Hinata had been avoiding most of her friends for weeks. Naruto and Sakura and nearly half the village trying to get her to talk to them, to hear their pleas, to forgive them. It was getting to the point she couldn't leave the compound without someone trying to corner her.

Eventually, all she could do was go on missions, train with her team, and go home.

Before long, even her team started to test her temper.

She cried, of course, she had cried. She had let it all out in the privacy of her room, and that is where it should stay. She didn't need to be sad in public. She didn't need anyone to see her that weak. She didn't need to be coddled or babied, and her team couldn't understand that.

They had convinced themselves that she was putting on a brave face. That she didn't want to be a bother, so she was bottling it all up. They didn't think she could move past it. They didn't feel that she was capable of doing it without their support.

It hurt to think that they thought she was so fragile but could she blame them? She hadn't given them any reason to think differently in the past.

But how could she stay heartbroken over a man that turned out wasn't what she was looking for.

Kiba with his sad looks, Shino with an extra offered hand, and Kurenai-sensei going easy on her, it was getting difficult to not become frustrated with their efforts. She was motivated. She wanted to be better. She wanted to work her hardest so that when she finally found the person she was looking for, she would have something to offer. She could be on their level.

Her team saw her efforts as veiled attempts to cover up her pain. It had gotten to the point that she would sneak away to train privately to find some time away from their worried eyes. However, it had the consequence that she no longer had their protection from the town again. She was running out of excuses to run home.

Neji had been coddling her, him she didn't mind it from, he was doing it for a different reason.

Hanabi had stepped up her assault on Hinata's position.

Hinata had been fighting for years to protect her sister from being head like the Hyuga council wanted. However, recently Hanabi was making it clear that she didn't want to be protected. She would spit her learned hatred for her after training. Telling her she was too weak, and she didn't deserve her birthright as heir. It was starting to become just as unbearable at home as it was to be out in the village. Neji's careful hand, devoted care, and listening ear was the only thing that was making it bearable.

With Neji going into rotation and being gone days to weeks at a time, Hinata worried that she would give in to the stress and finally snap. Instead, she pushed all the discomfort, irritation, and stress into her training. The motivation to prove to herself was a far strong driver than her crush or father had ever provided.

She had made a habit of abusing a tree with her palms, forcing her daily irritation into the bark of it rapidly. Today she was working on chakra control and speed rather than force. She was so focused on assessing the speed of her arms, keeping her stance and her balance, she didn't notice someone walking calmly up behind her.

"You have been training harder." She stopped her assault, turning to a warm smile from Neji. She crashed into him, giving him a crushing hug that held week's worth of stress.

He smiled awkwardly. "So, how long have you been working on this tree?" He asked curiously.

Hinata turned to it, confused. "I just started..." She looked and then saw why he was asking. The tree had a deep dent, not something she usually would cause with her training. Her face grew excited. She had been making progress.

"It's good that you have been improving." He commented as she relished in her progress. "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet." She admitted. She had been so frustrated with her team's daily attempt to 'make her feel better' that she had gone straight to training, skipping lunch, and depending on the time, probably dinner.

"I'll take you out to lunch. You can tell me what happened while I was gone," Neji offered.

Hinata nodded, picking up her equipment and following him out of the training grounds. They chose a place to eat and ordered while making small talk about current events while they waited.

"How has Hanabi-sama been? Has she let up any?" He asked as he started eating. He always worried when he went out on his mission that the two sisters would have a relationship ending blow-up. He was on Hinata's side on this one, but he didn't want Hanabi unhappy either.

Hinata shook her head, looking down, picking at her food. "She's getting more persistent as my birthday approaches. She wants me to step down before I'm made head." Her sister had threatened to request a deciding match from the elders. She was sure she could beat Hinata to show the elders she was the better choice for the future head. Hinata didn't want to fight her sister. As much pain as she had caused Hinata, she couldn't bring herself to hurt her little sister. Nibbling at her food reluctantly, she decided Neji didn't need to know that part.

"What do you think about it? You haven't stepped down to protect her. What about now that she doesn't think she needs to be protected?" He eyed her less for answers and more to judge her mental state. He had seen a great improvement in her self-esteem since her rejection. He thought the experience was good for her, even though it had hurt her. He never did understand why she looked up to him in the first place. However, he still worried that the closer it got to her birthday, the more the elders, her father, and her sister pushed her away from her birthright. He knew she didn't want to be locked into the Hyuga as heir, but the alternative wasn't much better.

"I don't know. It's what Hanabi-chan says she wants, but she doesn't realize how much pressure it is or that she'll never get out." Hinata set down her chopsticks and stopped eating.

"You'll never get out either way." He said as he stopped eating too. "Either you're the head of the Hyuga, or you get branded like me."

"There is a third option." She said quietly, lowering her head and eyes toward him.

Neji leaned forward, visibly worried at the sudden change. There was no other way. There were always only two options. "And what is that?" He asked cautiously.

"I could leave Konoha." Hinata eyed him carefully for his reaction. She had always known that it was an unspoken third option that no one considered because it was absurd. She would have to run from the Hyuga for her freedom, but she would also have to run from the entire village because the Hyuga would make them chase her. She studied Neji and didn't see what she was hoping for. His mouth dropped into ghostly horror.

"NO!" He shouted, slamming his hands.

Hinata shushed him, waving her hands. "Don't shout." She whispered, knowing it would be horrible if they were overheard since she was talking about potentially committing treason. She looked around and was glad that they were having a late dinner, and the restaurant was mostly empty. Those who were there didn't seem to be paying attention.

He got closer to her face and whispered loudly. "Are you insane, leaving the village! You would be a missing-nin!" She knew why he was so opposed. He couldn't go with her. He wouldn't be able to protect her out there. She would be putting herself against the village and her family. Would she be able to live out there on her own as a criminal where there are much scarier people with much worse reasons to be missing-nin? If she was here after her branding, he could still protect her.

"I wouldn't be in the bingo book unless I do something illegal." She pleaded with her eyes for him to trust her and just consider it as an option. She knew it was not ideal and tried to remember that it was not easy for him to understand why she would even consider it.

"You know that the Hyuga wouldn't just let you leave." He countered with a low voice. The Hyuga cared more about their secrets than the lives of their family. If she was caught, she would not only be branded, but she would probably be locked in a room for the rest of her life. Not even the Hokage would be able to let her out.

She nodded. "I would have to hide, and I'm prepared for that." She chewed her bottom lip. She may never have a permanent home again if she left, but did she even have a home now? The Hyuga compound was more like a prison.

Neji studied her face, reading her, and starting to wonder how long she had been thinking about this. "You can't just run from everyone, Hinata-sama." His eyes were pleading with her to reconsider, but he also knew that if she was bringing it up, then she probably already had her mindset. She didn't have any reason to think he would agree with her or be supportive of the dangerous choice.

She looked back up with a spark of confidence he hadn't seen in a long while. "I'm not running from anyone. I'll be running my own life."

Neji stared back at the little cousin that he had let grow on him over the years. He thought about how they used to be. How he used to treat her like the rest of the Hyuga still did. How kind she treated him despite it. He had learned that her kindness was a strength that he lacked rather than a weakness she possessed. She may not be that strongest or the best, but she would be a fair and honest leader if she would ever be allowed to claim her birthright. Her kindness, natural mothering behavior, and a strong distaste for rudeness would make a great example for the future young Hyuga rather than the ice that they had been taught to have over their hearts now. She had melted away the ice in him. Maybe she could do it for the Hyuga elders one day as well.

They both knew that the Hyuga were never going to let her have that kind of power. If she ever became head, that would make every attempt to stop her from making any progress past their old fashioned ways.

He groaned, feeling his defeat. "Fine, I'll help you."

She stared back for a second, processing what he had said, blinking a few times blindly before blushing. "No, you don't have to." She pleaded. She didn't need him involved in the resulting trouble of being found out that he helped her run away. She loved her cousin and didn't want to cause him any more trouble than she was just by running away in the first place. He swore to protect her, but she was pretty sure that protecting her from the Hyuga was not part of his job description. Before he could say anything more, a loud voice was heard as the door opened.

"Naruto, for the last time, I am not going to the damn ramen shop again!" Sakura's commanding voice rang out, making both Hyuga's cringe. They slowly both looked toward the door, hoping they weren't seen, but to their dismay, they had been spotted.

Both made a beeline for the two Hyuga before they could even think about sneaking out. "Hinata-chan, you haven't been out much." Sakura started with a sickeningly, sweet smile. She was trying to defuse the tension, but Hinata was more irritated that she was faking her smile. She was angry that she was trying to act like everything was okay like she hadn't hurt her, like she hadn't betrayed her friendship and trust.

Neji narrowed his eyes into a glare up at her. He had had just about enough of these two bothering her. She had hardly been able to leave the compound without hiding from the rest of the village. Hinata had enough on her plate without these two having the village chase her around for their own mistakes. He knew she had moved on quickly. She had said she held Naruto to standards too high and didn't see the incompatibility, or rather, she ignored it. They wouldn't let her move past this. "I wonder why that would be? Maybe because the people out here aren't trustworthy."

Sakura ignored Neji and continued her now slightly pained fake smile. "Hinata-chan, can I talk to you alone?"

"I'm not sure I want to hear what you have to say, Sakura." The lack of an ending to her name made Sakura flinch. Hinata was always proper in her speech. Hinata didn't want to be rude, but she was not happy about being chased around and pestered by the entire village with something she just wanted to leave behind her.

"Please, I don't want us to not be friends because of this." Naruto looked like a sad puppy from behind pink hair. Hinata's mouth pulled into a tight straight line.

Neji glared at the coward as he hid from his problems behind his girlfriend and replied to Sakura. "Why would she need to be friends with a woman she can't trust?" Hinata was surprised by Neji's confrontation.

Hinata stood up. "Neji-san, I think I have lost my appetite. Excuse us." Hinata soaked her politeness in venom, bowing her head. She had had quite enough and didn't feel like making more of a scene than they already were. They were no longer worth her embarrassment.

Neji stood and started towards the door with Hinata following close behind, but Hinata stopped when she felt a hand on her wrist. She turned, trying to wipe the malice from her face before looking up at the offending blonde.

"Hinata-chan, please, I didn't know," Naruto begged her. She almost felt bad for him, but the feeling quickly turned into an empty pit.

"She did," Hinata stated, not looking at Sakura, but could feel her frown. Naruto looked back at her in confusion.

Naruto gave a pained gasp as he suddenly found a tight hand around his wrist. Neji gripped tightened until Naruto was forced to let go of Hinata's wrist. "Hinata-sama would like to leave." He growled.

Neji let go, daring either of them to tell her to stay as he guided her out of the restaurant.