On the third day of Sagisō's hospitalization, her eyes flittered, fluttered, flickered and finally, snapped open. The first thing groggy and confused girl noticed was a tall, wide-eyed woman. The contours of her face, soft yet firm, feeling vaguely familiar to the bedridden kunoichi. The two women stared at each other, as if staring at a reflection, albeit the woman's skin was much paler than Sagisō's and her dark wispy hair was cut short at her waist as opposed to Sagisō's equally inky hair that (having been released when she'd been admitted to the hospital) pooled in ropes on the kunoichi's chest, draped over her shoulders, and curtained off her bed and onto the ground. A thick silence hung between them, the only communication being the exchange of glances between their limpid magenta pupils.
There was an odd familiarity that lingered between them, not something birthed of affection or friendship but a deeper more compelling force that stemmed from the ties within the blood coursing through their veins. The instant Sagisō had laid eyes on the woman she'd known... She was a Hyūga, but more importantly than that they had very close blood-ties.
The revelation left her mind reeling and scrambling to answer each of the myriads of questions stampeding through her head. Her mouth opened and closed, a stream of soundless words escaping her lips as hoarse gasps. It seemed like she hadn't quite recovered full control of her body, the long period of sleep had left her muscles stiff and unresponsive. After a few more failed attempts at voicing her queries, Sagisō simply leaned back onto her bedhead in resignation, frustration apparent on her face. A peal of bell-like laughter filled the room as the older woman finally broke the silence. Her cheeks were flushed, and upon closer inspection, Sagisō could see the tear stains streaking down her cheeks. The woman rushed forward, her arms sweeping outwards, embracing the -at this point rather startled- genin. Sagisō stiffened in her embrace, her throat quivering as she once again struggled to speak her mind- that was until she felt a cool wetness soaking through her fabric of her sarashi and moistening her skin. Then came the trembling- no, the dry heaves as the woman's body was racked with sobs.
Although she knew the woman was in some way related her, the fact remained that Sagisō didn't know who she was, and to have a 'stranger' suddenly start sobbing over her injured body... well, the awkward mix of emotion that swirled in her eyes said it all. She wanted to struggle, to writhe and squirm her way out of this unwanted embrace, but she lacked the strength. That, however, wouldn't stop her from trying. She prepared to push the woman backward when a sharp pain pierced into her from her arms. A cursory glance on her part found them bandaged in white rolls of medical tape, and clearly out of commision. Her mind jumped back to Kai's final desperate attack, and she smoldered with rage...'Even a cornered rabbit will bite back, much less a dog like him...but even then...even a dog knows better than to bite its betters...'
A murderous fury swam through her eyes, and a renewed resolve pumped through her veins. She would get this detestable woman off her and then-
"I'm so glad you're alright Sagisō...Oh, you look just like my sister...she...would've been proud to see her sweetheart in the Chūnin exams..."
Between sobs and sniffles, the woman managed to eek out a single sentence, and Sagisō shuddered. Her eyes glossed over as she realized exactly who this woman was. Her emotions bubbled, tossed and turned, churning like the rolling waves of a storm-battered sea. Amongst all the girl's feelings, one stood out, an intense longing for something she'd never had... and would never receive, the warmth of parental affection. A different warmth rose within her, the simmering heat of rage. It lit a fire under her, goading the kunoichi to lash out; lash out against that insufferable xenophobic freak that'd landed her here, lash out against this woman who acted as if she understood all her pain when in truth she understood nothing, lash out against the world that'd-
"You know...your name had originally been Tsubaki...'longing'...but your current name...Sagisō...it must've been a gift from your mother...'my thoughts will follow you in your dreams'...quite...fitting...much better than 'longing'..."
Another shudder passed through the girl's body, her rising anger caught in her throat, stifling her breath. She felt the arms around her tightening, the embrace firm yet strangely...comforting. The story behind her name brought it new meaning and a sense of reconciliation. The parental affection she'd longed for having been present the whole time...a memoir of her parents carved into her very essence. The walls that she'd erected, the cheerful front that hid her uncertainties...collapsed soundlessly.
Sinking into the bosom of the only family she'd ever known...Sagisō wept.
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Exhausted from the upheaval of emotions Sagisō had quickly drifted off to sleep. When she awoke her Aunt, Hinagiku as she'd learned, informed her of Azumi's visit. It was a shame that she'd been soundly asleep during the Ame-nin's visit, but she perked up once she learned Azumi was free to visit her at the Hyūga clan estate.
Days flew by, and with the inability to use her arms Sagisō had come to rely on her aunt- or more precisely her aunt's daughter, Furījia. The bubbly, nonsensical girl had spent the better part of the week nursing her slightly older cousin, all the while engaging in what training the duo could handle. It appeared there were a few jutsu in the Hyūga's repository that didn't require the user's arms or even hand signs.
When Sagisō had finally gotten the bandages on her arms removed they'd really kicked into high gear. Her Aunt was a cruel mistress and the fluid, masterful motions of the Hyūga's gentle fist art would not permit sloppy execution. Although Sagisō had always thought herself to have had excellent chakra control, she soon learned that before the Hyūga, who boasted techniques that required fine control and emission of chakra from all 361 chakra points in the body, she'd been 'displaying petty tricks before an expert', and her prided chakra control was in truth, simple child's play.
The day before the second stage of the Chūnin Exams, in one of the Hyūga clans larger courtyards, Sagisō and her cousin Furījia lay prone on cold wooden floors, looking very much like sacks of potatoes someone had beaten with a mallet and then tossed to the side of the road for the wild animals to devour. Simply put, they'd been battered and broken. The culprit stood in the middle of the courtyard, her appearance ethereal and unsullied, drawing sharp contrast to the girls who seemed to have been rolled in the mud before being left for dead.
"Kids these days...as fragile as soggy paper, all it takes is a poke to down them..."
Hinagiku sighed in lament and deactivated her Byakugan. She'd taken to training her two daughters personally after she'd watched them sparing in the courtyard one fateful morning. They'd laughed jovially doubting her ability to handle both of them at once, they were quite the fighters after all, and the duo had an uncanny sense of synchrony. She'd smiled at them, claiming that if they could defeat her in 2 hours she'd give them a prize.
Forget 2 hours, after a week of sneak attacks, booby traps, schemes and direct combat the duo found themselves handily beaten down time and time again. Eventually, having developed some pity towards her proteges, Hinagiku had lowered the requirement to 'landing a single blow' on her person. Evidently, by the current state of the duo, they were nowhere near closer to that goal than they had been on day 1, their greatest achievement to date being withstanding the older woman's assault for a full 5 minutes.
They clearly had much to learn...
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The day of the Chūnin exams Sagisō slinked through the crowd, entering the stadium where the Chūnin exams were to be held. Her excite dulled by the aches and pangs that echoed from her entire body. Although they'd have no effect on her fighting capabilities, they were still a reminder of the crushing defeat at the hands of her aunt. "Even 5 of me couldn't stand up to that demoness..."
"I'm glad to see you're recovering well dearie, maybe we can go for another round after these exams~?" Unbeknownst to the genin her aunt and adoptive mother had somehow managed to sneak up on her and catch her completely unguarded, and she didn't seem too pleased with being bad-mouthed behind her back. An unsettling smile hung on her lips, one that seemed completely at peace amidst the underworld's most vicious demons and Asura.
A shrill screech of 'Hyyyyyiiii~' pierced through the festive of the stadium as Sagisō fled in terror, heading towards the waiting room that'd been prepared for participants. A loving(?) cry of "I'll be watching ~" echoed behind her, sending shivers down her back.