Orange, Spirals and Everything Nice

Twenty-Eight: An Old Prophecy

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters or the setting of the story. They all exclusively belong to Mr. Masashi Kishimoto in all its rights.

The heat of summer greeted the Hyuuga clan with a somber event due to their elder's passing. The hidden Leaf mourned along with the loss of a prominent member of the strongest clan in the village. 

But death as they say, is an inevitable part of life. 

And those who are left behind must continue to move forward. 

Hiashi stared down at his father's headstone a day after the elder was buried in the clan's burial site in the village cemetery. His late twin brother lay beside their father now. And the stoic leader felt like he was more burdened with the passing of their father more than anything, as he remembered one of the last conversations he had with the elder. 

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"Hiashi." the elder called his son as he stopped to join the clan leader by the compound's extensive porch. The men stood side by side for a moment while facing the empty courtyard under the light of the setting sun. 

"There's something I want to talk to you about Hinata." the elder broke the silence after awhile. Hiashi perked at the mention of his eldest but he didn't flinch. If his father wants to talk about Hinata, it is either something impressive or disappointing. 

There was nothing in between. 

"What is it?" Hiashi replied. He wondered if the elder intentionally opened the topic now that his daughter is out on a mission to the hidden Grass.

The blind elder slowly glanced up at the twilight sky. "Will the moon show up tonight?" he asked afterwards, startling his son. 

Hiashi also looked up for a moment before he glanced at the man beside him with furrowed brows. "Yes, Tou-sama." he reluctantly answered, making the elder nod.

"I have long hidden an old prophecy given by an Otsutsuki when Hinata was little." the elder confessed as he returned his sightless gaze to the courtyard. "It was meant to be revealed during Hinata's spring dance but that day ended up in a mess." he paused and shook his head in disbelief. "And the man your eldest was betrothed to never showed up." 

Now Hiashi was completely bothered about where this conversation was going. His Hinata was betrothed to someone by his father? And quite a long time ago at that. So, why hasn't he heard any of this preposterous arrangement? 

"What are you talking about?" the leader almost snapped, but he tried hard to keep his composure. 

"Do you remember the legend of our clan?" the elder calmly asked. "How we are related to Otsutsuki Kaguya and her sons? Especially our ancestor, Hamura Otsutsuki?"

"Of course, Tou-sama." Hiashi replied, still confused.

"Well, the last of Hamura's descendants from the moon visited earth in the past, and came to see our clan which are also bearers of the same bloodline." the elder stated. "And they gave me a special scroll containing the prophecy that pertains to Hinata's future marriage to a boy named Toneri on the moon."