First of all, I would like to give the biggest thank you ever to SeriousSam for helping out with this chapter. This one gave me so much trouble and he helped immensely. The parts I credit to him will be the flow for this chapter, scenes in the latter half, and the fighting scenes. I could not have done it without his input. His writing is exceptional, and he, like so many of the other authors on here, are incredibly kind. That being said, he had kindly offered to Beta future chapters, so I know that with his help, this story can move forward to a satisfying conclusion.

As I'm sure many of you already know, his story My Precious People is to die for, so as I have said before...Go Read It!

Secondly; Wooowww! 201 Reviews! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited last chapter; even those criticisms that were politely done were valued, and so thank you regardless.

Ayrmed (Hug!), Missstampede (very insightful reviews, i always love reading them), guest (i don't if him leaving the village would really resolve anything, but interesting idea...), mikoto lee (Nice character analysis! quite interesting to read.), ileveria, guest, guest, Serious Sam (no words for your awesomeness and support) , Your Doom, TL, Hiccuproars, kenni no. 1, JK(true, they're both at fault, so let's hope for some honesty.), narujordanna, YourFan (insightful review), Chewie cookies, amanda ramirez, guest, guest, Murriah (update!), Verazao

12,590 words- so many...

Tell Me Your Story, Tell Me Your Truth

Shino looked quietly at the tiny insect on his index finger. Its black shell shone in the pale light of dawn, nondescript and almost exactly like the rest of his colony. As a matter of fact, she had been from his colony, at least initially. But she should not have been here…she should have been quietly nestled somewhere on his precious person, silently watching over her.

The insect buzzed and walked, its tiny feet placing it in dazed circles and he wondered why she was acting so oddly. He looked carefully at the miniscule hairs adorning the legs of the confused bug, and noted that there were bright yellow specks.

"Pollen? From what?" He muttered, worry tightening his chest by the second.

The scent of sagebrush filled the air and then he knew just why the insect was acting the way it was. (self-awareness, enlightenment)

Wordlessly, he ran towards the Hyuuga compound, wanting to ask Hinata why she had used the herb to repel his insect. He wanted to ask why he she had rejected a part of him, when she never had before.

His strides quickened, not knowing that his friend was long gone.


Ino huffed slightly as she continued her patrol again; tracing the same path she had walked many times already. She watched as the moon reached its zenith, illuminating the craggy surface of the gaping canyon and the half-formed Kannabi Bridge. "What a depressing name," she mused. "The Godless Bridge."

She deftly twirled a shuriken with her slim fingers, all the while tensing, because she sensed another presence.

A twig snapped, and she shivered slightly as the insect hidden somewhere on her buzzed once. She sighed in relief, glad that Shino was returning from his investigation of the detonated area.

His glasses reflected the full moon, striding somewhat casually towards his teammate. "Yamanaka-san."

Ino waved lightly, glad for a companion, even if it was the stoic and weird Shino. "Find anything?"

He shook his head in the negative, but he brought his fingers to his lips and she heard a lower frequency chirp in her ear. Ino understood. He had just confirmed her initial sensory sweep. They were being watched. But as no one had yet launched an attack, they would wait and see.

"What do you suppose is happening between Naruto and Hinata?" Shino asked, uncharacteristically beginning idle chatter.

Ino smiled slightly. So they would act the part of the oblivious would they? She played along.

"I don't know. Hinata-chan won't tell me what happened between them and I haven't really talked with Naruto about it."

"I've noticed." He said, contemplating his earlier discussion with the man. He shifted uncomfortably, and she realized he was unused to continuing conversations.

"Hinata's gotten so far, huh?" She continued, hoping to touch upon a familiar subject to the Aburame.

A pause and an odd expression crossed Shino's face, the corners of his mouth turning down ever so slightly. "I'm not sure…"

Ino tilted her head, confused. Shino was rarely ever unsure of anything. "Of what?"

"If I truly want to know what Hinata has been hiding from us." His insects buzzed with his emotion. His quiet voice quavered with uncertainty. The silence stretched between them, the gravity of their predicament and the surreal situation wove a web of unfamiliar friendship between them.

Ino tapped her chin thoughtfully, the shuriken staying still for a moment.

"You're scared that she'll be different. That she'll have done something you won't be proud of her for." Ino answered with surprising insight. "And then you wonder if you really knew that precious person to begin with."

The buzzing quieted, and he asked, "You are familiar with the emotion?"

Ino nodded. "Twice. The second time was after the war. I learned just exactly what it meant to be an expert interrogator. The Yamanaka are famous for that, you know?"

He waited for her to continue. Somehow their banter had turned into an actual conversation.

"When I found out exactly what my father had done in that role…the people he broke, some innocent and falsely accused, some actual enemies…I almost retired as a kunoichi. Almost."

She played with the shuriken in her hands, twirling it as if it was nothing but a child's pinwheel won at a festival.

"Then I remembered that he had done what he thought was right. I remembered how he said he was proud of me and that he died trying to make this world a better place. So, I guess in the end it didn't matter so much. He was my dad, and that's all there is to it."

Shino quieted for a moment and then asked, "And the first time?"

She smiled wryly, stopping her shuriken twirling. "Wasn't nearly as traumatic as my younger self might have made it seem. It was when Sasuke-kun left the village."

A contemplative silence stretched between them, the sounds of the local insects resounding through the air and Shino shifted slightly, picking up signals. He was trying to distract himself from such an open talk.

She laughed humorlessly and said, "I think whatever Hinata-chan is hiding will be of the 'road to hell is paved with good intentions' variety."

Shino stiffened, because he realized that was exactly the kind of thing Hinata would do. And she would take it with her to the grave if possible.

"What about Naruto?" She asked, curious. "What do you know about his story?"

"That is his to tell, Yamanaka. Simply know that you should verify your sources before spreading the word." Shino admonished, still ruminating on her observation of Hinata. "And the reason why is because you may hurt a friend."

Ino sighed. "You and Shikamaru…two peas in a pod. Geez, I guess you're telling me I should apologize to him?"

She didn't think Shino could look more smug. He pushed up his glasses with a long index finger. "I have already done so."

Their wonderfully thoughtful conversation was short-lived. Another low pitched hum rang in her ear and she understood. They were on the move, whoever they were. She spun the shuriken faster now, until it was nothing but a blur on her slim fingers, the occasional glint of flawlessly polished steel glinting in the bright moonlight.

"Just get it over with!" She shouted towards the copse of trees, throwing her shuriken in one fell maneuver. She noted Shino had his arms wide open, faint clouds of black specks tracing his every movement.

Something moved in the dark.

Threads of foreign chakra swirled at the periphery of that extra sense she possessed. Images shaped like humans, but composed of the decaying embers of plant life within the forest came to mind. The sensation treaded the edge of familiarity, a twisted version of something warmer and full of life.

And she barely had time to think as a barrage of kunai came flying through the air. She glanced to her right and saw Shino performing the same evasive action. She braced herself, her right leg digging into a pile of dirt that had been discarded at the beginning of the incomplete bridge. Ino quickly projected a thread of communication to her other teammate.

'Someone's here. Come when you can.'

A low, deep chuckle and their assailant moved into the silver light, his features thrown into frightening relief.

Blue eyes widened in horror, the grotesquely molded form trudging towards the two as the stench of pestilence and decay filled the air. All she could say was simply…

"Who are you?"


"You. You are the ever faithful and talented Konoha Ambassador I have heard so much about?"

Hinata remained where she was, bent into a low bow, her legs aching from remaining in the standard seiza position. She could feel the cold marble soothing the nervous flush of her forehead. A few loose strands fell from her pinned up bun to cover her nervous expression. And even if she could feel her pencil skirt uncomfortably molding to her prone form and her perfectly starched white blouse was becoming wrinkled, she could not move.

She could not move because this was the Daimyo; The Lord of the Land of Fire and the one who could make or break what she had come all this way for.

A thin, reedy laugh echoed through the grand hall, bouncing off the marble columns and echoing across the high ceilings, and she waited with baited breath.

"You are so delightfully polite, little Hyuuga. Rise."

And she did so, smoothly and effortlessly; the epitome of her family's famed gracefulness. His heavy lidded, guarded gaze was met with an equally closed one. Lilac eyes displayed no indication, no feeling one way or another. The small, polite smile curling her lips was delightfully plastic and he chuckled.

She had mastered the mask of the Hyuuga. But then again, the Hyuuga were not known for smiling.

She had mastered her own mask and for that she was grateful. Open emotion was not something she could afford to show. Not when she treaded the edges of such a finely crafted web of white lies and veiled threats; not when she was so involved in the delicately, falsely-truthful politics of this twisted world.

Many had succumbed, undeniably falling prey to the quiet, gentle entreaties of the girl and the delicate features of her face. How could someone so small and fragile ever be a threat?

"I suppose you find me intimidating, little Hyuuga." He quipped, stunning the girl with his informality and blasé attitude.

And she twitched imperceptibly because he couldn't have been farther from the truth. Her gloriously disrespectful thoughts flitted between how his nose was slightly too big for his face, his eyelids were far too heavy, and his wrinkles were reminiscent of a small bulldog she had seen in the city.

She thought of how his brilliant, overly ostentatious crimson robes were far too large for his thin frame and how she understood the feeling of drowning in such weighty clothes, and the responsibilities that came with them. She thought of how they matched the red drapes with the golden trim and how she would hate for her home to be decorated with such heavy finery. She preferred the simplicity of understated elegance; rooms of cream and sky blue with smatterings of pastel colors.

But those were her thoughts, and she would die before she admitted them aloud to the Daimyo. She looked slightly down and to the left. "I apologize, Daimyo-sama. I am sorry if I have displeased you."

Another reedy laugh and the daimyo clapped, startling her. "My dear, you are simply a joy. You are such a funny, little nervous thing. Not at all like I thought a kunoichi would be."

'And you are not at all like I thought a Daimyo would be.' She wanted to respond, but she bit her tongue at the disrespectful thoughts. What was wrong with her? She was beginning to see the fun Na…well, someone felt in his honest and oftentimes blunt remarks to authority figures.

He stopped laughing and smiled widely at her still polite expression. "Tell me, Ambassador of the Leaf, what do you want?"

She glanced up quickly at his face, noting something off in the tone and in the way he used her title. It was sarcastic and somewhat mocking. Had they already gotten to him?

"My Lord, please I am here to…"

He held up a hand to silence her, his smile slipping from his thin face and his lips pressing into a grim line. The heavy lids no longer looked comical and his reedy voice seemed to resonate with the power of his position. "I know what you are here to do and I know what you've done, Hinata Hyuuga. But tell me, how am I to trust a shinobi such as yourself?"

Her eyes widened, and her brows furrowed in confusion. "Daimyo-sama. I'm afraid I don't understand."

His lips became impossibly thin, almost disappearing. "It is simple, Hinata Hyuuga. How do I trust someone who lives and breathes in a life of lies? How can I trust shinobi when they have nearly destroyed my country and this world countless times?

Hinata paused at the unexpected questioning, and her face became thoughtful, the mask unconsciously breaking for a moment. And if she had been looking, she would have seen the Daimyo's expression soften slightly.

"By hearing their story and truth."

And then something very curious happened. His thin lips reemerged and a small smile returned. He tilted his head, the elaborate headdress tinkling with the movement, and he said, "Then tell me your story, little Hinata. Tell me your truth."


"HINATA!" The cry ripped from his throat. He saw her turn, but there was no way she could block it in time. Why was her Byakugan not activated? There was no way he could leap to her in time through the window.

Images of blood splattered indigo flashed through his mind.

Not now. Not when he still needed to talk with her, to salvage something, anything, from their disastrous relationship. He wouldn't let that stupid argument be their last words to each other.

"She can't die." He whispered to himself.

But Naruto Uzumaki was never one to remain helpless, and they would have done well to remember that.

It happened in tiny fragments of time, immeasurable. A carefully aimed kunai was thrown at the darkly masked assailant, precision inextricably combined with a force so powerful, that the weapon flew soundlessly through the smoky air.

Hinata had raised her arm to block the attack, signaling to the shrieking bird to guide the Water Dragon Bullet for a moment. A blur passed right over her dark long sleeve, tearing a piece and managing to briefly stop the attacker. Then a flash of gold burned across her gaze and for one fleeting moment she thought a brilliant, blazing fragment of the sun had fallen in the midst of the turmoil.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her." He said low, the unusual quiet of his voice made the statement all the more threatening. His words echoed her own from years ago, when she stood in front of Pein.

A shiver ran down her back. She had forgotten just how dangerous he could be.

Her gaze turned from the overwhelming brightness, relief flooding through her as she felt a familiar and comforting warmth radiating from the towering, flickering figure. She absently noted that his left foot was placed on top of the torn piece of cloth. Her eyes widened. Just when had he…?

She smiled wryly. Of course. He was Naruto Uzumaki, the number one knuckleheaded unpredictable ninja.

She watched as a large chakra extension formed out of the dancing flames of his cloak, slamming her attacker into the ground, while several more flames morphed into extensions, fighting off enemy shinobi. All the while, Naruto did not move from his spot, effortlessly eradicating their countless foes.

"Thank you, Naruto." She whispered quietly, feeling slightly awkward and apologetic. Her mouth became dry and her heart raced as his red slitted eyes slid to view her from the corner of his gaze. The look was indescribable. It was passionate confusion and resolve burning through. It was relief and amusement and stubborn fondness all wrapped up into one carmine-colored mixture of emotion.

"Where's Ikki?" He asked gruffly, slowly inching forward.

"I don't know." She responded absently, noting that Alba-chan was fading, his energy drained by handling the water jutsu all on his own. It had only been three minutes since she'd performed the summon, but somehow it had felt like the infinite space between two lifetimes. She made a single hand sign and the dragon dissipated, the last vestiges of water falling to put out several flaming buildings and the steam hissed satisfyingly.

"Where else did you put them?" She asked vaguely, struggling to speak against her beating heart in her throat. She hoped he would take the rising redness on her face as a product of exertion.

"Just on you three."

Nodding, she pirouetted quickly, trusting the rest to her future Hokage. Any feelings of anger and tension for the moment she buried deep, and replaced them with deep relief, trust, and the fragments of something she had thought was long ago properly dealt with.

Hinata shook her head, telling herself that now was not the time. And a question nagged at the edge of her consciousness…

'If not now, then when?'

The growing smile on Naruto's face went unnoticed by Hinata. And when she left, he wordlessly mouthed his own name. She had said his name without the suffix. Newly energized, he performed his signature Kage Bunshin and several dozen bright figures leapt into the forest, chasing after the already retreating attackers.


Karin was already setting up a small safe area, directing able bodied citizens and available Naruto clones to help carry the injured into a still standing house. She sighed sadly as she gazed at the wreckage, worried about those remaining. Red hair fell in front of a smudged face as she worked tirelessly to bandage and treat burns and wounds.

She was used to this chaos and destruction. She had hoped this time that maybe…just maybe, things would be different. That this time, she could live here in some sort of peace…even if she did kind of miss her old team and her beloved Sasuke was three days away. She had almost reached it too, taking care of the civilians was an oddly fulfilling pastime and her experience with running Orochimaru's prison had ironically helped her in organizing the program. Granted, it still needed a lot of work, but it was much better than before.

At least until all this crap had happened.

The injured were piling up. The small Kusagakure jonin force was reduced to half its number; some had been killed and at least four more were lying on makeshift cots. The magnificent staircases that had risen up into the trees, the rope bridges and the buildings were on fire. There was nothing left untouched and she wondered what logic could possibly be behind this attack.

Whoever the enemy was, they had destroyed the council building, blocked the main water sources in the center of town and from what she gathered, razed numerous fruit tree orchards and farmed produce to the ground. The clinic was inaccessible at this point and she still had to keep charge of this side of things.

Families huddled in silent groups, children wailed and several chunin had formed a tight circle around this area, guarding the refugees while watching their superiors and allies – especially the Naruto clones – fight the ridiculously huge numbers of masked shinobi.

This was chaos, and where was their damn Head Ninja? Was he out fighting the enemy?

"Does anyone know where Ikki is?" She shouted at the crowd.

A young, nervous chunin answered. He wiped his sweat covered brow and spread even more soot across his face. Green eyes tightened in worry as he reported. "We went to look, but found no sign of him. His house was on fire and the windows were broken. Judging by its condition, it was one of the first attacked."

Karin sucked in a sharp breath, worry etched onto her face. "Something's wrong."


Hinata bounded towards the middle of the now empty town square. Frightened villagers were being led away by the academy teacher, Kusomoto. Hinata's heart broke at the despairing expression on his wrinkled face, mirrored by the faces of the ones he ushered to safety.

A frail woman still in her sleeping robes fought against the grasping hands of her fellow villagers. She ran across the road, bare feet dirty and blistered. "My daughter! She's in there!"

Hinata looked in horror as she followed the direction the woman pointed towards. The clinic…

More smoke and screams. A red glow and fresh smoke rose from behind the Town Square, and Hinata's stomach plummeted. They were attacking the clinic at the back of town. There were still a handful of patients in beds, unable to move and children with no avenue to escape.

The flames grew brighter in an instant.

"NO!" The agonized cry left the hysterical woman as the others grasped her, telling her that it was too late. Her heart-wrenching wails rang through the air, each sob sending a wave of sorrow through those witnessing the sight.

Hinata didn't think as she ran down the dirt trail, the pounding of her heart overpowering that of her feet as the burning building came into view, shrieks echoing through flashes of gray and red.

Without hesitation, she leapt through the broken door of the building, pressing pale hands against her mouth and nose. The smoke was impairing her ability to breathe, and the heat was almost unbearable. This was too warm, not like the shining gold of Naruto's chakra cloak.

This was death.

There was no nearby water source to put it out; her chakra was low from the initial defense and there was no time to convert enough into the element.

But she had to find them. She needed to see through the smoke, through the crumbling walls and the crackling wood.

Chakra flowed through long unused pathways; the familiarity of the powerful sensation was marred by the searing pain crossing her vision. She focused her will and forced past it, seeing through Hyuuga eyes for the first time in years.

She could see shades of gray and white, the flames nearly blinding her and blurring her vision. Then it faded, leaving her eyes teary and her temples throbbing. She pulled what she had seen to the forefront of her thoughts, formulating a plan.

'Four nurses, down the hall with two unconscious patients. Several more upstairs in four separate rooms.'

Calculations made and priorities decided she formed a hand sign, praying that this would work. Two index fingers pointed upwards and a pulse of chakra emanated.

"Kage Bunshin!" She shouted.

Hinata nearly collapsed, the use of that technique draining her. This was why it was forbidden. But she was in a burning building with no source to make her usual water clones and so, she found herself falling back upon this technique. She would have laughed at the irony had the situation been different.

Two of her now stood in front of the slumped original and she quickly straightened, relaying her strategy while mentally, she told herself to work on her stamina after this whole thing was over.

"Upstairs, first and second rooms there are four patients suffering from smoke inhalation." She coughed orders. Then she signaled and the clone leapt upwards to her assigned location.

"To the left, four nurses locked in the third room and at the end of the hall, two patients are unconscious." The clone ran through the smoky haze, following orders.

Hinata followed the first clone upstairs, knowing that she had given herself just enough time. She glanced up and ran wildly; kicking down doors, pain pulsing through her body and smoke restricting her ability to breathe. She could already feel the chakra seeping away, her sight growing blurry as the pain increased tenfold in her head.

She felt the clone downstairs disperse, the information flooding her thoughts momentarily. It had reached the office in time. The nurses had been taking a break downstairs when the fire had started from the roof; the attackers had blocked any escape, leaving them unable to reach anyone. The two patients were in the safe zone and one of the nurses had gone to call for help.

She continued on, frustrated at her own weakness and her fatal flaw having made itself known.

'Can I not do this on my own?' She wondered to herself, as the tiniest bit of doubt cracked the wall of resolute confidence she'd spent the last five years erecting against situations such as this.


Naruto fought tirelessly, gritting his teeth as he could not sense any hostility from his opponents. In this form, he should have easily been able to decipher their actions based on that sense, but he got nothing. They blended into the shadows, evading capture and Naruto stopped, punching a tree in frustration, splintering it irreparably.

"DAMN IT!"

It made no sense. They were so easy to defeat, but so hard to capture.

Kurama finally spoke.

Kit, I don't think they are self-aware. They act more like mindless puppets than anything else.

Naruto stopped chasing those retreating; already aware that there were some captives waiting to be unmasked and paused to wonder what his friend could have meant. He closed his eyes, finding himself in his mindscape.

Kurama was here, waiting patiently with nine brilliant tails waving behind him. He seemed unaffected by the turn of events in the outside world.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, finally giving his full attention.

There's something off. None of them have talked, nor given any indication as to the reasons for the attack.

Naruto and Kurama stilled as a foreign sensation sought to access his mind. Ino's voice rang through his head, just as it had during the war.

"Someone's here."

Kurama nodded towards his host, indicating that they could analyze this later. Naruto returned to reality, readying himself to perform the Hiraishin once more. He concentrated briefly on the image of a seal placed on one of Shino's insects.

He mentally apologized to the Aburame before disappearing in a flash of yellow.


The first room she had opened had been empty. The second had held three of the children, slowly coughing away their life, tiny and pale hands grasping at burning throats. They begged for water. They begged for their parents. Two of them were on the ground, fading away. Hinata quickly pooled her own chakra into her palm, transforming it into her elemental nature.

The children drank in the water desperately. But there was no time, the roof was going to collapse and the flames were licking at the corners of the room.

These three should be the last in the building.

She bit her finger, unthinking and poured in a large amount of chakra. Her head was pounding, her hands were blistered. But they were suffering more. The spirals of the summoning jutsu spread across the floor, the smoke mingled with the already growing haze and the largest summon she could call at the moment appeared. A mature albatross with feathers of gray and eyes of black; huge wings spread at the ready.

"Kaitodori-san, please!" Hinata gasped breathlessly up at the summon.

"Will you be fine, Lady Hinata?" He asked, fluffing his feathers to avoid the flames and ash.

"They are the last! I'll be fine!"

Hinata quickly settled the children on his back and activated her Byakugan once more. Her chakra coated palms shattered the heated glass and minimized the growing flames, the gaping hole just large enough for three small children and one large albatross. They flew off into the red illuminated night, safe.

She felt a wave of memories return to her along with a small amount of much needed chakra.

Second clone rescue successful.


Karin watched as the huge albatross touched down in front of the shelter. She signaled to the chunin that it was trustworthy, and she ushered several attendants over to take care of the children.

"Is Hinata still in there?" She asked worriedly.

"She was making her away out of the building." Came his gruff voice. He preened his singed feathers nervously, hoping his summoner was fine.

"Then she should have been here by now." Karin surmised, running a hand through her tangled red hair. "Find Naruto Uzumaki! You know who that is right?"

"Of course." Kaitodori nodded, and took off to look for the boy whom Hinata had always been loath to speak about.

Karin frantically turned to another newly arrived burn victim, wondering just what the hell was going on.


Hinata whirled to the hallway, ready to run out of the building. Her Byakugan activated once more desperately seeking a sound exit. Spots loomed in her vision; she was seeing double. But she pressed on, because there was no time. The walls were weakening. Somewhere a crash resounded. Why was this clinic so large? Why was no one coming to help?

She staggered dizzily towards her destination. Over the crackle of fire she heard crying, and the small pounding of tiny fists and shrill screams of terrified children.

She didn't think; didn't remember that those rooms had been empty on her first scan. She ran, pushing past everything.

They were right behind the door. They would get hurt if she broke it down. The flames were coming closer, from the other side.

"I'm here, don't be scared! I'm breaking down the door!" Hinata warned, shouting with all her might over the crashes and screams, even though her throat was painfully dry. Her Byakugan faded in and out, showing blurry outlines of chakra networks standing behind the door. A strike at the weakest spot, and it splintered into tiny pieces. She noticed her hands were shaking, and the painful blisters had burst, trickling blood in her desire to save them.

Her head hurt terribly, and she was squinting against the intensity of the light. The roof was caving in, a beam would soon fall.

The flames were outside the window. The room was unbearably hot. There was no time now.

"Where are you?"

Useless Hyuuga eyes scanned the empty room, and then she gasped as she felt the grips of reality slip away, her pain faded slightly and she felt as if she could float into the red sky, away on the ashes and into space.

A burning cloak of ugly brightness. The horrible echo of a broken, shattered and messily reassembled philosophy rang through her ears. A desolate wind sweeping through and one by one around her dropped the bodies of the Alliance, like flies. And she gazed with her all-seeing eyes.

She saw death. She saw the end. A huge white mound of fur; a once wagging tail suddenly still. A boy with a fanged smile no longer moving. A pair of cracked glasses laying in a pool of blood, floundering insects scurrying around them.

The cry of a blonde haired beauty as she cradled the limp form of her large friend. The mad charge made by an angry Nara, a deer ramming its horns against the mountain of impossibility that was their enemy.

Her cousin's body run through with wooden lances, a bird impaled on its very own refuted destiny. A huddled mass of green missing a piece of himself.

Here and there she saw crimson, running blood. Precious allies strewn about floor, discarded like useless pawns of an incomplete chess set.

The Queens lay in pieces, the Kings in fragments. The board was a desert, cracked and mangled beyond recognition.

Black hair, red eyes turned to dark gray and a muttered resolve faded away on trembling lips, regrets bubbling with his blood. A pink haired medic gasping as she failed to save those precious to her, as she watched her teacher die.

Two men, one masked and one now unmasked making a last stand.

Matted, bloody blond hair and a chest cracked open, the heart of the shinobi force silent and still. Blue eyes closed to the sky, forever.

And with her special Hyuuga eyes, she saw everything and gripped her inky strands of hair in utter disbelief. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening. She screamed; the sound ripping through her throat.

The sky fell in pieces as the mountain spoke and touched the moon. And she was glad to give into it; she felt the pain receding as the threads of illusion embraced her senses, smothering her in a suffocating warmth that felt oh so much like when her mother used to tuck her in at night. So she curled up, just as a child would and wished that when she woke up, they would all be there.

She glanced up one last time at the crimson red moon…red like fire…

Her eyes widened in realization and she whispered with trembling lips, "Kai."

Then the pain returned and so did the clarity.

A rotting tendril of a dying tree shot for her head among the flames and smoke. A dark figure at the corner of her blurred sight.

She reacted as a Hyuuga would.

She felt everything in heightened spirals of pain and resolve and her spirit roared, burning brighter than any flames this disaster could create. She swore that she could feel every tendon flex in her right foot as she pushed off the ground. She could feel the chakra emanating from every pore, leaving her hollow and strangely light. She could feel the distended veins at her temples as the pain blossomed beautifully, and she could see so very clearly.

In her mind's eye rested the images of the genjutsu and of Neji, dead on the battlefield because she had been too weak…always too weak. Her reckless resolve burned through her, pushing her to spin faster. And she spun, faster than before, instinctively protecting herself against the barrage. She saw flashes of her blue chakra bursting as they fought off the roots. The flames continued to devour the walls and the curtains, the beds, and the white polyganatum flowers in their blue vase on the fringes of her vision. (Secret)

She smelled the freshness of the air inside her defense, a brief reprieve from the choking, stinging smoke of the burning room.

The beam cracked and the ceiling fell. The pressure pushed against her chakra, she pushed back, feeling giddily dizzy at the idea of staying here forever. There was no roof now and she could see the night sky glowing red and angry. The flames were growing and her defense was weakening.

A dark figure stepped out from among the flames and tired eyes widened, swallowing her face in fear, betrayal mirrored in them.

"Kusano…san?"

She stopped spinning.


Ino again dodged, frustrated at the fact that there was nothing to grasp onto with her opponent. No readable consciousness that could be targeted and the very feel of its chakra made her nauseous. Humanoid figures reached for her, dripping black muck and breaking up the landscape near the bridge.

She glanced to the side, noticing Shino's insects gradually increasing in size as they devoured the remnants of those who had attacked their host. She shivered slightly. The Parasitic Giant Insect Bite Technique, effective for larger opponents.

Shino watched from the corner of his eye as one of his insects broke away from the rest of the swarm, landing somewhere behind him.

He did not have time to analyze exactly why before a flash of yellow overshadowed the poor thing and Naruto arrived on the scene, his foot placed firmly on the spot where the insect once was. The look of absolute despair behind Shino's glasses had Naruto almost regretting placing the seal on one of his insects, but that had been the most discreet option at the time.

Naruto ducked quickly, the towering form of another humanoid mass of roots and decay rising up to obscure the sky, while the stench assaulted his nostrils. This was getting interesting.

"Bring it on, ugly." He grinned, excited at the challenge.

Ino sighed audibly, relieved that he was here. This would be easy, she thought. She was proved right when the entity dissolved into a dead pile of mud and plant life. The sky was no longer obscured and the moon illuminated the torn up landscape around them. Naruto's cloak dissipated, as he finally let his guard down.

All three gaped at whatever that…thing had been, and wondered what just happened.

Naruto's eyes widened, as the realization hit him. "This was a distraction, but for what?"

The question was answered when a familiar shriek echoed across the sky, the outline of Kaitodori-san loomed larger as he frantically searched for his summoner's teammates.


Kusano's green eyes did not falter; they glinted in the firelight and he seemed nonplussed. He smiled, a simpering fatherly look dripping with falseness.

"Ever the lone hero, Hinata-chan. Never asking for help."

She was shocked; her form rigid. This was Kusano, the friendly man who had vouched for them in the council meeting. This was the man who had promised the citizens of this village a new future. There was no way…there had been no sign of this…

"What have you done?" She murmured, eyes wide and trying to reconcile the image of her one-time friend with this grinning bastard.

"Come now, Hinata-chan." He offered gently, coaxing. "Don't be so upset."

"Why? WHY?" She shouted hoarsely, her voice eclipsed by the crackling of the wood reminding her that she was on a time limit. Her fists clenched, preparing to fight the traitor responsible for so much death and destruction.

"It's simple, really." Ikki blithely replied, as if he wasn't standing in the midst of a burning village. As if he wasn't to blame for the sorrow and suffering of many.

Arms formed from decaying roots and grasped for her, but she cut them using a water needle barrage. She breathed hard, her body aching and her head hurting. "Answer my question!"

"Why, Hinata-chan…how else will I get the village to accept that we need the bridge?" He reasoned.

"What do you mean?" She continued, her eyes hardening. She circled her attacker, edging closer to the outside wall. If she could just break through the flames, and if she coated herself with enough chakra, she could make it out through there.

But a part of her, the part that cursed her stubborn self, prayed that Naruto might yet come.

'He won't come, not this time.' The thought rang through her, as her hand twitched imperceptibly, reaching for the missing piece of her sleeve. A crackling beam had her looking worriedly at what remained of the ceiling. Kusano's poorly formed plant appendages were damp; leaking black muck that seemed to quell most of the flames.

He chuckled. "It won't fall; not yet Water Seeker. I'm making sure of that."

"What do you mean?" She reiterated forcefully, her eyesight blurry and struggling to focus on him. She could not give in, not yet. She had to gather enough information at least, and then it hit her. If she could play the Wounded Deer Gambit, she might just make the situation work.

Her Byakugan had long since faded, leaving behind a throbbing pain and spotted vision. She slumped slightly, giving into the dull ache in her body. She concentrated on the pain, letting her tears fall. "P-Please…just let me go. I can't fight anymore."

Kusano stilled. What a weak opponent she had turned out to be, and playing to her hero's complex had been an efficient trap. He wondered if his distraction at the bridge would buy him enough time for the other ones. He would play with her just a little bit longer.

"Poor, poor Hinata-chan. You're too soft for the job you've got."

She remained silent, her position relaxed and he could see she was fading.

"Seeing as you're about to lose, there's no harm. How else was this stupid village going to accept outside help?" He reasoned. "Besides, my employer seemed to think it was a good idea."

"You monster." She stated bluntly, seething with anger at his callousness. Innocents had died today and he had destroyed his own village, the people he had promised to protect. "They'll know it was you."

"Unfortunately not. I'm not stupid, Hyuuga. And I'm still helping them, they just…"

"LIAR!" She shrieked, the sound hurting her dry throat and the smoke still stinging. She broke into hacking coughs, her lungs finally reaching their limits. How was he unaffected by the atmosphere?

He stopped and walked towards her. "The pot calling the kettle black."

"W-What do you want with me? Why now?" She asked.

"Oh I don't know, maybe because your status wasn't confirmed in your last visit. As for what I want from you…" He drew closer, sensing she was no threat now and withdrew several decaying arms from his broken opponent.

"I considered many options really. Taking out your eyes, holding you for ransom…" He trailed off. "But then again, your eyes are useless now, aren't they Hinata-chan?"

Her heart raced and her stomach plummeted. How did he know?

Seeing her turn pale and begin to tremble, he knew he had hit her weak point. He looked pointedly at her neck, where he knew lay a thin flame-shaped pendant, hidden underneath her headband. He grinned at the delicious irony.

"How many have you lied to Hinata Hyuuga? How many have you deceived with your innocent looks and pretty words?"

She wordlessly lunged forward, eyes hidden beneath singed bangs.

He was unprepared for the surge of chakra, her last reserves and for her crazed melee attack. He was unable to anticipate her moves, sharpened over the years she had not been in Kusagakure. She weaved in an out of his attacks, his form not suited for her close combat.

A chakra laced fist dug into his solar plexus, knocking the air out of him and his body dissolved away to reveal a decaying block of wood. The structure crumbled, no longer supported by Kusano's jutsu. The floor collapsed from under her, the flames that had been held at bay returned.

She felt weightless as she fell with the debris, regretting that she would die without having said goodbye to everyone, without having made her family whole, without having told Naruto that she still loved…

She lost herself in the darkness.


The night was hauntingly beautiful, a full moon rising through the inky black. She stood at the sliding door, the lacquered floor of the open hallway creaking under her. Suffocating warmth enfolded the gardens, the humidity pressing against her nose and mouth and she wanted to scream. She was choking, gasping…her lungs unable to take in a breath. Her long hair, hanging to her waist felt too hot.

The thin bejeweled flame on the pendant burned, an excruciating pain lying somewhere in the vicinity of her heart. Her pale hand trembled, clutching at the rich silk of her kimono.

She was branded.

Branded like a precious commodity; she was caged and she longed for release. She longed for endless blue and freedom, for the sea and the sky and the gold of the sun yet surprisingly, not the scent of newly grown leaves. Not anymore. But she had no one to blame but herself. She had willingly taken the pendant; accepting the role despite her reservations.

"Are you okay, Lady Hinata?" Kaitodori asked, his beak clicking with every syllable.

Gray flight feathers were bathed silver in the moonlight, and Hinata envied him. She envied him the ability to fly, to escape. She gave a small apologetic smile, lilac eyes still turned towards the moon.

"I'm alright, Kaitodori-san, thank you."

He clicked his beak once more in disapproval. "You never speak to me."

She turned towards him, the rustling of the heavy peach brocade mingling with the chirping of crickets. "I'm sorry."

The silence stretched into a painfully tense moment; her turmoil evident in every movement and every breath she took. Finally she asked.

"Do you think…that I am a traitor?"

He did not answer as she continued to reason to herself and him, justifying her actions because he knew she was still unsure.

"It is for the Daimyo after all and regardless, Konoha answers to him…but this…" She trailed off, clutching the cloth over her chest tighter still.

Black eyes narrowed in suspicion and he drew on his eons of wisdom, a piece of advice for his lost, little summoner.

"The most important kind of freedom is to be what you truly are. You traded in your reality for a role. You traded in your sense of self for an act. You gave up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask." (1)

She remained silent, turning back to stare at the moon, the silver reflected in her ghostly gaze, and for once her eyes looked like Hyuuga eyes.

"How can I be free, when I don't know what I truly am?"

For that, he had no answer.


"Where is she?" He demanded an answer from the bird who had barely landed. His chakra hummed again, and the cloak appeared in response to his growing worry.

"In the clinic. She went to save those trapped and never returned. Whatever you intend to do, please act quickly. Her connection is weakening." Replied the elder albatross. His feathers were fluffed in agitation, wings at the ready to take off again.

Shino and Ino tensed, barely registering what was happening.

Naruto paled and a shudder ran through him, the cloak flaring intensely. No thought and no moment spared, he leapt forward, the other two struggling to keep up, falling behind rapidly.

Kaitodori followed, wings beating frantically, pushing to reach his summoner. He could feel the grip of her chakra fading, slipping away into oblivion and he worried. Each stroke, each beat forward seemed impossibly long and Naruto shared his sentiments, his senses straining to feel for her, as he searched…and searched.

"HINAAATA!" He called desperately, a mad determination, a constant denial of reality driving him forward. The branches tore at him, and he ripped them away in his haste. Nothing would stop him. He had no time. He picked up the pace, the thought of her being gone...truly gone was unbearable. It stabbed at his heart, the pain never letting up and his eyes began to sting.

"Time. Give me some more time…" He begged, asking anyone who would listen. His words echoed her own again, a request for a thing that was scarce. Time to be by her side, as she had once asked of him on that rainy day so long ago.

He wanted, needed time. Time to hear her story, to get to know her, to find out ask why she had left him. Time to peel away whatever mask she had built up over the years. He needed time to tell her…to tell her everything.

But as the saying goes, time waits for no man. And Naruto learned it all over again when he caught sight of the smoking remnants of Kusagakure's only health center. Broken wood, broken dreams, sputtering flames.

Ino and Shino reached him just then, gasping for air as they grew horrified at the wreckage. Naruto searched as Ino ran frantically to and fro, straining her senses to their limits, tears leaking in her eyes as she could not find her friend's signature.

Shino rushed forward, uncharacteristically impulsive as he threw away piece after piece of wood, digging blindly for his best friend.

Sputtering, dying…

Kaitodori landed near the frantic man, trembling from the fraying connection to his summoner. He gestured towards a large hole in the earth, an impossibly deep crater filled in with debris looking as if they had been torn apart as opposed to burnt.

"She was on the second floor. She's running out of…"

A poof and he was gone, his sentence unfinished and leaving a desperately searching Naruto.

Then Naruto felt her, a faint ember dulling by the second.

Drip, drip…

He shouted, a wordless, painfully desperate cry and he used his clones; dozens of them to dig through the wreckage. Shino and Ino watched helplessly as the flickering forms jumped to and fro, demolishing any obstacle in their way of rescue, and they watched as he cried and screamed, cursing everyone and everything.

"FUCK! NO…PLEASE!" He ripped away a large log, the muck of Kusano's attack still dripping from it in rivulets.

He flinched as a blindly thrown log displaced several more, a cascade falling deeper into the hole. But he was beyond clear thought at the moment. He felt the traces of time, slipping past him, faster than anything he had ever felt.

"Not now. Not now." He muttered. His heart stopped as finally, horrifically, a pale hand was exposed, limp and bloodied, blisters marring the once smooth skin.

Drip, drip…

The last of the debris was demolished, leaving Hinata free and motionless. His hands shook as he reached for her, the clones dissipating at his unconscious command.

Drip, drip…

Her chest rose imperceptibly and each breath she took was shaky and shallow. Her heart beat weakly, the sound irregular and slow. And even as he touched her bruised face, her eyes closed, he still heard the drip of water, the droplets falling onto her bruised face and leaving tracks through the soot and ash.

He had not realized he had been crying. He reached to pick her up, and he gingerly cradled her head in the crook of his neck, the tears falling still. He leapt up and out of the hole, calling for their friend.

"Ino!"

"Put her down!" Ino shouted worriedly. She ran towards the two, her chakra already pooled in her hands, at the ready. She roughly pushed him away, worry evident on her face as she scanned the entirety of Hinata's broken form. She winced at the extent of the injuries, the blistered skin and the purple bruises.

"Mild concussion…broken ribs…second degree burns and…severe chakra depletion!" Ino exclaimed, and set her teeth as the green glow of her hands increased, casting Hinata in a sickly light. The light sputtered after a while, and she cursed, panting.

"Shit! I don't have enough chakra!"

"Take mine!" Naruto responded anxiously, before Shino could even utter the words. His flak jacket was torn in several places and his hands were clenched, and she knew he was desperate to do something, anything. His eyes…those were the worst. They were burning, holding everything at bay, even as his tears fell. His teeth were sharper, and his whiskers more pronounced. He was straining, fighting against the urge to hunt down whoever had done this.

She nodded. "Quick, put your hands on mine and do the transfer."

He did so, and she felt the massive surge of chakra Naruto gave flowing through her and the green glow flared. She looked towards the man next to her, taking into account his utter inability to look at anyone other than her patient, a deep concern, worry and love so obvious, it was painful to take note of.

'They really need to talk…damn it.' She thought as she pushed more chakra into the technique, accelerating the healing. She could feel bones knitting together; the internal bruising was abated and Hinata's heartbeat stabilized.

Her eyes flew open, tinged red and moving wildly around their swollen sockets, not quite resting on any one sight. Her fingers twitched and she began to cough, gasping and writhing for air. She thrashed about, inhibiting Ino's ability to heal.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked breathlessly, his heart jumping into his throat and his body feeling as if there was an impossibly heavy weight laced through every part. Dread filled his being, and he could barely speak. "Ino, what…"

Ino struggled to pin down the still writhing Hinata, the dry hacking coughs and gasps alerting her to a severe problem.

"Damn, smoke inhalation." She turned towards Shino, knowing that he needed some purpose at the moment, or he would break.

"Hold her down."

And the three crowded around, working together to stabilize the woman who had just come back to them.


"You really need to eat." Ino admonished, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She huffed as the subject of her ire remained unmoving, dull blue eyes never ceasing to look at the kunoichi lying on the cot. The various conversations around the makeshift infirmary seemed to fall on deaf ears, and the thanks he had been given for his help went unnoticed. He had even lost interest in the ongoing investigation, and Ino grew worried that this could jeopardize the mission.

He had been here from the start, never leaving.

Shino had nearly done the same thing, refusing to leave his teammate's side, but Karin had managed to get him a job cleaning up debris in the village. At least if he was needed, he might be distracted a bit.

She briefly noted that Naruto's hair was disheveled, more so than usual and he was still wearing the same dark shirt from two days ago. His eyes were ringed with dark circles, and his cheeks had sunk. He still held Hinata's right hand, and his thumb caressed it absently.

Ino glanced at her unconscious friend, thinking that she looked so small and frail on the cot, her dark hair pooling around her, ugly bruises marring too many parts. The bandages over her eyes were the worst part, and she feared that the injury was worse than it seemed.

She moved close to check on the injury. Ino's hands shook as she assessed the remaining damage around Hinata's eyes. They were horribly swollen and the skin around her right one was an especially angry red, tiny spots had erupted with the broken blood vessels and she hissed as her hands scanned the area.

Carnage and burnt nerve endings became obvious and she wanted to cry for this headstrong, striving girl who had lost a huge part of herself.

"Byakugan overuse, but this…most of it looks like old damage, and the nerves that are left are so severely damaged, I can barely make out where they're supposed to start or end…"

"Will she be okay?" Naruto asked desperately, hovering over her shoulder.

Ino debated telling him the complete truth, and felt it would be up to Hinata to explain this. "I hope so." And she prayed that her friend would not wake up to darkness.

Naruto continued to watch over her, his most precious person. He did not look up, not from her. How could he?

Ino took notice and decided to point it out, maybe getting to the bottom of things in the process. "It's really obvious, you know?" Ino started, tugging at her long sleeve nervously.

His eyes shifted to glance at her. He said nothing.

Then Shino approached them, his green jacket musty from his work, and his body tense. His stride was quick, and if one knew Shino well enough, his anxiety was palpable. He gingerly picked his way through the numerous cots lying on the floor, glancing at the occasional visitor and feeling pity for the wounded crying in pain.

He nodded at Ino as he glanced towards Naruto's hand, which was still holding Hinata's.

Ino sighed, remembering her talk with Shino. "I…I wanted to apologize."

Naruto stilled, blue eyes widening ever so slightly. He tilted his head wordlessly.

She turned towards Shino, who nodded again approvingly. She could swear that despite the tension and sadness underlying his expression, she could feel his aura of smugness.

"About believing those rumors, without verifying that they were true." She paused, her fingers twitching in discomfort as she looked full on at Naruto. "Even if they are, it wasn't my place to talk about you like that."

And Naruto looked fully confused. He finally spoke, his voice hoarse from disuse. "What rumors?"

Ino paled, and her throat turned dry. "I, uh…I have to go help Karin…"

"Ino. What rumors?" He said with an air of authority, losing what little patience he had left. This was ridiculous. He never paid attention to the stupid Konoha rumor mill. The information was rarely ever useful, and even then it was prone to exaggeration and falsehoods intermingled with the rare nugget of truth.

"About all the girls you've…been with." Ino whispered, wishing the floor could just swallow her up at the moment. Shino's face lightened considerably.

Blue eyes narrowed and he asked, "How many?"

Ino's voice came out small, her usually loud speech diminished in the face of embarrassment and apology. "They vary."

"Give me your biggest estimate." He challenged.

"Seventy-nine." She squeaked out finally. She flinched, realizing now the sheer absurdity of the number. She stood still, waiting for the retribution.

And then he laughed; a terrible, humorless laugh ringing through their corner of the infirmary and Ino flinched, regretting every single word she had ever uttered on the subject.

He stopped abruptly and his gaze softened as it fell on Hinata's resting form. He absently muttered to her, even though she was unconscious.

His hand never left hers. It was a painfully tender moment, awkward to witness and Ino felt shame and curiosity. These two were up and down, and she was dizzy trying to figure out just where they stood with each other.

Ino wondered at what exactly was running through his head, and her natural curiosity returned, prompting to her ask a very intrusive question.

"What…happened between you two?"

His thumb stopped its circular movements, and now even Shino waited with baited breath wondering if this was the key to Hinata's departure. Naruto turned towards the two and he breathed a weary sigh, looking more tired than he ever had.

"Not that it's any of your business, but she left me." His hand squeezed hers slightly, and his teeth clenched at the unpleasant memory, the pain seeming as fresh as it had five years ago. The wound had been ripped open by her return and every moment, every word, every touch had been like pouring salt and lemon juice in, the wound sizzling, the edges fraying and bleeding mercilessly.

"She didn't even give me a choice. She promised to meet me at Ichiraku's the next day, and she never showed up. I went to the Hyuuga compound, the monument, the park, the cemetery…she wasn't anywhere…she left me!"

Then his hand let hers go, as one reached to clutch at his chest while the other ran through his hair, wild movements showing his turmoil.

"Baa-chan was the only one who knew where she went, and she wouldn't tell me! Said the mission was classified, or something. I…I waited so many days at the front gate, hoping…praying…that she would suddenly appear and tell me why she left. I don't know if it was something I did or said…I don't know anything because she just won't talk!"

He buried his face in his hands, forgetting that he had an audience.

Shino felt empathetic, feeling just as lost and confused. Ino shifted guiltily, her question only partially answered.

"How many were there actually?" She asked awkwardly, attempting to divert his attention to a different subject. She winced. It was such a rude inquiry, but it had been the only subject close enough to not be obvious and far enough that he might forget the pain, if only for the moment. Plus she was still curious…

He gave her an incredulous look for a moment and then shrugged sheepishly.

"Not that it matters, but in five years the number was less than a dozen." He sighed, weary of fighting. "And before you make any more judgments, I dated each and every one actually looking for a relationship…"

Ino gasped at the vast difference, and felt the shame grow anew. How had she let it go on so terribly? Oh, she knew there had been some exaggeration of the numbers. But so many women had lied, hoping to get that recognition. Each and every one of the girls who had said they slept, dated or both with Naruto Uzumaki had done so proudly. Each one had received their fifteen minutes of fame for having been with THE Naruto Uzumaki, the hero of the world and the future Hokage. He was handsome to boot, and they had been vying for his attention as soon as he had come back from defeating Pein.

"I'm so…"

"It's fine. It's in the past." He cut her off, tired of the subject. He smiled wryly, as he looked at his friends. "Just like all of them."

"If you cared for her so much…" Ino started. Naruto opened up his mouth to protest, but she stopped him, glaring. "Don't lie! It's so damn obvious; I'm surprised she hasn't noticed it."

Shino huffed, silently agreeing.

She turned to Hinata, worry crossing her face once more and she reached to tuck back a stray strand of hair crossing over the white bandages of her face.

'What have you done, Hinata?' She thought.

She looked back at Shino and Naruto. Naruto's eyes were slightly distant as he looked at the girl who had given so much, yet taken just as equally. She never spoke, and he had made mistake after mistake trying to reach her; driving her to anger. But she was equally at fault, refusing to ask for help, refusing to talk about anything and he hated it.

His resolve grew as he looked at her, the pale skin and bright, lavender eyes hidden beneath the bandages. His hand gripped hers again, and he resumed rubbing circles into her skin, as if each movement could bring her back quicker, could bring them closer to a resolution.

"None of those relationships ever worked out, not even with Sakura, the girl I used to ask out every chance I had. I blamed them, blamed myself." He motioned his head towards Hinata. "But I realize now, it's her fault too."

He gave a small bittersweet smile, an epiphany reached. "It's been her for these past five years. It's always been her."


Naruto glanced at his chatty companion curiously. Ami Shiratori, a beautiful civilian girl who worked as a merchant on weekends and a librarian on weekdays. With waist-length jet black hair and a soft oval face, she was certainly nice to look at. But what captivated him the most were her eyes; gray irises that shone as she animatedly told him of her day. Her hands flew wildly as she spoke, and he listened, because it was the polite thing to do.

She was fun, she was pretty. And he smiled, because he hoped that maybe this time things would work out. That maybe this time could be something good.

They lasted all of four months.

He watched as she rose quietly from the bed; hurt emanating from her tense shoulders all the way down to the tips of her curled toes. Her hands were fisted into her blue sleeping shorts.

"It's over." She said quietly, as she brushed off his concerned hand.

"W-What? Why? I thought..." He said hoarsely, genuinely confused. Cobalt eyes deepened in sorrow, already prepared for the rejection.

"I can't. I just can't anymore." She whispered brokenly. "I can't compete with someone who isn't even here, Naruto."

"What are you talking about?" His brows furrowed in genuine confusion, his heart breaking only slightly this time. He had learned that he broke afterwards, when he had time to reminisce about all his ended relationships, and his failed attempts at finding something more than gaping loneliness.

"You called me Hinata." She turned towards him, gray eyes teary. She gave him one last smile and left the room, long black hair trailing behind. And though his heart was cracking again, somewhere in the recesses of his mind and away from conscious thought, he couldn't help but remark that the color of it was black, not indigo.

She donned her navy sweater quickly and grabbed her purse, wanting to leave before the scantily dressed man fully awoke and rushed to action. She was hurt, but left in earnest and in hidden shame. Because this beautiful, kind man had cheated on her with his heart. And inexcusably, she had cheated on him with her body two weeks ago.

What a pathetic, shattered pair they'd made.

But then again, anyone who stayed with him would break over time. She hadn't been the first and she had a feeling, she wouldn't be the last. There would be others, some genuine and others not, because he was desperately seeking something. And she had a hunch, he wouldn't find it.

She exited the building and crossed through the market, unaware of various gazes that stared as she left. Ino had a hunch… Shikamaru calculated… Sai surmised… Sasuke knew… and Sakura felt that this girl would not be the last. Their friend was broken, and none of them knew how to fix him.


Broken…

She felt broken and her body felt so very heavy. All she saw was darkness and her heart thudded with fear and loss. The tears fell and she pushed herself up off the softness underneath her, she felt her hair shift against her back and her skin sting with every movement as he tears ran down and…

And she felt someone's calloused fingers wiping them away.

She leaned into the touch and the tears fell faster, her lungs aching as she sobbed. She cried for everything, for those gone and dead…today, yesterday and in the war. She cried for Neji and for all whom she had hurt. She cried for the darkness that she knew would last forever now and she cried because she had now truly lost what made her a Hyuuga. She cried for the lies she had told and would tell.

How many more? How many more locks would be placed upon her self-wrought cage?

She felt herself pulled slightly to her right and her face buried in soft cloth, the scent of the summer sun shining on grass filled her nose.

"I'm here…I'm not going anywhere." His voice called comfortingly, hoarse and beautiful in its timbre.

Then he reached for the back of her head, and untied something. The bandages fell and she cried all over again, because she could see.

And she looked up and even though her sight was slightly blurry, she could see ever so clearly eyes of blue staring at her, and the moon streaming in, casting blonde hair in a silvery hue. He was so beautiful…

She could barely make out the bags under his eyes, and she felt herself sob harder.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" He asked frantically, his grip on her body tightening slightly and she talked, for the first time in a long time, relying on someone else.

"I am no longer me."


A/N: Not so innocent, but from here on out, starts the patch up, kind of...

Thank you again to SeriousSam!

Not sure if anyone cares, but sorry for not updating in almost two months. School and life kept me busy, and I finals was last week. Not fun.

1-Kaitodori's quote is modified from one by Jim Morrison

"The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on an individual level. It's got to happen inside first."

Recommendation Time!

CherryXButterfly- Breaking Point- Others have recommended it, and I am doing the same. It's a heartbreaking account of Hinata and PTSD. Just when things seem to be heading for a happy ending, Hinata finds herself in a dark place, unable to ask for help. It's a sensitive topic, and one that I believe the author handles very skillfully. Bring tissues.

neverland300690- A Place in the Sun- quite a poetic take on a post war NaruHina relationship. The writing is gorgeous and full of emotion, and I absolutely adore it.

An older one by Mangospoons- I've recommended something by her previously, but certainly her multichap called Moonstruck- a time travel-esque story revolving around a sixteen year old Hinata in a grownup one's body, and how she deals with the sudden changes. It's shortish, but nice. It's series of oneshots sequel, Sunbeams is heartbreakingly bittersweet, but its beautiful and goes through the nuances of life.

And that's all for now!