Hinata Hyuuga came back after a failed mission where two innocent people were killed by the rogue-nins. By the time they arrived at the scene, it was already too late. Until now, she blamed herself for having such a low pain tolerance... for her incompetence. In the midst of jumping from tree to tree, a pang of pain surged through her chest all of a sudden, almost causing her to miss a branch and fall down from a fatal height. It seemed like she hadn't recovered completely from the time where Pein stabbed her. No matter how much her teammates convince her that it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if only she hadn't taken a break...

She was still mulling over her failure yet people around here wasn't giving her a break. It was suffocating. She could feel the stares of pity, confusion, and curiosity as she went out for grocery shopping for her dinner tonight. People were hesitating to greet her and the ones who dared to do so did not ask what actually bothered them... and the one who did were met with an elusive answer. Now that her relationship with Naruto was over, this had been her mundane life ever since: boring, dull, and lifeless. Not to mention the recent news of her being disowned from the clan added fuel to the already raging fire. Not that the ex-heiress didn't saw that coming.

Contrary to the popular belief, she was actually the one who broke up with Naruto. It was funny how that was the truth when she felt she was the only one hurting from it although it wasn't really surprising. Her obvious hurt was what flamed the spreading rumors.

The start of their relationship was actually happy like a story ripped from a fairytale book. Believe it or not, Naruto was one of the sweetest people she ever met. He gave her roses on their first date, was never late when they went out, and he held her hands while walking. All with that bashful smile dusting his whiskered cheeks. And those eyes... those eyes that twinkled with unadulterated love and made her breathless and giddy. Of course, he had his ignorant moments and all but she would be the one to patiently fill up those gaps from being an orphan until the end.

Or so she thought.

Those dates they almost had every day grew shorter and fewer in occurrence. The minutes he was late for their night-out turned to hours and eventually him forgetting about it altogether. The affectionate gestures he offered her went non-existent. At first, she accepted that it was only because they went past the honeymoon phase. That was until she saw him together with Sakura.

The meeting was supposed to be completely platonic, eating casually in the infamous ramen stand, but what her eyes saw could not deceive her. Those admiring eyes that she thought was solely reserved for her now were directed towards the beautiful pink-haired female. Only with a combination of fierce intensity and soothing peacefulness that couldn't hold a candle to how it did with her.

Despite the aching pain in her heart, it was then she made the decision to break the chains that bound him to be with the one he truly loved. When Hinata did, the story started to spread like forest fire. On top of the recently failed mission and her break up with Naruto, the clan decided that it was a good time to tell her of her recent news. That she was to be branded with the cursed seal soon now that was official that she was no longer the heiress of the clan. Probably because she was not associated with the future Hokage anymore, she no longer served a purpose to the clan.

Something snapped within the usually docile female. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, from all the drama she had been within this week. Instead of the expected 'weak' reaction from the ex-heiress, she coldly stared at each and every one in the room with an indiscernible expression. For once, she morphed into the emotionless, cold Hyuuga that they wanted her to be... where her father, Hanabi, and the elders unnervingly decided the eerie image didn't fit the shy, gentle female. The corner of her lips curved slightly, forming a polite smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Would that be all?" Once they gave their affirmation to her question, she slowly stood up from her position on the floor and lowered her head to the occupants of the room.

"Then I'll be taking my leave, Hyuuga-sama." Calling him father would no longer be applicable for a dishonored daughter. She left the silenced room gracefully as how her numbed legs could. She moved through the maze-like hallways of their home like a mechanical doll whose sole purpose was to get back in her room, her mind as blank as an empty canvas.

Once she caught sight of her cousin at some point in her walk, the barrier that kept hold of her emotions suddenly broke down. She barreled down towards Neji and crashed into his embrace in a force that would send them to the floor if the male wasn't expecting it.

"N-Neji-nii-san... I... I..." When incoherent words were the only thing that escaped the sobbing female's mouth, the genius merely kept quiet as he caressed his cousin's hair soothingly, fully aware of her current predicament. The Branch members were made aware of the new addition to their family before the disowned heiress was. She sobbed quietly, shaking violently under his strong embrace until she eventually fell asleep due to exhaustion.

She hoped that one day, she would wake up without feeling the pain in her chest. Or better yet, be far, far away from this place filled with pitying stares and painful memories.

"That is all," he said in a commanding, final tone that not even his advisers could say anything else. Atobe Keigo elegantly stood up from his luxurious high-backed burgundy chair and flamboyantly exited the office, all without sparing a second glance from the flabbergasted directors. His old butler bowed down towards them before following his boss from behind skittishly.

"This is going to cause a huge ruckus, Atobe-sama." His worried butler pushed back the slipping glasses on his nose with his old, wrinkled hands. The said man facial expression hardened but other than that, he gave nothing away.

"I know." Atobe answered in a hard, unflinching tone.

"More than a ruckus, Atobe-sama. If I may add. They will be coming after you now."

"I know." Seeing that his words of worry would only fall upon deaf ears, Michael sighed and shook his head morosely. He was worried about his charge since he was fully aware of how brutal those powerful men can be.

Back on his immature days, those greedy people could tolerate the brat: the spoiled, immature, idiotic brat who does whatever he wants with his money despite him holding more than half of the company's share. At least he was not a threat to their power. Ever since he decided to take over as how he should, the young heir had been growing more in power. Although the company's reputation and popularity went leaps and bounds with him leading, he was an unknown risk to the people who painstakingly tried to grip on their hold on the company. Their predicament was understandable but so was his. The problem was that they had different goals for the company... and one of the two opposing sides was willing to do whatever it takes to bring the other down no matter what it took.

The ride back home was filled with cold silence. He propped his elbows against the car's window with his head leaning against the back of his hand. It had been a tough time for him ever since he invoked his rights as the rightful heir of the Atobe conglomerate. His defeat from the conceited yet talented freshman woke him up to reality and made him realize the responsibility he was neglecting. He wasn't working hard enough; this extends to the business part he had been recently failing to look after. Not all were happy with his recent transformation, however, but that wasn't going to stop him from doing what he thought was right.

Deep in his thoughts, he didn't even realize that they already arrived at their destination. Atobe exited his car and went his way back to his room. He was greeted politely by the maids along the way. In return, he greeted back absentmindedly as he was still pondering about the earlier meeting. The looks he received from them were furious, borderline murderous, glare but what he disconcerted him was the mix of smugness that he couldn't decipher what. As if they had something planned and they were certain they would succeed.

All of his thoughts halted when Atobe saw a familiar figure lying on his thick, beige carpet in the midst of his room. His blood ran cold once he recognized the said figure and saw the condition his childhood friend was in, totally unexpecting for Kabaji to be in such a sorry state. A small pool of crimson pooled around his head but other than that, there seemed to be no other signs of injury.

"Kabaji!"

Without moment's waste, he dashed towards the figure and hovered a finger underneath Kabaji's nose. Much to his great relief, he felt warm breath tickling his digit. His head shifted so fast towards his accompanying butler that he swore he heard a few cracks on his neck.

"Get the special unit, doctor and the nurses! Quick!"

The old man left without further delay while Atobe positioned him as comfortably as medically possible. He stayed in case the culprit decided to come back and delivered the final blow. He may not be as good as Kabaji but at least he could buy some time before Michael, along with the medical aid and some trusted bodyguard, arrives.

Currently, his injured partner was being held in the privacy of Atobe's own home with nurses that would aid anyone in need of help. He gritted his teeth in anger, furious towards the inhumane people who would dare attack his best friend. Once the doctor told him it was now okay to visit, he didn't waste any moment and entered the room. Atobe took long, careful strides towards the patient yet despite his light movements, Kabaji still managed to notice his presence.

"Atobe-sama." Although he said it in a monotone, almost bored, voice, the bandage wrapped around his head and his inability to sit up attentively gave away how bad his condition was. The concussion and slight bleeding, as the doctor stated, was not lethal however it caused difficulty with motor skills and nausea for some time until he has fully recovered.

Atobe placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, silently telling him that there was no need for formality now. The obedient man briefly nodded his head before he slowly eased himself back to the bed. It was only under the presence of his best friend and the absence of all the others did he softened up visibly. He took a chair beside the injured man and sighed in defeat. He did not voice his worry but his furrowed brows and pursed lips blatantly gave away how anxious his friend really was.

"I'm getting a bodyguard," Atobe stated after a long, drawn silence.

"Ah." Was the reply from the man of few words. He neither protested nor appraised his decision as he usually did. Oddly, Atobe knew that the quiet male was relieved with the idea. He didn't know how strong his opponent was but seeing Kabaji in his current condition meant he mustn't underestimate them any longer. He even managed to escape the attention of his observant friend. Too bad for them. Their plan was flawless, he would give them that. The only problem was they mistakenly had the worst timing.

"Michael?" He called as his butler closer.

"Yes, Atobe-sama?"

"Bring me the best and most inconspicuous bodyguard you can find. Preferably someone strong yet one that doesn't draw attention and blend in from my normal life down to my meetings. Also, please work with the detective as he questions you regarding the scene of the crime."

The only people who knew about the incident was Michael, the detective, the doctors and nurses, Kabaji, and him.

"Yes, Atobe-sama. I'll see to it."