Chapter 5: Chapter 5
More than a week passed, and the only person Hinata could bring herself to not ignore was Konan. She still gave Neji and Itachi rides to and from school, but she no longer attempted to converse with the reserved boys and simply let things be silent.
Tenten didn't talk to her unless it was directly related to her job. Hinata could tell by the stubborn glint in her best friend's eye that she wouldn't give in until the Hyuuga girl did something about Sakura and Ino.
Naruto tried talking to her a few times at school, but she found a reason to excuse herself each time. Both he and Sasuke texted her once or twice, but she didn't respond.
Then there was Hidan. Much to her surprise, he didn't call her names or anything but simply glared hatefully whenever they'd accidentally meet gazes. In truth, she was worried he'd corner her and maybe even hit her because he obviously liked to fight, but it didn't happen.
Hinata was depressed, but more than that, she was angry with herself.
She didn't know why she ignored everyone trying to be nice to her, and she couldn't understand why she was reluctant to do anything about her bullies. It's like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The bullying didn't get worse, but it didn't go away, either. Her locker would be filled with mean notes, wild rumors circulated, and she always felt like eyes were on the back of her head. She considered herself lucky, though, because, after the razor incident, she wasn't physically affected by it.
The unhappy lull she found herself in was interrupted on Friday of the third week of school. In the first period, Science, her focus was broken by a note being sat in front of her. The girl glanced over to see Sakura giving her a severe look. Hinata opened the folded paper and discreetly read the message scrolled within so Mr. Orochimaru wouldn't notice.
'We need to talk. Meet me on the roof during lunch.'
Hinata frowned, writing back to her, 'Why would I go anywhere with you?'
Sakura read it, responded, and returned the paper, 'I just want to talk, I promise. I'll come alone.'
By now, Hinata had picked up on the fact that out of the two of them, Ino was the one prone to more severe bullying practices. That didn't mean Sakura was innocent because she sat back and let it happen all the time.
Hesitantly, the Hyuuga girl glanced at the pink-haired one, nodding. Maybe she finally realized they'd been mistaken and wanted to apologize for everything.
Hinata knew it was stupid and careless, almost definitely a trap, but her state of mind wasn't in the best place. In her eyes, if they jumped her up there and beat her up, she probably deserved it for how she's been treating everyone lately. If she were being sincere, she simply didn't have the capacity to care anymore.
So, when it was time for lunch, the quiet girl climbed the three flights of stairs to the roof. Sakura was standing with her back to the fence that lined the edge of it and turned her neck to meet her eye, "Hey."
Hinata approached, "What did you want to say?" She wanted to get this over with so she didn't have to talk to her anymore.
Sakura's brow furrowed, and she fiddled anxiously with her fingers. It appeared she was trying to find the right words to say. Eventually, she began speaking, "It's my and Ino's fault you've been getting bullied."
"I know."
The pink-haired girl was momentarily stunned but nodded, "I asked you to come up here today because I want to know if you like Sasuke. We thought you were trying to steal him, but no one ever sees you guys talk."
The Hyuuga girl was surprised, but she began to feel irritated. The emotion was more potent than the dulled ones she'd felt over the past two weeks. "First, I'm not interested in him like that. Second, even if I were, Sasuke's a human being. He can't be stolen because he's not a possession. Surely you realize how rude it is to talk about someone like that."
"I never thought you'd have the guts to talk to someone like that, Hinata."
Hinata turned, her heart sinking into her stomach when she realized Ino and a redhead she didn't recognize had been standing behind the door when she entered the roof, so she hadn't seen them.
Sakura gave her an apologetic look but didn't say anything or intervene when the two other girls approached, the redheaded one swiftly wrestling Hinata's arms behind her back and holding her still.
Ino stood before her with her hands on her hips, "Say you're never going to talk to Sasuke again, or we'll kick your ass."
For some reason, Hinata was livid, and her stubbornness chose the worst time to rear its ugly head. She glared at the blonde girl, "No."
In her peripheral, she noticed the door to the staircase had been propped open, and a group of students, primarily girls, was forming. Word must've spread that there was going to be a fight.
Her focus was shifted when Ino suddenly hit her in the stomach, knocking the air from her lungs. The hands around her wrists tightened to not lose their grip.
Hinata hissed but continued glaring at the blue-eyed bully.
Ino reared her fist to go for another hit, only for Sakura to stop her, "W-Wait! Hinata, please, just say it. She'll let you go."
Hinata didn't move her gaze from the blonde girl, "You both know I'm not even trying to date him. You just want someone to target. Besides, if you were truly against this, you wouldn't have tricked me into coming here."
A fist hit Hinata's face, and she tasted blood on the inside of her cheek. Her lip was bleeding. The now-massive crowd of onlookers let out various reactions, mostly gasps. Ino's amused grin was gone. Instead, she glared at the black-haired girl, "Don't talk to her like that, you bitch. Karin, hold her still."
Karin, the redheaded girl, tightened her grip further, and Hinata held her breath as Ino hit her in the stomach again. More sounds came from the crowd.
Hinata's anger flared, and she finally struggled against her hold. She bit at the blonde girl with a hoarse voice, "It doesn't matter how many times you hit me; Sasuke still isn't going to want you."
The taunt seemed to hit a nerve because Ino stomped up to grab Hinata's jaw with one hand. Her pretty blue eyes were alight with fury, "You don't know anything!"
Something in Hinata snapped, and she wrenched one of her arms free, using it to hit the blonde girl in the face with all her might. Then, she threw her elbow back to hit Karin in the ribs. When her other arm was released, she shoved Ino, who was on her way to retaliate, to the ground and straddled her hips to hit her again.
The crowd was a mixture of cheers and yells, some rooting for Hinata and some rooting for the other three girls. It was all just background noise for them.
Karin pulled Hinata off of Ino by her hair, and her partner tried to pin the Hyuuga girl to the ground but was kicked in the stomach when she got too close. Sakura yelled when Ino dodged the second kick and successfully straddled the girl's waist. Karin held Hinata's arms down for her friend. "Stop! Stop it, you guys! You're gonna really hurt her!"
Ino hit the usually timid girl a couple times, but she didn't feel any of it. Her adrenaline was pumping too quickly.
Somehow, Hinata twisted her hand under Karin's and dug her nails into the girl's skin, making her release it. Ino tried to pin it back down, but she did so with her opposite hand, meaning her arm was across her body. Hinata took advantage of the unnatural position and bent to sink her teeth into the blonde's arm. She let out a surprised yell and shot backward.
Hinata kicked her even further away when she could before reaching up to pull Karin's hair as hard as she could, "Let go of me!"
The redhead released her other hand, and Hinata struggled to her feet, taking Ino to the ground again. No one was in perfect shape, but Ino and Hinata were the worst. Ino's nose was bleeding from being hit, and her arm was bleeding from being bitten. The Hyuuga girl's lip was busted, but she felt like a nasty bruise would soon appear on her jaw and stomach.
The two girls wrestled on equal grounds until Karin, again, made things unfair by stepping in. Hinata, who was pretty much blinded by her anger, reacted quickly this time and elbowed the girl in the face before she could grab her. The redhead stumbled back with her hands on her nose, Sakura rushing over to pull her aside. Then the Hyuuga girl focused on Ino again.
She felt like she was finally about to gain the upper hand when familiar voices registered above the ringing in her ears. "Oh my god, Hinata! What are you doing? Stop!" It was Tenten. "Don't tell her to stop. Are you fucking crazy? This is gold!" Hidan. Many people cheered in agreement.
Someone wrapped their arms under Hinata's and firmly pulled her from Ino. She struggled fruitlessly against them, instead trying to kick the blonde girl who was getting to her feet with a face that said she was ready to continue their fight, too.
"Hey, princess, I know the bitches deserve it, but look at 'em," Hidan's voice came from the direction of the crowd again.
Hinata's fighting ceased, and the adrenaline immediately disappeared, leaving her breathing heavily and glaring at the three girls that'd cornered her just minutes ago. A small bout of pride swelled in her chest when she realized Karin and Sakura were visually uncomfortable, and Ino was hesitating to come anywhere near.
She did it. She stood up for herself and held her own despite being outnumbered.
It was like the dam on her stuck state of mind had crumbled, allowing her to embrace her self-worth again.
"Move out of the way! Get to class, all of you!"
The arms holding Hinata still released her, and she turned to see it'd been Itachi, of all people. Tenten was beside him with tears in her eyes, while Konan, Deidara, and Hidan stood further back with proud expressions like they were parents watching their kid win a trophy.
It was the principal, Mr. Gama, and he didn't look happy at all.
The realization of what she'd just done finally met Hinata, and she gritted her teeth. When her father hears about this, she's going to be in so much trouble.
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"I have never been so disappointed in you. Never in my life did I expect any child of mine to be suspended from school. Do you understand how serious this is?"
Hinata stood as straight as possible as her father paced before her. They just got home from meeting with the principal. It took hours for everyone to give their statements, so it was almost five in the evening already. Worse, her father refused to allow the nurse to treat her wounds, no matter how small. He said if she was adult enough to choose violence, she should have to deal with the consequences.
The other girls told the principal some lie about how Hinata started it, while she told the truth about what happened. Ultimately, all four girls were suspended for the next week because proving who was lying was impossible.
"This will be on your permanent record, Hinata! Your chances of getting into a good college might be affected. You idiot girl!"
Hiashi had never been so openly angry, so his eldest daughter didn't know how to react. His face was red, and his voice was raised.
A sting came across her cheek as he slapped her, and her head turned to the side from its force, but she didn't dare cry because she knew the sign of weakness would only anger him further.
"Go to your room. I don't want to see your face until you have something to say for yourself."
The girl bowed respectfully before leaving with her head low in submission.
At first, after snapping out of her rage-induced daze, Hinata felt regretful about what she'd done, but as time passed, she came to feel good about it. The only downside was her suspension and her dad's anger. Undoubtedly, those girls wouldn't mess with her anymore, and anyone else would hesitate because she obviously wasn't going to sit around and be bullied again.
Tenten immediately showed up in Hinata's bedroom with the first aid kit from the bathroom. Her guilt was all over her face, "Hina, I'm so so so sorry! If I hadn't said those things to you at the mall, you wouldn't be in this mess."
Hinata shook her head, wincing when the alcohol pad she used to dab the cut on her lip stung, "It's not your fault. You were right. I shouldn't have let them walk all over me like that."
Her best friend frowned for a minute or two while she worked but soon perked up. She lowered her voice to a hiss, bright brown eyes sparkling excitedly, "You're such a badass. Those bitches didn't know what hit them!"
A small giggle passed Hinata's lips, the low feeling from being yelled at by her father lightening substantially. Hopefully, the next time she's in a rut like that, it won't take so much violence to snap out of it.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone