"Hinata-kun," Saeki said, as she was about to leave the room. "Before I forget... The Kazekage is going to visit you later this afternoon. He seems to be specially worried about your condition."

"Wh-what?" Hinata could hardly believe her ears. The cute person from two days ago was going to visit her! She wanted to pinch herself. This was too much. "A-are you sure, Nurse Saeki?"

The older woman nodded. "Positive. Very positive. Doctor Hideki told me so a while ago."

"We-ell..."

"Ah! You probably don't know what to do, right, Hinata-kun?" Nurse Saeki asked, sensing the girl's alarm. "Just be yourself and answer him as correctly as you can when he asks you about something. I'm sure everything will be alright. Well," She proceeded towards the door. "I have to check up on more patients. See you later, Hinata-kun."

"Y-yes..."

As soon as the door closed, Hinata let out a bedraggled sigh. The Kazekage was coming to visit and she had no idea what to do. In addition to this, she was certain she wouldn't be able to answer all of his questions; what with her stuttering and all. She could feel her heart beating in her chest, faster and faster as every tiny second passed. But still, in the midst of all her worrying, a small ray of hope showed itself. She actually felt happy - happier than she had ever been since she woke up in that dreary room. The coming of the Kazekage was like a hidden treasure, filled with gold and all kinds of jewels, and she was the lucky treasure hunter. This was the chance of a lifetime!

"Yoshi!" She whispered to herself. "I'll try my best in this!"

Feeling calmer now, Hinata proceeded to fold her blanket neatly.

- - - - -

Five hours later, Hinata found herself sitting on her bed uncomfortably - even though it was pretty softer now than before. The Kazekage, looking grand in a long brownish orange uniform, was standing in front of her. Guards, who stood stiffly in their starch-white clothes, surrounded him. But it was not the sight of the latter that horrified the poor girl; it was the presence of the former. From his dark-lined eyes to his fiery red hair, it seemed as if he was anger personified. She could crumble easily under his unearthly gaze... And she did want to do just that. Disappear.

She was too much aware of the fear growing inside her that she failed to notice that the Kazekage too felt horribly uneasy. Gaara knew that the girl in front of him was from Konoha and that she was a friend of Naruto's, perhaps more than a friend. He had never really gone and talked with the Hyuuga girl but he knew as much as everyone else - that she was easily embarassed whenever Naruto was around and that she was the heir to her clan. But he knew nothing of what she was now, after she had forgotten all of those precious memories.

"Kazekage-sama," Dr. Hideki began. "This is Patient No. 327, Hinata Hyuuga."

"You have her records then?" The young leader asked, turning to the doctor.

He sighed. "I'm very sorry to tell you, sir, but we still do not have her records. It is only her name we know."

"How did you come to know her name?"

"Her name was sewed onto the inside of her jacket."

"Give me details about her current condition."

"Yes, sir."

Dr. Hideki began a long discussion filled with medical terms that Hinata wasn't able to understand. She wondered if the Kazekage felt the same. But she was at least relieved. The good doctor was doing the talking. Some of the nervousness she felt sometime ago flowed out of her heart, like a winding river from the high mountains.

"Ah, I see." Gaara turned his unearthly gaze back at her but the question was still directed at the doctor. "Is she healing, at least?"

"Yes, Kazekage-sama. As a matter of fact, she is healing quite quicker than we thought."

"And her amnesia?"

"Ah, well..." Dr. Hideki looked at his notes. "It hasn't improved. There is no sign whatsoever of her remembering anything."

"I see." Gaara gazed at her long and hard. She was pretty sure that she would really disappear now. "Tell me, have you had any dreams lately?"

"Dr-dreams?" Hinata asked. Her mind was whirling. The Kazekage just asked her a question. "I don't... I don't think so... Not that I know o-of..."

"None? What about visions?"

She looked at the ceiling. "I... I think so..."

Gaara gave her a puzzled look. "You think so? What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not... I'm not sure." She blushed tomato-red.

Dr. Hideki smiled at her reassuringly. "Kindly tell us about it, Hinata-kun."

She calmly nodded at the doctor. "Ye-es, Hideki-sensei... I saw a huge wooden house in a... In a place full of gr-grass... There were two people, li-like me. A man and a... A small girl. They were sa-sad and looked at me, as if... As if they wa-wanted me to come to... To them."

"Aah." Gaara averted his gaze to the only window in the dreary room. It seemed as if he was thinking of something he wanted to eat so much. At least, Hinata was inclined to think so with the longing look on his face. "I see."

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask, Kazekage-sama?" Dr. Hideki asked.

"No." He looked at the doctor again. "I will just call for you if I have anymore questions, Hideki-sensei. I suppose Hyuuga-san needs her rest. She looks horribly troubled, to say the least."

No! Don't go! Hinata wanted to shout. Ask me more! Ask me more questions, Kazekage-sama! Ask me anything and I will answer you gladly!

"I shall get going now, Hideki-sensei. I don't want to bother you anymore with such trifling questions." Gaara looked at her for a moment and nodded in her direction. "Hurry and get well."

She bowed her head in reverence. "Ye-es... O-of course..." But don't go!

Dr. Hideki bowed also and, with a sweep of his magnificent coat, the Kazekage left.

- - - - -

After performing a few check-ups, the good doctor left also, leaving poor Hinata alone and more depressed than ever. As soon as the doctor was out of the room, she jumped onto her bed and cried her little heart out, although she knew it was useless to do so. In her imagination, everything had been completely different. She and Gaara were all alone in the dreary room but his mere presence illuminated the otherwise grotesque box. They were chatting with no barriers at all, just like old friends. He was smiling and she, too, was doing the same. The conversation was free-flowing, like a long river from the highest heights...

Suddenly, Hinata saw a different image on her mind. She saw the outline of a boy against a bright light. His hair was incredibly spiky and his clothes seemed kind of baggy. Slowly, she seemed to be getting closer to him. Closer. Closer. Closer. She could now distinguish the features of his face, hair, and clothes. The boy was smiling a little awkwardly and his eyes were no more than two horizontal slits on his plump, dough-like face. There were whisker-like lines on his cheeks that gave the impression of a fox. His hair was unkempt and had the color of the yellow daffodils growing on the pot beside her bed. His clothes consisted of an orange jacket and baggy pants with black stripes. When she was near enough to actually feel his breath, the boy suddenly ceased to smile and gazed at her with blue eyes.

"Hinata..." He seemed to say in a soft voice. "Hinata..."

"Naruto-kun!" She shouted but no words came out. It was like a chasing after the wind. "Naruto-kun!"

Hinata cringed under his gaze and found herself blushing a rubicund hue. Her heart, she could distinctly feel, was doing flip flops on her chest. Her legs felt weak, as if they were about to fail her... And so they did. The sight of the boy in front of her blurred and gradually darkened. A small cry erupted from her lips and the cold touch of the ceramic floor hit her back.

Slowly, the light grew back again as she sat up and opened her eyes. "Wh-what happened?" She rubbed her eyes. "The... The boy... Is... Is gone... Wh-where did he... Where did he go?"

Puzzled and slightly hurt, Hinata crawled back up to her bed and slept, the previous vision plaguing her weary mind.

- - - - -

"Did you see her expression, Saeki-san?" Dr. Hideki asked in a low voice. "She was spacing out, wasn't she? Please take note of that."

Nurse Saeki jotted down the information on a blank sheet of paper. "Spacing... Out..."

The observation room was a little dark. Only one bulb lit up the walled box. The two medical personnel struggled to see through the blinds.

"She probably saw something she knew in the past. I wonder what it was."

"Dr. Hideki, she blushed just before falling down, didn't she?"

He nodded absentmindedly. "Yes, please, take note of that also."

"And, also, she..." Saeki wrote down the characters quickly. "Screamed out a name. Naruto, I believe it was, Dr. Hideki."

"Uh-huh..." He looked at the nurse beside him with a twinkle in his eye. "You seem to notice the littlest things, Saeki-san. You could be a doctor."

She smiled and shook her head. "Not really, Dr. Hideki. You were just too pre-occupied to see or hear things clearly... Well, doctor, Hinata-kun has been improving quite well, right?"

"Probably. We might see more of these visions in the near future. Please keep a tight watch on her, Nurse Saeki." He bowed his head. "I'm leaving this to you."

She promptly returned the bow. "Yes, Hideki-sensei. I will most certainly do it with the most of my abilities."

- - - - -

Author's Note: Oops. Sorry for the late update. I was a tad bit too busy these past days. Gomenasai~