† .:Clairvoyant Dreams:. †

hazelnutbrew

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own this fanfic, though. So take that.

Pairing(s): Hinata Harem

Summary: When Hinata has a chance to save Neji from his fate of dying, she gets involved in temporal timelines to change the fates of other people as well and possibly rescue them In order to train and become stronger so that she will save them all, Hinata works at gathering her strength and courage to fight against a Singularity God that is trying to wipe the timelines and retcon his own history to bring back his forgotten country.

† Chapter 1 †

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:: The Hyuuga Heiress ::

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Hinata was the forgotten heiress of the Hyuuga Household. Despite her prominent upbringing, her influential father, and being the first-born daughter, the young Hyuuga was dismissed as a defective heir. However, Hinata didn’t mind. Sometimes, she needed to be forgotten by her father. Whenever her father forgot about her, the rest of the Main House family members followed his example as well. Even her sister Hanabi ignored her, though her actions were not out of spite but out of fear of their father. Hinata understood. It was the natural progression of things within the House of the Hyuuga. Though unspoken, these rules were absolutely resolute; nobody dared to disobey them, lest the balance of the Hyuuga Household be disrupted.

Whenever this happened, Hinata secluded herself from the rest of Hyuuga and she would indulge in a meditative silence while paying respect to her mother’s grave. Hinata’s mother had died when she was only six years old, just when Hanabi had been born. Perhaps this might have lent to Hiashi’s aloof demeanor and stoic nature. Even though Hiashi was a man seemingly devoid of emotions, the death of his wife had shaken him. Though the rest of the Hyuuga Household couldn’t see Hiashi’s sorrow, Hinata saw through an innate sense of emotional telepathy that Hiashi grieved inside. Though her father’s emotions had been closed off to her, Hinata couldn’t hate her father, but on a subconscious level, she knew that there was something wrong in their relationship. She felt sorry for him because of the burden he bore as the Head of the Hyuuga clan.

Hinata bowed her head in respect, just enough so that the fringe of her dark hair fell across her silvery eyes as she folded her hands in prayer. This had become a lonely ritual for her, one that she would perform every time with dutiful faith. Her father moved on from his wife’s death, or at least pretended to, since the mention of his wife’s name was strictly taboo for Hinata and even Hanabi. Hinata supposed that was her father’s way of coping, in his own silent way. She never understood her father, but she tried to empathize with him, at least. Hinata then let out what was meant to be a cleansing breath but instead came out as a light sigh. Even after all her years of hard training through blood, sweat, and tears, her father still couldn’t accept her. In his eyes, she still was a burden.

Hahaue, Hinata prayed. I’ve been doing very well. Hanabi is still quite young, but she seems to know things beyond her years. Things between Neji-niisan and I have improved…it was gradual, but I think we’ve come to understand one another a little better. As for Chichue…he’s in good health. I’m doing everything I can to please him, but he doesn’t seem satisfied with even my best efforts.

Hinata then allowed herself the luxury of closing her eyes, taking in the perfect tranquility that surrounded her. She became enraptured in the quiet and its elegant simplicity surrounding her, almost beautiful in its unassuming grace. Her head was still bowed in respectful silence, with her hands still laced together in prayer as she continued on.
The only thing I can do is try harder, then. Neji-niisan helped train me. Even though he doesn’t say it, I know he’s proud of me. And…I know that you would be proud of me if you were still alive, Hahaue.

A serene smile settled over the Hyuuga heiress’s lips, softening her features into a sunny disposition true to her namesake. When she went into this meditative silence, this beautiful serenity, Hinata felt a communal connection. As the breeze shifted slightly, sprinkling the aromatic essence of sakura petals through the gardens, Hinata straightened out her traditional kimono. Getting up, still inclining her head towards her mother’s grave, Hinata then thought, Hahaue, please lend me strength. I know you’ve always been watching over me, and I haven’t needed you more than now.

After mentally stating those words, Hinata gave a reverential bow, before departing the garden. Peering upwards with quicksilver eyes, blinding sunlight flashed with brilliant intensity, forcing her to blink. Hinata then straightened her back, trying to maintain a confident poise that didn’t betray the inner emotional turmoil she felt. She walked onto the walkway of the Hyuuga Manor, pausing against the shoji sliding door. Resting her head against it, dark blue tresses falling forward to obscure her face, Hinata willed herself to muster enough strength to stand before the entire clan, to announce the speech several to-be heirs had spoken before. A cleansing breath escaped from her lips, lightly blowing wisps of her hair as her shoulders slumped. To any passerby, it would’ve appeared that the Hyuuga heiress was sobbing, though in actuality, Hinata wasn’t saddened by the situation, but rather resigned to it. The Hyuuga always abided by tradition - it wouldn’t change now, especially since the Hyuuga repeatedly resisted change in their customs for over centuries.

Lifting her head once more, smoothing back a few stray locks, Hinata then dared to venture inside, before stepping back in surprise. The sight of her younger sister, Hanabi, greeted her in the doorway, with her dark hair spilling past her shoulders and obscuring half her face.

“Hinata,” Hanabi said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Chichue sent me out to find you. Where have you been?”

“Praying to Hahaue, Hanabi,” Hinata said gently, before stepping across the threshold. Hanabi stepped aside to allow her entry, running her hands through her hair.

“Chichue wouldn’t be happy to hear that,” Hanabi stated, not unkindly, but in a matter-of-fact sort of way.

“I know.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to believe we’re sisters.”

She said ‘sisters’ as though it were a foreign word. Hinata understood. Her father spent most of his time training her sister extensively, and he forbade any kind of intimate interaction between the two of them. Hinata noticed that a twinge of regret shadowed her sister’s face, though Hinata thought it was probably because of the lighting in this area, which was shadowed over by the overreaching roof. Hanabi’s eyes clouded over into a misty grey of thunder clouds, as though she were fighting an internal storm within herself, which only lasted for a millisecond.

“I’ll apologize for my delay, then,” Hinata said. “Please inform Neji-niisan that I’m well and was simply in the gardens.”

Hanabi gave a curt nod of her head, and turned around with a graceful spin on her heel. Her hair whipped around her like a silken scarf.

Once Hanabi left, Hinata treaded the hallway towards her father’s headquarters. She took in a deep breath, willing her heartbeat to remain calm. Hyuuga Hiashi, a man of considerable command, frowned upon tardiness without good reason. Even worse, if Hinata so much as mentioned that she visited her mother’s grave, her father’s disapproval would be deeper than Hinata could imagine. Extending out a slender hand, rapping the back against the door with her knuckle, Hinata awaited her father’s permission to enter the room. The silence in-between seemed to take until infinity, before her father’s voice filtered through the door.

“Come in.”

Hinata stepped into the room. Her father didn’t even spare her a glance. His face remained an unfathomable mask, though a glacial aspect embodied itself in his wintry eyes.

“You’re a disappointment,” he said after a long while and filled the silent void of the room with his voice that spoke volumes not only in the confines of the room, yet a thousand different worlds. The cold tone in which he spoke reminded Hinata of the fierce snowy winds that howled through the winter like the cruel laughter of the Sphinx. Despite its silken softness, it held as much impact as though he had shouted the words.

“I know I am…Hiashi-sama.”

“You are weak, and don’t possess the full-blood of our glorious lineage. It wasn’t my blood that you have inherited. How you ever managed to crawl out of your mother’s womb shall forever remain a mystery to me.”

“I’m sorry,” Hinata said in a soft voice, and she struggled to keep her voice calm as she began to feel the stutter resurface in the undertones of her voice. A hiccup of sadness stuck in her throat, before she said. “I’m sorry…that I was born.”

A derisive snort escaped from Hiashi’s lips, though he didn’t comment on Hinata’s display of weakness, her glimmering eyes, gem-like from unshed tears.

“Four years from now, you will be sixteen,” Hiashi stated, composing himself into the professional demeanor he portrayed to the rest of the Hyuuga Clan as their Patriarch. “This means that you are eligible to become Heir in my stead when it comes to pass. During this time, I hope you find a suitable partner that will compensate for your…timidity.”

“I understand, Hiashi-sama.”

“Do you?” Hiashi stated calmly, regarding Hinata with an arctic glance. Hinata simply bowed in submission to her father’s voice. His eyes were twin moons that drew her within their orbit, and Hinata became trapped in their paralyzing gravitation.

“I’m sorry,” Hinata said, dipping her head lower than before. “I didn’t arrive as promptly as you wished.”

“May I inquire as to what delayed you?”

“I was…tending the garden.”

Hiashi’s eyes narrowed towards her, though he pretended to ignore the true reason why Hinata visited the Hyuuga gardens. After another moment of silence, Hiashi then said, “As much as I think that Hanabi shows more promise, even my authority can’t defy the Hyuuga tradition of the first-born receiving the title of Heir. I think that preparations are necessary and we need to find a proper suitor for you. It’s years ahead of the intended date, though it never hurts to prepare.”

“Y…Yes.”

“Then our conversation is finished,” Hiashi said, continuing to etch kanji characters in a sprawled out scroll.

“But…Hiashi-sama, I--“

Her father then closed his eyes and ignored her like he always did. Hinata knew that he would remain unresponsive to anything that she said in this state, and she left the room with her head bowed. Closing the sliding door behind her, Hinata blinked several tears from her eyes. She couldn’t cry here. Not now.

Striding across the walkway, sandaled feet barely keeping their balance, Hinata lowered her head to veil her vision of tears. Her eyes stung, the world around her swimming in dizzying waves. After making her way back into the garden, a blinding splendor of pastel colors blurred in her vision like a watercolor painting, Hinata settled herself down before her mother’s grave, grabbing fistfuls of grass in her hands. Tremors passed through her small frame, violent hiccups shuddering her form. In the comfortable silence that always surrounded her here, Hinata then did what she had never done in front of her father.
In this time and in this place, Hinata allowed herself to weep.

II
The Hyuuga always abided by tradition; the proclamation of the Elders centuries ago still take place within the traditionalist manor of Konoha’s most illustrious families. Hinata knew not to oppose the Hyuuga traditional views, as that meant defying the legions of Hyuuga that existed generations before. Even though Hinata didn’t share such fervent views on Fate as her cousin Neji once harbored, Hinata couldn’t help but wonder if some higher source dictated people’s actions through subtle means mortals couldn’t comprehend in the grand scheme of the universe. Hinata’s actions mostly had been guided through her heart rather than her intellect, though Hinata did show astonishing insight to people’s psychology, things most other people wouldn’t notice. Her empathy, her keen sense of heart contained the same magical quality as the musician’s ear or the artist’s eye, of which are inherent in the naturally gifted. Hinata didn’t have complete mastery over the Hyuuga arts like Neji, nor did she possess the hard-headed resolve befitting of a Hyuuga leader, Hinata easily connected other people and could usually interpret their emotions accurately.

Hinata did not possess telepathy or other supernatural means to know how other people felt. No, she merely acquired this skill after years of observation and passively listening to what others had to say. Hinata became fine-tuned to everyone’s emotions, including Naruto, Kiba, Shino, and even Neji. The only person she couldn’t decipher was her father. This didn’t mean Hinata didn’t try -she attempted to understand the reasons behind his words, his actions. Her father, though brusque and dismissive of her, did not hate her. Hinata was certain of that much. His words didn’t have less impact on her, though Hinata felt if she understood the true meaning behind his words, she could cope with their dysfunctional relationship better. A kind person who never held a grudge against anyone, Hinata knew that Hyuuga Hiashi was a man of many sorrows. In order to cope, Hiashi receded into the wintry storm raging inside himself, an internal blizzard nobody else noticed except Hinata. Despite Hiashi’s cold demeanor towards her, Hinata tried to understand her father to the best of her abilities because she knew her mother truly loved the Hyuuga Patriarch.
It almost pained Hinata to think about the happy memories of her mother, how everything used to be before everything changed. Her mother seemed to be the only thing that connected them together - once she died, however, the heart of the universe had been torn out. Of course, the Hyuuga are trained to treat their tragedies with apathy, to move on and steel themselves towards the future while refusing to look back on the past. Perhaps Hinata was more sentimental than a proper Hyuuga should be, but she held onto those precious moments that defined her life. Remembering these poignant moments kept her stable, strong. If she forgot her mother, if she refused to acknowledge her existence, what good would those memories be? Hiashi tried to forget, but Hinata knew that his emotional suppression ate at him everyday, as the slight lines in his face become more pronounced.
After Hinata finished her prayers toward her mother, Hinata then bowed in respect, before treading out the gardens. Out of the gardens, she returned to the Hyuuga manor, where she found the main hall to be filled with the Hyuuga elders and her father, the Hyuuga Patriarch, awaiting her. She hesitates for a few moments, but feeling the gravity of importance lingering in the air, Hinata sets herself at the end of table, where all of them stare at her expectantly. Unsure what to say, Hinata merely makes a ruse by bowing in respect to all of them, waiting to be addressed. She didn’t know the purpose of this meeting, though she vaguely guessed it involved the ceremony about to take place when she became Heiress.

“Hyuuga Hinata,” one of the Hyuuga Elders proclaimed, staring at her with eyes that seemed to contain the depths of infinity. “Your eighteenth birthday is soon to come to pass, and it is believed prudent that we will discuss about your marriage. Though you are only twelve years of age now, we believe that discussing your future prospects of becoming Heiress are important. Preparation is always key to a strong political hold.”

“My marriage?” Hinata said in a barely audible whisper.

“Yes,” her father stated with exaggerated patience. “Your marriage. You’re well aware that a Hyuuga woman is to wed when she’s of age.”

Hinata merely nodded in response, not trusting herself to speaking without stuttering and embarrassing herself within the dignified audience of the Hyuuga Council. Taking away his penetrating gaze from her, Hiashi then directed his vision to encompass eeryone around him as he stated, “I believe that all of you among the Council have general agreement on whom Hinata shall wed?”

“I have not decided yet,” Hinata said, bowing her head in respect towards the Elders and her father. “As much as I understand that the Hyuuga House needs a stronger political standing, I…I need a moment to process the potential suitors that I’m to wed..”

To be honest, Hanabi should be the one who is Heiress. Though Hinata thought for a moment about what this would entail. Hanabi would be unable to marry for love, then, like Hinata wished to. Her sister, despite the fact that she ignored Hinata due to the unspoken rule of Hinata still remembering her mother, would often come in the middle of the night to crawl into Hinata’s bedspace when a thunderstorm erupted throughout Konoha and Hinata would hug her sister close to her heart to comfort her. Hanabi never liked the rain and thunderstorms, the loud noise that it made and the crackling staccato of lightning that could rend trees apart with its electrical cleave. But Hinata also knew that she should bear responsibility. If she were to become strong, she must become Heiress. She didn’t know what these dreams meant, as she pondered over them in the quiet moments of the morning when she had time to herself, though she had a vision of Neji Hyuuga dying. She didn’t know when this would happen, but it appeared to be a vision where they were much older. There would be a great war that would erupt on the horizon. And Hinata had some time to prepare for this, at the age of twelve, to become stronger and prepare for her eighteenth birthday when she would become heiress.

Do I… Hinata thought. Have the strength and resolve to change the future? What would become of the future that was meant to be? But…if I was given this vision to help save others that were meant to live…then I will do so. Even if it comes to a personal cost to me. My happiness is only when I protect the ones that I cherish and love.

Hinata would learn more about this strange power that she had been gifted. She must not waste it. She had a resolve in her heart to become stronger, to help protect those that she cares about. Was it possible to save everyone that would die in the Ninja War? Could she do this? Could she prevent the war from happening, knowing that she had this ability within her lying dormant? This new side to the Byakugan that she would never have guessed; it allowed her the vision of Sight, which let her see several temporal streams and realms. She even, at one point, saw the temporal stream in another timeline where the spirit of an older future Neji walked and traversed the Phantom Realms as a ghost that would sometimes watch over the mortal realm. Hinata would try to reach this Neji and sometimes she would wake up with tears on her face and she didn’t know why, because Neji was right there with her in the Hyuuga compound, though Hinata had a sense of foreboding that something is going to happen to him.

Without even thinking, she found herself nearly crashing into Neji,. Hinata stopped herself by twirling on her foot and gracefully rounding herself behind him to avoid collision. Neji looked at her with those quicksilver eyes of his, and there seemed to be concern for her.
“Hinata-sama? Are you ill?” Neji inquired. Ever since Naruto knocked some sense into her cousin, their relationship tentatively started to rebuild into a better one, though Neji often seemed to be avoiding her more often as well. Like her father. Why was everyone ignoring her? She understood that she couldn’t be dependent on everyone forever, but having some sort of support at this time would’ve helped her. Hinata lamented that she wasn’t strong enough, that she wasn’t emotionally strong or cut out to be a shinobi.

“Neji-niisan,” Hinata said, before shaking her head and putting on a small smile towards him. “I’m fine, really. I…I simply wish to rest and retire for the night.”

Neji knew she was lying. And Hinata knew that she was a poor liar. But he decided to let it go, as he nodded his head towards her. “Rest well, Hinata-sama.”