How did you guys like the last chapter? I might need a little help with the next one, since Shino's supposed to be next. Let me know in your reviews!

I do not own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

The guards turned a "blind" eye as Hinata excused herself from the celebration at the Main house. Though, she knew their eyes were still watching as she travelled further from the compound, and as the grass that rustled under her white kimono grew thicker. White was a color of celebration, and it was a welcome break from all the black they seemed to be wearing.

The rookie 9, Tsunade, Shizune, and both the Branch and House members were in attendance. Though everybody seemed to be having fun, there was restraint. At this point, Hinata did not know where she was going, but she resigned herself to travelling as far as her legs would take her. Before long, she was in one of the many open and freshly cut fields of the Hyuuga estate.

Her face felt warm. She was crying. She hadn't noticed. Maybe she thought it was sweat that resulted from the warm dawn air. Maybe it was the sips of sake that had numbed her face to the lukewarm streams running from her lashes. She found herself grasping at one of the wooden posts for support. When she was younger, the wooden beams seemed so large, but now she was at least a foot taller. How pathetic she must have looked right now; an assassin reduced to kneeling at the base of the post and embracing the beam like a child hugging her mother's shins.

Hinata rested her head against the post, somewhat regaining her composure. Bleary-eyed, she found herself looking at a peculiar mark made on the practice post. She absent-mindedly brushed her thumb and traced the dulled 'x' that was carved into the wooden surface. Vandalism wasn't a common occurrence on Hyuuga grounds, so Hinata wasn't prepared to see another carving above the 'x':

Fight, Hinata!

A flood of memories came washing over her. Neji. The heat pack. The bandages. On today of all days, she had found this post. Today of all days, she noticed the young boy's encouragement scraped into the bark by a kunai. A new flood of tears gushed down as her body trembled. The image of Neji: blood dribbling from the corners of his weak smile. His limp body hung over Naruto shoulder. Hunched and motionless, that image of Neji remained fresh in her mind.

Happy Birthday, Neji-nii

Shikamaru leaned back into the arms that were supporting the back of his head. He had excused himself from the party on the pretense of smoking a cigarette. Chouji, appearing to be drunk, took a moment to stop his gallivanting around with Naruto to shoot Shikamaru a knowing look. Shikamaru's eyes softened a bit. It's like Chouji could read his mind.

From where he lay, on a hill not too far from the party, he could see a white figure coming towards him.

So she decided to come back, huh?

"Ah, Shikamaru-kun" Hinata lowered her head in acknowledgement before turning her head in the direction Shikamaru was gazing. If Shikamaru had noticed the puffiness in her eyes, and her blotchy tear-stained face, he made no effort to show it.

"We missed you in there, princess"

Hinata fumbled to apologize but Shikamaru, without taking his eyes off the clouds tinged in pink and purple, invited her to sit with the slight nudge of his head.

"Not much of a party when we're all thinking of people who are already 6-feet under" Shikamaru sighed reaching for a cigarette, before remembering there wasn't any left. He'd finished the pack before the party even started.

Hinata smiled, though the lingering smoky aroma surrounding Shikamaru stung her eyes and threatened to spill her tears again. She'd gotten used to death. Their livelihood depended on it. Her occupation involved inflicting pain and experiencing it, and Shikamaru's morbid humor was only coping mechanism that the whole village had come to adopt as their own.

Shikamaru glanced at Hinata from the corner of her eye.

She was unraveling.

After a moment of silence, Shikamaru spoke, "Naruto is partying enough for both of us. " Just as he thought, Hinata's expression brightened at the mention of Naruto. "They won't notice we're gone"

Shikamaru turned his attention back to the waning sun.

"Akamaru" she said gently.

Shikamaru shifted his weight onto his forearms and pushed himself up to look for the giant dog. "Where?"

"No. Up there" she giggled

Shikamaru settled back into the grass and sure enough, a cloud shaped like a baby Akamaru wisped lazily across the horizon.

.

.

.

Watching the two cloud gazers from afar, Tsunade nudged Shizune. It had finally gotten dark enough for them to execute their plan.

"Is it ready Shizune?

"There's a slight problem" Shizune scratched her temple and let out a few nervous laughs. "We don't have any matches"

"Are you telling me that in this whole Hyuuga household, there is not even one match?"

Tsunade looked around and quickly spotted Sasuke, who was engrossed in drinking contest with Naruto. Tsunade rushed over quickly and tugged him by the collar of the shirt. "Sorry Naruto, I'm going to borrow him for a bit" Tsunade whisked Sasuke away before Naruto could protest.

...

...

Sasuke glowered at the fireworks presented before him. They were outside now, and a few meters away from the bustling party in the Main house. Sure, it was a birthday celebration, and sure it was July, but fireworks seemed a little out of place. Neji wouldn't be there to see them, so why bother?

"It's like we're celebrating death," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"We're celebrating a fallen comrade, as well as the Hyuuga clan." Tsunade pointed to the fireworks strewn all over the floor. "Do you know the name of the next Hyuuga Heiress?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Was she toying with him? Of course he knew her name.

"Hinat—"

"It's Hanabi. Hinata's younger sister." Sasuke's eye twitched. "The Branch and House members will be united under Hanabi at the start of the new year"

Hanabi? Was that the girl he'd seen Hinata fuss over? They looked nothing alike. Hanabi shared more similarities to the late Neji Hyuuga than she did Hinata.

Tsunade stared at Sasuke, who seemed a little deflated.

"Oh quit frowning. It's not a political statement, I'm just trying to lighten things up a bit!" Tsunade clapped Sasuke on the back in an attempt to cheer him up, however this action caused a domino effect of events to occur.

Sasuke had been drinking shot for shot with Naruto, and since alcohol didn't mix with fire, he released a great belch of fire, which in turn caused the fireworks that had been carelessly scattered on the grassy lawn to spontaneously ignite and rocket towards the sky.

...

...

Inside the Main house, Kiba's ears perked up.

"You hear that, Akamaru?" Kiba started for the exit. Akamaru barked and followed at Kiba's heels. The rest of the shinobi at the dinner party grabbed their weapons and followed suit.

When Kiba reached the edge of the lawn he was caught off-guard at the sight of Sasuke Uchiha and Tsunade arguing, their white clothes effectively charred with black soot. Akamaru, who had spotted Hinata, raced ahead.

"Hm? Fireworks?" Shikamaru sat up and turned to see the crowd of party guests emerging from the house and Akamaru galloping towards them.

"Akamaru!" Hinata laughed and welcomed slobbery kisses of the enormous dog. Akamaru barked a greeting to Shikamaru and curled up next to Hinata.

Shikamaru felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Chouji and Ino grinning down at him.

"You missed dessert!" Chouji and Ino plopped down next to him.

Soon enough, Sakura came down the hill dragging Naruto by his heel.

"But Sakura-chan, I didn't get to finish my karaoke song!"

Sakura sat down next to Ino, "You were the only one singing, Naruto"

"There you are Akamaru!" Kiba gave his furry partner a pat on the head. "You found Hinata too!"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata scooted closer to Shikamaru to give Kiba a place to sit.

Shino sat down silently next to Kiba

"Oh hey, didn't notice you there bud!" Kiba scooted to give Shino some room.

"Well if you hadn't hit me so hard, none of this would've happened!" Sasuke growled as he joined his fellow team members.

"Is that anyway to speak to your elders!" Tsunade shrieked not too far behind.

Little by little, the area surrounding Hinata and Shikamaru began to fill with noises of laughter and celebration. Every pop and bang of the firecrackers were accompanied with a chorus of "oohs" and "ahs"

Shikamaru looked around. The rookies were all together once again. Not to fight, but to just be there. Neji managed to bring them together not to celebrate his death, but to celebrate life.

As people kept coming to sit down, Shikamaru found himself getting closer and closer to Hinata. It was only until a slightly tipsy Chouji nudged him a little too far, that, before he knew it, he was pressed shoulder to shoulder with the blue haired girl.

Hinata's eyes widened as a firework shaped like Konoha's leaf symbol. Shikamaru found himself looking away from the fireworks show and focusing on the young Hyuuga's face.

"Beautiful"

If Shikamaru hadn't been paying attention, he wouldn't have heard it. It would have been lost in the white noise that was Konoha. The bursts of bright light illuminated her skin; Her lips parted in childlike awe.

Shikamaru agreed.

OMAKE:

Shizune: I think we ordered too many shirts, Lady Tsunade.

Tsunade: We can never have too many shirts!

Tsunade looked around for her assistant

Tsunade: Shizune? Where'd you go?

A hand popped out from underneath a mountain of shirts.

Shizune: Help….me….

Tsunade sweat dropped and pulled a gasping Shizune out from underneath the clothes pile.

Tsunade: *ahem* I think we did pretty well Shizune, don't you?

Tsunade had on a shirt that read "ShikaHina", on the back of which read "#teampineapplehead"

Shizune: I think so too. Shikamaru's not a very obvious kid

Tsunade shook her head.

Tsunade: That's not good enough. We need him head over heels in love!

Shizune: That would probably be too troublesome for him.

CCS: Let me know what you thought of this chapter! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. I need some help with Shino, because he's next and if you guys could give me some prompts that would be amazing!

DID I MENTION REVIEW?