Hizashi was sitting next to his wife in the hospital waiting room, with Amaya playing with toys near them. The man's heart was pounding in apprehension of what would happen next. It was the moment of truth. After months of tests, of elimination and theories about Amaya's condition, Dr Hyuuga had called them, asking to come over to look at the results. She claimed to be confident in her diagnosis and was ready to talk about it with them. They were at the hospital for that specific reason, and while they had ruled out neurological issues and tumors, he couldn't help but fear something threatening his daughter's life.
The ophthalmologist came from the hallway, stopping by the doorframe of the waiting room.
"Hyuuga Amaya," she announced with her usual soft voice.
Both parents immediately stood up, but the child kept playing with her toys as if her name had never been called. Hizashi, suspecting she was too focused on the dolls, immediately crouched next to her.
"It's our turn, baby."
New toys were always interesting to Amaya and she was reluctant to leave the dolls behind, but Hizashi insisted, not wanting to waste the doctor's time. Amaya finally stood up, but put her hands up, motioning that she wanted to be carried. It was not a surprise for Hizashi. She was never very confident with walking in places she didn't know well. And hospitals were known to be labyrinths, so Hizashi couldn't blame her, he himself got lost once, needing his Byakugan to guide him.
He and his wife followed the doctor to her office, in which there were two seats for guests. Hizashi was tense, and feared his daughter would sense it, so he handed the three-year-old child to her mother. Amaya immediately stretched her arms to hug her mother's neck. With his lap free, Hizashi struggled to refrain himself from tapping his foot against the carpet. He feared his life would change now.
Dr Hyuuga cleared her throat.
"We have a diagnosis for little Amaya. I want to reassure you immediately, it does not and should not pose any threat to her life."
Hizashi's breaths immediately slowed down. His worst fears didn't happen. But now what? He stayed quiet, wishing for the doctor to rush out her diagnosis. He wanted to know.
"Before I tell you about what she has and the name it has that you probably won't remember in five minutes, I have to tell you, there's nothing I can do to improve her condition. There is no known cure."
Hizashi was disappointed, and to be fair, a bit frustrated. He wanted Amaya to have normal eyes, no matter what it was. It was clear she didn't see well, and he didn't want it to remain the same. He gulped, thinking of his father. He would be pissed. Rumors that Amaya was blind had started to run in the compound, and the elder was very frustrated to hear them. Solely because it ruined the clan's, and the main house's reputation.
"So is it going to remain this way all her life? She'll see shadows and some lights, but that's it?" his wife asked, calling him back to reality. She sounded as worried as Hizashi was about her future.
"It won't get better. It will either remain the same, or get worse with the years. There are no people the same, so I can't tell you how fast or slow it'll degrade. Ultimately, there are chances she becomes completely blind with no vision left one day, but there's no way to tell the future. Now that this is said, here's what it is."
She handed to both parents some pamphlets on something called Retinis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease. Hizashi had never heard of it. Dr Hyuuga started explaining what it consisted of, but Hizashi wasn't there anymore. His head was spinning. His daughter would always be disabled. Always fall behind other children. Never become a ninja, likely. In a village where becoming one was a goal, especially coming from a reputable clan such as the Hyuuga, it was a lot to take. His eyes filled with water as he started reading about it from the pamphlet. It took all he had not to rip the paper into pieces.
At some point, his wife snapped her finger in front of him. "Hizashi, can you please listen to what the doctor is saying, it's important for Amaya's future. My hands are full, but you could take notes!"
Hizashi immediately apologized for his behavior. He needed to be there for his daughter. They'd have time to process the reality later.
Dr Hyuuga explained that Amaya was the youngest person to be diagnosed with Retinis Pigmentosa in her database, which contained data from all the regions the Land of Fire was allied with. There were only a few cases in children, according to her books. But she had ruled out everything else, and was confident it was the right call.
"I'd like to see her every six months for now, so we can track if her vision deteriorates. Depending on how it goes, I'll either space those visits out, or schedule them closer. Would that be alright with you?"
Hizashi nodded. He felt like his brain was submerged in fog; he could barely talk. He wanted to ask questions, but he didn't even know what to ask. To be honest, he had not felt this clueless in a long while. The last time was probably the first time he was alone with Neji when he was a baby and Neji started crying, leaving Hizashi to try everything someone as lost as him could to calm his newborn son.
Suddenly, a question popped up in his mind.
"What can we do to help Amaya, now that we know her vision won't improve?"
"I'd suggest using as much light as you can, using contrast of colors as she still seems to see those. Also, you might be tempted to protect her with all your will, but if you want her to become independent one day, she'll have to make mistakes, bump into things and whatnot. She won't thrive if you do everything for her. She is a little bit young at the moment, but at some point, I'll send her to an orientation and mobility specialist, so she can learn to navigate on her own."
Hizashi looked at his wife, nodding. They could do it. They were in the unknown, but they knew the doctor would guide them and answer their questions one at the time when they had them.
Hizashi stood up, the meeting was over, but as they were able to reach the door, his wife turned back.
"I didn't really want to ask, but I'm sure either Lord Hiashi or his father will question us about it and I'd rather not come empty handed. Is the Byakugan affected by it?"
Hizashi sighed, not pleased with the question, but knowing it was a necessary pain. His wife was right. Hiashi would worry about his niece, then politely ask if they knew about the Byakugan. But his father would start and finish by it, leaving it to be his only worry. The elder always cared more about the reputation of the clan and the preservation of the Byakugan than the wellbeing of his own family! He was the reason the twins took so long to get along, they were always put against each other, and Hizashi was always the second, unimportant child. Nowadays, Hiashi treated him with respect, mostly since the day Neji saved Lady Hinata's life. Privately, Hiashi was even nice and considerate of his brother, and had a clear soft spot for Neji and Amaya. But he needed to keep the roles when other people from the clan, or their father, were around. It was all about the image the main family projected.
Dr Hyuuga took a deep breath that was heard by Hizashi, and looked him in the eyes. It was clear she had expected the question, coming from the clan, thus knowing both Hiashi and the elder. "As the only ophthalmologist in Konoha, I can tell you that Amaya is my first patient within the clan, because I'm the one seeing every person who has eye problems. I also looked through the records and haven't found anything in generations before us. So sadly, there is no way to know how her eyes would react. As a Hyuuga, I know how much Lord Hiashi and your father values it, but there's nothing sure. She could awaken it and it works, she could have it and it doesn't function normally, or she might never get it at all. She is only three years old so I'm not worried about it yet, honestly. We'll see if the time comes."
When they got home, Hiashi was waiting on the porch with Neji.
"Training with Hinata just finished, and I thought I would come by to get some news. You had another meeting with the doctor, was it for tests again?"
Neji wasn't aware they were supposed to have a diagnosis today, so Hizashi proposed to meet his twin brother in his office the next day. He preferred Neji hearing about it from his parents. And Hizashi wasn't ready to talk about it yet to Hiashi. He needed to read about it, because the doctor's words were all mixed up in his brain. He didn't really remember what she told them. And he and his wife needed to process the news in the intimacy of their house before spreading the news.
The next morning came and Hizashi knocked at the door in the office.
"The doctor told you something you didn't like, didn't she?" Hiashi immediately asked before Hizashi was fully seated.
Hizashi gulped, then frowned. "How… how do you know?"
Hiashi made an empathetic smile. "You usually don't delay our meetings when I ask for updates about Amaya. And I could see you and your wife looked exhausted."
Hizashi felt his eyes burning from the repressed tears. He was blinking now, trying to keep the water from falling, but failing miserably at the task. He didn't want to seem weak to his brother. But he felt so helpless. He didn't want to accept that his daughter was blind. The number of things she'd never do or never become. He wanted her to become an independent woman, and while it was still possible, it was way harder to reach.
"Is it that bad?"
"Well… she'll be okay, I want to believe that she'll be okay, I think as her parents, we want what's best for our children and we struggle to accept the truth. It is a degenerative disease, but it's just her eyes, nothing else. At least, I'm relieved about that part."
Hiashi stared at his brother, slowly nodding. "Mmm, I see. So she could become fully blind?"
"Yes."
"Is that hereditary?"
"No, Dr Hyuuga confirmed it isn't. Amaya is the first within our clan. You won't like it, but she has no idea how the Byakugan will function if it even does activate."
"Well, at least her future children won't have it and father won't threaten to kill her to keep the clan pure. And the Byakugan, I don't really care. I'm much more worried about how you are all doing, how she'll cope with the disability than some jutsu and whatnot. Besides, the Byakugan serves mostly to the ninjas, and let's face it, she's probably better off with another career when the time comes."
Hizashi froze, and he felt dizzy. If he took a guess, his face probably turned some shades paler. "Father… Did you just think about that, or did he actually say something about Amaya?"
"I won't let him do that, don't worry. I said a bit too much, I'm sorry. I don't think he'd actually kill one of his grandchildren."
"Talk for your children. I'm in the branch house, remember. You know how he sees me. I wish I didn't have to tell him about Amaya, but he'll know one way or the other. While I trust Amaya's doctor to keep things confidential, people have been talking behind our backs for months now. They'll know."
"They'll know what?" A voice said as the door opened. Hizashi started shaking, recognizing his father's.
He couldn't pretend it was nothing, because tears were still running down his cheeks. He didn't have the time to find a fitting lie either. Besides, his father would see right through him.
So Hizashi admitted they had a diagnosis.
"Will her vision return to normal? And what about the Byakugan?" The elder's tone was dry, showing no emotion.
Hizashi shook his head. "No, it'll stay the same or worsen with time. As for the Byakugan, she'll probably be an experiment."
"Who is her doctor? I need to talk with him. There must be some sort of mistake. Hizashi, you can't accept that!"
Hizashi clenched his fists. "Do I even have a choice, father? Do you think I'm standing here liking the fact my daughter is becoming blind? Dr Hyuuga doesn't see the future! There is no cure, there is just none. I'm already frustrated by all of this and was trying to stay strong for Amaya, but don't come accusing me of something, and keep Dr Hyuuga out of it. She's the eye expert, she knows her job better than we do. If it's her diagnosis, as much as I hate it, it's what it is. We can only learn to live with it and support Amaya the best we can."
Hizashi felt like he was exploding.
"A blind Hyuuga, this is such a disgrace! How do you think people will look at us, now?"
"It is not hereditary, so it's not Hizashi's fault," Hiashi cut him off before their father could rumble more. "She has a disease, we can't do anything about it, it's just pure bad luck, okay?"
"Well, bad luck or not, our clansmen will stare. Other clansmen will stare. Will you live with that, Hiashi? Don't you think it is a disgrace to the main house that your own brother has a blind child?"
Hizashi couldn't take his father's nonsense anymore, and retorted, "Hey, I've never been in the main house, you always made sure I felt excluded from it even as a child, so please don't act like you care about me suddenly! You only care about your stupid reputation! You didn't even ask how I felt, or how my family felt. If Amaya is okay. It will hurt your image! Well, let me tell you I don't care about your fucking image. So I'll go take care of my daughter and I don't want to see you interfere with how I raise her. I'll take care of her training from now on."
And he slammed the door on his way out, hating his father more than ever before.
