Remembrance

"-and then the Daimyo of the Land of Tea thanked our small group of allies and promised each a lifetime of our favorite teas! And that's how I received this rare tin of their rare and famous Moon Madness Hibiscus flavor!"

Hinata finished her exciting tale of the Lunar Harbor Tea Party with a large, glowing smile. Exhausted from the early morning journey, she and Hawk-san had decided to walk along the forest trail for a few hours to rest. She marveled at the denseness of the multicolored fall hues of gold and brown and red, all made brighter with the contrast of the gray sky.

"Hn."

She amusedly leaned forward and glanced over at her quiet and moody companion, her lengthy hair brushing her hips as she did so. She widened her stride to catch up to the cloaked traveler, grateful for the loose comfort of her thermal, navy long sleeve. She shifted the straps of her backpack, and glanced at him.

"Do you think Alba-chan has reached the Hokage yet?" She asked regarding her summoned albatross and its message.

"…"

"It's stopped raining for a bit, isn't that nice?" She gleefully pointed out, knowing that her grumpy companion was reaching his breaking point. 'Almost there….'

"Sasuke-san?"

"Dammit Hyuuga! Don't you ever shut up?! That damn story of yours took about an hour and a half to finish. We're walking across soggy ground because you wanted to enjoy the scenery, and we're not even halfway done!"

"Finally!" She chirped excitedly at his outburst. She finally got him to say more than two words. The little challenge she had set for herself at the beginning of their journey had been completed.

"I got you to say more than Hn!"

"Just shutup." He tersely told her, embarrassed to have fallen for so simple a trap.

"No" came her unexpected and firm reply.

Her expression became more thoughtful, her gaze drifting away to lands and a past unknown. She slowed down her pace, clasping her hands together in front of her. Her eyes became half shaded with thought, prompting him to ask…

"Why?"

"Because all my life, I have shut up, Sasuke-san." She languidly slid a wry look in his direction.

"And I won't do it anymore."

With that, her smile reappeared on her face, a bounce coming to her step once more. She hopped from puddle to puddle, uncaring of her clothes becoming wet and enjoying the sense of adventure that came with traveling like this. She felt free, just as free as she had felt when she had first left Konoha as its global ambassador.

Sasuke watched incredulously at the display, wondering if she had some undiagnosed mental problems. Then again, he had been temporarily insane, so he couldn't judge. His attention was caught when she slipped and fell up to her knees in a particularly dingy puddle. She gave him a quick chuckle and continued on her way, this time slightly more apprehensive of the water in her path.

How could she be a ninja, she was too…bright. And yet, the more he looked, the more he saw the Hyuuga grace and poise, engraved into her every step and every movement. So rhythmic and light on her feet, it almost seemed like she went through life by dancing. Her dark hair of varying layers played along with her, rippling with every small swing of her hips, displaying its hidden indigo hues.

Unconsciously, he slowed down his own stride, almost matching her lyrical rhythm.

"Have you ever danced Hinata?" He blurted out, wondering where that had come from.

She blushed, wondering if he had connected two and two; if he had found out she had been the waterfall girl all those years ago. "W-Why, Naruto-kun?"

"It's just, I was wondering. I mean, I saw Sakura the other day at the party, and it just looked like fun…"

"Oh."

"I mean, not that it matters! I just wanted to know what you do for fun, kinda…"Naruto trailed off, unsure of where he stood at the moment with the sensitive Hyuuga.

"Well, I'd like to learn." She said quietly, her eyes downcast as they walked past the brightly lit street vendors. Her hair was too short to hide her discomfort. She was almost regretting the hair cut.

"Maybe…we can go together someday?" He asked tentatively, hoping to amend the situation with his not-girlfriend friend.

"I'd like that, maybe someday." She quietly agreed, knowing it was an empty promise. But still, it was nice to dream.

"Naruto…" She quietly sighed, remembering. It had taken several years, but she had learned how to address him as simply Naruto, not allowing herself to use the familiar suffix. It had taken six months after leaving before she could even think his name again. It had taken a full year before she could have conversations about him without flinching. It had taken a full three years to reach where she was now. Somewhat wistful of the past, she was content with her place in this world and relished the liberty of being a traveler. 'I think I understand Jiraiya-san a bit better now.'

"Not that I'm a huge pervert or anything." She blushed deeply, almost stopping in her tracks, as she remembered the one passage she had managed to skim from his first Icha Icha book. At the tender age of nineteen, she had lost her mental innocence because of a stupid bet made in Sunagakure.

"Damn Kankuro and his dirty mind." She muttered, smiling slightly at the remembrance of her friends in the desert country.

It had been five months since she had departed from Konoha. One month since she had arrived at Suna for the yearly meeting of delegates. Shikamaru was the official ambassador for Konoha here in Suna; and he was here far more often than she was. But at the moment, he was indisposed due to a current mission in the Old Sound Village, so she was sent here instead.

So here she sat, at 2 am in the morning, underneath a brilliantly starry desert sky, crying her eyes out. She was slightly homesick at this point, missing even Hanabi, her snobby little sister. She even missed the freakin' tree outside her bedroom window. (She had named him Tree when she was about six.)

So intent was she in her pity party that she failed to notice the light steps on the roof of her complementary house in Suna. She failed to notice the soft tendrils of sand, encasing her hands, almost as if curious.

"Kazekage-sama?" She turned, incredulous as to his presence here.

"Hyuuga-san." He acknowledged her with a nod. His glance followed the trail of a falling tear.

Embarassed, she quickly wiped it way, and sniffed imperiously. "How may I help you tonight, Kazekage-sama?"

"Why do you cry?"

"No offense, Kazekage-sama, but w-why would you care?"

"I don't."

"Oh." She stated simply, wondering at the oddity of the situation.

"But in the interest of being a good host to Konoha's delegate, would it help to speak about it?"

"Huh?" She was confused. Where was this coming from? The usually curt Kage was very talkative tonight.

"Temari always says it's better to talk about things."

"Oh."

"It's Naruto, isn't it?" He gently asked. He had overheard her sobbing his name repeatedly, and had remembered her bold speech during the war. This was the girl who had stood by his friend's side; the girl who saved Naruto from himself. So why was she here alone?

And with a nod of her head, her face scrunched up in pain, and her faint keening and sobbing resumed. He awkwardly patted her shoulder, wishing Temari were here.

"You can talk."

And so she told her story, what had happened, the incident, and everything she ever was. Finally, with the star spangled desert sky and the most attentive listener she could have asked for, Hinata Hyuuga made the first step to becoming who she wanted to be.

Sasuke quietly watched his traveling companion as she again lost herself in her mind. She was a strange one; polite and talkative with a hidden backbone of steel that had not been there when she had lived in Konoha. She was, for lack of a better word, whimsical, yet there was something very intriguing about her. He of course knew about Naruto's lingering fondness for the shy girl who had left, but he wondered, what his friend would think about this girl with her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds.

'Who exactly is Hinata Hyuuga?'