"I'm already four! And I still didn't activate my Byakugan!" Hanabi complained that morning, as Hinata was eating breakfast. It was actually quite rare for the small girl to be up this early, but apparently the excitement of the day before had been too much and she had barely slept. Or maybe it was the frustration of not being able to accomplish what she had wanted, which was exactly what she was complaining about in that moment.

Hinata only smiled at her, playing a bit with her rice. "Y-You're still a year ahead of me, Hanabi-chan. You have time."

"But I wanted to activate it before Neji-nii!"

"Maybe you still can… you only turned four y-yesterday. Neji-nii-san took a little longer after his f-fourth birthday" she said, making Hanabi frown in thought.

"Mmm, maybe…"

"I-I need to get going. Classes are going to start soon" she stood up and took her dishes to the kitchen. Hanabi followed her and watched as she washed them quickly.

"Why are you doing the dishes?" she asked, confused. "Let the servants do it" once again, Hinata only smiled at her.

"I like to do things on my o-own" was all she said.

She arrived early at the academy. With nervousness, she waited for Sakura as the classroom slowly filled with students. She had a small gift prepared for her, and was anxious about how she would receive it. It wasn't anything too big, just a barrette with a cherry blossom as decoration Natsu had helped her pick up the day before yesterday, when they went to the market for some things, but she hoped she liked it.

Finally, the pink-haired girl arrived with a grin from ear to ear. She looked around, before her face faltered a little upon seeing Sasuke's empty seat. However, she recovered quickly as soon as she saw her.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" she greeted enthusiastically. Hinata smiled.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan. H-Happy birthday" she said, taking out the small box from her pocket and presenting it to her. Sakura gasped, grabbing it with glittering eyes.

"For me?" Hinata nodded. Sakura sat down, still holding onto the box. She caressed the wrapping paper with her thumbs, before asking in a quiet voice; "can I open it?"

"O-Of course. Please."

Sakura did so. Her eyes grew big upon seeing the barrette, and before Hinata could react, she was engulfed in a hug. "I love it! It's so pretty!" she let go, quickly putting on the accessory and showing it to her. "How does it look? Did I put it on correctly?" she asked.

"Yes. You look pretty, Sakura-chan" Hinata complimented. The other girl smiled.

"Thank you! You didn't have to get me anything though, but I'm really happy you did. I promise to wear this every day from now on!" she swore, her small hands forming fists in front of her chest to show how serious she was. Hinata couldn't help but giggle.

"I-I'm glad you like it so much."

Before the conversation could continue, the teacher entered, and class started.

To Hinata's big surprise, Sasuke didn't show, something everyone else in the classroom noticed, as he had never before been absent; at least that anyone could remember. The girls, especially, took to speculate during the breaks.

Sakura was no different.

"I wonder if he's sick or something…" she wondered, sad.

Hinata bit her lip, worried as well. It was the only explanation. After all, Sasuke was someone very serious who would not skip class unless there was a good reason to, and seeing how determined he was to further his training…

Sakura wasn't the only one who thought of that possibility; however, when the other girls asked the teacher if that was the case, the man only shrugged. "I wasn't informed of anything. In any case, you should stop thinking about it and concentrate in class. You're all too distracted."

The day ended before she noticed, and it was time to go to Sakura's house for her birthday dinner. But Hinata was worried. She wanted to go to Sasuke's apartment to see if he was alright, and if he needed anything, but she had already promised Sakura to spend her birthday with her. Maybe she could go after dinner? Ah, but it would be too late, and she didn't think her father would allow her to wander the village on her own at night. After all, there was a reason her night training was a secret.

In that case, she could go tomorrow after school. That is, if Sasuke didn't show the next day. Thinking about him, all on his own, sick, made her stomach churn. While her mother was no longer there, she still had people that worried about her when she was down with something, and even her father showed up to check on her on those moments. But Sasuke had no one. And if her memory didn't fail her, this was likely the first time he had become sick since that day when he lost everything.

That thought made her want to see him even more.

"Hinata-chan, are you coming?" Sakura called, backpack already on her shoulders. Hinata shook her head and glanced at her. That's right, she needed to get going. There was no time to think of Sasuke at the moment. With a small nod, she walked after her, letting her guide her to a part of Konoha she rarely ever went to. The residential area where most of the population lived.

Sakura's house was a compact one with brown bricks and two stories tall. It had balconies, as well as potted flowers on the windowsills on the ground floor. It looked pretty and neat.

The woman that received them as soon as they entered had short blond hair and green eyes like her daughter's. She also had a kind smile that faltered a little when she saw her, making Hinata feel insecure all of a sudden.

"Oh, welcome home honey…" she said, quickly recovering her smile. "How was school today?"

"Fine" Sakura answered simply, taking off her shoes. "This is my friend Hinata-chan. Hinata-chan, this is my mom!" she made the introductions as soon as the two put on the house shoes. Hinata bowed politely.

"I-It's a pleasure to m-meet you, H-Haruno-san…" she greeted, stuttering more than she had in a while due to anxiousness. Seeing this, the older woman's face softened. She patted her on the head, surprising Hinata.

"You don't need to be so nervous. I'm sorry for earlier, it's just that I was surprised because I expected Ino, but any friend of Sakura's welcome here" she explained in a gentle voice, making Hinata feel better.

Hearing this, Sakura scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I told you I'm not friends with Ino anymore!"

"Yes… that's right" Sakura's mother sighed, "anyway, you don't need to be so formal, Hinata. My name is Mebuki, but you may call me auntie if you want" she winked at her, and Hinata blushed and nodded shyly. The older woman guided them to the dining room, where a man with pink hair was already sitting, reading a book. He put it down as soon as they entered though, and greeted them happilly.

"Why, hello there! And who might this enchanting little lady be?"

"It's Hinata-chan! We sit together in class! Ah, look what she gave me!" Sakura pointed at her barrette, and both her parents looked at it.

"It's so pretty!"

"It looks really good on you, Sakura!"

"Hehe, right?" she giggled, sitting down at the table. "Ah, come Hinata-chan, sit here" she patted the chair next to her. The girl did so, still slightly nervous at being at Sakura's house for the first time, with her parents that she had just met. But the two of them were very nice, and she found herself relaxing a bit as conversation flowed.

That is, until the moment Sakura's father asked her something.

"So, Hinata" the man, who had presented himself as Kizashi, said, catching her attention. "I'm sorry if I come off as rude, but I have to ask. Are you by any chance Hyuuga Hiashi's eldest? I have heard her name's Hinata as well, but with a clan as big as yours, you never know…"

Hinata froze, her eyes getting very big. Sakura looked at her curiously, and Mebuki also stared at her, albeit with evident surprise. Slowly, she nodded. The ambience in the dining room changed with just that small action, becoming heavier, tensier. Or maybe it was just her.

Kizashi leaned back against his chair, caressing his beard thoughtfully. "I see. So you're the heiress of the Hyuuga clan."

"Ah, is that true, Hinata-chan? I didn't know!" Sakura said, tilting her head to the side and breaking a bit of Hinata's tension with her carefree attitude. "Ino's also the heiress of her clan… ah, not like it matters or anything" she amended, quickly shaking her hands.

"I better go get the food. Please wait a moment" Mebuki stood up, going to the kitchen. She nudged her husband's chair a bit forcefully as she went, and the man sighed and stood up, following her with a small smile of apology to Hinata.

When they returned, conversation took a bit to start again, but after one of Kizashi's bad jokes and a roll of the eyes from both mother and daughter, things slowly settled back to normal. Despite the awkwardness, Hinata managed to enjoy herself, especially with the banter between Kizashi and Mebuki, with a few interjections from Sakura. It was the first time ever she had seen a family dinner like this. She wondered if all families were like this.

"Anyway, Hinata" Sakura's mom said when they were done and she was picking up the dishes. She had offered to help, but was quickly refused by the woman, insisting she was a guest and guests shouldn't have to work in her home. "That's a really nice gift you got Sakura. You have to tell us when your birthday is so we can get you something too" she turned to her slightly with a smile, before leaning forward to grab another empty dish.

Hinata played with her fingers. "I-It's not necessary… I g-gave the gift to Sakura-chan because I w-wanted to…"

"No, mom's right!" Sakura interrupted, staring at her with curiosity. "When is your birthday, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata glanced down, feeling her face getting hotter. "D-December 27th…"

"Ah, it's still a long time from now!" the other girl complained, before frowning. "That was the day after the Rinne Festival last year, right?"

"Y-Yes" Hinata answered, surprised she could remember the exact date. To her slight concern, Sakura just kept frowning, not saying anything else. Before she could ask if something was wrong though, Kizashi talked.

"So, Hinata, I hope you like strawberry shortcake, because my wife makes an amazing one! And she made it today specially for our little girl here" the man pointed with his thumb at Sakura, who huffed as if annoyed, but it was obvious she wasn't.

"Of course dad! It's my birthday!"

"Yes, yes, it is" Sakura's mother walked in again, this time holding a cake. She lighted the ten candles, and together they all sang happy birthday to her. Sakura closed her eyes before blowing the candles, holding her hands together to make a wish. Once done, Hinata ate her piece slowly, savoring the soft sweetness of the dessert with delight. It was different from the one made at home. Maybe because it was made by a mother for her daughter's birthday. Her mother used to bake a cake for her birthday as well.

After the meal was done, she excused herself to go to the bathroom, and when she returned just a few moments later, she heard something from the hallway that stopped her on her tracks just before entering.

"But why is it so important that I brought Hinata-chan? She's my friend, and you said I could bring a friend!" Sakura complained loudly, huffing and puffing. Hinata could perfectly picture her crossing her arms with a pout of displeasure on her lips. Her heart involuntarily leaped in her chest. Was there a problem with her presence here? Were Sakura's parents not happy with her? It was because it was revealed she was the heiress to the Hyuuga clan… right? After all, ever since then things had been a bit stilted, though not as much as the two adults made an effort to keep the atmosphere from becoming too dense, as if they knew how she was feeling.

A sigh was heard in response. "It's not that, Sakura" it was Kizashi's voice. "Of course you can bring Hinata here. The thing is…"

"We didn't know it was the heiress to the Hyuuga clan you would bring" Mebuki said, her voice a bit forceful. "If we had known, we would have prepared something better…"

"What do you mean better? This was perfectly fine!"

"Fine by our standards, but with a clan such as the Hyuuga…"

"Ino's the heiress to her clan as well, but you never cared so much about it."

"It's different. The Yamanaka clan and the Hyuuga clan are not the same."

"Why?"

Another sigh. "The Hyuuga is a noble clan, that's why."

"I don't understand, and anyway, I didn't even know Hinata-chan was the heiress of her clan until dad asked her. She's just my friend, no different to how Ino was."

"Sakura…"

"If you want me to understand then explain better!"

"Maybe we should stop for now" Kizashi interrupted, voice way calmer than that of the girls. "Hinata will come back at any moment, and I don't think this is something she would like to hear."

She heard huffs of annoyance, but the conversation luckily deviated. By the time Hinata finally got the courage to go back inside the dining room, they were talking about a completely different thing. They smiled at her as if nothing happened, and Hinata couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy. She never liked it when people made a big deal out of her clan or her status as heiress, especially because she didn't feel exactly deserving of the title.

She was a bit happy when Ko finally came to pick her up.

"Thank you so much for coming, Hinata-chan! See you tomorrow?" Sakura said, holding her hands. Hinata nodded.

"S-See you tomorrow, Sakura-chan" she squeezed her hands, and with that, she left alongside Ko, turning from time to time to look back towards Sakura, who kept waving at her, until she was out of sight.

"Did you have fun, Hinata-sama?" her caretaker asked when they were finally completely alone.

"Y-Yes. It was fun" she didn't mention what she had heard after going to the bathroom. After all, it wasn't anything really bad. Sakura's parents probably meant well. It was just her and her insecurities.

"I'm glad to hear that."

The night was calm, with the sky clear allowing the moon to shine. It was still a bit chilly despite already being spring, but the sakura trees were blossoming and the soft breeze brought their scent to her nose. She looked up, watching the petals dance in the wind, and for some reason she couldn't help but think of Sasuke. She wondered how he was doing.

Well, to be fair she had never stopped thinking about him, even during dinner and the slight tension of it, but now, with it over it was coming back to the forefront of her mind. She could only hope he was doing better and would come back to classes tomorrow, because she didn't want him to be all alone in that state more than what was necessary.

Not that it was necessary for him to be alone, and she didn't even know if he was actually sick, but… but what if he was? And there was no one to take care of him. Did he take medicine? Did he eat? How bad was his condition? Could he cook for himself at all?

She was starting to really worry.

Halting suddenly, she looked up at Ko, who glanced down with a curious expression. She bit her lip, wondering if she should or not. Technically she wouldn't be wandering the village alone, but…

She made a decision. Sasuke didn't need to be alone while sick, and although it was late, a small visit couldn't hurt, right? Just to make sure everything was fine. And he had food to eat, too.

Swallowing, she voiced her idea to Ko, who took a moment to think about it before nodding and turning with her in the direction of Sasuke's apartment.