This chapter should explain a bit more about Hinata's curse. Hopefully. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

The meeting dragged on, until they lost sight of the focus of the meeting all together. Small conversations broke out as everyone waited for the arrival of the extremely late Uchihas. Temari was doing a great job, but some details required the presence of the Uchiha head as well as the heir.

Finally, the sound of a cell phone broke shattered the cloak of boredom that had settled over the room. It was Temari's.

"Hello. Temari speaking."

Hinata was puzzled as to why Temari had her cell phone on during the meeting. Very unprofessional. Unless, had something happened to the Uchihas that required her to be interrupted in the middle of a meeting? It couldn't be, could it?

"Alright," Temari listened intently

Hinata glanced at Neji, her face quickly growing pale. Neji saw the worry on her face and in a rare moment of kindness to his cousin whispered, "Don't worry; remember who they are. The blood protects them from your powers."

"I know that, but what about Mikoto-san? She's an Uchiha but she doesn't have the Uchiha blood," Hinata whispered back, feeling her body starting to tremble.

Neji's eyes widened as he realized Hinata was right. He turned to Temari as if to ask her to deny it, but her next sentence only confirmed his suspicions.

"Really, is she going to be all right?" Temari asked in a concerned voice.

Hinata sat shock still until Temari had hung up after a few more words.

"I'm sorry, but the Uchihas will not be able to attend this meeting," Temari announced as she stood up. "Mikoto-sama was hit by a car. She's in critical condition, but she's stabilizing."

There were mutters of apologies and condolences from around the room. Hinata just sat there, looking ahead and trying to deny the truth. It couldn't be because of her. She had barely even talked to Mikoto-san. It had to be just a regular accident. But then again she had avoided all unnecessary contact for years. Maybe the curse grew stronger over time? No, it couldn't be, it couldn't! Then how?

She was briefly aware that people were starting to file out of the room. She didn't budge, not even when Tenten tapped her on the shoulder. She could only look at the older girl in a daze. What if she was her next innocent victim?

---

Hinata waved half-heartedly at the occupants of the limo, worry worming through her heart.

She watched the limo drive away under the darkness of the night. She felt like she was a plague carrier, her curse continuously leaking out of her and spreading over to others without her knowledge...

How could it have gotten to Mikoto-san just through a brief conversation? Was it because Mikoto-san had been too kind to her, too forgiving?

If it could cause that much damage from such a short meeting... if her curse was growing more and more deadly... could that mean...

Hinata shook at the thought, and her trembling legs gave way leaving her sprawled down on the concrete. She lay there for a while, waiting for her pain to gradually ease away.

Tenten.

Tenten could be drastically hurt. Would she die like Kayu Would she share the same fate as her family, as her past friends? Or... worse? What could be worse than death? No, they barely knew each other. No one could become as close to her as her family, as Kayu had been.

Hinata breathed in slowly, the pain finally gone. She got up and wearily climbed up the stairs, through her house, and into her bed.

All night she brooded over the thought of Tenten... and maybe even Ino... getting hurt badly. And it would all be her fault, if only she knew how to stop it.

"I have to... stop being friends with Tenten..." She whispered sadly as her droopy eyes closed and she fell into slumber.

---

Tenten scribbled a few things in her notebook, "Yeah, okay, bye." She closed her cell phone and stashed it and her notebook back into her pocket.

Neji watched Tenten carefully. His cousin and his executive here... were getting a bit too close...

Tenten noticed Neji's watchful glare and smiled at him curiously, "Hm? What's up?"

He frowned, "You're too friendly."

Tenten laughed, "What do you mean?"

"Some friendships may hurt."

Tenten laughed again, "You're saying strange things Neji-san..."

He sat back, knowing Tenten wouldn't take him seriously, "You should consider my words before you get badly injured."

Tenten didn't laugh this time, "What are you talking about?"

The limo stopped before either of them could say anything again.

"Well, it's my stop. TTFN (Ta ta for now) Neji-san!" She waved at Neji and stepped out of the limo.

Neji rolled down the window and said warningly, "Don't get too close to Hinata." And then the limo drove off.

Tenten stood there stunned for a while, his sentence ringing in her head. "I just don't get him anymore."

---

Sasuke sat in just outside the emergency room, a stoic look pasted onto his face. A speeding car had hit their limo, and ironically, his mother, the only one who always wore her seat belt, was also the only one who got hurt. The rest of them including the driver of the speeding car escaped with superficial injuries.

Sasuke just could understand what had happened. One moment they had been fine, driving along a conference, and the next moment his mother was in the emergency room. The doctors said she had stabilized, but they only let his father go in to see her.

Why had this happened? What had they done wrong? Was it to punish them for his brother's actions, or maybe, maybe it was the Hyuuga.

It clicked; the curse, his mother, and the accident happening right before the conference. Sasuke stood up and headed for a nearby phone booth.

"Sasuke, where are you going?" It was his father, stepping out of his mother's room.

"To give the Hyuugas a piece of my mind. They did this didn't they? Well, answer me?" Sasuke demanded angrily.

"Your mother wouldn't want you to blame the Hyuugas," his father warned.

"Do you think I care? It's their fault!" Sasuke practically snarled.

"What about what Itachi did? Should we be blamed for that too?"

Sasuke's shoulders slumped, realizing the truth of what his father said. It also shocked him to hear his father mention Itachi with such a cold tone of voice.

"It's different. He's a traitor."