Why The Caged Bird Sings
Hizashi Hyuuga knelt with his kinsmen before his brother and the assembled Main House of the Hyuuga clan. Everyone had been called to the emergency meeting, and rumors were flying about its cause. Hizashi allowed himself a small smile as he recalled one in particular (as if Hiashi would ever allow himself to be made Hokage!) but quickly schooled his face back to stillness. He was one of the few who knew the true reason for the meeting, after all, and it was anything but a laughing matter.
Hizashi smothered a wince as the seal on his forehead gave a sharp twinge, and had to suppress a sigh as well. The seal was controlled directly by Hiashi, and with the Clan Head in such tenuous control of his emotions (such as they were), his control of seal was beginning to waver as well. And if Hiashi was doing that badly, it meant that the situation must be even worse than he thought (if he had not been bound to maintain Hyuuga decorum, Hizashi was sure his brother would likely be in a trembling heap on the floor). As it was, the problem must be resolved; the holder of the Caged Bird Seal had to keep up proper control, or else all the Branch family would start to feel it. There had not yet been any sort of rebellion in the clan, but if the seal began to malfunction, Hizashi didn't want to know what would happen.
Hizashi rarely thought about the seal on his forehead anymore. He didn't even remember receiving it (though he did remember the pain, and the terror, and still woke up in the middle of the night grasping his forehead). Instead, he simply grew up with the seal being a fact of life. He could curse that fact, and he could resent the clan that made it so; he did often, in his youth, just as he had done many foolish and petty things. What he could not do, could never do, was change it.
Therefore, Hizashi considers himself unusually accepting of his fate. He plays his role well, and has given his life to his clan. However, no human being is perfect. Everyone has a moment of weakness, and every caged bird yearns to be free. Hizashi has only acted out three times in his life, and has been rewarded with excruciating pain each time. He remembers each in perfect detail, because these are the times at which Hizashi can no longer play the role he has been given. These are the times that Hizashi grasps for freedom.
At first, Hizashi resented his brother. Hiashi had been born first by mere minutes, and yet his lot in life was to rule the most powerful clan in the village. He himself, though, had been consigned to a life of servitude. And while Hiashi had been put into his mother's arms, Hizashi had been rushed away to the seal master (not a Branch member; never a Branch member) and branded with the symbol of slavery that was so elegantly named the Caged Bird Seal.
The first time Hyuuga Hiashi acted out was in his youth, before he knew the ways of the world. He was five years old and had already started to receive his clan training alongside Hiashi. After long months of work, the brothers (who had been inseparable, and quite identical except for one particular feature) managed to awaken their Byakugan at precisely the same time. Hizashi was amazed; he was able to see anything, everything, there was nothing confining his vision. His sight was unlimited!
And then he was told to deactivate them, and instructed to never activate them again without permission from his superiors. And as he was ushered from the training room, he saw Hiashi still gazing around with wonder at the freedom and beauty that surrounded him. And in that moment he hated his brother with every fiber of his being (because what makes him special, what makes him better, why can Hiashi fly when Hizashi must be caged?).
So in training with his Hiashi the next day, he wanted to hurt Hiashi, to bind his brother as he was bound. He fought viciously, ignoring the call to stop, and hit Hiashi square in the face. He didn't know what happened next, because all he could comprehend was a blinding pain in his forehead forcing him to the ground, and he knew he was screaming but he couldn't hear a sound.
Hizashi woke up three weeks later and understood. He was bound, and that was not something he could change. However, what he could do was make the cage that he was living in as comfortable as possible. So Hizashi lived his life. He married (within the Branch, of course; his eyes belonged not to him, but to the clan) and had a child, and he was even happy for Hiashi when his brother had a daughter as well, a few years later. He did not realize until later what that meant.
The Hyuuga clan has always placed a heavy emphasis on family. Or, perhaps more accurately, one family: the Main family. To Hizashi, though, his family is the world. His child, Neji, has an unmarked forehead and an unbound fate, and through him, Hizashi is able to find hope. Hiashi is family too, of course. Their relationship is restrained, but warm nonetheless. They are brothers (twins, in fact, not that Hizashi could ever forget) and they have a bond so deep as to be nearly unbreakable. Though they are both reserved, it is obvious that they are family – in private, at least. In public their relationship is very much that of servant and master.
The second time Hyuuga Hizashi acted out he was a man grown. He was sipping tea in the garden, enjoying the solitude as an escape from his cage, when Hiashi approached him and informed him quietly that Neji was to be sealed that day. Hizashi froze, and looked his brother straight in the eyes for a moment. He stood slowly and stared for what seemed centuries, with absolutely no emotion on his face, but horror and revulsion in his heart. After a few (days? years?) seconds, he composed himself. He gestured for Hiashi to lead the way, and closed his eyes. And when he opened them again they were swelling with the power of the Byakugan, and Hizashi struck forward. Pain engulfed him, and he knew no more.
When Hizashi awoke, he was in his own bed. He was dizzy and nauseous, and when he sat up a wave of pain rolled through his head. He brushed it aside, though, and lurched to his feet (for pain of the body cannot compare to pain of the soul). In moments, he was in the hall, moving as fast as he could toward Neji's room, knowing what he would find but dreading it just the same. He threw open the door and saw his son lying unconscious with bandages around his head. And all Hizashi could do then was sink to the floor and weep.
Cloth rustled at the head of the room, and Hizashi looked up to see his brother standing in front of the assembled clan. Hiashi looked awful. The skin around his eyes was puffy and red from lack of sleep, his face was lined, and he looked as though exhaustion had sunk into his very bones. His face was expressionless, but his eyes… His eyes resembled those Hiashi has once seen in the face of a Hyuuga who had been dismissed from ANBU early. That clan member had refused to take any more missions, and looked as though he might refuse to live, as well. His were completely empty except for one thing: hopelessness.
Hizashi listened stoically as his brother informed the clan of the kidnapping of the Hyuuga heir form her bed as the clan slept under the banner of peace. He described the rescue, and the death of a jounin-turned-kidnapper. He explained the ultimatum that the Village had been given: for the death of a jounin, Kumogakure would only accept the corpse of his murderer. And then Hiashi informed those gathered that for the good of the clan, he had decided to accept the ultimatum and surrender himself to death.
If it had been any other clan, there would have been pandemonium. However, the Hyuuga have long trusted in tradition and decorum, so only a few whispers broke out among the clan. Several members of the Main family rose in protest, but Hiashi waved them down. He said only that his decision was for the good of the clan, and that he would not be swayed. Then he sat down, and all that was left was for the Elders to adjourn the meeting.
The third time Hyuuga Hizashi acted out, he was already an old man. His soul was heavy with the burden of his cage, but he realized that he had just found the key. Before the Elders can dismiss him, he stands. He did not speak loudly; he did not need to. Instead, he calmly offered to take his brother's place as bounty for the murder of a traitor. He is sealed, after all, and his cage will not open for the enemy. He saw the Elders nod, even as his brother's eyes widened in surprise and a slowly dawning terror. It is logical, and it is more palatable to sacrifice a Branch member than the Clan Head, after all.
Hiashi protested, of course. As Hizashi walked to the front of the room, his brother informed him quietly that he doesn't have to do this, that he has already done enough for the clan. Hizashi only chuckled, and tells his Hiashi that he is not acting for the clan. Instead, he is acting to save his brother. But more than that, Hizashi finally found a way to escape his cage. He can make his own choice, just this once. And with this choice, with his death, he will finally escape his cage.
Through death, Hyuuga Hizashi will fly free.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
A/N: Hey! If you're reading this, it mean I actually have some traffic on this story! It's one of my first, just a quick oneshot, but I'd still appreciate a review to tell me how I'm doing.
The story was inspired by and is based loosely on Maya Angelou's poem, "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings." It's a good poem, you should go check it out.