Hizashi Hyuuga, heir to the Hyuuga clan's main branch, is out for a walk in town. He's been going on a lot of walks in town lately. He's been going on these walks in hopes he will run into that strange young woman from the moon again. He likes her and wants to get to know her, maybe even ask her to go on a date with him. Besides, she seemed so lost, and he thinks that maybe she could use some help getting her head around life on earth.
But mostly he just wants to ask her on a date.
Hizashi has seen Hanabi around, but she is always gone by the time he gets to wherever he saw her. This whole thing is playing out like a bad romance novel. All that needs to happen now is for them to randomly meet and fall instantly in love then have glorious sex and get married. In that order. Now call him traditional or a prude, but Hizashi thinks the falling in love and the marriage should come before the sex. Of course, a really bad romance novel would have the sex and/or marriage come before the falling in love and -
That's Hanabi over there.
Hizashi makes a beeline for the moon princess, forgetting his previous train of thought. Hanabi looks awful, and is dragging her feet in exhaustion. Hizashi puts a hand on her shoulder and says, "Hanabi? What's wrong?"
Hanabi looks up at Hizashi and bursts into tears. "Sprout's sick!"
"That's not good," says Hizashi, worried. "Where is he?"
"At the hospital," says Hanabi, sounding unsure. "I think…"
"You...have no idea what a hospital is, do you?" he guesses.
Hanabi shakes her head. "What's a doctor?" she asks.
Hizashi sighs. His hunch was right. This poor princess knows nothing. "A doctor is someone who helps sick and hurt people to heal. A hospital is a place where doctors do the aforementioned making sick and hurt people heal."
"Oh." Hanabi's expression says that she understands. Her eyes glaze over briefly and she sways unsteadily.
"How about I buy you some lunch?" Hizashi suggests, noting how thin Hanabi has gotten. "Then I'll walk you home and you can rest."
Hanabi nods tiredly and allows him to lead her to a sushi bar and buy her lunch. Hizashi makes sure she eats despite her tiredness and takes her home. Once he has seen Hanabi safely inside, he notes down her address and heads home himself, resolving to go and visit her the next day.
Hanabi wakes to the sound of someone knocking persistently on her door. She rolls off her bed and stumbles to the door. Hizashi is on the other side.
"Sorry, I thought you would be up by now," says Hizashi apologetically. He came by the day before as well, just to make sure she is looking after herself properly. It is only the second day after Sprout was admitted to hospital and already the story of what happened has gone around the village. Hizashi had hurried her past the people who attempted to speak to her on her way to the hospital the previous day. None of those people looked very friendly, and Hanabi was glad Hizashi was there.
Hizashi waits while Hanabi dresses and eats breakfast, then he escorts her to the hospital. When they arrive, they are pulled aside by the doctor who is taking care of Sprout.
"Is something wrong?" asks Hanabi, distressed.
"I am afraid we could not save your child," says the doctor gravely. "He passed away in the night."
"It's my fault!" Hanabi says, trying not to cry right then and there. Emotions are not meant to be succumbed to. One should never break down in front of others. That is what she was taught. That is what she will do.
"No it's not," says Hizashi sternly. "It is not your fault you are a moon princess with no knowledge of things that are commonplace on earth."
"I came all this way, I left my home and everything I know to save him, and now he's dead!" Hanabi says, feeling lightheaded. "Why?"
Hizashi says nothing.
The doctor looks very uncomfortable.
Hanabi runs from the room to find somewhere isolated to cry.
"Is it true that she came from the moon?" asks the doctor thoughtfully.
"Yes," says Hizashi. "It is true. My clan originally came from the moon, so her story is not hard for me to believe."
"That explains why the child might not have been vaccinated," says the doctor. "Perhaps they do the vaccinations at a different age on the moon."
"Most likely," agrees Hizashi. "Their health care system is obviously completely different up there too."
"When do you think she will recover enough to talk about funeral arrangements?" asks the doctor. "We cannot keep the baby in the hospital morgue forever."
"I will handle the funeral," says Hizashi. "She probably doesn't know how they work on Earth anyway."
If it weren't for Hizashi, Hanabi would be the only one at Sprout's funeral. She is glad he is there. Prick though he may be, Hizashi is not really a bad person - just a bit pushy and serious. Once the funeral is over, Hanabi stands by the cemetery gates, unable to stand any closer to Sprout's grave, but wanting desperately to be near him.
"Do you need some time alone?" asks Hizashi.
"What am I going to do now?" asks Hanabi. "I've lost my job, I don't know how this world works, my baby is dead, I-"
"Marry me," Hizashi says.
"What?" Hanabi looks up at him, wondering what brought this on.
"Marry me please," he repeats, taking her hand in his. "I know my father will not object, and I do not want to leave you alone. I like you a lot-"
"What about love?" asks Hanabi. She has always dreamed of love.
"I think I could fall in love with you," says Hizashi. "Why don't we find love together?"
Hanabi hesitates before answering. She kinda likes Hizashi. She might learn to love him in time. If she refuses she can go on making a mess of her life, or maybe even crawl back to her father and beg his forgiveness, then be branded a branch member. Hizashi is by far providing her the best option. Maybe he asked her to marry him so she would not have to go back to the moon. Maybe he loves her already. Hanabi sighs. "Alright," she agrees. "I will marry you."
Hizashi's smile is so bright that Hanabi thinks he might love her after all.
The Caged Bird Seal is kind compared to the Tenseigan energy generator. But why do those who bear the byakugan treat their family members so harshly? No matter what he says, Hanabi is worried that Hizashi will fall into the same habits as his clansmen if they have more than one child.
Hanabi likes Hizashi. Sometimes. She can tell he loves her to the moon and back, but if she had not already married him she would not marry him. Hanabi is no stranger to marriages of convenience, and for her this is one. If she had not come to earth, Hanabi would probably be in some sort of arranged marriage against her wishes. At least with Hizashi she had a choice, and likes him. Now, a year into their marriage, Hanabi is pregnant with the next Hyuuga heir. This child will be pampered and trained and strictly disciplined and molded into the perfect Hyuuga. Any children born after this child will be second best, the spare, a branch member - probably branded with the caged bird seal if no other candidate is available to act as the next heir's guardian.
Hanabi's only consolation is that male or female, the child she carries will be treated the same by the clan. The same intense training, the same high expectations, the same strict discipline, the same role in the clan - no sexisim in the Hyuuga clan.
She had twins. Hizashi cannot quite believe it. But there they are, two identical little boys. The elder one has a red ribbon around his ankle. Hizashi stares at the two boys in awe.
"The elder's name is Hiashi," says Hanabi, from her hospital bed. "The younger's name is Hizashi. Be kind to him."
She didn't.
She did.
Hiashi and Hizashi are identical in every way physically. But Hiashi learns slowly, steadily and thoroughly. He masters crawling before he attempts to stand, and standing before walking. Hizashi learns in leaps and bounds. As soon as he can sit he wants to crawl, and he tries to run before his brother can walk.
The twins learn to talk earlier than most babies, but they do not talk very much at all. Hizashi senior watches his sons grow, dreading the day he will place the curse mark on the younger.
His name sake.
Damn, Hanabi knew exactly what she was doing.
Hizashi junior acts a lot like his mother. He smiles like her, laughs like her - he even imitates her mannerisms on purpose. Meanwhile, Hiashi tries to act like his father, all prim and proper.
The twins' third birthday arrives, and Hizashi junior is branded with the Caged Bird Seal. Hiashi cries in sympathy, wanting to know why they are hurting his brother.
Hanabi shuts herself in her room and does not emerge for two days. The twins join her after the ceremony and Hizashi senior is banned from the room until they emerge.
Then Hanabi gets sick. They think nothing of it - it's just a cold.
But then Hiashi, now five years old, innocently asks, "Did Mummy forget to get her flu jab?"
To which Hanabi asks, "What's a flu jab?"
Hizashi senior takes Hanabi to the hospital right then and there. How could he have been such an idiot as to assume they had such things on the moon after what happened to Sprout?
But it is already too late for Hanabi.
Hizashi buries his wife in the same grave he buried her adopted son in.
As the gravediggers fill in the grave, Hizashi wonders why the world looks so much darker. Beside him, the twins hold hands and cry.