Hinata winced as Tsunade's cold fingers brushed against her sensitive skin.

"Two weeks…" Tsunade murmured.

Hinata slid off the examination table and hastily pulled on her clothes.

"Two weeks, Hinata. Tell your father your body will be ready in two weeks," Tsunade said.

"Yes," Hinata bowed. The tugging of her heart still didn't cease as she informed her father. He just nodded and stared ahead.

The long, raven-haired boy didn't know how he got there, nor what he was doing there. He had merely went where his feet had taken him. His dirty hair had been tied up loosely, and even so, the strands brushed his dirt-smudged face.

His deep brown eyes roamed the giant gate ahead, then fixed on the symbol on the very top center.

Two masked shinobi stared down at him from their perches on the top arc of the gate structure.

A boy, a few years younger than the black-haired male, froze in his tracks. His ice blue eyes fixed, widely, and the stained gi and hakama of the person before him.

This was the last think he would have thought to see ever again.

"So you have two weeks?" Her cousin asked, somewhat darkly.

"Yes…Two weeks to find a suitable donor…to my father's choice, of course," Hinata replied softly.

"And if you can't find anybody, it is to be me?" Neji asked, his blank eyes on his cousin's bowed head.

"Y-yes."

"I see. Thank you , Hinata-sama."

"No… Ja ne, Neji-kun," Hinata said, turning and leaving. She bowed before disappearing behind the door frame of his room.

Neji smiled. She remembered to add the right suffix.

The silver-haired jounin's visible eye was completely serious as he looked the boy standing in front of him over.

"You said you found him at our gate?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah. He was just standing there. I wasn't sure until he turned around, though," Naruto replied, his eyes also on the dirty male before him.

"How are you still alive?" Kakashi asked bluntly.

It didn't even seem like the boy heard the jounin's question.

"How'd you get here? Is he alive as well?" Kakashi fired.

"Slow down, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said. "Maybe he should get cleaned up first. Then we'll question him," Naruto suggested, his eyes still on the boy.

Kakashi paused, then nodded.

"Okay with you," Naruto asked, "…Haku?"

Hinata waited nervously in front of Naruto's apartment door.

"Just a sec!" Naruto called.

Hinata heard crashing and objects falling to the floor. Finally, the door swung open, revealing Naruto and his mess hallway.

"Come in, Hinata-chan! Sorry about the mess…"

Naruto kicked aside empty ramen cups to make a walkable path. It smelled strongly of miso paste in Naruto's apartment.

"Is this a bad time?" Hinata asked timidly as Naruto tripped over rope and several stray weapons.

"Naw… come on, I'll make you tea," Naruto offered, grabbing Hinata's wrist and pulling her through the floor of Styrofoam cups.

Hinata followed Naruto into his small kitchen and looked around. She jumped slightly as she noticed a person sitting on Naruto's dusty couch.

"I just got back from a mission, so I haven't had time to clean up - green tea with brown rice?"

"Y-yes," Hinata replied. She contemplated whether to say a hello or not to the person.

Naruto looked up from the tea leaves. "Oh, that's Haku. Don't bother talking to him. I've been trying to get him to say something, but he keeps his mouth shut."

"Oh…" Hinata said.

"Oi, Haku, you want some tea?" Naruto called.

Haku's head made the slightest shake, his long black hair shimmering a little.

"Too bad, I made too much." Naruto said. He gave a mug to Hinata and pushed one into Haku's hands.

Haku looked at the mug as if he didn't know what to do with it.

"He's a…visitor?" Hinata asked, although she knew it was unlikely that a visitor would go to someone's house and not talk.

"In a way," Naruto said, plopping himself down at his table. "Here, have a seat," he said, pushing a messy pile of papers to the ground to make room for her.

"Thank you…" Hinata said, cautiously sitting down.

"Um…" Naruto said, squinting his eyes at Hinata. "Did you cut your hair? It looks shorter…"

Hinata blushed. "I trimmed it, a little…"

"Oh, neat! I noticed… What were you here for?" Naruto asked, his deep blue eyes on her as he drank his tea.

"Um…" Hinata said, glancing at Haku. She pulled out a letter after a moment's hesitation, and gave it to Naruto.

"Wow," Naruto commented, placing his mug down. "Looks official."

"Y-yes, it is…" Hinata stuttered, turning red. "It's actually a request, if you'd consider it…"

Naruto glanced at the Hyuuga seal before opening the letter with his clumsy fingers.

"Ah… 'Asking for your favor of providing our humble clan for a child to be next in line…'" Naruto read aloud.

Hinata gave a small cry and her head whipped to Haku, who acted as if he had heard nothing.

"Um… Hinata-" Naruto began, "-are you alright? You look kind of feverish…"

Hinata shook her head wildly. "I'm fine, Naruto-kun - maybe I should get going…"

"Wait!" Naruto said, his hand on Hinata's arm as she stood up, blushing furiously. "What…what does it mean?" he asked.

Hinata could hear the blood pounding in her ears. "Um, Naruto-kun, I really have to go - you should forget about the letter…please," Hinata said. She kept glancing at Haku, who still made no sign of reaction.

"Come on, Hinata-chan, tell me! I don't understand the fancy language your clan uses…" Naruto said, looking at the opened letter. "Please?" he asked, turning his eyes back to Hinata.

"I've remembered that I have something to attend to, Naruto-kun, I'm so sorry - oh!"

Hinata accidentally knocked over her tea mug, soaking the wrinkled tablecloth Naruto had on his table. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry-"

Hinata grabbed a small cloth from her pocket and began sponging up the warm liquid.

Naruto grabbed several stray napkins and helped Hinata.

"I'm so very sorry, I got your tablecloth wet - oh, I'm so sorry!" Hinata fretted.

Naruto laughed. "It's fine, Hinata, it's just tea…"

Hinata's ears warmed. Naruto must think of her as a fool, and Haku - she didn't even want to look at him.

"Really, I'm very sorry, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, biting her lip. "I'll make you a new one, I promise."

Naruto's laughing receded and he took to gazing at Hinata's face. She looked to the side, her eyebrows furrowed.

"You're really pretty, you know?" Naruto said.

"Oh… I-I'm not that-" Hinata stuttered.

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah you are. Your eyes are pretty. Prettier than Neji's of course."

Hinata laughed nervously.

"Oh, look, the paper's wet…" Naruto said, pulling the letter from the wet table.

"I don't care, just burn it…" Hinata muttered.

Naruto pulled Hinata back into her seat.

"Please? Explain this letter to me… you're definitely smarter, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, his face close to Hinata's.

Hinata fidgeted with the napkin in her hands. "You're not going to forget about it, are you?" she murmured.

"No. If you don't tell me, I'm asking Kakashi-sensei or Haku."

"NO!" Hinata cried out, upsetting the papers she kicked.

Haku got up silently and made his way out of the room. Hinata bit her lip, slightly grateful at his action.

"I'll tell you," she said, dejected.

"Good!" Naruto said. "Okay, what does it mean?"

Hinata was careful not to let Naruto see her face. "Um… My family needs me to uh, produce a new heir for our clan, and they want me…they want a few…donors to choose from…you being one of them…" Hinata said quietly. She decided to keep out the fact that she was the one who chose the donors.

"Uh…heir? They want for you to produce an heir? How…" Naruto began, confused. "What do you mean by heir?"

"They…they want me to…have a…to have a baby…" Hinata said, her voice tiny.

Naruto leaned back, blinking.

"Of course, you don't have to accept, Naruto-kun…" Hinata explained hurriedly.

"So…" Naruto began slowly, "your family wants for you to have a kid? That's messed up… With who?"

Naruto looked back at the letter and his sapphire eyes widened. "Oh…Oh!"

Hinata abruptly stood, gave a bow, and hurried to his door. Before she closed it behind her, though, Naruto shouted after her, "Hey, Hinata-chan, I accept! I accept!"

"You asked Naruto, Kiba, Shino, and who?" Neji asked.

"Lee-kun…" Hinata said timidly.

"Lee!"

"Yes…" Hinata murmured. He is very strong, and I saw from…well, Lee-san is very devoted, and, um…"

Neji sighed. "You also asked your teammates?"

Hinata nodded.

"Unwise, Hinata-sama."

"Doushite?" Hinata said, more defensively than she meant it.

"After you've done what you've had to do, the balance and trust in your team will shift. Shino, or Kiba, will know it has happened, and the other will be jealous and protective. It'll destroy your team."

Neji sighed again. He glanced sideways at Hinata. "Besides, I doubt your father and the council will approve of any of them. The Hyuuga dislike the Inuzuka and we have a lack of trust to the Aburame. Lee has no ninjutsu or genjutsu strength at all, and Naruto still has his bad past lingering around him."

"Oh…" Hinata mumbled.

"Didn't you consider this at all, Hinata-sama?"

Hinata looked at her knees shamefully.

"You're almost seventeen, Hinata, think like you're eighteen," Neji said, a bit harshly.

"Yes, Neji-kun…" Hinata replied softly.

"Hinata," Neji said, quietly. "Hinata."

Hinata raised her eyes to meet her cousin's.

"I want the best for you. You know what, right?"

"Yes, Neji-kun. Arigato…"

"Whatever the council picks for you… follow their orders obediently. For your own sake. Hyuuga have a lot of influence over our village, and it is best to abide to their say."

"Yes," Hinata agreed softly.

Neji gave a small, rare smile. "You have grown, Hinata. In all good ways."

Hinata smiled as she noticed Neji had dropped the honorific suffix to her name. He was speaking sincerely now.

Neji kissed his cousin on the top of her head and left the room.

Haku sat, leaned against the wall of Naruto's door, listening to Naruto and Kakashi's conversation.

"I'm positive he was dead. My hand went right through him!"

Haku fingered the skin of his stomach where it was lighter in color and was only half-healed. It still bled once in a while.

"He wouldn't be here if he were dead! He's real, your Sharingan can see it!"

"I know, Naruto. I… I saw his eyes fade. He was DEAD there on the bridge. Dead, Naruto. His heart stopped beating. You and Sasuke buried him."

"I know Sasuke and I buried him. But I'm positive that's him in the other room! His eyes… they're the same. I can feel it. Somehow, he's alive again."

Kakashi laughed. "Naruto, that's impossible. There are no jutsu that can bring people back from the dead. Once someone's dead, they're dead!"

"What if he wasn't dead in the first place?"

Haku's eyes were half-closed as he levitated the water from a glass beside him. It shimmered in the window light and molded into a small version of a zanbato. He ran the small blade across his arm and a cut appeared, his crimson blood slowly clouding the water pink.

Haku let the water wet the floor of Naruto's apartment as he heard footsteps coming toward him. The door beside him flung open and Naruto's blue eyes stared down at him.

"You ready to talk?"

Teal eyes flicked over the letter before them. The red-head re-folded the paper and stared at the crest signature on the front.

"Hyuuga Hinata…"

"You're saying you found yourself lying beside an open grave?" Kakashi asked, his visible eye crinkling in disbelief.

"Yes," replied Haku's soft voice. "The grave was filled with water, and the headstone had my name on it."

"What about the one next to you?" Naruto questioned. "Is Zabuza still dead?"

Haku's lips slid into a frown. "I told you, I don't remember. I just found myself there and I wandered around… I remembered our fight, but nothing after it."

"How come you came here, then?" Kakashi asked quietly.

Haku's head went into his hands, his black hair spilling through his fingers.

"I… I remembered your face, Naruto. I remembered your headband. I started walking… and I found myself here."

"But… how are you alive? You still didn't answer that question." Naruto said after a moment of silence.

"Kekki genkai…" Kakashi muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing… Haku, we're taking you to the hospital."

Haku looked up and winced, his hand flying to his neck.

"I doubt that kick Gatou had given you in the head had healed itself."

Hinata looked up with her creamy eyes and saw three figures in the doorway.

"Oi, Hinata-chan!' Naruto waved.

Kakashi nodded politely and Haku gave a small bow. He came back up with a pained expression.

"Hinata, could you spare a few minutes?" Kakashi requested.

Hinata stood from her spot and smoothed over her uniform. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei. What is it you need?"

"Haku has a lot of healing to do," Naruto said "Do your stuff."

Hinata blushed, blinking rapidly. "Anou… Haku-san, please sit on the cot, then…"

Haku moved slowly, and Hinata found out why when she helped him remove his clothes.

Haku felt Kakashi's eyes on his wound. His teeth clenched as Hinata placed a hand on the raw skin of his stomach. He felt chakra gathering there.

"There's your proof, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said.

Haku's eyes glazed over and began to roll upwards. His hand found Hinata's and tried to pull it off his wound.

Hinata gasped, and a resounding click rang out in the room. Hinata cringed, but kept her hand still on Haku's stomach.

Haku's eyes squeezed shut and he coughed twice, his stomach stinging with pain and red fluid seeping from his throat. Blood slid from the corners of his mouth and he fell backwards.

Hinata cried his name. The medic nin tending other people looked over just as Haku's head hit the cot, blood flowing out of his open mouth and staining the rough fabric.

Hinata awoke to find her arms terribly sore and her hair over her face. She blinked several times to clear her sleepy eyes and focused on the arm next to her. Hastily, she got up, blushing.

She had fallen asleep on the side of Haku's bed. His deep brown eyes were pointed toward the ceiling.

"G-gomen nasai, Haku-san!" Hinata said hastily. "I didn't mean to doze off…"

Haku's eyes closed.

Hinata had stayed up the whole night tending his wounds, and the chakra had drained entirely out of her. She bit her lip and began to clean up the used sponges and wraps.

"Sorry," Haku murmured.

Hinata nearly dropped the sanitary bag she was cleaning up with.

"Your hand… I hurt it, didn't I?"

Hinata glanced at her hand, which was supported by a small splint. "I'm fine, Haku-san."

Haku's eyes rested on his IV drip. "I didn't mean to…hurt…"

"Honestly, I'm fine. I'll fix it up later with my chakra…" Hinata lied.

"You can't fix a sprained hand with chakra," Haku said quietly. "…even if you had any left."

Hinata turned to throw away the used gauzes so she didn't have to look at him.

"Come here," Haku said.

Hinata turned to look at him. His eyes were still on his IV. She walked to the side of his bed and his eyes turned to her.

"Give me your hand," Haku murmured.

Hinata moved her good hand, then realized it was the injured one he wanted. She carefully rested it on his bed.

Haku gently unwound the bandages and removed the splint. "Hold still," he said, voice soft.

Haku held her arm by the elbow and wrist, and slowly rotated her hand in a slow circle until it made a click.

Hinata gasped in surprise, and flexed her fingers.

"Oh…oh, thank you, Haku-san," Hinata said. She bowed her head.

"You don't have to thank me for something I've caused," Haku said. His eyes were pointed toward his pale hands.

Hinata's head gave a little shake, but she said nothing else. He, she noticed, was very pale. His skin was almost white. His eyes were deeply shadowed with dark rings, and his hair fell limply over his face. His lips, barely parted, were chapped and had bled.

If his condition had been better, Hinata was sure he'd look beautiful in a feminine way. Even she thought Haku was a female when she stepped into Naruto's apartment.

Hinata wet her lips. "Anou, Haku-san, do you need anything?"

Haku shook his head.

Hinata wrung her hands. "You sure? It would be no trouble for me to bring you something."

Haku's face turned toward her, his lips barely in a smile. "You're used to serving people, aren't you?"

Hinata blinked at his words, a blush forming on her cheeks.

"I'm fine, Hinata-sama. I'll let you know if I ever needed anything." Haku said, the corners of his mouth curved in a slight smile.

Hinata bowed, her hair falling messily to her face. She retreated from his room and went to go change out of her uniform.

As she walked home, she couldn't help but think that Haku had sounded very much like her cousin when he said her name with that suffix pinned to it.