A/n: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the reviews! I really appreciate all the input I got. I'm glad that the fluff wasn't too much. This chapter shows how much a best friend means to a girl and gives insight on Sasuke's recover. Sincere apologies if it's boring. Questions answered below!

Claim: My plot.

Sasuke couldn't stand it anymore. She didn't know it, but he could hear her crying in the other room. He heard her whenever she stepped out of his room or when she went to bed at night. Hinata seemed to cry more than she stuttered nowadays...

And it was all his fault.

The Heir
Chapter Five
The BFF and the Medics

He shifted in his bed, not finding any comfortable position to be in. Hinata's cries were bouncing around in his head and there was nothing he could do to stop them. He knew that the Hyuga had been trying to suppress her dismal feelings but for sure it wasn't working.

It had been a week or so since Kiba was last seen, and Hinata still hadn't gotten over that fact. Part of Sasuke wanted to tell her to get over it, while the other one felt sympathetic. It was, after all, his fault.

Sasuke grit his teeth as the harsh reality came crashing into him – again. He had blamed himself many times and even ruminated whether or not to tell Hinata that.

If only he hadn't been slow. If only he hadn't been weak. If only he had sensed them earlier. All these were things, if done, would have prevented the kidnaping of Kiba.

He knew Inuzuka was Hinata's best friend. Well, one of them at least. He could hear it in the way she talked about him and how often, too. Sasuke knew that Kiba felt the same way. But for some reason, the feeling that the feral youth gave off was a little different that Hinata's friendly vibes.

Dumbass, Sasuke cursed at himself. He wished for her happiness, and now she was in her room crying. That's one reason why he never wished for anything. The one time he tries to go with the flow – it blows up in his face!

A cool wind blew in from the far window, cooling Sasuke's face along with his emotions. This was the whole reason why he never got caught up in emotion: someone always gets hurt.

Hinata sniffled and wiped away another stray tear. She was sitting on her bed, white sheets strewn about her. Her eyes were blotchy and swollen but her lavender-tinted orbs were set on something in her pale, but gentle, hands. It was smiling up at her and Hinata couldn't help but think about who it reminded her of.

Kiba had made the little dog for her. He had spent weeks cutting and sewing the pieces together, which was a feat in all itself considering his patience. Hinata knew she shouldn't have been crying so much, even though her best friend was now MIA, but she couldn't help but let it go at night.

Another tear fell onto the personified dog in her grip. She wiped the liquid away and sighed. She tried really hard – she really did – but she cried every night. The authorities were out searching the best the could, and she knew that. Even so, they couldn't find a single trace, and that really distressed the Hyuga.

She also felt bad because it seemed that Sasuke was starting to take notice. Though he was blind, she was sure he could hear her at times. There were moments when she couldn't hold it anymore and had to step out of his bedroom. She cursed herself for being too weak – emotionally and physically.

"Whenever I'm not there, Hinata, just talk to Inu-kun," Kiba said. Standing at his full height, the eight year old beamed down at his delicate friend. Hinata stared at the little token in her hand – it almost covered her whole palm.

"Th-Thank you, Kiba-kun," she said, completely in awe. She blushed at how cute the little gift was and promised to never lose it. "I-I'll keep it for a-always.."

"Good!" Kiba said, holding up his bandaged hands and fingers. Inuzuka still held a grin though. "All that sewing really hurted."

Hinata gave a shy smile at her friend of three years. Though they had known each other for so long, she still wasn't used to him being so nice. She wondered just why he was so benevolent to her. To everyone else he could be like a doggie but to her...it was different.

"Come on, Hinata-chan," Kiba said, slinging a casual arm around Hinata's smaller shoulders. The girl winced at a hidden bruise he accidentally touched. "Let's go get some ice cream!"

Hinata lay down on her right side, staring out at the full moon glowing through her window. It could've served as a beacon for her, if only her darkness wasn't so deep. The young woman hiccupped and took one last sigh as she wiped at her cheeks. Kiba was always there to comfort her, but who would be there now?

Hinata stared at Inu-kun who stared back at her, eyes forever unblinking. One of the brother figures in her life was suddenly gone, but she was going to try and be strong. There was no way Kiba would have wanted her to act like a sniveling...girly-girl.

The wind that blew threw her wide, open window made the curtains dance, reminding her of the way Kiba used to mess around with her.

(The Long Flashback Scene)

Hinata sighed tiredly. She had no idea why she had agreed to that stupid dance. Maybe it was because Kiba told her it would be fun – but it was far from that. While he, the party animal of the school, rocked away, she leaned against the wall and stared at the very interesting floor.

Sure, Kiba had tried to make her dance a few times, but she embarrassedly refused. There was no way she was going to humiliate herself in front of so many...people.

The girl was home now and she was glad, too. Sometimes Hinata liked her silence and alone time. She was more the type to ruminate about life than to actually go out and live it.

Hinata just moved into her older cousin's house and needless to say – he was kind of scary. She appreciated what he and his family did for her, but he was just plain creepy at times. He would stare at her like he could see in her soul, and Hinata was really more of a private person.

Giving a shaky smile, the twelve year old walked by her thirteen year old cousin. He simply nodded and went on his way, probably going to train for SHINOBI. He was the top in his age class, after all, and he had a reputation to uphold.

Hinata sat in her room, doing her homework. Contrary to popular belief, she would have much rather been staring down Neji. The good grades didn't come easy and Hinata sometimes suffered for them. The Hyugas were known for their academic excellence, though, so she was obligated to do well.

"Oi, Hinata-chan," someone called, the person standing in her doorway. Hinata swivelled around to see Kiba with Akamaru lounging on his head.

"Hello, Kiba-kun," she greeted, another shaky smile donning her face. "W-What brings you here?"

"Why didn't you dance earlier?" Kiba demanded, frowning at his friend. He was hoping that little social gathering would've let Hinata have more fun with other people, but all she did was stand around.

"O-Oh, um, I-I didn't w-want t-t-to in f-front of all th-those p-p-people," Hinata admitted, blushing and stuttering furiously. Kiba sighed and shook his head, Akamaru barking lightly on top of him.

"You shouldn't worry about what all those people think," Kiba said, walking over to her bed and sitting on it. Akamaru jumped down from his perch and made himself comfortable on the mattress. Kiba stroked his pet's fur in rare contemplation. "I don't care."

Hinata wrung her hands nervously. She knew he didn't, but it was different for her. Kiba was a natural at being rambunctious, therefor, he was more out-going and better at making friends. Hinata had been silent for most of the first years of her life so she was a little deprived of the friend-making skills taught when young.

"I-I wanted to...d-dance, but never i-in front o-of p-people," she confessed, looking down at the hands in her lap.

"Come on then." Kiba suddenly stood up, surprising the Hyuga. She stared at him wide-eyed, hoping to God he didn't mean what she thought he meant. "If you didn't want to in front of all those people, why don't we do it here? Akamaru's gonna be the only one around."

At this, his little dog barked and wagged his tail.

"Oh, n-no, it's q-quite a-a-alright," Hinata said, holding her hands up and backing away in her rolling chair. Kiba crossed his arms and frowned, eyebrows furrowing.

"Hinata," he said, walking over to her, his steps making thumps on the hard wood floor. "Let's dance."

Kiba hit a button on a radio as he passed it by and a mellow tune leaked from the mechanical box. Hinata's eyes were shut in fright as she tried to curl into a small ball. She had always danced in her own room, alone, but she didn't think she was ready to do so with another person – even if it was her brother figure.

The Inuzuka had always been a bit rough, and this time wasn't any different. He took Hinata's wrist, though more gently than he would've with anyone else, and hoisted her up. The girl was still burning and Kiba frowned.

"Come on, it's only me," he said softly. Hinata's eyes opened at his change of tone but she didn't look up at his mahogany eyes. She felt like an embarrassed and ruffled six year old.

Grudgingly though, she relented and started to sway with Kiba. She really didn't want to be doing this. She didn't care how nice her friend was being at the moment, either.

Hinata knew she was lying. She appreciated what he was doing for her, and laughed when he twirled her around.

Pretty soon, it turned to just messing with the music, and bouncing around the room, giggling all the way. Akamaru joined them soon, and the three proceeded to flounce, their mind-sets being those of three year olds.

Flopping on the bed, the twelve year olds let out hearty laughs. Well, Kiba's was louder than Hinata's tinkling voice, but that didn't matter. They looked at each other as Akamaru continued to hop around the bed.

"You know," Kiba started, shifting his gaze so that it was on Hinata's high ceiling, "These are the kind of times that grown-ups look at and laugh.

"Someday, when we're older, I want you to laugh. If I'm ever gone, that's what I want you to do. Don't cry and don't mope. Just...laugh."

Hinata stared at her friend in concern. Why was he acting so weird? "K-Kiba-kun, what's w-wrong?"

Kiba smiled and shook his head. He stretched and put his hands behind his head. "Nothing. Today just made me realize something, that's all."

The girl continued to stare at the peculiar dog-boy, and even though he told her not to worry, she did just that. Little did they both know, the kid was doing a little foreshadowing.

(End)

Hinata stared at Inu-kun for a little while longer before she gave a teary laugh. She just hoped her brother was all right. But the girl sniffled one last time, promising herself she wouldn't cry for him anymore. It was the least she could do while he was away.

She had someone else to take care of, too. Sasuke was becoming an important friend, even though the guy hardly gave her any information about himself. That was fine to Hinata though, since he had started to talk present things more often. From that step, Hinata hoped that he would open up; sometime in the future.

The girl snuggled Inu-kun slightly, breathing in the scent of ten years (he'd been washed a few times, of course). Her eyes slowly closed and Hinata fell into the most comfortable sleep she'd had for a week.

A young man yawned, widely opening his mouth and revealing pearly whites. He never had really been a morning person, and that trait hadn't changed. Why he chose to become a nurse was way beyond him. The title alone was something to make him the butt of the guys' jokes.

"Naruto, where are you?" Sakura called, walking through the halls. The young man yawned again before replying:

"I'm in your office..."

Sakura kicked the door open, carrying a large box full of her work. Naruto gave her a lazy glance as she walked to her own desk. She pushed Naruto's slumping form out of her chair, him giving no defiance. The young man stretched out on the carpeted floor, perfectly content on finding peace where he was. The pink-haired woman rolled his eyes and picked his larger form up.

"Naruto, I've been meaning to ask you something," she started, sitting him down on the guests' chair. She proceeded to sit in her own leather one. Naruto smirked sleepily.

"Sure, I'll go out with you."

Sakura gave the nurse a dead-pan glare and decided that it would be too easy to insult the guy. So, she passed up that opportunity and straightened the papers Naruto had disarrayed.

"Thanks, but no thanks," she replied dryly, starting to put her new work on her table. "Actually, I was going to ask you where you learned how to fight like that."

Naruto's eyes opened and looked at Sakura. The girl was ignoring his stare as she continued to be organized. "I mean, Kiba was taken away by that spider guy, and he was one of the stars on the high school martial arts team. You handled that weird pale guy much easier."

Sakura stopped her cleaning and locked eyes with Naruto. The blonde seemed calm, a complete reciprocal of himself when he was younger. Sakura was as straight-forward as ever. "Who are you really?"

Naruto sighed and fixed his posture in the chair, but kept the same attitude that was only his. "So, I got bullied when I was younger. What's the big deal?"

Sakura pursed her lips and frowned at his answer. It was too vague for her to determine anything from. The doctor sighed and decided to let it go – for now.

"No, really!" Naruto said, obviously taking her sigh as a sign of disbelief. "I don't know... When I was younger, no one really liked me, so they were really...mean."

Sakura's eyes softened momentarily as Naruto's gaze dropped to the floor. He must've had a bad childhood... The doctor decided to drop it.

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about Sasuke-kun, too," Sakura said, changing the subject and adding a certain honorific. Naruto brooded slightly at her cooing but he let her continue. "It's about any operations to get his eyesight back."

"But his case is different, isn't it?" Naruto asked, tilting his head. Sakura glanced at him before nodding her head.

"He lost two kinds of sight," she replied as a matter of fact. "The regular human kind and the Sharingan. It'll be complicated to do an operation on his eyes because of that."

"His eye is more complex than that of any other's," Naruto said, comparing himself to Sakura in his tone. "Hey, that sounded pretty smart, huh?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, in good nature, but nodded. "If he had only the Sharingan restored, he'd still be an efficient fighter, but in normal life he would only see blurry outlines of a person."

"If he had only regular sight, then he might never be able to restore the Sharingan again. It would still be injured and...yeah...," Naruto said, ending his articulate run. "It would be hard for a fighter to be deprived of their greatest – what's it called? -- asset."

"Well, I have propositions from a few surgeons but none can restore both," Sakura said, shuffling through her various papers. "Of course, even I can do a simple operation of one or the other."

"I know you could, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, standing up. "But how are we going to convince Sasuke you won't kill him?"

"I'd rather kill you," Sakura replied. Naruto faked a hurt expression as the doctor continued. "We'll just have to give him the options, is all."

"If I were him, I'd choose regular sight," Naruto said. Sakura raised an eyebrow at his words.

"But if you were Sasuke-kun, you'd be obsessed with fighting."

"True, BUT," Naruto said, putting up a finger. He walked to the door, preparing to leave. "I would want to see the face of my caretaker. Hinata-chan is pretty cute."

And with a grin, he waltzed out, getting ready to prepare for the July day while adjusting his orange scrubs. Sakura glared at the spot where Naruto once stood and shook her head. Why did she suddenly feel a little jealous?

Fine, Sakura would grudgingly admit it. Naruto was cute – even with his charming little canines and marks on his cheeks. Inner Sakura laughed as Sakura died from poisoned thoughts. There was something about the boyish charm he gave off that made her so annoyed, yet so...amused.

She didn't admit that she had feelings for the guy – heaven forbid, she did – but there was something about him that made her laugh. Either making fun of him or laughing at his antics, most of the time she ended up laughing. And that was a feeling that made her happy.

Not to mention, it helped her lose weight.

But Sasuke-kun was great, although he didn't talk to her much. Sakura just thanked her lucky stars that she was the doctor that got to check that god-like body of his. She reveled in the envious looks she received from the other female doctors.

Both Sakuras squealed at the thought and swooned. Yes, he was coming along very nicely. No deep scars or permanently fractured bones. Now, the only thing he needed to be perfect once more was his eyesight restored.

Memories of a dream from the previous night she had flooded into her mind. There were the three of them: Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. With them was that one goldfish vendor from Tanabata Festival and he was their sensei or something. All three of them were good at fighting and Sasuke even had red eyes, also known as the Sharingan. The weird thing was that they were all a few years younger and wearing some weird clothes. She would've died if she was stuck wearing that today.

Sakura snapped out of her reverie. Yeah, as if something like that could ever happen.

Author's Note: Thanks a lot for reading you guys! This chapter was mostly giving Hinata's point of view on Kiba's situation. And no, there's no romantic feelings on Hinata's side either. ...Or is there? Haha. She's just remembering the good times she had with her 'brother.'

And this is the first time I've focused on Sakura and Naruto in this fic. Sorry if Sakura seems a little mean, but Naruto can handle her banters. I'm not really so big on this pairing, so I might not even have them get together...

Kenshinlover2002: I took a class on the Japanese culture two years ago, and I was taught that Tanabata Matsuri (festival) happened on the seventh day of the seventh month. So, I don't know about other authors but that's my day and I'm going to keep using it.

And to DeityofRoses: What does IMO mean? I'm sorry! I'm soooo deprived lol.

Anyway, please review! It's what motivates me to keep writing! And no flames! Did you guys notice how fast I updated? Haha. I notice it was shorter than the last chapter, but...whatever. Lol. I was trying to get ten reviews for each chapter so that I would have fifty by the time I have five chapters up, but, oh well.

Oh yeah, if anyone is willing, I'd like to get a beta-reader to beta this. Sometimes it's hard for me to find mistakes 'cause of my eyes. So, if anyone would like to...um...just let me know!