Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Hinata nods to a passing nurse as she heads down the hospital hallway, silently counting each room number as she passed. Tucked into the crevice of her left arm was a bouquet of flowers comprised of lavender Lisianthus, white yarrows, and a single pink peony in the center, all grown and hand-picked by Ino herself. She had woken up bright and early and gone straight to the shop to pick up the bouquet she'd asked Ino to put together for her, stalled for a few minutes to make conversation with her friend before wishing her a good day and heading straight for the hospital. She didn't stop anywhere in-between and hightailed it straight to the second floor, greeting miscellaneous friends and elders along the way. No one in the hospital moved to get in her way—they were well aware of why she was currently visiting on her off hours.

When she finally reached the desired room, she lifted her free hand to gently rap her knuckles against the door so as to signal her entrance, pausing just a moment before opening the door and striding over the threshold. She grasped the long stem of a single Lisianthus flower and moved quietly to the side of the first patient's bed, smiling when the young lady blinked bleary eyes open and immediately smiled at the familiar sight of Hinata. She tucked the flower into the glass vase atop Aya-chan's bedside, removing the two wilted flowers from amongst the several healthy ones Hinata had previously brought her, and quietly asked how her condition was today.

"Better," she answered brightly, though there were still dark bags under her eyes. Hinata's eyes softened as she nodded her head, offering a few quiet words of comfort before telling Aya-chan to rest well. She backtracked and came around the curtain separating the two beds in the room and paused to examine the second patient, whose eyes were closed and lips were softened in slumber. At least, that was what it looked like, but she knew better. And what's more, he knew that she knew better. While she was still standing at the edge of his bed, smiling fondly down at him, he opened his eyes and the corner of his lips tilted upwards.

"Hinata-sama." His voice was a little hoarse from disuse and it made Hinata frown. She moved forward, tilting the bouquet up to show him Ino's latest masterpiece before setting it down on his bedside table. She walked over to the bedside chair and perched on the edge, her hands clasped together in her lap. Neji shifted carefully so that he was sitting upright, lifting a hand to hold his bandaged side.

"How are you today, Neji-nii-san?"

"Well enough to be put back on active duty." Hinata understood the unspoken message, that Neji was hinting at the Hokage's refusal to let him leave the hospital just yet. She smiled over at him, shaking her head.

"She knows best." She replied. "Besides, we all want you to be at your best before you try to take on any missions. Otherwise, you could suffer injuries that are a lot worse than a few broken ribs and a mild concussion."

"I have healed." Even though Neji was one of the most realistic and mature people she knew, he was also amongst the most stubborn. She frowned at him but kept her response to herself. For the past few days they'd been arguing about this, he from an antsy, need-to-be-active stance and she from her concerned, medic stance. They hadn't really made any progress and so she preferred to let the subject drop altogether so she could simply spend time with him so that he was not cooped up alone in the hospital, radiating with the need to flee. What was it about shinobi and hospitals that made them so uncomfortable that they'd rather leap out of a second or third story window with broken ribs than stay in bed for a few days to get some much needed rest? Even as she thought it, Hinata distinctly remembered the instances when she had been hospitalized and how she had practically vibrated with the need to get out and do something. Not that she was going to share this revelation with her nii-san, who was currently glaring at her with arms crossed over his chest. She was just about to change the topic when Neji beat her to it; and his choice of topic change amused her to no end.

"You have gone grocery shopping recently, correct?"

"Hai."

"What did you purchase?" Hinata's shoulders sunk down in relaxation as she went over her most recent shopping list, knowing that this was a topic both of them could feel comfortable in. Food was common ground that Neji and Hinata shared, as was known to the entire Hyuga compound since they almost never went shopping without the other at their side. It was almost their go-to bonding experience, so talking about it was both easy and enjoyable. She explained the route she took, the venders she visited, those she stopped to chat with and those who asked her to pass on well wishes for his condition. He listened diligently, his expression unchanging even as his beautiful white eyes shifted over her face, absorbing every changing emotion as she recounted her trip to the market district.

It had been three weeks since she and Naruto had returned from Amegakure. They'd returned swiftly after she had managed to discover valuable information via Jun and Kei, the Ame residents she had met and healed and grown fond of. Weary and a little worn from so much travel, they'd reported to Tsunada-sama immediately upon arriving back within Konoha, and had planned to part ways and head to their respective homes to finally get some good sleep. However, before they'd even finished bowing to her, Tsunada-sama was asking Hinata to stay behind. Hinata remembered the bubbling feeling of curiosity roiling in her stomach as she watched Naruto's own curious expression as he shut the door behind him on his way out. But when she turned back to Tsunade and studied the expression on the village leader's face, her fatigue had immediately whipped into awareness and her spine had gone ramrod straight.

"I wanted to inform you as soon as possible. Hyuga Neji is currently being treated in the hospital." Tsunade's voice had held no inflection as to whether or not Neji's condition was dire or not, but she was quick to quell Hinata's rising fear.

"He ran into some trouble on his last mission. He has a few broken ribs and a mild concussion, but he's going to be fine. The only reason I'm telling you now, without his permission, is because I need someone to convince him to stay in that bed of his for at least a month. His ribs were bad enough that I'd suggest six weeks, but we all know that isn't going to happen. As you well know, visiting hours are officially over right now, but I'll make an exception for one of my staff. Get that idiot to stay still for at least a month, Hinata. Dismissed."

Since then, she had been visiting him almost every day and bringing him a new bouquet from Ino's shop every week. She'd managed to keep him locked down for three weeks, but from the fire in his eyes that she'd been noticing for the past few days, she knew without a doubt that he was not going to make it for a month. As she finished off her story, counting how many scrolls she found that she wanted to purchase on their next trip on her fingers, she watched as his head dipped down in a single nod. His eyes lit back up and she knew that he was going to bring his condition up again, her spine straightening in preparation to argue with him. However, before either of them could get a word out, a gentle knock came at the door and in just a moment Tenten was walking into the room, carelessly tucking one side of her short bangs behind her ear.

"Oh, hi Hinata-chan." She greeted, her smile small and kind. She walked over to the far side of the room and removed the giant scroll from its perch on her tailbone so that she could set it against the wall. Stretching her shoulders back and allowing the pops of her spine to fill the silence of the room, she came over to the end of Neji's bed and leaned her hip against it, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's with that face?" she asked, raising a brow at Neji's scowl. Hinata sighed, waiting for Neji to reiterate his claim to being completely healed. Yet before he could plead his case, Tenten was laughing.

"Are you pouting? Seriously?" Her steely brown eyes flashed, her lips tilting up into a smirk.

"I'm not pouting." Neji responded, frowning at her. "If you're here alone, where is the menace?"

"Lee is running laps around Konoha. He got wind of Gai-sensei challenging Kakashi to a drinking battle and bet on Gai-sensei."

Neji smirked. "Fool."

"I hate to say it," Tenten agreed, nodding. "But that was just blatantly stupid. Kakashi spends just about every day he's not on a mission in a bar." Hinata, wanting to give the two of them space, rose from the chair with a stretch of her own before turning to Neji with a gentle but stern expression.

"I'm going to head back. I have a sparring session with Sakura-san in a few hours. I will come visit you again tomorrow." The last sentiment was a stretch, a subtle means to get a promise out of him. Meaning that if she came back to the hospital and he was not there, he was going to be in trouble. And if there was one thing that Neji absolutely hated, very openly so, it was being on Hinata's bad side. This had happened only a few times before and very recently so, as Hinata had grown more confident in herself. Neji remembered the novel taste of her anger, her irritation. It had displeased him.

He stared at her for a good, long moment, and then tilted his head just once. She could see the bitterness in his eyes, but she also knew without a doubt that he would keep to her words. She smiled at him for the last time and gave a quiet goodbye to Tenten, who in turn demanded a sparring session of her own in the near future. Hinata dipped her head in acquiescence and moved from the room, heading back towards the Hyuga compound to prepare for her spar.

Tenten moved to take the vacated seat, still smiling from saying goodbye to the Hyuga heiress. Being a member of Neji's team and consequently spending so much time with him meant that Tenten was also pretty familiar with Hinata, too. The cousins were a package deal of sorts; you get one you get the other. Tenten enjoyed Hinata's company, found her gentleness and her quiet air relaxing. Ironically, even though Neji had a similarly quiet air as well, his was somehow irritating. Tenten liked to try to rile him up, ruffle his feathers, get him to be expressive. It was a tough course with very few rewards; yet it was not entirely without its benefits. Smirking, she brought her gaze back to her stone-faced teammate and turned her body within the confines of the chair so that she could hook her legs over the armrest, letting them dangle freely.

Neji eyed her position with a blank expression, but she knew that to look at his lips for indication of his thoughts or feelings was useless, that in fact it was his eyes that did all of his speaking for him. As the pompous ass that he was, Tenten knew that Neji would never in his life sit so haphazardly thrown over a chair. She also knew that the fact that she was so comfortable in doing so messed with him in some unidentifiable way, and so she made herself comfortable and slung an arm around the neck of the chair as well. When he just continued to stare at her and she felt her nerves beginning to unravel, she decided it was time to turn the tables.

"Would you like me to call someone to fluff your pillows?" she asked, trying not to smirk. His stare did not break, fueling her irritation. He was so good at this game. But she was good too, had been his teammate for so long she knew just about everything there was to know about him. It took time, dedication, and courage. Tenten had long since gotten over her indignant reaction to acknowledging that playing mind games with Neji did in fact require courage, mostly because without it there was no game. With it, however, came the danger of his temper, buried deep and so well guarded. But, if she was being honest with herself, it wasn't his temper she was afraid of.

It was his passion. For someone so outwardly impassive, Neji had certain triggers that, if breached, could draw out a stubbornness and vivacity for the game that Tenten had not been prepared for as a young girl. There had been times where she had unknowingly stepped out of bounds and learned the hard way how stubborn Neji was when it came to winning, even in matters as minor as mind games. He had a quick wit and a fast track mind made for games like this one, and damned if that didn't piss Tenten right off.

However, she had been playing this game for a long, long time. She was more precise and contemplative than Lee, but there was no competing with his inescapable straightforward nature. Even Neji sometimes found himself cornered by Lee's straightforward goads, though these times were extremely rare. He mostly brushed Lee off, ignored him completely, or stared at him until Tenten broke in. That was frustrating, too. Sometimes he didn't even need to use words; Neji could unravel you with just his eyes.

Team Gai was close-knit and worked seamlessly together, but there was a constant tension to their bond that encouraged each of them to continue to advance, both mentally and physically. For Neji, it was meditation. If he wasn't so busy with missions, Tenten was certain he could sit and meditate for hours and come out of it without an ounce of lethargy. For Tenten, it was weapons training—a practice that simultaneously strengthened her body and her mind. And for Lee, it was running. Lee ran in the early mornings before even the birds were awake, ran in the middle of the day when the sun tried to strike him down, and he ran to chase the moon, too.

They all had their own strengths. Weaknesses, too. Tenten had a surprisingly quick temper and Neji had a way of exploiting it. Lee was so innocent it was almost too easy to put a dent in his style, but that wasn't really a weakness, especially since he could bounce back to full positivity quicker than anyone she knew. And Neji. Well. Neji's weaknesses were a little more difficult to weed out than the other two members of Team Gai's were. There was the obvious respect and loving admiration he felt for Hinata, but that was so off limits. Messing with Neji's relationship with Hinata was a surefire way to incite a truly incredible reaction, sure, but Tenten wasn't certain she'd be walking away from it. Just thinking about it made Tenten shiver.

Neji was a poor loser, though, and most especially when it came to those he didn't deem to be on his level. Like Lee. This was a cord that Tenten approached hesitantly but insistently, considering that many of Neji and Lee's sparring sessions had concluded as draws, clearly showing the latter of the two's hard-earned strength. It was important for Neji to be continually reminded of how equal they all were, and if that meant irritating him by making him feel inferior to Lee, then she was all for it. Of course she'd discussed tactics with Lee before, and though he didn't believe that there was anything wrong with how Neji approached him as a fellow ninja, he did agree that riling Neji up sounded like a tricky, youthful adventure he couldn't deny.

Yet it was difficult to find many more obvious weaknesses in Neji, considering he had a top-notch poker face and rigidcontrol of his emotions, for the most part. But that was what made the game so much fun, Tenten thought snidely, that added for the most part. Because there had been times when Tenten and Lee had come so close to cracking Neji open and finally managing a significant victory against him that they could see the tint of color just barely beginning to show on his cheeks.

It was a dangerous game, but Tenten was a fast learner. She knew the value of courage and how it applied to this game, and she knew that to approach Neji with anything less than a fierce, intense desire to win, she'd get played like a tune. She was a strong, self-sufficient woman. She knew the difference, and the value, of wariness versus cautiousness. Neji's level of mind games required the utmost caution—one false move and he'd have you stuttering and backtracking yourself right into checkmate. He was that good.

So Tenten had learned patience and timing. She practiced it gradually, not letting Neji onto her new strategy, waiting things out and laying mental traps with as much precision as she laid physical traps for enemies. She knew that eventually he'd catch on, though she'd had to explain it all to Lee since he never even realized it would be prudent to deviate from constant unchanging straightforward attacks. But with her guidance, Lee had begun to blossom as well, learning the art of subtlety to an extent that made him fairly dangerous, though nowhere near Neji's level.

Caution. Patience. Predetermined moves and, later, creativity. Once Neji had caught on to her new tactics, he'd started switching the game up halfway through. Frustrating, but doable. All she needed was a little creativity, a little open-mindedness. That way, even when he tried to spin Lee and her in circles, she could always bring them back to center; bring their focus back to Neji. She couldn't get lost in the traces he planted, she just had to tread carefully on forward and watch her steps.

Neji was watching her with knowing eyes and she could practically see the cogs turning, could see the weaving of traps of his own working behind those dangerous eyes of his. Still, she couldn't give away the game, so she smiled.

"So about how much longer do you have to stay in here?" she asked, her tone curious. There was no overt play on inflection; she kept everything as close to candid as she could. It seemed to be working. Neji let the silence settle between them before he chose to speak, his tone quiet and his eyes watchful.

"Hokage-sama recommends two more weeks, at least." Tenten clicked her tongue at him, tilting her head thoughtfully.

"That's a long time." Neji simply stared at her, and they fell again into silence. She knew that he was waiting for her to continue, but instead she just pursed her lips and nodded her head, surveying the room as if she'd never been to a hospital before. Finally, Neji took the bait.

"Yes." He responded, deadpan. It was clear he knew that she was working up to something, but the fact that he answered her instead of letting the silence continue on to make her uncomfortable was telling. Either he did not deem her a threat, or he was confident that whatever she was planning, he could outdo. Resisting the urge to grind her teeth at his arrogance, she met his gaze again, undaunted. Then she delivered the first of her major traps, never taking her eyes from his. To break their eye contact was to show weakness, was to show him that she had ulterior motives for which she didn't feel comfortable looking him in the eye while telling him. So she played her role perfectly, keeping her expression neutrally concerned while not looking away.

"And what does Hinata-san recommend?

She watched his eyes trace her features, letting the silence of the room settle around them. He hadn't reacted outwardly, which was fine, a little disappointing but Tenten hadn't been expecting too much from that one.

"They are of the same mind."

"Hmm," she hummed, finally breaking eye contact so that she could nod her head and look up at the ceiling from her reclined position over the chair's armrest. She started mentally counting down her top 50 favorite weapons, kicking one leg back and forth as it dangled over the chair. Time and silence pressed on and she continued counting down. Patience, she reminded herself, patience is key. She was going over number 41, explosive tags attached to wires, when Neji once again broke the silence.

"You sure have a lot of free time to just sit here doing nothing." Inwardly beaming, Tenten rolled her head to the side and rested it against her shoulder, humming in agreement. The fact that he was fishing made her insides squirm, made victory feel attainable. But she had to stay calm. Just one misstep and she could lose it all.

"I was just wondering what you're gonna do about that. I mean, considering…" And at this, she shrugs, stretching her back one last time as she bounced up from the chair. She walked over to her scroll and heaved it back up and onto her tailbone where she kept it secured.

"Well, I guess you're right Neji. I shouldn't waste my time doing nothing around here. I guess I'll see you, well, when I see you." She smiled at him and turned towards the door, her steps evenly paced as she made her way towards exiting the room. She got so close to the door she actually began to panic a little, thinking that all of her careful moves were going to turn out to be useless if Neji didn't care enough to follow them. Just as her hand reached for the doorknob, however, his voice came to her, soft and low.

"Tenten." She paused, a smirk stealing over her face. She turned over her shoulder, hidden from his view by the curtain hanging between his bed and the other patient's. However, Tenten's smirk fell and she regained her curious expression, hoping that he hadn't activated his Byakugan and seen her smirk. Still, even if he had, it'd serve him right for making her wait so long she almost made it out of there without picking up her prize. She turned and headed back towards him, stopping at the corner of his bed with one hand perched on her cocked hip.

"Yes?"

"Considering?" The urge to frown was tempting, but she managed to keep her expression clear. He was so stubborn, only using one-word responses instead of asking her straight out what she meant. A power play with words interweaved through the mind game she had initiated. He did love his games, she thought, narrowing her eyes. Still, this was already proving to be a lot more difficult for him than it was for her, so she was okay with it. She wouldn't get ahead of herself, though, because that was a surefire way to get her caught up in her own ingenuity and get lost in his.

"Well, we have a mission in two days, of course." Strike one, Neji. Impassive expression still in place, she watched the infinitesimal crease appear between his brows, a clear signal of his impending frustration. She wished Lee was here to celebrate this tiny victory with her, but she had to keep herself in the present. She was so close to getting a genuine reaction. As an efficient, skillful ANBU captain, Neji was often sent out on solo missions. And even though he was fiercely independent and solemn, he truly enjoyed participating in missions with his team, so the mention of Team Gai finally having a mission was big news, most especially to someone as busy as Neji. And yet, the fact that the mission was to take place within a timeframe where Neji could not partake in the mission without breaking out of the hospital, he was backed right into a corner. He could either break out and disappoint Tsunade and Hinata, though the latter was clearly the opinion he valued more, or he could stay in the hospital, thereby respecting his Hokage and Hinata's wishes, and miss out on the first Team Gai mission in months.

Cornered.

Tenten watched his eyes filter this information, drinking in his measured silence. But all too soon, his eyes cleared and the corner of his lips tilted up, just a hair, barely noticeable.

Tenten felt a tremor run down her spine. She had screwed up. Somewhere, somehow, she had given away too much of her game and they both knew it.

"I will take care of it." He replied, tilting his head. "In the meantime, it seems, you have the opportunity to train. You've been boasting of a new technique, correct? I can't wait to see it."

Tenten's heart gave a jolt, her brows cinching together. The way he was talking, it sounded like he was planning on making it to the mission. But that would mean risking Hinata's disapproval.

"Hinata won't be pleased." She reminded him, ticking her finger at him. He smiled.

"She will." Shit, she thought, irritated that she was being forced to backtrack. She was not good at holding a blank face so when she was forced to backtrack it was fairly obvious. Where had she gone wrong? How was he going to fulfill both conditions? He wasn't showing any sign of worry, not that it would be obvious even if he truly was worried, but still. What had she said that was too much? Something must've been extra—unnecessary. An addition she should have withheld. The only thing she could possibly think of, the only thing she'd said that might apply, was the time limit between now and the mission. Was he planning to make such measured moves in just two days? If so, what was he planning? Tenten could feel her temperature rising.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew, Neji. Hinata won't let you off easy, and neither will Hokage-sama. Especially not Hokage-sama." Neji, in all his ridiculous arrogance, simply shrugged. He tilted his head at her, still smirking, as if he had already won. If the fault had been her mention of the time limit, and that was why he was so confident, then he was clearly underestimating her. Just as he had two days to make moves, so did she. Turning her nose up at him and just barely resisting the urge to sniff, she waved one hand in the air.

"Well, whatever. Like I said, I'll see you when I see you." And then she walked out of that room with as much composure as an heiress, even going so far as to gently and quietly close the door behind her. The walk through the hallway, however, was a very different story.

"I'm confused." Sakura groaned, frowning over her shoulder at Hinata. Ino was frowning too, rubbing her jaw, but there was a spark of understanding in her eyes.

"So basically he used her and her brand new technique she hasn't even perfected in order to convince you and Hokage-sama that he is suitable to leave the hospital more than two weeks before he was expected to get out, because Tenten and her new super strong technique are apparently enough to offer him extra protection. This is what you're telling us."

Hinata, slightly shocked at the full explanation and what it really implied, simply nodded her head. Sakura whistled, shaking her head as she continued to kick her feet in the air. She flips a page in her magazine while Ino just shakes her head.

"Stone cold, man." The timer in the kitchen goes off and Ino leaps to her feet and goes to fetch the cookies she was baking. She picked up the conversation from around the corner, her voice muffled by the walls and the sounds she was making as she prepared the cookies for the cooling stage.

"There has to be some ulterior motive for Tsunade-shishou to let him off so easy. Maybe wherever Team Gai is headed, she needs Neji to do something a little extra? That's the only reason I can come up with for her to be so lenient with him." Sakura's tone was contemplative. Ino was still banging around in the kitchen while Hinata continued to wipe down one of her kunai.

"The way he explained it to me, Tenten's new technique is incredible. Apparently he'd caught sight of it with his Byakugan once, when it was in its earliest stages, and he was impressed. It's…not easy to impress him." Hinata offered, smiling. Hinata was probably the only one who truly understood what Neji was thinking, usually. Sometimes he was good enough to remain a mystery even to her, but that was uncommon. He held her in high esteem and didn't like to hide things from her, but she knew that he also felt abjectly uncomfortable discussing the feelings he worked so hard to hide. And yet, the moments when Hinata saw Neji burn with genuine emotion was when he was confronted with his weapons-master female teammate. Hinata's smile widened.

"You can say that again. Just the other day I was talking to Lee and he mentioned briefly that he'd been doing 100 laps around Konoha because he lost a bet. And yet I don't think I've ever seen or heard Neji praise him in any way. How can anyone not be impressed with that guy? Konoha is a big place. 100 laps around the track is insane—shit!" There came a crashing sound from a pan dropping against the counter and an accompanied hiss before Sakura called out to Ino, reminding her that the pan was still going to be hot.

"Yeah, thanks." Ino's voice returned, cursing as she turned the sink on. Hinata hoped the burnt digit didn't hurt too badly, though she wasn't really worried. Ino knew basic medical jutsu; the burn would be healed and painless in due time.

"Back to the topic at hand," Sakura emphasized, "how did Neji get out of this without upsetting you, Hinata? He's still injured. Broken ribs take forever to stop being painful."

"I did tell him to stay for at least a month, but when he got out he came to me directly and explained that he only felt minimal pain. He also explained Tenten's new technique to me, and to be honest it comforted me. She will be able to protect him, so he won't have to work too hard." Sakura was staring over her shoulder at the heiress, one delicate pink eyebrow raised. Hinata held her hands up, one of which had her kunai tucked within her palm.

"Besides," she intoned, "Team Gai hasn't had a mission together in months. Imagine if you were in their position, always on solo missions, unable to work with your teammates. And then suddenly there's an opportunity, but the timing is poor. I think…I know that I would do everything in my power to go on that mission."

Sakura was quiet for a moment, obviously putting herself in Neji's position. Finally, she blew a puff of air up at her bangs, turning back to her magazine.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Though I usually don't get overtly excited about working with the idiots on my team. One's always reading porn, one's always eating, and the other is constantly insulting me. I need vacations from my squad. Neji's got it twisted." Though her back was to Hinata, it was clear that there was no true malice in the pink-haired woman's words. Sakura adored her team, would do anything for them, and fit in with them perfectly. All of them had their quirks, but Hinata wasn't about to remind Sakura that she was kind of an obsessive herb-finder, constantly wanting to make antidotes out of any kind of plant she stumbled across.

Ino's voice came once again from the kitchen. "I honestly don't know how you're related to him, Hina-chan. He's a fox, but he's emotionally constipated and has that wicked edge to his thoughts. It's scary. It's like if Shikamaru was actually motivated about things, but less intelligent and more vicious."

"I don't think that really applies," Sakura chimed in, popping her gum. "It's impossible to even comprehend because Shikamaru is never motivated."

"That's not true," Ino replied as she came around the corner, flicking her pony tail over her shoulder and falling back onto her knees so that she could continue sharpening her kunai.

"Shika gets motivated, you just have to…help him along."

"Him too? I thought you were wining and dining Genma at the moment." Sakura questioned, glancing over her shoulder at the blonde. Hinata looked up in curiosity, trying to follow their conversation as best as she could. They were far more experienced in terms of relationships, both sexual and emotional. Sometimes they alluded to things she didn't really understand until later, when she'd had enough time to make the connections. That was probably for the best, though, since the realization usually caused her to flush bright red and ended up making her chest feel tight.

"Genma is wining and dining me, but I don't know. Shika is fun sometimes." At Hinata's curiously raised brow and Sakura's snort, Ino huffs. "He is. And besides, the more the merrier."

"I really admire you, Ino-san." Hinata speaks up, surprising both of the other ladies. Ino automatically responds with an incredulous huh? While Sakura's eyes light up like fireworks and she closes her magazine, shuffling closer to their makeshift kunai sharpening station.

"Hinata, explain."

"W-well, it's just that Ino, you're so confident and open-minded. A lot of people would never even imagine doing some of the things that you do. And that's not a bad thing! I think it's an admirable quality, to have that level of confidence in your self." At her tender words, heartfelt and meaningful as Hinata always was, Ino's expression softened.

"It's a long road, Hina-chan, but you've come so far too! Keep looking to the future and keep an open mind and the world will be at your fingertips. Everyone has insecurities, some of us just choose to focus on our strengths instead." Smirking, she leaned across to nudge Hinata in the side with her elbow, "My strengths just so happen to include maintaining multiple relationships at once." Sakura rolled her eyes, refocusing on Hinata with a gleam in her eye that made Hinata nervous.

"Hinata-chan," she said in a voice that sounded very much like Ino's when she knew you had a secret. "You sounded pretty interested in Ino-pig's lifestyle here. Do you think you'd ever entertain the idea of having more than one relationship at once?"

"Forehead," Ino hissed, a threat laced with a smile. "I am holding a weapon." The threat was idle at best as two sets of eyes, one glacier blue and the other verdant, held her captive.

"N-no! I couldn't. I couldn't." Her voice was lined with steel. It surprised both of her friends, their eyes widening before they turned to look at each other, brows raised high near their hairlines. When they turned back to her, she felt compelled to explain herself, honest and true, using her words confidently. It was amazing to her that she felt comfortable enough to do this, but it was because she loved them. Ino and Sakura. They were her closest female friends and they always looked after each other. And besides, Ino had been trying to get a solid confession out of her for years. It was well past time for her to spill.

"For me, there is only Naruto-kun. I know that sounds really cliché and naïve, and that I'm putting all of my stock in one basket that I'm not even sure will ever be mine, but I know my feelings. I know my heart." She was wringing her hands, trying to distract her friends from the fact that they were trembling. "Even though I confessed to him and was o-overlooked," she began, hating that even now her voice still shook. Ino and Sakura moved at the same time, obviously on the same wavelength, each reaching out to grasp Hinata's shaking hands. She looked down at them, at the subtle differences in size and shape and skin tone. They grasped her hands and squeezed them gently; reassuring and secure.

"I still love him, even if he won't acknowledge my confession. Even if—if by not acknowledging my confession he is carefully rejecting me, I still love him. I think the old me, the one who could not even speak to him, would've said at this moment that this kind of love is pathetic. But as the person that I am now, I don't think it's pathetic at all. I recognize it, the faults and the benefits, and that makes it real. And because it is real, it is also beautiful."

There were no tears in her eyes. Her hands had stopped shaking and were warm under the cover of her friends' comforting palms. Her chest felt open, exposed, free. Like all the little butterflies and birds constantly fluttering within the cage of her ribs had all been set free, tagged and marked to come back another time. She felt light, like a weight had been lifted off of her. This is what it felt like to share one's feelings with those you care about. This is love, too, she thought with a sense of wonder. When she looked back up, she was surprised to see tears in both Ino's and Sakura's eyes. Both of their expressions were screwed up with mixed emotions and for a moment Hinata was worried she'd said something wrong, but then they pulled her forward and pressed against her on each side, surrounding her entirely with their warmth and their love. And also their tears, which pressed into her jacket and leaked through to her skin.

"What the hell, Hinata, that was fucking beautiful!" Ino blubbered, pulling back and fussing with her makeup, complaining about how long it had taken her to do it that morning. Sakura didn't seem to care about hers, considering there were definitely mascara marks on her side of Hinata's jacket.

"You've grown so much," Sakura whispered, pulling back and tucking some of Hinata's hair behind her ear.

"W-why are you crying? I could barely even get the words out!" She couldn't help but smile, though, because that light feeling was still with her. Her friends were crying for her. Ino had gotten up and wandered over into her room and was rustling about in there, probably re-applying her make-up. When she returned she was fanning her eyes, scowling down at Hinata.

"You," she hissed, "are something else. I am so frickin' proud right now, it's disgusting. You're disgusting. You're especially disgusting, forehead. I'm disgusting."

"Ino, shut up."

"Ugh. Okay. But we do need to address this whole thing where Naruto thinks he can get off blatantly ignoring the fact that you confessed to him. You are at the very least a good friend of his, you're a self-respecting woman and you deserve an answer."

"A proper answer," Sakura agreed, nodding her head in a decidedly resolute manner.

"How…how do I go about getting a proper answer?" Hinata's heartbeat started to speed back up, her chest closing in again with anxiety, though this time it was so much less constraining than it had been before. She was trying to think of what she'd have to do to garner the courage to broach this tender subject, face to face, with Naruto, once again. But before she could throw out any suggestions to get feedback from her friends, they were already shushing her.

"No, no, no," Ino was holding a hand in front of her, her weight centered evenly over her feet. Sakura was standing with arms crossed and a determined and very intimidating glint in her eyes.

"You have done all that you need to, Hinata. It's time for duel best friend power." That was definitely not Ino's normal everyday smile, Hinata realized. That was her I'm ready to sift through your brain smile. Looking over at Sakura wasn't any more reassuring considering she was cracking her knuckles and staring off to the side as if she was prepping for battle.

"Leave it to us, Hina-chan! Forehead and I know exactly what we need to do."

"U-uh, okay. I trust you guys, but I'm a little concerned about your intensity. I can do this, you know."

"Hinata." Sakura spoke up, coming back to the present moment and away from her dangerous fantasy. "Please let us do this for you. We'll be subtle. Plus, Naruto's an idiot. He probably doesn't even realize what he did was wrong, which makes me so angry, but we're gonna let him know. We want to do this for you. Please let us?" Sakura and Ino bother turned towards her, with Sakura's hand reaching out first and then Ino's, waiting for Hinata's response. She took a few moments, thought it through, and ultimately came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with accepting their help. She had already tackled her biggest fear, the actual confession, and that had been entirely, one hundred percent on her own. There was nothing wrong with leaning on others, nothing wrong with asking for help, even in a situation as serious as this one.

"Okay." She answered, smiling.

Hinata looked up at her friends and reached forward to grasp both of their hands, letting them pull her up from the ground and help set her back onto her feet.

A/N: Happy Easter! I know my updates are spread brutally far apart, but thank you for being patient with me and hanging in there. As for next time: poor, poor Naruto.