As always, Naruto belongs to Kishimoto. (On a side note, I've never been sure what to translate Ero-sennin to, since I tend to hear in Japanese even when I read it translated, but since I'm using minimal Japanese in this story, I went ahead and chose the one I see most often.)

Hinata shifted her bag into one hand and knocked on the hospital door. Two days ago she thought her world was falling apart: Neji was dying, and Kiba and Akamaru were seriously injured. She loved both of them so dearly that the thought she'd lose them all at once was terrifying. Knowing they'd both be well in time didn't ease that feeling as much as she hoped. Hinata had lost so many she'd loved already; she didn't want to lose anyone else she considered family.

But that was two days ago, and things were looking much brighter now. Neji was awake, and Kiba was already complaining about being stuck in the hospital. It still wasn't easy to see them hurt, but the feeling that the ground was falling out from under her had gone away. It made it easier to come visit them. And now that those closer to him would have had a chance to come by, Kiba and Neji weren't the only ones she wanted to visit.

At an acknowledging call from the other side, Hinata put on her strongest smile and opened the door. "Hi, Naruto-kun."

"Hey, Hinata." Naruto said, setting something she couldn't see onto the nightstand beside him. He was as bandaged as Kiba, but didn't have as much monitoring equipment attached to him and his posture suggested the injuries weren't as bad. There was something wrong with his smile though. It wasn't the same bright expression she loved seeing on him.

Grabbing a chair from the corner, Hinata pulled it closer and sat down. She wasn't sure what she could say, or what Naruto was feeling with Sasuke's defection, so she went with the only thing she knew was true. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks. How are Kiba and Neji doing?"

"Okay now. It was really scary for a while. They weren't sure Neji—" Hinata lowered her head and took a deep breath to steady herself. "They weren't sure if Neji-niisan would make it. But he'll be all right. And Kiba's already complaining about being in the hospital, so he'll be fine, too. Actually, he was saying to the food was horrible, so I brought him something from home, and since you two are alike, I thought you'd enjoy this." She set the bag onto the bed and carefully pulled a covered bowl and chopsticks out. The excitement grew on his face like dawn chashing away the shadows of night.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Fresh from Ichiraku's. He made a double order when I told him it was for you."

Naruto hugged the bowl once before ripping the lid off and breathing in the steam billowing up from the broth. "You're the best, Hinata!"

"You're welcome," she mumbled, feeling the heat build in her cheeks. At least he was acting more normal now.

Within minutes Naruto had slurped down half the bowl. A clump of noodles hung from his mouth as he yanked the bag close and started rifling through it. "What else ya got?"

"A couple of bentos for Kiba-kun and Akamaru. Neji-niisan is still on a restricted diet."

"Eh? Akamaru gets a whole bento to himself?" Naruto rolled his eyes and pulled one of the black boxes from the bag. "I'll just take a couple rice balls. Yours always tasted better than plain ones."

"They're filled with pickled apricots," Hinata said, unwilling to take it back once he had it. How could she still be such a pushover when it came to Naruto? She'd make it up to Akamaru next time.

"'ere grat 'ith ram'n," he mumbled through a full mouth. After swallowing an exceptionally large bite, Naruto pulled a small photo from the bag before she could stop him. "Who're they?"

Hinata gnawed at her lower lip, an old tick that she'd thought she'd gotten over. Old things must bring back old habits. Even though she couldn't see the front, Hinata knew every line and color of that photo. The stern, focused face of the man; the softer, calm smile of the woman; and the way that at first glance the two seem separate from each other, yet the slight leaning of both towards the other revealed a connection beyond propriety.

"They're my parents. Neji-niisan said something that made me think of them. I was going to show it to Kiba-kun." Hinata flattened her hands over her knees to avoid fidgeting with her jacket too much. "Uncle Hizashi looks like my father, but I only have a few pictures to remember my mother."

There were times when their shared loses made them feel close, but every once in a while there were tiny differences that reminded them that for all she'd lost, Hinata still had far more than he did. Sometimes that separated them.

"I don't have anything of my parents," he said, too quiet to be normal Naruto. His thumb ran over the photo as if he could wipe away the white-eyed faces and replace it with ones that looked more like him. Forcing a smile, Naruto put it back in the bag. "You look like your mom."

Hinata pulled back the side of the bag so she could see the photo again. "I didn't realize I'd forgotten her until Neji-niisan mentioned her. The sound of her voice. Her touch. It's all gone. I have things of hers and remember how she made me feel, but it made me sad I couldn't remember anything else."

Naruto set his chopsticks down. "Guess that's the difference between us; I never had it to remember."

Hinata's brow furrowed as she watched her friend. She hadn't meant to bring down his mood even more. Reminding him of what he didn't have right after losing Sasuke wasn't a smart thing.

"We have new families now," she said, struggling to bring back the Naruto who was happy to see his ramen. "It's not just blood. It's the people we care about."

Naruto started shoveling ramen into his mouth again to avoid responding right away. In his distracted gaze, Hinata could see something rolling about. Naruto was always a creature of action; it wasn't often he took time to really focus on something, but the hesitation she caught sight of kept her quiet. She'd let him work through whatever he needed in his own time.

Once the ramen was no more than a puddle of broth at the bottom of the bowl and Akamaru's bento had been scavenged almost completely, Naruto glanced over to the nightstand beside him. Now closer, Hinata could see a forehead protector; Konoha's symbol was slashed through on it.

"Everyone thinks I'm an idiot for wanting to go after Sasuke still. But I can't give up on him. I won't give up on him. He's . . . he's the closest thing to a brother that I have. Wouldn't you do that for Neji?"

Hinata paused a moment to think. She knew how important this was to him; for Naruto to say Sasuke was like a brother was more crucial to his motivations than someone who didn't know him well might realize. She still remembered the jealousy that would slip into his expression whenever Hinata talked about Neji.

"I've always been taught that the clan must come before everything in my life. Before my own feelings, family—if it risked the clan, I shouldn't do it. But I almost lost Neji-niisan and it was horrible. I don't want to lose anyone else I love, even if it's their own fault. I want to believe I'd never give up on them."

"At least one person doesn't think I'm an idiot," Naruto said, grinning to himself. "I just have to get stronger, and next time I'll bring him home for sure. That Pervy Sage said he'll train me, so I'm gonna go with him once I get out of the hospital."

"You're leaving Konoha?" Hinata tried to keep the disappointment from showing. Pervy Sage was usually what Naruto called Jiraiya, and the chance to train under a legendary Sannin wasn't something you passed up.

"Yeah, not sure for how long, but once I get back I'll go find Sasuke, bring him back, and then become Hokage."

Hinata couldn't help but laugh. Naruto's absolute certainty in himself was a strangely infectious phenomenon. It made her want to become better than she was. "Hopefully you'll be back before you're old enough to be Hokage."

Naruto scoffed. "I'll just be the youngest Hokage ever."

Like always, Hinata got the feeling Naruto would be, if only through sheer force of will. One day he'd make the declaration that he was Hokage and everyone would simply accept it. The thought of his dream coming true after so many years trying made her smile. "The village won't be the same without you."

"Yeah, I'll miss it, too."

Whether Hinata was reading into his comment too much or over time their friendship had finally given Naruto a little bit of subtly, she heard the underlying message between them: she'd miss him and he'd miss her. After all, they'd been friends a long time.

"Well, I still need to visit Kiba-kun and Neji-niisan before I head home," Hinata said, standing and collecting the half-eaten bento back into the bag. "Good luck, Naruto-kun."

"Thanks, Hinata. For the ramen, too."

She didn't say good-bye. That felt too final if he was leaving. Instead, she smiled and waved and headed for Kiba's room. Their conversation still in her mind when she arrived at Kiba's door, partially open from the last visitor. A sharp barking from within betrayed her presence before she even had a chance to knock.

"Akamaru, wait till she gets in!" Kiba shouted, and when Hinata came in he was holding the little dog in place on the bed.

Kiba was still partially mummified, but was sitting up and didn't appear to be in overt pain, which was far better than the day they brought him in. If only there weren't so many wires attached to blinking machines as if at any moment all that life bubbling within him would just flitter away and he'd be gone. How places known for getting people better could feel so oppressive she'd never know. Akamaru looked about the same, his paws wrapped up and stiff. Good thing his tail wasn't wrapped up, or it never would have been able to wag as fast as it did at the sight of her. She sometimes wondered if all ninja dogs chose someone they could be normal dogs with, or was it just a few of them.

"I bet he smells the food." She ran a hand between Akamaru's ears and he settled down again. "Though, Naruto-kun got a hold of one of the bentos, so he'll have to share a bit with you, Kiba-kun."

"Come on, Hinata. Where's all that ninja skill to protect our food?" Kiba grumbled, though there was enough jest in his eyes to keep her from taking it too seriously. "How is Naruto, anyway?"

"Okay. He's still Naruto-kun." Hinata laughed, remembering how quickly his mood brightened.

"Well, I guess he's too much of an idiot to know when to quit."

"Kiba," she scolded as she took off the lip of the half-eaten bento and set it in front of Akamaru. The little dog greedily shoved his white face into the remaining rice ball to dig out the pickled apricot. He always ate the filling first. The full bento went to Kiba, who eagerly snatched it up, albeit slower than normal.

"I still don't get why you like him."

"Kiba!" she hissed, looking away with an embarrassed pout.

"Yeah, yeah— Damn, your family always has the best food." Pieces of chewed sausage flew from Kiba's grinning mouth as he spoke. "So, Naruto's good. I'm good. I hear Neji's gonna be okay. What about you? You didn't seem too good last I saw you."

"You guys are the ones hurt. I'm fine."

Kiba's joviality cooled as his gaze settled on her. It wasn't harsh—Kiba was tough on her but rarely harsh—but it was a seriousness that he reserved for her. "I got my ass kicked, but I'm not blind. I know you. Something's up."

A year ago she'd never have believed that the boisterous boy with the dog on his head would be able to look at her with such honesty and be able to say that he knew her. Today she couldn't imagine not having him nearby. Shino offered her honest criticism without ever making it feel like her fault. Kiba was as much puppy as Akamaru, and sometimes the comfort he offered was as good as a cuddle with the dog, who currently ignored their conversation in favor of awkwardly pouncing the fruit trying to slip from his reach.

"I've been thinking a lot since everyone was brought back. I was so worried about you and Neji-niisan; the thought of losing you . . . and then what Neji-niisan said when he woke up." Hinata retrieved the picture from the bag and handed it to Kiba. "I was just telling Naruto-kun how little I remember of them. It's as if they're just names now, but I do remember how helpless I felt when they died. It was the same way I felt when you came back. I thought by now I wouldn't be helpless anymore."

"You're not helpless. You've saved my ass plenty of times. Hell, you've kicked my ass enough to know that."

Hinata laughed, which earned a toothy smirk back from Kiba. His bluntness was like a splash of cold water on a hot day. Sobering again, Kiba continued. "There was nothing you could do for us. We're not going to blame you for that."

"I know. It's just that Uncle Hizashi told me once that the clan head is needed in the most dire times. When things are at their worst, that's when the clan head must fight to protect the clan. How am I supposed to do that if you and Neji-niisan and Naruto-kun, who are better than me, barely make it back. How useful am I like this?"

Now finished with his bento, Akamaru soldier crawled his way to the edge of the bed and yipped plaintively at her until she reached out to scratch behind his ear. Kiba leveled an annoyed glare on his ninja dog, who fully ignored him.

"You still have plenty of time to get stronger before then. Besides, that's why you have teammates."

Hinata watched Akamaru close his eyes and enjoy the attention she gave him; it allowed her time to put together a week's worth of contemplation about her life. Their battle was only the last in a long series of problems she'd been struggling to make sense of since learning of her immune deficiency. "I've always blamed myself for being weaker than everyone, but now that I know it's not all my fault, I want to become stronger, like you and Shino-kun and Neji-niisan. The past may not be my fault, or maybe it was for not believing in myself, but if I don't do something to change now that I know, that will be my fault."

Kiba was quiet while she talked, but now he looked her up and down as if physically assessing her words. "What're ya planning on doing?"

"I want to learn kaiten and the sixty-four points," she said firmly, finally looking him in the eye. "Before I didn't think I could, and maybe I'm not ready, but I'm going to try and one day I'll get it right. I'm not going to give up."

A loud bark of encouragement sounded from Akamaru, and Kiba flashed a fang-filled grin usually reserved for the fiercest enemies. "Now that sounds like fun."