Quotes:

Sakura: Self pity becomes your oxygen. But you learned to breathe it without a gasp. So, nobody even notices you're hurting. ― Paul Monette

Hinata: When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time. You'd be shocked at how many adults are really dead inside—walking through their days with no idea who they are, just waiting for a heart attack or cancer or a Mack truck to come along and finish the job. It's the saddest thing I know. ― Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak

…I had been looking forward to the dance. I was worried, of course, but I knew Naruto would be there. We danced and he promised to help me. It was perfect. But my father saw that I had stopped dancing with the boy he had sent over and he was furious. He started shouting at me and Naruto tried to defend me but he just got angrier. I burst into tears in front of everyone. It was awful.

"Oh that stupid son of mine," Hiroko said angrily, swilling her tea around with one long, elegant hand. She set the cup back down on the table, "When will he learn? He's just being spiteful! I know I made mistakes, but for you to suffer -! Oh, it's outrageous."

Hinata had written down the events of the ball in her diary and shown it to her grandmother, sitting in awkward silence as she grew more and more furious reading it.

"I'm calling him!" She announced. Hinata's eyes grew wide in alarm, "No, don't fret dear, he won't dare say a word to you about this again!"

She grabbed her phone and an old, frayed book and flipped through the pages. Hinata craned her neck and saw her home phone number written under the name 'Idiot son.'

Hiroko dialled the number, cursing under her breath the whole time.

Hinata bit her lip, imagining her father's reaction.

"Yes, hello? This is your mother speaking. Hiashi, did I raise you to be a bully? To behave out of spite and malice? Your own daughter comes to me in tears, yes, tears! Because she has actual, genuine problems that you are too bull-headed to understand, problems that cause her endless pain that you, as her father, should be working to help her with! Sending her here every week is just you avoiding the issue as usual. Oh, do not bring your brother into this. This is not about Hizashi. This is about you, and your poor daughter. If I find out that you have made her suffer again, I will cut you out of my will and leave my wealth to a cattery! Do you hear me? A cattery! Hinata has actual problems that she cannot help and you are going to help her to the best of your limited ability."

Hinata's fingers were digging into her legs, terrified. How could she possibly go home tonight after what her grandmother had said to her father? He was sure to be furious.

"She doesn't deserve this," Her grandmother said, quieter now, her grip on the phone loosening. She listened to his response. She sighed, "Hiashi, please. You know I already feel guilty enough. Hinata will not go the same way. I will make sure of it. She will be stronger. She already speaks more than she used to. Just stop pressuring her."

Hinata could hear her father's voice through the phone. He didn't sound angry, to her surprise.

Hiroko eventually hung up and gave her a wide smile. "You see?" She said gently, "Problem solved."

Hinata nodded with a faint smile of her own, stroking the cat on her lap carefully.

"Now, you wanted me to ring up this psychiatrist woman as well, hm? Let's see… here's the number you gave me… I'll give her a call now. Hello? This is Hyuuga Hiroko. I understand you are well-versed in the subject of mental health, and my granddaughter has some anxiety issues she needs to work through. If you would devote a small amount of your time to assisting her, I would be happy to pay you. Hm? You don't require payment? Well, if you insist… Her name is Hinata. She received a recommendation of you from one of your patients, Haruno Sakura. You sound surprised. I see. Thank you. Goodbye."

Hiroko hung up and turned around to smile at Hinata, "She said come see her anytime. Seemed like she was a fancy expensive type, but she didn't want any money. We'll have to thank your friend for the recommendation if she manages to help you."

xxxxxxxx

Hey Hinata-chan, yor sis gave me yor number, wanna hang out somewhere?

itz Naruto btw.

Hinata stared at her phone for a full minute, waiting for it to sink in.

After she'd hyperventilated in excitement for a while, she quickly thumbed a reply out and sent it.

Hello, Naruto-kun. It's very nice of you to offer, but I was just wondering what you meant by 'hanging out?'

Hinata. X

The reply came immediately.

didn't mean dat. n. I ment a frnd tng. I don't do h%k ups. Argh I can't explain w/o sounding even mo LAME.

Hinata frowned in confusion.

Do you mean hook ups? If so, what does that mean in that context?

Hinata. X

Five slow minutes passed before a reply arrived.

f u don't kno I won't tel u, sav my dignity. Don't g%gle it f u lIk me al. Misunderstanding. I wnt 2 go eat ramen w u az promisd. unlS ur dads reading Ovr yor sholdr & he wants 2 beat me up ^-^. then I'm asking u 2 go 2 d library w me.

I'm not sure what a google is so you don't have to worry about that. I'd love to eat ramen with you, it was delicious the first time you had me try it. I'm afraid I can't understand the rest of your message.

Hinata. X

U DON'T KNO WOW G%GLE IS? U NEED ME. U SO NEED ME AZ UR NU BEST FRND. I CN DROP SASUKE NO PROB 4 U. IM GONNA INTRODUCE U 2 SO MANY AWESUM THINGS, SPACEBALLS, SRCH ENGINES, AMAZON. U WIL luv ME 4EVER. HAH n woriez I wasn't ^set o NEthing. Ur dads an ass tho u shud git a BetA 1. Mine's awesome, we cn share. Yeah, im a supporting kind of guy, that's jst how I roL. I'll go ne plac w u if u need me, dnt wori. Got ur bak.

Please call me, Naruto-kun, I really have no idea how to read your texts. If you could just verbally summarise what you meant, I would be very grateful. I'm sorry if I can't reply very easily.

Hinata. X

Call incoming: Naruto-kun.

xxxxxxxx

After Naruto's long and rather one-sided phone conversation, Hinata was driven home by her grandmother, who had cheered up after remembering her favourite gardening shop had a sale on that day.

It was a bright kind of Sunday. Hinata let her arm rest on the wound-down car window and felt her skin tingle pleasantly in the sun. There was a persistent breeze chasing the heat away, so it wasn't stiflingly hot. She liked days like this.

She was concentrating hard on not being frightened. Whenever she thought about returning home to her father her stomach churned in anxiety, but she forced the feeling down and focused on her conversation with Sakura. She would be better. She would not let herself be held back any longer.

"Right, here we are." Hiroko said, pulling up outside the house, raising her pencilled eyebrows over her sunglasses at her, "Are you going to be alright, sweetheart? Do you want me to come in with you?"

Hinata shook her head determinedly, giving her grandmother a bold smile. She looked a little surprised, but smiled back in a relieved kind of way.

They said their goodbyes and separated. Hinata went home alone, the sun's warmth vanishing as she stepped into the hall, taking her shoes off automatically.

She entered the living room cautiously. Her stomach dropped unpleasantly in shock when she saw her father sitting alone, reading a book called Cut.

He shut the book quietly upon seeing her. She gazed at him, mouth beginning to dry up. He had such a stern face, a thick, hard jaw, the planes of his cheeks cut like rock, his eyes penetrating. It might have been his face that frightened her into silence, or it might have been the fact that he was her father.

They had nothing in common. No shared likes or dislikes. He hated idle talk and inane conversations, but always expected the right answers to his questions. He had a way of looking at her that could strip her of any confidence she had built up, and today was no exception.

"Hinata," He said, standing, "I had a call from your grandmother."

Hinata flinched, tucking her arms in and ducking her head.

"She wants me to do more for you. To help you with your problem. I've been thinking about how I can do that, and I decided the best way is to give you a goal. One month from now, I am going to have a talk with the workforce. I will introduce you to them and you will give a speech on what you intend to do when you inherit the company."

Hinata's head was swimming. She put a hand on the doorframe to steady herself and forced her breathing to remain steady.

A speech? In front of everyone? She felt a surge of fear so strong it made her vision white out for a split second, her fingertips tingling and her body started to tremble.

"This way, you can prove yourself to the team," He said, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. He seemed to truly believe that he was giving her a fantastic opportunity here, that he was being kind. "And if you ever have trouble speaking again, you can remember your success and it will motivate you."

Hiashi walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "I know I've not made it easy for you but… It's hard for me to understand. I'm sorry."

Hinata burst into tears. He stiffened. She let her head fall down until it rested against his chest and slowly, hesitantly put her arms around him, sniffling into his shirt. She could hear his heartbeat, steady and regular. He gave a sigh that she felt go right through her, and placed a heavy hand on top of her head.

"I think we'll eat out tonight. All of us. You can pick the restaurant, within reason."

Hinata buried her face into his shirt and sobbed harder.

xxxxxxxx

Seeing as it was a Sunday, her mother relented and said she could stay a little longer, but she would have to be home before dark.

Sakura spent her time mostly wandering around Gaara's house, examining his furniture and decorations, laughing at the old photographs of him as a kid in his grandmother's room. The house was nice, but it basically screamed 'rich old lady.' The wallpaper was faded roses and the carpet was either beige or vomit coloured.

Chiyo, his grandmother, turned out to be an the old lady of the house. She was blessed with a wicked sense of humour. Sakura liked her almost straightaway, but she had the unfortunate habit of asking personal questions to near-strangers.

"I just wanted to ask about you and Gaara-chan…" Chiyo said leadingly, her eyes sly. Her kitchen was pretty fabulous, with lime green countertops and matching cupboards, black tiles and strangely enough, an art print of a puppet bending to the will of a masked puppeteer.

"Do go on." Sakura prompted, bending over with some difficulty to examine the scones baking in the oven.

"Are you a couple?"

"Nope. Just friends."

"I see. Now, if it's not too impertinent, do you mind if I ask about your disability?" Chiyo seemed genuinely curious.

"I could say no, but I figure you'll ask anyway," Sakura said ruefully, sighing, "I broke my legs. I was in a wheelchair for a while. Had to stay out of school. I'm back now though. It was a bad time for me, but I'm over it now."

"Hmm. I get it. And, your legs… did they break themselves or did they have a little help?"

Sakura slammed her fist onto the counter as she shouted, "Why does everyone suddenly want to know my business?" She felt a surge of familiar fury, grabbed on to it blissfully and let it take her over, "Complete strangers come up to me in the street and ask! Old people give up their seat for me on the bus, men nearly kill themselves to get to doors before me to open them, when I was in a wheelchair people acted like I was invisible or that whatever I had was contagious, and that I could bear but I am sick of everyone being so desperate to know what happened to me! I don't want to think about it!"

"Sakura." Gaara said, peering around the kitchen door, "What's going on?"

"I upset her, it's my fault." Chiyo said, frowning, "Go on and let us have a little chat. I'll give her an extra scone."

Gaara looked at Sakura, who was trembling with rage, her eyes closed, trying to regain her control.

"OK, but I'll be close by if I'm needed."

The door closed behind him.

"You have had it rough, girl, I can tell," Chiyo said, "You've got some demons in you. You and Gaara make an interesting pair. He may seem calm and controlled now, but he was more like you once. It's not my place to tell you the details, but you should talk to him about it sometime. It helps, when you have others who are like you."

Sakura opened her mouth, the words tripping over themselves on her tongue in their eagerness to just tell someone.

Chiyo's wrinkled forehead creased a little more in a frown.

Her throat ached. She swallowed.

"I'm gonna go talk to Gaara." She said lamely, gesturing behind her.

Chiyo just nodded.

xxxxxxxx

"Your grandma needs people skills," Sakura sniped as Gaara ushered her into his bedroom, "For a minute there I thought she was gonna grab my cane and examine it."

"She sometimes takes interest in things others do not, yes." Gaara sighed, and that was really not what Sakura had been saying. Sakura had been politely suggesting that his grandma was batshit crazy and uncivilised to boot.

"I don't even know what I'm doing here," Sakura threw her hands up, irritated, sitting down on Gaara's bed and putting her face in her hands, "I don't even know you!"

Gaara pulled a textbook out of his bookcase and handed it to her with a wry smile, "I think you came here to study. But… I never really wanted to help you with your studies. You don't need help anyway. Iruka never asked me to be your tutor. I've barely even spoken with him. The first day I met you, I'd already heard all of the rumours, how you were violent and angry and cruel. I saw you arguing with that guy and I wanted to help you. After you stopped being angry you just looked… resigned, like this was something you expected. Like people teasing you and you getting angry was all you could expect in life and I…" He took a deep breath, "I could relate to that feeling."

Sakura's expression flattened out completely, her mouth sagging into an unimpressed frown, her eyes staring at him blankly. He'd lied to her about the whole tutoring thing? …She'd memorised musical terminology for him. Stuff she would never need to know as long she lived.

"I was the child who would collect insects," Gaara began, eyes on the ceiling, "And pull their legs off one by one. I was the child that bit anyone who dared touch him. I was the child who frightened adults. I was uncooperative, violent, fierce and above all else- angry. My father made sure I had every material need satisfied, but never actually seemed to care beyond that. He never came to see me. He was always so busy with his work. My mother had died giving birth to me, so all I had were my siblings, Kankuro and Temari. I don't get along with either of them that well, I guess. They were afraid of me. Do you know what it's like, to have people who're supposed to care about you look at you like you're a monster?"

"Yep." Sakura said simply.

"Then you know how I felt. Maybe I was a monster back then, but I changed. My grandmother, she intervened. Had me come live with her here. That was… that was after my father was murdered… and people blamed me. Everyone knew we didn't get along and that I was violent. The fact that my own siblings were scared of me didn't help my case. Chiyo didn't believe it, obviously. She took me in. Gave me another chance. I didn't have to go to a school where everyone was talking about me and no one looked at me like I was a monster anymore. Then, I heard the rumours about you, and saw you that day and… I couldn't ignore you."

"Are we sharing?" Sakura asked, "Is that what we're doing here? Are you trying to make me blab about my private life?" She ran her fingers over the key over her chest as though to assure herself it was still there, "I'm sorry about your dad, and how people thought you did it. I get how much it sucks when people believe lies about you. But it wasn't like that for me. For me, they weren't lies. Pretty much everything the school blab about me is true."

Gaara's eyes widened.

"I broke my legs in a car crash," Sakura said, gripping her cane, "When I tried to commit suicide."

Yeeaaaah, super short chapter I know! I've got so much work to do I'm not going to be able to update at my normal rate, so I finished this WIP I had knocking around, gave it a bit of a polish and deemed it fit for public consumption XD I'm really sorry it's so damn short, best I can do right now!

Trigger warning: The next chapter will contain descriptions of depression and attempted suicide. I'll leave a recap at the start of the chapter after it so those of you who skipped won't be left in the dark :)

Sakura's past will come to light next chapter :D

Hinata has to make a speech! To a lot of people! In front of her father! With him judging her! Argh.

It actually pained me to write Naruto's texts, GOD HOW DO PEOPLE WRITE TEXTS LIKE THAT IN REAL LIFE, HOW?! Bad grammar is vile.

I hope you all had a great Christmas! :D

(Btw, please tell me someone actually reads the chapter titles and the quotes at the top XD Takes me ages to pick them!)

Have a Happy New Year or Hiroko will leave your inheritance to a cattery! A cattery!

Quick poll for fun: Would you ever have a tattoo? If so, what of?

No suggestions.