend that nothing bad had happened yesterday, it was the only way to make sure that everything seemed normal right now…

Taking a deep breath, Hinata sat down next to her sister and happily started to eat her eggs and bacon, not really sure what was going to happen… the day had just been filled with nothing but depression, and right now… she needed something to help lighten up the day and forget about the problem that she had been given yesterday.

The only person that knew about the problem was possibly Hanabi, since she was smart and knew that Hinata wouldn't want to marry someone that she didn't love… Sighing softly, the young woman took a bite of her egg and looked off blankly into the distance, thinking that she could still hear Kiba's voice… it just wouldn't leave her alone…

Shaking her head, Hinata looked up at her father and saw that he looked like he was in pain… was his leg bothering him again? Tilting her head to the side, Hinata asked "is everything okay papa?" His only responds was a nod, which made Hinata think that he was lying right about now… But she knew… just knew that he didn't want to talk about his leg, ever since it had gotten injured like that he hated to talk about it, knowing that he would never be able to fight ever again…

Letting out a deep breath, Hinata finished up her meal and walked to the kitchen and placed her plate in the sink. Thinking that a nice walk would do her some good… or even grooming her horse… Giving a small smile, she walked over to the stables once she was outside and saw the black horse with a beautiful gray main and matching grey tail… Though, on its forehead was the marking of yang, the white part of the Hyuuga Clan's symbol with a black dot…

It had always confused Hinata why her horse had that marking on its forehead but… it just made her horse all the more unique…  Yawning, the young woman hoped up on the horse's back, gently tapping her ankles into the horses' side to tell her to go on. As she rode, Hinata was wondering why she heard such a large commotion outside of her home…

Though, she thought it to be nothing… there wasn't a point in trying to figure what was happening… not yet anyway… but, a voice in the back of her mind kept telling her to check it out… rubbing the horse's head, Hinata gently tapped the horse's neck telling it to turn and head toward the door. Staring at the gate, Hinata saw that there was a strange man in the road… he looked like he was around the same age as her… maybe even a few years older…

Other men surrounded the blonde haired man… holding weapons such as knives or daggers… it looked like a common battle with thugs and someone that possibly couldn't defend himself…

"Just hand over your money and we'll not hurt you." Said one of the men, Hinata guessed belonged in the other side of the village… though, she just stared at the blonde… he had long blonde hair tied back in a small ponytail, but there were two locks that hung at the sides of his head… Hinata thought that he looked familiar… He was wearing a huge orange robe with black flames decorating it… it suited him perfectly…

"What makes you think that you can hurt me? You, on the other hand are pathetic, more so than other people I've seen in my entire life." Said the blonde as he slowly lifted his head, revealing a pair of beautiful sparkling ocean blue eyes… she couldn't believe this… a shade of blue that looked as if you were swimming in the ocean just by staring at them…

The blonde haired man rolled his head from shoulder to shoulder, revealing the whisker marks on his cheeks… and to her, Hinata had never seen a more handsome man in her entire life…

One of the men charged, throwing his fist to punch the blonde man in the face… Hinata almost screamed but gasped when she saw the blonde bending backward till his hands touched the ground, lifting his leg to kick the attacker under the chin, sending him into the air. He landed back on his feet and jumped in the air, punching the man in the stomach than twirled in the air, kicking him in the side.

The other two men just narrowed their eyes and charged once the blonde male had landed on the ground he lifted his arms as if he was ready to punch the men… but just as they were mere inches from the blonde, the strangest thing had happened…

The men had just fallen over with bruises on their faces… but… how?

Shaking her head, the blonde man lowered his hands and started to walk away… but just as he had turned around one of the men had rose to their feet and charged at the blonde holding a dagger. Hinata screamed out "look out!" The blonde had turned around, but even he hadn't expected the attack, for the dagger had hit his face, the force made him turn his head… Hinata almost screamed in horror that is… until the blonde had twirled and went into a full circle before slamming his fist into the man's stomach, sending him into the wall that was near them with a force that didn't seem possible.

Hinata's eyes were wide with shock… but, mostly with fascination… she had never seen anyone that could fight like him… not even her father fought like… like… "A demon…" She whispered softly, though, when she had whispered that, the man turned and stared at her with what looked like a harsh stare… his eyes burned holes into her… it was like he was going to burn her with his intense stare…

"What are you staring at?" He growled out, his eyes glowed with anger and… hatred? She wasn't sure why he looked like that… but, it was as if… he thought that she was staring at him with disgusts and hate… but why? The young woman shook her head and got off of the horse, running toward the man.

He tried to get away from her, as if he was afraid of her… But, Hinata didn't know why he would do that… Frowning, she slowly lifted her hand and placed it on his cheek, near the cut that was oozing small traces of blood from the hit… Frowning, she used her sleeve and gently started to wipe the cut that was on his left cheek.

The blonde man just stared at Hinata with confused yet soft eyes. Trying to figure her out… that was what Hinata could see… but, why he would stare at her like that, she'll never know… Giving a soft smile, she calmly said 'it isn't deep… it'll heal up… good thing your skin's tan or you'd notice the scar…"

The blonde man just stared at Hinata, gently grabbing her slender wrist in his strong hand… which had made the young woman blush a soft pink.

"Why did you come near me? Do you not fear me?"

"Why would I fear you when you've done nothing but defend yourself…?"

The blonde man blinked at her in both shock, and surprise… he hadn't expected her to be nice to him? That was strange… he seemed like a nice man… sure, there was this strange… feeling about him. As if he was dangerous… that just being around him could get her killed… and yet, she wasn't afraid of him.

Hinata tilted her head as she stared at him, wondering why he kept staring at her like that… though, she only smiled at him… trying to tell him that he was worrying over nothing, that there wasn't a reason to fear him… that she didn't have a reason to fear him.  He gently let go of her wrist and stared at her with soft eyes… something that she didn't think she could ever see on a man before…

The pink that was in her cheeks, had deepened and became a soft red, maybe close to crimson… why was this man affecting her so much? She had never felt like this before… her heart was pounding in her chest, she could clearly hear her pulse increasing… Shaking her head, the young woman just smiled at him as she said "I… I should leave; you look like you're busy…"

Frowning, the blonde nodded, Hinata felt bad for saying what she had said… but knew that she should put the horse back inside… since, it was starting to rain… and for her, it would only just suddenly start to rain if something bad was going to happen…

When she stared at the blonde man, Hinata saw that his hair was starting to plaster to his face, but she thought that she saw something sticking out at the sides of his head. He quickly pulled a hood over his head and started to walk away… Hinata frowned, wondering if she would ever see him again… She hoped so… Sighing, Hinata walked over to her horse and pulled her back into the stable… hoping that this rain wasn't a bad omen…

***

"Hinata… I heard from Kiba's father… you refused to marry him. Why is that young lady?"

Hinata gulped, she knew… just knew that her father would find out… it was only lunch hour and yet… he found out… Letting out a soft and gentle sigh, she stared at her father with sad eyes. "I couldn't marry him…" She began, trying to find the right words that would make this seem a little better than it seemed… Looking down at her lap, the young woman continued. "I didn't love him… and… and it seemed like he was only after our fortune… I won't marry someone that doesn't love me for me."

Her father sighed, rubbing his forehead, he stared at his eldest daughter trying to figure something out… she had a feeling that it wouldn't be anything good. Not one bit, not in the least… Hinata tightly shut her eyes, preparing for the worst… preparing for what he was going to say that would possibly decide her fate.

"Hinata, you lost our family honor… you'll have to marry another man to regain it."

"But father-"

"No buts Hinata!"

Hinata winced, knowing that her father was already angry, that he was trying to hold in his anger so not to scream and yell at her for being so stupid… But… before anything else could be said, there was a loud noise outside… almost as if it was the sound of a summon horn… Her entire family rose to their feet and walked outside; knowing that the sound of this horn meant that everyone had to go outside, for that the Emperor's Counsel had arrived to give an announcement.

But, what she had heard… Hinata wished that she hadn't…

"Each male from every clan shall attend… We will need all men to fight the dreaded Orochimaru in this war to save Konoha…"

Hinata almost gasped in shock… this can't be true… this just can't be… Why? Why do they… aren't their armies big enough to not depend on the men of the village? Shaking her head, Hinata listened to the names that were going off… One by one, the names were being listed…

"The Akimichi Clan!"

Hinata frowned, this wasn't good… but, at least it didn't seem like they were going after her family… yet… Maybe they know that her father can't fight anymore…

"The Akadou Clan!"

So far, so good… Hinata wasn't sure if the people that she had grown up with wouldn't be able to handle the war… She knew that they wouldn't… they hadn't been trained to fight in any kind of war… And yet, they just couldn't fight in this war… she knew that. More and more people's names had been called, most of them were men around her age… very few were near her father's age…

The thought of her father being in the war… it made her heart ache… But, she had hoped that the blonde man wasn't going to get involved in this war… she wanted to meet him again yes but… had hoped that it would be different situation…

But, the next name that he had said… it made her blood run cold…

"The Hyuuga Clan!"

Hinata ran in front of her father saying "please no! My father can't fight; his leg is too injured to allow him to fight!" But the man that rode the horse… he just glared at her and swung his staff at Hinata and hit her in the face, causing her to fall over.

"Tell your daughter to learn her place in this world. That a woman has no right to talk back to a man."

Hanabi ran to Hinata and helped her up, but just as Hinata got to her feet, the girl's father whispered "Hinata… you give me dishonor…" Hinata's eyes widened in shock… her father had just… Hanabi helped Hinata into the house, knowing that Hinata needed to sit down… maybe even lie down… it was for the best right now.

***

Dinner was quite… no one could understand why it was so quiet, but the tension was strong in this room. Everyone knew that there was a strong tension between Hinata and her father… Hanabi could sense it and so could their mother…

Hinata stared at the bowl of rice that was in front of her… she wasn't sure what she could do… she wanted to tell her father that… no, she'll tell him… She had to talk to him. Slamming her hands on the table, Hinata glared at her father saying "what are you thinking papa! You'll get yourself killed! They have lots of other younger men, why can't Neji do this?! He's the man of the Hyuuga Clan, he could easily do this!"

"I honor and love my village."

"Forget honor papa! We all love you and wish that you to live for a long time!" Shouted Hinata, tears streaming down her face but… what had happened next half surprised her since this had happened to her twice today and… half shocked her for her father had slapped her across the face. Hinata looked at her father and rubbed her red cheek, her eyes watering up with tears…

Getting up, Hinata ran outside, back into the rain… she knew that it would still be raining but at the moment she didn't care. It could rain for hours and hours and she wouldn't give a damn right now… Hiding in the arms of one of the many statues that were hidden away in the family's manor, Hinata cried to herself, trying to think on what she could do to stop her father from going…

She knew that if she burned the scroll, that it would only dishonor her family even more…

'But what if I took the scroll and went in his place?' She thought to herself, thinking that maybe… just maybe she could pretend to be a man… It was worth a shot… But, it would be hard for her to pretend to be a man… unless she always wore her father's armour and had wraps around her breasts to flatten them out… Shaking her head, Hinata went to the shrine that had the names of her ancestors; giving them one final prayer… this would be her chance…

This would be her way to regain the Hyuuga Honor… Looking at the family guardian's and the stones with her ancestors names, she lit incense and placed it on one of the hanging incense holders and made a quick prayer… "Please protect myself… my family… please, help me regain my family's honor…" She whispered with her hands folded together and her eyes closed.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata looked up and ran back into the rain… walked to the hall just in time to hear her parents talking…

"Dear… should you have slapped Hinata?"

"I didn't mean too… I… I was just so angry… Hinata is a free spirit, I know that and…" He sighed softly as he continued… "But I want her to be happy…"

"Maybe you shouldn't go into the war… Hinata was right; you can't fight with your leg like this… You can't even walk without your leg acting up on you…"

There was silence; Hinata knew that her father wasn't going to answer right now… Maybe he didn't have an answer right now… Maybe he just couldn't answer her at all… "I'll tell her I'm sorry in the morning…" Hinata wouldn't be here in the morning… she would be gone to the war… to pretend to be the son that her father always wanted… As soon as she was sure that they were sound asleep, Hinata walked into their room, trying to be as quite as possible…

Looking over at the sleeping faces of her parents, Hinata knew that she either wouldn't be seeing them for a long time or at all… but she had to do something… Taking a deep breath, she picked up the scroll and replaced it with a hair pin that her father had given her as a child…

Giving a sad smile, the young woman walked into the back room after leaving her parents' bedroom and went to the closet that had her father's armour. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the ribbon that she had in her pocket and pulled her hair in a high ponytail, since all the men in the army did that, to keep their hair out of their face.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata looked up and put on the dark black and white armour on… Slipping on the armour over her head and had it tied around her waist to make sure that it wouldn't slide off of her body… Next, she wrapped around the skirt-like padding that is used to protect their thighs from any low blows.

Looking up at the closet, Hinata saw that there was the sword with a black hilt and a white guard… Taking a deep breath, Hinata grabbed the sword and tied it around the sash around her waist and went to the horse… today, she was leaving her home… and she would make sure that honor had returned to the Hyuuga Clan…