青い骨の美 - The Beauty of Blue Bones

Chapter 16

Spring
Tuesday—9:36AM

"Do you have any plans to cut your hair?" Hanabi pulled out a chair before sitting at the table. Resting her head on the cool surface, she stared at her older sister as she moved around the kitchen preparing breakfast.

"Hm? What's with the sudden question?" Hinata washed her hands, quickly drying them to continue cutting fresh peppers and onions.

"I don't know, I just can't help but notice how long it is now. I mean, no one in our family has had it this long—I think Neji is the only one who got close to that length." She sighed as she thought about her cousin. "It suits you, don't get me wrong, but it's just so...different."

"I never thought about it." She answered truthfully, pausing in her actions to ponder on what her younger sister said. "In all honesty, I did it to make father and the elders angry, but at some point, I just began to like it."

"Yeah," Hanabi laughed, "they did not like that one bit."

"You should have seen their faces during the official meeting when I became the topic. I hid it for a while; keeping my hair in buns or updos, so when I decided to let it down on the day I was...on the day where I lost my title officially, they were livid. They called it 'impractical' and 'foolish'."

"I think they realized that they couldn't control you after that." Hanabi hummed, "the shy, quiet, people-pleasing—no offense—Hinata suddenly became confident and self-sufficient. Of course they wouldn't be too fond of the change."

"None taken, I agree with the description."

She wanted to point out that her sister had changed in more than one way, she would be foolish to not notice it after growing up with her. Hinata felt different to Hanabi, and she had no clue as to why that was, or what caused it. There were only hypothetical reasons for why Hinata decided to turn a new leaf and step into a new chapter unlike her previous personas. Hanabi didn't know whether or not she liked it, if she could be frank, but she couldn't change her sister.

All she could do was hope that Hinata didn't lose herself in whatever journey she had embarked on.

It was the biggest change of all within the Hyūga compound, completely outweighing the discontinuation of the Curse Seal that had marked more than half of her clansmen. She could remember the exact day she woke up to find Hinata sitting in the dojo, her eyes closed and her hands red from previous training.

Hanabi was forced to actually witness the bruises sustained during their childhood and for the better part of the war—bruises that Hinata was never allowed to get rid of because they were meant to be a reminder of her weakness. The uneven skin tone, stark white against already pale skin, from attacks that should have faded already sparkled in the sunlight. She was alone that day; her training attire partially undone with her hair cascading down her back, and an obvious wetness to her cheeks.

Hanabi still didn't know whether those were tears or sweat.

Hinata wasn't surprised to see her, but Hanabi was. When her sister opened her eyes, the warmth that they were known for was completely gone. Indifference had settled in, coldness had taken over, Hinata's eyes were the same as the others and that had scared Hanabi. Little old Hanabi who had grown accustomed to her sister's warmth despite how many times she was beaten and berated—warmth that never disappeared no matter how much suffering she had gone through. It seemed as though something had finally managed to break her.

"Good morning." Naruto strolled into the kitchen whilst rubbing the remaining sleep out of his eyes.

Blinking, completely caught up in her thoughts, Hanabi gave him a shy wave. "We could hear you snoring from miles away."