Author's Note: Okay, I have something to say. I have more than 15 hits but only a few reviews. Why is that? I know I said that if you have nothing to say other than "You suck", then don't review, but does that mean everyone thinks this story sucks? Come on, people! Don't be lazy and REVIEW. If you see something wrong with my fanfic, then tell me! It's as simple as that! Don't leave me ignorant of all my problems and tell me what I should do to improve! Or if there's nothing wrong with my fic, then at least tell me "Great job" or something that. I need encouragement to make sure that people enjoy my writing!

Oh, but to those who DID review, thank-you very much! (smiles)

Legend:

"Hello"…normal

'Hello'…thoughts

Hello…flashback/memories

(Hello)…Hinata

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I probably never will.

Chapter 2: A Broken Past

Tenten drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, waiting impatiently for the red light to change into green light.

'I going to be late!' she thought angrily, glaring at the honking cars around her. It was her fault for waking up late, and it was also her mistake of going on the highway at that time, but it's not like she had a choice. Her patient's parents yesterday had been hysterical, threatening to sue her if their precious son died during surgery. Tenten had patiently reminded them that there was always a chance of death while in surgery, and then had reassured them (or at least tried to) that Konoha Hospital's surgeons were all specialists and they only lost a couple of patients a year. Well, it was true. The doctors were all specialists, and only the best of the best were surgeons. And it was no doubt that they hardly lost a patient. So why was she so worried about this particular patient?

'Get a grip, Tenten…You have to be calm.' Tenten told herself mentally, and drove forward when the red light finally turned green. 'Here we go…'

0000000000…Konoha Hospital…0000000000

"Good morning, Hinata-chan!" Ino greeted brightly when Hinata entered the main floor of the hospital. Hinata nodded in greeting and gave a friendly smile. Temari appeared at the entrance as well.

"Yo, Hinata," She said, lifting a hand in greeting. "I'd like a chat, but I have a patient in 10 minutes, so I have to get ready. See ya!"

"Hinata, here are the keys to room #1313. Good luck!" Ino said cheerfully, and handed a set of silver keys to Hinata. Hinata nodded a thank-you and walked towards the elevator.

Just then, Tenten burst through the door, panting heavily. She saw Hinata walking towards the elevator.

"Oh, Tenten! Good morn…" Ino barely had enough time to say a greeting until Tenten sped past, yelling.

"HINATA! WAIT!" she yelled, and Hinata turned around with a confused look on her face. She stepped in the elevator, and the elevator door was about to close, until Tenten put on a burst of speed, jumped, and slid through the closing doors just in time. She sighed in relief, and Hinata looked at her with a surprised expression before smiling with an amused twinkle in her eyes. Tenten gave her a thumbs-up. Hinata helped her up, and Tenten brushed off dirt from her jeans and red shirt. She fixed her hair, which had become messy and loose from their buns during Tenten's "dynamic elevator-entry". Hinata took out her notepad.

(What floor?) She wrote.

"Ah, um…the 5th floor." Tenten replied hurriedly, and Hinata pressed the 5th floor button after pressing the 3rd floor button. "So, how was your day yesterday?" Tenten asked while the elevator moved upwards.

(Uzumaki-san slept most of the time, so nothing really happened.) Hinata answered. Tenten nodded.

"Okay. Just wondering, because most of the nurses who took care of him before quit their job after the first day! But I'm glad you made it through. Oh, we're at the 3rd floor now." She said, and Hinata waved a good-bye to Tenten before walking out of the elevator.

0000000000…Room #1313…0000000000

Naruto stared out the window, which was open. A cool breeze blew in, gently caressing his spiky blond hair. The sky was blue and cloudless outside, and he watched as the birds circled around each other. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door.

'I wonder if it's that Hinata-person again…' he thought.

"Come in." he called in a bored voice. Sure enough, the girl with chin-length midnight-blue hair and gentle pale-lavender eyes walked in. She was holding a notepad and a pen, as usual.

(How are you today, Uzumaki-san?) Hinata wrote.

"Fine," Naruto replied gruffly. "And don't call me Uzumaki. It's annoying."

(Naruto…san?)

"And drop the 'san'-crap! I hate formal stuff." Naruto snapped, but Hinata wasn't affected at all by his mood.

(I'm sorry…Naruto-kun.) Hinata wrote quickly.

"Hn." Was all he said before he leaned onto his bed. "So, where's my breakfast? Are you planning to starve me?" Hinata smiled, and gently took something from the trolley behind her. She set it on the bedside table. Naruto looked at it. It was a plain white bowl, but inside there was some soup and noodles. The smell of it was familiar…but what was it called? And for some reason, he felt excited when looking at it, as if he wanted to eat it badly.

(That is called ramen. I…thought you would be tired of eating hospital food everyday.) Hinata explained.

"Ramen…" Naruto said slowly. Hinata nodded. He grabbed the bowl and the chopsticks beside it, and started to slurp the noodles into his mouth. He was shocked to discover that it tasted really, really good. He slurped some more, trying to not make it obvious he liked it. But Hinata seemed to see right through him.

(Do you like it?) She asked.

"It's…okay. It's better than the hospital food." Naruto admitted stubbornly, but Hinata knew he liked it.

(That is called 'miso ramen'. Maybe tomorrow I'll bring shrimp ramen or beef ramen for you.) She wrote. Naruto's eyes brightened for a split second but he instantly calmed down.

"Hn. Do what you want." He said grumpily. He set his finished bowl of ramen on the table and watched as Hinata picked it up and started to wash it. After she was done, she turned to him.

(Would you like anything else?) She asked, and Naruto shook his head.

(Alright, I'll be back in a minute.) Hinata bowed slightly and exited the room. Naruto stared out the window again. An airplane glided across the sky, making a slight rumbling noise. Naruto suddenly had memories…memories of an airplane, a perfect day with a cloudless blue sky, and a loud roaring noise. He slowly placed a hand over his face, his sapphire-blue eyes wide with shock and confusion.

'W…What was that…?' he thought, and desperately searched through his memory, only to find…nothing. He couldn't remember anything. Then what were those…flashbacks he had just a minute ago? He glanced wildly out the window, his eyes searching the endless pane of blue for any clue or some kind of hint. For what, though? Naruto turned his gaze back to the snowy-white sheets of his bed.

'Why…why does the sky seem so familiar? The clear, blue sky…I feel as if I saw the scene before, but when? Why can't I remember anything!' he thought angrily, and felt his confusion, pain, and frustration form into impatient anger. He felt like throwing something, but couldn't find anything to break. He felt like screaming out loud, so loud that the whole world could feel his pain, but he didn't. He felt it was pointless.

'Everything is pointless…' He thought, his anger vanishing into lingering sadness. He plopped down onto the bed and closed his eyes. He felt empty, devoid of any emotions or memories. He subconsciously fell into light slumber, hoping to calm his impatient mind…

Pink hair blew softly in the breeze. He felt as if he could reach out and touch it…it seemed so soft and silky. Sparkling emerald eyes…a slight curve of the mouth. He wanted to reach out and hold them tight, but why? A sincere, caring smile…He wanted to smile, too, but…why? Where was he? Why was he there? Why did he exist? …Who am I?

Naruto jerked awake, cold sweat running down his face. He found himself staring into sparkling pale-lavender eyes. Suddenly, he thought of emerald eyes and pink hair.

'What was that dream all about?' he thought, feeling slightly disturbed. He found himself staring at the mute girl leaning over him. She had a worried expression on her face, and she was writing something down on her notepad.

(What happened? Are you alright, Naruto-kun?) Naruto nodded grimly, gently pushing Hinata away from him. She looked at him with a confused look. He didn't say anything; his mind was too busy trying to analyze his dream. Hinata stared at him.

'He seems troubled…' she thought. Naruto opened his mouth to speak.

"I…want to be alone." He said quietly. Hinata's eyes softened and she nodded.

(Just ring the bell if you need anything.) Hinata indicated to the small brass bell hanging beside Naruto's bed. Naruto nodded slightly and closed his eyes when Hinata left the room. He felt his life was unfair. He plopped back down on the bed. He watched as the clouds drifted outside, filling him with a small amount of peace. He relaxed. But somewhere at the back of his mind, his dreams about the pink-haired girl remained.

0000000000…Nurses' Lounge…0000000000

Tenten leaned back on her chair casually as she sipped her cup of coffee. She was the only one in the room. She had managed to escape from her busy schedule for 5 minutes, but she had to see a patient soon. Tenten flipped through the profile papers of her new patient. The profile paper showed a picture of a pale-skinned young man with spiky black hair and obsidian eyes.

'Tumor in his left lung…weak heart…severely injured from motorcycle accident 5 years ago…' Tenten glanced at her watch and gasped.

"2:27! I'm late!" she exclaimed, and dashed out of the room.

Tenten panted slightly as she opened the door to the patient's room.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I…" she started to say, but fell silent when she noticed there was no one in the room. "Huh?" she said blankly, and tensed when she suddenly heard a voice behind her.

"Finally you came. You took so long, I had time to walk around the corridors once." Tenten turned around. A young man, around the same age as her, stood there with a small smirk on his face. Tenten realized he was her patient, Uchiha Sasuke. She stepped back and crossed her arms.

"Well, I said I was sorry. Now go sit down, please!" she said crossly. Great, she had a patient with an attitude. This could be troublesome.

"Hn." Was all Sasuke said as he entered the room and sat down on a chair. Tenten felt like strangling someone.

'Ooh, just look at the way he sits! He acts as if he's all superior! I bet he has an ego large enough to fill this room!' she thought, and calmed herself by taking a few deep breaths. She absolutely despised people with huge egos.

"So? Are you just going to stand there? I don't have all day, you know. I have a life, unlike certain people." Sasuke said in a monotone voice, making Tenten's temper rise slightly.

'Let me correct myself…He has an ego big enough to fill this whole damn hospital!' Tenten immediately plastered a fake smile on her face.

"Well, well, you must be Uchiha Sasuke! You're a famous actor, right? It's a pleasure to meet you!" she said brightly, with sarcasm dripping from every word she said. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched noticeably.

'Heh, I bet he's never been disrespected by someone…what an obnoxious idiot.' Tenten thought smugly.

"Just get on with it, woman." Sasuke snapped, obviously annoyed. Tenten raised an eyebrow.

"Get on with what?" she said mockingly, and smirked when Sasuke shot her a glare. "Fine, fine, we'll start the appointment. So," Tenten said, suddenly turning serious. "I've been told by your parents about your problem. We'll have to get you scanned so that I can come up with a proper treatment." Sasuke averted his eyes from her.

"…whatever." He muttered. Tenten looked at him curiously, and he glared at her. "What? Do I have something on my face?" he snapped, and Tenten shook her head.

"N…No, nothing…" she mumbled, and wrote down something on her clipboard. "Um, you're staying in room #1313, right?"

"1314." Sasuke corrected, and Tenten mentally slapped herself for her stupidity.

"Right…then I guess you can return to your room for now…I'll send someone to take you to the scanning room in 20 minutes." She said, and stood up to leave the room.

"Wait," Sasuke blurted out. Tenten turned around. "I think I should at least know my doctor's name." Tenten smirked slightly.

"I don't know if I'm your doctor for sure, but…my name's Tenten." She replied, and walked out of the room.

0000000000…Nurses' Lounge…0000000000

Hinata sat on the chair beside the open window. She closed her eyes as the cool breeze gently caressed her face. The sun was beginning to set, meaning it was almost evening. As she sat there, watching the sky, she felt herself drifting into a light slumber.

9-year-old Hinata walked along the path to her house. The sky was clear and beautiful, and a small smile crept onto her face. Her smile grew wider as she saw the traditional Japanese-style roof of her house. When she reached the large wooden gates, she heard voices coming from the yard.

"Hiashi, the time has come to decide the future leader of the Hyuuga. I'm guessing it will be your eldest daughter Hinata?" Hinata recognized the voice. It was her tutor, Sakamoto.

"…No," Hinata's eyes widened as she recognized the voice of her father. "Hinata is disabled…she is unable to speak. How can a disabled person lead the Hyuuga? I will pass on my leadership to Hanabi." Hinata trembled as she tried hard not to cry. Even her father thought she was weak and useless. Hinata let go of the gate handles and ran away from the sight of her house. She didn't understand. So what if she was mute? Just because she was disabled didn't mean she was useless. She could do lots of stuff even without her voice! Why…

Hinata opened her eyes. The sky was mixed with red and orange hues, and the sun was low on the horizon.

'How long was I asleep?' Hinata thought, rubbing her eyes. Just then, Tenten walked into the room.

"There you are, Hinata! I was looking for you! Hey, Ino, Temari, and I are going to the café down the street…wanna come?" she asked, and Hinata nodded with a smile. But inside, she felt disturbed from her dream.

'…Father…'

To be continued...


That was the end of chapter 2…Oh, and I'm REALLY sorry for the delay. It's been a while, I know, but I promise my update will be much quicker next time.

Thank-you Amaterasu-chan for our review…I got an idea from what you said! comanderlink, well…you could say I was inspired by my own life. And to everyone else who left reviews, thank you very much!

So…do you:

Have any suggestions for the other pairs? Then REVIEW.

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