THE TIGRESS' LANTERN - A HINATA HYUGA FANFICTION

CHAPTER TWO - SEVERING TIES

Quick Note:

"Human Speech"

"Tailed Beast/Creature Speech"

'Human Thought'

'Tailed Beast/Creature Thought'

"Human Jutsu"

"Tailed Beast/Creature Jutsu"

- Forest / Morning - Sunrise / 3rd Person Point Of View -

The sun broke over the horizon of the densest forest of the Land of Fire - the clouds had broken apart to show the hues of gold, pink and blue that were cascading from the rising sun. The birds shook the water from their feathers as they bathed in the numerous puddles in the ground - one particular swallow flew from his tree and found a large pond that sat before the mouth of a large cave. The swallow flew from his perch and began to bathe in the puddle but he came to a sudden stop when the sound of something coming from the darkness of the cave - something with padded or soft feet and claws that grazed against the gravel. With the assumption that a predator was emerging from its' slumber, the swallow flew away to a safer distance and watched the cave; to his surprise, it was not a predator that exited the cave but a human girl - or he thought she was human.

She stood like a human - on 2 legs -, had 2 arms that dangled by her side and wore clothes as opposed to having fur or feathers to cover herself but she was different for most humans he had seen.

She had indigo hair with two small round-tipped ears perched at the top over her head and a long skinny tiger tail that matches waving at her heels. Her arms and legs with tattooed with black stripes that matched a tiger's, as well as those markings on her face near her jawline. Her eyes were the most intriguing thing about her but before he could describe them in his mind, she leaned over the pond he was just bathing in and took in her features.

(A/N: For those who have seen RWBY, her markings match that of Sienna Khan - Hairstyle Included.)

"Not bad, Hantei-sama." - The girl spoke to herself; or rather, to the one who could not have been seen.

"We are one, My Cub. Some of my features were woven into your genetic code; I hope you are not angered by the modifications that were made." - A warm voice hummed from the depths of the girl's mind. The girl snickered to herself before she looked at her newly-developed claws and smiled with her fangs on full display.

"Our Unity does not upset me, Hantei-sama. We are more than the sum of our parts and we will be stronger together. Besides, I feel like this new look suits us." - The girl spoke to the voice within her, which chuckled at her response before inhaling.

"I am grateful that you were the one who found me and decided to become one with me instead of a power-hungry bastard." - The voice - Hantei-sama - spoke.

"Indeed. What's first on our agenda? We will need a residence and we need to find our other halves." - The girl said as she walked into the cave once again and came back, wearing a cloak with her hood up and a backpack on her back.

"We have a manor in a realm inaccessible to humans in the Land of the Waves; our other halves are there as well, I can feel them. Keep in mind, my cub; this road that we walk will cause ripples in the waters of time. Are we truly prepared for this?" - Hantei asked.

"Well...we will learn as we go. Now, let's get out of the Land of Fire." - with that, the cloaked figure leaped a height far above the trees and further than the average shinobi could leap.

- Land of Fire / Hidden Leaf Village / Hyuga Clan Compound / Dining Hall -

Hiashi Hyuga was a man of pure business, the preservation and superiority of his clan came first and foremost. He sat at the dining room table with his youngest daughter and most promising child - Hanabi Hyuga - and one of his most trusted bodyguards - Ko Hyuga - but when he noticed that one of the seats was empty, he exhaled in exhaustion.