Here is a quick note from the author. I do not speak English, it is not my native language nor do I have very much experience in it. I have however a deep interest in learning it, so this is a example of my hardwork. I love the Hyuga clan, and I hope you enjoy Izumi. Paragraphs in Italics are memories, by the way. Please correct any mistakes that you may see, and drop me a review. Thanks.

...

1.

It was an unpleasantly cold winter's night; snow was drifting through the air, the moon was sheltered by looming clouds, leaving the the grounds seeming ominous. Her finger brushed over the edge of the snow covered bench, tracing the familiar clan symbol that was carved into the marble seat. This was her small escape, her small peace in a world that was far too difficult for anyone. She admired the warm flames of the lantern; the constant dancing of the candle flicker was calming her nerves. Izumi let out a soft sigh, her hand running through her soft hair, frowning upon the realization that is was falling out, strand of long, egg plant purple hair in between her slender fingers.

She had once been beautiful, Izumi determined, she had once been a young woman with elegant looks. Her hair was long, often braided down her back, with two pieces framing a round face, and large lavender eyes. She wasn't the willowy type of pretty that most of her clan possessed, instead she was slender, but oak like in her mannerism and body shape, her shoulders were broad, and her hips prominent.

However, stress reduced her to a wraith. Her once beautiful, shiny purple locks had darkened, her once beloved hair accentuated her pallor. The worries of being a clan head had weighed her down until it became too hard to bear, it was her father who had ruined this clan, and it was she who would pay for his sins. Izumi was too mentally fragile to lead a clan of hatred, of seperation, and of secrets.

The quiet sound of the door behind her drew her attention as she turned away from her musing to stare up at the boy who interrupted her thoughts. He was of the Branch Family, a mere servant in the eyes of the Clan, and he was bowing politely on the ground, despite the snow under his palms, and she stood, bending down to the gently bring him up.

Without her formal robes on, instead in a light purple kimono, she felt more frail than ever, and used the boy to steady herself. "Is there something you needed, child?"

The boy gave her a nervous smile, his curse mark was clearly shown, and it was in that, Izumi realized how broken her clan truly was. How can a Clan Leader be loved and feared at once? It was not done, and while her unmarked members beloved her, those with the cursed mark had a deep fear of her. It was in that, that Izumi found sadness.

"Yes, Izumi-sama. This was delivered recently directly from Hokage-sama himself by a high ranking member of his clan." His bowed again, palms stretched forward in front of him as the woman sat down, and in his hands was a scroll of gold silk, the handles made of a fine wood, and it was sealed by a kanji of fire. She stared at for a moment, her eyes wondering from the boy who dared not look at her directly, to the message that was delivered at thirty minutes past midnight.

Her hands wrapped around it, slowly running her finger on the familiar kanji, before she opened it. The boy stood obediantly waiting for any need she might have, and she motioned him towards the other side of her seating, and despite his looks of discomfort at the lack of formality, he sat down after a sharp stare on Izumi's part. She unraveled the scroll slowly as she considered what this could mean for her clan.

"Has the messenger been given room and board? The winter is bitterly cold, and I wouldn't want him to catch his death from traveling in it." Izumi inquired as she looked towards the boy, who nodded without hesitation. Satistfied, she looked down at the parchment. Konohagakure no Sato was a recently formed village, and originally had been created from the alliance between the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan, and both had never been completely fond of the Hyuga, and this could be fatal towards the safety of her clan. Her eyes wondered down the parchment, soaking up all information that it had to offer, and she blew out a soft sigh, her warm breath showing white in the freezing air. A burst of wind blew her hair around her face, and the boy next to her shivered, his body wracked with chills, though no one would dare complain in front of her.

Izumi unclasped her fur cloak, one that has been quite costly and formerly belonged to her father, and wrapped it around him, despite his protests. "Will you not accept my gift to you?" She marveled, "Why is it that a gift from your leader is too unsightly to be worn?" He looked as if she had struck him, and babbling out apologies while she simply sighed.

"Do not apologise, dear boy." She affirmed, "I do not mind the cold, and I would rather be a little discomfortable than to see my own clansmen shiver." His shocked eyes stared at her own matching ones before she swept him in for a one sided hug, and rerolled the scroll that rested on her lap. Neither said a word, and Izumi found herself enthralled by the dance of the snowflakes that twirled towards to the ground like butterflies in spring, and for a few tender moments all was at peace. The clan was forgotten once more as a heavy weight was lifted with the small distraction of the snow. She laid her hands on her lap, neatly folded before she turned to the boy next to her.

"Konohagakure writes to us with a deep intentions." She announced, "Senju-san writes us to join his village. I ask your opinion on this matter." Izumi watched the boy fidget.

"I am a mere servant, Izumi-sama. It isn't my place-"

"I will tell you what your place is." Izumi interrupted. "They write of a place of peace, a place of happiness. Senju-san wishes us to join him, and we will not be the first to do so. Do you believe we should join?"

The boy looked conflicted, and the silence held for a moment before she spoke hesitantly. "If I may speak freely, I believe that it would be in our best interests to...join."

"Explain."

The lavender eyes boy stared out into the powders of the snow and nodded to himself before he continued. "Many villages are being formed, with Konoha being the wealthiest yet. Clans are flocking to join, and...and, I sincerely believe a lone clan will not survive."

Izumi took a moment to process this information before she spoke. "It is a pity you were born into the Branch family, you would make a brilliant advisor." The boy looked startled, openly gawking at the young woman, and she smiled back at him with a nurturing look. "And what of war?" She inquired, her eyes sharpening like the blades of a kunai.

"War is...there is peace now. Villages are being formed, differences are being settled since Senju-sama created an allied with the most bitter of enemies of his clan. Times have changed."

As her gaze fell back to the unblemished white around them and the snow began falling harder, she agreed. "Yes, times have changed."

...

Izumi leapt away, going off the side as her cousin charged towards her, dodging the surge of chakra he had aimed for her, then struck at his ribs, while tumbled backwards in a roll to avoid it. He was up as quickly as he was down, now he took up a defensive pose.

"Dearest Cousin, I believe you must actually strike me to win." Izumi taunted, her eyes changing as she activated her Byakugan and the veins protruded from the corners of her eyes.

With an angered cry, he charged at her, aiming a blow directly at her chest. A smirk etched onto the younger girl's face and she spun, dodging the attack completely, chakra exploded out of her body. It was channeled out of her hands, as she rotated, the wood of the floor exploding into splinters, as her chakra shot around the room. Not expecting this, her cousin leapt away and felt the chakra from her attack cutting at the skin because of the precision of the chakra strikes. When Izumi was finished, there was two seconds of open space for her cousin to attack. He swept his leg out in a low spin kick, preparing to knock her off her feet, but Izumi had already back flipped away, and left him no time to recover from his failed attack as she was already charging again.

Izumi smiled a geniuine grin as she blocked his attempt at offense, avoiding his counterattack, and thrust her two open palms into his chest with ease, sending him spiraling through the air until he crumbled onto the floor in a heap of broken flesh. Izumi resumed neutral position, her right arm by her side, slightly turned, with her left out stretched, and her legs spread to be able to defend or advance.

Her kekkai genkai slowly retracted, leaving her eyes plain, and she waited for her cousin to rise as he usually did, only to find the healers gathering him up, and only then did she realize she went too far.

"Enough, Izumi." Father's voice echoed in her ears as she watched them move her cousin away, leaving a patch of blood where he had fallen, and her stomach clenched because she had done that to him. Her pose relaxed and his face was stoic as usual, but pride swelled in his white eyes.

"Very good, Izumi. You have improved rapidly and done the clan honor. Natsu, you will do well to follow in your sister's footsteps." He asserted, his eyes turning cold as he gazed down at Izumi's younger sister, who kept her face blank, but her elder sister read those emotions as if from a scroll, and pitied the girl.

"Izumi, Natsu." He motioned them to the middle of the dojo, and Natsu froze in fear before she slowly approached where her elder sister stood, and slid into her position. "Begin."

Izumi smirked at her sister, the same one that had been worn during her fight with her cousin, and beckoned her over. Natsu hesitated before she took the challenge, and moved to strike her in her chest, but Izumi dodged and struck at her ribs with a swift counterattack. The palm of her hand barely grazed the area, but Natsu let out a quiet cry that made Izumi freeze long enough for the younger girl to pound her opem palms into her sister's chest, instict caused Izumi to jerk back, so it only barely touched, but the burn of chakra still stung, causing Izumi to falter in her escape.

With confidence from her blow, Natsu quickly got back into an offensive stance and charged towards Izumi once again. She struck, kicked, and used every tactic she knew to try to land another such blow, however Izumi was on par with her, successfully dodging and countering her attacks. Both pairs of lavender eyes were surronded by veins as the Byakugan was activated. Izumi wasn't quite sure how advanced her sister was, but that did not matter, because to her that one strike was a failure, and she did not take failure lightly.

"Hakke Kūshō." Natsu yelled, as a burst of chakra blasted from her hand.

Izumi leapt back, not intending to avoid the attack, but to find ground to counterattack, as soon as the chakra was discharged at her, she shot her own out. The two attacks striked the other, in what would have been a draw if only Natsu had been a little stronger, instead her chakra broke through and hit the girl dead on, sending her little sister into the wall.

Natsu was left panting, on her hands and knees, having used all her chakra on that last attack, and her Byakugan faded with the lack of energy to supply it. Izumi got into her stance once more, prepared to strike her down as quickly as possible. "Enough!" Father bellowed, which caused both girls heads to snap towards him.

His icy glare turned towards Natsu, "Even you cousin lasted longer in a fight, and he is only a servant." He shook his head in disappointment. "We are at war, it is a shame I will have to bury one of my daughters." Natsu bowed to her elder sister and to her father before she was dismissed, and Izumi wanted to call out to her, but choose instead to keep silent.

Perhaps, she could better repair the broken relationship if she did try to reach out to Natsu, to assure her of her strengths and promise that Neechan would protect her on the harsh battlefields, however Izumi had never tried before, and the fear of failure was too great for her to try. Father placed a hand onto her shoulder, "Izumi, we will be recieving a guest as of next week, and we will continue our training sessions in a more private location because of it." He avowed, which caused the ten year old to stare at him in confusion as to why, and he continued.

"We are in a dire need for more suitable allies, and as such, we have engaged Natsu to a young man in the Taketori Clan, and upon our agreement he will be coming here."

Perhaps, she could not reach out to her sister, but she could still protect her from the shadows, as a good sister should. Izumi argued, "She is only eight! And should Natsu not be allowed to choose her own husband when she is older? Why will we need allies so soon? What if this forsaken war ends?" However, before she could stop him, his hand has struck her, causing her to go tumbling to floor as pain exploded in her jaw.

"What a brat, you are! We are at war! Alliances are vital, and if you continue to speak like this, I will marry you off as well! Times will never change, and you will accept that! Natsu understands her duty as a member of our clan! It is time that you, as heiress, do the same!" He barked, turning away from her, and he exited the wooden dojo, while Izumi remained there on her place on floor, only a few inches from were her cousin had fallen.

"Times will never change." She murmured, as she dipped her fingers in her cousin's blood. "But perhaps..." Her dreams died on her lips. Times will never change.

...

Izumi sometimes wonders if she's truly the strong one, and that thought is painful because she has to be the strong one, Father hates failure. It's true, she is the one who perform the kata better, she is the one who can go into battles without any armour because no one gets through her defenses. Her list of achievements is quite long, however it is her little sister Natsu who she doubts herself over.

Ever since she was old enough to stand on her own two feet, Izumi was being groomed into the image that the clan wanted to see, they wanted a strong leader. Natsu was only two years younger, and naturally a prominent member of the clan. If Izumi died, it was up to her to take up the mantle of heir.

She saw the unspoken end to their praises; they wanted to tell her that she was strong—stronger and better than her sister, who they first thought to be a prodigy. Izumi had once been in the shadow of a younger sister, and her desire to be loved drove her to practice harder, until Natsu was only a passing thought in Father's mind, when his prize child was achieving more than anyone could dream of her being able to do.

When the time came for the two sisters to face off in battle, she had absolutely no hesitation in kicking her little sister down, though she did pause if it seemed she was in too much pain, however Natsu was better than her in ways that Izumi had never quite seen before.

Natsu can bring smiles to the faces of others, and she has seen how gentle she is with injured clansmen, she had noticed how she makes people laugh when they wished to cry, she has seen how Natsu can listen patiently, and most of all she had seen Natsu's smile. Her smile is once than shows how strong, gentle can be, for it holds happiness and worry, compassion and determination, and Izumi cannot smile like that.

Sometimes, for a fleeting moment like the wind, Izumi wonders if she is really the strone one.

...

Izumi glared at her cousin's back, her youthful pride insulted by her cousin's blatant disregard of her authority. "How dare you defy me?" She raged at her cousin.

Her elder cousin did not turn to face her but she could see the defiance in his rigid stance. His hands were clenched tightly into fists and there was silence. Enraged, Izumi's hand shot out, yanking him to look at her. His eyes were too calm, holding back a storm of anger at HER. As if she had done something wrong, and she had not.

"As I have explained, Izumi-sama," The younger girl flinched as she remembered a time that he had called her Zumi-chan, "I could not comply to your orders, instead I made a very thought out decision, and saved a few mens' lives." He stared at her almost like a dam ready to burst, however Izumi was already pouring out her anger.

"I gave YOU a direct order!" She screeched in his face, her finger was poking into his chest, and she had to rise on her toes to reach his level, but Izumi was so enraged she ignored it. How dare a lowly branch member openly defy her in the midst of a battlefield? She was his superior and heiress! s

His eyes were hard and his jaw was tight, like he was grinding his own teeth trying to maintain his calm aura, but Izumi was pushing him.

"I will not say it again," he said tersely. "I have apologized since we began our trip home, and I can only explain it as a move that allowed eight members of this clan to live to fight another day."

He held her gaze for a moment longer before he bowed politely, and swiftly turned to walk away.

A red haze clouded her vision, her mind racing with a image of Father scolding her for her inability to control a member of a weaker class. She'd never activated a curse seal before nor had she even seen it done, so she did not know know what to expect. What she did not see coming was the screaming and begging. Izumi watched as her proud older cousin thrashed about fitfully, tearing at his own hair, howling as he did so. Finally he crumbled to floor, and perplexed she went to make sure he was not dead.

His body laid haphazardly as if a child had careless tossed a broken toy away, and his eyes were wide as he dealt with an unimaginable pain, and Izumi only stared on in her own bout of horror at the scene. His muscles spasmed and he could not properly inhale, leaving his mouth gaping as he struggled to get air into his lungs.

A sudden wave of nausea struck the young woman, and she bent over dry gagging, and swifly deactivated the seal. Her poor cousin was gasping in large puffs of air, his muscles still quaking as if they were being shocked, and he curled in on himself, going into the fetal position.

Falling to her knees, with tears dripping down her cheeks, she buried her face in his neck. "I...I promise. I'll never use this again." Izumi knew she would get brutally beaten when it was reported she acted like a mere child, but she did not care. They stayed in such a position for a good while, before Izumi had him taken to healers, her promise still firm in her mind.

She would be a clan leader that would forever leave a mark in the history of the clan for her kindness, she promised. Izumi could never get rid of the Curse Mark, but she swore she (as leader) would never use it again. Years later, Izumi was still making up for her terrible deed against her cousin, even if he assured her that all was forgiven.

...

Izumi imagined her death differently. She imagined flashes of her life that truly mattered, like the day of Natsu's wedding, or the day of Chōrō's birth, he was her favorite (and only) nephew. She imagined seeing her ceremony that marked her Clan Head, or being in the middle of a battlefield.

However, as the last memory of her cousin slipped from her mind, an aloofness from everything earthly so it was like she was floating. Even Natsu's tears on her cheeks seemed so far away. She accepted her death with all the grace a 22 year old could, and she could no longer claim that she had any regrets. She had joined her clan to Konohagakure, she had made that dear Branch boy into an advisor so his part of the family had an opinion. She had done well.

Formerly she had feared the end. She had been terrified at what happened when you died, however she no longer felt fear or anything else for that matter. Izumi had felt fear when she first began to feel her illness, her looks faded, and her strength dimmed. She prefered to believe it was her will that kept her alive to change what needed to be changed within the clan. Izumi was free of the bondage of life that had restrained her for so long, she no longer feared death, and had ceased to think about it as the end of life. Instead, she imagined that this was the beginning of a life in a world of purity.

Perhaps, perhaps, Father would forgive her for changing his clan, and her long dead clansmen would be proud of her allowing Branch members an opinion on the matters of the clan. All pain had slipped away from her like sand running from between her fingers, and her wheezing was slowing.

She died with a slight smile on her face, with one last thought.

Times have certainly changed...

...

Izumi was just thoughts, just air. There was nothingness all around her, like she was simply nowhere and everywhere all at once. Was this what it was like to be dead? When you died, you simply floated through the darkness of time and space, and nothing truly mattered because you are dead?

Floating. Waiting. Floating in the dark with only glimpses of a light not meant for her, if only...

Izumi had no sense of how long she had been in this state. It felt as if very essence had ripped apart, leaving her into becoming simple a soul, like the wind on the breeze. Never had she known such sensation, nor had she been so tormented with seperation from familiarity. She prayed feverishly for her dearest Natsu to appear, her sister would save her. She retreated, further and deeper in herself; waiting only for a call, or a light that was meant for her to go into, she wished for an invitation into the Pure Land. She waited until...

Something stirred within the darkness. Suddenly, there is a reaching, a pulling like someone had wrapped its arms around her and began tugging her down. She was caught in a field of gravity. It plunges down, irresistibly down towards a blinding white light, all she remembers next is long, flowing white hair, and two demonic Byakugan eyes, before she screeched a wild wail of agony. Then there is silence.