In a flash of lightning, all of Hitomi Kaijima's biggest hopes and dreams vanished. All she had ever wanted was to become a shinobi. Now left blind after a horrible accident, she is determined to prove herself to the people of her village. What Hitomi doesn't expect though, is to discover a kindred spirit, who will teach her to smile again.

Disclaimer: Obviously, as this is a fanfic, I don't own Naruto, or Rock Lee (le sob). I also don't own the song "Tomorro"I do however own Hitomi.

From the author of "Worlds Without End", AKA me! Hope y'all enjoy. I've done my best to banish as much Mary-Sueishness as I could from my character, so don't cringe at the letters OC. The only Pairings so far are LeexHitomi, so if you have any pairing requests, or heck, an OC you'd like me to stick in, just mention it in a review or e-mail. On a final note; No flames. Thanks in advance.

Chapter Song: Tomorrow-Avril Lavigne

Time for chapter two! READ IT!

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Chapter 2- Blocked

/And I wanna believe you,
When you tell me that it'll be okay.
Ya I try to believe you,
But I don't./

Hitomi sat on a bench away from the other genin, waiting for her brother to finish talking with her sensei so they could go home. A light breeze tugged at her hair, feathering it. She closed her eyes with a sigh. The fact that it no longer affected her vision still somewhat of a novelty to her. Hitomi didn't pay attention to how much time passed, perhaps fifteen minutes, perhaps five, before she felt her brother's hand on her arm.

"Come on Hito, let's get going."

Hitomi turned her sightless gaze on her brother, lifting her eyelids solely so that it would look like she was interested in what Tai said. It made no difference to her-darkness was darkness- but even the blind needed manners. What had made her glance up in the first place though, was the tone of her brother's voice. It seemed different somehow, more strained than it had been a while ago.

"What is it Tai?"

She questioned., getting to her feet.

"Nothing, don't worry about it now."

Hitomi noticed these words were spoken more cheerfully than the last ones. He was hiding something- she recognized the signs. Still, somehow she was unwilling to press for information today, despite the fact that he'd just admitted that something was indeed wrong. Perhaps she just wanted to hold onto the joy of the moment as long as she could. Hitomi allowed herself to be led home, her arm on Tai's. She could find her was easily, even without her ninjutsu, but it always seemed comfort Tai to be there with her and keep her safe. Like most older bothers, he was overprotective- but of course he had a better reason than most. He'd been the one to raise her when their parents were killed in action all those years ago, and as a result, they were closer than most siblings. Hitomi was grateful for it. She didn't know what she'd ever do without him.

And so she played along.

/When you say that it's gonna be,
It always turns out to be a different way.
I try to believe you,
not today, today, today, today, today.../

When they arrived home, Tai set about making dinner for the two of them.

"I'll make your favorite tonight Hito, to celebrate. It is still curry chicken and rice, right?"

The girl smiled and nodded as she picked up her pet cat Tora. He was a fat old cat, but good-natured. He'd fought alongside her father as a ninja weapon when he was alive. Tora had taken to the life of a pet grudgingly at first, as if it was degrading somehow. Age soon took care of that though, and his pride was drowned in saucers of cream.

There was a strangely awkward silence as they ate that night. Normally there was a great deal of laughing, chatting and joking between the two of them. Tonight however, Tai didn't seem to have much to say, and any attempt Hitomi made at conversation was quickly diverted. It was after the dishes had been watched and put away, and Hitomi lay on the livingroom floor playing with Tora, that he told her they needed to talk. The genin tugged the headband from her eyes for the sake of politeness, and activated her Beast Eyes jutsu so she could read his expression. She was disconcerted to see it was very drawn and grim.

"Hito...you know I was talking to Iruka-sensei this afternoon, right?"

She nodded slowly, feeling her throat tighten. What was he getting at? Was something wrong with Iruka-sensei?

"Well...the thing is, they've made up the genin teams for this year and...Hitomi he says there wasn't enough room. They had a weird number and-"

"You mean I don't have a cell?"

She interrupted abruptly, horror widening her spiralled eyes as everything clicked into place with horrible ease and accuracy.

/I don't know how I'll feel,
tomorrow, tomorrow.
I don't know what to say.
Tomorrow, tomorrow,
Is a different day./

"I'm so sorry Hitomi. Iruka wanted me to tell you because...he though it might be easier on you. He said he did all he could to-"

"But it's not fair! I was fourth in the class! I should have been one of the first ninja they assigned!"

"The system is messed up, I know. It-"

"It's because no one wanted me, isn't it?"

Hitomi could feel hot tears prickle in the corners of her eyes. She sounded almost hysterical, her voice pleading and angry and disbelieving all at once. Her hands were clenched into fists so tightly that her knuckles were white.

"None of the jounin wanted me in their cells because I'm blind! Nobody wanted me, so I just kept getting shoved farther and farther down the list until all the spaces were gone! I'm just a liability aren't I!"

"Hitomi that isn't true!"

"It is! It is and you know it Tai! No one ever counted me as a real ninja! They just let me graduate to shut me up! I- oh screw this!"

/It's always been up to you,
It's turning around,
It's up to me,
I'm gonna do what I have to do,
just don't.

Gimme a little time,
Leave me alone a little while,
Maybe it's not too late.../

Hitomi got to her feet, her entire body trembling. She hugged her arms close to her chest for comfort. Tears were flowing freely down the girl's cheeks now. She saw the blue blur of her brother's hand move to touch her shoulder through closed eyelids, and jerked herself away violently.

"Don't touch me Tai! I'm so mad I could...I could just..-"

With a sob of dismay she took to her heel and ran, knowing by heart where the front door was in relation to her position-she didn't need to be able to see it to get out. Hitomi tore the door open, heedless to her brother's cries for her to come back, and charged off into the night.

It was cold outside. Everything had cooled drastically since the sun went down, and Hitomi was as good as blind again in such an environment. She hated the night for that reason. This night however, just seemed so much more inviting than her bedroom. As she ran down the dirt street, narrowly dodging carts and steering clear of any head signatures she could pick up, Hitomi formed more handseals, activating another of her jutsu to help herself see.

"Desert Sun No Jutsu!"

She choked out raggedly as she ended with the sign of the tiger. Once again her field of vision lit up with blue light, six feet in every direction as a wave of heat rolled from her body. Hitomi's Desert Sun jutsu was made to enhance her Beast Eyes jutsu, altering the temperature of the air around her so she could make out basic structural boundaries and silhouettes. She projected it in an aura as she ran, lighting her way like a spotlight would for a person with sight.

/I don't know how I'll feel,
tomorrow, tomorrow.
I don't know what to say.
Tomorrow, tomorrow
Is a different day./

The girl was surprised Tai wasn't following her. She knew that if he wanted to, Tai could catch her in a minute flat and drag her home, kicking and screaming. He wasn't' a chuunin for no reason. Maybe, Hitomi thought as she ran, he realized just how much she needed to get away for a while. From him, from Konoha, from everything.

She charged through the front gates of Konoha just as they were being dragged closed for the night. She ignored the cries of irritation and warning from the guards, and simply continued on. Her chest was burning as she hit the forest, leaping into a tree and continuing her run through the canopy. She ran all-out for perhaps twenty minutes in all, from the time she left her house to the time she collapsed, exhausted, in the bows of a large tree to catch her breath.

/And I know, I'm not ready./

No longer able to shove the feelings aside, Hitomi let the tears come. Her sorrow and anger rushed back to her full force, hitting her like a wall of concrete. All her hard work, and now she wasn't even considered a real shinobi. No cell, no teacher, not even any friends. How could things get any worse?

/Maybe tomorrow/

As she reached up to rub at her eyes, the genin felt her wrist touch cool metal. Lightly touching it with her right index finger, Hitomi felt along the etched leaf in the headband hanging around her neck several times. It was calming. Somehow it seemed like the insignia was trying to comfort her, reassure her.

"No"

She said quietly, drying her eyes on her wrist. She set her jaw once more, biting her lip determinedly. The girl stood on the branch she sat on, swaying slightly. A crisp night wind pulled at her brown hair, drying the moisture on her face.

/And I wanna believe you,when you tell me that it'll be okay.
Yeah I try to believe you.
Not today, today, today, today, today...Tomorrow it may change./

"Hito, if they won't acknowledge you, you just need to give them something to notice..."

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Author's Notes: Chapter 2, done! Told ya it'd be up soon, didn't I? Just so you know, She's not ditching the village to become a missing-nin or anything, just going for a run to clear her head. Also, this takes place some time within the gap between the mission in wave country, and the chuunin exams.(though facts may contradict themselves, he he...) Hopefully chapter three will be up as fast as two was, since I know this type of intro is boring. I will get the Cannon characters in soon, starting with Hitomi's romantic opposite! Be patient! Anywhom, that's for reading! Please Review!