"Where do you think you are going?"

"Eeek!" Kokoro stopped in the mid of running towards the exit of the house. She slowly turned to her right, looking through the kitchen area where her father, mother and baby Hinata were. Her father sat down at the table sipping on tea, her mother was washing the dishes and Hinata was sitting in a low baby seat besides her father, playing with cut up veggies in her plate.

"I was going to go out for a bit..." She said softly, not wanting to upset her father. She slowly pushed her shoulders upwards, trying to shrink away her neck and slouched over, tapping her index fingers together.

He let out an angry groan, "You know that it is Hinata's third birthday. We have to go see my brother's family to pass on the curse seal to your cousin, Neji." Although he did not raise his voice, his tone gave her chills. She hated when he spoke so calm, yet with so much anger behind his words.

"Ah..." She tapped her finger on her chin, "well... you see, I know that." She threw out her flat hand towards her parents, "I'll be home before it. Don't worry! I'll even be all dressed up formally by the time I arrive... ha ha."

He slammed his hand flat on the table, making her jump a bit. Sweat began to form on the side of her forehead. She gulped loudly.

"Nonsense! Kokoro, do you forget your duty as the heiress?"

"but da-"

"No buts! Today is important for your sister. Now come here and have breakfast with your family."

She sighed softly, stumbling into the kitchen area and stomped heavily as she slowly walked towards the table.

Her mother glanced over her shoulder, looking at her husband and daughters, "Hiashi, give her a break! She's fifteen and worked her ass off to get where she is already! She's a jonin. Can't you lighten up and be a little more proud and relaxed around her? You've put her through hell already."

He growled a bit, mumbling words to himself before replying, "Honey, can you not swear..."

Kokoro's face slowly lit up as her mother lectured her father.

"Besides, you know Kokoro goes visit her team's almost every morning. It's a tradition of hers."

He crossed his arms, sighing heavily, "fine, fine, fine. Just don't be late! You hear?"

Kokoro and her mother made eye contact. She smiled softly to her, in return, Kokoro smiled back, nodding slightly to thank her mother.

She quickly ran towards her father, side kissing him on his cheek, "thank you, father!" She then knelt down beside her baby sister and helped hand over a sliced up carrot to Hinata. "Here, Hinata. I love you." She said softly to her and watched as her small hands reached out towards the carrot, stuffing it into her mouth. Hinata smiled big at her older sister. Kokoro smiled back rubbing the top of her hair gently.

She then stood up and began to run back out towards the outside hallway, the weather was a little chilly since it was winter time, but the sun still shined down brightly. She waved to her family and said bye before sprinting off.

Kokoro gently rested a white rose on Rin's grave. She sighed deeply, "Rin... I wish you were still here." She looked down at her grave one last time before walking off with the rest of the white roses in her hand where she walked towards the memorial stone. She put the rest of the roses on the platform. She gently brushed her hand against their names, closing her eyes to remember how they looked.

"Roku-sensei, Genji, Kina, why'd you have to leave me here alone? Kina, and your sister, Rin, is gone, Shinzune left with Lady Tsunade... Anko is missing as well. It's just me and Kurenai... It's a bit lonely without you, Kina."

She sat there thinking to herself, not believing how most of the girls around her age has left or were deceased already. It was quite lonely for her to only have one girlfriend around now. Her eyes sadden and started to water up. She quickly wiped away her tears before they could fall. The sun reflected from the memorial stone causing her to cover her eyes with her hand from the beam of light. She then lifted up her head, seeing the sun directly above her.

"Oh crap! It's noon already. I'm going to be late."

She quickly turned around beginning to run, until she noticed a boy in an ANBU outfit with a mask on, and grayish, white spiky hair in her way. Her eyes widen realizing the two of them would collide. She fastly spun around him, avoiding their collision. Without stopping, she continued to run, only glancing over her shoulder and waving a hand to say sorry; she could tell that he was watching her run off.

She pondered the thought of who this man was as she made her way down the road back to her house.

By the time she got there, the branch family was already there. She panted from her sprint back home, slowly closing the door behind her. She rushed to the family gathering seeing her mother and father eyeing her already. Her father gave her the death glare. She awkwardly made her way towards the front of the ceremony, sitting next to her mother. Her mother then leaned near her and mumbled, "Kokoro... You're late and you aren't even in your formal wear..."

She scooted her face near her mother's whispering, "I'm sorry... I lost track of time. Who knows, maybe they thought I just came back on a mission or work. I don't know. They don't know my life."

Her mother sighed from her daughter's childishness, "your father will kill you and I"

"yeah yeah yeah..."

Her father walked towards her, standing over her, casting a shadow on her. She gulped loudly. His hand reached out towards her, and she accepted his offer; her father helped Kokoro up to her feet. He leaned in very close to her ear. "You practically missed the whole ceremony. Now the least you could do is just greet all the relatives and make sure you carry on your family's name and honor."

"I'm sorry, dad. But don't worry. I'll do so!" She gave him a fake smile before running off to her relatives.

"Uncle Hizashi! Hi, long time no see!" Kokoro slowly bowed her head to greet her elder.

He gasped as she slowly rose back up; confused of his actions.

Ko, her body guard, leaned close to her, whispering into her ear, "uhm, Kokoro-sama, you are the heiress... You're not suppose to bow to the branch. They bow to you."

She cupped her hand over her mouth, trying to hide their conversation away from her uncle, "ohhhhh yeah!" She then waved her hand, signaling for Ko to move away from her. She giggled awkwardly, "I'm still all new to this kind of stuff, Uncle..."

"You were never that royalty type to begin with anyways. Always treating people lower than you as if they were superior to you."

"Hopefully, I get the hang of it!" She then looked down at the little Neji, who tugged on his father's sleeve. She smiled softly to him, leaning over so they could be face to face. Her hands resting on her knees to give her support. "Neji-chan! You've gotten so big now! Last time I saw you, you were just a little baby that I could hold in my arms."

"Uhm..." He hesitated, not knowing what to say. He ooked up at his father for approval. Hizashi nodded to him. He then looked back at Kokoro, "hi, Kokoro-sama."

She softly rubbed the top of his head, messing up his hair, "Neji! Just call me Koko! No need to address me like that."

Hizashi cleared his throat, "your father would disagree..."

"It's fine. Don't worry." She then started to joke around with Neji whispering into his ear, "it'll just be a secret between us then, right?!"

She started to giggle making little Neji giggle as well.