Thunk.

The kunai embedded itself right in the center of the training dummy.

Hotaru leaned back to the tree. She had been practicing for almost an hour. Only throwing weapons here and there, nothing else. It was boring, but she needed something to do to keep herself from thinking.

She clenched her jaw to hold back a groan as her stomach rumbled.

She knew she should've gone home. Her mother had cooked rice this morning before leaving for a mission, she'd also told Hotaru to heat some curry in the pot for lunch. But the girl didn't want to go home right now.

Bolt's words echoed in her head; her father had died in the war to protect the boy's parents.

She knew Bolt was only five. He probably didn't understand that his words brought so many feelings to her heart. First, she was shocked because no one had told her about that even though people often spoke about her father in her presence.

Second, Hotaru suddenly felt betrayed by her mother. Why had her mother never said a word about this? Even Bolt had found it before her. Wait, Hyuuga Neji was her father and not Bolt's, she was supposed to know it first!

Why had her father had to die for Bolt's parents? Probably there was a reason, but what was that?

"My beautiful flower!"

Hotaru almost had a heart attack. A blur of green appeared right before her eyes, and the next thing she knew was that she was crushed into a muscular, large body. "Ah, I've missed you so much, cute firefly! I miss your unstoppable light that always emanates from the inside of you!"

"Uncle Lee," Hotaru didn't even try to struggle. "Let me go."

Uncle Lee released her, his teeth sparkling as he flashed her Nice Guy pose. "How do you do, young Hotaru? And what are you doing here alone?"

"Training," she mumbled half-heartedly. Of all times, why now? She'd been busy with her inner thoughts and hadn't wanted to be interrupted.

As if the whole world had planned to mock her, her stomach gave a loud growl. She could only drop her head in defeat while the green man stared at her with wide round eyes.

It was a bad day.

"This was one of youthful Team Gai's favorite places," Uncle Lee said proudly, eyes scanning the small restaurant interior. It had turned out that he'd dragged Hotaru to this place and ordered foods for them. "The first time we went here was when I first mastered a forbidden jutsu years ago. Gai-sensei took me and your parents here for dinner. And you know what? I accidentally sipped Gai-sensei's sake, which made me drunk and destroy this place! He and Neji tried to stop me and even Tenten attempted to tie me up with her chains, but it took me a while to recover!"

Hotaru winced. Why was he even proud of that?

"I felt bad at first when I found out about this, but Gai-sensei told me it was alright. I shall forgive myself for my mistakes in the past! Until this time, I have to distance myself from any kind of alcohol." He laughed hard and threw his head back.

Uncle Lee was her favorite uncle in the world. He always told her interesting stories and sometimes taught her—be it basic taijutsu or just moral lesson—but this time she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"What's bothering you, little firefly?"

Hotaru looked away. "I'm fine."

"You don't look so well," Uncle Lee said. "You weren't supposed to be training alone in such secluded place!"

"I will be a ninja someday," Hotaru snapped. And she wasn't a little kid anymore!

The bowl haired man laughed. "I know, I know. But what's wrong? School was over one hour ago, right?"

"Mom is on a mission," she reasoned, putting her chopsticks down and pushing her empty plate away. "I don't feel like coming home yet."

"Ah. I apologize for not visiting you and Tenten since two weeks ago."

"It's alright, Uncle."

"So," he leaned across the table, "what's wrong?"

Hotaru bit her lips.

She trusted Uncle Lee since he was her mother's—and had once been her father's—best friend. He was a little weird, maybe, but he was very kind and caring and gentle. He would always help whenever she and her mother needed something.

Somehow, Hotaru had a feeling that she could trust him with this problem.

"Uncle," she started, eyes downcast, "is it true that my father died to protect Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata in the war?"

She didn't see his reaction, but she knew he tensed. "Who told you that?"

"Bolt." Hotaru answered, hands gripping her teacup tightly. "He told me this afternoon. I'm just…" she looked up, meeting her uncle's serious face, "why's Mom hiding this from me? She's never said anything. Isn't it strange?"

Uncle Lee was silent.

"No. Not just Mom, but you and everyone else. Why do you all never mention it when talking about Father?" She shook her head. "You all said he died in the war, yet never telling me the details. But Bolt knew it first! Was there something wrong about it that I'm not allowed to know?"

The taijutsu master's hands clenched visibly. "No. There was nothing wrong about it."

"Will you tell me, Uncle?"

He took a pause to sip his tea as if to clear his throat, closing his eyes. "Yes."

Hotaru prepared herself.

He inhaled deeply. "On the second night of the war, Hinata… she tried to protect Naruto from Ten Ta—a monster's attack by shielding his body with hers. And Neji," those eyes opened again and Hotaru could see he was trying to hold back tears. "Because there was no time to use any jutsu, Neji quickly put himself between them and the coming attack. Then it happened."

It turned out not Uncle Lee who was crying but her.

"Neji was badly impaled in his chest. His wounds were too severe that it would be pointless for the medic ninja to try to save him. He died in Naruto's arms."

Hotaru didn't care that they were in public; her tears running down her cheeks slowly.

She could picture it, even if she'd never seen her father.

"However, his last words burned Naruto's spirit. His death finally brought back everyone's will to continue fighting. The village owed him so much." Uncle Lee looked out of the window, staring absently outside. "Not only did he protect Naruto and Hinata, two of only few important people in his life, but also all people. Because in the end, it was Naruto who saved us." A pause. "He said that Naruto held more than one life in his hands. That's why. That's why he decided to sacrifice himself for him."

Hotaru asked with hoarse voice. "Why? Why were Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata very important for him?"

Uncle Lee turned his attention back to her, and Hotaru somehow had a feeling that he was trying to hide something. "You know Naruto, right? He would always gladly help everyone, and he has once helped Neji." She was just about to ask what kind of help it was, but he quickly added. "Don't ask me what. It's just that Naruto helped your father and that help was very important for him."

She took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. "And Aunt Hinata… He protected her because it was his duty, right?"

This time Uncle Lee didn't say anything.

It was about a Branch member's duty. World is full of injustices. All you have to do is become stronger.

Not wanting to cry anymore, Hotaru changed the topic. "If his death was very important for the village, then why does Mom never tell me about this?"

He didn't look at her. "How can she tell you," he said softly, "while she herself cannot forget that moment when he died in front of her eyes?"

Hotaru opened her eyes when she felt the mattress shift. That meant her mother had just come home from her mission. They always slept on the same bed since they only had one bedroom in Hyuuga compound.

Pretending to be asleep, she waited until her mother's breath became soft.

"Tenten didn't cry when Neji died. She was shocked, but didn't shed any tear. She even consoled me when I was mourning over his dead body. I thought it was because she was strong. She knew she was in the middle of the war. I'm telling you, she really looked like a true kunoichi."

Her mother was strong. Hotaru knew it. She could count in one hand how many times she'd seen her crying. At home, she was that cheerful mother who always made sure there were foods in the kitchen and always listened to her daughter's story everytime she came home from academy. But in the training ground, she looked so different.

Hotaru loved watching her mother practicing Soushouryuu, leaping to the sky as the scroll danced around her form, various weapons flying from it. She looked so beautiful, her brown eyes sharp and calculating, her graceful but firm arms moving to hit every target with perfect accuracy.

She wanted to be able to fly like her too.

Uncle Lee took a deep breath. "What I remembered was that she'd still looked fine until the end of the war. However… when we took Neji to Konoha cemetery, she never made it to the grave. She stopped at the gate, trembling hard with wide eyes and pale face. I thought she was going to faint, but instead she was screaming hysterically. I…" the man closed his eyes as if the memory was too terrible for him to replay. "I was so sad that I didn't have a heart to leave her. Gai-sensei and I finally didn't attend Neji's funeral. It would be too painful to watch him buried anyway. We… we were trying to give each other's strength, although it was Tenten who was hurt the most."

Hotaru opened her white eyes and saw her mother's face. Her brown hair splayed across the pillow and her eyebrows turned down, signing a peaceful state.

It was hard to imagine her mother going hysteric at her father's funeral.

"It was the hardest time Team Gai had ever experienced. Gai-sensei and I visited Neji's grave the following day. Tenten, however, needed a month to finally have the strength to visit him for the first time. I accompanied her and she brought very shocking news to us, both me and Neji."

Hotaru could only picture how hard that month had been for her mother. Even though Gai-sensei and Uncle Lee had been there for her, it must've been very hard.

Uncle Lee looked at her. "She'd just found out about her pregnancy."

She actually didn't understand this part. Why had her mother gotten pregnant all of a sudden? Hadn't she been so sad within that month? She had been too curious that she'd finally asked Uncle Lee where babies came from, but he'd said that she would have to find out later, along with weird phrases like "springtime of youth" and "the joy of growing up". Not wanting to hear anything related to youth again, Hotaru had decided to skip the question.

"At first, she was scared. She was scared that she wasn't going to make it without Neji. She was terribly afraid, but you know what? She punched someone who suggested her to do abort—um, let me rephrase that, to kill you in her stomach. She wanted to keep you even if she knew her grief was almost unbearable. You want to know why?" Uncle Lee smiled at her.

"What is it, Uncle?"

"You were the closest thing she would ever have to Neji. You were—no, you are the precious reminder of Hyuuga Neji, the genius of Hyuuga clan, the strong man who died as a honorable shinobi, and most important…" Lee grinned suddenly. "The one and only man Tenten had and would ever fall in love with."

Now she understood why her mother had never married any man. Her mother only loved her father, and it made Hotaru felt relieved somehow. She didn't think she was going to accept another man in their life. It would be uncomfortable to see her mother being with someone.

Hotaru felt grateful for her own existence. Heaven had sent her here to replace the role her father had left; she was here now to be with her mother. To love her, and to protect her.

She might be a Branch member who was charged with the duty to protect her clan, but she knew her most important status in this world: she was her mother's guardian.

Not Hyuuga secrets' guardian, not even Himawari's guardian.

"Now you understand why she's never said anything, do you, young flower?" He grabbed her hand on the table. "Your mother has gone through a lot of hard times in her life. There's no need to remind her about the fact that Neji died for Hinata and Naruto. One thing you shall remember; be proud of two of them. Of your mother, because she's being strong for your sake, and of your father…" Uncle Lee's fingers around hers tightened. "Because he did the right thing to do. Never blame him for his decision."

She wrapped an arm around her mother's waist and shifted closer to her warmth. Yes, she was proud of both her mother and father.

They were her heroes.

"Hotaru," her mother mumbled in her sleep. "Have you had dinner?"

She smiled. "Yes. Have you, Mom?"

"Don't worry about me." Her mother shifted her pillow without opening her eyes. "Go back to sleep."

Before she got too sleepy, Hotaru leaned forward to kiss her mother's cheek. "I love you, Mommy."

She fell back to her side and closed her eyes, right before she felt her mother return the kiss. "I love you too, Honey."

"Another thing, my little firefly… Never blame Naruto, Hinata and your cousins."

Uncle Lee's last words echoed in her head as sleep started to claim her.

Would she be able to not blaming them? Even though it had been her father's decision, she had to lose her father because he had died for them. Even Uncle Lee had warned her not to talk to her mother about her father's sacrifice. Her mother wanted Hotaru to find it out by herself.

Which probably meant her mother didn't want to remember it. It was probably too painful for her.

"Hyuuga Hotaru."

Hotaru looked up and saw Shino-sensei, her teacher at academy. She quickly bowed. "Good morning, Shino-sensei."

She had been standing alone under a tree at the corner of the schoolyard, watching a bunch of happy children walking with their fathers. It was Father's Day and every student came with their father to celebrate. If they had no father or their father was on a mission, they could bring their brother, uncle, or even grandfather.

Hotaru had asked no one to come with her.

Shino-sensei stared at her hand. "What is it?"

"Father's Day card." She lifted the small colored paper in her hand so her sensei could see it more clearly. The teachers had told every student to make a special card for their father and write anything they want to say to their father. Hotaru had also made it last night, drawing a few pretty little birds on it with crayons her mom had bought for her. She didn't write much on her card. Only simple sentence: Happy Father's Day. I love you, Father. From Hotaru. Simply because she thought the words summed up everything she wanted to say.

She looked up at her teacher. "Even though my father is not here, I could make it too, right?"

Shino-sensei gave a little smile. "Of course you could." He patted the girl's head softly. "Do you want me to accompany you to give it to your father?"

As much as she hated her life for not having a father, she was actually grateful because her parents' friends had been such kind uncles for her—not only Uncle Lee, Uncle Naruto and Shino-sensei. Even though they had their own children and even though they didn't meet often—only once in a few weeks—those uncles always seemed happy to see her in a few occasion. Your father and they were best comrades, her mother had said. They have always admired your father.

Uncle Kiba sometimes invited her over to play with his dogs and his wife's cats. Uncle Chouji would share any food he had with her whenever they met, saying she needed to eat much if she wanted to be a great ninja. Uncle Shikamaru was a great listener because he was calm and smart. And so on.

Hotaru shook her head. "No, thanks Shino-sensei," she said. "I want to go alone. Am I allowed to not attending the festival?"

"Yes." Shino-sensei answered. "Send him my regards, please."

Hotaru nodded firmly. "I will."

Hotaru was walking with the greeting card in her hand when a familiar voice stopped her.

"Look! Mom, Dad cheated!"

Hotaru turned her head. She saw four people sitting in Ichiraku restaurant. She wanted to turn away and continue walking, but something made her stand still in the middle of the road.

"Bolt, don't you dare stealing my menma!" Uncle Naruto protested.

Aunt Hinata sighed and shook her head. "Bolt, you have your own menma in your bowl."

"But Daddy cheated! He asked Aunt Ayame to put extra menma in his ramen! It's unfair!"

"You can have mine, Onii-chan," Himawari offered cheerfully.

Uncle Naruto flashed the little girl a thumb up. "You heard it, Bolt? Your sister is such a sweet girl!"

"I don't want Himawari's," Bolt pouted. "I want yours, Daddy, because you cheated!"

"Bolt," Aunt Hinata scolded, "don't talk too much. Eat your food like a good boy."

Bolt sighed, finally deciding to be silent and slurp his noodles again.

"So, Naruto," the Ichiraku owner's daughter said, "have you been busy lately? You haven't come here in a week."

"Oh," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. "Yeah, there's currently an issue at Sunagakure and they asked for a few of our Jounin to help. There's also… hey, Bolt! Don't think I didn't see what you were doing, dattebayo!"

"Um, I'm sorry, Ayame-san," Aunt Hinata said, blushing slightly. "We seem to always make a trouble whenever we come here."

The brown haired woman laughed and shook her head at the little family before returning to her work.

Uncle Naruto and Bolt argued about which ramen was the most delicious, pork or chicken. Himawari joined while Aunt Hinata giggled occasionally. Until suddenly, the Hyuuga woman stopped their argument.

"Bolt, Himawari, don't you remember what day it is?"

Bolt and his sister gasped. "Oh! We forgot about that!"

"Huh?" Uncle Naruto looked at them in confusion.

Suddenly the two children jumped out of their seats to launch themselves at their father. "Happy Father's Day, Daddy!"

"Daddy, you are the best father in the world!"

"I love you Daddy!"

"Here, have my menma! It's your special day!"

"Whoa, calm down kids," Uncle Naruto laughed as he almost couldn't breathe because of two small bodies enveloping him tightly. "I love you too, so much!" He chuckled and kissed Himawari's forehead, then pinched Bolt's cheek gently, making the little boy protest. Aunt Hinata laughed, patting her husband's arm.

Hotaru watched from behind.

They were so happy, so complete, unlike her mother and her. A burst of jealousy invaded her chest, reminding her of something: she'd had to lose her father for their sake.

She only had her mother while Bolt and Himawari had both parents. Her mother only had her while Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata had each other.

She stood frozen on her spot until Aunt Hinata suddenly turned her head to look at the street, her white eyes caught Hotaru's.

Hotaru didn't move.

"Oh, Hotaru," Aunt Hinata smiled warmly. "What are you doing there? Come in and join us!"

Uncle Naruto, Bolt and Himawari looked at her too, and Hotaru felt something she couldn't describe under their gazes.

She felt so small. And different. Out of place.

"Hotaru," the Hokage waved and smiled cheekily. "Come here, little girl! Do you want some ramen?"

"Onee-chan," Himawari, seeming to forget their last encounter in Hyuuga compound, also waved cheerfully.

"Hotaru nee-chan!" Bolt called. "Why did you walk away earlier? I wasn't done talking!"

Hotaru unconsciously clenched her fists. "Sorry."

"Where are you going?" Aunt Hinata asked. "It's almost raining. You could wait here and eat until it stops."

"Right," Uncle Naruto agreed. "Jeez, Hotaru, don't stand there like a monument. Come on, sit here!" He gestured to the empty seat right beside him.

"I have to go." Hotaru answered, struggling to avoid their gazes. She bowed slightly. "See you."

She didn't bother to look at them again, running away as fast as she could. Her heart raced and her breath came out as short gasps as she gritted her teeth, only realizing it was starting to rain when cold droplets of water hit her head.

She had never thought that one day she would have to hate her own family; her aunt, her uncle and her cousins. And it was because this reason: her father had died for them to live and to be together.

It was unfair. She and her mother also had the right to live happily with her father, hadn't they? She also had the right to celebrate Father's Day with her father, attending the festival in academy together, right?

If at first, she'd only felt confused why her mother had never told her about that, this time she had another feeling: anger. Regardless of the injustice, Hotaru felt angry because Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata had never said anything about that to her. It was as if they forgot what her father had done.

She kept running, ignoring her wet clothes and shivering slightly when a thunder hit the horizon. She hoped the rain could wash away her anger.

But it didn't. Instead, the greeting card in her hand was soaked.

She cancelled her plan to visit her father's grave.

(A/N): It's no longer 2014 and I'm still a sucker for angst.

Note: Hm, anyone knows what's likely the age of a Hyuuga to learn Byakugan?