It feels so good, nothing like she's ever experienced before.

She begins to unbutton the rest of his shirt, and once done tosses it aside. He begins to do the same until he catches a glimpse of a golden necklace with a key dangling in the middle. He stares at it intently. Memories begin to overflow. He takes a look at the woman in front of him. Could it be? Is it her? He stares at her with intensity.

"Hinata...Hyuga?"

Her eyes open wide in shock. How did he know her full name? Did she ever tell him her real name? Naruto stood up and dug into his pockets, took out a bag made of cloth and dug out a silver necklace with a see through lock, a purple gem shined in its insides. "Do you recognize this?"

...

She felt a pang in her chest. As if someone pulled her through a thick wall. She realized once again if she ever wanted anything, she would have to get it herself.

Hinata turned around in anger, she was angry at her father's ignorance, angry at her mother's health, angry at how useless she could be. She felt a heavy burden leaning on her shoulder. Constantly reminding her of her own ignorance, her worsening health.

She wished she could bring herself to hate everyone that ever stood in her way, but that's just how life is, cruel and unfair.

And that's how she decided to live. Following the path laid down for her, never looking back, never looking forward. Just being walked by fate and it's cruelness.

She felt her mouth go sour as his words left his mouth. How could he possibly say that? What's wrong with him? Why couldn't he understand. Out of all the times she needed his help and he refused, this was the one time she didn't think of him as the head of successful business. This was the first time since that she would earnestly and seriously ask for his aid as her father.

He didn't lift a pinky. Didn't even take a look at his oldest daughter. He was in another world, to busy to mind the one one he had built long ago.

Hinata finally, completely gave up. Her hopes of having a caring father all disappeared. Her hopes, like bricks fell on top of the other until they could good no longer and fell to the floor. No matter how much she tried, her youth would stubbornly keep sliding through her little youthful fingers.

"Hai." Hinata faked a smile, the first out of many to come. After this incident she could no longer hold a meaningful, childish smile. They were all forced and painful. Her gaze now seemed absent, almost as if she was in a distant place, staring into nothingness. And when she cried the tears would simply slide out of her eyes and go down her rosy cheeks. No sound was ever produced in these tough times. That is until her mother's health took a turn for the worse.

One cold afternoon she suddenly woke up in a violent coughing frenzy. The episode lasted throughout the whole night. Her beloved mother almost didn't make it...almost. Hinata had escaped the house in order to buy medication her father had neglected to purchase. Once she arrived she managed to deliver the medicine shortly before a grave scolding. Not from her father, but from the only light she had at the end of the tunnel.

"Don't you ever do that again. Ever." Her mother's harsh words had blown the last candle in Hinata's heart. Little did she know her mother was nearly scared to death when she heard her daughter had gone missing. Hinata had inherited the burden of her mother's health, though for now it remained dormant, however, her daughter could of collapsed at any time. In order to ensure such incident didn't take place, she scolded her daughter with a heavy heart.

Unfortunately for her, Hinata would only realize her mother's true intentions after she matured. For now a lonely child was convinced she had been abandoned by the whole world.

That night Hinata cried years worth of tears. Tears that had been locked in a bank for such an occasion. She poured rivers while her screams carried pain and intensity that no child should ever harbor. The maids overheard her cries, while their hearts drowned in horrific sympathy.

For now, Hinata's miserable feelings were the only anchor keeping her from this world and the next. Her life felt like a cold breeze, she stopped talking, eating, laughing, and crying, there was no emotion left in her. She was far from broken. She was lost deep within.

Everything seemed blurry to her. Meaningless. Until she got lost one day. Her chauffeur was going to take her to her piano classes when he suddenly disappeared. Hinata walked silently through the crowded streets. She stopped under a tree that had a chipped wooden swing connected to some old stained rope. There she waited. Under the cloudy afternoon, she could hear cicadas chirping for the rain to come. Hours passed and little Hinata wondered if it would be best to leave, but to where would she go? She had no idea of where she was so she just dug her head between her knees in defeat.

"Oy, who are you?" A young boy about her age bended down to her level. His eyes shining with wonder. The boy he emitted a sort of comfortable aura.

"Hey, did you hear me? Are you blind or something? The blonde child questioned. He approached Hinata until their eyes completely met. For the first time in a very long time Hinata blushed, and showed her true emotions. Not by choice of course.

"I'm...Hinata...Hy-"

"Mmm. Hinata, nice to meet you, my name is Uzumaki, Naruto. What are you doing? Were you crying?" he attacked her with questions.

"No. I just got lost. And I can't find my...my..." Her eyes began to get watery, how this boy brought out her emotional side shocked even her.

"Gahh! D-don't cry. Mom says 'a real man doesn't make girls cry'. Okay. You're lost; where were you before you got here?" Hinata pointed towards the heavy crowd. "Mhm. Alright. Let's make a deal. I'll take you home and you'll stop crying. Deal?"

"D...deal." She whispered. And with that Naruto stuck out his hand which Hinata timidly took.

They both spent the rest of the day together until they somehow reached Hinata's house, which, actually, was fairly close to Naruto's.

Once they arrived to the Mansion's gate Hinata halted. She stood in the same spot for a while, looking up at her father's office. Her tiny hands cupped into fists and her face morphed into a frown. She began recalling what she would be going back to. Her small fists shook in a mixture of emotions. Hinata continued standing. Her white and purple laced dress flowed in the wind along with her short hair. Naruto took care to permanently absorb this into his memory. The way she stood as if about to fight a grave battle. How her short hair still twirled in the wind. He looked closer at her neck and noticed a silver piece shining. It was a necklace. Was she wearing that the whole time? He barely took notice of such an extravagant piece of jewelry.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata turned towards him. Surprising him. A bit embarrassed he got caught looking he replied.

" W-what's up?" Stuttering wasn't something he had struggled with earlier, so this came as a shock.

"I want you to know something. Please listen carefully. Since a long time ago my mom has had problems with her health. I could describe it as a roller coaster. Stopping for a long time then starting up again in a hoop of problems. This never ending cycle has worn her out. I...me too. I will have the same fate as my mother. For now she seems fine, but earlier she reached one of the highest peak of her life. Father forgot about mother, he doesn't want to know she's sick. And that's why I have to take care of her. I mean if he won't, who will? Even so, im still young and can't do much. I saved her this time, but I won't be able to anymore...Naruto-kun...I want you to remember this. I don't know why, but lately i've been so isolated from reality. Though, today you helped me come out of a very dark and lonely place. For that I thank you deeply." Hinata raised her face and smiled again, a real smile. To this Naruto's cheeks turned pink.

"D-don't mention it." he replied too quickly. One hand behind his head, a habit.

She smiled even more," Naruto-kun as a thank you gift I want you to have this" She reached for her back and unhooked the gem hanging around her neck." There's two parts to this necklace, father gave me one and mother the other. It's a lock with a rare gem inside. A key is required to open it." Indeed there was a hole at the bottom of the crystal lock, showing the visible purple gem from the inside. Hinata took out a miniature key and unlocked the device. "Here, you keep the necklace and I the gem. That way we can think of each other and won't forget." She handed the necklace to his opened hand. "I have to go now bye, i'll see you next time." She waved goodbye to him as she entered. He waved back.

"...later…"

During the hot summer both children would visit each other, without their parents knowing. Everything seemed to be going well. Hinata's mom was healthy again, and her father was taking notice of Hinata's improvements in skills, especially in medicinal knowledge. One day Hinata and Naruto were walking by a river. He had managed to convince her to 'jump' in. They were both wet and laughing.

"Hahah! Hinata, I can't believe you fell like that!" He teased.

"I didn't you threw me…" She said sulking.

"Okay, okay, sorry. It was my fault." He looked down at Hinata, "Hey you don't have to be angry, I apologized already."

"I'..m, I'm not angry…" She wheezed, a bit out of air."You're not?..Then why are you so red?" he asked confused.

"I don't...I don't know…" With that Hinata lost her balance and fell to the dirt floor.

"Oyy, Hinata! Are you okay? Hey, wake up!" With fear at the back of his head, he touched Hinata's forehead. "Tch, Hinata! You're burning up!" Naruto acted hastily, he carried Hinata on his back, running back to her house.

Once there he told her parents about what happened. As soon as he handed her over, he was asked to leave the premises immediately.

Days passed and Naruto didn't hear a word about Hinata, not until his father mentioned the Hyuga household on the phone. At the sound of the name he went over.

"Mmm, yes I understand I will let him know." He hung up the phone and frowned, then turned around to stare at his smaller image. "Naruto, I heard you had a friend, Hinata-chan?"

"Yeah, is she okay? What did they say? Is she…"

"No, no, she's not dead. They just invited you over. She keeps asking for you and wants you to visit. That's all."

"Can I, go?" Naruto looked up pleadingly.

"Of course, i'll go with you." With that both father and son traveled over to Hinata's house.

Naruto entered her room with a bouquet of roses. He glanced around the bright room when his eyes landed on the girl laying down on the bed.

"Hinata-sama. You have visitors." Hinata turned from the window and glanced at Naruto, then at his father and back. She smiled weakly.

"Naruto-kun. Tank you. For coming."

"Don't mention it, haha...you should hurry up and get better so we can play together again." He tried smiling. Hinata looked down at the floor. Then directly at his eyes. "Here, I wanted for you to come for this. It won't mean much If i have it." She handed over the gem."I don't think i'll see you again so I want you to have the key as well."

"No" Naruto declined.

"What?"

"Naruto?" his father warned.

"Hinata, how about we make a second promise. You keep the key, and then when you get better. We unlock the gem and you take it back, so we could stick to our first promise." He suggested pleadingly with his eyes.

"I don't think that's a good idea."She avoids his sad hues.

"Please! You can't just die!" Naruto began to get desperate.

"I...I...wan-GAH!.-cough-cough-." Hinata spewed blood from her mouth. Key still in her hand.

"Sorry, you have to go now." Naruto struggled to remain at her side. He reached for Hinata, but his effort were futile, both he and his father were ushered out of her room, and then mansion.