Hanabi's alarm rang for longer than usual this morning. She was fast asleep and struggled to open her eyes today. Moaning, she turned around and turned it off. The movement made her suddenly feel like there was a hammer pounding down on the right side of her skull, from her forehead to her ear. Ugh. Not a nice way to start the day. She didn't feel rested despite just waking up. Hanabi pulled the curtains and the light suddenly invaded her bedroom, making her wince. The sun she usually adored was too bright for her abnormally sensitive eyes.

When she looked down to pick some clothes to change into, Hanabi noticed her nose was stuffed. Great, it seemed she was coming down with a cold. Just what she needed for the day of the Academy's entrance exam! Hers was scheduled in two hours. Hanabi was confident in passing it. Neji had nailed it, Hinata had passed it with flying colors. Amaya, despite being blind, had succeeded well enough to be admitted to the Academy as well. Hanabi couldn't let a cold of all things bring her down.

From what she heard, all aspiring students had a written test at 10 AM sharp, followed by fitness testing in groups. In the afternoon, each student had a physical test to show their ninja abilities and what they already knew and a questionnaire for health. They were each assigned 30 minutes with an academy teacher for the afternoon part. As a clan member, Hanabi was not very worried about her ability to perform in those show offs.

She didn't have much of an appetite, but couldn't have a test on an empty stomach, so she still went to the kitchen to eat something. As she was lost in her thoughts, barely eating, her mother suddenly called her out.

"Are you stressed about the tests, Hanabi? You're playing with your food more than eating it."

Hinata immediately smiled at her. "You're going to do fine, sister. Trust me. I was terrified of the tests and did very well."

Hanabi made a little polite smile at her sister's encouragement. She forced herself to eat some more, so her mother was satisfied. She tried not to sniff, she didn't need to bring more attention to herself than she already did. But as soon as she left the table to go to the bathroom, she took plenty of tissues with her so she could try to clear her nose.

She went to the academy and followed a group of children her age to the designated classroom for the written part of the exam. She sat next to Tadashi, whom she had played with a few times at the park. His eyes were snake-like, and other children seemed to be afraid of him. Hanabi didn't care. Her throbbing headache was more concerning to her than whoever was sitting on the seat at her right.

A teacher started passing on some papers to dozens of aspiring students, so Hanabi didn't continue the conversation further.

She was barely able to concentrate. The questions weren't hard, or supposed to be. Teachers tested their writing skills and math solving, but any student that had gone to a regular school, or tutored like in Hanabi's case, was supposed to do well. It was just an entrance exam after all, not the graduation one. Hanabi had a tutor, as she lived in the main house of a reputable clan. In Hinata's class, most of her friends had one as well, but by a quick look around, Hanabi wasn't very sure it would be the case for her class. To her knowledge, the only other clan head's children around her was Yamanaka Itsuki.

Soon enough, Hanabi's eyes just wanted to shut. Her head was buzzing. She knew she had the answers somewhere in her brains, but she felt like she couldn't reach them. She found herself spacing out a little bit too often.

Hanabi's mind was far when Tadashi shook her awake. "Hanabi, your copy!"

A sensei was next to her, hand open, waiting for her to react and give back her exam copy. Hanabi did as told, trying not to think of all the unanswered blank spots she left because she just didn't have enough focus today.

"Are you okay, miss Hyuuga? You look like you are falling asleep here, and honestly, you look out of it."

Hanabi gulped. Most children had already left, Hanabi supposed they went to the gym, including Tadashi, so it wasn't too embarrassing, but then she started sneezing three times in a row, looking desperately for those tissues she had put in her pockets.

"You have a cold, don't you?" The sensei asked.

"Yes, but I'll be fine for the other tests."

The sensei, who suddenly felt familiar to Hanabi, didn't look convinced, as he freed his hands by putting the tests on another desk and immediately after, he held his hand on Hanabi's forehead. He shook his head in disagreement.

"Hanabi, you are burning up. I can't test you in this state, it wouldn't be fair. Especially a physical test, you'll be out of breath in seconds. Besides, you likely have a fever so it shouldn't even be a question. I can see from here that your pages are barely filled, and I know for a fact, because I was Hinata's sensei, that you have a tutor at home and you should have been able to complete the exam easily even if you struggled with writing. Let's go to the teacher lounge, I'll call your parents, I probably have their number in some archive cabinets from Hinata's time.

Hanabi wanted to deny not feeling well, put a brave face on and go do those tests, but she knew she would fail them because she felt so unwell. There was no way she could run in this state without making her headache significantly worse.

Hanabi followed Iruka sensei to the teacher lounge, and he made her lie down on a couch next to the small kitchen area. She feared her father's reaction. He wouldn't be proud that Hanabi couldn't finish the tests. Was she even going to be given a second chance? Hanabi felt tears coming up in her eyes. She was disappointed in herself, and the exhaustion didn't help her to keep her cool.

Her mother came to bring her home. Hanabi walked, but she felt like a robot. They crossed paths with her father.

"What is going on? Why are you already out of the academy?"

"Hanabi has a cold and she started to be feverish. They'll test her another day when she's feeling better."

Hiashi looked worried. "I'm glad they'll still test her. Did you start feeling bad once there or you didn't say anything?"

Hanabi looked down. "I thought it was just a runny nose."

"Alright. Go rest, I'll cancel tomorrow's training session with Amaya."

Hanabi returned to her bed after taking something to help with the fever and the headache. She slept until the middle of the afternoon, when she gathered enough energy to sit on the couch and watch her favorite movie. Hinata brought her tea and they watched the TV together, Hanabi's head resting on her big sister's chest.