AN Moshi mosh! This is the first story I have written that I have ever really liked... it picks up about the time Hanabi's 11, which means that Hinata is 16. There is a 5 year difference between them. Hanabi isn't the same age as Konohamaru ( That whiny little bastard). Konohamaru is about 13. Please don't think otherwise. It's annoying as hell. Reviews are much appreciated!

Disclaimer- If Naruto were mine, if Naruto were mine, I would not be writing this. I'd be too busy molesting certain characters...>>...

Chapter One

She squinted up when a shaft of light appeared at her feet. The sun peeked just over the trees in the East, teasing her eyes. She turned her attention back to the fire in front of her. She had been taught never to turn her back to an element if it could be helped, and she'd always listened to her Father. He and Neji-sama were the only ones who deserved it back home. But she wasn't at home, now was she?

Hanabi found her eyes trailing over to the feet of her sister. She still didn't understand why Neji-sama had recommended that the person to take Hanabi on her training mission was Hinata. Hanabi must have told him thousands of times about her despise for her sister. What else could she do? He was the only one that listened. Sure, the maids listened, but they were like mindless robots that always reported anything she said to her Father, and never commented. Neji-sama was bound, but the first time she had talked to him, she had made it clear in her rantings and ravings that if he just nodded and gave the occasional "mm-hmm" like those horrid creatures that tended to her every whim, she might as well consider him a true puppet of her Father. That had been the first time she had vented like that to anyone, not letting him get a word in between her few breathes.

After she stood there, gasping for air, staring down at his form sitting comfortably on the couch, he said, "You have my attention."

She had spent hours talking to him after that, following him around the compound, knowing that he would listen and comment no matter what he was doing. In fact, one of the things he said were, "Do you really not like Hinata?" Of course she didn't like her. She was too shy and timid to be a proper shinobi, and far too weak for Hanabi's tastes.

Hanabi could sense her sister move out of the corner of her eye. She allowed herself to look at her. Hinata had grown and changed, just as Hanabi had. She didn't know why she thought her older sister would look the same, but now Hinata stood only slightly shorter than Neji, her hair falling mid-back, and her build slightly thicker.

A blush found it's way onto Hinata's cheeks like it so often did. "Ne, Hanabi-nee-chan…" Hinata's trembling voice came. The sound of it alone made Hanabi cringe in disgust.

"What do you want?" Hanabi mumbled. She didn't have time to tend to her older sister. She was here for a reason, but nothing was getting done. She was here to train, but all she had been doing was meditating. Hinata wouldn't let her do anything else. It was impossible for Hanabi to get away from her. The elder of the two made sure that she was always in her presence. It annoyed Hanabi to no end. She had always had the choice of loneliness at the estate; in fact she often had to go in search of company. Even the maids seemed to want to avoid her.

Hinata stood there, fiddling and stammering like she always did. Some part of Hanabi wanted to hit her. She shook her head, that was her sister, after all. When it came down to it, Hanabi was expected to protect Hinata over all others. "It's nothing… never mind…" Hinata gave a small smile and turned away from the fire to make her way to where the tent was.

Hanabi resisted the urge to snort in disgust. She looked back at the fire, almost forgetting about their breakfast. She pulled the pot off the grate and stirred the contents, hoping that they wouldn't be able to notice the burnt clumps. It was gonna be one of those days.

The Hyuuga siblings hurried through their meal, eager to get moving. Tsunade had advised them that it was best not to stay in one place for too long, due to the hostility between the countries as of late. She wouldn't have agreed to it, if it hadn't been for the fact that she knew Hinata could take care of herself.

By the time they set out on the road, the Sun was almost in the middle of the sky. Hanabi glared up at the sky. ' If only Hinata hadn't taken so long in putting out the fire. All she had to do was poor some dirt on it and leave it be,' she thought. It was always Hinata's fault, always, no matter what.

Hanabi continued to brood, ignoring her sister's attempts at a conversation. Hinata kept opening her mouth to tell her something but one look at the younger one, Hinata would snap her mouth shut. It was always so hard to talk to her, just like with Neji and her Father, though between the three of them, they could spend all day talking about flaws in eachother's(mainly Hanabi's) techniques. Especially just Hanabi and Neji. The two of them seemed to have their own world separate from Hinata's.

Hinata sighed, giving up the last of her hope. She had long ago accepted that Hanabi just didn't enjoy her company. Still, sometimes she wished that Hanabi would at least talk to her.

The eldest of the two was the first to sense it. Hinata stopped in her tracks, her voice suddenly strong, "Hanabi get down." The sound of her older sister's warning took her by surprise. Hanabi spun around to face her sister, to make sure it was really her. Hinata's eyes had lost their warmth and motherly gaze. They were… different…

"Hanabi!"

That was when she sensed it. This feeling of immense hatred flooded her senses. It was like nothing she had ever felt before…

"Hanabi, move!"

'I want to, Hinata-san, but…' Hanabi willed her legs to move, to give any sign of life. 'I can't…'

Hanabi's vision faded for what seemed liked a second's time. She opened her eyes, unaware that she had ever closed them. There was a dull pain surrounding her body, and the sight around her was unfamiliar. There were random, small patches of grass covering what looked like a trail, and beyond that…

Hinata? No, it wasn't Hinata. Her sister was delicate, quiet. She always avoided fighting. Hinata would break if you even hit too hard, or spoke to her the wrong way. Hinata cried. Hinata never stuck up for herself. Hinata…

Hinata was fighting. She was fighting for her. She was doing a damn good job of it too.

Hanabi stayed there on the ground watching every kick, every punch, every jutsu that Hinata made. She had never seen her move like that before. It was almost familiar to her, though so alien.

She didn't know how long she had been there now, staring up at her sister's battle. She knew when it ended. Something heavy hit the ground, making it shake slightly. Hinata disappeared from her view. Hanabi started, worried that there was more than one enemy. There was a gentle gasp beside her. "No, Hanabi-chan, stay still. I already took care of them." That voice… that was not her sister's voice. Her sister was calm and quiet, occasionally stuttering. This voice was cold, soft and yet somehow held a large strength to it.

Hanabi unplastered her face from the ground, reaching up to brush away some pebbles that had embedded themselves in her skin. She looked up at what she expected to be a stranger. Some part of her hoped it was, that something had taken over her sister's body, that Hanabi would still be able to look at her sister the way she had been taught. She hated change.

Matching pale eyes met. Hanabi had the sudden urge to scream something like "liar". And yet, those same eyes made her want to cry "Neji-sama!" and fall laughing into his arms as he chuckled at his own little joke. Those eyes did look alike, a cold center, but somehow warm and worried.

"H-Hinata nee-san?" Hanabi carefully tried her voice, praying that she wouldn't stutter. Something flickered in her older sister's eyes, but only for a moment. "Good, I'm glad you're okay. Now, hold still." Hinata reached back for the bag on her hip. Hanabi started to panic a little. She didn't know how good her sister's skills were at healing, though she was a medic-nin.

Hanabi tried returning her attention to her sister's eyes, before a small, light blue tube appeared. "What is…" Hanabi didn't finish her sentence, expecting Hinata to understand. "Aloe cream, it'll help the burn on your back."

What? "Burn? What burn, Hinata nee-san?" Hanabi made the mistake of reaching behind her neck instinctively. She froze. Pain surged through her shoulders, though she had barely brushed the wound. That cold look flared up in Hinata's eyes again.

Hanabi felt her hand wrenched away from her neck. "Lay back down, Hanabi." Hinata whispered dangerously. Hanabi resisted. She was fine, she had dealt with worse wounds than this. Hinata was just over reacting, like she always did. "Do it now, Hanabi." The younger of the two collapsed when Hinata tugged on her other arm, making her lose her balance. Her father was the only one that had ever talked to her like that.

"Ne, what's going on, Hinata-san?" She was panicking. Hinata had one hand on her head, holding it down, in case Hanabi tried to sit up. "Hold still. It's nothing serious, it's only a first degree burn," Hinata started, attempting to calm her sister down, "it just happened in a bad place. Right next to your spine." There was a small pop, and then something cool and moist was being carefully spread at the base of her neck.

Hanabi's breath caught in the back of her throat. Though the pain was dulling, it was still present. "Breathe, Hanabi nee-chan." Hinata's voice was gentle again, but somehow threatened to return to its previous icy tone. The small Hyuuga began to take small, shallow breaths.

The two of them stayed like that for a while, Hinata occasionally applying more ointment to the now numb burn. Hanabi didn't notice when her sister's hand finally retreated, for she could still feel the after effects of the gentle massage. She suddenly remembered when she was little, only three at the most, when she would fall, Hinata would rub away the burn, no matter how many times Hanabi would mutter her hate.

She would have to remember later to ask her why. Now wasn't the time. Now she wanted to relax. She didn't want her sister to stop her movements.

Hanabi felt something warm drape over her back. She felt Hinata's arms fold just enough to let her fingers play with Hanabi's fishnet sleeves. "I was so scared…" Hinata's voice had lost the cold hardness from earlier. "I was scared you were dead."

There was a tight knot that started to form in Hanabi's chest that could only be described as guilt. It didn't matter who it was, Hanabi hated feeling anything other than what she was told were normal. According to her Father, there was no reason she should ever feel guilty if she ever wanted to become the assassin she had dedicated her training to becoming.

Hanabi forced a light laugh, " I'm okay, Hinata-san! Hyuugas don't die by the hands of fools like them. I wouldn't shame our family with my mistakes."

There was a long silence above her, then without warning, the comfortable pressure on top of her was gone. Hanabi flinched slightly at cold that fell on her warm skin.

"Is that all you ever think about?" Hinata's voice was cold again. Hanabi was surprised at how quickly her voice had changed. "Ne, Hi… Hinata…" Hanabi forced herself up to look at her sister who was now gathering her things, "…that's not what I meant and you know it…."

"Do I?" Hinata spun around, anger spilling out of her eyes. In three quick steps, Hinata had grabbed Hanabi's shoulder and hoisted her up. "Don't you dare put the clan before yourself. Don't you dare." Hinata stopped, looking Hanabi in the eyes. Hanabi was scared, and she didn't dare hide it. "I've had to stand by and watch Neji-kun suffer because of thinking like that. If I am the one chosen as heiress, that is the one thing I will do; erase thoughts like those."

Hinata shook her little sister slightly, but the urgency was there. Hanabi knew that if Hinata wanted to, she could kill her. All it would take was a bigger jerk, and… Hanabi didn't want to think of and. She didn't want to know what would happen. She did whimper though.

The shaking stopped in mid motion. The hands retreating carefully as if one wrong move would send her little sister crumbling like card tower. Hanabi didn't know what emotion lay beyond those eyes; she had squeezed her own tightly shut. There was still the feeling though. That hollow feeling her sister seemed to force into Hanabi, though it was different. This wasn't disgust. Fear and sadness. Was that it?

"G…gomen nasai, Hanabi…" there it was. That damned stutter. Hate flared up in Hanabi again. Her eyes snapped open to see a trembling Hinata in front of her. She sent the best glare she could muster from under her lingering fear, and launched herself at Hinata.

She felt triumph wash over her when she saw the look of shock in her sister's eyes. She fought back the urge to laugh at her sister's face. Most of all, she fought the urge to punch dead between the eyes. There was another time for that, but not now.

Hanabi's face hovered inches away from Hinata, so close they both almost had to cross their eyes to see the other. So close their noses occasionally just barely brushed enough to feel it. "You will not back down. Never show mercy. Not once. That's how you act like the proper idol you are."

Shock. Pure shock. There was no other word for that look in her sister's eyes. There was a long pause between them that was almost unbearable for Hanabi. She hated waiting, didn't matter what she was waiting on, but her father told her it was an important virtue. For that reason, she waited.

And waited. The shock had faded into confusion, which was slowly but surely turning into surprise. Hanabi knew why. Because Hinata had known all her life about Hanabi's hate for her. Hinata had known that her sister glared at her the way her father did. She knew, also, that there was nothing to change it. Her father had already done the damage, and Hinata didn't think she could undo it. But she had.

"H…Hanabi…what…what do you mean?" that damned stutter was still there, and it was pissing Hanabi off more and more. "What did I say about being the perfect model?" And that was all it took. Cold words that were supposed to Hinata show those eyes to her again, the ones that felt as cold as they looked, instead brought tears to those same eyes. It was Hanabi's turn to look confused. "Maybe…maybe it's really gone. That other Hinata's gone, and I imagined all of it…" some part of her wanted to believe that. It wouldn't be the same with Hinata cold, would it? That was the only thing that kept everyone sane at the compound. The thought that Hinata would always be calm and quiet, and that she would always take beratings so smoothly, and that she would be there to vent to and cry on her shoulder, and…

To save you, when you're in trouble. To heal you, when no one else could. To comfort you, when no one understood. All were things only she could do, it seemed, and anyone else who attempted them was a poor substitute. She was mother. The only one Hanabi could remember.

And yet… Hanabi had…she had broken her?

Those tears were rolling down the side of Hinata's face, into her hair. For a second, Hanabi glimpsed something that changed her perspective. She pulled herself to her knees; her hands limp at her sides. There was something different about Hinata that wasn't there a moment ago. There was… there was a smile, wide, though a little shaky, spread across Hinata's face. Hanabi could just glimpse her teeth, and she almost jumped in surprise. Hinata had always smiled, but they were shy smiles. And they were nothing like this.

There was a light struggle from her elder sister as Hinata pulled out from under Hanabi. With only a slight pause, Hinata threw her arms around Hanabi's neck, pushing her back, making her catch the two of them on a single, pale arm. Her other hand reached instinctively around Hinata, remembering the hugs she would get before bed when she was little. She didn't know it until then, but she had missed them. She missed their warmth. It was nice to feel it again. There was a smile on her lips that she didn't remember allowing. She was happy. She wasn't hate filled, like she usually was whenever her sister would still attempt to touch her. Those times she gave her sister what she wanted as quickly as possible, so that it would be done. But there was something more.

Admiration, adoration. Pride. The pride that she found in her father, and in Neji. Amazement at their strength, determination to make them as proud as she was. That's what it was. There wasn't another way to say it. Hanabi was, for the first time in her life, proud of her sister, and it was the best feeling in the world.

AN Well, that's it! points See that button? It says review. Do what the button says, and no one will get hurt. Ja ne!