Log; Complete

[relimited.livejournal.com]

When; 1st December (I think)
Rating; PG
Characters; Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, and Nara Shikamaru
Summary; A reunion...of sorts. Filled with tears...and more tears.
Log;
She shuffled slowly through the kitchen, wincing slightly as bruised and stiff limbs protested any sort of motion. Biting her lip, she managed to steady herself against the counter and snag the edge of the fridge. Carefully pulling the heavy door open, she ignored the snap of pain that went through her shoulder as it fought with the weight of the door. Peering inside, she sighed. No, there wasn't much in there either. The dark-haired girl pulled out an egg and a peach, and wrinkled her nose at the date on the milk carton before dropping the expired beverage into the trash. I guess I'll just have to make-do until Tenten-chan or Lee-kun comes back.

Finally it had seemed as though they'd done as much as they could. Survivors had been found, and rumours of the cause of the earthquake had been quick to spread. Barely a day after their earlier problem. With slugs still on the loose, people were still affected by their toxins. Even he had fallen under their spell before. Already, Tenten had suggested going with another group in order to hunt the source down. However, before he could even think of following after them, there were a few problems he had to take care of first. Namely, righting the mistakes he'd made less than a few hours previous. Which was why the blond now found himself staring ahead at the familiar door, a hand poised over the handle. Well, here goes nothing... And without further wait, the door swung open.

The white-eyed girl glanced up in surprise as the door opened. Hopefully, it was Tenten. Or, even better, Lee. She knew that the taijutsu-user would likely consider it some sort of training mission to take her to the store. He'd probably even not be adverse to the fact that not only would he have to carry her, but that he'd possibly have to fend off Neji in the process. Tentatively, with a hiss of pain, she stepped aside and leaned around the corner. Eyes widened as she saw who stood in the doorway. "N..N..Naruto-kun..."

He smiled automatically at the familiar voice. However, that lasted for all of a moment before a look of shock and concern took over. So Shikamaru had been telling the truth then. She'd really been beaten up by her own family? For a brief moment, Naruto found himself glancing round, trying to find a sign of the one who'd done that to her. With a single look back at Hinata, worry retook its place as his dominant thought as he almost ran over to her. "Are you okay? You should be resting!"

She gave a weak smile, pushing away from the countertop. "I..I'm alright. It only hurts a little bit." As she said that, she took a step forward. But she wasn't expecting that one step to cause so much trouble. Her already-abused muscles protested, knee locking up and she wavered, grabbing onto the edge of the counter for support

Moving to her side, Naruto wrapped an arm around her waist to try and steady her, his other hand held in front of her so she could use him to support herself instead. "You don't have to lie to me," he muttered quietly, looking over to the closest seat. "Sit down, okay?"

Despite the years that had passed, she still found her cheeks heating up a bit as he wrapped an arm around her waist. It wasn't due so much to feelings since mellowed, but simply because she didn't really get much in the way of physical contact from people. She nodded, grasping his outstretched hand. Hinata let him guide her over to the chair and sat down in it, gritting her teeth as her muscles screamed at her, determined to ignore the tears that formed in the corners of her eyes.

Waiting until he was sure she was seated, Naruto moved round to stand in front of her, a feeling of uneasiness washing over him. How could Neji have done that to her? "...what happened?" He asked despite the fact he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know or not. What if things were worse than he'd thought? How much had really changed between the time he was from and the time that the others seemed to have come from?

She bit her lip and glanced away. Of course, he didn't know. Didn't know all that had transpired between her and Neji, didn't know why SHE no longer turned red and stammered around the blond. "I...it's complicated. You...probably don't want to hear it all, Naruto-kun. I don't want to burden you with everything."

She was hiding something, and that just didn't sit right with him. Sure, the two of them hadn't been the kind to tell each other all their little secrets. But if this one was having that much of an effect on her, he'd have to differ. "I want to hear whatever you'll tell me." He paused, smiling weakly. "I just want to know what's wrong."

He always was a kind person. She smiled, and squeezed his hand lightly. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I just...I don't want you to think badly of Neji-kun. Are you sure you want to hear everything?"

"If you're willing to, then yeah." Because the sooner he knew what was wrong, Naruto would be able to think up some idea of what to do about it. Even if that meant going and hunting out the other Hyuuga.

She nodded. "Neji-kun is out right now, so you don't have to worry about him. I....I guess you know that he's the one who...." She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. The Hyuuga girl could see it in his eyes that he knew very well that it was the same cousin who had beaten her to within an inch of her life so many years before.

"...Shikamaru told me." Though of course, he'd refused to believe it, thinking he'd simply misread what the other had mentioned to him. Afterall, even if Neji was a little strict and serious, he just couldn't bring himself to believe that Neji would ever raise a hand to Hinata. Not again. But now...he had all the proof he needed. He just wanted to know... "why?"

She bit her lip. Naruto was angry, that much she could tell. But he didn't understand. "It..it's alright. I knew he would. I..I could have stopped it, but I didn't. I...it was the only way he knew of to stop it, I guess..."

She knew? And she could've stopped it. "Then why did you let him hurt you?!" It still didn't explain why Neji had touched her in the first place, but at least it was something.

"Because....because some things are worth suffering for. I...gomen, Naruto-kun. I keep forgetting that my time is 2 years after yours. That there's so much you don't know. I guess I should start at the beginning, then." She turned slightly red as her stomach protested it's emptiness.

"....." He knew he couldn't say anything in response. Afterall, that simple statement meant more than he could really admit to just then. Nodding his head gently, Naruto moved to pull out a chair for himself, knowing the conversation was going to get serious. A grumbling stomach caused him to pause however, grinning lightly at her reaction. That reminded him. "I've got something we could have!" Sliding his pack off of his back, Naruto opened it and dug around inside. A moment later, a small mountain of instant ramen packages sat on the table beside them. He always travelled prepared~

She giggled slightly and nodded. Trust Naruto to never be without ramen. Reaching out, she picked through the pile and selected a miso-flavoured one. "Here. This is your favourite kind. You have this one. I'll have......this one." She held up a shrimp-flavoured cup.

Looking between the two chosen packs, Naruto nodded. She was right. Miso was his favourite. Though he was a little surprised she even knew. He hadn't eaten with her since back when they'd been in the Academy. Now to just get some hot water. "I'll make them. You stay there, okay?" He didn't want her to injure herself over something as simple as cooking.

She nodded. "Alright. There are bowls in the cabinet by the refrigerator."

Naruto was quick to begin going about the familiar routine for making ramen. The kettle was filled and left to boil (something he'd been quick to learn the moment he'd gotten there). Turning to face Hinata once again, he rested back against the counter while he waited for the kettle.

She nodded her thanks. It was nice to get to spend time with Naruto. The girl found it slightly amusing that, in her younger days, a situation like this would have been like a dream come true for her. She giggled slightly, tucking a stray strand of indigo hair behind her ear. "Gomen, Naruto-kun, but I can't help but laugh at the irony of this."

Okay, so now he was confused. It seemed to be a common occurrence since he'd arrived in this city. "Irony? What d'ya mean?" Of course, even now, Naruto was completely oblivious to the feelings Hinata once held for him.

She shook her head and smiled. "You never knew how I felt then, so I guess you wouldn't understand. Didn't you ever notice? That I was always watching you?" Hinata certainly had no plans to start going after Naruto again. But she couldn't help but feel that he needed to learn to pay better attention to those sorts of things. Even if it wasn't Hinata, he needed to know how to realize when someone cared so deeply for him.

"How you felt?" And thus his confusion grew. "...watching me?" Perhaps one day he'd understand things such as these, but especially since he left Konoha to train, Naruto's thoughts had been fixed on one goal and one alone. Areas such as love hadn't even ventured into it.

She giggled yet again. He truly was oblivious at times. Shaking her head, she reached out and ruffled his hair in a gesture of closeness. And she DID feel close to him, despite the fact that they'd never spent much time at all together. "You really ARE dense sometimes, you know. I...I loved you, Naruto-kun."

Her change of mood felt almost contagious, his grin growing wider at the sound of her laughter. In all truth, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen her so relaxed. That lasted up until the moment she finally told him her little confession. Eyes wide with shock, Naruto turned silent, not sure of what to say. "...you did? ...I didn't know."

"I know. I was always too shy to tell you, or really to even talk to you. That's why it's ironic. The 'me' of a couple years ago would have probably fainted at getting to talk to you like this." She glanced up at him, hoping she hadn't upset him. "Gomen, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Well...I mean...uh..." His mind didn't seem to want to work for him right now. Well, perhaps it'd just be easier if he stopped trying to think so hard about it. "I'm not upset. Just kind of surprised I guess. I didn't have any idea that you...well..."

"You were the only one who never knew. It's alright. And now....there's Neji-kun." She glanced at the doorway to her cousin's personal space, eyes mirroring a myriad of emotions. "Things are a lot different now then they once were. You know...Sasuke left Orochimaru. Even though Shikamaru-san would say I shouldn't tell you the future, I...thought you'd want to know that."

Everyone else knew, and he was still completely oblivious to it. For others to realise something like that, it'd have to have been obvious. Afterall, Hinata hadn't ever been the kind of person to tell everyone else what she was feeling. And for him to have missed it if it really were so obvious. "Wait, Neji-kun?! You mean...?" He was slowly starting to catch on to things. The rest though... "...he did?"

She turned slightly red, but shook it off and nodded. "It....it's complicated." Frowning slightly, she nodded. "Yeah, he did. I...I don't know the whole story, I just overheard parts of it. But apparently, it came time for Orochimaru to take his body. And he found out...that even after that, Orochimaru wasn't planning to kill Itachi. So...he ran. No one knows where he's gone, but he's still trying to kill Itachi. And you...you're still searching for him."

He'd hurt her, and yet she still cared that much for him. It was yet another thing that was all too familiar. "...I'm glad." And in all honesty, he was. Hinata deserved to be happy, given what he knew about her. Now he could only hope that Neji cared the same about her. But given the fact he'd been the one to hurt her... "...that's all he cares about," he muttered quietly. It seemed that he and Hinata had more in common than he thought.

She frowned, taking his hand in hers and shaking her head. "I...I don't think that's true, Naruto-kun. Sasuke-san...he isn't like Neji-kun. He doesn't blame you for everything that's hurt him. I know he'll come back to you, when he realizes that he really does need you." She glanced up as the kettle started to whistle, heralding the boiling of the water.

He gave a wry laugh as he too glanced back at the boiling kettle. Remaining silent, he pulled his hand back, moving over to pour the boiling water into the ramen blocks. Only once the water had been poured did Naruto turn back, grinning. There was no point in upsetting Hinata any more than he already had. Especially considering they still had to talk about whatever Neji had done to her.

She took the cup he handed to her, blowing on it slightly to cool it. "I guess you want to know about what happened with Neji-kun and I. I...I didn't realize it at first, you know. That I..that I l..loved him. It was...after you came back from your trip with Jiraiya-san. I guess...I realized that there was no point in chasing after someone who already loved someone else. So...I let it go. And then....one day, I realized that Neji-kun...meant so much more to me then I'd ever realized."

Taking his own cup, Naruto placed it down on the table, pulling out a chair for himself. Taking a seat, he stared down at the steaming noodles, thinking to himself. "...does he know how you feel about him?"

She nodded. "He....found out after we came to the City. I.....there was a curse-day. That made your dreams come true. Neji-kun....he lost the juuin. And I....I got to have a day where he looked at me with kindness and love. And it was wonderful. And....so was the night...." She turned red at the thoughts of exactly how wonderful that night had been. "I...I don't know if he really knew after that. We didn't speak for a while. When the juuin came back, it....he didn't take it well. But after that.....he found out. If he hadn't already known, he found it out then. He...avoided me for awhile. But now.....I don't know what he's thinking."

"But then, why did he hurt you?" If he knew she cared about him, how could he put her into the condition she was in? Perhaps the curse had changed his way of thinking, but it didn't change everything. He couldn't have honestly lost all of himself to one curse, could he?

She shook her head. For him to understand, she would have to show him. "Naruto-kun, did you know that there is a way to remove the juuin? A way to free Neji-kun from his curse?" She wasn't sure if she currently had the chakra to do what she'd done for Chouji, but she should at least be able to do a little.

Now that surprised him. "There is?" He turned back to face Hinata again. "...you've been trying to do it?" It made sense that she'd want to help Neji. Even if she didn't have the feelings she did for him.

The dark-haired girl nodded. "Only a member of the Soke can do so. But...it's difficult, and it takes such a large degree of chakra and SO much fine-tuned control. I'd have no chance at all, if not for the training Shizune-sensei gave me when I became a medic-nin combined with the chakra control that being a Hyuuga gives me. But...it's the power that's a problem. I just don't have quite enough. It's so close.....but not enough."

Holding up one hand, she narrowed pale eyes and concentrated, bluish-white chakra coalescing around her hand. As he watched, there was a snapping sound and the blue glow shifted into crisp white flames. She bit her lip as she concentrated, willing the energy to fold in upon itself, to concentrate further and further. But it was in vain. She was too drained. There was a crackling pop and it dissipated. She pulled back the hand with a hiss, conscious of the mild blistering the chakra had dealt her.

Naruto watched silently as Hinata called upon her chakra, feeling a little nervous that she was trying to perform a jutsu despite her condition. She'd changed, more than he could've known until just then. Even if she was saying it wasn't enough power, it was still more than he'd seen from her before. Those two years had obviously made a big difference. "You'll get it eventually. I know you will!" He still wanted to find out the rest. But right now, he was too busy trying to understand what was happening.

She smiled and nodded, thankful that her long sleeves hid the new burns that stung her arms. Naruto would probably find out eventually. But for now, there was no need to alarm him. "I..I hope I will. But....it's hard. And...it's risky. The cost for it is high, and I do a lot of damage to myself when I'm training. That....that's why Neji did what he did." She sipped the soup from her ramen. "He doesn't know what I'm doing, just...." She paused, unsure of how Naruto would take the rest of her statement. "Just that he's had to completely rebuild my chakra system 3 times, and that I've had all of the skin blistered off of my upper body every few days."

"You hurt yourself each time?" So Neji did it to stop her. It made sense, yet at the same time, it didn't. He stopped her from hurting herself by hurting her. He couldn't agree with what he did. Not until she mentioned the type of injuries she suffered from due to it. "You can't do that! How do you think he'll feel if you go and get yourself killed for that?!"

She couldn't help but feel a bit stung by his words. She had thought that, out of all of her comrades, perhaps Naruto might understand what it was like to risk everything in order to achieve that which was dearest to you. She frowned, setting down her chopsticks. "Probably the same way that Sasuke-san would feel if you got yourself killed in order to bring him back to Konoha." As soon as the words left her lips, she gasped and covered her mouth before glancing at her lap. "I....gomen, Naruto-kun. I shouldn't have said that."

"There's a difference though. Neji cares about what happens to you. Sasuke doesn't." As was proved by the fact Neji had attacked Hinata to stop her, whereas Sasuke attacked to kill him.

She hung her head, ashamed not only of what she'd said, but that she'd thought Naruto wouldn't understand. Biting her lip, she shook her head. "No he doesn't. All he cares is that he can't let me die because I'm Soke". She spat the word out as if it soured in her mouth, hands clenching slightly on her skirt.

"You don't know that for sure though. If you two got on so well during the curse thing, then it's not all down to what you are." Naruto may have not known exactly what had happened over the two year difference, but from what he'd seen before, Neji had cared for Hinata for more than just her title.

She gave a sad sigh. "I'd like to think it's more then that, but.....whenever he talks about protecting me, or making sure that I'm safe, it's always because it's his duty, because he's Bunke and it's what he's supposed to do. Or because my father would kill him if anything happened. More likely, he'd beat ME again, for causing trouble for Neji-kun..."

"You know him better then me, but...well, Neji isn't the kind of person to tell you what he's thinking. He probably just doesn't want you to know that he cares." He'd find out soon enough. Assuming Neji would ever let him talk to him after he found out what'd happened. The two of them were too closely linked for something like this to be allowed to come in-between them.

"Maybe...." She wasn't sure that she believed him, but Naruto's optimism was, as always, infectious. She wiped her tears away and smiled at him.

"Try not to worry about it, okay. Things will get better soon. I promise!" He'd make sure of it if he could. Afterall, he hated seeing his friends hurting. If there was anything he could do, he'd do it.

She nodded, brushing dark bangs out of her eyes. "I....I missed you, you know. Things just aren't the same without you around."

He smiled lightly, glad that she seemed a little happier now. "I'm not the same one you know though, am I?"

"No, but you're not so different. Naruto-kun is always Naruto-kun." She smiled and fingered her short hair. "I guess I'm not the Hinata you're used to, either. I had long hair the last time you saw me, right?"

"The last time I saw you was...at the funeral..." His voice trailed off briefly, before he forced back on a grin. "You're taller now too." Not to mention the fact that she seemed to actually talk now. Though he finally knew why.

She nodded, a sad look glossing over her alabaster gaze. "If you think I got taller, you should see Shikamaru-san. He's 6'3 now." She slurped up the last of her ramen and smiled at him. "Thank you for this. I...it's embarrassing to not have anything to eat in the house, but Neji-kun won't let me leave... And until Tenten-chan or Lee-kun gets back, there's no one to go to the store." "I can't even buy any cat food for Shiro-chan..."

"He's that tall?!" Having only recently managed to reach the same height as his friend, finding out that they'd grown even taller meant that he was probably never going to catch up. The two year time difference didn't even factor into his thoughts. "But you should be resting. If you go out, you might hurt yourself." Considering the state she was in when he got back, he didn't want to see what she'd be like if they went out. "...who's Shiro-chan?"

As if in answer to his thoughts, there was a clatter as a small door swung open at the base of one of the larger doors and a black and white blur of fur bounded across the room to land in his lap, furry head rubbing against his elbow as the kitten demanded attention with a loud and imperious voice. She giggled as the feline made his presence known. "That is Shiro-chan. I found him on the way home a month or two ago. Some boys were trying to drown him. I...chased them off and rescued him. I...gave him to Neji-kun. So....he could have something that loved him to greet him when he got home. Since.....having me greet him.....didn't make him happy..."

Blinking, Naruto looked down at the kitten as it mewed up at him. Dropping his hand down, he began petting the feline, grinning at the sight of it. "You'll be surprised. Having someone there to greet you when you get home...no matter who it is...it's the best feeling in the world. I bet he appreciates it more when the person greeting them can talk."

"I guess so. He always seems unhappy to see me. He frowns and then looks away. Is it...am I ugly to look at? I...I know I'm not really that pretty, but..." She fingered her hair. "Maybe I should have kept it long...."

He paused, looking blankly at the kitten as it stared between the two of them, trying to work out what was happening. "Neji doesn't smile much anyway." He turned back to Hinata, keeping his serious expression. How could she honestly think something like that? "What're you talking about?! You are pretty!" And a pout. "There's nothing wrong with you. Neji just doesn't know how to act is all."

She nodded. It was true, Neji wasn't really one for smiling. Not since they were little. She couldn't help but smile a little at that thought. "He used to. Smile, that is. When we were little. In fact, he used to be a lot like you." She glanced up at the clock, frowning. "It's almost dinner-time, and no one's home yet. I guess I'll have to go to the store and hope Neji-kun doesn't find out. He'd be so angry with me..."

"Really?" That was a surprise. He couldn't think of a single time that Neji had smile. Even seeing something as simple as a happy expression was something he rarely saw. "You should be resting though." He stopped, glancing down at Shiro once again as he began trying to get some attention once more. "...I can go for you if you want?"

She shook her head. "N...no, I couldn't ask you to do that. Besides, I....I haven't been outside in 2 weeks. I....I can rest when I get back. It'll be alright."

"But..." He cut himself off, shaking his head gently. "...alright. But if you get tired or anything, we'll come right back, okay?" Of course, Naruto wasn't going to let her go on his own.

"N..Naruto-kun! You...you don't have to come along. I'm sure you have things that you need to be doing.....to try and defeat Orochimaru. I....can't help with that. I'm not fit for fighting." She shook her head, trying to dissuade him from going with her.

"But I want to. Besides, Arashi's going to let me go train with him later. Right now I still have to get used to this place." He wouldn't mention the fact that he'd already practically been given a guided tour. Or that he'd been training during his own time. He was going to go with her because he wanted to make sure she'd be okay. Well, that and "...I want to hang around with you for a while too."

She couldn't help it. When he said he wanted to hang around with her, her pale face turned as red as it used to whenever he looked her way. Obviously, old habits die hard, and she started pushing her two fingers together in embarrassment before closing her eyes and mentally willing her old habits to subside. "Gomen.....I try not to do that anymore. I....it would be nice to spend time with you too. I...just need to get changed, ok?"

"Alright! Do you need any help?" He froze, eyes wide, before he rushed to add... "...I mean, to get to your room. That's all."

Her eyes widened and she turned red again, shaking her head frantically. "N..no, that is...I mean.... I know what you meant. And...that might be nice."

Laughing nervously, Naruto scooped up Shiro, placing him carefully down on the floor once he'd stood up. Holding a hand out to Hinata to help her up, he grinned easily, happy that things were finally comfortable between them once again.

She took his hand, wincing as her muscles protested motion yet again. She bit back a whimper, not because she felt the need to hide the pain from Naruto, but because she didn't want to upset him. He had faced Neji before, and knew firsthand how much it hurt to have your tenketsu pummelled. And it didn't help that Neji's strength had only increased exponentially by leaps and bounds since then.

Taking note of her expression, Naruto made a mental note to change the 'talk to Neji' into 'kill him'. No matter what she was doing, there was no reason for him to hurt her as much as he had.

She was grateful for Naruto's help, and a small part of her couldn't help but wish that he was a girl, so that he could actually help her get changed. But that was just silly, afterall. After a few minutes, she re-emerged from the room, now clad in a black plaid pleated skirt and a long-sleeved shirt with a green body and black sleeves. Black knee-high boots with buckles down the front didn't hide the wealth of bruises on her legs that weren't covered by the short skirt. She smiled at him, hanging onto the doorframe for support. "Ok...we can go now..."

It felt strange to see Hinata wearing something other than her usual clothing. He noted the mass of bruising with a flicker of a scowl. But for now, he'd leave it alone. That would get taken up with Neji soon enough. "Right." His hand was held back out again. He'd do all he could to make sure she was okay during their trip.

She smiled and took his hand, leaning on his arm and hesitantly putting one foot in front of the other. She trusted him, and knew he wouldn't let her get hurt. Just like she knew that Neji would do the same, even though her cousin wouldn't hesitate to hurt her himself in order to try and keep her from greater danger.

Slowly leading the way toward the door, Naruto looked nervously at Hinata. "Do we need to tell anyone? If someone comes back and finds you missing, I don't want them to worry."

She paused and nodded. Stepping over to the counter, she pulled a small notepad out of the drawer and set it on the counter. Scribbling a quick message, she nodded and set the pen down. "There, that should do." The note read: Neji-kun, I've gone to the store for groceries. Don't worry, I'm with Naruto-kun. We'll be back soon. - Hinata

Well that took care of one problem. The other of course revolved around that fact that one of them was so badly injured. But as he'd already decided, he'd just let her do as much as she wanted. If it go too much, he'd do something then. "Let's go then." Grinning once again, he made his way over to the door and pulled it open for her.

She nodded, carefully negotiating the doorway. If she moved slowly, then she could walk without stumbling. She closed it behind them, locking the door with her key. Smiling at Naruto, she pointed. "It's that way."

Once again, Naruto was offering his arm for support. As much as he'd like to be able to continue as though nothing was wrong, the fact that Hinata needed help to simply walk made things impossible to ignore. Well, at least it meant they could talk now.

As they passed by the next door on the hallway, her eyes lit up and she turned to him. "I know! You haven't really gotten to talk to anyone much since you got here, have you? Why don't we invite some friends to come too? Shikamaru-san and his team live here, let's see if they're home." Without waiting for an answer, she knocked on the door.

Blink. "Okay?" In all honesty, she was right. Other than Tenten, Shizune, Arashi, and now Hinata of course, Naruto hadn't seen any of the others yet. "Sure. That'd be gre--" Well, she'd already knocked anyway then.

There was a muffled grumbling and the sound of the latch turning and then the door swung open to reveal the tall, lanky form of Nara Shikamaru. He looked as though he'd just woken up, hair down around his shoulders and a pair of silver wire-rimmed glasses sitting askew on his face. He also looked a LOT taller then he had been the last time he and the blond had met. He blinked a few times, then looked down. "Oh, Hinata. And Naruto. What do you need?"

Looking up at Shikamaru, Naruto grinned. He really had changed a lot since he'd last seen him. And obviously he was still in whatever mood he'd been in before. Maybe coming outside for a while would help him a little too. "We're going out to get some things and we wanted to know if you'd like to come too."

Hinata smiled and nodded. "We're going to the grocery store. Come on, I know you don't eat any real food unless me or Chouji-kun cooks it for you. Besides, you've been holed up in your room for days. I know, my room shares the wall with yours."

He studied her with what might have almost been a glare, then sighed and scratched his head. "Sure, why not. And I do so eat normal food." He spared a glance back over his shoulder. "Just let me get dressed." Shutting the door, he headed back inside. A few moments later, and likely much to Naruto's surprise, his lithe form melted out of the shadows at the edge of the hallway. He sighed and came walking over, hands in the pockets of his grey-striped pants, black turtleneck hanging on his angular shoulders. "Alright, let's go."

Naruto stayed where he was, keeping his hold on Hinata as he waited. "Who else lives in this b--" His sentence was cut off at the sound of Shikamaru's voice. Looking back over his shoulder, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you get there?!"

Shikamaru cocked his head at the blond and raised an eyebrow. "Kage Ontei. How else? If I don't practice, the next time that flute-playing woman tries to molest me, I won't be able to get out of the way more then twice." He spoke as though it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be melting out of shadows, completely ignoring the fact that Naruto had no idea what he was talking about.

Hinata giggled and tugged at Naruto's sleeve. "It's a jutsu, Naruto-kun. I guess it's only natural for you to be surprised, because you've never seen him use it."

"That's so cool!" Though obviously his reasoning behind wanting to practice wasn't one he was happy to hear. Apparently he'd been right to assume that Tayuya had done something to Shikamaru. Looking over to Hinata, Naruto nodded, finally understanding. He must've learnt it at some point during their time difference.

"Uh...thanks." He studied Naruto, noting the difference in height and age. So this was what the city did to people. Shikamaru had to admit, it was a bit disconcerting that the first time he had ever shown the jutsu to Naruto, the Kyuubi’s container had behaved exactly the same as he was now. He glanced at Hinata, eyebrows pulling together over chocolate-brown eyes. "You alright? Chouji's been worried about you."

She nodded. "I...I will be. Tell him thank you for me, will you? And that I haven't forgotten that I owe him cooking lessons."

Looking between the two, Naruto noted the fact that both Hinata and Shikamaru seemed to be getting on so easily. He was...glad at least. It showed that neither of them had been alone during their time in the city, as with most of the others he'd spoken to so far. However, it also proved to him the difference between them all. It felt...strange being so much younger than the others.

Catching Naruto's expression out of the corner of her eye, she squeezed his hand slightly. She understood how he must feel, to suddenly be so much younger then his friends, to know that they had seen and experienced things that he wouldn't see or experience for several years. "Ne, let's get going. That way there'll maybe be time to go see a few other places while we're out. I want to enjoy the day a bit, if that's ok."

Shikamaru nodded. She wasn't OK, that much was obvious. With a sigh, he stepped around to her other side and held out his arm. "Here. You can barely stand up. You really shouldn't be out like this, you know. You almost died. If Neji and Shizune hadn't been here, your brain would have fried from that fever."

He was definitely looking forward to this. Even if he hadn't spent time with either of them for a while, it still felt good to be with those he knew once more. That didn't mean he hadn't enjoyed the time he'd spent with Arashi, but he knew the others better. They were his friends from the start as opposed to a carving come to life. He watched as Shikamaru moved to help Hinata too, his smile fading the moment he spoke. "You didn't tell me about that!" She'd been hurt worse than he thought.

"She probably didn't know. Afterall, she was delirious the whole time. We had to practically pry Neji away to get the man to eat or sleep. I guess he didn't want anyone else taking care of her or something. Either that, or he actually grew a conscience after he beat her up so badly. Either way, he's the one who stayed up all night changing the icepack on your head to try and keep your fever down."


He was right, she DIDN'T know. And it showed in the way her eyes widened in alarm as she looked up at the tall Chuunin. "I...I almost died? I...don't remember any of it. I mean...I remember bits and pieces. Flashes and things. Like when I was little and I'd have nightmares and Mother would hold me, or I'd crawl into Neji-kun's futon and sleep with him. I...I remember...I think...Neji-kun's voice. But...I don't remember what he was saying..."

It was proof enough that what he'd said earlier was right. Neji did care about her, no matter what she believed. So perhaps killing the guy was off the menu for now. That didn't mean he was off the hook yet, but at least it showed that there was a reason behind it. If she was killing herself...

She blushed at Shika's words, clinging to their arms. Neji had...taken care of her? Stayed up with her all night? She couldn't help but smile slightly. "Neji-kun...."

Shikamaru nodded slightly as he caught Naruto's eye. He knew the blond was thinking the same thing that he was. That although Hyuuga Neji seemed in dire need of a beating, perhaps it wasn't the right course of action. But that didn't mean that they were necessarily going to sit by and watch. He made a mental note to talk to Naruto later about it.

He found himself stuck as to what to do now. If things had really been as bad as Shikamaru was saying, then Hinata needed to rest more than he thought. But she seemed to be adamant to get out of the building for a while. He could understand why though.

Thankfully for Naruto, it wasn't far to the store. When they got there, Hinata reached into a pocket on her skirt and pulled out a slightly-crumpled piece of paper. Reaching for a basket, she faltered slightly, but was stopped as Shikamaru sighed and took it out of her hands, holding it up and out of her reach. "Quit being troublesome. I'LL carry stuff, and Naruto can carry YOU. Got it?"

With a slightly defeated sigh, she nodded meekly, glancing at Naruto. He wasn't really going to carry her. Was he?

Looking around as they travelled, Naruto did his best to try and work out where exactly they were. But before too long, they were back inside once again. Scratching his head in a nervous gesture, Naruto turned his back to Hinata. Well, he did say he would if she needed it. "Okay?"

She nodded, and started looking at the list, mentally ticking things off. "I need bread, and milk, and butter. And some leek and onion. And we'd better get some fish...." Hinata started down the first aisle, looking for the things she wanted.

Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes, hefting the basket onto one shoulder as he followed. Dropping back slightly, he nodded towards Naruto to get the blonde's attention, speaking softly so that the girl in front of them wouldn't hear them. "Don't. I know what you're thinking. But don't mess with Neji. It won't do you any good and you'll just end up hurting her. Besides, the fever did way more damage then anything he did to stop her from hurting herself."

His expression turned serious as he looked sideways (and upwards) at Shikamaru. "There are better ways to stop someone than to beat them up," he responded, voice equally as quiet. As much as he had to agree that Hinata would've needed to be stopped, he wasn't ever going to agree with how Neji had gone about it.

"He didn't beat her up as bad as you seem to think. Remember the Chuunin exams? The first ones? She was hurt far worse after that then she was when Neji brought her back to the apartment. She was actually doing fine until that fever hit. He cares about her, you know. Even though she doesn't see it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken care of her the way that he did." Shikamaru watched as the shorter form a few steps ahead picked up a package of something and smiled to herself before shaking her head and putting it back. "You don't know how things are between them, do you?"

She frowned slightly as she studied the back of a package of meat, before putting it back and picking up another one. "This one's the better bargain, but I can get more if I buy the other one..."

"Of course I don't," he muttered, clearly annoyed. They were all from a time ahead of his own, so how would he know anything about what had happened after. As far as he knew, Neji still saw Hinata as his duty, even if he'd been trying to convince Hinata differently a short time before. "If she was hurt that badly, then he wouldn't even need to touch her!"

Shikamaru shook his head. "You're underestimating her. Like everyone else does. I've seen her fight, I've seen what she can do. She's no Neji, but I don't know if I'd want to fight her either..." He snagged a package of instant oatmeal off of the top shelf, dropping it into the basket. "Besides, I doubt he realized how bad she had hurt herself until afterwards. Neji's not the kind to knowingly hurt her like that, you know."

"I'm not saying she's weak!" He turned his attention back ahead, watching the girl their conversation seemed to be revolving around. "I'm just saying that if she was hurt as badly as she was from trying to create her jutsu, then Neji should've known not to hurt her. It couldn't have taken all that much to stop her."

Shikamaru chuckled. "Have YOU seen her fight recently? She can more then hold her own against most opponents. And she does a good job of hiding her own injuries. She's a medic-nin, for pete's sake. She usually heals herself almost as fast as she gets hurt. He probably just didn't realize that her chakra was low. But if you still think it wouldn't have taken much to stop her, why don't you fight her? Once she gets well, of course."

Growling slightly, Naruto practically glared at the other as he turned to face him once again. "I'm not from your time. How the hell am I meant to know any of it?!" He could see why Sasuke had gotten so wound up by him not answering questions before. "Unless Neji's turned into an idiot, he should've known!"

Hinata glanced back at them with a frown. They were arguing, probably about her and Neji. She sighed, fixing each of them with a glare that seemed ill-placed on her face. "Should have known what, Naruto-kun?"

The pony tailed Chuunin sighed, glancing around nervously. This looked as though it was swiftly going to become troublesome. He knew that dangerous glint in her eyes, though seeing it in Hinata's eyes was in itself somehow frightening. He swallowed and shook his head. "Oh, nothing. We're just talking about the differences between our time and his."

He ignored all sense that would've told him to deny everything, instead turning back to Hinata. "He shouldn't have hurt you, and you shouldn't have given him a reason to." Two things that he was very much guilty of having done before. But of course, that didn't matter to him right now.

There was almost no warning, save a dangerous spark in her eyes, before the palm of her hand impacted with his cheek with a resounding crack. She drew the hand back, white eyes snapping with a fury that you seldom saw in one so shy and reserved. "Oh? And what can you say about it, Naruto-kun? Are you just like all the others? You think me so weak that I can't take the consequences of my own actions? That I need protection? Yes, I did give Neji-kun a reason to do what he did. But are you going to sit there and try and tell me that I can't give every ounce of energy I have towards my goal? My, Naruto-kun, that sounds a little hypocritical. Especially after what you did in order to master Rasengan." Her point made, she turned and continued down the aisle.

Shikamaru let out the breath he'd been holding. He'd always thought of her as a meek and sky little thing that never spoke up, but he was quickly realizing that Hyuuga Hinata could be a force to be reckoned with when she put her mind to it. He turned to Naruto. "See?"

His eyes were wide with complete shock, voice not working for a good few minutes as he simply...stared at her. This was Hinata. The same shy girl who hardly ever spoke. And now? Now she'd hit him. All because he'd voiced his own opinions. Eventually he managed to snap himself out of it, eyes narrowing in annoyance. "I never said you were weak! I never have and I never will!" This wasn't right. He didn't argue with her, with any of his friends (bar one), so why now? "You'd rather kill yourself than just talk to him? Fine. Go ahead and try. But people aren't going to let you do something like that!"

She rounded on him, white eyes boring into his with a smouldering gaze that belied her calm demeanour. "No, I don't expect them to. Which is exactly why I'm not angry with Neji-kun and why you shouldn't be, either. In case you care to know, I DID talk to him. He told me that if I stopped, that it would be the end of it. But I was the one who said no. Who wouldn't back down." She glanced away for a moment, the anger fading from her frame. When she looked back up at him, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I said I would set him free. And I won't take back my words, Naruto-kun. That's my nindo. I thought you'd understand that."

"Have you even asked him about it though? Who says he even wants you to help?" That in itself brought back memories he'd rather not have. But of course, he was simply going to ignore them. One set of rules for him, and one for his friends. "You're doing all of this and you don't even know if it'll work in the end." Okay, perhaps he wasn't managing to keep this impersonal anymore. "He probably doesn't even want your help."

That one hit home. She flinched, as though he'd struck her, and immediately quieted. She'd let her anger get the better of her and now he had struck back, hitting the most sensitive spot he possibly could. She bit her lip, trying to ignore the tears that threatened to spill over and down her cheeks. He was probably right. Neji probably wouldn't want her help, because Neji didn't love her. She was alone, alone and trapped by unrequited love. And what hurt even more, was that the one who now shoved that fact in her face was yet another face that had ignored her. With a small whimper and a sniffle, she did the only thing that she knew to do. She threw her arms around Shikamaru's waist and started sobbing, head buried in the front of his shirt.

Shika's eyes widened and he backed up slightly, not sure what to do with the fact that he now had a wailing girl clinging to his torso. Awkwardly, he patted the top of her head, not really sure what else to do. He glanced at Naruto with a "now look what you did" expression and sighed, trying to figure out why he got dragged into something this troublesome.

Now that was just great. One of the few friends he had there that he could talk to about anything, and he'd gone and made her cry in no time at all. One day he'd learn to think about what he was saying, before he ever said anything. Ignoring Shikamaru's look, Naruto stepped over toward the pair, a hand hovering above Hinata's shoulder for a moment. "I..." His hand tightened into a fist as he pulled it back, unable to bring himself to touch her. He'd probably end up making things worse. "...m'sorry."

Surprisingly, she didn't pull away from him. Instead, she looked up from Shikamaru's shirt with big tear-filled eyes, and flung herself at Naruto with a wailing sob, burying her face in the front of his jacket. Right now, it didn't so much matter that he had hurt her with his words. She knew that, unlike the shadow-user, Naruto knew what it was like to have his love unreturned. "I...k..know...he...he...d..doesn't...c..care....I just..just...w..wanted..t...to..to..."

Naruto froze up for a moment, shocked by the fact she'd actually hugged him. After everything he'd just said, she was still trying to find comfort from him. "...Hinata..." He sighed, hands coming up to wrap around her carefully. "...you don't know that for sure." Swallowing nervously, he glanced at Shikamaru briefly, giving an apologetic look. He highly doubted that the guy was particularly happy to be in their current situation. "He'd be an idiot not to care about you." He smiled slightly, looking down at her, a hand resting gently on her head.

Shikamaru smirked slightly, scratching his head. Well, at least the blonde wasn't totally clueless when it came to girls. He seemed to know enough to say something nice, at least.

If Naruto's words had been meant to make her feel better, it didn't show. She only cried harder, arms tightening convulsively around his waist as she shook her head. "N..no..h..he....p..probably...w..wouldn't...wa..want me...to..to..help....j..just..li..like..you...said..."

A sigh was his only response before he finally just...stopped trying anymore. "...I was thinking about other things, okay." Even if it hurt him more to have to unveil these things, he wanted nothing more than to cheer Hinata up right now. "He's clueless. I bet he's just busy trying to work out how he feels." A slightly more natural grin, and "but things will get better soon. I told you that already."

With a sniffle, she looked up at him, eyes full of doubt. "You..you really think so? You..you really think he cares about me? The way I care about him? I..." She glanced away. "What if I'm just ignored again?" Though she didn't mean to, she couldn't help but draw a parallel between the love she'd held for him for so long, and her current struggle to be close to Neji.

Shikamaru heaved a heavy sigh and reached over both of their heads to snag a package off of the top shelf. He handed it to her with a small smile. "Here. I know you always cook these when you're feeling down. I can smell them from next door." He dropped the cinnamon rolls into the basket with a nod. "My treat."

"Course I do!" Though then again, it wasn't as though he even knew this version of Neji. For all he knew, the guy had completely changed. But that didn't matter just then. What did, was the girl sniffling in from of him. "No one is gonna be as slow as I was," he added, a little embarrassed. "I'll bet he already knows and he's just trying to work out how to tell you." He ducked automatically as a shape made its way over his head. Looking up at Shikamaru, he watched as he made his own attempt at cheering up the upset Hyuuga.

She sniffled, nuzzling her head into his jacket. It wasn't really an affectionate gesture, more an attempt at comfort for herself. She wanted to believe his words, she really did. And she couldn't deny that some of the things that Neji said and did at times made her think that there might be truth in what Naruto said. But that didn't mean she wasn't still bothered by the sense of limbo that suffused her whenever she and Neji spent time together, rare though it was. She glanced up at the cinnamon rolls and smiled. Despite his sometimes-gruff manner, the Nara was a nice guy, and it showed in little things like this.


He heaved a mental sigh, glad to see that she seemed to be calming down. Naruto had hit a sore spot with that one barb, but things seemed to have sorted themselves out without too much trouble. He cleared his throat and started looking down the aisles again. "So, aren't we supposed to be grocery shopping?"

"Come on." Dropping his hand away from her head, Naruto gave an uneasy look between the two. He'd already said more than he really wanted to about...certain things. But at least it seemed like Hinata had cheered up a little. "There's nothing in the house, and I've only got the ramen that I had before. We need some more!"

She nodded and continued going down her list, putting things in the basket one at a time. She reached up for something on the top shelf and swayed, vision blurring a bit. Obviously, the argument earlier had been a bit much for her.

Naruto was beside her in mere moments, one hand reaching out to steady her, the other moving up to the top shelf. "If you tell me what you want, I'll get them for you, okay?"

She nodded, pointing up at the box of fish filets she'd been trying to reach. "Thank you, can you get those down?"

Nodding his head, Naruto was quick to pull down the box, handing it to Shikamaru to put in the basket. Turning back, he grinned, before turning to offer his back to Hinata. "I'll carry you instead. It'll be quicker!"

She turned red, reverting to her former self. "N..N..Naruto-kun...I...I don't know...." She wasn't sure about this, it seemed like an awful lot of trouble for him to go to for her.

"But I'm hungry, and I don't want to wait around." He ignored the fact he'd eaten no less than an hour ago. Besides, it wasn't as though ramen was particularly filling. "If you don't climb on, then I'm picking you up and carrying you~"

Her eyes widened and she backed up a step or two. He couldn't be serious. But...this was Naruto, afterall. Glancing around as if trying to find an escape route, she sighed and stepped forward, putting her arms around his neck. "O..OK....but only for a little bit..."

The moment Hinata climbed onto his back, Naruto hitched her up, his hands moving round to hold her in place. Casting a quick look over at Shikamaru, Naruto grinned. "So what d'ya need next?"

She couldn't help but giggle slightly. It had been a long time since anyone had given her a piggyback ride. Neji had carried her this way, the day that he lost his juuin. Pushing up on Naruto's shoulders, she looked around, scanning the top few shelves as they walked. It was a bit disconcerting to be able to look Shikamaru in the eye for once, and she smiled at the amusement of the whole situation. "OK, so next we need milk. And it's on..that aisle."

Shikamaru smiled inwardly as her sad mood seemed to lift. Naruto was always good at that, though he knew perfectly well that Hinata was happy as long as she was with anyone that she cared about. In fact, had it been Neji, she would have been even happier. Oh well, that wasn't his business anyway. "Oy Naruto, let's get some easy stuff. You know, microwavable."

The only response Shikamaru got was a yelled "...kay!" Though due to the distance Naruto had already covered, it would probably be more of a mutter. He was practically racing down the aisle, heading off to find the milk. Even though he was moving quickly, his grip on Hinata was tight, refusing to let her go.

She let out a startled squeak, fingers clenching tightly into the material of his jacket. As they barrelled through the store, Shikamaru followed at a lazier pace, yawning occasionally. Man, I wish I had that kind of energy.

Bounding down to the fridges, Naruto stopped suddenly in front of the cartons of milk, glancing back over his shoulder to Hinata. "Which one?" Afterall, Naruto definitely wasn't the best person to ask about housekeeping duties. Shopping back home had been a case of buying whatever he could afford.

"The green one." She pointed to the brand of milk that she usually bought, mood already brightening. This was fun, almost like playing a child's game or a scavenger hunt.

Ignoring the looks they were getting (afterall, it wasn't as though it was anything new to him), Naruto pulled over a carton, before bouncing back over to Shikamaru to dump it in the basket. "Next?" The sooner they finished, the sooner they could eat~

She named off a few other items, namely a few vegetables and a certain type of noodles. She was also starting to get hungry, and it was starting to get late.

Shikamaru yawned and dumped a few microwavable dinners into the basket. Afterall, HE wasn't about to actually cook anything. That was Chouji's job. Or Ino's. Whichever way you looked at it, he wasn't too particular. As long as HE didn't have to cook.

The groceries were found and delivered into the basket in no time at all. Half of them he didn't recognise. Namely anything that wasn't instant or couldn't be eaten as it was. Heading back to Shikamaru with the last items, he placed them in the basket, yawning slightly. "So are we all done?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that should be everything that I need. Thank you for helping, Naruto-kun. Shikamaru-san, thank you for carrying the basket."

"Shika." He nodded at her. "Just Shika is fine, Hinata."

"It's fine~" Grinning back at Hinata, Naruto felt relieved that she still seemed fairly happy. Even if she was still thinking about before, she wasn't showing it. At least he knew what he had to do next.

"Shika-kun..." Nodding her thanks, she tried to slip down off of Naruto's back. "I..I should be alright to get back by myself..."

His grip remained firm, not letting her go that easily. "Nope~" Like he would let her just walk back now. "I'll take you back and then you can rest while I sort out dinner." No cooking for him though.

"But..but Naruto-kun....it's an inconvenience..." She tried again to pull away, reaching out to take the bags from Shika, who held them out of her reach.

"And why's that? I'm staying there too, aren’t I?" Even if it wasn't for that much longer. "So I can take you back and I wont be going out of my way." Not that that would make a difference anyway.

She opened her mouth to argue with him, but realized it was futile. Afterall, he was going to do it anyway, no matter what she said. So she simply nodded and relaxed, resting her cheek against his shoulder blades, arms linked loosely around his neck. Warm. When she closed her eyes, she could imagine that it was Neji who was carrying her, the way he had when they were children. She smiled, sighing slightly. "This reminds me of when Neji-kun and I were little..."

He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. At least she was talking about him without getting upset, but how long would that last? Glancing briefly at Shikamaru, Naruto gave him a look that meant something along the lines of 'give us a while, okay?' Slowing his pace, Naruto waited for Shikamaru to move away a little before he said anything to her. "...what was it like?"

She smiled, letting her eyes drift closed. "He was a lot more like you. He smiled more. And he laughed. I know you probably don't believe that, but it's true. We...we were like real siblings. That's when I started calling him Neji-niisan."

So if Neji was so open before... "...what changed?" He'd heard stories of Neji and Hinata's childhoods before. A detailed account coming from Neji himself. But it never really made sense to him. "Why did things get so...bad?"

"Because of the juuin. You know about it, right? About what it does?" She frowned slightly to herself. This was why she was determined to take that horrible thing away. Why it meant so much to her. Yes, there was always the chance that he'd be grateful to her and care for her as a result, but more then that, she wanted to see Neji smile again.

"Well, yeah. But why couldn't he just stay the same?" Afterall, it was only a mark to him. There was more to it than that, but Naruto was never one to think things like that too deeply.

She nodded to herself. So he didn't really know about the juuin. He knew what it signified, that it marked Neji as Bunke, but he didn't understand the connotations that went with it. "You know that the juuin marks Neji-kun as Bunke, but that's not all it does. It's not just a tattoo or an identification. It's a prison. A cage. It seals and binds his destiny to the Soke. Everything in his life is dictated by what the Soke decide. Even life and death. With just a simple seal, any one of the Soke can end his life on a whim."

And now it all seemed to make sense. She was trying to remove it for more than just what it stood for. She wanted to save him from anything that could go wrong simply because of who they were born to. "Hinata..." His voice was serious, his gaze ahead of them as he stopped walking. "...if there's a way to do it, I know you can."

She pulled away for a moment, surprised. Earlier, he had been so adamant that she was risking herself for a foolish cause, but now he seemed just the opposite. Maybe...maybe he did understand. "You...you do understand now, don't you?"

"You've got a chance to make things right again." Even if it practically killed her in the process. "I'm not...happy that it's so dangerous. But...I know why you're doing it." He sighed, still not looking back at her. "I'm not going to try and stop you though."

She nodded. "I...I wish it wasn't so dangerous either. But...I have to try. I just...want him to have the chance to be happy again. Even if his smile is never for me, even if he never wants to see my face again. If...if I can bring that smile back....then it'll all have been worth it."

"I wasn't lying when I said he's probably trying to work things out himself. Finding out something like that is pretty...big." To say the least. But then to find out that Hinata was also risking her life to help. "...talk to him."

She scrunched down into her coat. "He...doesn't know. I mean...he knows that I've been training, but he doesn't know what it's for. At least...I don't think he knows..."

Which could explain a lot. "If he knew what you were trying to do, it might make things easier." Then again, given who Neji was, it'd probably work in reverse.

"I don't think so...what if I failed? I...I just don't want to let him down. I thought...if I didn't tell him, then if I wasn't able to do it...then I wouldn't have gotten his hopes up and then let them drop. I...I don't want to do that to him." She was right. She couldn't see how it wouldn't be even more painful for Neji to KNOW that there might be a way to remove the seal and then to find that she couldn't do it.

"...you know, I promised Sakura that I'd get Sasuke to come back." These were things he very rarely liked talking about, but right now, it didn't matter. He had a point to make. "Back when he first...left." He shook his head, forcing himself not to think too much over what had happened. "I-I didn't get him back the first time. And when I told her... I promised again that I'd get him back. But I still didn't. Every time I got the chance, I tried. But so far, he...he hasn't." He took a shuddering breath before continuing. "But I'm not going to give up. I never will. That's why I know that...he'll come back. ...and Sakura-chan knows that too. But if I gave up, or if she gave up, then...then he'll never come back."

She simply nodded silently. She could tell that it was difficult for him to talk about this. Her arms tightened fractionally in a sort of hug. Nothing much, just to let him know she understood. "So...you think that I should tell Neji-kun why I'm training so hard? I just....I'm afraid I'll end up letting him down.."

"It's the same thing. Neji and Sakura are kind of like each other. We're both trying to do something for them. Even if it hurts us each time we...fail, it doesn't stop us from trying. Sakura know that and understands. But you haven't told Neji yet."

She nodded, letting her forehead rest against his back. "Maybe you're right...." She sighed and snuggled closer, eyes drifting closed. "Neji-kun used to carry me like this, when we were little. I'd get tired when we were playing and he'd carry me home. He used to tell me that he would always be my knight and protect me because I was his princess. Father even told me once when I was little that Neji-kun once said he wanted to marry me so that he could make sure I was safe and didn't ever have to cry."

He smiled gently, feeling more relaxed now that she seemed to have come to some kind of decision. "Things aren't going to be as bad as you think. Even if...if Neji isn't happy with your decision, he'll understand in the end."

She nodded faintly, eyes drifting closed again. Warm. It was warm. And comfortable. And if she closed her eyes, she could imagine that it was Neji who was carrying her. She smiled and shifted a little bit, murmuring to herself as she drifted off to sleep. "Neji-kun....aishiteru...."