Two days passed in relative silence and peace. Shino was a quiet companion every day. The Aburame provided her meals and showers, and were respectful of her privacy, as they always had been. Shino never pressed her for information, simply greeted her every day and engaged in idle chatter about bugs and flowers, nothing about the village and her excursions. She didn't realize how much she missed these normal interactions. It was nice. She was even beginning to miss Kiba's brass nature interrupting their peace with his loud voice, large movements, boyish laughter. When the day came for him to return, Shino and Hinata patiently waited at the front gates, sitting together in the grass.

"How have you two been?" Hinata finally asked, the first personal conversation she had initiated her entire time there. Shino perked an eyebrow at her, then looked away, clearly conflicted on how to answer, but not to just anyone. Shino was a master at indifference, but the way he looked away to her was so obvious.

"Well. Busy," he answered simply. She nodded, deciding it was better to leave it at that.. Then they heard a bark, and Hinata found herself shooting to her feet. If she had more time to think on it, she'd even say she was...excited. Her heart lifted a bit at the thought of seeing Kiba. She hadn't felt excited about anything in a very long time. Being back with Shino was making her nostalgic. She was trying to fight that feeling. She controlled her breathing as she activated her byakugan, scanning for him. His familiar chakra caught her eye, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "It's him?"

"Yes, yes it's him," she whispered as Shino also got to his feet. Their voices carried through the forest to their ears for a few moments until they were within eyesight. She tilted her head when both Kiba and Akamaru froze in their tracks. They were still too far away for her to make them out very well, but she saw the glint of red from Kiba's cheeks and certainly saw the large white mass next to him. Then, suddenly, the boy and dog pair bolted forward. Within seconds, she had them completely in view, a blur, and not a second later, she was being picked up and swung around.

"I knew I could smell you!"

The boy…?

His voice was different. Deep.

She let herself be carried, and couldn't help but notice how much bigger his arms felt. And how high up she was. He grew while she was gone. She felt the softness of Akamaru's fur against her leg as well, and she let a smile slip. When he finally put her down, she looked up at him properly. That trademark toothy grin, fangs and all. But everything else about him was different. His hair was longer, almost brushing his shoulders and a little tamer than it used to be. Shadow on his jaw. Her eyes trailed, his chest was bigger, arms bigger, everything was…bigger. It threw her for a loop, and she didn't realize until then she was gaping at him.

"Oi, Hinata!" She shook her head as he snapped his fingers in her face, unaware that he had been talking. She returned her eyes to his face, which was now frowning and leaning very close to hers. "Where the hell have you been?!"

"Oh…" Hinata sighed, looking away. While Shino wouldn't question her, of course Kiba would, relentlessly. She tried to let her hair curtain her face, suddenly missing her longer hair.

"Shino and I have been worried out of our minds that you were dead. You never responded to our messages!" Kiba grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "I've been looking for you, you know that? We both have. When we have free time, we're out there."

"You have?" Hinata grimaced, looking from Kiba to Shino, who was looking away. They had wasted their time looking for her, she had done everything possible to ensure no one would find her, especially Hyūga. She felt guilty. She should have known, and maybe she did, and that was why she didn't tell them. They would look for her, and persuade her to come back, and that was the last thing she wanted when she left. She returned her eyes to Kiba's, and he looked increasingly frustrated.

"You took off without a word." Kiba's voice went lower, and she suddenly felt heat in her cheeks, a habit she thought she had kicked. "It's fucked up, Hinata."

"I-I'm sorry," she choked out, her voice slightly wet. Kiba scrunched his nose up, sniffing out the tears emerging. He softened as they began to well at the bottoms of her eyes. She hadn't cried in a while.

"Come here." He didn't ask, he demanded as he pulled her into a hug. She sighed against his jacket as he reached out his other arm for Shino, and they huddled as a trio. Both men enveloped her, and she hadn't felt this sense of security in a very, very long time.

Shino and Hinata returned silently to the Aburame compound, Kiba having taken off momentarily to drop Akamaru off at his home and get changed. It gave Hinata time to think passed Kiba's rowdy gestures. She knew he was going to pry it out of her, so she had to prepare herself.

She left to find her place in life. She left to find something more. She returned because her sister was getting married. Kakashi was the only one who had contact with her for the past two years. Nothing to get riled up over.

She sat in the living quarters as Shino quietly prepared tea for Kiba's arrival. Within moments, Kiba was bursting into the house, looking cleaner. He darted his eyes until they found his team, and he smiled, lazily kicking off his sandals before taking a seat next to Hinata. She forced a return smile. She would take it over being berated.

"You know you can't keep secrets from me, right?" Kiba immediately launched in as he draped a long arm over the back of the sofa. She sighed, shaking her head. She couldn't. "Out with it. Naruto proposed to Sakura, and you left."

"Wh-no! That's not the reason I left!" She immediately raised her hands in defense as Shino laid out cups of tea. Shino raised his eyebrows at the interaction, knowing full well this was Kiba's time to shine.

"Bullshit," he seethed, turning in his seat to face her directly. His glare made her shrink. "You can't lie to me. You ran. And that was fine, you had to go through your process. But then you didn't come back."

"I…" She paused, staring down at their feet. She couldn't respond. He was right, but she couldn't stand to admit it out loud. It would make it too real.

"Why didn't you come back? Why now?" Kiba pressed, leaning closer to her. Heat creeped over her cheeks once more as his strong features bore into her, and she suddenly felt exhausted. He placed his index finger and thumb on her chin and forced her to look at him. "We love you. You left us."

Suddenly, everything went back.

With a blink, she found herself staring up at Kiba and Shino's faces. She furrowed her eyebrows, pursed her lips. Kiba shook his head at her.

"Alright, I get it. Too forward."

"Did I pass out?" Hinata whispered, slowly sitting up. Shino nodded.

"Same ol' Hinata. But it was for me this time." He chuckled, folding his arms as he turned away from her. She swallowed, willing herself to take deep breaths as she looked on him. She couldn't help but notice how broad his shoulders were from the back. "Guess she likes what she sees, huh Shino?"

"Stop it!" Hinata breathed, shaking her head. Another chuckle as he fell back on the couch next to her, and Shino took the other side. She sucked in a deep breath as they leaned in to look at her. They always had a way of prying things out of her, especially when they tag teamed.

"You're not leaving again." Kiba finally broke the silence, his features dead serious. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"That's not-that's not your decision to make, Kiba!" She spoke indignantly, turning her nose at him. His expression didn't budge. She leaned in, eyebrows furrowing, trying to give off the air that he didn't intimidate her. She had become so skilled at not letting others intimidate her over the years, she wasn't going to let Kiba of all people break her. "No! I'm not staying! I-I can't-"

"Why?" Shino pulled her attention to himself, and her eyes went wide, darting them his way.

"Shino-"

"I've been quiet the last two days, Hinata…" Shino sighed. "But Kiba's right. You caused panic. Why? Because you left in the dead of night. All we had was Kakashi reassuring us you were out there, alive." Hinata's heart began thumping against her chest as they both questioned her.

"We can't let you go, again, Hinata." Kiba pulled her attention now. "It's not healthy, what you're doing."

"You do not look well." Shino added, causing her to look back.

"You're thin." Kiba dipped his eyes at her figure briefly. "Sickly. Whatever you're up to, it's not good for you, or the people who love you."

She felt her hands begin to shake as she dropped her eyes into her lap, neck tired from whipping her gaze back and forth between her teammates. "You don't know-"

"I do know," Kiba retorted, closing the distance between them. His serious expression remained. "Stay and make things right, Hinata."

"I can't-I can't do this."

She leapt from the couch before they had a chance to realize what was happening. She bolted from the house, not bothering to grab her sandals or shut the door behind her, simply snatching her pack and running as hard as her heels could handle.

They would come after her, this she knew. So, she had to be quicker, and unpredictable. She made a sharp left into the old Uchiha district and hopped as high as she could, until she made it over the fencing around it. Then she made for the East. Maybe she could make it to the Mist and speak with her sister before they could catch her. She just knew she couldn't stay.

Almost 50 kilometers out, she finally stopped running.

"Byakugan."

She let out a sigh of relief at the lack of chakra signatures around her. Kiba and Shino had trailed her for almost 20 kilometers before their signatures began disappearing. So, she went 30 more. She could finally relax. She had been running and leaping, leaping and running for nearly three hours, and desperately needed a break. She fell to her knees on top of a thick tree branch and fumbled with her pack. Hands shaky, breathing unsteady, she managed to construct her sloppy tent.

She should have known. She should have known.

"There was no way he was going to let you leave like that…" Hinata whispered to the wind as she crawled into the mangled tent, sighing as she rested her head. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Waiting for Kiba was foolish. Going to see Shino was foolish. She had gotten the answers she sought; she should have left straight after her conversation with Konohamaru. Her pattern of weakness caught up with her, Shikamaru's innocent request for her to go to see Shino breaking the walls she had built for the last two years. Her teammates meant the world to her, but she couldn't stay in the Leaf. Kiba would never let her leave without a fight, she should have waited until night and snuck out. But she panicked and took off in the most dramatic way possible.

While Shino could be convinced to leave her and attempt to forget about her, Kiba could not. He made that much clear on many occasions. He was possessive of his friends, much like a pack leader. It was in his nature to be loyal, loyal to a fault. She loved him dearly, but he couldn't begin to understand what she was going through. The constant ache in her heart, the dark thoughts. Milky eyes looking sadly on her as the life extinguishes behind them. Big blue orbs, scrunched into a smile at her. Pink hair falling over those blue orbs as he spins her around, laying kisses over her as she says "yes."

Her nightmares, every night. She hadn't had a restful night sleep in so long, she couldn't even remember. It was certainly before the war. Sometimes she dreamt of Naruto and Sakura. Sometimes she dreamt of Hanabi. Sometimes she dreamt of an ugly old man her father would surely marry her off to. Sometimes she dreamt of Neji. Neji…another reason it was so painful to remain in the Leaf. Everything about the Hyūga compound brought memories of Neji. Everything outside of the Hyūga compound brought thoughts of Naruto. She felt trapped. When Naruto and Sakura began seeing each other, she gave a brave face and acted unaffected. It was okay, he deserved to be happy. Maybe it wouldn't turn into anything serious. She still had a chance.

Then, while attending the after party to Ino and Sai's wedding, while everyone was dancing and happy, she was dancing and happy, it happened. Naruto got down on one knee and the room fell silent as they watched him propose to Sakura.

"Sakura Haruno, I've loved you since I set eyes on you." Sakura had rolled her eyes, an uncharacteristic blush on her cheeks as she looked down at her teammate. "I want to spend every moment together, forever. Marry me."

As her mouth opened and the beginning of "yes" escaped her, Naruto already had her in his arms, spinning her and assaulting her with kisses. To anyone else, it was a beautiful moment. The Hero of the Leaf, finally winning his sweetheart over, displaying his love in a grand gesture. Everyone clapped, everyone hooted, everyone converged on them to congratulate them.

Except Hinata. And Kiba. Before Hinata could hit the floor, Kiba was already quietly whisking her away, and within seconds, they were in the forest, and Hinata was a mess of tears and sobs on the ground in front of him. She couldn't remember how he looked, she just remembered him giving an exasperated sigh before getting to his knees to envelope her in his embrace. She barely remembered the rest of the night, she didn't remember what he said to her, or what she said. She just remembered pain. Then meeting with Kakashi. Then placing a flower on Neji's grave. Then gathering her things from her room and leaving the Hyūga compound, her father stopping her before she could reach the gates to threaten her. Then running, then numbness.

The smell of smoke woke her up.

No.

She ripped her blanket off her and tore open the flap of the tent to find Kiba casually roasting something over a flame. She darted her eyes around in a panic as he looked up at her, that charismatic smirk on his lips. "Morning, princess." She pursed her lips at the nickname, planning her best method of escape. Before she could get too far in planning, he interrupted her. "I wouldn't run if I was you. Anbu are all over this place. Naruto agreed it wasn't the best idea to let you get too far again. You no longer have the Hokage's permission."

"What?!" She gasped, eyebrow cinching together. "I-I have explicit permission from Kakashi!"

"Kakashi isn't Hokage anymore." He spoke flatly, looking away from her. "And he's on vacation. You're not getting out of this. I convinced Naruto to let me bring you home."

"Kiba, please." Suddenly she felt weak. She crawled out of the tent towards him, eyes wide towards him as he looked down at her, a cool expression on his face. "Please don't do this. Please let me go. I can't go back."

"Hinata…" He sighed, pressing his thumb and index finger to the bridge of his nose. She grabbed his forearm, tightening her grip around it.

"Please! I'm begging you! I can't go back, it's too painful." Her voice was pleading. "I can't be there. I don't want to go back!"

"You've had two years, Hinata," he snapped, eyebrows lowering angrily, causing her to recoil. "Don't you think that's enough to get over a stupid crush?"

The smack against his cheek rang through the forest, the position of his freshly hit cheek frozen. She gasped and threw her hands over her mouth, shocked by herself. She watched as his jaw flexed. She had never hit him in anger before. Suddenly, he snatched one of her wrists, pulling it from her mouth and clenched it to the point of pain, forcing her eyes up at his.

"That's all you're getting." Kiba growled, eyes boring into her. She tugged at her wrist, her other hand attempting to pry it from him with a frightened look on her face.

"I-I'm sorry, Kiba-"

"Don't," he whispered, suddenly releasing her as his eyes refocused on the fire. "Just be quiet."

Hinata fell on her bottom, staring at the red handprint on his marked cheek. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead against them, and proceeded to sob. She couldn't escape this. She felt like she was losing her mind. And she probably was.

She was being a brat. Kiba was becoming increasingly frustrated with her slow pace, knowing full well she could go faster. She outran him by a long shot yesterday, and here she was, dragging her feet like a child being forced to go to school.

"Pick up the pace, Hina," he grumbled, nudging at her elbow. She recoiled and refused to meet his eyes. "Hey!" He stopped, grabbing her shoulders. He shook her lightly until she finally looked up, anger in her eyes. "You can be pissy if you want, but I'm not making a day's trip into three days because you're pouting!"

"I'm not pouting..." she murmured, looking away from him. He shook her once more, but she refused to meet his gaze. Then he let go of her, glaring down at her.

Fine. If she was going to act like a child, he would treat her like one.

In one swift motion, he had her slung over his shoulder. Her gasp and yelp did not deter him as he began running forward.

"Put me down, Kiba! Now!" she protested, banging her fists on his back. He ignored her. "Kiba!"

"No use fighting," he finally responded. "I'm not letting you go."

"Put me down!" she repeated, still wailing on him. "This is completely uncalled for!"

When he felt her hands begin to move with intention, he scoffed once more. "I wouldn't try any ninjutsu."

"You're horrible!" she continued, her hands falling. "Horrible. You hate me. That's the only way I can explain it, you must despise me." He ignored her once more, and after a few minutes of wasting her voice and energy, she finally quieted and slumped over. He frowned at the familiar feeling of her shaking against him began. She was crying again. He let out a frustrated sigh but continued on.

After a few hours, the gates of the Leaf glimmered in the distance. He stopped suddenly, and gently set her down on her feet. "I'll let you walk in with dignity if you quit being a brat."

"When did you become so cruel?" Hinata whispered, eyes on the ground. He rolled his eyes.

"Enough drama, Hina. I'm not being cruel, I'm being your friend, and doing what a best friend should do." He bent downward to force her to look at him. She violently turned her head so he couldn't catch her. He frowned, another frustrated sigh, and snatched her wrist, practically dragging her. "It's no skin off my ass if you look like a fool being dragged in by me by the whole village."

"FINE!" He skidded on his feet at her thundering, shooting her a look over his shoulder. She ripped her wrist away from him and began stomping towards the gate. He'd take it. He jogged after her, keeping pace next to her, looking down at her anxiously. She was so, so different.

No longer the lovely, quiet, kindhearted girl that used to be his teammate. She was cold, sullen, and aggressive. Like some sort of wounded animal. He was concerned of what the future held for her; he knew he had to keep her home.

Over the past two years, Kiba felt like he was slowly losing his mind looking for her and saw the same in Shino. They would spend countless nights together after a day of splitting up to cover ground. She was sneaky, they always knew that. But they didn't know she would be able to cover her tracks that well. He supposed it made sense. As the tracking team, it would be logical that she would know how to hide herself from sensory types, especially her own team. Frankly, he was proud. But he cursed her for it.

After that night when Naruto had proposed to Sakura in front of everyone, he knew she would need some space. That's why he didn't try to find her right away. He figured she would need some time to clear her head, then come back, fresh and new, or at least ready to deal with it. But weeks turned into months, and he and Shino began to panic. They sought permission from Kakashi to go over the borders to try to find her, only to be told that she was granted explicit permission by him to travel. He warned it would not be easy to find her, and that he was in communication with her to ensure her safety.

Then he did the unthinkable. He went to Hiashi.

He pleaded the clan leader to put more effort into finding his daughter. But months had passed, and Hiashi appeared indifferent to her fleeing, if not a bit spiteful. He had told Kiba that he cared not for her return, and when she did return, she would not be welcomed back to the Hyūga. He almost launched at the elder at those words, but Shino was there to reign him in. He left feeling angrier than he had since the conclusion of the war.

The night Naruto proposed to Sakura, he immediately covered her ears and took her to the forest. As soon as Naruto got down on one knee, he planned their escape. He already knew how Hinata would react. He held her, for hours as she sobbed. He whispered comfort to her, as much as it pained him to see her in such a state of disarray. He stroked her hair, locked her in his arms, kissed the top of her head, and let her soak his robes in tears until she finally passed out from exhaustion.

It was a terrible night. He remembered carrying her to the spare bedroom in his house. He tucked her into bed, gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead, and told her he loved her, even though she was asleep. The next morning, he got up bright and early to visit the bakery to pick up fresh cinnamon rolls to bring back to her, but she was already gone. He didn't know that the night before would be the last time he would see her for two entire years.

Every day, he woke up thinking of her. He had begun to lose hope, and hesitantly accepted a mission that would take him from the village for three months. Of course, she would return while he was gone, he was just thankful it was towards the end and Shino managed to convince her to stick around for his sake. But now, he felt further from her than ever before.

They walked quietly next to each other until they reached the Hokage's tower. They stood in silence in front of the doors to the advisor's office. Finally, she looked up at Kiba one last time as a final plea, her face contorted with misery and pain. His lips downturned, but he slid his hand into hers, and briefly, she allowed him to squeeze. Then she yanked it back, features morphing into anger before she shoved her way in, Kiba following after. Shikamaru hopped up from his desk and immediately entered the Hokage's office before returning for her. When Kiba tried to follow, she stopped shortly and glared up at him.

"That will be all, Kiba," she spoke clearly, obviously catching the look of hurt flashing over his eyes before his features relaxed. He nodded and turned on his heel, letting her leave freely. When the door shut, he let his shoulders slump with a shaky breath.

What happened to her?

Dutifully, Kiba waited with Shikamaru while Hinata met with Naruto. With crossed arms, he drummed his fingers on his bicep, staring intently at the door.

"Glaring it down won't make it open sooner," Shikamaru chided, looking up from the paperwork he was sorting through. Kiba shot him a quick glare before returning his eyes to the door. "Might as well sit down. You just ran, what, 50 kilometers, then another 50?"

"I'm fine," Kiba said, quickly, brushing him off. Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he looked back down at his paperwork.

"Any clue why she's so intent on getting out of here?" he asked without raising his eyes. Kiba looked at him incredulously.

"Aren't you supposed to be the genius Nara of our generation?" he spat back, lowering his eyebrows at him. Shikamaru let out a low chuckle.

"Just wondered what it was from your perspective." He shrugged, looking back up with idle eyes.

"Naruto and Sakura of course," he replied quickly, shaking his head. Shikamaru tilted his.

"Think that's it?" he asked, innocently. Kiba glowered down at his old schoolmate, wondering what he was trying to force out of him. He paused to rake over his own thoughts.

"Well, I mean…I know it hurts her to think of Neji, I guess." He looked up in thought. "Being at the Hyūga compound doesn't help with that, I know. She's also scared of her father, and what plans he might have for her. Plus, just the overall trauma of the war weighs down on all of us, I guess."

Shikamaru smirked at Kiba's thoughtfulness. Once a rambunctious, loud mouthed idiot with little regard for others was really a full grown, perceptive adult now. He nodded. "So, if you know all that, maybe you should be a little…I dunno, kinder to her? More understanding?" Kiba lowered his eyes at him, lips pressing into a thin line. "I saw you approach the gates, carrying her. You seemed pretty frustrated out there, big guy."

Kiba stopped to consider his words. Indeed, he had been incredibly frustrated with her because she had hurt him. And then when he finally got her back, she proceeded to shove what felt like a knife through his heart once more. He wasn't going to let her go so easily again. But in his fury, his haste to get her back, he hadn't stopped to consider that it was really for selfish reasons he had gone after her. And his selfish reasons drove him to act in anger with her.

Damnit, now he was feeling guilty.

"Just a thought." Shikamaru snapped him from his own thoughts as he stretched with a yawn. Kiba crinkled his nose as he caught the yawn, imitating him as he fell back into one of the seats provided.

Hinata had been through a tremendous amount, he knew. And he knew he couldn't understand the extent of her pain. Through their years, he learned a considerable amount about her past. Her humiliating defeat by Hanabi, the physical and verbal abuse from both her father and Neji before Neji came around. Which of course only made his death all the more tragic. She had spent much of her childhood wishing for him to be her friend once more, her brother.

Finally, she had a spark of happiness in her life when Neji slowly warmed back up. Kiba saw how happy it made her to have him back, even the smallest kindnesses she would gush about. He never really liked the guy, in fact hated him for a good portion of their genin days for his treatment of her and nearly killing her during the chūnin exams. But he had to respect him for the powerhouse and tactician he was. And he couldn't deny it made him happy to see her happy, so he begrudgingly accepted Neji as a 'good person.'

When she finally felt she was getting to be on equal footing with him, and felt closer to him than ever, he was killed. In the heat of battle, not too many people saw it happen, and even the people who did had little time to mourn him, including Hinata. The effects didn't really sink in until they returned home and laid all who fell to rest. Kiba and Shino, along with others who suffered the least losses, were assigned to retrieve bodies. It was one of the worst missions he had to endure in his life. It felt worse than the actual battling itself. It was Kiba who found Neji. Bodies had piled so high, they didn't have the time or energy to retrieve him when they initially returned home.

It was a gruesome sight. His eye sockets were empty, the caged bird seal activated. But he made getting Neji back his number one priority. When he finally got him to the Hyūga compound and she laid eyes on him, she immediately fell to her knees. Her sobs still haunted him. Hiashi's cold gaze chilled him as he carefully took the branch Hyūga from his arms. Immediately, he had fallen next to Hinata and held her. It was a position he was unfortunately becoming all too familiar with.

He just wanted to protect her. He wanted to hold her and shield her from the problems of the outside world. Put her in a bubble and never let anything wrong her again.

After a few months of mourning from the entire village, as well as rebuilding, regular missions picked up again. And Hinata began cheering up. She held a strong façade for everyone and resumed missions as team 8. Asuma and Kurenai's baby was born, and they had a blissful moment as a team to dote on the newest Sarutobi. It really felt like things were getting back to normal. Hinata impressed Kiba beyond his imagination when she heard the news of Sakura and Naruto's budding romance. She took it in stride, despite a small look of pain flashing over her face when they were mentioned. He really felt like he had his teammate back.

Then Ino and Sai's wedding happened, and all of her progress came undone.

His initial understanding of her feelings turned to frustration when she didn't return for some months. Now here he was, having to be told by Shikamaru of all people to consider her feelings.

Love made people stupid, that much was clear.

Hinata sat silently in the chair across from Naruto, hands clasped in her lap and staring blankly out the window to her right. Naruto sat at his desk, chin resting on his intertwined hands as he looked on her, debating the best way to start. He had hoped she would come in, ready to talk, ready to say anything, but she simply walked in, bowed, and took a seat, devoid of sound or emotion. The negative energy she was radiating was poisonous. He sighed and finally leaned back in his chair.

He started. "Hinata…I'm sorry it had to be like this." He paused to see if she would respond, and when there was none, he continued. "I think two years is enough time to wander. Don't you think you should come home—to the Leaf?" More silence. "Everyone misses you, and team 8 has been lacking-"

"Team 8 disbanded years ago." Hinata finally spoke bitterly but did not look at him. He frowned at her forwardness.

"But you still function like you're team 8—our investigative missions haven't been the same without you. Your byakugan is the farthest reaching of any Hyūga—" Hinata scoffed at the compliment, Neji had the farthest reaching, "—well. Anyway. Everyone wants you to stay, Hinata. And I really think your sister could use your support right now."

"What do you know of my sister?" Hinata whispered to her lap. Naruto sighed.

"I know she misses you. I know she talks about you all the time. I know she's nervous about taking over your clan. I know she's anxious about the marriage. I know she needs her big sister."

"And how would you know that?"

"Konohamaru."

Quiet overtook the room for a few tense minutes before Naruto stood up, rounding his desk to lean back on it.

"Did you find meaning out there?" Naruto finally asked. "Out there, outside the Land of Fire? Did you find what you were looking for?"

Hinata's breath caught in her throat at the question. In barely a breath, she said, "no."

"Then don't you think what you're looking for…is here?"

No.

No, no, no.

"I have to go." Hinata stood up abruptly and slammed the door of his office open, trying to escape. Suddenly, she found herself paralyzed, only able to shift her eyes to her left to find Shikamaru with his hands clasped.

"Trying to escape again?" Kiba was to the right, arms folded disapprovingly. She swallowed the lump in her throat before relaxing, realizing she couldn't escape Shikamaru's shadow possession jutsu. It was something she had never experienced, and it was terrifying, to be honest. Complete lack of control. Shikamaru sighed as he turned towards Naruto's form in the frame of the door, forcing her to face him as well. She lowered her eyes to avoid his sympathetic gaze.

"Look Hinata—" Naruto let out a tired sigh as he leaned against the doorframe to his office, "—just stay a few weeks, please? Until after the wedding, sort stuff out. If you still really want to leave…then I'll grant it to you."

Hinata jaw clenched. "So, you're keeping me hostage?"

"You're a citizen of the Leaf. There are rules, Hinata." Shikamaru lowered his eyes at her.

"Sorry, Hinata. But I think it's best you stay a while and cool off. Your sister will be back soon." Naruto's voice sounded so…mature and even. She frowned.

"What happened to not being able to argue with Hyūga?" she whispered, pain etched in her voice and tears threatening to fall, causing Naruto to wince. Kiba's eyes shifted between the three uncomfortably before he stepped towards Hinata.

"Let her go, Shikamaru." His voice was low. Shikamaru glanced at Naruto who nodded him along. As he released the jutsu, Hinata's knees buckled, but Kiba was ready to snatch her up.

"I…I can't go home…" she whispered against his jacket, barely audible. "I don't have a home."

"She can't go back to the Hyūga compound." Kiba frowned, looking up at Naruto who nodded solemnly.

"I can put her up somewhere…" Naruto offered, but Kiba shook his head.

"I'll take her for now." Naruto tilted his head, glancing between the two before nodding once more.

Suddenly, exhaustion took her as the men around her took control of her future. She was helpless. Like always. Black consumed her vision.