Side Story *Hyuuga Hotari

Hotari cannot remember her mother's face clearly anymore. But she remembers that she was beautiful and that she loved her.

She loved her mother the most – her beautiful, delicate, cold mother who never held her, smiled at her or spoke to her willingly. But had protected her from her so-called father's wrath every single time, without fail and the bruises on her mother's face only made her more beautiful in her eyes.

"She isn't my daughter; no child of mine should like anything like that man!"

There are rumors that she was the child of his mother's lover, dead and buried, never to return. But her mother does not pay it any mind and tells her to be strong against any accusations.

"You are a Hyuuga and Hyuugas are strong."

Her mother was so strong, so very, very strong. She admired her for her strength and her coldness.

Hotari knows that her mother didn't want her, had never wanted her and it hurts her so much to think about that. But she was thankful nonetheless that her mother had still protected her for all those years.

The one-time her mother cried was over a ring she had lost – a ring from a dead lover never to return. Something she cherished enough to show her own weakness. Her father never knew because he did not care for his wife, or for his own daughter. Hotari's father had his mistresses and her mother had no one.

She was so beautiful when she cried and it made her heart wrench in pain. She skipped her lessons and plowed through the gardens for the ring.

She found it hiding beneath the rocks near the large pond in the compound and she remembers her bruised hands and bloody nails and the sheer joy that overwhelmed her heart when she held that ring in her small hands.

She remembers rushing back and running down the halls and finding her beautiful, elegant- cold, cold – mother sitting there with her pale grey eyes. Her mother had opened her mouth to scold her but she remembers laughing, joyfully, brightly, as she held out the ring to her.

It was the first and last time her mother ever smiled at her. Hotari remembers how bright and warm her smile was, how she had finally, finally looked at her with some sort of affection... with Love... Her mother holds her in her arms crying. This was the first time her mother told her that she loves her, she loves her more than anything and anyone else

"Thank you Hotari, my little firefly… thank you for bringing him back to me."

And the next morning, her mother was dead.

Drowned, the servants whispered, in the pond… she had slit her own wrists.

Her mother left her a message telling her that she loved her

Hotari remembers her father's solemn face as he stormed out of the compound. She remembers how peaceful her mother had looked and the smile on her face and she remembers the hot tears running down the face as she clenched her eyes – she's gone. Gone. GONE.

Her mother was cremated and her ashes scattered in the winds. Hotari remembers kneeling before the plaque with her mother's name and clutching the two rings she had held in her cold hands. Hotari cries and cries and doesn't stop.

She finally completed her Academy...

But then, she meets him.

Ryo with no last name... he came out of orphanage, the genius who completed his academy in just 12 months, a record never seen before, he had dark – cold – eyes like her mother, and beautiful and strong and it's as if her mother has come back from the grave in a different form.

Hotari remembers him being there for her whenever she needed, comfort her whenever she needed, she taught him Hyuuga style, she remembers him changing the entire style to his need... truly a god given genius

And she remembers her heart skipping a beat for a little boy with cold eyes who smiles at her so warmly and comforts her when she needs it.

"Hotari, you know, fireflies carry our wishes to the dead," Ryo tells her at night when the stars are all glowing in the sky.

And he looks at her with those eyes and smiles, "I think your mother gave you that name for a reason."

"Fireflies", she whispers and her hands swallow a small, bright light before opening once more and releasing back into the air.

"What did you wish for mother?"

She fell in love with him, she knows she loves him and she is willing to die for him.

He does not feel that way she knows about Mikoto Uchiha his girlfriend, she hated the girl with a passion but didn't do anything about it

She tried to forget him, but the feelings just grew stronger and stronger

And she dies for him, she has never been happier.

"I protected you this time, didn't I?"

Then she sees his tears

"Ryo-kun..... I wonder what would have happened... if I were the one you would have met in the academy.... would you have loved me instead of her?"

Ryo holds her tightly.

"Please, don't die, *Hic* please don't", he begged her crying

"Will you kiss me, I thin-", before she could finish her sentence he kissed her

"Hotari, please don't die" *hic*hic

"I wish… that… I could have… spent more time with you…"

Her eyes begin to dim.

And them her life flashes before her and she sees herself with Ryo – smiling, laughing, holding hands, getting married, their beautiful children and growing old together.

… She smiles…I love you...

[Here is the super sad chapter I promised]