It's so cold…

She was starting to lose feeling in her limbs and the freezing winds snap at her ears. She held the teal jacket close to her body, still shivering as she trudged through the snow. Her toes were simultaneously numb and cracking with pain as she walked. Snot had frozen above her lip. But, she didn't stop.

When she woke up earlier, she witnessed the end of the battle between Itachi and her captor. The blue-haired man had rushed the boy and then suddenly fallen limp to the ground. Sasuke's brother then disappeared into the mist, leaving a droplet of blood behind. It had taken her a few moments to essentially recognize that she was free. She couldn't break free from her binds being shackled by the grief of her loss.

Kō… The blue-haired man had killed him, so maliciously that it was born into her mind. He had died for her. Because she was too weak and scared to fight on her own. Just like in the first kidnapping attempt, another of her clan had lost an eye and been killed. Because of her.

Never again. She felt a fire burn in her chest like she'd never felt before. Her Byakugan activated nearly by instinct and felt chakra surge within her, and extend outward, tearing the binds off her. With a single palm strike, she broke through the hollow of the tree. The wood splintered and she fell out on the ground. The noise hadn't woken her captor or otherwise alerted him. She got up and took his cloak from him and wrapped it around her.

She had been walking since.

Her Byakugan gave her enough sight ahead of her to see traces of familiar chakra winding a path. She hoped it would take her home.

The sky was getting darker and as the light left, the cold winds intensified. Snow began to fall and she pulled the teal cloak over her head. She was shivering uncontrollably, rubbing her chest for warmth. With numb, cold hands, she didn't know how much friction she was making, if any. Finally, the energy needed to continue seemed too valuable to lose so she stopped.

She was tired but kept walking.

Frozen tears stuck to her reddened cheeks.

She wondered if anyone would be searching for her. Sasuke had been taken with the pale man while Itachi had followed after them. She didn't know how that would've turned out. Hinata had been able to sense how powerful the man was and his chakra was tainted by something dark and malignant that she couldn't comprehend. It just made her feel sick. She could also tell that there was something very wrong with Itachi. Something with his blood…

If he had somehow found the strength to defeat that man, she would be surprised. And if the Uchiha couldn't come for her, then her father probably wouldn't either. The realization hurt her soft heart. But, not more than the pain in the rest of her body.

She collapsed in the snow. It was oddly soft like laying on a cool pillow. The cloak over her felt like a blanket. She took in a deep breath.

There was no longer any pain in her body. She could barely hear the winds billowing above her. Everything was numb and cold.

"Hinata? Hinata!"

Hands carefully grabbed her and lifted her out of the snow. As she knelt, staring into the blizzard, Sasuke knelt in front of her and patted her face clear of ice. When he was finished, he looked into her eyes. He gently lifted her chin upward.

"I've got you."

She felt her heart thump in her chest.

And she fainted.

When she woke, she was in her bed in her room. The warmth was startling as were the blankets on her. She tried to move her arms but found that she still couldn't feel them. She gulped and readied herself to try to call for someone.

Her door opened and three people entered. A short-haired black haired woman, another woman with blonde hair tied into twin ponytails that Hinata noticed as the woman turned her head to address the last person that entered, her father. He had a grave look on his face as he normally did, but she saw something different behind his pale eyes.

Concern.

"She's awake," the blonde woman said with a caring smile as she approached her bed. She sat on the side and pulled the blanket back to expose Hinata's arm and then gave her a glance over. "I need to put my hand on your forehead. Is that okay?"

Hinata blinked lazily and managed a weak nod. "Ok."

The woman touched her. Warmth spread from Hinata's head to her toes. Her feet and hands began to spike in pain and she grimaced.

"It's ok," the woman said. "It'll take a little while for your nerves and blood vessels to be recover from the level of frostbite you had, but everything should be repaired and operating normally within a few hours." She turned her eyes to Lord Hiashi. "Make sure you keep her warm. A hot bath will definitely help the recovery proceed more pleasantly."

Her father merely dipped his head in surprising reverence and said, "Thank you, Lady Tsunade."

When the two women left the room, Hiashi stayed where he was. For a while, he did not look at her, instead gazing out of her window. She faintly heard grunts of exertion outside of her window and the distinct sound of hands hitting wood that nearly haunted her from her early training.

"Who is that?" Hinata asked weakly.

"Neji," her father said. He came to stand by the end of her bed and look out of the window. "He's handling the attack on the compound in his own way." His eyes focused on her now. "The Uchiha found you and brought you back. Lord Hokage's youngest and Shisui of the Body Flicker." He closed his eyes and dipped his head before returning to his regal stature. "It is good that you are alive, Hinata. Our future plans and clan's survival rest on you."

Her grogginess made her delirious. "Why?" she asked. "Neji is the heir, right, Father?" She felt tears well up in her eyes. "I don't…"

She felt a hand on her forehead and looked up at her father looking down on her. "Foolish child. You are of my blood and of royal heritage in our clan. You are something too precious to throw away."

She cried then. Her father wiped her tears, not without tenderness.

"Papa…" she felt herself whine.

"Quiet now. Tomorrow, we must attend the funeral of Lord Fugaku's former heir. So the only thing you need to do now," he said. His hand glowed blue. "Is rest."

She dreamed of moon-covered fields that stretched to the shores of a lake. In the distance, she saw a waterfall crashing and skated across the water towards it. She bathed in the mist as she walked through the raging waters into the cavern behind it. There was a fire lit on a set of logs. Beneath the crackling of the flames, she heard a song.

The one her mother would sing.

When she woke, she was in a hot spring, surrounded by servants from the Branch family. Their angelic chorus welcomed her to consciousness and gentle hands cleaned and massage her. She could feel her fingers and toes again and wiggled them in the steaming water. The returned feeling was welcome.

She was lathered in sweet smelling oil that held the heat from the water in her skin and healing ointment for her ears, fingers, and feet. They wrapped her in a wool blanket interlined with soft down and walked her back to the compound. The moonlight cast shadows on them as they moved, Hinata in the center of the mass of her servants. When they entered the hallway, they shifted into a single file line and hugged the left side of the hallway.

Her bath had drained her of her strength and keeping her heavy eyes open was more of a challenge than she thought she could bear. Despite this, her ears were keen to the sound of extra footsteps coming down the hallway towards her. Her servants dipped their heads one after the other but continued walking.

Neji and his father Hizashi moved methodically on the opposite side of the corridor. Her uncle's face was a mirror of her father's though, more reserved than severe. Her cousin's eyes immediately shifted to her as they drew closer and stayed. When they locked eyes, Hinata didn't feel animosity from him. Rather…something softer. His eyes still seemed to judge her and size her up but something told her that the gaze wasn't aggressive. She couldn't determine why he was looking at her the way he did, but it made her feel uncomfortable.

The feeling faded as the pair passed and Hinata's heart calmed as she came to her room. To her shock, she was immediately hit in the chest when she opened the door. Arms wrapped around her and she felt legs cling to her as well.

Hanabi looked up at her with wide, teary pale eyes. "Big Sister!" she cried. "Father said that you were hurt! Are you okay?"

"Yes, Hanabi," Hinata replied as she gently let her sister down. Tiredly, she held her sister's hand and allowed her to help her undress. Hanabi watched over her with considerable care for a toddler and assisted her into bed, all before reaching up to be lifted herself. She snuggled next to Hinata then looked up at her with quizzical intensity. Her eyes were pools of fresh milk. It was almost frightening. Was there something wrong?

"You look pretty," she said finally.

Her sister was snoring in soft breaths shortly after, her nose nuzzled into Hinata's neck. Hinata deeply enjoyed the warmth and the softness of her blanket. Sleep should have been easy for her.

But, despite the peace in her bedroom, she still felt something off. She was restless. She let the minutes pass as she laid next to her sister, trying to will herself into sleep's embrace, yet nothing worked. She felt a sudden boldness overtake her, one that she hadn't felt before being snatched away. Hinata left Hanabi in her bed, gently laying the toddler's head on her pillow and slunk out of the room. The hallways of the compound were quiet and with a scan of her Byakugan, she saw that almost all of the servants were asleep. She glided across the floor until she reached the doors that led to the training ground.

It was cold, yet still warmer than it had been when she'd decided to lay in the snow. She decided to push through. The first impact on the training dummy sent ripples up her arm and made her palm sore. But she kept going. With every strike, she grew more used to the pain and she began to move her feet, sliding around the dummy as fast as she could. However, she slowly traded speed for elegance and grace, her muscle memory causing her to move almost without thought. Hinata danced beneath the moon until a Branch member rushed outside and wrapped her in a blanket.

"My lady," they exclaimed. "It's below freezing! What are you doing?"

Hinata looked up at them and felt the cool glow of the moon on her face. "Becoming strong."