Darkness.

It flooded her vision, wrapping its warm velvety arms around her, lulling her to sleep. The day had been hard; her mind and body were numb. A stab wound still bit into her leg when she tossed, and her head pounded like a drum when she turned. But the darkness made everything a little better. It softened all the aches and pains.

Footsteps.

She heard footsteps. They echoed in her ears--or was that her heart beating? Someone was coming closer--

White.

Wincing. Lots of wincing. The sudden brightness drove her headache up another notch, and the pain in her leg intensified.

But the white light didn't bring heat--instead she felt a chill streak through her bones--the footsteps became less hollow and more of a crunch crunch sound. As if someone were walking through leaves, but the noise was slightly muted and a strange silence settled in around her.

Something soft and cold brushed her cheek. Another one landed on her eyelashes and she blinked it away before stepping back and looking around her.

Snow.

The snowflakes fell everywhere, blanketing the area around her with immaculate white. A brisk wind nipped at her nose and blew her hair into her face--

Crunch. Crunch.

The footsteps again. She whirled around to see who it was.

"Naruto!"

Her voice reverberated through the air, the ice and the silence both amplifying and muting it at the same time. The blonde-haired shinobi was walking towards her with slow steps, dropping scarlet flower petals in his wake. The petals melded with the snow, spreading out to make glacial crimson flowers, looking all the more like…

Oh no.

She rushed to his side, trying to support him until she could lay him on the ground. "Naruto, Naruto-kun you're bleeding--what h-happened? Nevermind, it's okay, you don't have to tell me--just lie d-down and relax. Y-you're going to be alright, now…"

He looked up at her with confusion in his bright blue eyes. "Hinata…?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun, it's me."

"Hinata, I can't believe you…"

"What are you talking about, Naruto--?"

"Let's go, Lady Hinata."

She looked up and saw Neji, veins streaking from his eyes, looking at and straight through Naruto.

"He's going to die in a few minutes anyway. The chakra passage to his heart is completely blocked. We have to leave."

"--But--"

"Now, Hinata."

"We can't just--"

"We can, and we will. Why the change of heart all of a sudden? You did a fine job of the mission. It's time to head back."

"Mission?" she asked. "What mission?"

Neji blinked, deactivating his Byakugan. "Protect the village from the Kyuubi."

Hinata awoke with a start, cold sweat dripping down the back of her neck. Her breath was uneven, leaving her gasping for breath like she had the wind knocked out of her. Her small arm was pressed against her abdomen tightly, but she felt no pain.

Hinata…

For the rest of the night all Hinata could do was cry. Unexplainable tears from an unexplainable nightmare. An unexplainable nightmare with unexplainable words.

...Hinata...I can't believe you…

"I can't believe you made it, Hinata-chan! I mean…I can--but…err…well…"

Hinata chanced a shy smile. "Thank you, Naruto-kun." Her cheeks flushed a bright crimson as she hugged the AnBU uniform to her chest rather proudly. See? She was just as good as Neji. She could do the same things he did. There wasn't a difference--not anymore.

"Hey! Maybe…Oi! Hinata!"

Hinata blinked, confused. She hadn't moved. "…Yes?"

"Stop by my apartment tomorrow--I've got something for you!"

"Oh, oh…okay…"

Naruto looked at the black and silver uniform wistfully. "I could join AnBU if I wanted to…I'm pretty sure I would pass the tryouts." He grinned. "Don't you think so Hinata-chan?"

She blushed even more deeply and was actually forced to turn away to keep him from noticing. "Of course, Naruto-kun."

Naruto puffed up his chest, basking in the praise. "Well, I've got to go meet Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan down by the Main Gate. I'm running over half-an-hour late--Sakura's gonna kill me!"

With a laugh and a wave, the blonde teen was gone. Hinata managed to crack a fond smile. He was already running late and he came to see me…?

She made her way back home in a daze, brushing past villagers and other shinobi with hardly a care. Could this day be any better? She passed her AnBU exams, she got to talk with Naruto…the pale, white-eyed girl was so lost in thought she barely registered her cousin join her as she walked through Konoha.

"Lady Hinata."

She jumped a little at the sound of Neji's voice and resisted the instinct to quail in fear. "Cousin--!"

"If you want to survive, you have to be more alert than that." He eyed the uniform in her arms. "I see you passed."

"Y-yes…I guess luck was on my side yesterday…"

Neji looked at her coldly. "Luck can only take you so far, Lady Hinata. It's luck--it can't throw itself in front of you to block a kunai. It cannot perform Ninjutsu when you run out of chakra within minutes. If it's not tangible, you cannot rely on it. There is only one thing that will protect you…yourself." He sneered. "As if that's any comfort."

Her fellow Hyuuga threw her another haughty stare before disappearing into the crowd. Hinata watched him leave, not conscious of the cracked mask she held in her arms. She had clutched it so tight that it crumbled in her fingers, cutting her frail skin.

Cousin…you trained, I trained harder. You joined AnBU, I followed suit. And yet…I'm still not good enough? One of these days, Cousin Neji…I will surpass you. You'll see.

But Hinata's small bout of furious silence only lasted so long, suddenly going out like a candle flame in the wind. What was she thinking? She'd never be like Neji. Even with all the extra training deep into the night with Kurenai-sensei, Neji would still always be smarter.

Faster.

Stronger.

He'd still always be more like the child her father wanted to have instead of her.

Ever since the Chuunin Exams, when her father had witnessed exactly what Neji was capable of, it was as if he lost all hope of Hinata ever making the Main Branch family proud and welcomed her cousin with open arms instead. It didn't matter how headstrong, or how condescending, or how arrogant Neji was. He had true power; true Hyuuga talent. Her father would go to any length just for a chance to train him.

Even if it mean ignoring his own daughter to the point that even she was beginning to question if she existed. If she was real.

She didn't know how long she stood there but it must have been an obscenely long time because the sun was already low in the sky, about to set, and there was only a scattering of people left sauntering through the dusty streets. Hinata felt a wave of exhaustion overwhelm her; she had a sudden urge to go home and just sleep. Sleep her troubles away until the next day, wake up, endure the day. Rinse and repeat.

"Hinata!"

A new voice. A different voice from the others that fluttered around her like dying butterflies.

"Hinata! Hinata!"

Now there were two, two unique voices blending into one.

"Hinata, where have you been?"

That was yet another voice--softer, gentler, feminine, unlike the others, yet all the more welcome.

She chanced a look behind her, face immediately brightening when she saw her teammates Kiba and Shino, followed by their sensei, Kurenai. Akamaru bounded along side them, as big as a wolf now, barking with familiar ferocity and delight at the same time.

Kiba grabbed her arm. "C'mon, Hinata! We've been looking for you everywhere! Kurenai-sensei suggested we take you out to ramen, to celebrate you passing the AnBU exams!"

"That's right." Kurenai smiled. "Congratulations are in order. I heard from Kakashi a couple of hours ago."

All of Hinata's worries washed away. It was going to be alright now--her team was here. Everything was going to be okay.

Kiba was still trying to drag her. "Let's go, Hinata!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" she laughed, stumbling along beside him. Suddenly, all four of them heard a sickening crack--Hinata jumped back in surprise.

Beneath her sandal was her AnBU mask, lying on the ground, cracked and dirty. Pieces had been chipped from the edges, and even though it was brand new the vibrant red paint-markings had faded to make it look at least a decade old.

Shino bent over to pick it up and examine it. After a moment he held it out to Hinata. "Is it yours?"

Hinata nodded, unable to do much else.

Kurenai squeezed her shoulder. "We'll get you another by tomorrow," she murmured knowingly. "Don't worry."

Hinata didn't know what to expect when she walked into the AnBU Headquarters the next day. Over-serious shinobi with animal masks sharpening kunai and glaring as she walked past? Neji leading a crowd of squad members, pointing her out, hushed laughter echoing in her ears?

Of course, that wasn't the only thing she was thinking about.

She was thinking of yesterday, how Kiba had held her hand up with his warm, callous-ridden one when Team 8 cheered her on at last night's dinner. She was thinking how she had to pass by Naruto's apartment later that day. A smile began to creep up on her face.

But the smile vanished as soon as she opened the door.

It opened to a wide open entrance room. A desk was pushed over to the left side with four or so secretaries scribbling away at huge stacks of paper. In the middle of the long table were a clipboard, a pen, and a sign with two words written in huge red letters.

SUICIDE MISSIONS

Some people were just asking for it, weren't they? She edged past the desk headed towards what looked like a roster on the far side of the room. A crowd of AnBU squad members surrounded a few papers pinned to a bulletin board that, upon closer examination, showed the teams for the day. Peering at the minuscule handwriting, Hinata searched for her name among the dozens on the long list.

"Don't bother," a voice murmured sternly behind her. "You're on my team, if you wanted to know."

A tall woman with long purple hair loomed over her, mask strapped to the side of her head. The other squad members let her through--though from fear or respect Hinata didn't know. She had a commanding presence about her; she must have been a Jounin Squad Leader, at the very most.

"You are Hyuuga Hinata, are you not?"

"Yes ma'am."

The woman sighed and muttered, "Why do they always send the rookies to me?" She waved her off and pointed towards a door. "The locker rooms are over there. Change into your uniform. Hurry up."

"Yes ma'am!"

Hinata shuffled to the other side of the room and pushed open the old wooden door that was rusting on its hinges. A familiar silence enclosed around her followed by, when the door slammed closed, the darkness. Hinata froze. Something wasn't right.

Her eyes went wide as a hand clamped over her mouth and someone roped her arms. She tried to scream, possibly bite the guys hand, but her body was oxygen-deprived and getting weaker by the second. She began to swoon, her already hindered sight blurring fast. Her eyes!

She activated her Byakugan and immediately targeted the chakra points on her assailant's arms. All I need to do is push my chakra at the right points and make him let go--

But Hinata didn't even reach that point before a fist came in contact with her skull and the whole world went black.