A/N:

(2020-03-12) SORRY, no new chapter. I deleted the Prologue and didn't realize it would actually update the story...anyways, I'm working on the next chapter so...expect that in...a month? Hahaa...

(2020-04-03) Update, for anyone still checking this...it's going to be later than initially predicted. My exams are an absolute clusterf**k with the COVID-19 pandemic and classes transitioning online. School takes priority above all else, but I still feel guilty about not updating this as much as I would like...I'm very sorry.

⁂

The rain pattered heavily against the windows and the walls shook slightly as the winds roared against them. There was an occasional boom of thunder that lightly shook the floor.

The smell of ink was pungent in the air.

A certain blond was sitting in an open room, stroking an ink brush against a canvas at a confidently fast pace with near-impossible precision. What little furniture he had in the room was pushed aside to make space for the mosaic of paper and ink stones scattered around. Heavy curtains were closed to shut out all sunlight, yet the boy could perfectly see what he was doing.

There were stacks of paper at odd places at varying heights surrounding him along with the occasional candy wrapper and empty water bottle here and there. Several seals—whether they be incomplete or failures—were hung on the walls as reminders for the boy as he worked. Some seals were so large that they were developed beyond their paper and expanded onto the wooden floor or walls. No space was wasted.

This chaotic mess was perfectly normal to the boy. It had become a part of his daily life.

The boy, Naruto, was working for three days straight with no sleep, as he couldn't afford to stop his progress. He couldn't even feel the hunger pangs and signs of sleep deprivation anymore. Anything that deterred his concentration was easily cast aside; because after all, he was working on what he believed to be the last step in unlocking the Hiraishin.

The kunai that the Yondaime Hokage supposedly left behind; it was suspicious, since according to his notes, Namikaze Minato was very careful not to leave any active Hiraishin kunai behind after use. Yet, Naruto discovered the seal, and he even managed to prove that it worked when he used it on the day he got it…even if it was a fluke. He was almost naïve as to link the miraculous event to fate—if it didn't sound so stupid, of course.

Proving that the Hiraishin seal worked wasn't enough, though. Naruto wanted to understand how it worked, and he wanted to reverse-engineer everything about it to transform it into something more. At first, the Hiraishin technique was a complete enigma to Naruto, as he had absolutely no knowledge on fūinjutsu. Rather, he couldn't even stare at the layered storage seals in the Yondaime's personal journal without becoming totally lost in the sheer complexity of it. However, after months of reading, experimenting, and learning from the bottom-up, he could probably be considered as one of the most proficient in Konoha's sealing-corps, as egoistic as it sounded. He just seemed to have a natural obsession—no, talent for it.

Perhaps this would let Naruto obtain the strength that he desperately yearned for. To finally commend himself and live his own life: that was his ultimate goal.

Naruto breathed heavily through his nose, focusing at the task at hand. He was close to finishing the last strokes which would complete the final, central sealing matrix, which by extension would connect a network of subsidiary component seals together. He used the divide-and-conquer method and ultimately decided that he would create a unique modular seal as his prototype since he wasn't at the level of condensing the Yondaime's signature seal just yet.

In other words, the Hiraishin seal was divided into several simpler seals, with one seal to connect them all: the 'central matrix'. The central matrix could be compared to the 'brain' of the seal, as it connected and controlled all the 'limbs' in its desired fashion; however, if any 'limb' didn't behave as intended, it could be improved or outright replaced. Once the whole network (or 'body') behaved ideally, Naruto would then condense the entire array to fit it onto a kunai handle, just as the Yondaime did. Naturally, creating the 'brain' was a delicate task—any slight hesitation with his wrist could potentially destroy the day's progress, nullifying Naruto's all-nighter streak.

However, that wouldn't matter soon, because after this step he could finally finish and test the seal.

He was so close to finishing.

So close.

If it wasn't for her damned voice.

"S͘omeone ͘is at͘ th̴e ͢do͟o̢r̶.̷ F̀or ̛y̕o͝u.̕"

She spoke. He assumed that the voice was courteous enough to leave him alone while he was working, since it hadn't spoke since he started his marathon of fūinjutsu. She was very helpful at times like that. She was especially helpful during his learning phase, when the voice often dropped cryptic hints that pushed him towards the right direction. Really, without the voice, Naruto would not be where he was at today.

That still didn't stop him from being annoyed at her, though.

"…Okay. Fine," he hissed out loud, holding back his swears. He didn't want to get his ears popped if he did.

Naruto sighed heavily, dropping his ink brush away from a botched stroke. The good thing about the modular network he created was that he could revisit each "limb" and work on each component separately, so at least the entire array of seals wouldn't be ruined by one mistake. It still hurt to lose progress on the central matrix, though.

Naruto stood up, stretched his stiff muscles, then walked towards the door. Whoever was at the door better have had a good reason for being there, having the gall to interrupt his session. Due to his tiredness, he couldn't immediately identify who the person on the other side of the door was by using his senses. He was somehow sure it wasn't any of the ANBU, though.

The door opened with a slight creak, and once he saw who was standing in front of him, Naruto's bad mood nearly vanished. In front of him was a girl around his height drenched in the rain. She had her head down as the rainwater continuously dripped down from her messy black hair. Her dishevelled clothes were soaked completely through, and her whole body seemed to be shivering. Her arms were crossed and held close to her body, as if trying to shield herself from the outside. It was apparent that she was standing in the rain for very long time…so, was she standing in front of his door like this the entire time?

The boy felt inclined to address the girl, wanting answers.

"…Hinata."

Her pale white eyes snapped up to meet his cerulean blue. In that moment, Naruto was truly lost for words or thought.

It was like looking at a mirror.

That exact same expression. Her tightly closed mouth, slowly and faintly clenching then unclenching. Her straight, neutral lips with their ends almost wanting to be pulled downwards into a frown. Those cold, stoic eyes…making it difficult to look away from the expression. The face was hiding so much, yet it revealed a lot. A contradiction that made sense to the boy, since he lived with it for as long as he could remember.

Lightning lit up the sky for a brief instance.

"Why weren't you there?"

And thunder followed, quaking the boy.

He couldn't respond.

"You haven't been at the Academy for a month now," she continued.

He was about to retort, but—

"No, I know that he's your shadow clone. You aren't him. Don't pretend to be him," she said. It was almost a whisper, a hiss. Her words would have been drowned out in the heavy rain, if it weren't for Naruto's hearing.

They held eye contact for an immeasurable moment. It was uncertain what was exactly being said through this non-verbal conversation, but it was certainly meaningful to each of them as they analyzed each other's faces. The boy felt like he was paralyzed to the spot even though there was no force preventing him from moving. It was as if the world paused just for the two of them. He wanted to escape, but her gaze wouldn't let him.

Everything was interrupted when her expression broke, however. Suddenly, there were tears streaming down her face—and no, it didn't seem to be from the rain.

Lightning and thunder boomed together this time.

Senses came back to Naruto, and he suddenly remembered the situation. He looked at her broken face and felt something click inside him, as if he came to an internal decision. He grabbed Hinata's hand and brought her inside his apartment, closing the creaky door and dampening the sound of the heavy rain from outside. The unnatural coldness of her hand greatly startled the boy.

He pulled a random chair from near the walls and put her in the seat, then parted the curtains to let light flood into the dark room, momentarily blinding the boy. Hinata was limp throughout the whole process, and it took immense patience to guide her properly to sit while trying to maneuver around the disorganized mess on the floor. Noting her wet hair, the boy then went and grabbed a fresh towel and draped it over her head. He didn't know why he went to such lengths to care for her like this—it was completely unlike his usual, apathetic self.

The blond then stared at her, expecting her to dry herself off. It was a futile prospect, however, as she continued to stay limp, staring at the floor…like a lifeless doll. That was the only thing that he could compare her to: a doll. Absolutely no movement, with her glass-like eyes staring at fixed space. Her porcelain features were accentuated by the monotonous light that leaked into the room. It looked tragically sad, even to the boy.

Frustrated at the scene, Naruto awkwardly rubbed the towel on her head, trying to get as much of the cold water out as possible. It was a slow process since he didn't know how to dry out so much hair, since he was used to drying only himself. He didn't want to be rough either, since the hollow girl in front of him seemed to be so frail that he worried about her collapsing with each touch. Despite his clumsy yet gentle kneading of her head, Hinata continued to stay limp.

Truly, like a doll.

As his hands worked, Naruto's mind raced, thinking about what might have led to this development. She seemed upset at his absence, but why? Sure, they agreed to be 'friends', but Naruto expected her to drop the pretense just like Sasuke, the other 'friend', did many months ago. He was careful to keep his distance with her, despite her approaching him nearly everyday. She was oddly persistent like that…and it irked him. Eventually, he started caring less and let her enjoy herself by letting her do whatever she wanted, no further questions. Whatever personal gain she had from being within his proximity had no ill effect on him, so it didn't matter in the long run. But then, as the days went, there came a time when he stopped caring altogether and stopped going to the Academy. There was no purpose for him there. He felt confident he could pass and become genin any day if only the sensei weren't so vexatious. So, he was patient to wait until his cohort would graduate, and then he would graduate along with them. However, he was not patient to physically attend every class—he had much more important things to do.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt movement underneath his hands and almost retreated backwards when he felt an icy hand clasp on one of his. If it were anyone else, Naruto was certain he would retaliate. However, the boy had grown accustomed to the girl's odd, seemingly sudden behaviours since their confrontation at the door. He was still in control of the situation, so he let her continue with whatever she planned, curious to see what she would do next.

Naruto felt his hand being pulled upwards, lifting the wet cloth and fully revealing Hinata's face. She was staring at him, and it almost seemed like some life was seeping back into her, resembling a human expression. Almost.

The next few moments, the boy felt helpless, as he foolishly let his guard down.

She pushed and tackled him onto the floor, pinning his arms wide apart with astonishing strength, straddling his torso. His eyes met with hers again…and he felt paralyzed, again. This time though, veins bulged out of the girl's temples and throbbed about madly, making her gaze frightening to return. The Byakugan certainly wasn't proficient in genjutsu, yet he still felt so powerless against them by some odd force exuding from them. Hinata looked deeply into him, as if trying to determine something.

"Why…why do I have these eyes…tell me, are they really mine?"

"…"

He couldn't reply.

The rain pattering against the roof tiles grew louder.

Something seemed to snap in her after his continued silence.

"Why, Naruto? If you don't know…then, how can I?" her voice croaked, indicating that her vocal cords were starting to fail on her.

A flash of lightning brightened up the whole room blindingly. The boy's eyes closed for an instant—the briefest moment—but when he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see the girl with his kunai, his precious treasure, in her hand. He didn't have the time to question how she knew of it, or how she pulled it out from under his shirt so fast without him detecting it…

Because Hinata thrust the kunai directly towards her eyes.

Space slowed to an imperceptibly slow pace. Naruto acted immediately without consciously processing anything. First, he grabbed her wrist with the hand containing the knife and pushed it down, away from her face. Then, he rolled his body to the side while tucking his legs in. With his other hand, he pushed on her stomach, trying to make her body roll along with him. He hooked his foot around hers to add a point to pivot. The final outcome of the maneuver was an excellent mount reversal with Naruto on top, pinning her down.

Thunder boomed, quivering the once still air in the room.

They never broke eye contact. His hand was still tightly gripped on her wrist that held the kunai. Both were breathing slowly and heavily, trying to mask their signs of mental exhaustion.

Staring at Hinata, Naruto noticed drops of water falling on her face. The source was…his own eyes. He quickly realized he was crying—something that he never did, not even on the day he almost died. He dismissed it as a trait that he could never achieve, further dissociating him from humanity. Yet, it was possible, and he continued to prove himself wrong as tears continued to drop. However, currently, he didn't care about any of that anymore. He didn't dare wipe his tears away. He didn't want to risk letting go of her hands.

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise at seeing the tears come from the boy. She somehow knew that she was the only one to see this kind of face from him, yet, she felt no accomplishment in that.

This was not what she wanted.

She tried to struggle out of his grip, but Naruto was sure to keep her movements locked down. Upon realizing the futility, the girl slacked and became limp, returning to her dead, doll-like appearance. Her veins in her temples were still throbbing wildly, which was the only visible sign indicating her to be alive.

Suddenly, her tightened hand on the kunai handle weakened, and Naruto immediately disarmed her and flung the kunai at a wall, striking dead center inside a spiral-patterned seal with a sharp thud.

Her empty irises followed the kunai, despite seeing it clearly in her periphery vision through the Byakugan. Her throbbing veins sunk back into her temples, with her gaze still on the kunai.

She lost what small hope she had at that moment; she couldn't end it.

So, she wept.

Naruto couldn't do anything but cry silently along with her.

The rain continued to patter heavily against the roof tiles.

⁂

It was a cloudy morning.

On a normal day, the Hyūga estate could be described as peaceful and calm. The quiet atmosphere would probably make any visitor uncomfortable, but to the people living in it, it was expected and perfectly natural. It was an accepted norm that everyone unknowingly upheld, and the Hyūga were careful to maintain their regal demeanor whenever and wherever they went.

Except for the dojo.

The dojo was a sacred place in the sense that it was an area which they could freely express themselves. Through physical engagements in battle, the Hyūga could unhinge their inner selves and vent after bottling their internal turmoil and struggles for so long. Through various techniques honed everyday with rigorous practice, they could thrust their feelings into the world by expressing it in a spar. It wasn't just a fight to them—it was an art.

Whether it be sadness, rage, or mere contentment, they could erase all of that and come to peace with their own mind in the briefest moments of euphoria when exchanging fists—or rather, palms. It didn't matter how they initially felt, because in the dojo, everyone lost themselves to their instinct. Everyone became their elementary selves.

But because of this, some delve far too deep into their instinct.

They lose control.

When they do, they get punished severely. Anything that stuck out from the norm was to be cut off immediately, as the Hyūga image and pride were far above such stains.

Currently, the dojo had two occupants posed in their own respective stances, facing each other. There were several spectators observing them with one notable figure standing at the side, supervising the fight. His mere presence filled the entire room with tension.

Hinata looked over to her side at the man, and quickly averted her eyes upon meeting her father's stern gaze. The patriarch of the clan, Hyūga Hiashi, scared her for all her life. She couldn't handle being in the same room as him without feeling paranoid about disrespecting him and getting punished as a result; his punishments were painful—exceptionally so. She never deeply understood him, and he never even tried to understand her. Their relationship was painfully simple: Hinata was to praise him as a leader, and he was to treat her as his subordinate.

She returned her eyes on to her opponent, Hyūga Neji, her cousin. He was a person she once loved. However, it was apparent that their relationship changed. They grew further apart ever since Neji's father, her uncle, volunteered his death due to some political conflict in the clan. Hinata didn't quite understand the purpose of the action, but she could feel the consequent drama surrounding the decision. The clan itself changed after that day; the branch family grew far more hostile with passive animosity but never overstepped the constantly blurring boundary of disrespect. Neji…unfortunately fell victim and melded into their ideologies and showed no hesitation to prove his distaste of Hinata ever since that day. It hurt her.

They used to play together when they were younger. At first, they were so shy and small, but they quickly warmed up to each other and became best friends. They smiled, they laughed, and they learned. It hurt Hinata when she was put subject to his glares with obvious resentment in his expression. It was painful to compare his once innocent face to the now permanent frown. She would do anything to go back and cherish those memories longer. Unfortunately, she could now only wallow in regret and push herself down further with her self-pity.

Standing opposite of each other now, it suddenly dawned on her that they represented two different factions. Hyūga Neji of the branch family, and regrettably, Hyūga Hinata of the main family. The audience seemed to have realized this too, and each respective family were looking at their representative figure at the center of the room. It was quite ironic: despite them being first cousins and raised as siblings, they were complete strangers as of now. Why did things become like this? How could things have changed so drastically in such a short period of time?

A loud snapping sound brought her alert. It was the sound of her opponent's foot slamming against the tatami floor, lunging to attack.

The match started while she was zoning out despite her eyes being on her opponent the entire time, and she was punished by having an open hand approach her within dangerous proximity of her face. The girl barely sidestepped the direct palm to her face and winced as blood started seeping from the cut that emerged on her cheek from the glancing blow. As she stepped back to reassess the situation, she noticed that Neji wasn't going to stop anytime soon, and she was forced to step around his attacks.

A step to the right, left, behind, all whilst slapping away the approaching palms towards her body. Anything to delay her inevitable defeat.

There were some gasps of audible surprise from the audience at the impressive footwork displayed by the young clan heiress. As far as they were concerned, no other Hyūga within Neji and Hinata's age group were even capable of seeing let alone dodge Neji's attacks. From all her demonstrations in sparring, the young heiress showed no outward talents other than some slightly above average reflexes and a disciplined mindset that was expected of any clan heiress. However, today, the girl shocked the entire clan by going toe to toe with the branch family prodigy—the branch family's hope to fight against the main branch.

It almost seemed like Hinata became a prodigy herself overnight…but Hinata would internally scoff if she openly heard this claim. Frankly, nothing changed about her. Her quiet and shy personality caused her to stay out of sight from the public and even her own clan—nothing more, nothing less. Why would she attract needless attention when she already has so much negativity against her already? She showed her true colours to a special someone already. That was enough.

The clan ridiculed her. She was perceived as weak because she was born a girl right from the beginning. Not a strong male figure, like her father. There were no expectations of her, and the treatment continued when she continued to display her shy demeanor. Truly, she was a failure in the clan's eyes…and especially to her father's. Even as of now while fighting Neji, she could tell that the main family in the audience held no real concern if she lost or not—she already failed to them, of course.

To think that there were even rumours of letting Hanabi, her younger sister, overtake her position as clan heiress in the future. Absolutely ridiculous. She didn't care about it all until then. That was when she became angry and decided that she needed to display some worth.

She tried refocusing her thoughts onto the match.

As she held off Neji's pursuit, Hinata couldn't find it in her heart to hurt him despite him hurting her. She couldn't strike him, despite him creating so many openings as his style grew sloppy from exhaustion. She knew that reciprocating his hate wouldn't bring them back to what they once were—she refused to be pushed into the main branch ideology of isolating the branch family. Neji wasn't her brother, but she respected him as one. He wasn't a stranger, like what her father thought of her.

Internally, the girl pleaded to Neji, hoping he would understand that she never wanted this between them. Her eyes drifted from his fighting form to his face, and her heart broke at the cruel expression she showed her. It was obvious that he wanted to hurt her, and it also looked as if he knew that Hinata hated this situation.

How sadistic, he was, to keep pushing despite this.

Hinata continued to step around while parrying all of Neji's advances. She let herself fall into a trance while circling them both around on the tatami mats.

Why was she forced by her father to fight like this, under the guise of 'practice'? All that did was divide and reaffirm the position of the main and branch families, further segregating them. How could there be power in a clan with such segregated groups and infighting?

Did her father know she was outcasted by the whole clan, even the main house, as the futilely weak clan heiress? Did he even care? Why was he so stoic? Why did he have to obey the elders of the clan so religiously? How could he abandon his own family for the supposed greater of the clan? Surely, he could see the corruption, so why wasn't he acknowledging it?

What about Hanabi? Could Hanabi feel the atmosphere in the clan? Could Hinata continue to protect her from the animosity and the strict expectations? What would happen to her if she was truly to become the clan heiress, like the rumours suggested? Perhaps she would grow up into a person that would come to hate Hinata, just like Neji has. That would be exceptionally painful.

…Would that mean Hinata would become alone?

No…because she had a special someone. She became friends with him a while ago, despite his clear hesitance in the offer. She continued to approach him from that day on. But…lately, he became distant—far more than usual.

She was beginning to lose him, too.

Naruto.

A slight misstep.

Neji seized the rare opportunity and struck her with a thrust to the stomach, causing her to fly across the dojo. There was a loud thud that echoed as Hinata's body crashed onto the floor. She was silent the whole time—she didn't even let out a squeak.

The onlooking audience felt their throats clench with tension, as they were expecting Neji to deal the finishing blow. Oddly, the match hasn't been called off by the clan head supervising the match, so the spar was apparently ongoing. Much to the branch family's disappointment, it seemed like Neji gave up on his pursuit and was content with breaking through Hinata's impossibly maintained guard. It also looked as if he was too tired to continue fighting.

Hinata, meanwhile, laid still on the tatami mats. She wanted it all to be over. This whole thing was pointless, really. She had nothing to prove to anyone anymore; she showed her worth.

The girl rolled her body over and met eyes with Neji once more. She didn't know why, but she could only give him a pained smile, even after all the treatment he had given her. It was all she could do to show her resignation. She hoped he would be content with his win over her will.

However, this seemed to have had the opposite effect on the boy.

"Don't you dare look at me like that," Neji snarled. His eyes widened, and his face suddenly contorted into a horrifically violent expression. He activated his Byakugan and leapt through the air with his right palm cocked back, ready to strike Hinata's fallen body.

It was abrupt, and nobody in the audience could do anything to stop the obvious attempt of murder that was occurring. It was clear to everyone that this match was no longer a spar.

To the girl on the ground, she couldn't be any less surprised at the situation. She stared at Neji's form coming to fall on her body, slowly coming to accept the fact that she would soon die at his hand. It was funny…despite all her suffering, she wasn't suicidal enough to be content with this ending. If she were to end it, she wanted to end it on her own terms—not like this.

Her wish was granted when she saw Neji collapse in the air, mid leap. It seemed like someone from the main house managed to activate the caged bird cursed seal.

Hinata couldn't decide if that was fortunate, or unfortunate.

Her eardrums rang as Neji howled in pain while clutching at his head. She could only stare, horrified, as Neji clawed at his face, trying to remove the bandages on his forehead. His hands were shaking intensely, and it seemed like he couldn't get a proper grip and continued to accidentally scratch his face repeatedly, drawing blood under his nails. When he finally got a grip, he tore off the bandages, revealing a shining cross with a horizontal line on each side on his forehead. The seal seemed to burn brighter and brighter, as Neji's cries only grew louder along with it. Upon realizing the futility in screaming, the poor boy flung his body around the tatami mats, banging his head against the floor repeatedly. His eyes were completely bloodshot as the veins from his Byakugan throbbed about madly.

This all happened within a matter of seconds, and Hinata could barely process what was happening. She was disgusted by the spectacle. Surely, this couldn't be her dear cousin. This couldn't be that same child that she used to look up to, way back when.

Before she realized, she was crying.

"Please, stop this," she pleaded in a whisper, still in denial of the situation.

However, Neji's howls didn't stop. In fact, they became raspy and it sounded as if the boy was gurgling on his own vomit. His hands then clasped around his neck, tightening. He was starting to choke himself.

"STOP! PLEASE," she cried.

The thrashing against the floor stopped and the dojo quietened. All that was left was the soft sound of Neji's whimpering.

At this point, many of the onlooking members of the branch house were about to revolt against the brutal display against one of their kind, but they were quickly hushed under the murderous glare of Hiashi, the clan head. They were angry, but they knew that they were all vulnerable of the same punishment as what was shown.

This was a demonstration.

This was the fate of the branch family.

Hinata stared at Neji's crippled form while tears continued to stream down her face. This was what their relationship has become. This was reality. She realised now that what they once had was irredeemable.

She looked at the man who conducted the public torture session: her father. He still held his hands in the wretched seal. He noticed her gaze and shifted his stern eyes onto her own, as if daring her to oppose his authority just as the branch house would. Intimidated, she broke eye contact yet again.

This was too much. Right now, she just wanted to be alone.

"Hinata. If you do change from your current, pathetic self, this will be your fate," her father said, while gesturing his eyes to Neji's whimpering form. His final words echoed throughout the room, or that's what it seemed like to Hinata.

At this point, the girl broke.

She got up from the floor and ran to the sliding doors, pushing them aside. A loud squeak stopped her escape. In front of her was a small figure laid on its back, and immediately, Hinata recognized the small person. Hinata prayed that this person, of all people, wouldn't be here to witness this atrocity.

"Hanabi…" she barely whispered.

Her adorable, younger sister. Someone she cherished with all her heart and would do anything to protect.

The younger girl looked at Hinata with a complex expression. Her once sweet eyes were red from crying; they showed recognition of her older sister, but there was a distance that wasn't there before—an invisible guard, almost. Her mouth was hung open with her lips trembling; it looked as if she wanted to cry out, but it was obvious that she was trying to hold her voice in as much as possible. This was an expression Hanabi never showed to Hinata before.

She was hurt, and Hinata hated it.

How long was she here, to watch this cruel 'sparring' match? Was she here to watch Hinata break down under her father's gaze? Did she see Neji suffer in agony? Did she hear…what their father said?

Slowly, she backed away from her younger sister. It looked as if Hanabi wanted to say something, but Hinata didn't want to hear anything. She failed to protect her sister from the monster that was the Hyūga clan. She didn't even deserve to look at her anymore.

So, she ran outside.

She ran and ran.

She ran until she couldn't feel anything anymore.

She ran until she was tired and felt nothing but her own exhaustion.

Before she knew it, she was standing alone on an empty street. She looked up and noticed the sky was completely covered with sullen dark clouds, so she couldn't tell what time of day it was.

Her breathing was shaky. Her heartbeat was erratic and wasn't calming in the slightest. She was shivering from the cold, due to her clothes being wet with her sweat. The small cut on her face healed, but still stung. The blood dried up and was washed away by her tears. She felt disgusting.

Above all this though, she felt alone.

"Mother…"

If only her mother was here. She was a quiet sanctuary within this vulgar environment; her beacon that helped her stay grounded. She was the first to show her what love was, from what small time she had with her. Hinata couldn't further regret not indulging in it any more than she had back then. Those days were lost, and she could now only reflect and reminisce. That was her true tragedy: learning what love was, then losing it just as fast as the experience seemed to have lasted.

Perhaps if she never knew what love was, the heavy rain that came would have been bearable.

Unconsciously, her feet paced in a seemingly random direction. The wet sound of her bare feet meeting the puddles were lost while her mind stalled.

Wherever she drifted to, surely, it would be better than her hell.

⁂

The patter of light rain echoed in the room.

Her eyelids flew apart and she sat up straight. She tried to look around to assess her situation but couldn't due to her hazy vision.

From what little sense she had, she realized she was in an unfamiliar setting. The girl blinked a few times to clear the blurry images and was surprised at the throbbing sensation in her temples. Her eyes stung, for some reason.

After blinking a couple more times, she discovered several calligraphy pieces stuck on the wall with kunai and stacks of similar work stacked and scattered across the hardwood floor. The smell of ink was almost suffocating, and she had to breathe through her mouth for a moment to get used to the odour.

What caught her eye in the room was a boy sitting in the center, with his back faced towards her. His shockingly bright blonde hair was duller than what it used to be. There were even tufts of what seemed to be red hair, but the girl dismissed it as a trick from the orange light that came from the window—probably the light of the setting sun. It seemed like he was writing something with an ink brush. She recognized him to be Naruto, of course…but then, she remembered…

…What has she done?

She wanted to run away. Why has she brought her problems to the one person she used to seek escape with? Was she really that weak? She showed him a side of her she desperately tried to hide from the world, under the persona of her usual shy, quiet self. Has she truly broken to the point where her façade broke down completely?

Has she finally lost herself?

As irrational as it was, she moved, trying to get off the couch as discretely as possible. She needed to escape. Again.

Unfortunately, the boy's sensitive ears detected her slight movement and his entire posture stiffened. Hinata felt her breathe hitch while staring at his back. What would he say? How would he react? Will he come to hate her?

The girl and boy waited, expecting each other to do something.

To both of their surprise, the boy spoke first.

"I'm sorry."

It made no sense. He shouldn't have had to do anything to do with her. He was the one that put the wall between them, despite her persistence in trying to get him to open up. He had no reason to care. Yet, he apologized.

"Why?" she could only question.

The boy shifted his position around to face the girl this time. They studied each other's expressions carefully, and the girl could tell that the boy hasn't slept in a very long time. His eyes were completely devoid of any life, and his drooping eyes threatened to cause the boy to drop where he sat at any point in time. His face looked dangerously pale, as if the boy hasn't been eating enough food for a long time.

The boy took his time to choose his words before breaking the stagnant silence.

"I…don't know."

They stared at each other again with difficult expressions.

The silence continued.

Hinata didn't know why, but she started crying again. This emotion was repetitive. She felt uncomfortable just by being herself. The confusion and uncertainty of what was happening was sickening. She began sniffling, and her tiny hiccups were accompanied by the slow dripping of water in the background.

Her doll-like demeanor crumbled so easily. Now, she seemed so…human.

While watching her small breakdown, Naruto stood up and shifted closer to her. As he watched her cry, he couldn't help but feel entranced by her displaying her emotions. She was an enigma that he wished to explore. How could she be so similar to him…yet so different? He knew these emotions all too well, but how could to the girl express them so…openly when he struggled to show any?

Hinata noticed his approach and tried to hide her face in her arms. It seemed like she still had some shame left in her, at least.

The boy, however, wanted to see more. He reached out to her arms, trying to pull them aside to take a look closer at her face, but something—or rather, someone—interrupted him.

"Leave her be."

And then he collapsed. Both the exhaustion and stress seemed to have caught up to him from his marathon of sleepless nights. Unfortunately, he accidently seemed to have slumped on top of Hinata, pushing her down against the couch.

The girl paused her sniffling and was surprised at the light presence that was on top of her. She quickly realized that the boy was laying against her, sleeping. His serene, snoozing face filled her vision, and she felt something inside her loosen from that moment.

To her, nothing else in the world mattered, and she chose to hug him, bringing the boy closer to herself. She didn't know why, but it felt like the only thing to do. They both suffered hardships that neither could truly understand, but surely each could relate to. To her, she felt that they could use each other, in a way.

While letting the now calm atmosphere take over her nerves, she let her eyes droop and let his warmth fill her cold body. Whatever comfort she could find, she needed. She finally let herself doze off while tightening her grip around the boy's body.

Perhaps this could be her new sanctuary.

Through the small opening of the heavy curtains, the mellow glow of the sunset dimmed away.

⁂

A/N: I'm so sorry for the late release. I had the entire scenario for this chapter planned before releasing the previous chapter, but unfortunately, I just kept losing motivation to actually write it. Coming home from work everyday, tired, isn't really the right mood to write for me.

I played around with the weather this chapter to create some pathetic fallacy and sense of chronology. Hopefully it wasn't annoying to read/figure out.

Thank you for reading, and please review.