A/N: All right! This is my first multi-chapter fiction! My oneshot Determination can serve as a sort of prologue to this one, but since I've decided to make this fiction SasuHina centric, reading the other story isn't essential. However, I recommend it whole-heartedly 3 . Thank you to all who reviewed this story in its original form, Of Life and Irony, but my old plot just wasn't working out. So, with a heck of a lot of advice from Taixonay, (thank you dearie!) I created a new plot and got a oneshot out of it. By the way, I think all of you out there should check out Frenzy by my friend Taixonay. Extremely well-written Sand Sibling fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters or themes in it. I just have this story!

Tears fell from her porcelain face. She mechanically brushed a lock of hair away from her face as she stared blankly at the wall. Hinata didn't plan to go outside at all today.

It had been four years ago today that her entire family was killed. She remembered it vividly; after seeing Gaara's name written of her wall in the sand, she decided to go out for a walk in the forest because she couldn't sleep. When she got home, her house was in ruins and no one was to be found. She would never forgive herself for not being taken with them.

'At least they didn't take Neji too...' Hinata though wordlessly. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror on the wardrobe to her right. Those milky white eyes of hers reminded her of her father's eyes. They were so similar, and yet nothing alike. Her eyes didn't hold the same same cold disapproval his had. But they now held the strength and knowledge.

'I have changed.' Hinata mused as she examined herself. The tears slowly began to dry; sticking to her pale, flawless skin which now stretched tightly over her cheekbones. The kunoichi had lost most of her childlike appearance; despite her height, no one would have questioned her age of seventeen. She rose from her bed slowly. 'In the past I would have been a wreck, but now I can stand up and face it. Alone or not.' The Hyuuga decided against the original plan of staying home all day.

'That wouldn't help anything. Besides, Tsunade-sama may need my help today. The least I can do is go outside.' With that, Hinata jumped from her window and leapt up onto the roof with the agility of a cat.

Racing across Konoha, Hinata felt alive again. The wind rushed at her face as she loped from housetop to housetop. Within moments she was atop the Hokage monument overlooking Konoha.

"No one can take this away from me." Hinata muttered as she looked out at her home. The sun was nearing its peak in the sky. Its bright light animated the streets below the kunoichi.

"It is all we have left." A clear, deep voice sounded from behind Hinata. She didn't even have to turn to know who it was.

"Neji." Hinata acknowledged her cousin. They sat together upon the monument, enjoying the slight breeze tousling their dark hair.

"It's kind of funny really. Did it really take something like that to bring us together?" Neji chuckled halfheartedly. He smiled a lukewarm smile to his cousin, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Sometimes it takes something like a splash of ice water to wake someone up." Hinata returned his gaze with a half-smile. It was hard to speak for both of them. Their usually animated voices sounded dead and empty to each other, but neither would say anything about it. It was too painfully obvious.

"I think...I'm going to try and visit Tenten today." Neji's eyes lit up as he spoke of seeing his friend. Hinata's mouth curled upward in a mutual smile as she hugged her cousin and bid him farewell. Before another thought slid through her mind, he was gone. Deciding to follow Neji's example of becoming human again, Hinata resolved to stop by the ramen shop to see if anyone was there. She pinpointed its location from her perch, and leapt.

Flying. Hinata felt weightless as the air rushed past her. She twirled and flipped until it was time to focus chakra into her feet to soften the landing. She landed like a cat on her feet, much to the amazement of several Genin who had observed her descent. The Hyuuga looked up and smiled at them as she began running to the ramen shop.

'It's so nice to move around. I feel...free.' Hinata thought as the little shop came into view. She noticed her favorite blond ninja dragging a slightly perturbed Sasuke into the small building. The Hyuuga walked in after them; looking at the ground with a crimson face. She was a little nervous about barging in on "Uzumaki and Uchiha time." The last time she had...well, let's just say things got a little interesting.

Hinata stood next to Sasuke, who was more likely to notice her while Naruto drooled over the menu. He looked to his left and nodded silently to acknowledge her, a slight smile gracing his lips for a moment. A fleeting moment.

"Hinata," Sasuke's velvety voice began, "Why are you here?" Hinata noticed a slight inflection on her name, but as the raven-haired shinobi finished his thought it became his usual bluntly monotonous tone once more. She pushed the note to the back of her mind. It was insignificant.

"Because...because I don't want to stay inside all day once a year anymore. It wasn't doing me or anyone else around me any good." Hinata spoke softly and deliberately, never looking up from the table. Things were going fine so far. "And maybe if I can distract myself it won't hurt quite so much."

Sasuke nodded and turned back to Naruto, who had thoughtfully ordered a third bowl of ramen (that wasn't for himself.) He grinned over at Hinata and greeted her loudly, causing her to blush and continue to stare at the table.

'Okay, so you aren't the same nervous stuttering wreck you once were. Now you just have to make yourself as confident in the company of others as you are when you train,' Hinata thought to herself. She was surprised by her comment. Thoughts like that weren't all that usual for her. Disregarding the notion, Hinata smiled over at her two companions and began to make quiet conversation with them. It mostly consisted of Naruto bragging and Sasuke nodding and "Hn"-ing, but she enjoyed it anyway. She asked quiet questions of both ninjas, both of whom answered her quite readily. As readily as Sasuke could manage, anyway.

"I should be going. I'm going up to work with Tsunade-sama tomorrow, and I wouldn't want to be late because I slept in." Hinata noticed the sun setting as she spoke. Had they really been there for that long? Naruto and Sasuke bid her farewell, and she flew back to her apartment.

'I just love to move...maybe I should consider taking up dancing like Tenten suggested...' Hinata giggled softly as she imagined herself in a leotard and tights. 'Naw...'

She reached her apartment quickly, not even bothering to climb the stairs. The window was a much more convenient entrance for her. She balanced on a small ledge under her windows and opened them, leaping back into her bedroom gracefully. The Hyuuga changed into her pajamas slowly, and slipped under the soft blankets of her bed. She fell asleep soon after her head hit her pillow. For the first time in four years, she fell asleep on this night with a smile on her face.

A/N: Yay! As you can probably tell with this chapter, I like adjectives. A lot.

I know Hina seems a little OOC, but she had to grow up some time right? She hasn't become cold and heartless by any means. She might be a little depressed on this day, but she's finally decided to wake up and be strong about it. Hope you liked it!