+::::+Fate of a Flower+Neji+Part 13+::::+

When the trees and shrubs and greenery cleared and your eyes focused in the new, bright, pure sunlight, your heart missed a beat.
It was the Hyuuga Temple; much of it was marble and the stones set into the stairs and fountains and everything were like opal, shining in just the right way under the sun so that they all gleamed in the colors of the Hyuuga eyes. Though not many people could really distinguish it, Hyuugas actually didn't all have the same eye color. All were that light shade of white-purple, yes, but it went deeper than that. Like Hinata's eyes were a sort of silver, pearly color, and Neji's were more-so lavender -- you know, deeper -- and yours, you guessed were lilac. Hiashi's were a bit more grey, cold, and the woman who came with Benjiro... Kowara or something, was sort of like... maybe a little more purple.
'Stupid bitch Hyuuga ho-bag.'
"I always thought it was pretty, too," said lady spoke softly, meant only for you to hear. You looked her way and saw that she was smiling, and suddenly, beneath her expressionless, blank composure, you felt a small spark of familiarity with her.
You felt it; she really wasn't all that bad. Just following orders. And from the way her long bangs nearly covered her eyes, you guessed she wasn't of the Main House.
"I guess," you reluctantly agreed. She smiled wider.
"Did you know that all the stones represent every Hyuuga that has ever been born?" she asked you, and you blinked.
"Really? How?"
As you approached the front gates, you noticed that Benjiro was totally gone. He probably wasn't allowed past a certain point or something; you breathed a tiny sigh of relief.
"Each newborn is touched with a stone. They're small, as you can see, and special. They each can hold one, single chakra imprint, and the stone shines in the color of the individual's eyes. You knew we all have different colored eyes, no?"
You grinned. "'Course I knew. I could pick out anybody just from their eye color."
She grinned back. "So can I. That's why I am stationed here, as one of the miko. If you can distinguish the colors and the chakra type from just the stone, then you meet the requirements to be a prietess and keeper. It is like a sanctuary for anyone who is a member of the Branch... because everyone is equal here."
You cocked a brow, surprised. "There's Main House members here?" you asked in disbelief.
She nodded approvingly.
"Our job is to protect this place. It was where the Hyuuga family originally started, you know, with Kamigawa Hyuuga."
"The big founder dude, yeah! I don't know much about him. He came, he made babies, he was bad-ass, he died. S'bout it."
She snickered a little, and gestured to a bench beside a fountain. You hesitated, but sat down, and she followed; both of you turned so you faced each other.
"Kamigawa was one of the greatest shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, even before it existed. He was known for his belief in patience and achieving through it; but most of all, because Kamigawa became blind, and he claimed to gaining sight because of his practises. He meditated nearly religiously and had precision chakra control he was so intune with himself and his surroundings, to the point where he could envision the ants on the ground and see people through how they fit into his chakra field. He grew so used to seeing through his mind in this X-ray vision that his body began fueling chakra to it, and one day he simply woke up and had sight. He had healed his eyes, and through this created the Byakugan."
You nodded fiercly, gazing intently at Kowara. She smirked cheerfully.
"Needless to say, when his cousins found out, they were thrilled and very curious as to how he had accomplished such a thing. So he told them, and they wished to learn his power as well. They wore blindfolds for a year, seeing nothing but darkness, and training in his ways during this time. Before long, they were allowed to take off the blindfolds when Kamigawa sensed that they had achieved the Byakugan, and that was how the clan began. Their wives were each learned of his way, and their children all had the Byakugan as well. However, one cousin did not wish to put his wife in darkness for an entire year -- it was something she deeply feared. Their child had an imperfect Byakugan; it was limited in range, and he did not adapt as well to the techniques. This did not matter in the beginning for Konoha was new and the people were very fair and generous... but as generations went on and Kamigawa passed away, those from the line of the flawed Byakugan were steadily spoken down to, treated as inferior and imperfect. Those with the pure blood all thought themselves better, even though this wasn't true. And before anyone realized it, the Head of the Hyuugas at the time passed the law that changed the clan forever."
Your eyes momentarily swept over the temple, taking in the thousands of stones and how some were very dim, meaning that the owner was probably dead, and the other which radiated their own shades. Your heart broke, because you knew what was coming next from the woman's lips...
"...In recent time, more and more people strove to learn the Hyuuga's secrets. A few did, and a few created their own version -- the Sharingan. Because of it, the Head commanded that the lesser Hyuugas were to be used as soldiers, bodyguards to the perfect ones. A sealing technique was put together, and the Hyuuga Clan was divided suddenly into two: The Main House and The Branch House. And it has been this way since."
"That is such steaming bullshit!" you protested angrily, storming to your feet and pointing heatedly at a large statue of a wise, tall man who you figured was Kamigawa. "I bet you he-! uh that is Gawa, right? I bet you he is rolling in his grave right now! Right now! Do you know the shit some of those Branch House members have to go through?! W-well, I mean, of course you do, you're one of them, but STILL! Those people work their ASSES off for that douche Hiashi--"
"Please do not speak that way of Hiashi-sama, Hitaro-kijo.."
"--MOTHERFUCKING, COCKSUCKING, LIMP-DICK DOUCHE HIASHI HYUUGA--"
Kowara sighed deeply.
"And he doesn't give a shit about them! All he does is tell them to make his dinner and clean up after everyone's messes without so much as a SINCERE thank you and then he expects them to fucking die for him, if need be! Oh fuck me sideway with a meatcleaver. It's such... such..."
You measily sat down again, dejected, and unable to finish the sentence because you couldn't find a word that fit.
"...Shit."
Your head shot up, and you blinked repeatedly as you saw tears starting to fall down Kowara's face. She was smiling half-heartedly, and you stared.
"Wh-what? Are you okay? What's wrong? And what the hell is with you saying shit?"
"It's such shit, Hitaro-kijo! You right! It's such, steaming, b-bullshit!"
With that emphasis and stutter, Kowara suddenly sobbed harder and harder, and as she wiped away her tears, you saw under her bangs that fateful green stamp.
You thought of the things a Branch Member would do to get rid of that cross.
Escape to a temple. Kill themself.
...Sell someone they loved.
Your arms wrapped around her weakly, and you nodded reassuringly as you felt your own eyes water.
"...s-such sh-sh-shit, Hi-hit-taro-kijo..."
Kijo. It meant lady. Lady Hitaro... 'That doesn't fit well.'
"Kowara--"
A huge shriek interrupted you and both of you lurched, startled, and you spun to see that not that far away stood another Hyuuga woman, much older than Kowara, maybe fifty or sixty, looking livid.
"It's you! You! That c-cursed child! What is that filth doing here?! Why is Kinban here?!"
Your face contorted into confusion.
"What the hell are you talking about, anyway?" you retorted heatedly to the woman, but Kowara suddenly stood and protectively got in front of you.
"Hiashi's orders to bring her here, he cannot control her himself," he spoke calmly, her quiet, monotone voice back again. You grit your teeth silently at the thought of Hiashi controlling you... 'What am I, his pet or something!? Oh no, he's not locking me up like the rest of Branch... I'd run and die before I let him... woaaah, wait, Kinban? Gold eyes. What. What?'
"Rewind, woman! Who or what is... Kinban?" you asked befuddledly. The woman looked disgusted.
"You are, wretch! Do you know nothing of your heritage? You are the product of being born on a solar eclipse and not being killed for it!"
Oh no she didn't.
You shoved Kowara away furiously and stormed up to whoever the crazy woman was, and grabbed her by the collar.
"Are you fucking telling me I was supposed to CONTROL the time I decided to pop? I don't even know my mother! I don't know either of my parents or grandparents or even if I had any! For all I know, I am just some mutant child who wound up on the Hyuuga God Fucking Damn Compound because Hiashi is a dildo! Now unless you want me to fucking boot you in the teeth, explain why I needed to be killed for being born on a solar eclipse," you seethed coldly, watching her shake with fury and even more disgust.
"You are pathetic, knowing nothing as you do... Kamigawa-sama was blinded by a solar eclipse when he was thirteen. Any Hyuuga born on a solar eclipse is to be immediately killed and disposed of for this reason! There's only been two others of you... the first died at thirteen, after slaughtering nearly fifty innocent people. You only didn't because Tsunade-sama knew how to control you... and the other is a different case. She is being managed, however... You, on the other had, should be vanquished before you cause any more damage to our proud clan!"
You basically tuned out everything she said after the part about another girl being alive.
"Wait, there's another girl? Who? Where is she?"
Kowara took the opportunity to wrench you away from her, and the woman snorted in disdain, straightening out her plain, white kimono. She was an painfully plain person; her eyes were plain and normal light purple, and her whole face was faded and gathering wrinkles from frowning, not from smiling, and her hair was steadily fading grey. Quite ugly.
"Hitaro, please, please, please do not speak in such a way to her! This is Kyuuki, the second head of the temple... she is only beneath Hitsugi-sama. It's best not to upset her," Kowara hurriedly and mutely whispered into your ear.
Kyuuki grimaced at you.
"Nosy brat. Her name is Rogekkou, a pathetic Branch House girl, born with her eyes bound shut, who escaped the compound... And what do you know, she opens them, and they are revolting, absolutely revolting... What's happening to our esteemed family? Kamigawa-sama must be heartbroken, God rest his soul..."
'Rogekkou Hyuuga, huh? Hmm... well I think it's time for a little girl talk, thennn~ Oh, and I need to meet this Hitsugi person! Yes, I need to break my ass out of here ASAP.'
"Bye, ladies! And sankyuuu so much for le info, you are far, far too kind. Ttfn; ta ta for... uh, for as long as possible!"
In a split second, you vanished to their very eyes and sent yourself further into the Temple. But on the way in, you noticed something peculiar...
Two stone pillars stood outside of the entrance to the main building, and only one stone was laid in each. At your feet was one more, only the owner of it was very dead, you assumed.
But the pillar's stones. The odd thing about them was, though... the one on the right shone gold, and the one on the left shone green.
I don't love you, I'm just passing the time. You could love me if I knew how to lie. But who could love me? I am out of my mind...
Roses are black,
(at the Hyuuga's back gate)
So message for sunshine
And feel free to rate.