Nothing Is Easy In Konohagakure

Sakura had never seen anything so terrible—domestic-wise, leastways. Hinata was unconscious, lying down in the hospital bed, a breathing apparatus attached to her mouth. Her breathing was rather shallow. Sakura, though she knew it was by no means fatal, was extremely anxious. It was quite possible that Hinata suffered from internal damage. She had no proof that it was a member of Hinata's family that did the act, and besides, it wasn't exactly illegal. They were training, and any injuries sustained during training were usually pinned as the injured's fault.

A nurse came back into the room with the internal x-ray, and Sakura hurriedly snatched it away from the worried nurse. Whether Sakura tended to show it or not, she really was officially attached to the girl—she was a sweet person, reserved, and yet, when she did give her opinion, her opinion was always the best of what could be expected of the situation. In good situations, she was always the happiest, and in bad situations, she was a tough rival for Naruto's position of most optimistic. She was always so considerate, which was one way in which she had Naruto beaten—she always made lunch for everyone, including Akamaru and Kurenai, who usually wasn't there. If Kurenai didn't happen to be there, Kiba would silently take the bento from her and tell her that he'd eat it for dinner, because it was so much better than dog food.

Sakura frowned down at the sleeping girl as she thought about such memories. Why would someone, especially a family member, do something so cruel to one of their own? It was tragic, really… Their expectations for the girl's fighting Hyuugan fighting skills were so high that they didn't see all the magnificent qualities she had, despite the fact that she grew up around a very cold family.

Sakura glanced over the internal damage report, giving it a half-hearted smile. It was better than what she had expected, and only her right kidney was even slightly bruised.

'Perhaps… perhaps whoever did this held back…?' Sakura asked herself, knowing full well the power of the Hyuuga family. She shook it off, and put it into a corner of her mind, left to ponder upon later on, when she wasn't working.

She leaned over Hinata's limp body, and quickly pulled over Hinata's shirt. She folded her hands over her midsection, and concentrated her chakra into that area. She put aside the thoughts that she was someone she knew—these thoughts were always put aside, for otherwise Sakura's concentration would fail. She formed a single solitary, extremely tiny thread of chakra with a slightly larger needle-shaped chakra formation connected to this string. The needle, however, was made inside the body, in order for her to get to the kidney without piercing the skin.

The chakra needle, under Sakura's command, pulled the healing chakra through the scratch in the kidney. When that simple act was done, she forced the chakra to dissipate, and pulled back away from the body. She put her shirt back on her, carefully, so as not to wake her up.

"You three—sorry, four—can come in now," Sakura announced, automatically correcting herself when she thought of Akamaru. Both Kiba and Akamaru himself hated it when she left him out, which she usually did.

Suddenly, the four of them rushed in, all at once, Kiba and Naruto fighting to be the first in the room. Shino, for he had more common knowledge of hospital protocol, walked in behind them and looked at Hinata.

"Is she well?" he asked, his voice more even than Naruto or Kiba could be able to muster at the moment.

"Yes. She's fine. She just needs her rest—and will you two be quiet?" Sakura explained to Shino, before turning around and reprimanding Naruto and Kiba. For some odd reason, they were arguing over whom they should kill to make them atone for what had happened.

"I'm telling you, it was Hanabi! She's the one that Hinata's father always compares her to!" Kiba growled at Naruto.

"No, it was Neji! There's no way someone five years younger than her could have—" Naruto began, but was cut off by Sakura punching him—hard, of course—in the chest. Naruto flew backwards from the intensity of the punch and sat on the ground, massaging his chest.

"I told you two, to shut up! Hinata-chan is resting, and she needs her sleep!" Sakura yelled at Naruto, much louder than he and Kiba were being mere seconds ago.

"Sakura-san, I believe that Hinata-san is now awake," Shino pointed out. Naruto whispered a quick 'thank you' to Shino, for Naruto would still be being yelled at had Shino not pointed out that Hinata was awake.

"Oh! Hinata-chan! Are you okay? Did they wake you up?" Sakura asked, rushing over to her side to check her temperature.

Hinata didn't have the voice or the heart to tell Sakura that it was her yelling that had awoken her, but instead hoarsely whispered, "Water."

Sakura stopped and nodded. "I have to give you ice, instead of water, because water might be too much for you to handle at the moment…" Sakura explained, before leaning out of the doorway. She glanced at a random nurse and told him to get some ice disks for Hinata to drink. The nurse nodded curtly and continued walking, off to (hurriedly) get her the ice.

When she turned back around, Naruto had pulled the chair from the side of the room by the window to the side of Hinata's bed. He grabbed her hand and smiled, nuzzling her hand against his cheek. Sakura found she couldn't stop herself from smiling at the sweet picture. Even Kiba, who had just quarreled with him, was smiling benignly at Naruto and Hinata, Akamaru mirroring his happiness. Sakura was sure that even Shino's icy exterior had melted into a soft smile, smirk, grin, or some other sign of mirth.

"You okay?" Naruto asked, and mentally berated himself for asking such a dumb question—of course she wasn't okay!

Even though she wasn't, not really, she nodded softly and gave him a soft, brave smile. Sakura walked beside them and, though she hated to break the mood, told them that she was extremely bruised, and would still need work.

"What are we going to do about this?" Kiba asked, a frown present on his face. It was clear that they had to do something… After all, they couldn't keep on like this, not with the situations getting worse and worse.

"Maybe she can run away!" Naruto suggested, though all to optimistically.

"That won't work," Shino pointed out.

"Why not?" Naruto pointed out.

"Because, according to Hyuuga law, if a member of the Branch family runs away, they'll be forever exiled. If a member of the Main family runs away, they are to become a Branch member, branded with the curse seal, and to be one of the lowest servants possible," Kiba explained sadly, forcing tears from falling out.

"What if they can't take her back? What if she runs away again after becoming a Branch member?" Naruto threw at Shino and Kiba, hoping to have found loopholes.

"They're always able to retrieve their own—the law is on their side, and whether or not the Hokage wants to, she'll have to obey it. As for the other—" Shino began, but was cut off by a sudden outburst from Naruto.

"That's it!" Naruto yelled, before quickly making hand seals and leaving in a puff of smoke.

----

"Hmm…" Tsunade said, thinking over the situation. A pleading Naruto, who was surprisingly on his hands and knees, was behind her, his nose actually firmly pressed upon the ground.

"Get up. It doesn't suit you," she said, flashing him a small smirk. Naruto quickly moved from bowing down on the ground to sitting in a chair next to her desk, anxiously awaiting her response.

"There is a way around it," she finally decided, and Naruto leaned forward intently to listen. "As Hokage, I have more power over ninja than even Hyuuga Hiashi has power over his daughter. I could command him to let her stay at someone's house, but who's…?" Tsunade explained, curiously wondering who it could possibly be. She glanced at Naruto, who sadly shook his head.

"My apartment is only barely big enough for me…" Naruto explained sullenly. Tsunade sighed and continued looking out the window. "Someone her age would be best, preferably female…" Tsunade decided with a sigh.

"Naruto!" Sakura bellowed from the doorway, making both Naruto and Tsunade cringe in shock. She stopped automatically and apologized over and over when she realized it was a serious meeting.

"No, no, Sakura-chan—you have come at a most opportune time. Tell me, you live alone, correct?" Tsunade asked Sakura with a small smile.

"Yes…" Sakura replied, unsure of what was going on.

"How big is your apartment?" Tsunade asked.

Inside Sakura's mind, it clicked. Why Naruto had suddenly left, why Tsunade was asking questions about her apartment… "Yeah!" she exclaimed. "It's big enough for two people! I even have an extra bedroom, and I could use a roommate!" Sakura replied happily.

"Good. Naruto, Sakura, you are dismissed. However, inform Hyuuga Hiashi that he is to meet me at Hinata's hospital room," Tsunade commanded.

They both gave her an enthusiastic salute; a trademark thing the two of them did whenever she told them to do something they actually were eager to do.

----

Hyuuga Hiashi was not happy about being forced by the Hokage to meet him at the hospital. He was nervous—no, those of the Hyuuga family were never nervous—he was anxious­ about what the meeting would entail.

He finally arrived at the hospital room, room 209 on the Recovery Hall. He stared at the doorknob, as if willing it to open on it's own, and finally reached out and turned the brass handle. Sitting there already in the room were Tsunade, Sakura, and Naruto, along with Hinata who was sitting up against the bed.

"I believe this meeting only concerns Hinata, the Hokage, and myself," he said coldly to Naruto and Sakura. They glanced over at Tsunade, with a 'Do we have to?' sort of look. She nodded, and they both scrambled out of the room. Tsunade stood up and performed a Sound Barrier jutsu, to which Hiashi frowned at.

"Those who act as if they were your children can't be trusted?" Hiashi asked, as if doubting if Naruto and Sakura were trustworthy people at all.

"They can, but their curiosity overrides their trustworthiness, in this situation, at the least. And, anyways, such cruel statements about my daughter and son will not be taken lightly," Tsunade said with a cold glare. This look had enough killer intent behind it to make any man freeze, but Hiashi shook it off, as he was custom to doing.

'"What does this meeting entail, Hokage-sama?" Hiashi asked finally, after a few moments of silence.

"Of the relocation of Hinata's living quarters," Tsunade explained.

"Ah. To where, may I ask?" Hiashi asked, keeping his voice calm, though inside, he was angered at this notion.

"To my daughter's apartment. It is unfit for one of my ninja to be living in a house where 'training' constitutes beatings."

"There is the matter of her upcoming wedding in a year…" Hiashi pointed out with a smirk, glancing over at Hinata for the first time to see her reaction. She was looked down at where her feet were under the covers, refusing to meet either the eyes of the Hokage or her father.

"I know about that. When it does occur, she shall move in with whomever she marries," Tsunade said, careful to say 'whomever', for, at the present, it didn't seem as if her marrying Shino was in concrete.

"I see. Has she yet to tell the Uzumaki boy of the wedding?" Hiashi asked, knowing he had hit a bull's-eye.

"Whether she has or not, is neither none of my business nor none of yours. I do believe this meeting is over, Hyuuga-san," Tsunade retorted cruelly.

"Of course," Hiashi said, giving her the slightest bow before walking out of the room.

"Chichi-ue?" Hinata asked softly from the bed.

Hiashi froze in his tracks and glanced back at the girl underneath the covers.

"I forgive you," she said simply.

He considered not replying and just walking away, but instead he said, "What have I to be forgiven for?" Though it was subtle, Hinata and Tsunade both caught it—his voice broke on the 'for', showing that what he was saying was really just bravado.

----

Hinata's recovery came quickly enough, due to the medical care of Tsunade and Sakura. Tsunade was beginning to consider Hinata a second daughter, as if she was a shyer, less temperamental version of Sakura. This also strengthened when she found out that Sakura had been giving her medic-nin training.

While she was recovering, Naruto, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru (as much as he could) all helped move Hinata's things to Sakura's apartment. Sakura couldn't help, for she was busy with caring for Hinata, but she took excellent care of Hinata and had helped to arrange Hinata's room. The time they all didn't spend with moving or training, they spent with Hinata, keeping her company and lifting her spirits.

Meanwhile, at the Hyuuga compound, the morale of the Branch family was low, for the sweet princess of the Main family was moving away, probably never to return. Neji had been ordered to continue surveying Naruto and Hinata, giving him daily reports on everything they did, especially now since they could see each other whenever they wanted to. Neji spent all of his time spying on the pair, not even able to train, and barely able to eat and sleep.

When Hinata was fully recovered, Sakura showed Hinata her place. Hinata was amazed with the lengths Sakura went to make her room beautiful—her things were arranged just as they were in Hinata's old room, and the entire room now had a scheme that was classic Japanese. The scheme was a simple, yet elegant, white and light brown. Sakura had even bought her a wonderful welcoming present, a bonsai tree and some shears for her to spend her time on.

"It… I…" Hinata began, but couldn't find the words. She settled on "Thank you," and throwing her arms around Sakura's neck, and smiling brightly, tears forming in her eyes.

"It's no problem—really," Sakura replied, quickly giving her a tight hug before pulling away. "Besides, now we have a much better setup for medic-nin training! You'll be spending most of your time with me!" Sakura pointed out.

Hinata nodded happily, wiping away the tears of joy that had just barely escaped her eyes quickly. "I… I'm happy," she finally said with a soft smile.

----

Naruto, Kiba, Shino, and Akamaru all invited themselves to Sakura's apartment. When she firmly told them that she was not going to have a party, the three people (for Akamaru could not very well hold up a present) held up gifts for Hinata.

"Please?" Naruto asked simply. Sakura sighed and glanced back at Hinata, who was looking at the four of them from the hallway.

"Paging Miss Hyuuga-san, a party of four has just arrived at the door. Shall I tell them you're in a meeting, or is it safe to actually receive them?" Sakura asked, using the same tone that people on intercoms used, or perhaps even a secretary.

Hinata giggled and gave a wide wave of her hand. "I suppose they can come in, since they brought presents," then clamped her hands to her mouth, shocked at herself for saying such a 'greedy' thing.

"Yatta!" Naruto cried, not even noticing Hinata's embarrassment. He ran past Sakura, who held the door open. Kiba and Akamaru followed at a similar pace, while Shino walked behind them, gave Sakura a small bow, took off his shoes, and walked inside.

"Shoes!" she yelled at Kiba and Naruto, who both groaned, ran back, took off their shoes, and ran back to Hinata. Naruto glomped her excitedly, happy that she was walking around.

"I've been lonely without you!" he exclaimed, making Hinata blush a deep shade of red. She smiled down at him through the blush and nodded back, putting her arms shyly around his back. Kiba smirked and put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a look that definitely said, "Glad you're back", while Shino stood silently.

As it turned out, Naruto had given her a comb to hold up her hair, which had a fake silk white flower attached to it; Hinata was surprised at how thoughtful the gift was, for it really did match her overly, and would work well with her eyes and contrast to her hair deeply. Kiba had given her a new stuffed dog (her father, in a fit of rage that she wasn't 'mature', threw all her old ones away a while ago); it was soft, extremely fluffy with shiny brown hair and deep black eyes. As soon as she got it, she hugged it tightly and hugged Kiba as well, even allowing Akamaru to stand up and lick her cheek. Shino's present was undoubtedly the most practical—but then again, she was expecting that—it was an extremely large and varied pack of medical supplies, all of which could be enhanced by chakra, and Sakura could show her how to use.

The party was short lived, for Sakura knew Hinata needed her rest (the con of having a doctor as a roommate). On the way out, Naruto had kissed her on the lips quickly, pulled away, and blushed. "I… I know my present was a bit, well… Shino pointed out you probably couldn't wear it a whole lot… I mean, you can't wear it on missions and stuff… But…!" Naruto explained.

Hinata smiled at him, thinking how cute he was when he was awkward (although, she, herself was the same way). She placed a gentle hand on Naruto's cheek, shook her head, and with a light pink blush, kissed him softly on the tip of his nose. "Goodnight, Naruto-kun," she said happily before pulling away and having Sakura slam the door on the boys.

"Really, those three—four!" Sakura said 'sternly', putting her hands on her hips and stomping her foot. Hinata could tell she didn't mean it, though, because she was smiling as they left.

A/N: Check out my homepage, it has a calendar of when I'll be letting out my chapters

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