Hinata bent down, scooping up a handful of snow. She carefully rounded it, hidden behind a tree. Once she deemed her masterpiece perfect, she twisted away from the dead bark, hurling the snow at the man.

Yashamaru stumbled backward, bits of the frozen water clinging to his hair. He laughed good-naturedly, then sent a snowball back as his reply.

Gaara smiled a little from his position inside, where he watched the war between his uncle and best friend. A bitter knot twisted inside his stomach, but he ignored it. The important thing was that Hinata was happy. It didn't matter that he couldn't be out there, could never be hit by a snowball...

Hinata saw Gaara's face in the window. His mouth was smiling, but she could see the sadness behind his eyes. From the day that his home had become hers, when she had accidentally dropped her rice bowl above his foot, she had known about his... oddness.

Yashamaru recognized the expression the girl wore. It was apparent that she couldn't bear the pain she was causing Gaara. He sighed, then made himself look cheerful. "Why don't we go inside?" he suggested, aware that the Hyuuga would never dare to ask him that question.

She nodded, grateful beyond words. They went back to the house, Hinata entering after her elder as a sign of respect.

"You looked like you were having fun. Why did you come in?" Gaara questioned the minute the door shut. Sometimes it seemed like she could read his thoughts- what if she hadn't wanted to come inside, but did so just to be nice?

His uncle answered for her. "It was getting cold."

The young boy continued to stare worriedly at his new friend until she reassured him with a smile and a nod.

Three weeks ago she had come here. During the first few days, Yashamaru had told the children what was happening- how worried the Hyuugas were, how the Land of Cloud denied everything, how no one knew or would talk about the group that had committed this crime, how no one fitting the description of Mae had been found- but it only made Hinata cry at night, so he stopped.

Eventually she accepted, even began to enjoy, her situation. There was no rigid schedule to follow, no rules being constantly enforced.

She did, however, continue the training that she had begun at home. But now she had a friend to practice with, and, a couple of hours later on this day three weeks into Hinata's stay, her and Gaara were out by an abandoned building they had discovered in the woods.

After trying and finally succeeding at blocking snowballs, she decided to work on her inherited trait. "Byakugan!" Her vision halted at the edge of the building, intimidated by the formidableness of the wall, then broke through it. A frown crossed her face.

"What's wrong?" the red-head asked her.

"There's...light..."

Down a hallway where a couple of guards lingered. Through the door they stood in front of. Another guard, kicking a young woman in the side. Her bloodshot eyes opened slowly, as though they were weighted.

Hinata gasped, tears gathering at the edges of her eyes, spilling over.

"Hinata!" Gaara wrapped his arms around her, supporting her so she wouldn't fall.

"Mae-" she choked.

Even after threatening to cut her finger off, the 5 year old couldn't consider the possibility of leaving Mae in there. After all, Mae had tried to save her from pain.

"We have to rescue her." She had looked so thin and underfed.

"Okay." Gaara sounded braver than he felt. He didn't want to help someone he had never met, had only heard of as being a kidnapper, but if she had been nice to Hinata in any way...

He cautiously released her. She was trembling, but stood on her own.

"We can go get Yashama-"

Their feet were lifted out of the snow as a large man grabbed them. Holding one child under each arm, both too surprised and scared to fight back, he determinedly made his way back to the building.

"What's that you've got there?" a sentry questioned as he went through the door.

"Couple of kids. Seems they know Mae. Couldn't risk them telling anyone." He threw them roughly to the floor. Hinata's head hit the stone, causing her world to go black.

Gaara looked once at her closed eyes, then up at the men, rage consuming him.

"Guess we have no choice but to... what the-" the sentry wondered aloud before the sand covered his mouth.

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