The morning sun had barely risen, yet the Hyūga compound was already alive with motion. Servants hurried through narrow walkways with baskets of laundry, elders moved toward the meeting halls with stern expressions, and soft murmurs drifted through open windows.
Renji stood in the eastern wing, posture straight, blindfold tied neatly across his eyes, waiting for his first new combined assignment:
Attend to both Hinata and Hanabi.
A task usually divided among multiple attendants.
A task rarely, if ever, given to someone of his birth.
He understood the reason, of course.
The seal made him sensitive to their emotions.
And, as last night demonstrated—
Hanabi was calmer near him than with the nurses.
Still, he felt a tightness in his chest—not fear, exactly, but an unsettling awareness of responsibility.
Today would test him more than any punishment.
"Renji."
The soft voice came from behind him.
He didn't need Byakugan to know it was Hinata.
He bowed immediately. "Good morning, Lady Hinata."
Hinata approached slowly, her hands tucked nervously into her sleeves.
"I-I'm sorry about yesterday…" she whispered. "I… um… I shouldn't have stayed up so late."
Renji shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for."
Hinata fidgeted. "Did… did you sleep well?"
Renji hesitated for a moment.
"I slept enough," he answered. "Your visit did not trouble me."
Hinata flushed slightly at his gentle reassurance.
Before she could reply, another chakra signature darted into his range—
light, bright, and erratic.
"Ah—Hanabi!" the nurse shouted in panic.
Hanabi giggled loudly as she ran down the hall, tiny feet pattering against the tatami floor. She spotted Hinata first—
Then Renji.
Her face brightened instantly.
"Ren…ji!"
Hinata blinked. "H-Hanabi? Why are you—"
But Hanabi had already flung herself forward, arms raised, barreling toward Renji with the full determination of a toddler.
Renji panicked—
but caught her carefully before she toppled.
Hanabi squealed in delight, grabbing fistfuls of his sleeve.
The nurse arrived moments later, breathless and apologetic.
"I-I'm so sorry, Lady Hinata! Lady Hanabi slipped out of my arms again—she's gotten so fast—"
Hinata giggled softly. "It's okay… Hanabi is always full of energy."
The nurse bowed. "Renji, the elders informed me that you are to accompany both young ladies this morning. Lady Hanabi seems… attached to you."
Hanabi tugged at Renji's blindfold with curious fingers.
"Why… cover?" she asked in her baby voice.
Renji gently moved her hand away.
"It is… because of duty, Lady Hanabi."
Hinata's eyes softened with sadness.
The nurse lifted Hanabi into her arms—but the toddler planted both hands on Renji's robe, refusing to let go.
"No!"
The nurse flushed. "L-Lady Hanabi—!"
Hanabi puffed her cheeks and tightened her grip.
Renji spoke gently. "Lady Hanabi… you will come with me. But you must let her carry you for now."
Hanabi blinked at him.
Then stretched her tiny arms toward his chest again.
"I want… Renji…"
Hinata covered her mouth, trying not to giggle.
The nurse looked horrified. "L-Lady Hanabi, that is improper—"
Hinata's small voice interrupted, shy but firm.
"I think… it's okay. Father said Renji can help."
The nurse hesitated.
Renji bowed his head. "If allowed… I will carry her."
Hanabi squeaked with delight as the nurse finally, reluctantly, handed her over. She climbed into Renji's arms with surprising agility.
Renji held her carefully, supporting her small back.
Hanabi rested her head against his shoulder with a content sigh.
Hinata watched the scene with soft eyes.
"You're… really good with her," she whispered.
Renji shook his head. "I am simply doing my duty."
"No…" Hinata said quietly. "It's more than that."
Her words lingered for a moment.
Then the nurse cleared her throat.
"Lady Hinata, Lady Hanabi, and Renji—your schedule is ready."
The first stop of the morning was Hinata's reading session. She knelt before a low table, practicing simple Kanji strokes while her instructor guided her hand.
Hanabi sat beside Renji on a cushion, swinging her legs, doodling imaginary shapes in the air.
"Renji look!" Hanabi declared proudly, holding up an invisible drawing.
Renji nodded. "That is very well done, Lady Hanabi."
Hanabi giggled.
Hinata bit her lip to suppress a smile, stealing occasional glances at the two of them.
But Renji noticed something else—
Hinata's writing was trembling.
Not from fear,
not from shame,
but from distraction.
The instructor frowned. "Lady Hinata, you must focus. Your strokes are inconsistent."
"I'm… I'm trying…"
"Concentration is vital."
Renji felt it through the seal—
a faint ripple of panic as Hinata grew flustered.
He straightened slightly.
She could sense when he reacted, even without the seal—
her eyes flickered toward him for comfort she didn't dare request.
Renji lowered his head again.
I must not draw attention.
I must not let her be scolded because of me.
But Hanabi…
Hanabi didn't understand the tension at all.
She suddenly tugged on Renji's sleeve.
"Up! Up!"
Renji blinked.
"Lady Hanabi, I must remain seated while Lady Hinata studies."
"Up!" Hanabi insisted, pulling harder.
The instructor noticed and frowned.
The nurse froze.
Hinata's eyes widened.
Renji gently tried to loosen Hanabi's grip—
But toddlers did not loosen.
Instead, Hanabi leaned over, reaching for his blindfold again.
Hinata gasped softly.
"Hanabi, no—!"
But Hanabi tugged—
and accidentally slipped her fingers beneath the edge of the blindfold.
Renji reacted instantly—
not violently, not harshly—
but with a swift, precise movement.
He lifted Hanabi into his lap, turning her away from the blindfold in one fluid motion.
And in that moment—
his posture shifted subtly.
His hand positioning.
His foot angle.
His center of gravity.
A Hyūga defensive stance.
Reflexive.
Instinctive.
The instructor's eyes widened.
The nurse gasped in horror.
Hinata covered her mouth.
Renji froze—
realizing too late what he had done.
He lowered his head, heart hammering.
"I apologize," he whispered immediately. "My body moved without permission."
The instructor's frown deepened.
"That movement was not taught in the servants' quarters," he said sharply. "Where did you learn it?"
Renji bowed lower.
"I did not learn it. I simply reacted—"
"By instinct?"
Renji swallowed.
"Yes."
Silence.
Too still.
Too sharp.
Hanabi tugged at his sleeve again, sensing the tension.
"Renji…?"
The instructor's voice cut through the stillness.
"This will be reported."
Hinata's face paled.
Renji kept his head bowed.
"Understood."
The nurse quickly gathered Hanabi—
but the toddler clung to Renji's robe stubbornly.
"No! No! Renji stay—!"
"Lady Hanabi," Renji whispered, "you must listen."
Hanabi whimpered but finally released him.
Hinata's eyes glistened with fear.
She whispered so softly only someone with a seal-bound connection could hear:
"…I'm sorry."
Renji bowed deeper.
"I will accept whatever punishment comes."
The instructor left to inform the elders.
The nurse rushed behind him, panicked.
Hinata remained frozen.
Renji remained kneeling.
For a long, painful silence—
no one moved.
The seal pulsed faintly…
Hinata's anxiety echoing in his chest like a trembling heartbeat.
The air in the study room had turned cold.
Not because of temperature—
but because of fear.
Hinata sat perfectly still, hands clenched in her lap, eyes shimmering with guilt. Renji knelt behind her, head lowered, blindfold catching the faint glow of lantern light.
The seal beneath it pulsed—
tight
heavy
restless.
It felt Hinata's distress.
He felt Hinata's distress.
And both pains intertwined in a quiet ache.
Minutes passed.
They felt like hours.
Finally, the sliding door opened.
Two elders entered.
Not Hiashi—
but worse.
Elder Natsuya.
Known for strict interpretation of clan law.
And Elder Ganji.
Known for severity toward "tainted" members.
Renji bowed instantly, palms pressed to the floor.
Hinata bowed as well, trembling.
The elders walked in slowly, observing everything.
Hinata.
The overturned ink brush.
The spot where Hanabi had been.
Renji, kneeling perfectly still.
Elder Natsuya stopped before him.
"Lift your head."
Renji obeyed.
"Higher."
Renji raised it another inch—any higher would be improper.
The elder examined the blindfold, noticing the faint outline of the branched seal beneath.
"You used a Hyūga defensive reflex," Elder Natsuya said.
Not a question.
A statement.
Renji bowed. "My apologies. Lady Hanabi reached for my blindfold. I reacted without intention."
"Without intention," Elder Ganji murmured with disdain. "A servant child should not have such reflexes at all."
Renji lowered his head deeper.
"I agree."
Hinata gasped softly.
"P-Please… he didn't do anything wrong! Hanabi just—"
"Lady Hinata." Elder Ganji's voice sharpened. "Your defense of him is unnecessary."
Hinata flinched, shrinking back.
Renji clenched his fists briefly—
a reaction only the blindfold hid.
The seal pulsed with a faint burn.
Elder Natsuya continued, "This is the second time you've demonstrated Jūken-like instinct in two days."
Renji remained silent.
"You are not permitted such capability. You are not permitted to learn it. You are not permitted to imitate it."
Renji bowed again. "I understand."
"Do you?"
Elder Ganji stepped closer, voice cold.
"Your existence is tolerated because the heiresses require assistance. You are not a Hyūga. You are not even branch family. You are…"
He paused, eyes narrowing.
"Useful. Nothing more."
Renji forced his voice steady.
"Yes."
Hinata trembled, tears forming at the edge of her eyes.
"P-Please… don't say that…"
The elder turned sharply.
"Hinata Hyūga."
She yelped and bowed quickly.
"Y-Yes!"
"Your emotions influence the seal. The more you become attached to this servant, the more unstable he becomes."
Hinata bit her lip, eyes falling to the floor.
Renji felt that—
a sharp pang of guilt in her chakra.
The seal echoed it painfully.
He bowed low.
"This is my fault, not Lady Hinata's."
"Silence," Elder Ganji snapped.
Renji froze instantly.
Elder Natsuya spoke again.
"You cannot continue reacting with Hyūga instincts. The clan head has allowed no formal training. Any further indication of taijutsu skill will be punished."
Elder Ganji glared coldly.
"To clarify:
You will not dodge.
You will not counter.
You will not shift your stance.
You will not move like us."
Renji bowed so deeply his forehead touched the tatami.
"I obey."
Hinata clenched her fists tightly, tears dripping onto the floor.
"I-It was my fault…" she whispered. "I distracted him… Hanabi—"
"Hinata," Elder Natsuya interrupted, "your kindness is admirable. But misdirected. He is not your equal. He is your servant. Remember your station."
Hinata flinched violently.
Renji swallowed hard.
I hate this, he thought for the first time.
I hate that she suffers because of me.
Elder Ganji folded his arms.
"As punishment for your transgression, Renji, you will spend the evening in the reflection hall."
Hinata's breath caught.
Renji stiffened.
The reflection hall wasn't agonizing—
But it was cold.
Lonely.
Dark.
Designed to suppress misbehavior through isolation.
Renji bowed.
"I accept."
Elder Natsuya continued:
"You will remain kneeling without shifting position until the morning bell."
Renji's breath stilled.
Hours.
Perhaps ten.
Without moving.
The pain would be intense.
But he answered instantly:
"Yes."
Hinata shook her head frantically, tears falling freely now.
"N-No… please… please don't punish him… it was my fault… he was just trying to help Hanabi—"
"Lady Hinata," Elder Ganji said sharply, "you will not speak further."
Hinata's voice died in her throat.
Renji forced himself to speak, voice steady.
"Lady Hinata… please don't cry."
But she cried harder.
The elders turned.
"Follow us," Elder Natsuya ordered Renji.
Renji stood silently.
As he walked past Hinata, she whispered through trembling lips:
"…I'm sorry…"
He bowed without lifting his head.
"There is nothing for you to apologize for."
The seal pulsed weakly—
a faint echo of two young hearts breaking.
The reflection hall was dim and cold, built with stone walls designed to sap warmth. A single candle flickered near the entrance.
Renji knelt at the center—
Forehead bowed.
Hands on thighs.
Back straight.
Blindfold tied tight.
A servant slid the door shut.
And Renji was alone.
Hours passed.
Silence thickened.
His legs numbed.
His shoulders burned.
He did not move.
He could not.
Movement meant further punishment.
His breathing slowed into a rhythm meant to dull agony. He distracted himself by tracing faint chakra signatures throughout the compound.
Hinata was crying in her room.
He felt every tremor.
Hanabi was restless, calling his name twice before falling asleep.
He felt each faint tug.
Hiashi was quiet, meditative.
The elders were discussing the incident.
Renji endured.
He did not break.
And as the night deepened…
A soft footstep approached the hall entrance.
Renji's breath caught.
That chakra signature.
Small.
Soft.
Familiar.
Worried.
Hinata.
He trembled.
The door slid open by the smallest fraction.
"R-Renji…?" she whispered into the darkness.
Her voice was fragile—
but full of something that cut deeper than any punishment.
Concern.
Guilt.
Care.
Renji bowed lower.
"Lady Hinata… you should not be here."
She ignored the warning.
Instead—
She kneeled right outside the door, pressing her hands together.
"…If you have to stay here…" she whispered shakily,
"then… I'll stay too."
Renji's eyes widened beneath the blindfold.
"No," he whispered urgently. "You mustn't—"
But Hinata stayed.
Silent.
Crying softly.
Refusing to leave him alone in the dark.
And as he knelt there in the cold reflection hall…
with pain burning through his body
and the seal pulsing faintly from the warmth of her emotions—
Renji felt something he had never felt before.
Something dangerous.
Something forbidden.
Something he could not name.
A bond deeper than servant and heiress.
Deeper than duty.
Deeper than the seal.
A bond born from shared loneliness.
And for the first time…
Renji dreaded the morning bell—
because it would separate him from the one person
who refused to let him suffer alone.
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