Hinata lay on her luxurious bed, staring blankly up at the out the window. Her cat, Sheya, was curled up on her satin pillow. The feline's long, snow white fur tickled Hinata's left cheek as it breathed. Hinata's dark hair fanned out over her shoulders and bosom, gleaming slightly in the moonlight that poured through her open window.
This quiet, depressed mood of Hinata's was not a new thing. Almost every night she would do this, just pondering the day's events and her self-worth. During the day, she would be as everybody saw her --- the shy, stuttering, weak Hinata. But when the sun and moon switched places, she was completely different. When she talked to stars and moon, she didn't stutter. Her eyes didn't flicker back and forth nervously like they did when she was talking to people.
The reason she liked the night was because her only company were the stars and moons, and occasionally they were joined by clouds. None of these "friends" criticized her or made fun of her. They didn't consider her worthless, they didn't make fun of her, and they didn't want her to change to make them happy. They just accepted her as she was.
Unlike the rest of the world. Hinata burst into silent sobs at this thought.
In another part of Konoha...
Sasuke, like Hinata, was not asleep despite the late hour. In fact, he wasn't even in his apartment. Instead, he was wandering the dark, empty hallways of the Uchiha mansion. These were the rooms that he had grown up in --- he had learned to walk, talk, and had spent the first seven years of his life here. He came to the living room. Sasuke walked towards the fireplace. It wasn't the fireplace he was interested in, it was the item above it.
The mantelpiece.
Family pictures, the frames & glass covers coated with a thick layer of dust, lined it. A wave of memories, some happy, some sad, all of them painful, swept over Sasuke. If someone with a less rigid expectancy for themselves had been in that situation, they probable would have cried. But Sasuke had a good grip on his emotions and was used to pushing past them, ignoring them.
He picked up a picture of hi mother and father. Brushing the dust off, he gaved at their faces --- bright, smiling, frozen in the moment. Sasuke slammed the pictured back onto the mantelpiece and stalked out of the mansion, making his way through the silent streets of Konoha to his apartment.
The next morning, with Team Eight, outside of Konoha…
"Okay, Hinata, try it again." Kurenai helped the battered & bruised girl onto her feet. "This time, pay more attention to both opponents, not just Kiba."
"H-hai, S-se-sensei…" Hinata slowly got back into her fighting stance.
Kiba, who had been sitting with Akamaru, both of them unscathed, rose to his feet. "Again?" He asked, his tone sounding slightly bored. This was the third time he had fought Hinata, and he had won both previous times. Shino had been excused from training today for a clan ceremony, so it was just Hinata that Kiba was fighting.
The fight began. Hinata tried as best as she could, but Kiba was simply stronger than her. Even with her Byakugan activated, Kiba could defeat her. After the fight was over, Kiba only had a small cut on his hand, while Hinata was bloody and weak from fatigue. Kurenai rushed over to the girl to help her up, but hinata protested.
"No, S-sensei, I- I'm- I can get u-up." Hinata said feebly as she struggled t get o her feet. Kiba hurried over worriedly and helped Kurenai lift Hinata up.
"Hinata, are you sure this is working for you?" Kiba asked her once Kurenai had ended practice. "I don't want you to get hurt." You see, Kiba didn't like fighting her. In fact, it was quite the contrary.
Kiba had developed a crush on Hinata when they became genins. Of course, likew most boys, he wouldn't dare admit it. So instead, he kept it to himself. During their time together on Team Eight, his love only grew. But then, for some unknown reason, his crush disappeared. He began to think of her as a sister, not as a girlfriend. This is why Kiba was so protective and gentle around Hinata, with the exception of when they had to fight.
At the Kohona Training grounds…
Sasuke sighed irritably. Why did his team have to be so annoying? Sakura was tugging on his sleeves, babbling nonstop about absolutely nothing, and Kakashi kept scolding all of them for one person's actions. Naruto, surprisingly, was the only person who wasn't bugging him. Naruto had been strangely quiet today, seeming lost in thought and distracted, even when him and Sasuke were paired to fight against each other. Even when Sasuke defeated him, Naruto didn't seem to mind all that much.
When training was over for the day, Sasuke left immediately. He just had to get away from Sakura's unceasing chatter, Naruto's queer introspectiveness, and Kakashi's bored criticizing! He decided that the most calming place would be outside of the village, and set off for the forest.
Outside of Konoha…
Hinata lay still on the forest floor. She had nearly fainted from even more strenuous training after the fights with Kiba. When Kiba and her had parted, she had wandered the forest, looking for a good place to train. She had stayed there for hours, practicing and exercising her moves until she could do no more.
Sasuke made his way slowly through the trees, grateful for the peace. He kept his head down, hands shoved into pockets in his "casual walk" that he was so well known for. His serene pace was interrupted, though, when he detected a faint chakra coming from nearby. Usually he would have changed directions to avoid contact with other people, he was curious. This chakra was too weak to be this close, right? So Sasuke headed towards the chakra, determined to find its source.
Perhaps it's a little kid, Sasuke mused. No, then a parent would be with it, right? Sasuke continued to go through ideas in his head, until he arrived at the source of the chakra.
He was shocked.
There, before him, lay the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.