After a short pause, the voice spoke again. "You know what day it is, right?"
She recognized the voice as her mother's.
It was the day before Fumiko's birthday. To be exact, she would be turning 4. Birthdays were an annual occurrence, but there was an underlying reason this day would be so important for her. Her 4th birthday would mark the beginning of her training; something her father had promised to help her with. But there was also another tradition practiced around the 4th birthday; a dark tradition that would change her life forever. It was a tradition that was prohibited from speaking about to any member of the branch family who hadn't undergone it already.
Fumiko was still too young, blindly unaware of this; with a childlike bliss to the harsh truths lurking behind the world. Her mother considered it to be a gift. Like a sprouting dandelion, unbeknownst to the the foreign outside world. Until the wind blows, ripping the seeds from its pistil and spreading the cycle anew. Because she knew that one day, her innocence would be tainted just like that dandelion.
"Mother?" She opened her eyes, finding her mother seated comfortably next to her. Her mother smiled while gently placing her hand on her daughter's, lifting her fingers until they clasped together. But there was so much doubt held behind her mother's seemingly innocent smile.
She didn't realize it then, but she recognized that same, scrutinizing expression on most of her clansmen. The same clansmen that were taught from early on to uphold obedience and subservience above all else. Above the village, above their loved ones, above themselves. But unlike them, she wasn't completely disadvantaged either.
Although Fumiko herself inherited from the branch family, she held many privileges that other clansmen weren't as fortunate to have. Her father was the advisor to Lord Hiashi. And although her mother wasn't a Hyuga through lineage, she was able to secure these privileges as well. Thus, they were granted with a modest sense of authority and status within the lower branch. Their safety, though limited as progeny of the branch family, was held with deeper significance and security. In a way, it was the one thing she took for granted.
![[written by apr1lshowers]](https://img.wattpad.com/2fe7388566fef39364d7c6292a914c436f6097d3/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f73754877774d4547426d423852513d3d2d313033353438333936332e313734313163343137653034313765383836333035343831343738332e6a7067?s=fit&w=720&h=720)
