—2 years ago
"Fumiko," A familiar voice spoke.
"Fumiko, wake up."
After a short pause, the voice spoke again. "You know what day it is, right?"
She recognized the voice as her mother's.
It was the day before Fumiko's birthday. To be exact, she would be turning 4. But there was a reason this day would be so important for her. Her 4th birthday would mark the beginning of her training; something her father promised to help her with. But there was also another tradition practiced around the 4th birthday; a dark tradition that would change her life forever. It was a tradition that was prohibited from speaking about to any member of the branch family who hadn't undergone it already. She had yet to learn about the darkness of her clan.
"Mother?"
She opened her eyes, slowly.
Her mother smiled while gently placing her hand on her daughter's, lifting her fingers until they clasped together. But there was so much doubt held behind her mother's seemingly innocent smile.
Although Fumiko inherited from the branch family, she held many privileges that other clansmen weren't as fortunate to have. Her father was the advisor to Lord Hiashi. And although her mother wasn't a Hyuga (by blood), she was able to secure these privileges as well. Her family was loving and kind, something that many children weren't as fortunate to have. It was the one thing she took for granted.
Fumiko slid the door behind her. Her mother was in the kitchen, waiting for her.
"Fumiko, we're leaving now," her mother said. "You'll behave yourself, right?"
Her mother had to run some errands around the village, and Fumiko would be going with her.
"I'll behave, I promise."
She smiled nervously. "But be careful out in the village, ok?" her mother urged.
She responded, silently nodding her head.
As an outsider, her mother stood out in the clan. Unlike the rest of the Hyuga who possessed the soft, lavender eyes of the byakugan, she had deep, mysterious dark eyes instead. But here in the village, she fit in perfectly, resembling the common looks of any ordinary civilian.
They spent some time wandering around, and at this time it was around noon. As they walked by, she noticed the unwelcoming gaze of a fellow clansman; a young woman with a cold glare. The woman looked at her with disgust. Her cold, pale eyes were set directly on her mother. She didn't even bother to say a single word, and yet her gaze said everything.
"Fumiko," her mother silently voiced to her. Her tone was barely above a whisper.
"What is it mother?"
"We're leaving now."
Her mother's smile faded into a stern
expression. Fumiko could not help but wonder of the intention behind the woman's gaze. Perhaps, was it because her mother was an outsider? What she couldn't realize was that it was something much deeper than that; much more complex. Fumiko looked up at her mother, who had gently tugged on her hand as they discreetly walked off. And yet, what Fumiko didn't notice was that her mother seemed to be more wary of the commoners than of the woman herself.
Fumiko soon turned 4 the day after. Her birthday was on July 31. She celebrated with her family in the comfort of her home. It wasn't her actual birthday she was excited about, rather what would result from it; her training. The following day, however, her training was delayed. Her parents were busy, and Fumiko was left by herself. It was already starting to get dark. The one thing her mother told her that day was to stay safe in her room. In fact, as Fumiko remembered it; she had deliberately warned her out of concern.
But what could possibly happen?
Fumiko disregarded her mother's warning. Out of boredom and defiance, she wandered around the main household. She was a curious child, one that would make questionable decisions for the sake of it. Carefully monitoring every step she took, her footsteps were subtle and controlled. She was eventually lead to a narrow hallway, where her gut feeling was urging her to turn back. But her curiosity led to the best of her. She slid the door open, being cautious as to not make any noise. Fumiko then carefully slid the door back behind her.
She ended up in one of the many corridors of the main household. She immediately caught on to a faint noise, presumably of footsteps.
"Hello?" she called out. "Anyone there?"
She eventually came to assume that the noise was only in her head; that she was imagining things. She turned around, deciding to go back to her room.
But that's when she heard it.
A loud voice, yelling and screaming in agony, echoed inside the main house. You could hear the pain, struggling, and suffering of the voice. It was horrifying for even an adult to hear, let alone a child.
Chakra began to surge towards her eyes until they activated for the first time.
Byakugan
She was absolutely petrified by what she saw. To her horror, she watched the torture of one of her own clansmen as the cursed seal on his forehead stayed activated; the seal that was possessed by every single member of the branch family. As the seal stayed activated, his hopeless screams echoed across the corridors nearby. He violently thrashed around in pain. And then, all of a sudden, the screaming stopped. There was no longer any emotion or even a sense of consciousness in his expression. His eyelids lowered until they shut completely, all movement in his body suddenly came to a halt, and he finally collapsed onto the floor.
He was... dead.