Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

AN/ Sooo, this probably isn't the smartest thing for me to do, but I'm currently being blocked from Broken and Shaberi…and ever since my History class talked about reincarnation and karma, I couldn't get this idea out of my head...*laughs nervously*

Don't be afraid to voice your feelings! Onward!

She was swimming underwater…and yet, she could breathe.

She stopped for a moment and simply floated. The young woman began observing herself as if really seeing herself for the very first time.

She couldn't see her face so instead examined her body. The young woman had alabaster skin and she seemed to be wearing a top constructed of only coral. The female felt as if she should be embarrassed, but she wasn't bothered. In fact, it made her look more…natural with her surroundings.

She shook herself from her musings and continued with her examination. Slender fingers traveled down a flat toned stomach before hitting something rough. Eyes flew open and the young woman looked down.

Swishing gently, as if it had a mind of its own, was a magnificent tail; a variety of colors, when she moved, with purple standing out the most.

She began to move quickly and watched with dazed fascination as the tail followed her. She couldn't help but smile slightly and began moving even faster.

Soon she was moving faster than the human eye could see; dodging around rocks, weaving between schools of fish (fish!), and simply chasing her own tail.

She laughed in amazement and was surprised at how melodious it sounded. She settled down on a rock and lazily swished her tail back and forth.

The young woman looked around once more. It was a small, tranquil area filled with natural cliffs which small creatures used as their home. This place seemed so familiar and yet, she could not place it. Although, it felt like she had been here before.

She placed her hands on her head and tried to will herself to remember, but it wasn't working. She had never seen this place before and yet she knew that she came here often.

Come to think of it, should she not be panicking?

From what she's seen, she was out her by herself, swimming underwater, and she had a tail for kami's sake! She should be freaking out! But…she wasn't.

~Hinata-hime!~

A chill went down her spine and she quickly sat up. She looked around, but saw no one.

Was that her name?

~Hinata-hime!~

Even if that was not her name, she had the deepest urge to get away from the source as far and as fast as she could.

Her tail flicked anxious. The young woman, Hinata, knew she needed to leave quickly. She began to swim, when suddenly, two strong arms wrapped themselves tightly around her waist. A tail wrapped around hers almost sensually. If she wasn't so terrified, she would have turned a bright shade of red.

Hinata gasped and ice settled uncomfortably in her stomach.

"We've been looking all over for you, Hime," a deep smooth voice whispered into her ear. The arms tightened even more and Hinata tensed.

A cheek pressed against hers. Fear prevented the young woman from looking to see who her captor was, but deep in her heart, she knew who it was. Why couldn't she remember his name? Why was he chasing after her?

"Were you running away from me, Hime?" the voice asked almost sincerely. His grip tightened painfully, digging his blunt nails into her skin. Hinata winced but stayed silent.

"Know that I'm the only that can protect you," his tone had changed drastically and before she could utter a word, her world became filled with darkness.

Hinata sat up with a choked gasp, her black tank top sticking to her like a second skin.

She stayed in her sitting position trying to get her breathing back under control. When she finally did, she pushed the covers off of her and headed out of her bedroom. What a strange dream, she thought.

I wonder what it meant, she mused as she walked into her small but comfortable kitchen. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet, headed towards the sink, and poured herself a glass of water.

She leaned against the black marble counter and took a sip.

She went to back to her odd dream. It felt so real and I was terrified near the end. It felt more like a memory than a dream. It felt like I had been there before. Hinata shook her head in hope of getting rid of her thoughts. That's crazy! I was a…a fish for kami's sake! I was a…a mermaid.

The shaken young woman finished her drink and walked back towards her bedroom. It was just a dream.

"A nightmare," she corrected quietly as she got back into her queen sized bed.

The bluenette didn't bother putting the dark blue comforter back on her body as she settled down. She laid awake for awhile longer before sleep claimed her once more.

Hinata awoke once more; courtesy of her Blackberry.

She groaned slightly before slamming on her phone like an alarm clock. Hinata sighed happily when the noise shut off and snuggled deeper into her bed.

Someone did not agree with her idea since her phone began to ring again. The bluenette sighed again, this time in despair.

"Hello," she greeted voice thick with sleep.

"Hinata-chan!" a voice screeched into the phone, causing Hinata to pull the small device away from her ear, "Where the hell are you? You were supposed to meet me an hour ago!" The young woman shot up to her elbows and looked at her clock.

It read 10:30 a.m.

She then shot to her knees and jumped out of the bed and ran into her connected bathroom. She was so late!

"Oh no! Gomen! Gomen!" she cried hurriedly. "I'll be there in twenty minutes! Bye!" The panicked woman hung up before the voice could get another word in.

She threw her phone onto her bed and shut the bathroom door.

Ten minutes later, Hinata ran out her bedroom, dressed with her semi-dry hair in a loose ponytail. She rushed into the kitchen and grabbed an apple before running out the front door of her condo. She hopped into her silver Beetle and drove off quickly with the same thought running through her head.

I'm so late! I'm so late! I'm so late!

She arrived at a small café ten minutes later and walked to meet her client in record speed.

"Gomen," Hinata repeated when she sat down, "I cannot believe I overslept. This is not a usual occurrence."

The beautiful occupant sitting opposite of her waved her manicured hand in dismissal and laughed lightly.

She had light pink hair (completely natural), bright emerald eyes, a small nose, accompanied with slight thin lips. She had a slim figure but wore it well. In Hinata's eyes, she was stunning.

"It's fine, Hinata-chan. You've been punctual for every meeting so I got…worried when you didn't show."

Hinata blushed lightly. "I do apologize, Sakura-san. I had a…late night and I didn't even hear my phone ring." She winced, remembering all the missed calls on her phone.

Emerald eyes lit up in interest at Hinata's confession but decided not to pry. She took a sip of water before speaking.

"So," Sakura began, "have you eaten yet?"

Hinata hesitantly nodded her head. "I figured with me being late, you had already eaten, so I grabbed an apple before running out the door."

"At least have a drink with me," Sakura insisted. She didn't bother waiting for an answer as she grabbed a waiter's attention.

"And what can I get for you beautiful young ladies?" he asked when he arrived.

Wearing the café's uniform, white shirt, black pants, and black tie; he looked to be around seventeen with spiky black hair, pale green eyes, and a sweet smile.

"We'll both have a french vanilla frappuccino and for Hinata-chan over there, a banana nut muffin," she finished with a smile, ignoring Hinata's protests.

The waiter nodded with understanding. "I'll bring it to you right away." He smiled once more, his eyes lingering a little longer on Hinata, before leaving to fulfill their requests.

"Seems like Hinata-chan has a little crush," the slim woman state teasingly right when the boy was out of earshot.

Hinata flushed as she shook her head in denial. "I don't think so and besides, even if he does, he's a little too young for me."

"Yeah, but he doesn't know that."

The bluenette sighed in defeat. It was true. Although she was twenty-four years old, she still looked around the age of seventeen or eighteen. Her friends would always claim how envious they were, that she looked so young, but in Hinata's mind it wasn't that much of good thing. She had to be carded for everything and she seemed to attract all the high school boys.

Sakura laughed once again. "Don't worry about it Hinata-chan, he probably won't even act upon it. Now, let's get down to business, did you bring your portfolio?"

The bluenette unconsciously straightened her back. She was now speaking with her client and not her newly made friend.

Hinata nodded her head in confirmation before pulling a huge purple leather folder from her bag. Out of habit, she opened it and quickly looked over her pieces to verify as being the correct folder. She nodded to herself before surrendering it to Sakura.

It was open the moment Sakura took it from her. It was quiet for a few minutes as the pink-haired woman took her time looking over each piece. She was interrupted by the cute waiter carrying a tray with their drinks and Hinata's muffin. Sakura nodded her head in acknowledgement when he placed the beverage near her.

"Arigatoo," Hinata smiled when he mimicked his actions towards her. Sakura held in a smirk as the waiter blushed lightly at the attention. He nodded eagerly, casting one more look at Hinata, before leaving them back in peace.

Hinata shook her head exasperatingly causing her ponytail to sway. Sakura took a sip from her drink to hide her smirk. Hinata took a bite of her muffin to prevent herself from talking and almost sighed in relief when her client went back to reviewing her work.

"I hope you don't mind," Sakura said after a few minutes of reviewing the portfolio, "but I invited my fiancé considering this is his wedding too."

Hinata nodded her head. "Of course, that is perfectly fine," she paused, "Anoo, did you tell him to come the same time I did?"

The pink-haired woman sighed in agitation. "Yeah, the idiot runs on his own time. No matter what time I say, he always shows up either really early or really late."

"Anoo…"

"I mean, seriously, would it kill him to get a clock or at least pay attention to what I say?"

"Sakura-san…"

"And I swear if I find a speck of orange on him…"

Two toned tan arms wrapped loosely and affectionately around Sakura's neck causing her to jump in surprise.

"Awww," a deep voice whined playfully, "You know I can't help it; orange is my favorite color." He stroked her hair causing the green-eyed beauty to blush slightly although a frown remained in place. "With pink coming in a close second."

Hinata giggled, "Sakura-san, he's right behind you."

The man was pretty tall when he stood up. Easily reaching about six feet, he was wearing a pair of dark blue denim jeans and black buttoned down shirt. A thin piece of leather was wrapped loosely around his neck and disappeared underneath his shirt. He had deep blue eyes, wild blonde hair, and a cheeky smile.

He reached his hand out, his eyes burning with energy, and spoke. "You must be Hyuuga-san. I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"Just Hinata and it's a pleasure to meet you Uzumaki-san."

"Just Naruto please, Hinata-san," he laughed as he grabbed her hand. There was a brief jolt, starting from their hands and racing down their spines, causing them to jump apart. It happened so quickly, it seemed that they were the only people to notice it.

Naruto chuckled lowly, his bright eyes curious, "Well, that was weird."

Hinata nodded her head slowly as she stared down at her hand. For a brief second, she felt as if she had met him somewhere before. For the life in her, she couldn't remember.

The rest of meeting passed efficiently and effectively. Sakura had looked pleased with Hinata's photographs while Naruto tried his best to understand what was going on in general, although he did find the pictures intriguing. The bill came just as they finished with the negotiations, their teenage waiter setting the small leather book at the edge of the table.

"I hope you enjoyed your time, ladies," he stated with a small bow, "I do hope you come back soon." With a quick wink in Hinata's direction, he swiftly made his exit.

Hinata opened and closed her mouth before huffing. She ignored Sakura's smile and Naruto's low chuckle and reached for the check. Her hand was gently slapped away as Naruto took it away from her.

"Wait!" she squeaked. "You weren't even here, Naruto-san. Please let me pay; it's the least I can do for showing up late to meet a client."

The blonde flashed a charming grin before shaking his head. "Don't worry about it, Hinata-san. Besides, I showed up late also."

Before the bluenette could open her mouth to argue, he was already out of his seat with the book in his hand and making his way towards the register.

Hinata blushed a light shade while her mouth dropped. She soon snapped to her senses and closing her mouth with a click, she turned towards Sakura.

"Does he always do that?" the bluenette asked.

Sakura smiled softly. "Yeah, although he can be such an idiot sometimes, he's the perfect gentleman. I can't help but love him."

Hinata smiled gently. She always was a romantic person. The bluenette didn't really believe in fairy tale endings where they all "lived happily ever", but she did believe in love.

Naruto returned, his smile never leaving his face as he casually wrapped his arm around his fiancé's waist, giving her an affectionate squeeze. The pink-haired woman's phone began to ring. She looked at phone before pressing a button.

"Excuse me," she stated politely, "but I need to take this."

Hinata waved her arm. "It's no problem, Sakura-san. Thank you very much for meeting me and I will see you soon." Sakura smiled before she walked out the small café with the phone attached to her ear.

Naruto's bright blue eyes gazed at Hinata before he held out his arm.

"It was very nice meeting you, Hinata-san. I look forward to seeing how the pictures turn out for the actual wedding."

"The pleasure's all mine, Naruto-," Hinata paused when she grasped his hand once more. The world faded to black and all she could hear were voices.

"Why are crying?" a high voice asked softly. It sounded very young, but she could tell it was male.

"I'm lost," a trembling voice replied; this one was female. The voice whimpered in the back of her throat.

"Don't cry," the little boy pleaded.

"I'm lost," the little girl repeated, her voice breaking as she began to cry.

"I'll help you, I promise," he said energetically, trying to cheer her up. "What's your name?"

The little girl sniffled. "I'm Hinata."

"Nice to meet you, Hinata-chan. I'm Naruto."

Hinata gasped loudly before pulling her hand back as if she had been burned. She looked in Naruto's wide blue eyes, which probably mirrored her expression. She looked around to see if anyone saw anything weird, but no one had seemed to notice.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto whispered. Although it seemed as if he was talking to himself, Hinata still heard him.

Thoughts swirled around inside her head too fast for her to comprehend and she unconsciously took a step back. Blue locks swished gently from side to side as Hinata shook her head.

What was happening to her? She could write off the strange dream as exactly that…a dream, but what could she write this off as? She was wide awake and she was getting flashbacks of meeting Naruto. That just wasn't possible considering this was the first time she ever met the man.

"-san? Hinata-san?" She flinched back when a hand brushed her shoulder. Frightened lavender eyes looked into cautious yet curious oceanic blue. She couldn't deal with this at the moment; she seriously felt as if she was losing her mind. The bluenette took another step back; she needed to get out of here.

"I-I'm s-sorry," Hinata said, wincing as her childhood habit came out in full force, but she was simply too stressed out. "I-I can't…I d-don't…"

A small whine slipped from her lips. "I have to go!" The young woman turned quickly almost running smack dab into Sakura, who was coming back inside the building.

Her emerald eyes widened in surprise as she moved out of the way. "Hinata-chan, what's wrong?"

Hinata swiftly shook her head; quickly backing away when Sakura reached out to touch her. She was too panicked to notice the curious glances coming her way. "I-I'm sorry, S-Sakura-san, but I n-need to l-leave. I will c-call you l-later," she said before running to her car and quickly driving away.

Sakura narrowed her eyes in concern at the scene and turned to her just as bewildered fiancé. "What happened?" she asked, unconsciously placing her hands on her narrow hips.

Naruto shook his head absently, the childlike voices playing inside his head as if they were on a loop. "I don't know," he murmured.

But I intend to find out.

AN/ Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Critiques? I'm all eyes…

For those who have read, reviewed, and alerted to me or my stories…just wanted to say thanks very much…

Until next time,

Tw33ty JR.