Chapter Two: Azure


The Hyuuga sisters parted ways. Hanabi went to the Hokage's building to meet with her teammates. Meanwhile Hinata decided to go home.

Once she got home, she decided to find something to do. She then fixed her room. It wasn't a mess, though but she found it almost comforting because that's the only thing they couldn't stop her from doing. The family especially her cousin, Neji was very uptight and controlling he wouldn't let her wander off too much. He still thinks that she is sick. As a matter of fact she still is but she felt fine. And as she focused on her closet she found something at the very back of it. It was a black lacquer box detailed with flying storks. She opened it and found three thick notebooks. The first one was colored blue, the other red and the other white. She read the blue one first. It was mostly empty except for some writings on the first page.

No. 16 Entry 89

Maybe he will never ever know… Maybe he will never understand… Maybe he will never turn his back.

This goes on as long as I hold on. Curse the day when I first met him. I want to forget so badly. I want to erase him forever but his memory lingers on. He stays on my mind but never beside me. Maybe it was meant for me to stay this way, at the background of his life never the center of his attention. That is the price of keeping my emotions locked inside. I'd like to believe that my decision is right, but sometimes at night I feel a pain in my heart, and that's when I realize that I was completely wrong.

So why am I still waiting for a sign? Even though it was clear from the start…

Maybe I'd still like to believe that I can love him unconditionally, a one-sided, unrequited love… But I'm just fooling myself because I know nothing would ever come of it but heartbreak…

I always wonder if it will ever end… Will it just disappear like a bubble or will it fade away oh so slowly…?

How could I let go of this? How could I have not seen this from the start? I know how self-destructive it can get and yet I still hope for that someday. But maybe I'll move on, and find a new love… But even though time may pass, his essence, everything I have known him for will stay here inside my heart and mind. No one can erase the fact that he made his way there unknowingly.

Maybe… Maybe I'll never be able to forget…

After Hinata read those words, she wondered if she was the one who have written them. It was surreal… She never remembered anything about falling in love with whomever… Who was she referring to? Come to think of it she can't even remember how she got into a coma, she tried remembering it but she even couldn't grasp a moment or a single blur of what happened. Confusion clouded over her.

Then she heard someone coming. She hid the black lacquer box and closed the closet. Whoever it was it stopped its tracks at the very front of her room. Then after a second it started walking again. She opened the door to see who it was but no one was there, strange…

She decided to get out of the house before she goes insane. She kept walking, although her body was there in Konoha here mind seem to wander off to a different world.

Hinata can hear a stampede going on somewhere. She felt curious and wondered what might have happened. She ran towards it and was surprised to see girls flocking over a trampled man. He had raven hair and was wearing a black shirt and white shorts. He looked at her, sympathetic. She wanted to help him but she knows better and decided to continue her walk, ignoring what happened.

She loved the fresh air of Konoha and it did her some good. The trees were so…Everything was so green including those two people with Neji. And as she walked passed them she could see them all smile at her except Neji who was looking at one girl with brown hair. The two men's smiles which revealed their shining teeth disturbed her along with their matching green suits.

As she continued to walk around town she noticed some familiar faces but couldn't name them.

Her memory was slow and she was having trouble remembering this side of town. A lot of people were walking on this road and she felt alone. It was like the people were waves of ocean water. They continued walking and walking some know where to go and others don't. Hinata belonged to the latter group. Then her head ached. She was feeling dizzy. Just as she was about to fall someone caught her.

Her clear lavender eyes met the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

"Hinata are you okay?" He asked her but she was a little stunned to speak. "Please tell me you're okay."

Slowly her eyes closed… She fainted.

Hinata woke up in her room. She saw Neji and a blond haired man sitting near her bed.

"Neji-niisan!" Hinata blurted out. "What happened?"

"You fainted. You shouldn't wander off like that." Neji warned her. "Stupid…" He said under his breath.

"Hey don't call her that, stupid!" The blond-haired ninja said.

"I'll try to ignore that." Neji muttered. "Now let's go and give her time to rest."

"But I want to talk to her some more." Blondie whined.

"You can do that when you see her again." Neji pushed him out of the room.

"Bye Hinata!" He waved goodbye.

Then Neji and Hinata were left inside the room. "Who was that loud obnoxious person?" Hinata asked.

Neji cannot help but smirk at her remark then he excused himself and left.


Now Neji has confirmed it to himself. Hinata has amnesia, although it was strange that she hadn't forgotten her team and also Hanabi and him. Maybe she only forgot that Naruto, well it's still a good thing since he can hinder her on becoming a more functional leader.

Neji knew about his cousin's feelings for that Naruto and it wasn't good. Love can be a great hindrance and he doesn't want her falling for someone, it's definitely useless. And besides a cold and powerful leader is much greater than a helpless, lovesick idiot.

Hyuuga Neji, himself, doesn't want love, he doesn't need it.


Whoever that man with blond hair and blue eyes was, he sure wasn't the one she was referring to in her diary.

Maybe it was Kiba? No.

Shino? No.

Neji? Heavens no!

Maybe it was that guy with raven hair… Maybe.

Oh, Oooh what about that guy with the shining teeth and green jumpsuit… She cringed. Never.

Then she realized that she shouldn't be thinking about that. She was the new Hyuuga family head. There's no time for love. She should focus on the present and the future, not dwell in the past. This is an important opportunity and she dared not to miss this. She doesn't want to fail, ever.


Two weeks passed.

Hinata felt like they were hiding something from her. Almost everything was a blur.

Sometimes in her sleep she sees people without faces. Sometimes she sees those blue eyes she saw that day when she fainted. In those eyes she felt warm and nice but at the same time she saw something off with them. She cowered as she thought about it so she tried to forget about those people or that man that caught her when she fell.

As days passed she grew weaker again. One night her fever was so high and the doctor came.

"What is wrong?" Neji asked.

"She has a rather high fever." The doctor said.

"Doctor I have something to ask, too." Hanabi said.

"What is it?"

"My sister keeps asking me questions… like what happened on her chuunin exam and she doesn't know some of her colleagues. Yes she remembers Kiba, Shino and Ms. Kurenai but beyond that she doesn't know anything at all." Hanabi told the doctor.

"Well… There was a wound on her head when she was brought here three years ago…" The doctor pulled out a clipboard out of his bag. "According here she received a tremendous blow in this section..." The doctor continued. "It might be that or it might be a defense mechanism…"

"Defense mechanism." Neji repeated those words.

"Yes. She tried to suppress certain emotions as well as memories to fulfill her function of adaptation. She might have forgotten small details or even larger ones… but not to worry her memories might come back eventually." The doctor explained.

"Do you think so?" The candles flicker as Neji asked the doctor.

"Well to make sure you might want to make her visit a psychiatrist." The doctor began searching something from his trusty bag. "Here's his business card." He gave it to Neji.

"Dr. Kiyose Takamura." Neji read.

"He's rather old but he is a great doctor." Their doctor assured then excused himself and left.


That night was one of the longest nights Hinata experienced. The wind was howling and banging on the windows. She was half-awake and half asleep. Her fever was like a ride on an amusement park, going up and down. The rain drops keep falling from the rooftop and it was very loud. It was too loud that she covered her ears.

After several minutes she eased in and made herself more comfortable. She slept peacefully, now more peacefully than she could ever wish.


One week passed.

Neji refused to bring his cousin to a psychiatrist. He thought that it would be better that way. Hanabi asked why he wouldn't want her to but all he said was that Hinata can get by all by herself.

Well Hinata did get by, it seems but the truth is that she is hiding something from them, too.

"Tell me about father." Hinata came up to Hanabi when she was free.

"What about him?"

"What happened when I was away?" Hinata asked.

Hanabi blinked slowly and looked outside.

"After the chuunin exam you gained some respect from him. And as years passed he changed greatly. When you were 'away' he was furious with everybody but mostly himself. The tension inside this house was overwhelming we all felt like we were being choked. I don't know why but when you got in to that situation father frequently went to mother's grave." Hanabi told her.

Hinata gave her a weak smile. "Have you ever spoken to him?"

"Hardly."

"You know I was afraid of him… Although he was my father I was afraid of him. But I guess it just comes with the territory of being an heir. He wanted me to be great and I wanted to be a great ninja to gain respect from him but you couldn't be one if you wouldn't kill. Why are we fighting…?"

"Murder is the only art a ninja can practice. No ornamental words can change that." Hanabi said. "But we cannot survive in this world if we would not fight for our life."

Hinata grew quiet.

"Father loves us both. But he loves you the most, do you know that?" Hanabi looked at her sister.

"No Hanabi you were the favorite."

Hanabi shook her head. "He loves you most first of all you look a lot like mother. And second because he tells you that you're weak because he thinks that it would help you become stronger."

"He loved me so much… That he hurt my feelings?"

"Father was a quiet man. We all know that. I thought that maybe that's how he expressed his feelings. When he was saying 'Hinata you're weak!' he meant 'Hinata I know you're stronger than that.' Or maybe 'Hinata I believe you can do it.' Something like that, I guess…"

"You really think so. But you were greater than me."

"Really you think so? I just failed my first chuunin exam."

"No… That's impossible."

"Well it's not." Then Hanabi changed the subject. "Father just needed a translator."

Hinata and Hanabi smiled at each other.

"Say what you want to say. Hiashi is Hiashi and nobody could change that." Neji leaned on a post.

"You were listening again." Hanabi said.

"I know but I'm bored and have nothing to do." Neji told her.

And the Hyuugas continued to talk to each other.


A/N: Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.