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They walked through the mall and Sakura stared upwards towards a shop filled with elegant colorful dresses of all kinds. Her eyes took on a slightly fangirlish look She was pulled past the store, they've walked ten steps before Hinata stopped her.

"Let's go look there," Hinata suggested under her breath, reluctantly pointing.

"B-But-" Sakura wrung her hands. "The prices- my hospital budget-"

Hinata gazed at Sakura and couldn't help but smile, gaining a bit more self-confidence as soon as she said the words. "I'll pay."

惊

Hinata tried on all sorts of clothing. Different colors, although she found she liked soft and delicate shades of lavender the best. She liked soothing colors that did not attract much attention on her, due to bad experiences in the past.

Whenever someone paid attention to her, they usually noticed all her flaws and nothing good in her. That was why her father was always disappointed.

Overall, Hinata liked being in the safe side with wearing unnoticeable colors like white. It was also why she was amazed by Naruto's bright orange. Now that she thought about it…

Sakura liked wearing bright red; she had the gall to wear a dress during their genin days unlike all the other kunoichi. As if the pinkette was proclaiming, 'I don't need ninja battle gear! I can fight with just a red dress on!'

Hinata had never worn a dress before. Everyone in the Hyuuga was raised to appear traditional and modest, with neat long hair, long sleeves, and long pants or a long robe, in pale colors such as white. Any clothing that could attract attention was instantly proclaimed indecent and implied to be prohibited for a Hyuuga.

Hinata was already taking a risk to wear a short sleeve shirt that exposed her shoulders.

But for them to be browsing a dress store and trying on all different kinds of designs, it was an entirely new experience for her, one that she never imagined she would go through.

A Hyuuga wearing a dress was an embarrassment to the clan. The most skin she'd exposed was her arms, which she waited until she was age 18. Hinata stood beside Sakura feeling better about herself. Their attires were similar now that Hinata began wearing clothes that fit her form, and Sakura decided to go for something more convenient than a dress. They purchased gowns and kimonos.

The lavender and red hues still remained.

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Sakura was fiddling with her map of the mall. The mall was circular shaped, with ten floors. Each floor had escalators instead of staircases. There was an elevator at the edge of the building, made of hard glass so that you could see a full view of Konoha as the elevator descended.

On the first floor was the lobby where they now stood together. There was a fountain with red and white koi fish.

One of the fish was floating on the water as if dead, while the other fish swam around ignoring the fish's body.

Hinata activated her byakugan and stared at the fish. Then she shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to ignore it.

"What did you notice, Hina-chan?" Sakura queried, her green eyes flickering from the escalator's location towards Hinata's slightly strained eyes. With a medic's eye, Sakura noticed minuscule traces of wrinkles around her temples and the slight wrinkle of a frown on Hinata's pallid lips.

"I-it's just a dead fish," Hinata said, regaining her composure, a small strained smile on her face. "It's ironic, isn't it?"

"Hmm?" Sakura prompted as she began making her way towards the fountain. She stared over the glistening waters and realized there really was a dead fish. Hinata's eyes are amazing, I would never have noticed this in time.

"The 5th Shinobi War...both the enemy side and our side were fighting for peace. It's a little silly that we won, world peace has been established because all of us are weary of fighting, but things still...die anyway." Hinata lowered her eyes. "I wonder if no living thing would ever be hurt again if...he had won instead."

Then Sakura slapped her. A stinging, reddening pain across her soft white cheeks. Hinata's shocked white eyes stared back into Sakura's determined green.

Even after, Sakura's hand still remained on Hinata's cheek, not breaking contact, but cradling it. The same thing she had done for Naruto. Then Hinata remembered; Sakura was there when Neji died. Sakura had watched Hinata kill her own emotions in order to look strong, in order to comfort Naruto. Sakura had seen Hinata suffer more than ever that day only to hold it all inside, she had seen Hinata force herself to forget about her beloved cousin's death and instead focus entirely on Naruto; on Naruto's warmth, his large hand, his comforting presence. It was the only way to comfort Naruto, by looking strong herself.

And Sakura knew. A weak person like Hinata had to hold back her tears for Neji in order to comfort Naruto. The plan had worked; Naruto hadn't jumped over to Obito's side, but continued fighting for their comrades. Hinata was a hero. A self-sacrificial heroine.

No one except Sakura had seen through Hinata. If Naruto had known Hinata's true feelings, he would have joined Obito. Hinata's words about Neji living inside their hearts were bullshit; Hinata only said it to make sure Naruto remained sane. All while hurting herself, trapping herself inside Naruto's nindo that she didn't believe.

For Neji was gone along with all his aspirations and dreams; a dead person can't change the Hyuuga clan. She was not as strong as Neji, she could not take on his dream.

There was no denying the fact that Hinata preferred Neji to be alive than to be a fossilized memory in their hearts. Life was better than death.

But apparently only Sakura had realized that. Perhaps that was why earlier she had told Hinata it was okay to cry. This was the world they they were stuck with, death was inevitable, and they deserved it after rejecting the prospect of false, eternal peace. There was no use in being disillusioned into being happy with what they had.

But suddenly Sakura scooped the rotten koi fish up from the water, and placed it on the marble edge of the fountain. Sitting beside it, she placed her palms on the cold-blooded corpse. With her green eyes sharper than she'd ever seen on a non-Hyuuga, Sakura concentrated, sweat trickling down.

When Hinata was absolutely sure she wouldn't break concentration, Sakura closed her eyes as her healing techniques accelerated. But it wasn't quite healing, Hinata noted, her byakugan unconsciously activating. Judging by its decay, the fish had lost its life four hours ago.

The scales of the reptile regained its red and orange hues, and started flapping manically. A wild grin split across Sakura's face as she cheered, "SHANNARO~ I DID IT!" Sakura jumped, swiping the fish and tossing it back inside the fountain. It swam around faster and livelier than the others.

Hinata stared in disbelief. Did Sakura-chan just bring back the dead?

"I felt the same," Sakura mused, a far-off look in her eyes. "I healed a dehydrated fish as one of my first medical lessons under Tsunade-shishou."

Hinata was speechless. There was a different feeling Sakura aroused in her. Whereas Naruto gave her massive relief and the willpower to survive and struggle through impossibilities and hardships, Sakura seemed to give her hope to overlook the past and squint towards the future.

"What you just did..." Hinata tentatively started, "I think you brought back the dead."

"It's just a fish," Sakura dismissed, "Anyone can do it."

"It's amazing," Hinata said breathlessly, her eyes gazing into Sakura's fingers. Your hands are...full of life. "You can do so much more. People who are good at what they do, can do more."

One of those hands reached for her, and Hinata's eyes widened. Sakura placed the palm of her hand atop Hinata's shoulder and squeezed.

"The same applies to you." Sakura met Hinata's eyes. "You care about Neji and his dream: to change the Hyuuga."

Sakura breathed. "I know you are strong enough to do it, Hinata."

She smiled, closing her eyes, knowing that Hyuuga Hiashi hasn't dissolved the Branch House system yet. It's been annoying to see Hyuugas being brought to the hospital with brain damage every now and then, and how Hokage-sama hasn't done a thing about it. As soon as peacetime was established and Sakura had time to mull over Konoha's situation, she realized this and went up to Kakashi. 'We can't interfere with internal clan affairs,' was Kakashi's excuse.

And Sakura remembered Neji's dream. She remembered Naruto promising to change that noble clan as soon as he became Hokage, but Sakura snorted. There was not a chance of Naruto becoming Hokage until whenever Kakashi decided to retire, and Sakura had a feeling that would be a decade's wait. One decade was too long, one decade meant one more generation being cursed into the branch house, Hyuuga Neji's lifelong goal truly dead. But Sakura kept those dark thoughts to herself and only spoke conversationally, brushing only the surface of topics while showing her full support and confidence in her friend despite her jovial tone.

"So, Hinata-chan, don't you think it's about time you succeed your father?"

And Hyuuga Hinata staggered.

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