PART TWO

Hinata shook out a sheet and folded it over the clothesline, securing it with the pins she pulled off her apron. She stepped back to look at the sky, shading her eyes with one hand. It was a clear day, bright and sunny, with only a few small clouds out over the ocean. If not for the chill in the air, she'd have a hard time believing it was the middle of winter.

"Good idea doing laundry today," her neighbor Mrs. Sasaki said, leaning on her cane. "It wouldn't surprise me if it snowed tomorrow."

"Really? But it's so beautiful today!" Hinata said as she resumed hanging up clothes. "I can't imagine the weather turning that fast."

"Trust me, Konata-chan," the old woman wheezed. "I've lived on this island my whole life, and my bones don't lie. There's a freeze coming, a bad one. You'd best prepare your household. Does that pretty husband of yours know how to build a fire?"

Hinata flushed at the mention of Neji. Mrs. Sasaki was overly invested in their "marriage" and never missed the opportunity to tease Hinata about it.

"He knows how," she answered. "And we have plenty of wood stocked up."

"You'd better double however much you have," Mrs. Sasaki said. "People died in past freezes. Better safe than sorry."

Too kind to protest, Hinata promised to check as soon as Neji came home.

"Of course, two young people like you, you'll have no problem staying warm." Mrs. Sasaki chuckled between coughs. "And you know what happens about nine months after a freeze..." Her eyes twinkled with expectation. Ever since they'd moved to the island five months ago, Mrs. Sasaki had been pestering them about how wonderful it would be to finally have children living next door.

Flustered, Hinata finished her laundry and rushed back inside.

More than a year had passed since they fled the Land of Vegetables. Since then, they'd moved twice, staying in small villages Hinata didn't even know existed before. Neji refused to stay anywhere longer than six months and never moved them within the same country. Hinata followed wherever he led, trusting him to know the best places to avoid danger.

They now lived on a tiny northern island in the Land of Water. Neji worked as a fisherman, and Hinata continued her lunch business. With two incomes, it was easier to survive and keep a low profile; Hinata saved most of her earnings for emergency money that they would use whenever they moved. Not that it stopped busybodies from poking their noses in and inquiring when she was going to stop working and settle down at last...

Hinata shook her head; Mrs. Sasaki was harmless. The poor woman was lonely, with no family of her own, and Hinata was one of the few people who actually kept her company. The frequent moves made it difficult for Hinata to find friendship; she could tolerate a few embarrassing questions to have someone to talk to during the day.

Hinata was beginning to prepare her usual orders of lunch when Neji came home.

"Neji-nii-san! I didn't expect you home this early."

"We were all sent home to prepare for the freeze that's coming," he explained. "Apparently weather conditions can get bad up here." He looked over at the rice cooker. "How much are you making?"

"Enough for ten. I guess it's too much now."

Neji shook his head. "Make more. Make the lunches, and then make rice balls."

Hinata was shocked; that was several days' worth of food. "Do we really need that much?"

"I've heard some stories," he replied. "I'm heading to the market to pick up a few things. How many quilts do we have?"

"There's four hanging to dry, but there might be another one in the closet."

"I'll check."

Hinata bit her knuckle. She'd brushed off Mrs. Sasaki's statements earlier, but if Neji was this concerned, perhaps she had good reason to worry.

"I'll go shopping with you," she said. "I can finish the rice later."

Neji shrugged in acknowledgement.

It was still sunny outside, but now the air had a sharpness to it that stung when she breathed. Hinata was glad she'd grabbed her coat before they'd left for town.

The stores were crowded and with limited merchandise. Prices for rice and miso were sky-high, and the general store was sold out of portable stoves. Even wooden furniture was selling fast, with people breaking it apart at the store to carry home as fuel.

Hinata had never seen anything like this. It snowed in Konoha, but not often and not hard enough to cause widespread panic.

Because of the crush of people, they weren't able to get as much as Neji wanted, but they managed to buy another quilt, three pounds of fresh fish, two packages of dried seaweed, and extra matches.

When they got back, Neji checked the walls for cracks while Hinata cooked. She thought the amount she was making was excessive, but he insisted she use everything.

"Better safe than sorry," he said, echoing Mrs. Sasaki's words. Hinata shuddered to hear them again; how bad would this storm really get?

After dinner, Neji went to use the public bath while Hinata took down and folded laundry. He was gone a long time, just long enough for her to start worrying; when he got home, there were ice crystals in his hair.

"I waited as long as I could for it to dry," he said as he warmed himself by their little wooden stove. Hinata was shocked; it wasn't a long walk from the public bath to their home.

They laid their beds out as close to the stove that safety permitted.

"If you wake up at night, check the stove," Neji instructed. "We need to keep it burning."

"I will." Hinata lay down and pulled the quilts up to her chin. Most of the drafts were plugged, but there wasn't much to be done about the cold floors. She focused on the warmth from the stove and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

The night passed without incident, but the morning brought more severe weather. The sun was gone, ominous gray fog obscuring its warmth.

Neji left for work but came back soon after; no boats were sailing today.

Hinata shivered in her thickest robe as she prepared tea. She took her time, stretching the moments before she had to speak to him. In all the time they'd been living together, they'd never spent more than a few waking hours together. Faced with an entire day spent indoors, she was at a loss.

"Want to go for a walk?" Neji asked. "It's not unbearable outside, and we might as well get some fresh air while we can."

Hinata agreed, and they set out together.

They wandered down to the shoreline, where the wind off the sea reddened their cheeks.

Hinata stared out over the water, watching the waves crash endlessly on the sand. The view looked as though it had been drained of color. Everything was gray: the sky, the land, the sea. It just added to the cold and dismal feeling of the day.

Neji stood beside her, gazing at the view as well. "It's almost pretty," he said out of nowhere. "The way the fog makes everything all hazy."

Hinata was dumbfounded. Every time she thought she knew Neji, he surprised her with another hidden side. She wondered how many more years it would take to uncover them all.

"That's not pretty though." He pointed to black clouds forming on the horizon. "We'd best head back."

The wind picked up on their way back. Hinata felt it pushing her forward, almost blowing her over. Neji was having just as hard a time; he extended his arm to her, which she took gratefully. Together, they stumbled through the beginnings of the storm back into their house.

Once they were inside, it started to snow. Hinata watched through the window, marveling at the swirling flurries. She'd never seen snow like this; it was beautiful beyond words and completely terrifying. The window was drafty, and she could only stay watching for a bit longer before she had to close the curtains and run back by the stove. It was a little thing, but it was just large enough to keep two people warm if they sat close by.

Neji set down cups of tea for them both and sat down beside her.

"It's too bad there isn't a library here," he said. "This is good reading weather."

Hinata didn't mind that much. No library meant no pressure to continue researching medical ninjutsu. They'd moved on from studying jutsu to looking up specific medical ninja who might have a grudge against the Hyuuga. It was a change, but it was a dry topic, and she found the research grueling.

"I do have this though," Neji said, pulling out a deck of cards. "Do you know any games?"

"I wish I did. I never had time for cards."

"Neither did I." He put the deck down on the table and thought. "I'm trying to remember the one Naruto taught me." He stopped and looked at her. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have mentioned..."

"Shouldn't have mentioned what?" It took Hinata a moment to realize what he was talking about. Naruto... she hadn't thought about him in months. She waited for the usual heartache that accompanied thoughts of him and was surprised she felt nothing. Had enough time finally passed? "It's all right. What game did Naruto-kun teach you?"

Neji started, as if surprised by her nonchalance, but recovered quickly. "Well, let's see if I remember how to play Speed."

It took a few trials before he remembered all the rules, but once she learned them, Hinata caught on quickly. She won her fifth straight game, causing Neji to lay his head on the table in defeat.

"It's impossible to cheat at this game," he moaned. "How are you winning every time?"

"Beginner's luck?" Hinata said with a laugh.

Neji rubbed his eyes. "Rematch?"

"Are you sure you want to lose again?"

He glared at her, and Hinata hid her smile behind her hand. Seeing his competitive side was almost funny. Where had it been hiding all these years?

"Fine," he said. "No more cards. Do you have a better suggestion of how to pass the time?"

"Not particularly."

He didn't have anything to say to that, and silence descended upon them. Hinata didn't mind; it was almost comfortable, to sit next to each other and just be.

A gust of wind shrieked outside, rattling the window. Hinata shivered; it had to be almost noon by then, but it was still dark and grim.

"This storm reminds me of our time in the Land of Wind," she said, remembering their hut in the middle of the desert. "Although the wind storms there were a good deal warmer... I almost miss it."

Neji shuddered. "I could never miss living there." They only lived in in the desert four months; after scorching hot days and more sunburns than was healthy, Neji had insisted on moving.

"I was still finding sand in my clothes for weeks after we left. It's better here," he said, pointing to their stove. "There was no way to stay cool in the desert, but here, we have our own heat. It could be worse."

Hinata scooted a little closer to the stove. "That's true. It could be."

They spent the rest of the day huddled up inside, talking, playing cards, and reminiscing.

"Remember the man in the canyon village who couldn't speak to me?" Hinata asked, remembering a quarryman who would buy lunch from her every day without fail. "He never once thanked me or even spoke an order aloud; he'd just point to what he wanted."

"The one who was in love with you? I remember."

"W-what?!" Hinata turned red. This was news to her. "How could that be, if he wouldn't even talk to me?"

"He was too shy," Neji said, a note of humor in his voice. "But whenever you weren't looking, he was staring at you. And whenever you looked at him, it was like his brain stopped working."

Hinata mulled over this. "I wonder why he never said anything..."

"Because you're married."

"Oh, right." Hinata hadn't actually forgotten, but of course no one would make a move on her; who in his right mind would want to cross Neji?

As if punctuating the conversation, the lights flickered and went out, leaving them plunged in darkness with the only light coming from the stove.

"Oh, no." Hinata wasn't afraid of the dark, but the idea of having to weather out the storm without light was disheartening.

"Hold on; we have candles." Neji rummaged through a drawer and produced matches and a few tapers. Soon, their table was glowing from candlelight, lending a picturesque quality to the evening.

"So this is why people think candlelight is romantic," Hinata sighed, looking around them. Neji flinched, and she realized what she'd said, which reminded her of Mrs. Sasaki's quip about keeping warm. Remembering that made her so flustered, she couldn't look at Neji again until after they'd finished dinner.

They laid out their beds the same way they had the night before, and Neji built up the fire one last time before diving under his blankets.

"I wonder if we should take shifts checking on the fire," he mused. "If it goes out..." He didn't need to finish his sentence.

"I can stay up first," Hinata offered, but Neji shook his head.

"I don't think it's actually necessary. Just check it if you wake up at night."

Hinata didn't expect to fall asleep as quickly as she did, but the warmth of her bed and the lack of anything else to do vanquished her resolve to stay awake.

Only a few hours afterward, though, she woke up shivering. She already had on her warmest clothing and was wrapped in three quilts; she tried to think if she had any more sweaters she could put on. The stove was still burning steadily, but Hinata crept out from under the blankets and added more wood to the fire anyway. She leaned closer to the stove, not caring that her face was almost blistering from the heat. If she moved any further away, she was afraid of turning into an icicle.

Eventually, she crawled back to bed, only to wake up again an hour later to see Neji standing over her.

"You're shivering again," he said, tucking more quilts on top of her.

"Thank you," she sighed before her gratitude turned into alarm. "Wait, nii-san, how many blankets do you have?"

"Don't worry about it. I have enough."

"It's not safe! You'll freeze."

Neji's face was set, and he wouldn't meet her eyes. "Hinata-sama, given the circumstances, I think we have reached the point where it is no longer prudent to have separate blankets."

Hinata didn't understand him until he put another quilt on top of her, the last one left in the house. Her eyes went wide as she realized exactly what he meant.

She scooted over to her right, making space for him next to her, then rolled to her side and squeezed her eyes shut as he lay down next to her.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice muffled. She wondered if he had buried his face in his pillow. "I know this is less than ideal."

"It can't be helped. It's the only way to keep warm." It was working; they both had finally stopped shivering. "Good night."

"Good night, Hinata-sama."

The Hyuuga were not a physically affectionate family. Hinata could not remember ever sharing a bed with someone; even as young as three, she was sleeping entirely on her own. Having another person breathing next to her was beyond distracting. She curled into herself, making a conscious effort not to touch Neji.

The wind was howling outside, keeping her awake. Every nerve was on edge, struggling to avoid contact with him. As awkward as it was, Hinata felt torn. Half of her was certain she would die of embarrassment if she touched him; the other half was dying to touch him. The space between them was so warm, so inviting, and it was so cold and miserable outside the pocket of their blankets. Steeling her resolve, Hinata shut her eyes and tried her hardest to fall asleep, but she couldn't. She was warmer, but she still wasn't warm enough.

She rolled over and stared at Neji's back, watching him breathe. He was asleep by now; would it really bother him if she just pressed against his back?

The wind picked up, rattling the window; without thinking, Hinata pressed herself to his back and wrapped her arms around him.

Neji was not asleep.

"Hinata-sama?!"

"I'm sorry... it's just so cold."

"Hold on." He disentangled himself from her arms before turning to face and hold her. Flooded with warmth, Hinata was shocked to feel Neji was shivering too.

They clung to each other the entire night, only letting go when someone ventured out to put more wood in the stove. At one point, the sound of the wind stopped, and Neji observed they were probably snowed in.

Without power or sunlight, they lost all sense of time. All that mattered was survival: food and warmth. Hinata had no idea how long they spent huddled together under the blankets. Sometimes they would talk, playing word games or making plans for their next move, or one of them would sleep, but most of the time, they just lay there in silence. It was odd being that close to another person; Hinata could feel Neji's breathing, hear his heartbeat. It was strangely comforting, perhaps awakening some repressed memory of lying next to her mother when she was still a baby.

They knew the storm was over when the power suddenly came back on. Later, they heard the sound of scraping and digging outside. Soon, someone rapped on the door.

"Everyone all right in there?" a gruff voice asked.

Neji answered the door to find men with shovels and wheelbarrows.

"Just the two of you?" the leader asked. "You're both alive and well? Good; the fewer bodies we have to cart away today, the better."

Hinata came to the door, blinking at the sight of daylight. The sky was still overcast and gray, but the sun had broken through the clouds. Snow was banked all around them; she couldn't see over to Mrs. Sasaki's just a few meters away.

"I'm going to help them," Neji decided. "You'll be all right by yourself?"

Hinata nodded; she was more than happy to have a few moments to herself.

Neji didn't come back until late at night. He didn't talk about his day, and Hinata didn't ask him. It wasn't until they were preparing to go to sleep that he asked if they could share the blankets again for one more night.

It made no sense to refuse; it was no longer snowing, but it was still below freezing. Hinata was grateful for the extra warmth.

Only after they were properly bundled and close together did Neji tell her what he had learned.

"We were snowed in for three days," he said. "I helped dig out about forty households. Most people were adequately prepared, but there were a few who weren't." He paused. "Mrs. Sasaki died."

Hinata gasped. "How?"

"She must have frozen to death. She lived alone, after all."

"How horrible..." She imagined sitting alone in the house, slowly growing colder and colder, knowing no one was coming to help. She pulled herself closer to Neji; as uncomfortable as she'd been at first, sharing a bed had saved their lives.

"I think we should stay like this until it gets warmer," she proposed. "Who knows if there will be another storm?"

"That's wise. We'll certainly save money on firewood."

"Yes. And it's not forever," she was quick to add. "We can separate again in spring."

"Naturally."

But when the snow finally melted and the season began to change, neither made the move.

Author's Notes: I dropped the time references in the text, but in case it isn't clear, it's been a time skip of about a year and three months. Lazy writing? Maybe, but there are more possibilities with older characters. I have been wanting to write this chapter since I first thought up this story, but I wasn't comfortable writing this scene with a 15-year-old Hinata and 17-year-old Neji (their ages when they left Konoha-they are 18 and 19 now, respectively). Hope you liked it, and look for a new update soon (no later than April)!