Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Pairings: SasukexHinata ItachixHanabi NarutoxIno SakuraxShikamaru TentenxKankuro

Bold: Hinata's Narration


The day I turned twelve, I received a surprise. It was something that I didn't want to receive though. My heart was to be forever bound in a tight ball. My fist would never unclench, my heart never heal. My dreams, love, hope, all forever gone when the first blow to destroy me struck without warning.

Snow covered land was all that could be seen as Hinata looked out the window. She looked around the room, it was unusual. There was nothing a normal girl would have. No decorations, just a plain white room with a plain white bed. One dresser, one window, one door, one pillow, one blanket, one hairbrush. That was all there was, the girl was not spoiled like her sister. Yet, somehow she got through all of this. "Happy birthday Hinata." Hinata leaned onto the wall and closed her eyes.

"Princess?" A voice asked from the door. It was harsh, but she knew that the boy who spoke did not mean for it to come out that way. Hinata's eyes snapped open and found three people standing by the door. Hinata stood up and then bowed down low. Her head didn't dare to look up. She knew her father was becoming increasingly aggressive. A cold hand touched her shoulder and gestured for her to stand.

Hinata rose, not looking up her head facing downwards. She could feel a glare on her and tried to keep her breaths even. Footstep echoed down the hall as Hinata raised her head slowly. "Neji?" Hinata asked, her head now completely raised.

Neji's white eyes gazed at the princess and softened. There was tension that was being shaken off by the boy. "Why do you think he's like that?"

"He's probably going to see Sasuke. It's like the Prince is his son." Hinata fell back against the wall.

"Happy birthday Princess." The other person in the room bowed down. Her pink hair touched the floor. Hinata smiled and when the other girl looked up, Hinata was greeted by emerald green eyes.

"Sakura, please don't bow." Hinata stood up and dusted herself off.

"Now, now, it's your birthday. First off I think I will go around and invite some people over. Bye." Sakura ran off leaving Neji just standing next to Hinata.

"How many people do you think she'll invite?" Neji asked.

"Well, knowing how social she is, around a hundred people. That's just her inner circle of friends." Hinata sighed. "I think you might want to go and find Lee and Tenten. Don't forget to invite them. Good luck with training." The girl stood up and walked down the hall. The emptiness in her heart was very mild, but it could still be felt.

Hinata's hands shook slightly as she walked down the hall. Her legs trembled with each step she took. She was headed towards Sasuke's room. Hanabi slept in there now, the King said it would be for the best if they bonded. She had no idea how sleeping in the same room would help them bond. Maybe she was just naive, she didn't care though.

The door was in front of her and she saw a shadow moving about though a crack. There was defiantly someone in there. Hinata opened the door, her sister was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke however was staring at the girl. "I'm sorry." Hinata looked at the prince. His face showed no trace of emotion whatsoever. His hand was raised and Hinata closed her eyes tightly and indeed there was a slapping noise. There was no pain however, when the girl opened her eyes she found Gaara in front of her. "Gaara?"

Gaara looked rather irritated. His hand was raised, blocking Sasuke's wrist. "What do you think you are doing?" The boy's eye's narrowed. Hinata was marveling at the speed Gaara had obtained. Being a ninja raised the bars on every aspect of your life.

Sasuke pulled his hand back and turned around. "I don't care, just get out." Hinata knew that Sasuke probably wasn't paying attention to the question. His answer wasn't sufficient. Gaara took Hinata and left the room. Sasuke looked back into the hall. His eyes suddenly changed, for a moment Hinata who was looking back at the moment saw a change, there was a glimmer.

The sparkle lasted only a second, but the l could still bet my life that I saw something. Sasuke closed the door right after that, his fist clenched. My heart felt stirred at the moment, it fluttered right before plunging down to the depths of the ocean that was my heart.

Gaara let go of the girl's hand and bowed. His eyes betraying no emotion whatsoever. "Please, Gaara would you like to come into my room?" Hinata lifted the boy back unto his feet. Hinata looked into those eyes, into those deep aqua pools of nothingness. She found deep pain and sorrow. It made a tear stream down her face, there was just so much hurt.

The princess looked at the boy's hands which had pulled her suddenly into an embrace. Her eyes widened. Hinata leaned into the awkward embrace. She knew that the boy needed some sort of comfort. Her hands touched Gaara's face and found herself inching closer wanting to know what made his eyes like a shield. Gaara found himself snapping out of the illusion and broke away from the embrace leaving Hinata stunned. "I'm sorry but I must depart. I'll be back later on for your party." The boy rushed down the hall.

I felt strangely wanting to know more about what had happened to my friend. It was

From, a room down the hall Sasuke had been watching it all. The pain he had felt all those many years ago when it was Hanabi's birthday came back full bloom. It was worse than ever. His eyes watched as Hinata walked down the hall, her white dress matching perfectly with her eyes. Sasuke clutched his chest where his heart was. He could feel a steady beating, he was sure that it would all change soon. The boy was dying on the inside. Sasuke ran down the hall as quietly as he could.

Hinata turned her head upon hearing thumping, but found only an empty corridor. Shaking off the feeling, she walked into her room and shut the door. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of black pants and a white shirt. Then, she grabbed a heavy white jacket. She quickly slipped on all of her clothes and opened the door. "Kiba!" Hinata exclaimed, the boy smiled bearing his fanged teeth.

"Happy birthday." Kiba hugged the girl spinning her around. He kissed her head and squeezed the petite girl's frame. Kiba had always thought of Hinata as a sibling that he could take care of. He was the youngest of his family and didn't like to be treated that way all the time. Even though the two were engaged, they didn't like each other in a way that two people getting married would.

"Thank you." Hinata was placed gently on the floor. Her eyes were then covered by a blindfold. "K-kiba?"

"Don't worry." Kiba then lifed her up bridal style and ran down the halls. "Hurry up Akamaru." A small bark was heard as Kiba sped up. Hinata held onto his jacket and squeezed her eyes shut. Akamaru was Kiba's pet dog that also served as a pleasant companion on ninja missions.

Hinata could hear a door being opened and slight shuffling. She was then let down. She could hear Kiba panting as her blindfold came off. There was nothing until she could feel herself being spun around. Music began to play, it was a gentle melody. A person began to dance with her like they would have if she was at her ball right now. Hinata yelped as she was pushed into a chair. She could feel someone by her left side, they began to whisper. "Happy birthday." The voice sounded oh so familiar.

The room was then lighted, candle by candle was lit. The flames were all around the room. A shadowy figure began to dance. Her movements were gentle, flowing as the music went along. Her dancing was very plain yet entrancing. Another figure began to dance. As they began to move a light harp sounding music was added into the one with the piano. Their movements were quick, short, and involved many twirls. Then as the music began to speed up a drum beat was heard. Yet another person began to dance, her intricate dance was the fastest of them all. Her footwork was very detailed and must have taken a lot of effort to perfect. The last figure came in with a guitar. Her dance involved many flips and must have required great flexibility.

The lights began to lighten up the room more and more as the dance progressed. Hinata heard shuffling behind her and her chair began to move. Then a person lifted her up out of her seat. The people all around her were wearing masks and all dancing. The original group of people stopped and the music died down.

My eyes and memory tried to work together to figure out who they were. My head was still spinning from the confusion of it all. It didn't scare me because they took off my blindfold and Kiba was obviously in the room somewhere. I wondered who all these people were.

The masks of the unknown were taken off one by one. Hinata said their names as each one of them pulled their masks away from their faces. There was but one left standing in the room. Their face was downcast, but the mask was off revealing her pale skin. Her golden hair flowed well beyond her waist. Her head began upwards and her blue eyes were exposed. The girl walked towards Hinata and just stared for a minute or two. Then, she embraced the princess and cried. "I missed you."

At first I was clueless to who this person was. I did not remember the name of the girl, but her sobs were familiar. The same with her eyes and her looks. They were all so hauntingly familiar. I felt guilt for not remembering. I was begging my mind to help me flash back to get some recollection of who this was.

Then it hit Hinata. "I've missed you too, Ino." Ino lifted her head up her eyes shinning.

"You remembered."

"I could never forget." Hinata told the blonde. Ino looked up at what her friend just told her. Ino smiled and wiped away her tears.

"Everyone, I believe we should have a proper group introduction." Ino gestured to the group. "I am the fabulous Ino Yamanaka." She winked and walked over to a boy with a ponytail. His hands were inside his pockets and he was slightly hunched over. "This is my fiancé, Shikamaru Nara."

"How troublesome." The boy was immediately hit on the head by Ino.

"Moving on." Ino walked over to a slightly 'large' boy. "This is Chouji Akimichi. Shikamaru's best friend and shinobi partner." The boy with brown hair waved. "Alright, I think that's all I know."

"I'll handle the rest." Sakura flipped her bubblegum pink hair. "I am the amazing, intelligent Sakura Haruno." She winked and Hinata watched at who she was winking towards. It was Ino's fiancé, Shikamaru. Hinata shook away that thought. Sakura slung her arm around a girl with two buns on her head. "This is Tenten."

"What about her last name?" Ino asked.

"It's a tradition in her family to not have a last name or family name." Sakura answered. "At least that's what her family tells us." Sakura motioned to another girl with dirty blond hair and green eyes. "This is Temari Sabaku." Sakura then skipped merrily over to Hinata. "Next to the princess, whom you all know is Kiba Inuzuka, her future husband. Next to dog boy here is bug boy, Shino Aburame."

"Hey, you have no right to call me that!" Kiba yelled.

"Well, you have a dog. Your first name means fang. Your last name means house of dogs. Your teeth are like a dog's and you smell like one too." Sakura stuck her tongue out at the boy. Kiba began mumbling incoherent words, fuming over being the loser.

"Now, in the corner over there are Gaara and Kankuro Sabaku. They are indeed Temari's siblings. Gaara is the redhead." Sakura inched over to the four remaining people. "The one in the green is Rock Lee, a very skilled shinobi. Next to him, the one with the Hyuuga eyes is Neji Hyuuga, Hinata's cousin. Sasuke Uchiha is the one with the dark eyes, he has a very tragic past not to mention he was the prince of the south. The little girl trying to hide behind her cousin is Hanabi Hyuuga, Hinata's sister. Did I miss anyone?" Hanabi jumped at the mention of her name and waved, laughing nervously.

"Yeah. Sakura, you missed me!" A boy with blonde hair began to jump up and down.

"Naruto?" Ino asked. She made her way to the boy. "Is that you?"

"Ino?" Naruto asked. Ino immediately embraced the boy as tightly as she could. "I missed you too."

"May I ask who this is?" Shikamaru asked.

Ino cleared her throat. "This is my childhood friend, Naruto Uzumaki. He's a beggar, but he's my best friend. We're very close." Ino went over to Shikamaru and whispered something in his ear that made him go deathly pale. "Promise?" Ino asked in a sickly sweet tone. Shikamaru could only nod. "Alright!" Ino screamed, her features alit with joy. "Hinata, Forehead girl, Tenten, Temari, Hanabi come with me!" Ino pranced out of the door, the rest of the girls in tow.

"Did we miss something?" Kankuro asked. The rest of the boys shrugged and walked off.

Ino pranced into a bathroom. "Hinata, you need to get ready. You only have around five hours." Ino went to start the water.

"Ino, isn't that a very sufficient amount of time?" Tenten asked.

"Yes, but she's the princess, she needs to look beautiful. Especially because it's her birthday." Ino turned around and pushed the other girls out. "You, get into the tub. I need to have a chat with the girls." Hinata sighed. Ino was the same as she was all those years ago. Even though the blonde was a bit vain and controlling, she was still a great friend. The princess got into the tub soaking in the warm water. Steam rose and began to fog the glass. Hinata could hear the door opening and light footsteps. "Hinata, it's Ino. I'll be outside. I expect you to be done in thirty minutes."

Personally, Hinata thought that half an hour was too much time to spend soaking in a bathtub. Hinata began to wash her skin. She dragged the cotton washcloth over her pale skin. The heated water caused her skin to redden. It soothed her and brought forth a sigh. It seemed as if the water was talking to her. When she looked into the water she found memories of catching butterflies. She found a memory of eating her first cinnamon roll. They were all memories that brought smiles and laughter. Hinata was snapped out of her daydream and dipped her head back gently into the water. Her body was completely enveloped by the water and she suddenly snapped back up.

A knock was heard at the door and Ino popped her head in. "Ready to get out Hinata dear?" Ino brought in a towel humming merrily. Hinata's hands flew to cover herself. Ino's eyes which were wide open at the time snapped shut. "I can't see you now. Take the towel and wrap yourself in it." Hinata hesitantly stood up to grab the towel and quickly wrapped herself tightly.

"I-I'm done. Y-you can op-open your eyes now." Hinata walked towards the mirror.

"Come on now. Unto the next station." Ino's hands pulled Hinata out of the bathroom and into a different room. Hinata was placed in front of a mirror. "Sakura, you can take over while I sit down for a while. You have no idea how hard it was to get Naruto and Kiba away from the door." Ino collapsed on a nearby couch.

"Alright, Hinata, let's see what we can do." Sakura pulled out a bunch of kimonos. "We need to find two main colors for you. Let's see, we need something that goes nicely with you looks. I don't think the earthy colors of brown or grey are yours. Orange, yellow, and pink aren't the best for you. I think cool colors and maybe just a splash of red. What do you think Ino? My color choice is for blue and white, it may not be the best."

Ino placed her hand under her chin thinking hard. "I think that maybe we should go with something bold. I mean the theme for this year is masquerade right? I'll go with red, pink, white, and black. We have an outfit that would fit that description."

"I guess you may be right." Sakura walked away and came back with a box in her hands. "Take a look." Hinata timidly opened the lid to the box. She pulled out the article of clothing. It was a white kimono with a design of pink blossoms on it. The blossoms were all coming from branches which were the color black. It was like calligraphy painted on white silk. There was a red obi with black threading, that was smooth and cool to the touch. "You can keep it. It's your gift from me." Sakura told Hinata.

"I couldn't possibly. It's too beautiful." Hinata marveled at the beauty of it all.

"Nothing is too good for a princess like you. You can get dressed in there. Just slip on the gown I have for you there. We still have worked to do." Sakura pushed Hinata behind a door. Hinata went into the closet and found the gown. It was just a black long sleeve dress that ended at her knees. Hinata picked up the box and turned the golden knob of the door.

"What do I do now?" Hinata asked timidly. Ino and Sakura were staring daggers into each other. There was obvious disdain between the two at the moment. Ino and Sakura suddenly snapped back to reality. Their smiles were bright and it rather frightened Hinata.

"Princess, unto the next room!" Sakura walked out the door. Then there was silence. Ino went to the door and backed away bowing. Hinata could see half the girl's form in a bow and quickly followed the motion. She could hear her father's coughing as he came over to her. Her head touched the ground, so there was no way she could have seen what happened next. Her father kicked her head and Hinata flew back onto the hard wood floor. Hinata let out a whimper and her forehead began to have droplets of blood.

"Useless girl." Her father spat in Hinata's face. He raised his hand and slapped Hinata's fragile cheek.

"Shikamaru!" Ino screamed at the top of her lungs. The girl stood up and ran towards Hinata embracing the girl. "Help!" Ino closed her eyes shut as a hand struck her face, but she refused to move. Sakura began to get a vase which she held over the man's head. Then Hinata's father suddenly kicked behind him hitting Sakura directly in the stomach. Ino began to panic and screamed something she could not hear herself.

Even though Ino never heard what she screamed because she fainted right after, I heard. It was the beginning of a new phase for her I guess. She screamed the name of the one she would eventually die besides. Ino has always believed that the heart is a special thing and love ties two people's souls together. They will always know what to do even if they are not together.

Ino collapsed on Hinata and Sakura coughed on the floor breathing heavily. Hinata then stood up her eyes downcast. "You heartless beast." Hinata spat out.

"Funny, that's what your mother said to me before she died." Hiashi took his fighting stance, but Hinata just stood unmoving. Then the girl lifted her head up and her eyes held the Byakugan. "You know that you will die."

At that moment I felt a strange rush. That's when it hit me, I could see a blue flowing force running through my devil father's veins. I looked in the mirror and saw something those eyes. My uncle's eyes on that night. Somehow I could tell that my father was not lying. I felt scared for a moment then I closed my eyes and felt another rush. It soothed me and I felt something take over me.

Hinata felt something rush through her hands and she just sharply pushed her fingers into his chest. Sakura screamed and backed towards the wall. Blood began to drip out of Hiashi's mouth. Hinata felt pain in her chest and she suddenly began to stab rapidly as her father coughed. Tears began to stream down the girl's face as he fell. Then all the energy that was once there came out and turned black. Somehow Hinata knew that this wasn't supposed to happen. She collapsed on the floor and began to cry.

My hands felt like they were on fire and every tear I shed made me lose bit by bit of energy. It was hurting my heart. I felt guilty because I knew that my father would never rise again but then I heard a voice singing a lullaby. There was a light and suddenly everything went black. I heard a voice calling to me, but at that moment all I thought about was dying.

Hinata's chest hurt and she slightly opened her eyes. She saw many colors and heard low murmurs. Hinata moaned and sharply inhaled air. It stung her lungs and she was shivering even though she knew it was probably very warm. "Are you alright?" She could hear a small bark. The girl knew it was Kiba.

'Am I alright?' Hinata thought. Then her eyes snapped completely open. 'I'm supposed to be dead.' She sat up and bit her lip to keep from crying out. "I'm supposed to be dead." Hinata told the group of people. She was about to scream when she saw that her clothes were off and her chest was bandaged. "What happened?" Hinata pulled the blanket on the bed around her. A small blur was seen then Hinata was being embraced tightly. "Hanabi?"

"I thought you were dead. I don't want you to go! Daddy already left just like Mommy!" Hanabi was screaming and shaking heavily. Hinata's gentle hand came up to pat her sister on the back. Hinata felt pain as her sister squeezed tighter, but held in the scream. Hinata began to cry also. Tears streaming from her eyes.

I felt a great pain. My father was dead and I killed him. He was the reason why my precious mother was gone. I didn't expect my day to get any worse. I was about to be proved wrong and the event that did so would affect countless. It was the beginning of a new era. An era of death, tears, war, and surprisingly…love.


Review! Please let me know if I can improve in anyway. If you have a fic you want me to read, feel free to bug me about it.