December 27th

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Naruto stood at the regestrations desk. Hinata was reluctant to even take more than one step into the room. Naruto had finished signing his name when he returned and brought Hinata to the desk. The man at the desk seemed tense when Hinata picked up the pen.

"Um, s-s-s-sign here" His finger shook as he pointed to a blank spot on the page.

Hinata hesitantly wrote her name, but before she could finish, Hiashi burst through the door.

"Hinata stop this now!" His voice bounced through the empty room and it accented his anger.

Hinata dropped the pen, and then fell to her knees. Her tears instantly welled up in her eyes and began to litter the ground at her feet.

"I thought I forbade her entry to the academy!"

"You did." Karei walked into the room with a smug smile. "But I over powered your voice in the matter."

"How dare you defy the Hyuugas!"

"Oh I didn't do it. I only assumed you would take every measure to make sure Naruto here wouldn't have a chance to help your little girl. So I told the Hokage of your dealings and he naturally made a few adjustments. Even if she doesn't sign this paper, someone will train her."

Naruto smiled smugly with Karei, and she picked Hinata up and held her chin up. "Hear that? You're going to school, Hiashi's word or not."

Hinata stop crying for a second, but when she looked at her father, his gaze shot a pain up her back into the back of her head.

"Precisely." The Hokage entered the room behind Hiashi. "And you will have to train her, by decree. I disapprove of your methods thus far, locking her away for eight years. You know exactly what we are expecting. I want you act like what you are so ashamed of is not even there."

Hinata's eyes droped. Naruto seemed to be lost at this point.

"If you do not follow this precisely, I'll have your entire clan removed from the village. Do! I! Make! My! Self! Clear!?"

Hiashi stared down the Hokage, his eyes not flinching in the least. With a grunt of displeasure, he agreed. He left Leaving the room in silence.

The Hokage smiled as he approached Naruto. "I also have a bit of a bone to pick with you, Naruto. You have some cleaning up to do." His gaze shifted to the beaten Hyuuga girl. "Well, I think the students this year will be quite interesting."

The entrance creaked open and Kaben stood there with a sly look. "Seems we are all on the right track. Hiashi seems to have something shoved up his a-."

"Kaben!" A women slapped her on the back of the head.

"Sorry mom."

"Well, if it isn't Ki. How is the gardening?"

"The Hyuuga have unique tastes, that garden is also big. My work can only last so long without an attendant. And, as for the village in general; well, the Yamanaka seem to take care of most of their own works."

"Mom, why are we here again?" Kaben was clearly getting irritated by the small talk.

"To register you into the academy, yes, yes, in due time. The Hokage barely has time to be out like this you know."

"I'm sure he made time for it," Naruto snickered.

"Naruto, go with him." Karei pushed the boy across the room with her. "I'm heading out on a mission; you stay around the apartment when you get home."

"Ooh, come on."

"Now, mister!" Karei started dragging him by the ear.

Kaben signed the form and quickly returned it to her mother's hand. "Come on, I have my garden that needs tending to."

"You know, you really need to do more then than primp and perm your garden everyday. Why not spend time with that Naruto boy, or even the Hyuuga girl." Ki pointed to the dejected child across the room. Kaben felt selfish for not even saying hello to the girl.

"Perhaps. Wait here." Kaben stepped up to the girl and knelt down to her level. "Hey, you ok?"

Hinata nodded her head in response, not wanting to risk using her voice.

"Tell me, do you have gardening experience? I noticed books in that pen." Kaben cringed at her wording. "I mean, cell-er-shack-uh-help me out here..."

"I have read them..." Her voice cracked slightly. "They were mother's, they had a lot of gardening tips and some small medicine information."

"Perhaps you can join me in the garden. I could use help managing the lilies."

"A-Are you sure? You really think I can help?"

"I'm only able to manage through conversation with them, but giving them what they ask for is not always best. I'm sure you can tell what is best."

Hinata's smile brightened, and she stood up and bowed to the girl. "I'll be there soon." She walked out of the door with a new outlook on the day.

Kaben just returned to her mother's side and looked up at her. "Happy?"

"You could stand to be a little less snobbish."

"And you could spend more time at home."

The two began heading back home as their conversation continued.

"Your father and I are Junin, so I teach at the school and he takes missions. We have a large area of Konoha to ourselves, so we pay a considerable amount for our gardens. One day you'll have to do the same."

"I'm just saying. Why not take a day off and actually spend time with me? The only thing I see of dad anymore is those stupid beetles that eat my garden."

"I know, I miss him too. Many days I often wonder if he was killed. But he always comes home to a smiling wife and a happy child."

"How does he know when I'm happy? He never looks me in the eye anymore."

"You have to understand, it's the garden. Your at the age were it needs you most, just you. It can't feel threatened by your father's...guests."

"I'm beginning to hate this family's special jutsu training. It's nothing but trouble."

"You honestly have no idea of the power you're garden holds, do you? Was it not because of that garden that you met Naruto?"

"Yeah, he tried to steal a daisy."

"And now you have Hinata helping you tend to it. Isn't the garden partially to thank for that?"

"Ok, you're right. I'll be content for the day."

"I knew you'd see things my way. Now, what kind of salad for dinner?"

"I'll do fine with a mix of anything, just no meat."

"Like always." Ki laughed as she opened her door to their home. Kaben just slinked off to her garden and sat, watching it grow.

Ki prepared the dinner with a faded smile. Seeing her daughter so dejectedly insult her father and even the Ha way of life hit her hard. Minutes later, Ki noticed the Hyuuga girl approaching the gate. She opened the window and directed the girl to the back where Kaben sat.

Hinata assumed an identical posture, knowing the feeling in the air. She sat beside the girl, looking over at her occasionally.

"Something wrong?" She broke the silence.

"Just family issues. The garden is fine for now, we'll work on it when the sun is orange." She obviously meant evening.

"So, what are we going to do until then?"

"I guess we can talk, Naruto is a subject I have been wondering about since seeing his antics as a three year old."

"Hmm? What did he do then?"

"Well, you ever wonder why he says one of his hobbies is 'watering plants'?"

Hinata blinked twice, having her mind make an image of Naruto peeing on this garden.

"Precisely," Kaben said with a laugh. "Now, what about you? When you first met him, how did it feel? What did he do?"

Hinata retold the tale of Naruto's first steps into her life. How his acceptance made her feel like a true person, how her prison soon felt like just a break from perfection, knowing it would come again soon. Eventually Kaben just started to snicker, turning into a fit laughter.

"Man, I never thought of Naruto as such the romantic. So, why were you even is that shack in the first place? I honestly can't see a reason for you to be locked up at the age of 5."

"I was never told, he just tossed me in and told me if anyone knew about me..."

"Cruel. I can't believe a father can do that to someone. I'm suddenly thankful for what little of my father I see. But I wonder about Naruto. No mother or father. He's only had Karei since he was 2, she's done a good job as a stand in mother, but having no father must really affect him."

"You mean, Karei is not his real mother?"

"No, they were killed defending the village from the demon fox. As far as I know, he holds a grudge against that fox. But he hides his anger in his pranks, he just wants attention from someone."

The sun's bright glow began to fade, so Kaben took Hinata's hand and directed her to a small patch of flowers. She explained her problems with their growth and Hinata went and grabbed gardening tools to do the job. After much silence and hard labor, the gardening was done. And Kaben and Hinata had a new band on their friendship.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I feel i must once again thank my Beta; Gaara. Once again nice job and thanks for all this help so far. And thank all of you readers for your support.