A/N: Hope you enjoyed the twist at the end of last chapter. Hehehe. This chapter will be very short as I have a research paper to work on. Once again thank you to everyone who reviewed and who favorited/followed the story. On with the chapter!


Neji watched as his younger cousin finally relaxed from her Gentle Fist stance; her arms lowered and the distended veins of the Byakugan faded. Her fatigue was evident by the rise and fall of her shoulders beneath her oversized lavender coat. The color scheme complemented the nearby patches of columbines (1), their outer petals star shaped and inner white petals round and small.

He vaguely rubbed his shoulder, marveling at the fact that she had managed to land several blows. He was not in the least bit tired, his stamina far outpacing Hinata-sama's. But even so, even if she had managed to land in five blows to his fifteen, and even if she was utterly tired, he was proud.

"You've improved Hinata-sama." He said plainly, noting the brilliant smile that spread across her face at his praise. 'Such a simple thing as this…'

"T-Thank you s-so much Neji-nii-san!" She beamed at him, grateful for his help and his rare compliment. "It was all because you helped me!"

"I think you are almost ready for the Chunin exams." He nodded his head in approval, long brown hair gently falling on his face, and the beginnings of a grin tugging at his mouth. He quickly cleared his throat to disguise the fact.

"Hinata-sama, you have come a long way, but do not stop striving."

She kept her smile, nodding her head vigorously; her shoulder length locks flying this way and that. She had begun growing it out, finding the heavy weight of it oddly comforting. She blushed, a determined look crossing her face. "I won't because I have to get stronger."

"Thinking of Naruto again?"

"Ehh?!" She squeaked taken aback.

Neji chuckled at his shy cousin, aware of her feelings for the inspirational and headstrong boy. "He helped us both."

She mellowed a bit at his admission. "It's not just for that reason."

"Hinata-sama?"

"I-I want to get strong so I can h-help end the divide between the main and the b-branch. I want to g-get strong to make us a family, not just a clan."

Neji stared, pleasantly surprised at his cousin's resolve and steady voice. "I believe that you can do it, Hinata-sama."

"I believe that we can do it together, Neji-nii-san." She gently smiled at him, her eyes shining with a resolve akin to what he had seen during their fight two years ago. "We're going to change the c-clan, I promise."

And in a rare display of affection, he placed his hand on her small shoulder, an approving smile finally shining through.


Hinata awoke from a memory filled sleep, reluctant to open her eyes. She felt the slight discomfort that comes from falling asleep in one's day clothes, the durable material not serving as comfortable sleepwear. She lay on the small bed for several moments, her eyes closed, knowing what she would have to face.

The melancholy that had filled her dreams had continued onto waking life, and she felt the beginning pressure of tears pooling at the corners of her eyes. She quickly pressed her fingers to them, wiping away the drops. And finally opened her eyes to greet the day.

The brightness of the sun streaming in nearly blinded her. She blinked the last remnants of sleep away, and sat up to examine her surroundings. She had been so distracted last night; she had not taken the time to look.

She enjoyed the simplicity of the décor, glancing at the painting across the room. She could briefly make out the colors, but the exact details were blurry. She panicked for a moment. 'It can't be getting this bad already.'

She dug her hands into her eyes, digging her palms into them to relieve the unpleasant fogginess. Her vision momentarily cleared, only to be obscured again. 'Oh.'

She felt silly as the tears kept falling, the combination of her nostalgic dream and last night's events finally catching up to her. All she could do was let them fall, as she waited for the moment to pass in silence.

Unnoticed was the box of bright orange helenium (2) hanging on the window, gently waving on the breeze.


The morning lights poured through his bedroom window, filtered and dulled by the drawn blinds and the gray clouds still looming over Konoha.

Naruto had not slept a wink. After he had left Sakura's house and entered into his lonely apartment, trudging to his bedroom to simply flop on his bed. He felt disturbed and achy and overall like 'shit'.

A flash of pained lavender eyes and a broken look cause him to bury his head farther into his pillow, the uncomfortable pangs of guilt and regret grabbing hold of his chest and not letting go. He shifted, restless and frustrated at the situation. He quickly bolted upright, the silky sheets slowly sliding off, exposing his naked upper torso. His tired azure gaze shifted to the right, settling on the silver knob of a drawer.

He quickly reached for it. And for some reason, (he had no idea whatsoever), he frantically tore into his nightstand's top drawer, rummaging through the layers of papers and bills.

"Got ya!" He muttered triumphantly as he pulled out a small journal, its brown leathery cover quite plain and nondescript. He quickly flipped the pages to the center of the small book and located his prize. His brow furrowed at the sight, partly in wonder at the thing seemingly frozen in time.

Inside was a delicately pressed and dried Hibiscus flower, its transparent violet petals perfectly preserved.


A/N: Data book fact: One of Hinata's hobbies is flower pressing.

Purple columbine- resolved to win

Helenium- tears