When Hinata began to stir, she was very aware of two things. Firstly, her head felt like it had gone through a tumble dryer. Secondly, her bed smelled musky and slightly of camomile.

Wait a second...this isn't my bed!

Hinata shot up, immediately regretting her action when her head started to throb harder.

She groaned as she peeled her eyes open, inspecting her surroundings and trying desperately to regain her memory of last night's activities. The room was moderately large. She was currently laying in a double bed with the entrance door to her left and what looked like a door to an ensuite bathroom in front of her. A single bed side cabinet could be found to the left of the bed and finally a large wardrobe was installed in the far right-hand wall. The walls were painted with a pleasant shade of peach wich matched the wooden floor nicely. What struck her the most was that she had never seen this room before in her life.

Think Hinata, think! What happened last night?

She remembered meeting with her friends - they took her out to a bar to try and loosen up after her break up with Naruto (their relationship crashed and burned after she found him cheeting on her). They were telling her he wasn't worth it and - Oh! Everything came flooding back to her!

They knew! They all knew he was cheating...

It was in her way back from the bathroom she overheard them mention it might not have been a good idea to keep their mouths shut about the affair at the time.

Ya think?!

The moment her eyes locked with Shikamaru's, she fled running as fast as her wobbly legs could take her and so the hunt to find her began. She then remember bumping into a-

Oh my God, I slapped a man!

Hinata covered her face in horror.

And then I made out with him, without even knowing his name! Wait! Hinata looked around desperately, If he took me home, then this must be-

"Glad to see you're awake." A deep husky voice drew her attention to the doorway where her blonde knight-in-shining-armour stood. He approached her, offering her a glass of water and an aspirin which she accepted graciously.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his deep voice soothing her, as he sat beside her on the bed.

"Like shit." She said honestly, though a blush hit her when she heard what she said. He chuckled lightly as he felt her forehead for a temperature. His hand slid down her cheek and she watched as he brushed away an eyelash with a gentleness she didn't expect he'd possess. She knew she was blushing, she just didn't think that when she looked back at him he'd be blushing too.

He cleared his through, obviously embarrassed, "I took out some clothes that you can wear while I air out your dress." He pointed to the shirt and shorts she now noticed hanging from the bedpost, "Sorry. These were the only things of mine that i thought would fit you."

"Y-you don't have to do that. You've already d-done so much."

"It's no problem."

"I d-don't even know your name."

"Laxus Dreyar." Hinata visibly froze. Of course she knew of Laxus Dreyar, everyone in the business world knew of Laxus Dreyar, prodigy grandson of Makarov Dreyar, Heir to Fairy Tail and general intimidating bad-ass.

"I-I'm Hinata Hyuga." His eyebrows raised.

"As in Hiashi Hyuga's eldest daughter?" He knew Hiashi. He was the guy that always looked like he had a stick up his ass.

"Y-yes."

"...I see." He said finally, not really sure of what to say. Of course he knew of her, just as he was sure she knew of him. She was an ex-heiress of a major investment company, who was disowned at the tender age of nine, simply because she wasn't perfect. No one heard anything of her after that. She became a phantom of sorts, appearing at major galas every couple of years (though Laxus always seemed to miss her) and even then she was known to escape outside within an hour of arriving. She had lived her own life, and to be perfectly honest he had a tendency to envy her every now and then. Now, she wasn't a phantom to him anymore, she was very much real, and obviously in just as much emotional pain as he was.

"Do you want to talk about last night? About your...'friends'?"

Her expression suddenly darkened, "They're not my friends anymore."

"Y'know, the more you talk about it, the easier it is to except it and the less it will hurt." It was something his gramps always said. He felt a pang in his chest from the memory but tried to ignore it and focus on the task in hand.

She looked down at her hands while tapping her index fingers together, obviously fighting an internal struggle "My boyfriend," it was barely a whisper but he still heard it, "Months ago, I found out he was cheating on me. My so-called friends comforted me, told me it was an outrage, that they were so sorry and that he was an idiot for cheating on me. They said everything was going to be all right. Last night I found out they knew all along, and yet they said nothing."

They stayed like that for a while, Hinata trying not to burst into tears while Laxus - who was socially awkward in these types of situations anyway - was struggling to find the right words to say. In the end after a long silence, he decided to not say anything at all and instead embrace her in a tight hug. Laxus was never one to be comfortable with touchy-feely gestures of affection, but to be perfectly honest the hug wasn't only for her, it was also for him.

It was when Hinata was changing into Laxus' clothes that a knock was heard from the front door. Curiously, Hinata cracked the bedroom door open and peaked into the hallway. She saw Laxus approach the front door cautiously as if it were Death himself that had knocked. He paused and took a moment to take a deap breath and finally open the door to reveal a short elderly man that looked like he was about to hit something.

"Gramps." Laxus greeted him softly. Hinata's eyes widened at the realisation that this was the Makarov Dreyar.

Makarov, instead of greeting him back, entered and slammed the door behind him.

"Do you know why I'm here?"

His grandson knodded solemnly, saying nothing and staring down at his feet.

"When I first saw the document I couldn't believe what I was reading. I couldn't beleive that my own grandson would ever want to sac his friends, to do something so underhanded, to hurt me in such a way as he knew it would. I know you have this grand vision of a company made up of nothing but honor students and prodigies but I've told you again and again Laxus, Fairy Tail is not a company - it's a family. I endured through the pep-talks, through the intimidation, through your hissy fits but this?" He shook his head, "Not this. You've crossed a line Laxus. I thought you were the person to take over the company but now?...Now I'm not so sure. What I do know for certain is that there is no need for you to come into work tomorrow."

No, please not this again. This can't be happening! Hinata couldn't bare for anyone to get disowned, especially someone who had done so much for her.

"I didn't sign it." He blurted out, neither grandfather or grandson bringing themselves to look at the other. Unsure of how to reply, Makarov said nothing and simply walked away.

It killed Laxus to watch his grandfather walk out his front door, but he knew he had every right to. He didn't only father Laxus afterall, he fathered all of the Fairy Tail gang and it was his duty to protect his family, even from one of their own. He retired to his room as a broken man with tears threatening to fall, completely forgetting the girl in his guest room.

Hinata knew that she had to stop this.

Being as quiet as possible she went into the hallway and cracked the front door open to see Makarov walking away bruskly. She quickly looked behind her as she slid through the open door in hopes to catch up to him.

"M-Mr Dreyar?"

The elderly man turned around to regard her curiously. His face fell however when he realised she was wearing his grandson's clothes.

"N-no, don't worry! Nothing happened between us. My d-dress is airing out s-so he gave me these to wear." She quickly confirmed.

"Who are you?"

"Hinata Hyuga." She presented herself, extending a hand to the shocked man who took it.

"It's nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you." She knew it was a lie - no one ever heard anything about her after her disownment - but she appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

"Mr Dreyar, please don't disown your grandson."

His face hardened, "After all that he's done do you think he should go unpunished Miss Hyuga?"

"Being disowned isn't a punishment, it's a life sentence. No one deserves that, to feel as if they've suddenly dissapeared and that every time they fall, no matter how hard they plead - no one will help them up."

"It wouldn't be like that."

"It's always like that. Whether you intend it or not. If you love your grandson as much as I know you do - after all you would'nt be this hurt if you didn't - then please, don't do this."

"Then what do you suggest I do?"

"Find out why."

"Find out why? I know why, he thinks his friends are weak, that's why. He wants to be rid of them-"

"Then why didn't he sign the document? Why did he instead go drinking in a bar, alone?"

Makarov was silent.

"I-I don't know." He looked up at this strange girl who seemed naive and innocent while being neither, realising what a massive mistake Hiashi Hyuga had made by casting her away.

"You're more insightful that you look, Miss Hyuga."

"Looks can be deceiving, Mr Dreyar."

He smiled at her - not a toothy one - but a reassuring one nonetheless, "I'll take you're advice into account."

She smiled hopefully, "Thank you."

Hinata was careful to sneak back in, hoping not to draw Laxus' attention, obviously unaware that he had been listening the whole time.

"You shouldn't have said that."

She spun around to find her new friend - if that's what you'd call their new-found relationship - staring down at her intensely.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved."

"I had to."

"Why?"

"So that history isn't repeated."

"It's not the same as what happened to you."

"Of course it's the bloody same!" She snapped, slapping her hand against the wall. She didn't mean to shout at him, after all he had done so much for her, but she wouldn't - no couldn't - allow someone else to go through what she had to endure.

"Hinata, I know the reasons why you were disowned - they did it because you were not driven or academic enough for the Hyuga standard."

"Because I was weak." She clarified bitterly.

"You didn't do anything to deserve what you got - you were simply a victim of the circumstances you were born in, but I am to blame. I betrayed my friends, my family. I hurt my Gramps after everything he's done for me."

"And you hate yourself for it." She stated and he could only nod, "You're wrong - our situations are the same. The only difference is that while the pressure made you power-obsessed, it made me crumble."

He looked at her in amazement, realising that she may be the very first person to see through the walls he built around him. He accepted that she was right - their situations were very alike. Both of them were victims of their families' legacies, and because of all the words left unsaid and feelings bottled in, both became ghosts of their former selves and a reminder that no-one is more than human.