Chapter One
Saiaka quietly exited her small apartment. She had long since been kicked out of the Hyuga clan. She was a failure. She still hadn’t activated her Byakugan and that wasn’t heard of. Everyone activates it by the age of 13. But apparently she wasn’t everyone. There were rumors floating about the Hyuga clan that she wasn’t pure Hyuga, that her mother had an affair with an outsider and this was the side-effect. It disgraced her mother and forced her mother to deny Saiaka.
She ran using her ninja speed into the only lasting garden and found a secluded area by the pond and sat down. She leaned against a tree and hugged her knees. Why did her mother have to hate her? She didn’t mean to fail her by not activating Byakugan. She worked harder to excel in everything else to try to gain everyone’s acceptance. She even became a jonin at the age of 17 because of her advanced skills. She had been a jonin for 2 two years already.
She sighed. What did it matter? No one cared anyway. She was still the black sheep. The outcast. No one looked twice at her after Tousen died. He was the only one in the clan to accept her. To love her. She had loved him very deeply before he had died. But that was 4 years ago. She was kicked out of the manner the day after he was gone. He had protected her and without his protection, they had seen no reason not to kick her out.
She punched her knee, not realizing that she poured chakra into the punch and caused a huge bruise. She knew she shouldn’t think about him or any of them. It would just upset her. His loss still hurt her deeply. Her heart ached for him. New tears welled up in her eyes. Sometimes she hated the pain that life brought her. Where was the justice in it? How was this fair?
“You know, you’ll hurt yourself if you keep hitting yourself like that,” said a voice from above her.
She jumped, startled, and jerked her head up. It was Kakashi. She had seen him from afar and had heard much about him. He was strong. He had earned quite a name for himself and he was Naruto’s teacher. “I didn’t realize anyone was here,” she said quietly.
“I go unnoticed when I want to. I’ve seen you here a lot. I’m guessing this is where you come to think and let your emotions out. You don’t want anyone to see how much pain you’re in,” he responded as he jumped from the branch. He landed in a crouch beside her.
“You’ve been watching me,” she stammered, an edge in her voice.
“Well, yes. I’ve been curious about you. I didn’t intentionally seek you out and stalk you if that’s what you’re implying. This too, is where I come to think,” he said while looking up at the sky.
She too, followed his gaze. The stars were shining brightly. It was beautiful. “Well, I guess it would make sense that you’ve taken notice to me then. But I really wish you had made your presence known before,” she replied, making it known with her voice that she didn’t like that he had seen her at her most vulnerable.
“I’m sorry. I should have, but I wanted to figure out why you were in so much pain, and I knew that if I had made myself known too soon, you would have stopped coming here. I didn’t want to take this place away from you,” he said softly.
“How do you know that I’ll continue to come here after this,” she challenged.
“I don’t. But I hope you do. I’d like for you to tell me your story one day. This can be a place that we share. If you ever need anyone to talk to, just come here and say my name,” he smiled as he spoke.
She noticed that he assumed that she already knew his name, which she did, but he was avoiding putting her in a position where she had to give her name in return. “My name is Saiaka Hyuga,” she told him, her stomach fluttering as if she had butterflies. Where did this feeling come from all of a sudden? Why did she all of a sudden feel nervous, shy, and unsure of herself.
“Saiaka, huh? Sounds nice. Well, I guess I’ll be off and leave you to your thinking,” he replied as he stood up and stretched. He began to walk away slowly.
“Wait,” Saiaka called.
He stopped and looked back.
She flushed. “I-um. I won’t be back for a few days. I’m going on a mission. I don’t know how long it’ll be before I return. I hope to see you when I get back. If you’re lucky, I might give you a few tidbits about my story,” she grinned.
He grinned back. “When you return then. Safe journeys,” he said to her and disappeared.
