AN/ Welcome to the sequel to Princess and the Weasel. I highly suggest starting there! In my last fic, I think I left on all the name endings and so forth. This time I am removing them, except for honorifics that denote status. I hope I've improved since last time! Otherwise, I hope you enjoy this. Sasuke's name means 'assistant; helper'... just FYI
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends - Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day
I bowed my head. Naruto stood beside me. Kiba, his hand a warm comfort on my back. Shino, glancing at me, making sure I was okay. I could feel Hanabi, her chakra felt like a ball of spikes. Even our father, tears running down his broad face, stood in bright sunlight. It should have been raining.
Why wasn't it?
I stood, a deep ache in my back and legs, not to mention my heart. My eyes were dry, there were no tears anymore. I felt sick, I'd missed another meal, but no one was around to force me to eat here. Besides, eating wasn't really on my list of things I needed to do. Not as much as I needed to ache.
I took a step, wobbly after standing still so long. I wondered how the kami could be deaf to my prayers. I looked up to get my bearings. There were two others standing on the edge of the memorial grounds. Both had spiky hair, though one was tall, the other short. One had unmistakably silver hair, the other black. They weren't close. The tall one shot the other a look, and then moved forward.
"Hinata. You have my condolences."
I looked up, "Kakashi-sama." Or, well, he would be in a few days.
"Here," Kakashi handed me a kerchief. It was green with a stylized leaf in the corner. It's strange what you notice when you have nothing better to do. "Come with us."
I looked at him then. His eyes were rimmed in dark smudges, his clothes wrinkled and his hair was wilted, somehow. "Where?" I shook my head. "It's not raining. Until the kami realize that they're gone..." I shrugged, "I wanted to stay." I quirked an eyebrow, "Us?"
Kakashi's mask shifted, "Come to the memorial stone. Sasuke deserves to see what I want to show you as well. "
It was still here, so I nodded, "Okay."
"Maybe it'll rain soon," Kakashi held out a hand, "but I don't think you should wait for it."
I looked up as we neared Sasuke, who looked away. Strangely, it was this action that made me feel even more despair. He and I. We would never be anything other than village mates. Not that it mattered, I supposed. I coughed, and it tried to work its way to a dry heave. Kakashi patted my back before I waved him off.
"Are you okay?" Sauske met my eyes just to look away again. "Can we get going?"
Kakashi sighed, "What is up with you two?"
We both averted our gaze, "Nothing."
Kakashi rolled his eyes, "Sure. Well, if we can just be adults for a minute? Follow me." We both followed the man, his head was bowed, and instinctively I followed his posture.
Sasuke on the other hand looked around, "It's been awhile since the last time I saw you here, Kakashi."
"Don't talk, Sasuke. That's not why you're here." He regarded the red-faced teen, "Show Hinata and I some respect and gods-be-damned courtesy."
"If I'm not welcome...,"
Sasuke started when I roughly cut him off, "Stay." He snapped his mouth shut as Kakashi fell to his knees in front of the stone. Its dark glossy surface deeply carved with many names. I knew some. Clan members who'd distinguished themselves for Konoha. Soon, Neji-nii's name will be inscribed here.
The older man pointed at a name. "Nohara Rin." His finger moved and he looked Sasuke in the eye, "Uchiha Obito." He ran his thumb over the name, and I could almost see his heart break anew.
"They were named heroes, and someday, I'll get my name carved here so I can be with them again." He leaned back, "If you were to look, you'd find names from every corner of Konoha. There's more than one Uchiha here, too."
I dropped next to Kakashi, scouring the stone, "Uchiha Itachi." The kanji were starkly white, newly carved. My eyes burned and ached. I covered my face, tucking myself in. "Kakashi-sama, thank you."
I heard Sasuke's clothing rustle as he knelt. I felt arms come around me as I quietly shook in my grief. Then another arm. I chanced upon opening my eyes. Sasuke's eyes, so bizarre now, were red-rimmed and dripping tears.
...a few days later
"...she's not eating. She doesn't sleep. I don't think she's getting the help she needs."
I stopped listening, and sluggishly pushed the shoji into its slot and went in, I knew what they would say. Afterall, I can see what I look like. My hair and skin are dull. My movements labored, even my thinking seemed dim lately.
"Father. Hanabi." I looked around and then just crossed my legs on the floor in front of our father.
"Hinata." My father's eyes were full of concern, a look I had forgotten he possessed, "Daughter, what's wrong?"
I shook my head, "I don't know."
"She needs the therapy that Tsunade-sama has set up!" Hanabi's eyes flashed, "Please! Hinata, please, go. I don't know what happened, but..." She sniffed, and a crystalline tear slid down a rosy cheek, "I don't want to lose you!"
"I eat." I didn't have the strength to argue this. "I've slept."
"Father!"
"I must agree. I can see that the war, Neji's death... whatever else might have happened; Hinata, my dearest one, you must go. If I have to hire someone to come here, then I will."
"I'll go." I looked at him and then my sister. They really did want the best for me. I suddenly felt shame crash into me. Shame and the hot edge of anger, though I didn't know what I had to be angry about. Except my own weakness. "Is that all?"
"Yes," he paused, then stood and offered me a hand, "Come, daughter. I'll take you to the hospital right now."
I looked at myself, shame welling again, as I noticed I only had on an old shirt of Neji's paired with my favorite training pants. It couldn't be helped. I reached up, grasping my father's hand. He pulled me into a tight embrace. Hanabi jumped up and hugged in from the other side. I wished I had the tears left to cry.
Walking to the hospital took longer than it should have. The anger was back, though this time I knew exactly what was making me mad. I had lied. I hadn't slept for more than an hour or two since before Neji's funeral. I hadn't had a decent meal in days. I could barely walk unassisted. By the time I gained the lobby, I was out of breath.
"My daughter needs a check-up," Hiashi led me to the admitting desk.
The admitting nurse looked at me, "Hinata-sensei!" She came around, "Hiro-san! A wheelchair? Here, lean on me." She looked at my father, "Hyuga-sama, we'll take care of her."
Hiro brought a wheelchair around which I dropped unapologetically into. "Harano-sensei is available in examination room three." Sakura? Oh, who cares? The whole village will know my secret soon enough. It might as well be a friend who finds out first. Hiro wheeled me down the same hallway where I had met Itachi a little under a month ago now.
Hiro opened the room, then helped me to sit on the table. "You know the drill, Hinata-sensei. Robes are in the closet. I'll go find Sakura-sensei right away."
I was barely done taking off my clothes when Sakura burst into the room, "Hinata! I heard..." She stopped, "Oh, my..." She rushed to my side, "Are you okay?"
"I don't think so, no."
"Here," Sakura eased the robe on my shoulders and tied it for me. "That's better. Come sit down for a minute, okay?" She steered me toward a chair, "I haven't seen you since Neji's funeral." Her jade eyes filled with sympathy, "I guess you didn't want company, hmm?"
"Not really." I darted my eyes toward the memorial grounds, "It's been rough."
"I'm going to give you a physical, Hinata, and you know I'm going to admit you. You're obviously dehydrated." She frowned slightly before affixing a bright smile, "You've heard of the therapy sessions Tsunade-sama set up?" I nodded, "Good. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to talk to someone." She lay her hand on mine, "They can really help, Hinata."
"It's okay," I tried a smile, it felt sickly. "I want to."
She smiled back, "That's good. Good." Sakura stood, "Let me go grab the paperwork. I'll also have Hiro-san come back to take you to convalescence." She opened the door, "Don't worry. We'll get things sorted out."
AN/ Why Hinata-sensei? I just learned that since Hinata works as a nurse, she gets the honorific 'sensei'. Also, I suppose that the clan didn't run all the way back to Konoha with Neji and whomever else died during the war. They were grieving.
Feel free to use that review button. Do you feel like being an ass? Do me a favor and just don't.
My beta doesn't like Naruto. Do you speak English? Do you want to bug me and make me write? Maybe make me write well? PM me!
