Sacred Heart
"You are not suited to be a ninja. You have no self confidence, and you are too kind."
"Give up."
She could feel her own heart flutter under his terrifying gaze, the gaze of eyes as white as her own. She trembled, trying to avoid that terrible look. It was a look of hate and rage.
"You are really thinking of how badly you want to be away from this place. Stop trying to be tough."
She found her own voice, "You're…you're wrong…I'm here to…change myself!"
He smirked, "Stop kidding yourself. You cannot fool my eyes. You are imagining physical and mental pain. Your hand there on your lips is an attempt to lower mental stress. Because of this weakness, you can never cha-."
"You can!"
She looked up and out of the ring to the source. "Naruto-kun." With his gaze on her, she felt she could do anything. Maybe she was worth something…
She raised her hands and formed the necessary seals to invoke her own Byakugan, now fixing her own piercing white gaze on her opponent. Without pausing for reprieve, she flowed into the neutral stance of her family Taijutsu.
"Neji nii-san…let us fight!"
With a start, Hyuuga Hinata awoke. With practiced breathes, she slowed her rapid heart down to its normal speed, and eased herself out of her covers. Behind her, the covers stirred, rearranging themselves around now one body instead of two. She gazed down at the form now comfortably wrapped in all the sheets, and she stroked his cheek with her free hand. Naruto.
The nightmare never seemed to go away. The day she almost died. Sometimes she questioned the other possible outcomes. If she hadn't fought Neji with all her heart, would she still be a Genin, and not a Juunin now? If she had given up and walked away, would Naruto-kun have ever looked at her with such incredible respect and approval? Would he be lying in bed with her like they were a few moments ago? Mostly though, she wondered one thing. If she had died that day…if Neji had silenced her forever…would anyone have cared?
A dull thump brought her back to her senses, and with practiced ease Hinata slid a kunai into her waiting hand. She edged towards the source of the sound, slowly feeling with her Chakra. The knock at the door almost took her breath away.
"Hinata, it's me, Hokage-sama wishes to see you."
Hinata eased the door open a crack and stared into the face of her old teacher Yuuhi Kurenai, "Kurenai-sensei...Hokage-sama wants to see me?"
Kurenai nodded, "You must hurry Hinata, Hokage-sama sounded worried, and she asked for you by name specifically."
Hinata gulped. Hokage-sama never asked for Juunin by name. She always just got together available Juunin for high level missions and sent them. A ninja must always see underneath the underneath, or so she had been told. What could be underneath this underneath? "I will be ready in a moment…thank you Kurenai-sensei."
Kurenai nodded and bowed, but she looked up almost instantly, startled. "Hinata, there is something I think you should know…Hokage-sama asked for one other for this mission…and one other specifically."
Hinata mouthed, "Who," but Kurenai's fingers met her lips before air could ease past her teeth.
"You know very well of who I speak."
Hinata's white eyes grew alabaster, "No…"