A/N: Ta-daaa! More angst!

As a bonus, I'm seriously fudging with the timeline here. First: Hashirama dies when Tsunade is around 4-5 years old. Tobirama takes his place and Hiruzen takes her, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru and starts teaching them. Then when she's around 12-13, Tobirama dies, and Hiruzen takes his place.

Also! I haven't seen very much with the land of forests, and it's sad because it has a ton of potential! In this fic the Land of Forests is the main island where descendants of the Senju clan live (kind of like how the Uzumaki clan had Whirlpool).


Early the next morning, just after breakfast, Sasuke finally asked Shien to walk with him in the garden. To his surprise, she readily accepted, and they both walked off together, unknowingly missing Mikoto's knowing grin and Fugaku's look of surprised pride.

The summer air was warm and fragrant with flowers as they sat down on a stone bench in the back gardens, the breeze rustling the trees and the birds calling cheerfully amongst one another.

Shien let out a relaxed sigh before turning to the prince. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Aa." He nodded slowly, glancing around the bright sky.

Taking a breath of fresh air, she was able to catch the subtle sweetness of the roses blooming near the pavillion.

"I know you didn't just ask me here to sit, now did you?" She asked, a playful levity to her voice as she nudged his arm gently. "What did you want to talk about, Sasuke?"

"I wanted to know more about you," he replied, turning his body to face her more properly. "I'm afraid I've been… neglecting things."

She blinked. "Oh. Well that's fine, all you had to do is ask."

Sasuke bowed his head, his cheeks pinkening slightly.

Tapping her chin, she hummed. "Hmm… now where to begin. I've already told Naruto the abridged version…"

"I've got time to hear the full tale," he spoke up, straightening his posture.

Shien gave him an amused little smile, leaning back against the bench. "Alright then. Let's see…"

She took a moment to think. "Admittedly, there's not a whole lot that I remember of my early life. The woman who appeared with me is not my true mother, but to me she will always be my true mother."

He nodded, a slightly puzzled look on his face.

"Let me explain." Shien took a breath. "I was born in the land of forests, far away from here… or so I recall. Honestly, I can't remember much of my life, nor how old I really am. All I can gather from my limited memory was that my family and I were on a ship, and due to a storm, we crashed on the shores of Fire near the land of Waves. That's where my adoptive mother found me on the beach. Had it not been for her…" she trailed off, but Sasuke nodded in understanding.

"As I said before, I know very little of my own origins. I don't even remember how old I truly am. My mother has said that I looked to be around five at the time she found me, but my birthday, my true parents, my home…" she shook her head. "I remember naught."

"I'm… so sorry," he offered awkwardly.

"Don't be, it was an act of the gods." She heaved a sigh. "Heaven knows why I was to be orphaned, but had it not been for the shipwreck, I never would have experienced life here in this country."

Sasuke paused for a moment, face contemplative, before quietly inquiring, "Have you enjoyed mainland life?"

Here, her lips slowly curved into a genuine smile. "I would rather know nothing else but this. Traveling with Mother has been the highlight of my life. Even though I can't remain attached to one area for long, seeing the cultures of Wind, of Grass, of Earth… has opened my eyes in ways I hadn't given much thought to before. It's been a truly enlightening experience that I would heartily recommend."

"You're lucky," he commented.

"Perhaps in some ways," she mused, folding her hands together in her lap. "While I do mourn the loss of my parents, and while I do feel sad that I can't experience what having a father feels like, I wouldn't trade my mother for the world."

Something fond about her gaze into the sky made his heart soften. Something familiar.

Sakura's face flashed through his mind's eye for a moment and he swallowed hard, looking away to steady his own emotions.

"You remind me so much of a childhood friend I used to know," he recalled.

Shien stiffened for half a second before relaxing her shoulders and turning in question. "Oh?"

"She was…" He trailed off before shaking his head. "No, now isn't the time for that. I'm sorry. I don't trust you that much just yet."

"I understand," she soothed, placing a hand on his arm. "Believe me, I understand how hard it can be to bare your soul to a stranger. I'm lucky I've gotten to know you this far, Sasuke. Don't push yourself where you feel inadequate."

"I wish to put my trust in you, I really do," he insisted, staring into her face with troubled coal irises. "All I can divulge is that she… she really would have loved you."

"I'm honored to be thought of so highly," she sighed with a sad smile. "Judging by the way you speak of her… it sounds like you truly cared for her."

Sasuke dipped his head. "That I did. I still do."

Her heart did a tiny flip at the admission, and she looked away to conceal the pink flush creeping across her cheeks.

"W- well, tell me when you're ready," she replied. "I await the day I can learn of the girl of your affections with bated breath, Sasuke."


"Hinata?" Shizune's quiet voice broke her out of her reverie, and she turned from staring at the sky to face her mentor. "Is everything alright?"

The young woman smiled demurely, shaking her head. "Just… thinking. It's alright, I'll be alright."

The brunette frowned softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You can confide in me. Do you recall?"

"I would have fallen apart sooner if I didn't," she replied, only half in jest. She chuckled quietly, brushing her knuckles across her eye as they began to water. "I'm sorry for being so indisposed."

"Stop that, crying is natural." Her mild scolding tone only made her eyes moisten more, and as Shizune gently brushed away the forming tears she dropped her arms at her sides, bowing her head like a chastised child. "I care for you, Hinata. I want you to be of sound mind. I want you to be happy. Please, tell me what troubles you."

Taking a shaky breath, the young heiress nodded. "I… I was just… thinking, is all."

"About?" Shizune softly pressed.

"About my family, about my father and sister," she admitted, her pearly gaze dropping to the dirt. "I was wondering of their wellbeing. Do they miss me? Do they think of me? Would they despise me for what I've done?"

Her lip trembled as she continued to speak. "I must confess, most days I feel horribly lonely, Shizune. I miss my sister. I miss my father, as strict as he is. I miss my dear cousin and his wife. I miss my friends."

"It's only human to desire company of those we love," her voice was gentle as she brushed her fingers through her violet-tinted hair.

Hinata rested her forehead on the older woman's shoulder as she continued to soothe her. "If I'm to be selfish, I haven't been feeling at my best for a while now. The stress of departing, of finding my friends and losing them so fast again… I've become quite depressed. The days seem to blur together. I'm going through the motions. I…" her voice cracked, "I… hate what I've become."

Shizune shushed her, hugging her close.

"I'm so lonely, Shizune…" the young lady began to sniffle, clutching onto her shirt with the desperation of a scared child. "More than anything, all I want is to see my mother."

For all that she was, Hyuuga Hinata was essentially still just a scared child, plunged into a cruel world that had not been - and would not be - kind to her. In such a short time the rapid changes to her life had definitely taken its toll on her - and for as much as she was accustomed to, Shizune worried.

All she could do was comfort her the best she could, gently petting her head and letting her cling to her and cry, such a timid girl of eighteen, and try her best to think of happier days.

Seeing her in such a state only made her recall the day her uncle passed. She wasn't much younger than Hinata was now, clutching at Tsunade's coats and sobbing her heart out at the loss of the only family she had left. The way Tsunade looked her way for years afterward was still seared into her memory, all heartbroken determination as she raised her up to be one of the strongest medical nin she could teach. Even then they had their bad days, and one such memory was of the anniversary of his death not long after they began traveling together, and Tsunade, drunk out of her mind, had held her tightly, sobbing into her shoulders and begging her not to follow his path.

"Please don't die on me," she'd begged tearfully as Shizune wiped her face with a handkerchief. "Please Shizune, don't leave me. Don't leave me."

She recalled the remorse deep in her heart for her poor teacher, of how she tried to soothe her agony and get her back to bed. She recalled how she herself cried herself to sleep that night, hoping that she would never have to see Tsunade like that again. The necklace she wore was a testimony of her uncle's brief, yet lasting effect over her, as well as Tsunade's brother and grandfather's dreams that she had kept kindled all these years.

She swore to herself then that she would never let those dreams die.

Now here in the present, holding the weeping heiress close to her chest, the emotions of that night seeping into her bones, she swore again that she would uphold them, a newfound determination set in her mind that she would protect these young ones with her life.


A/N: Please tell me what you thought!