Chapter One

Nat's Last Tear

Her name was Nat. Her favorite pastime was dangling upside-down from trees and meditating under waterfalls on cold days. She died on the day before her sixteenth birthday just outside the Village Hidden in Snow. People say her spirit haunts the snow banks, ever waiting for the dawn of her birthday that never comes. Nat had been a curious young lady, who never smiled unless something especially pleased her and never cried without good reason. They say her last tear was shed as she fell to the bloodied snow, and the tear turned into a beautiful jewel.

The jewel, fables say, was called 'Nat's Last Tear.' This gemstone with the marvelous story behind it traveled through the royal family, until the royal family fell and the jewel was stolen by bandits. The bandit leader had the gem inlaid into the hilt of a sword. In the sword's very first fight, the jewel fell from the hilt as the leader was slaughtered. The jewel fell into a crack in the earth and was found by a seagull searching for crustaceans. The jewel was carried across a lake by the seagull until the seagull died without warning and the jewel was dropped into the First Hokage's lap in the Village Hidden in Leaves.

When the First Hokage died, the jewel somehow found its way to the Uchiha Clan, where it was carried by Shisui Uchiha. The jewel fell into a river when Itachi Uchiha murdered Shisui, his best friend, in cold blood during his pursuit for power. The jewel lay at the bottom of the river, waiting to be picked up by whoever dared.

And then, on the dawn of summer in the Village Hidden in Leaves, it found its way to the hands of a young girl called Hinata Hyuuga. Hinata was a member of the Hyuuga Clan head family and a ninja in the Village Hidden in Leaves. Instead of bringing bad luck, however, the jewel flourished in her possession. Nat's Last Tear became a source of protection for Hinata, unlike any of the previous owners. Perhaps it was simply a matter of gender, perhaps Nat's spirit in the jewel saw the goodness in the little girl's heart; nobody knew.

But the jewel had to awaken at some point, and when it did, bloodshed was certain.

Hinata hummed as she headed up the river with an armful of sticks. The sticks were for a trick that Kiba and Akamaru, her teammates, were planning on performing. Hinata wasn't sure what they planned, but she hoped it wasn't anything like Akamaru's 'Dynamic Marking'; marking trees from midair. At least he was a dog. You wouldn't see Kiba doing the same thing. Hinata shivered at the thought. Thank heavens he wasn't thatdoglike.

Her other teammate was Shino Aburame, a Parasite Insect Handler from the Aburame Clan. Hinata admitted that no one really knew a lot about him.

Hinata paused, and her eyes were somehow dragged to the surface of the water. There was a moment of silence as her eyes scanned the surface for movement that she was sure she had seen moments before. When there was nothing, her eyes went back to the ground in front of her and she started walking again.

There was a sudden cold shiver that ran up and down her spine, a burst of malevolence that Hinata was certain was not her own. She gasped and dropped the wood as her eyes flicked immediately to the water and the pale face that reflected on the surface. She expected there to be a face, but she had expected it to be her own. The staring girl reflected in the water with an expression neither sad nor happy was most definitely not her own. Hinata hesitated.

The girl's eyes smoldered with an unquenchable fire that seemed to reach out to Hinata, begging to be freed. Hinata had no idea what was going on, but her eyes were wide with fear as cold sweat trickled down her neck and the hairs at the nape of her neck stood up tall, as though a warning.

"Hinata?"

The hand on her shoulder was too sudden. Without time to think, Hinata whipped around at lightning speed, bringing her hands up. Her hands made contact with her attacker's chest in a non-vital spot, and then her two fingers soared smoothly for the chakra point just above the attacker's heart thanks to her Byakugan, the White Eye, that could see the flow and points of chakra in a human body.

Her hand shuddered to a stop with no room to spare. Her fingers just brushed Kiba's shirt before she was able to wrench them away with no harm done. Kiba's eyes were wide as he took a quick step back in surprise and Hinata's hand recoiled.

"Kiba!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry… I didn't know it was you…"

"Are you okay, Hinata?" Kiba asked, putting a hand to his chest where Hinata had struck two non-vital chakra points. It might not kill, but it ached like the headache you'd get from a clogged up nose with nowhere to go. Kiba was looking at Hinata worriedly, but his face looked pained.

"I-I'm fine," Hinata stammered. Shino appeared quickly, standing on the branch of a tree up ahead, one hand dangling freely at his waist and his other hand on the tree for balance. Hinata tapped her pointer fingers together in an embarrassed fashion, not meeting their eyes, as Kiba stretched out a little in an effort to release the pent-up feeling in his chest.

"I was just wondering what was taking so long," he said, cocking his head. "You look pale. Are you sick or something?"

"No, I just…" Hinata didn't want to tell her teammates that she had seen something, not until she was sure what it was. It had to have been a simple trick of the light or something. It can't have been herself and certainly not a real person. "I'm just tired," she invented, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry to worry you. I didn't sleep well last night."

Kiba blinked. Shino said nothing but, knowing him, he probably knew that Hinata was lying. Kiba shrugged.

"In that case, go get some sleep," he said graciously. Hinata shook her head vehemently.

"No, I have to—" she began. Kiba held up a hand to stop her.

"You're tired, so go to bed," he said firmly. "It makes no sense for a ninja to work if a ninja isn't at his best. I wouldn't be looking after my teammate if I let my teammate work half-asleep; you could hurt yourself just throwing a kunai knife or something. Go home and take a nice long nap, and don't you dare come back until you're well-rested or I'll have Akamaru eat you."

Hinata gulped. Kiba never changed his mind and, although Akamaru hadn't been known to eat people, Hinata wouldn't put it past the pony-sized ninja hound. She nodded gratefully.

"Okay, then," she said a little awkwardly. "Um… thank you, Kiba-kun…"

"Yeah, yeah, just go already," Kiba said dismissively. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll be back sooner than that!" Hinata said eagerly. "I've still got to help you collect wood like you asked, and then meet up with Neji-kun later to train some more, and then I have to make a snack for Naruto-kun because sometimes he forgets to eat while he's training in the afternoons…"

"Hinata, take a day off," Kiba said exasperatedly. "You're always helping someone or other. I think it's time you had some time for yourself. Go shopping with Ino and Sakura, or whatever you girls do in your spare time. Go to a hot spring or pick a bench and ogle cute guys that walk by just because of their abs. I don't care what you do. Have fun."

"I agree," Shino spoke up from his spot against the tree. He hopped down and landed neatly on both feet on the ground, his unnerving eyes hidden behind his sunglasses. His hands were hidden in his pockets. "Take a day off, Hinata."

"But… but…" Hinata had no arguments, it all sounded wonderful, but she still felt she had duties that she just couldn't abandon. Besides, Kiba could be very persuasive at the best of times. Kiba never backed down, Hinata knew that much. He wasn't the giving-up type. Anyway, just the fact that Shino also had a say in the matter made it weigh even more heavily on Hinata's shoulders. Finally, she gave up.

"Okay," she said in a small voice. "Thank you."

"Don't thank us, thank yourself," Kiba said, making shooing motions. "Now scat."

"Thank you," Hinata repeated, smiling, and then turned. She headed down the path still smiling, feeling glad that her friends cared about her. Though the face she had seen in the water worried her, she'd have to put it aside for now, because this day was all for fun.

Behind her, Kiba cursed as he rubbed his chest harder.

"Man, Hinata might be a shy little girl," he groaned. "But she can pack a punch behind that little blush! I can barely breathe!"

"Hinata is strong," Shino admitted. "She's very brave, and extraordinarily strong, perhaps even stronger than us and her will stronger than all of us combined. If her heart were any larger, Hinata would probably need a bigger chest."

"She could use a nice rack," Kiba admitted thoughtfully. Shino gave him a gaze so cold and so level that Kiba could've sworn a blizzard swarmed behind those dark sunglasses.

"You had better be talking about a lamb," Shino said darkly.

"What lamb?" Kiba asked innocently.

Hinata sighed as she pulled off her jacket and folded it very carefully before laying it over the chair. She hummed as she ran her fingers through her long dark hair, and then she headed for her bed. She stopped for a moment, her head turning slightly to look sidelong at the tall mirror that leaned against her wall. She saw herself reflected in the glass.

She sighed. Sometimes she wished she was thin like Ino or had lots of friends like Sakura, but even she admitted that she simply didn't have enough courage to make new friends. On her first day in Team Kurenai, she had refused to even look at her new teammates, but slowly she had warmed up to them. Now, they were here closest friends. Hinata smiled at her reflection, and then frowned. Her reflection had not smiled back. Surely that was strange?

Then the face on the reflection changed. Hinata's eyes widened in fright as the face changed to the pale, neutral expression that she had seen in the river, and the cold eyes. Somehow, the face was still somewhat friendly, even though the expression remained neutral and cold. The girl in the mirror had a very slim body and seemed quite fragile, and her lips were nearly the same pale color as the rest of her skin, bloodless and nearly as white as a sheet. She looked… Hinata hated to think it, dead.

The girl moved for the first time. One of her thin, almost skeletal hands raised and then the girl in the mirror waved. The girl's face did not break out in an inviting smile, and Hinata did not see the girl's eyes change intent where the hatred still burned furiously, but somehow Hinata knew that the hatred wasn't directed at her. Hinata hesitantly raised a hand to wave back.

The girl in the mirror nodded satisfactorily and then her hand dropped a little bit until her hand brushed against her open collar. The girl pulled out a long chain that ran through her fingers until the pendant swayed in the air, back and forth, the small jewel reflecting the dull afternoon light. Hinata found herself reaching into her own collar as though in a trance. The girl nodded reassuringly, clasping the jewel firmly in one hand.

Hinata slowly brought out the jewel on the chain that she had had from a young age, ever since she had found the pretty pebble. The ghost of a girl in the mirror nodded even more firmly, and then mimed shattering the jewel. Hinata's eyes widened slightly.

"Stay away from me," she whispered, trembling. She shut her eyes, but the girl's pale face haunted the darkness behind her eyelids. "Go away!" Hinata shrieked, and raced to her bed, burying her face in her pillow and sobbing uncontrollably. The girl in the mirror had disappeared as soon as Hinata's reflection had moved away from the mirror, but Hinata's hand trembled on the jewel that hung from her neck.

Images danced in Hinata's mind, frightening images. There was one happy one, of a memory watching children play. They were upside down, or Hinata supposed whoever's memory it was had remembered it upside down. It certainly wasn't Hinata's memory.

Then Hinata saw a basket lying on the snow, a basket with a single white rose in it. There was a hand that lay unmoving held just above the basket, blood dripping down the middle finger onto the rose, staining the white rose red with the person's blood. The memory travelled slowly up the arm to a still body that lay in the bloodied snow. Hinata tried to close her eyes so as to not see it anymore, but her eyes were already closed. These were simply images in her mind, inescapable images.

Hinata screamed, her hands clutching her head and she curled into a ball. She hated it, she wanted it to stop, but the memory still unfurled.

There was the stone, glittering just below the slightly turned face of the dead girl. The stone that Hinata recognized as the same one the girl held up in the mirror, the same jewel Hinata had hanging from her neck. Hinata reached up a hand and violently tore the chain from her throat, then stood up.

She crossed the room in three strides, threw open the door, and raced into the yard. Without a jacket or shoes, she ran across the yard and into the street, and then continued down the street. The necklace was clutched so firmly in her hand that the sharp point of the vaguely teardrop-shaped crystal dug into her flesh, and her palm bled.

Before realizing it, Hinata had run straight past Neji's house and the yard where he trained. Her state of distress was so apparent that even Neji could hear her from the yard. Frowning, he opened the gate and watched confusedly as he saw his cousin race by in a craze, tears streaming down her face, her eyes wide with fright. With strong mixed emotions, Neji raced after her and caught her arm. Hinata stopped suddenly and fell to her knees in the dust. Neji knelt beside her and, though hesitant, allowed her to cry on his shoulder in the middle of the street, his hand on her back comfortingly, and let her cry until his shirt was wet with her tears.

"She should be fine now," Sakura said as she slowly shut the door to Hinata's room. In the hallway, a multitude of people had gathered. Naruto, Kiba, Neji, and Shino were there, as well as some neighbors who had seen Hinata running by. Hinata had cried herself to sleep against Neji until finally someone could send for a medical ninja, and Sakura had come as quickly as she could.

"I think she's just tired," Sakura explained. "She should be fine after she's had a good night's sleep. Oh…"

Neji, whose face had begun to melt with relief, suddenly was worried at the afterthought he heard coming. Sakura held up a hand and uncurled her fingers to reveal the glistening jewel on a long chain that she held in her palm.

"Neji," she asked, looking up at him. "Do you know what this is? She was holding it very tightly in her hand. I had to pry it out, but I feel that somehow this necklace is important."

Neji was confused, but tried to answer as best as he could.

"It's a pebble Lady Hinata found in a river one day," he explained. "Her father made it into a necklace for her, and she's worn it ever since. It's almost a security blanket, you could say. Lady Hinata told me it makes her feel safe and almost braver when she wears it."

"Hm." Sakura's fingers curled back around the jewel, and she frowned slightly. She looked back up. "Her mirror was shattered," she said in a dead tone. "Can anyone give me a clue as to why that would be?"

Neji shook his head woefully, and of course Kiba and Shino had not seen her since she left for home. Naruto had only arrived with Sakura when he heard that Hinata had had a nervous breakdown. Sakura nodded. She turned to Neji and offered him the necklace.

"Please give that to her when she wakes up," Sakura said, dropping the necklace into Neji's outstretched hand. "I think she'll want it."

"Thank you for your help," Neji said gratefully, taking the necklace. He looked down at the gem that glittered faintly in his palm, then his hand closed around it and he looked back up at Sakura. "Would you like me to contact you when she wakes up?"

"I don't think that would be necessary," Sakura said dismissively. "She should be fine when she wakes up. If she's still like that, though, then maybe you should call for a medical ninja. I'll ask Lady Tsunade about her opinion if I get the chance later. Oh, and Neji; when she wakes up, you should ask her a few questions like what her name is and who you are. If she can answer them okay, then hopefully she's calmed down enough to explain what happened. If not, she may need to keep resting."

"I understand," Neji replied, nodding. "I will see to it that Lady Hinata gets plenty of rest. Thanks again, Sakura-san."

"No problem," Sakura said graciously. She nodded to herself, smiled a farewell, gave a little wave, and headed down the hall towards the front door. The door slid open and Sakura disappeared outside, the door sliding gently shut behind her.

"If I had known it was that bad, I would've had her go home way before now," Kiba muttered. Neji turned to him, smiling slightly.

"It's not your fault," he said. "I'm sure Lady Hinata will be fine by the time she wakes up. Thank you for worrying about her, but I'm certain that she'll recover in no time."

"Yeah," Kiba agreed, although he didn't sound fully convinced.

"Come on, Kiba," Shino said softly, putting a hand on his teammate's shoulder. "Let's go. We can come back when Hinata wakes up, if the Hyuuga family doesn't mind."

Kiba nodded and, with one last lingering look at the door to Hinata's room, he followed Shino down the hall towards the door. Naruto sat down firmly, crossed his arms, and pouted. Neji knew this was most likely one of those times. Naruto would probably stay there in that spot until Hinata woke up. Neji reluctantly admitted that meeting Naruto was really the turning point for Hinata, and that after that Hinata was significantly more confident, especially after the Chunin Exam all those years back. Neji knew they were good friends, and that Naruto cared for his friends more than he did himself.

Neji smiled slightly. He was glad that Hinata had a friend like Naruto on her side; hopefully with his beckoning, Hinata couldn't help but wake up. Naruto was nothing if not loud, and could probably wake up even an old drunk in a crowded bar. Actually, that was certain – Master Jiraiya had been woken up a number of times, and if he wasn't an old drunk, Neji didn't know who was.

Neji sat down beside Naruto, his eyes set on the bedroom door in front of him. When his cousin woke up, he would be by her side, too. He hoped this was his chance to make up for all the ignoring or loathing he had directed to her, all the pain he had caused her in the past when he resented her just because she was born to the head family and Neji himself was part of the branch family. It didn't matter to him anymore. When Neji became a Jonin, Hinata wished him the best of luck. Hinata never wished ill will towards anyone; that was just the way she was. Gentle, compassionate, and an amazing friend.

A cousin was a cousin, and Hinata was even more like a sister to Neji than a cousin, although she really nearly was a sister seeing as it was her father who had taken care of Neji after his father had died. Neji hoped he could make it up to her somehow, even if the bridge was too far to cross by now. He hoped that Hinata knew how much he cared for her, as though she really was the little sister he never had.