It was raining. Everything in the forest was glistening; the ground was moist but not muddy. Hinata blinked as a drop of water got caught o her eyelash. She had brought an umbrella, but didn't want to use it.

She thought of how thankful she was for wearing waterproof mascara that day. She usually never wore any makeup at all, but thanks to hanging out with Ino, (in minor secrecy), Hinata had learned quite a few things about "being a girl". People underestimated Ino, and she was very different around Hinata than she was among others.

She was very helpful if you just asked. And Hinata had asked, thinking perhaps a little "girlying up" could help her around the boys. She had finally realised that there other boys than Naruto, and why not give life a try? And Hinata and Ino quickly became close friends; they were good for each other. Hinata calmed Ino down, who in return helped Hinata climb out of her shell. As friends the really completed each other and brought out the best of one another.

Hinata looked up at the sky for the hundredth time. She loved the rain, how it mercilessly cleaned everything, how it brought life and made everything shine. She smiled in her loneliness. She would always count on the rain. It always came back.

A wind that made her shiver slightly brought her back to reality from her thoughts. She continued to walk toward the glen where she was supposed to meet Kakashis team, Shino and Jiraiya. Kiba and Kurenai were on another mission together.

Hinata was late, but didn't care. It spoke against her personality, but Ino had calmed her down quite a bit, and besides; she would hardly be later than Kakashi. Or so she thought.

"Gosh, where is she? It's not like her to be late!" Naruto Exclaimed.

"Well, aren't you the master of the obvious!" Sakura answered and opened up her umbrella.

"Well in that case I'm better than you; at least I'm the master of something!" Naruto teased.

"You take that back! I'll show you..." Sakura yelled, but was interrupted by an annoyed Kakashi.

"Calm down you two, she's not that late. She'll probably be here any minute."

"She's later than you!" the both screamed at the same time. Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"Well, I was bound to be beaten at it someday." Kakashi kept on smiling. Sasuke frowned.

Jiraiya was reading a small notebook. Kakashi picked up one of his books, leaned against a tree and began to read. He heard how Naruto started to tease Jiraiya about being a pervert, and how Sakura, Shino and Sasuke started to speak about the mission. Then he heard them all turn completely quiet. He look up from his book to see what was going on, and his eyes widened in surprise whenever he looked to see where their eyes were focused.



Hyuuga Hinata was walking down the hill toward the glen where they were waiting, seemingly completely unaware of their existence. Her eyes were looking up at the sky, unbothered by the rain, and she seemed to glow as she smiled as the rain gently brushed her face. But that wasn't the only thing that made her seem different. Her entire body language had changed. Her back was straight, her arms were hanging relaxed down her sides and her steps were soft but determined. And then the clothes...

Her gray jacket was nowhere to be seen; instead she wore a more feminine cloud-gray coat that reached down to her mid-thighs and a plain lavender dress that reached down to her knees. She had black leggings that reached down a decimetre below her knees and silver-gray sandals. Her short hair was wet from the rain and laid tight to her face and neck.

Sakura was in less shock than the others, knowing Hinata had hung out with Ino, but she was none the less surprised. She smiled to herself. Hinata was a big girl now, and it seemed like the boys around her had noticed, finally. Even Sasuke had lifted his eyebrows a little, but coming from Sasuke it equalled the other men's facial expressions.

Naruto looked like he'd been struck by lightning; Kakashi looked at Hinata in strange disbelief, as if he was dreaming, Jiraiya was stuck in the middle of turning a page and Shino just froze and dropped his jaw. Hinata turned her gaze from the sky and stopped dead in front of them as she suddenly became aware of their existence. Then her cheeks turned the same colour Sakura had on her hair.

"Hi", she said innocently at the quiet group of people in front of her, thanking Kami that she hadn't stuttered. But knowing herself, it would probably start soon.

"S-sorry I'm late." The others still didn't say a word.

Sakura blinked at her, then smiled.

"Hi Hinata, we just wondered where you were. I mean, it's not like you to be late."

Shino picked up his jaw again. "Sure isn't..." He was thankful that his jacket covered his face, as he felt himself blush deeply.

Jiraiya and Kakashi slammed their books together at the same time, faces turning towards each other in a small statement that this was real. Sasuke lowered his eyebrows back to their normal position. Narutos cheeks turned pink.

"Wow..." he said in a low voice, as if all the air had been beaten out of him. At that comment Hinatas face went deeply red and she looked down at the ground.

"Thank you... " This was more embarrassing than she had imagined it. She'd been out to bars with Ino a couple of times, so getting looks was nothing new to her, but this was just ridiculous.

Kakashi broke the silence. "What do you guys say about leaving now?"

They all looked at him, then nodded.

Hinata smiled and stayed close to Sakura, who smiled at her with a glimpse in her eye. "You sure look different today. But really nice."

"T-thank you, Sakura-chan. I did my best." She smiled back at her, a little pink still left on her cheeks.

The rain had stopped and Hinatas hair was drying in the wind. She loved the wind almost as much as the rain, but liked it best when they worked together. She thought that it looked so beautiful when the wind swept the rain across the glades in the forest. Whenever she watched it she wished it would never stop.

Kakashi travelled last. His eyes fell upon Hinata, the girl whom he hardly had recognized when she came down the hill. "Hinata is a big girl now." He mumbled to himself.

Sasuke had felt his pulse increasing as he saw her looking up at the sky. She was so different from when he'd last seen her. She didn't seem to be as shy as she had always been, what had changed her so dramatically? He'd never admit it, but he suddenly wanted to know more about her. The shadow of a smile played on his lips, which caused Naruto to look at him with a puzzled face.

Narutos mind was blank. When did she turn in to a woman? When did she become so... beautiful...? His head was spinning. He felt a soft spot growing in his heart. So this was the new Hyuuga Hinata? She seemed lovely...

Shino wondered in disbelief where his shy, stuttering, blushing teammate had gone, and who this new girl was, this confident, straight-backed and... well... less stuttering and less blushing... who on earth was that? Shino suspected that Ino had changed Hinata in more than one way, the same way Hinata seemed to have changed her. She was even nice to Choji these days, which surprised more people than just himself. And this new Hinata Seemed to take everybody with at least as much surprise that Ino had.

Jiraiya smiled to himself. He had just gotten a brilliant idea for a new book. He wondered to himself, if he could somehow manage to get more... inspiration... somehow. He had a few techniques he could use, but perhaps he should try to develop a new one? There sure were possibilities for that now.