heartache

Kikuchi clan was one of strongest and part of the elite. The members of it had outstanding abilities, it's own kekkei genkai being carried in their blood. Angelic-like appearance, clan where women were the designated heirs. Yukiko was not only the current leader of it, but also a pregnant wife of Kenji Kikuchi, who took her name at marriage.

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Yukiko went into labour while peacefully sipping her cup of matcha tea at their place, causing her husband to panic. A rush to hospital, medics everywhere around them, and soon, the woman was holding a newborn, while Kenji had tears in his eyes. The little girl opened her eyes and looked at her mother.

"Yui..."

Yukiko suddenly broke the silence. The eyes of the child were black and deep like the stars, a dreamful look in them. The word caused Kenji to look up at her from the infant with a soft smile.

"That's right, our little Yui..."

---

Their family life was one they never imagined. It was a pure perfection with a loving marriage, cute daughter and a peaceful home. Yui was growing healthily, soon her hair could be tied into two small wavy ponytails, which Yukiko loved to play with. It was some shades darker than her mother's, but it was obvious she inherited that blue hair from her side of the family. They all were happy, or were they?

Kenji, after the marriage, could often hear snarky comments behind his back about his masculinity, coming from the fact he married a woman stronger than him. Other men, joking between eachother how he needs her to protect him, single ladies, who thought he was more "man-like", even old ladies were saying that he was no real man. Those comments always bothered Kenji, who since he was a child, was insecure when it came to his strength, but his love for his wife was a lot stronger than any impact those remarks could have.

Things took a different turn though after Yui's birth. The amount of comments increased, and he started to fell even weaker. Instead of turning his attention towards his new family, Kenji turned it towards books and magazines. Of course, he tried to be happy for his daughter's new achievements, but couldn't bring himself to show genuine happiness. Soon, his own problems took over him, causing him to fall into a depression.

---

Yukiko noticed. A few months, he was able to cover it up. But after some time passed, it was bound to be noticed, and his wife desperately tried to help him. Yui was about 3 years old now, so she didn't fully understand how things work, but she was a smart kid. Kenji was taken to specialists by Yukiko, and things seemed to take a better turn, giving his wife and daughter hope.

---

It was a nice day outside. Not too hot, not too cold. Yukiko took Yui to ran a few errands together, like groceries and dropping off dry cleaning. When they were on their way home, Yui held a small, light-weight grocery bag with some sweets, while her mother had two larger ones, with cooking supplies. Talking about new things she learned recently, she strolled a bit further than Yukiko. One of the things reminded her of her father, so the little Yui ran towards the door of their house to tell her about it. When the door was opened, Yui quickly ran towards the kitchen to put off the little bag, but before it could be done, all of the contents of it were on the floor. The sweet child didn't even notice it though, her mind was only focused on the body, which belonged to her father, hanging from the ceiling, lifeless. His eyes, nothing was in them. A note was laying on the the table within Yui's short reach, so she took it. The contents of it though were very vague to her, as she only recently started her journey in writing and reading, being taught by Yukiko. She could understand a few words, like "village", "sorry" or "worthy". Soon, her mother entered the house, quickly realizing the situation. The bags she held were dropped onto the floor, as she ran towards Yui, covering her eyes and hugging her tightly, her own eyes starting to tear up. Yukiko could feel Yui's tears on her hand, as the young girl realized her father was dead, his life being taken by him himself. He wasn't coming back, and it was now just the two of them. That memoriable day was one of the longest days of their lifes.

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Some months passed and Yui recently reached the age of 4. While at the supermarket, she overheard some ladies talk about her while her mother went into a different alley.

"Isn't that the Kikuchi daughter? Her father committed suicide like... 5 months ago, didn't he?" The blonde woman said.
"I think so... It's a shame he was such a weakling for such handsome face!" The other one added.

Yui wasn't a dummy. She quickly got to the conclusion why he took such step, blaming herself partly for it. But hey, life's not over yet, her mother is still here!

---

It was a cold night when Yui suddenly woke up from her sleep due to weird sounds. She always was an early bird, but it was still too early, even for her. The girl left her room to check what was happening, but all she was met with was muffled voices and people running and jumping outside of her house. Deciding to ignore it, she went back to her room, just to see a note near her bed. The letter turned out to be a promise from her mother, a promise that they will see eachother again. The contest of the note explained the current situation to Yui, how Yukiko needed to leave and that things will get hard, but the woman reassured her daughter that everything will work out in the end. Yukiko also told Yui how to enter a sealed library, one with books and scrolls that were passed down since ancient times in their family. It was supposed to be shown to her once genin rank is reached by her, but due to the current circumstances such thing couldn't happen. As her last wish, the mother asked her daughter for one thing.

"Once we meet again... Show me how much you achieved."

Yui felt... weak. It happened, nothing she could do about it now. At the age of 6, the little girl lost both of her parents and was all alone now. She knew the only thing she had left was to become stronger, enough to see her mother once again. Training and studying, every day. All the documents and books that were kept hidden about Kikuchi clan were now to Yui’s disposition and she didn't let that go to waste. She learned the jutsus while reading the books and scrolls. Obsessively. All the time she had was spent in the library. Insanity could be slowly seen in her eyes, she now had a dream. A dream to see her mother, and achieve happiness with her as a family once again.