Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of any of the Naruto characters. The only one that I probably own is Hinata’s mother and she isn’t even given a name. XD

Warning: This one-shot will get confusing, but keep in mind the fact that Hinata has piece things together. With that fact kept in the back of your mind, the organization might possibly make sense to you.

For reference purposes, the italics refers to memories.

There are three times that this fic alternates around:

The past—based around the Naruto world (although I’m not saying that this fic is anywhere near canon)

The past—based around this AU world that I’ve created

The present—in the AU world that the Naruto cast now lives in (at least here in this story)

--

Resurgence

By Endless Rain/Yuuzora (for all you crazy NejiHina-loving Gaians XD)

--

Hyuuga Hinata stared out the window aimlessly, her pale eyes not focusing on much of anything. Tall skyscrapers reached up and touched the blue expanse above, worshipping and praising its vastness. Citizens of the city milled around on every street corner—some even spilled over into the heavily trafficked street. Still, she did not seem to notice. It was the norm of the city, after all. It wasn’t like… like Hinata had been gone for too long…

“Hinata-sama?” the soft voice and the gentle touch to her knee brought her back to reality. Hinata turned her gaze to the person sitting in the car next to her. A comforting, friendly smile met her gaze. “Are you all right?” Hinata didn’t respond for a moment, turning her gaze once more out the window. “Hinata-sama…”

“Don’t worry, Sakura-san,” Hinata finally responded. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the car window. “If there is anything wrong with me I’m sure that it’ll pass soon enough.”

Haruno Sakura pulled her clipboard closer to her chest and leaned back into the black leather seat. A troubled frown adorned her face, and her bright green eyes were unusually dark. ‘Uzumaki Naruto,’ she thought with a sigh escaping her lips, ‘I’m going to kill you if everything doesn’t turn out all right.’

----

Hinata had never been a spoilt child. She had been blessed with the insight of understanding, the knowledge that everything wasn’t always going to be bright and happy for her. That had never stopped her from hoping for something great in life, of course.

She was the heiress to the awesome Byakugan, Inc. which had been founded so many, many decades past by a forefather that she couldn’t possibly name (though Hanabi, her younger sister, might’ve been able to). Her father was the current president of the company. A few months past, she had been acting as the vice president; however, when the opportunity of a lifetime had shown up she had quickly packed up camp and followed it, leaving her older cousin, Neji to take over in her stead.

How she had hoped that her greatest desire would come to be through that opportunity…

“I’m sorry, Hinata-chan. I’m so sorry,” came the breathy whisper. “I can’t give you what you’re looking for.”

----

Hinata stood tapping her foot almost impatiently as she waited for the elevator to stop on the desired floor. The feel of gravity pressing down on her lessened and then the slight sense of imbalance made her lean forward slightly before the “ding!” sounded and the doors slid open.

With the longsuffering sigh that could only come from someone who had been waiting for even just a minute too long, Hinata stepped forward. In the process, she passed a man and woman who were holding hands. For the briefest of seconds, the three connected gazes and Hinata was struck by how familiar they looked to her. Brunette hair pulled into buns. Bowl cut hair style.

The moment ended, and Hinata mentally shook herself.

There was no possible way that she knew the couple.

She would have known if she had met them before…

… Right?

Of course!

She ignored the strangeness of second guessing herself and continued on her way. She barely spared a glance for her surroundings as she proceeded towards her destination. It felt like it had been forever since the last time that she had been here. Sucking in a breath, Hinata raised her hand and knocked on the maple wood door and then waited…

A minute or so passed before there was a hasty call from inside of the condo. Hinata smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear just as the lock on the inside of the condo clicked open and a rather peeved Hyuuga Neji appeared in the doorway, a glower darkening his features and his mouth open as he was saying, “Lee, I promise I’ll call the cops if you don’t—Hinata-sama?” The long-haired man blinked rapidly and then leaned downwards to scrutinize her closely.

His pale lavender eyes were narrowed in interest, and the slight tilt of his lips upwards belied his curiosity at her appearing so suddenly on his doorstep. His long hair was pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck and probably still trailed somewhere near mid-back, the length that Neji had always preferred. He wore a rather baggy black shirt that read “Purely Genius” and blue jeans that partially covered the black house slippers he wore.

Hinata’s face flared a bright red, and she hastily pushed him away. “Neji-niisan, don’t do that!” Neji chuckled slightly.

“Well it’s good to see that that self-consciousness of yours is still there. And you don’t look any more radical than you were before you left on that little trip of yours.” He leaned against the door and smirked down at her.

Hinata stuck her tongue out at him. “What do you know, Neji-niisan?” Neji didn’t respond, and Hinata flushed at her childish behavior. “Ah,” she murmured, once again nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Neji watched her for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. Then he seemed to snap out of it, pushing away from the door and opening it wider in the process. “Would you like to come in, Hinata-sama? You look like you need to have some chocolate milk.”

“Chocolate…?” she blinked rapidly for a moment and then a pretty smile spread across her face. “Sure!”

----

When Hinata was young, she hated chocolate milk. She said that it was either way too sweet or not sweet enough. No matter how hard her mother would try to get her to drink it, the quiet girl would never touch it, and when she did, it was to dump it down the drain.

When she turned seven, Hinata’s mother died of cancer…

Hinata thought that maybe if she hadn’t been such a burden on her mother. If only she had always done what her mother had asked of her. If only she’d been a good girl. … Maybe her mother would have lived… And she wished that she could have started with the chocolate milk.

A few days after the funeral, Neji had brought her some chocolate milk to comfort her.

Hinata never understood how he knew what she had never mentioned, but that was perfectly okay with her.

From that day on, chocolate milk became a source of comfort…

“I knew that you would need it sooner or later, Hinata-sama. I hope you feel better.”

----

Neji leaned forward, eyeing his younger cousin with interest. “So, what brings you here with such a long face, Hinata-sama?” He quirked his eyebrows at her, that knowing look on his face that had always seemed to be there firmly in place.

Hinata slowly sipped on her chocolate milk, not wanting to ruin the effect of the drink. “Well,” she murmured above the rim of the cup that she cradled between her hands, “I needed to get away.”

Neji’s eyebrows shot up even farther. “If I remember correctly, you left in the first place to ‘get away’. What could you possibly be getting away from now?” Hinata reluctantly set her cup down and fidgeted in her seat. Neji waited for her to respond, but when she didn’t, he sighed in resignation. “If you need a place to stay, Hinata-sama, then you’re perfectly welcome to stay here.” He stood up. “I need to take my shower and head out, though.”

Hinata’s lips parted slightly.

She wanted to tell him. Really, she did.

When she was younger, it had always been Neji that she could confide in; it had always been Neji who had really been there for her.

Her father had always been too busy heading the company… and even when he wasn’t, Hinata never really felt as if she could go to him. His opinion of her wasn’t very high in the first place, and she could probably bet money that it was even lower since he found out that she skipped work to move to the countryside for a few months to gallivant with a “mediocre” artist and his “degrading” company.

Her mother was no longer alive and therefore could not really console her as she once had so very long ago.

Hanabi… well, Hanabi was busy at law school, working for her Masters. And the two sisters had never been close to begin with.

Hinata looked away.

Maybe her dreams were true.

Maybe she would never be strong enough.

Her gaze turned to the cup that she had set on the table, and a stray thought flitted into her head.

‘Maybe this time… maybe this time I can start again.’

----

Hinata stood silently staring at the same shiny red apple that her eyes had discovered well over ten minutes ago. If she realized that she was freaking out the fruit vendor, she made no mention of it.

The fact was, the man was shaking in his boots, sweat making his face shine in his nervousness. The Main Branch Hyuuga heiress was paused at his stand, staring. Just staring.

The vendor one stall over had laughed at his anxiety, but the fruit vendor had growled lowly, “I’d like to see you have a Hyuuga standing at your stall doing little more than standing immobile.” That had effectively shut the other vendor up.

“Uhh… Hyuuga-san?”

Hinata started, her eyes moving from the apple that had entranced her gaze to the sweaty, tense fruit vendor. Her face reddened. Quickly bowing, she murmured, “Please forgive me, sir.”

“It’s—um—it’s all right, Hyu-“ But Hinata turned and ran off before the vendor could finish his statement.

Hinata ran until she could run no longer.

What she wanted more than anything was to run from reality.

She wanted to run from herself.

She wanted to run away from her duties.

She wanted to run from her clan.

She wanted to run away from life and never look back.

One could say that she was being over dramatic—that marriage and the huge responsibility of heading the Hyuuga Clan was nothing to panic over, and if she considered herself to be any kind of ninja at all she would stick through this new period in her life.

But it wasn’t marriage that was scaring Hinata so badly. It wasn’t the fact that she would be taking over for her father as the head of the Hyuuga Clan that terrified her beyond everything else.

No, it was because the person that she was to be connected to for the rest of her life was someone that she did not love.

“No…” Hinata slowed and rubbed at her wet eyes despairingly.

No, Hinata loved him, but she wasn’t in love with him.

In her mind, she questioned how she ever could be in love with him. He was… he was…

“Hinata-sama.”

Hinata murmured a low, “Nooo…” in the midst of her deep fog of sleep, and she batted away the hand that she could feel nudging her into the waking world.

“Hinata-sama, I’m leaving now.”

Hinata groaned as she felt the weight of sleep lift its heavy blanket off of her body, leaving her feeling cold and empty—the aftereffects she had seemed to be getting from her sleep lately. Blearily, she opened her eyes and met with the equally pale lavender of her cousin, Neji.

“Neji-niisan?” she murmured, the tone of sleep quilting her voice and making it husky. She began to push herself into a sitting position, but he held out a hand to tell her not to move.

He looked around distractedly and then turned a small smile towards her. “I have to get going, but I want you to make yourself at home. I left fresh clothes and such in the bathroom if you feel the need to change, but if you want, I’ll call your secretary and ask her to bring something over for you.”

Hinata sighed and nodded, a slight sheepish smile spreading across her face. “Thank you for everything, Neji-niisan. You don’t know how much all of what you’re doing means to me.”

Neji randomly ran his fingers through her hair, a strange look on his face. “Somehow, I don’t think that it’s enough…” he murmured.

Hinata frowned at his strange tone. “What do you mean, Neji-nii-“

“Forget it,” Neji said, shaking his head and smiling, strained, at her. Hinata sat up immediately and opened her mouth to say something, but Neji turned and quickly said, “I have to get going, but I should be home before dinner.”

Then he left.

And Hinata was left with a strange feeling in her heart.

Something akin to sadness.

Hinata closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself.

‘You’re a ninja. You can handle it. Loss is a natural thing.’

Hinata frowned. She wasn’t a ninja. Where had that idea come from?

She shook her head to clear it, reminding herself that she had just woken up from a dream. It was entirely possible that she could have just remembered something from the visions that had danced in her head during her sleep.

----

Neji stepped out of his car after an hour’s worth of driving. He stretched shortly to remove the kinks from his body.

“Hyuuga,” a smooth, cool voice behind Neji made the corner of his lips twitch in slight annoyance. He closed his pale eyes and allowed the familiar smirk to rise as it always did.

“Uchiha,” he acknowledged calmly.

“Hn.”

The two men, ever playing on each other’s superiority complexes and strong family pride, stood silently, as if daring the other to speak first.

A loud, boisterous cry broke their competitive silence. “Neji!”

The stoic Hyuuga was promptly bowled over and Uchiha Sasuke was left standing with a ticking black eyebrow. Neji groaned but turned a slight grimace-smile on his attacker. “Uzumaki Naruto, it seems to be your destiny to forever remain hyperactive, no?”

Naruto’s face--complete with six whisker tattoos (three on each cheek)--broke out into a gigantic, ear-splitting grin. “That seems to be the case, Neji. There might just be somethin’ behind that fate and destiny junk of yours after all.” Neji chuckled softly at the blonde’s answer. He eyed the artist’s choice of attire and inwardly shook his head.

His blond hair was nearly the same as it had been so many millenniums ago—still spiky, still the color of the unabashed sun (although the tips were now dyed a flaring orange), still as soft looking as the finest silk. His baby blue eyes, ever so expressive and big, had changed in neither color nor shape, although that eyeliner (most likely thanks entirely to his good “buddy” Gaara) seemed to make the color darker than it was. His skin was as tanned as ever, probably due to how much time he spent outside painting moving landscapes, if not more tanned than before.

A few chokers and necklaces adorned his neck, most likely added there from the femme-flare that Sai seemed to adore. The orange collared shirt, three of the buttons left undone, suited Naruto like nothing else could have. It seemed that even when away from the time of the ninja, the man could still not bear to part with the glaring color that had come to represent him. Baggy black jeans brought out the orange and made the shirt darker at the same time.

Naruto scratched his cheek sheepishly and Neji noticed the many rings that decorated the artist’s fingers and the black nail polish that was painted immaculately on his fingernails; a slight embarrassed flush spread across Naruto’s cheeks in the process. “Ah… Neji, how’s Hinata-chan doing? I-uhh-I think I might’ve been just a bit too hard on her.”

Neji snapped his gaze from the dark black nail polish and glanced up at the blond who was (still) sitting on his midsection. Neji looked away, unwilling to show just how much the sudden appearance of his cousin was affecting him. “She’s been acting strangely. It’s like she’s disconnected.”

Sasuke grunted from above them. “Oi, dobe. Get off of the Hyuuga.”

Naruto shot a glare at the stoic observer, middle finger up in the air for all to see. “Butt out, Bastard,” he spat childishly, adding to the effect as he stuck out his tongue. However, he did hoist himself up off of Neji in the process, and helped the older man up off of the ground.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “How old are you again, Dobe?” He glanced over at Neji. “Hn, Hyuuga. Do you know when everyone else is supposed to get here?”

Neji glanced at his watch and grimaced. “Hopefully, they’ll be here soon,” he responded.

Sasuke grunted and flipped on his dark blue tinted sunglasses; then he shoved his hands into his black pants pockets.

Naruto bounced over to Sasuke and slung an arm around his neck, pulling him closer with his large, boisterous grin. “Oi, Teme, why are you so spiffed up in the first place?” he asked, motioning to the white button up shirt that, like Naruto’s, was partially unbuttoned, the black pants, and the shiny black shoes.

Sasuke just muttered a noncommittal, “Dobe.”

Neji shook his head at their typical interaction.

----

At one time in her life, Neji had begun to call Hinata a rather “curious kitten.” When she was five, she loved to explore the world around her. Sure, when people she didn’t know came around, she would run and hide with a cherry red blush flush across her face, but when she was alone she would try to get into everything she could in order to learn about the world surrounding her.

When she reached her teens, Hinata tried her best to suppress that curiosity that, for some reason that she couldn’t seem to recall, had become the bane of her life. She withdrew herself from the rest of society. She hid herself behind her mask of bashfulness and soft words.

And then spontaneity had shown up out of nowhere and had engrossed her so immediately that she couldn’t help but chase after it as a moth follows a flame.

She should have known that when the moth would catch up to the flame it could only get burned…

“Why?” choked a voice amidst despairing sobs that echoed in the dark room. “Why?!”

----

Hinata bit her lip as she stood staring at the door. With a sigh and a glance around the hallway, she gripped the handle and turned. She peeked into the room. Silently, she pushed the door open further and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Her hand sought out the light switch on the wall and flipped it on when she discovered it.

The room lit up; Hinata had walked into Neji’s office. She stepped forward into the middle of the room and looked about. Certificates, awards, and trophies that Neji had accumulated in the duration of his life hung proudly in frames on his walls or on his wall shelves. A large world map was stretched across one of his walls, taking up much of its surface area.

Hinata’s eyes widened momentarily, and she stepped over to the map. Her fingers ghosted just above the tacks that plunged into the map in various locations. A smile gradually tugged the corners of her lips upwards. She knew what the tacks meant; Neji had always wanted to be acknowledged as a valuable asset to Byakugan, Inc., even when he had gone through the rebellious, angry-at-the-world phase in his life. Even then he had kept track of just how influential the family company was. Even then he had begun tracking the spread of their smaller locations. The tacks were all their current assets—a representation of just how great their family was. It was a reminder of Neji’s family pride. Her pointer finger rested on the tack that represented the Byakugan, Inc. headquarters for a moment, and then she stepped away from the map.

Neji’s desk sat against the wall adjacent to the one with the map, and Hinata moved to sit down. She sank down into the black cushioned seat and reached for his laptop. When she pushed the screen up, it turned on. Obviously, Neji had used it recently.

Hinata frowned at the background that appeared on the screen.

----

At the remote park, a few other people had shown up.

TenTen and Lee were among the first to arrive (after Neji, Sasuke, and Naruto, that is) and were making teaching plans for their martial arts classes later that day.

Sai was hovering over Naruto, and no matter how darkly Sasuke glared at the femme-boy, Sai seemed very against leaving the artist’s side.

Naruto, for his part, was chattering incessantly with Sai and whenever Sai would comment on Sasuke’s glaring, Naruto was more than willing to spare a few choice words with the more stoic man.

Neji leaned against a tree and stared up at the sky. Idly, he wondered if Hinata had gone back to sleep. She had looked like the dream that she had been having had troubled her just before Neji had tried to wake her up.

The group looked up when they heard the screeching of tires; an angry little red sports car swerved into a parking space and almost immediately a woman with pinker than pink hair and flaring green eyes stomped out of her car. From where Neji stood, he could practically see the steam escaping through her ears.

“Uzumaki!” Sakura growled menacingly.

Naruto, sensing the dark vibes the pinkette was emitting, chuckled half-heartedly. “Ehhh… hey Sakura-chan. How’re you today?”

Sakura’s eyes narrowed and she marched over to where the blond sat, pushing Sai out of her way in the process. Grabbing Naruto by the collar, she snarled, “You idiot! You were way too hard on Hinata-chan, again!” Sakura glared down at the blond, who looked away immediately. Sasuke’s eyes narrowed slightly; Neji watched quietly, observing his cousin’s secretary closely. “She was crushed, Naruto. You should have been softer, nice-“

“Sakura,” Sasuke said warningly.

“Sasuke-kun!” Sakura cried pointing to Naruto, “You haven’t seen how crushed Hinata was! Don’t try to stop me from telling him what needs to be said!”

Sasuke’s eyebrows furrowed, but Naruto pushed himself up and spoke. “I tried, Sakura-chan,” he looked up and his blue eyes were impossibly dark. “I did my very best to let her down as gently as I could-“

Sakura’s lips twisted into an upset frown. “Don’t you understand that a girl’s heart is easily broken, Naruto?” Her eyes darkened as she remembered the lost expression that had colored her employer’s, if not one of her closest friend’s, face in a despondent color. “Hinata… Hinata’s been through so much. In both lives she’s been through so much.”

“What do you think I should have done, Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked softly as he took her hand. “What would you have done? I didn’t say anything that wasn’t the truth, and anything that I could have said to make her happy would have been a lie. Hinata-chan… Hinata-chan is one of my most important people. I couldn’t possibly have ever lied to her and promised her that I felt something for her that I honestly don’t. If anything, that would’ve hurt her in the long-run more than my rejection of her ever did.”

Sakura’s mouth parted slightly at his words, and when he finished, she lowered her watering gaze. “But… But why? Why do we need to hurt each other again? Why can’t things work out smoother this time?” She pulled Naruto closer and buried her head in his chest as she began to cry. “This was… it was supposed to be-it was… our chance to try again…” Naruto closed his eyes and hugged the woman tighter. Sasuke sighed imperceptibly and stood, rounding the table to reach the two people that he had claimed as two of his most important people. He laid his hand lightly against Sakura’s shoulder and the woman looked up through her runny mascara and tearful eyes.

“Sasuke-kun?” she whimpered slightly, although she tried to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. Naruto watched the stoic man as well, his eyes devoid of the light that they normally held.

Sasuke looked up for a moment and then he returned his gaze back to Sakura and Naruto. “We got a chance to try again… but this reality is still life. Life will always hurt us in some way, shape or form, but there will always be something that we’ll eventually gain that will make us happy. Naruto may not have been the one for Hinata, but someone is. And that someone will make her happy when the time is right.”

Despite the glances that turned his way, Neji closed his eyes and tried to block out the overly hopeful words. They had never helped before, and Neji was sure that they probably wouldn’t help now.

----

Hinata stared openly at the fancy swastika that took up the entirety of Neji’s desktop background.

Hinata blanched. “Otousan… you’re just… you’re just kidding, right?” she asked in an almost breathless tone. This couldn’t be happening to her.

Hiashi frowned. “Hinata, I do not joke. This decision is final.”

“Yes, father.” Hinata’s eyes gradually lowered to the floor just as she slowly bowed down respectfully to the authority of her father’s wisdom.

“I would like for you to retrieve Neji and bring him to me. Is that understood, Hinata?” Hiashi asked, watching his eldest daughter closely. The girl nodded obediently and pushed herself off of the floor.

Hinata walked numbly down the corridor and only partially recognized the falling rain. When the numbness of the cold began to seep into her skin, Hinata slowly tilted her head to watch the rain falling down upon the Earth.

How appropriate.

The sky… was crying…

A tear slipped down Hinata’s cheek, but she didn’t even seem to notice.

“Hinata-sama?” A finger wiped away the tear and Hinata’s eyes snapped up to see Neji hovering over her. Her eyes fastened onto the swastika that was uncovered for the world to see on his forehead. Her eyes widened and she jerked away as if burned. Neji’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you okay, Hinata-sama?” Neji asked concernedly.

Hinata shied away from his touch, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Neji’s eyes widened at her look… and then he turned to look at the rain. “The rain is beautiful, don’t you think, Hinata-sama?”

Hinata’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched him. She licked her lips and then turned away. “Otousan wants to see you, Neji-niisan,” she murmured before she walked away, leaving Neji to look after her, confusion coloring his eyes just a slightly darker shade of lavender.

Hinata blinked at the vision that had appeared in her mind. She quickly closed the laptop and stood up, her breathing labored as adrenaline and slight panic started to cut in. In haste, she scurried out of the room, but that didn’t seem to stop the strange visions that were filling her brain—foreign places that had never existed; faces of people that she had never even met; a sense of self-harming duty to the force that was family tradition that wasn’t entirely foreign to her; and the out of place images of her closest kin, her favorite cousin, her Neji-niisan.

----

“I’ve been talking to Ino but she doesn’t seem to remember at all.”

Neji remained watching over the group, even after everyone had finally shown up.

Sakura sighed, bowing her head. “I can’t think of anything that could spark her memories.”

Naruto glanced over at the lazy computer whiz, Shikamaru. “Oi, lazy bones, have you made any progress with Chouji?”

Shikamaru muttered a low, “Troublesome,” under his voice, but then he spoke up. “He said that he’s been having strange dreams. That’s all that I know.”

Naruto ran his fingers through his blond and orange-tipped spikes and then messed them up with a disparaging sigh. Sasuke’s cool, unattached gaze zeroed in on Neji, who stood quietly away from the group observing.

“What about Hinata-san?” the raven intoned uninterestedly.

Sakura looked down. “Well, she wasn’t so good today before Sai and I dropped her off at Neji-san’s place. I don’t know about after she arrived, but…” The pinkette trailed off.

“We saw her briefly,” Lee chimed in suddenly. “TenTen-chan and I were just leaving Neji’s place, and we ran into her.” TenTen turned and looked at Lee strangely for a moment and then her eyes widened.

“We did, didn’t we?” she breathed softly as she turned to the rest of the group. “I thought that I recognized her but I wasn’t sure. And I could have sworn that Hinata recognized us for a moment and was shocked to see us.”

Shikamaru hummed, paused, and then he addressed Neji. “Did she seem like she was acting weird when she finally got to you?”

Neji’s lips thinned for a moment in thought. “No,” he answered shortly. “She didn’t act any stranger than the last time that she was rejected by Naruto.” With that said, he turned on his heel. “I’m leaving, guys. I’ll see you later.” He raised his hand in salutation and left.

Naruto stared after Neji, his lips parted. Sakura patted him on the head. “Are you okay, Naruto?” Naruto sighed heavily and shot Sakura a slight smile.

“If she hasn’t acted so different than she had back then… maybe there’s hope yet.” Sasuke closed his eyes and the corners of his lips rose.

Sakura smiled and turned to the group. “Well, this gives me a few ideas for the other people on our list.”

----

Hinata fidgeted as she stood in front of Naruto. Her customary blush covered her face and, she was sure, probably made her look like a tomato. “Um… Naruto-kun…” she pressed her two pointer fingers together. “Can I… talk to you?”

Naruto looked surprised, but he smiled anyway. “Sure, Hinata-chan, just let me finish this bowl of ramen, okay?” Hinata nodded slightly and then contented herself in glancing around Ichiraku.

Setting his bowl on the counter and leaving money with it, he stood and turned to Hinata. “You wanted to talk?” he asked with his customary smile in place.

“Yes,” she murmured, “but not here. I… I wanted to talk to you in private.” Naruto seemed surprised by that but didn’t comment. Instead, he busied himself with leading her out of the shop and towards a destination more private.

-. . .-

“I’m so sorry.”

The words rang inside of her head like the chiming of bells. He was sorry? What could he have to possibly be sorry for? Hinata curled into a ball in the darkness of her room, chanting in her head how much of a fool she was. “Why?” she whimpered.

Hinata knew that she had been locked in her room for a long time. She could imagine that her father was probably very mad at her for that. What kind of kunoichi (not to mention ninja in general) locked herself in her room and ruminated in there for Kami knows how long? And of course… it was bad for the clan. Hinata sighed a self-despairing sigh and pulled her covers tighter around her.

Someone knocked on her door, but Hinata ignored it. As far as she was concerned, everyone for the time being could disappear. She really didn’t want to bother with anyone. What she wanted more than anything was to just—another knock came, but afterwards she could hear her door creak open.

“Hinata-sama?” Hinata’s ears unintentionally perked at the sound of the voice, but she refused to respond to it. She heard her companion sigh and then heard the soft padding of feet along the floor. She clenched her eyes shut tightly, but that action neither made the person disappear or persuade them to leave. The feet stopped at the side of her bed and then a weight made the bed dip downwards. “Hinata-sama,” the voice whispered softly by her right ear. “I brought this for you, and I hope that it helps you feel better.”

Hinata clenched her eyelids together fiercely for a few moments, and then slowly, reluctantly she opened them.

“I didn’t want to be bothered, Neji-niisan,” she murmured very quietly. But he had already left and her words drifted across an empty room. In front of her sat a glass of chocolate milk, her favorite thing to drink when she was down. A hesitant smile blossomed across her lips.

-. . .-

Hinata stood in front of a mirror drabbed in a pure white kimono. Her long bluish-purple hair was swept back into an elegant bun and was decorated with pretty pearls.

However, something was off about the picture. Her face was pallid and contrasted with the slightly dark bags that hung under her eyes from stress and poor sleep. Her usually bright eyes were overshadowed and dull, the results of the predicament that she was stuck in.

She was getting married.

She was getting married.

She was getting married to Neji.

----

Hinata’s eyes snapped open as she tumbled over a stool. The images that had appeared in her mind disappeared, but the knowledge of what they were made her feel dizzy and panicky.

She remembered everything, and she couldn’t believe it. She had been… she had been in love with Naruto in her past life, yet he had rejected her. And-and-and… she had married… her cousin.

Hinata tried to calm herself, but the adrenaline was only rushing faster through her veins, and the sudden stress of where she was and who she was and who she had been was making her stomach turn.

Hinata suddenly found herself very morbidly disgusting.

She hugged herself tightly to keep from shivering.

She had married her cousin.

Her head was beginning to hurt very, very intensely.

She had married someone who she viewed as a brother.

And she was sitting in his house, waiting for him to return.

Hinata’s eyes snapped open and she scurried to search for the phone. She had to get out of Neji’s home and far, far away from him. The thought of even seeing him at that point made her feel more nauseous than she already was.

----

Neji pulled out his keys from his pocket and inserted them into the lock; he then turned the key and pulled open the door. With a heavy sigh, he called, “Hinata-sama, I’m home.” He received no response. “Hinata-sama?” he called distractedly as he rooted through his new mail. He frowned slightly as he pulled up an envelope with fancy lettering across the top: For a Fellow Believer in Resurgence. A slight smirk dragged the corners of his lips upwards. “Well, talk about fate and destiny,” he murmured humorously under his breath. He kept that letter and tossed the rest onto his foyer table for a later look through. Neji turned his attention back to the matter at hand: finding Hinata, who wasn’t answering his calls.

When he finally discovered her, Hinata was sitting on the couch, her purse clutched tightly to her chest. Her head was bowed and her long bangs overshadowed her eyes. Neji frowned at that. “Hinata-sama? Are you okay?” he asked softly, padding over to where she sat tensely; judging from her body posture, she was about ready to bolt from her spot on his couch.

“Don’t-don’t come near me,” Hinata said softly. She didn’t look up.

Neji froze in place. “…Uhh… what was that, Hinata-sama? I don’t think that I heard you correctly.”

Hinata’s head jerked up, a furious-and at the same time, extremely sad-expression on her face. “I said—“

“Stay away from me, Neji!”

Neji felt the strongest pang of déjà vu. He had gone through this before. He knew that he had heard that voice-so full of malice and melancholy-before.

He looked away shortly and then backed away.

Before he could leave the room, Hinata’s voice stopped him momentarily. “Did you get some sort of sick enjoyment out of it?”

“What do you mean, Hinata-sama?” Neji asked hesitantly, and he turned to face her despite the fact that he really didn’t want to see the uncharacteristic hateful expression that he knew would be on her face.

Hinata’s pale eyes flashed slightly with an inner turmoil that Neji couldn’t place. “You could have refused whereas I could not. Instead, you allowed father to go ahead with the engagement? Was it some sick fantasy of yours or something?” Her face reddened and she stood up abruptly. “You knew that I loved Naruto! How could you even think of imprisoning me in a marriage that was a farce?! I could never have loved you! You’re my cousin for goodness sakes; that’s sick and wrong!”

With that said and out in the open, Neji’s face paled quite drastically. His lips pressed together and his shocked, if not majorly crestfallen, expression hardened. Resolutely closing his eyes and blocking out the image of his “enlightened” cousin, he stonily replied, “Get. Out.”

He didn’t hear anything for a moment, and in his minds eye, he could see her blinking rapidly at the sudden change in topics. Then, her footsteps quickly marched past him, and he caught a whiff of the fragrance that seemed to always follow his beloved cousin. For a long time, it had been a scent that brought comfort, but as she passed it made his stomach churn with dread.

----

“Hinata-sama?!” Sakura hopped out of the car quickly, rounding it to open the passenger seat for her boss.

Hinata glanced away, her eyes downcast and blank. “Don’t call me that, Sakura-san. You’ve always been so much greater than I ever have been.”

Sakura frowned in confusion but opened the door for her employer anyway. “Please get into the car, Hina-“ The pinkette froze when she noticed the way that Hinata was trembling. “…Hinata-sama?” Hinata tumbled foreward and collapsed against Sakura, large tears rolling down her cheeks as she burst into tears.

“I hate him, Sakura-san. I hate him so much but I hate myself so much more!” Sakura’s eyes widened briefly and then the light that colored her emerald eyes dimmed.

‘So… Hinata remembers,’ Sakura thought, and even the voice in her head was quieter than it normally was. ‘And she apparently didn’t take to the news very well.’

“Hinata-chan,” Sakura murmured softly as she ran her fingers comfortingly through the smaller woman’s hair. “Let’s get you home, ne?”

Hinata sniffed and nodded, hiccupping as she stepped into the car. Sakura pressed the door closed behind her and then turned to glance up in the direction of Neji’s living room window.

“I know that you can make it through this, Neji-kun. You’ve made it through everything else.”

Then she turned and headed to the drivers side of the red sports car.

As the car sped away, Sakura and Hinata were unaware of cool, pale lavender eyes that watched their departure distantly from a window of the condominium. Neji, likewise, was unaware of just how long he would have to “make it through” his current tribulation.

----

-One Year Later-

Hinata could hear the rain pattering outside her office window.

“Hinata-chan?” Sakura tapped lightly on the door of the office.

As she scrutinized details from the paper in her hand, Hinata’s eyes narrowed behind her glasses. “Come in,” she intoned. Her pen fluttered over the paper just as the office door creaked open. Hinata glanced up above the rim of her glasses. She immediately averted her gaze downwards once again. “Yes, Sakura?” she asked softly.

Sakura bit her lip, seeming to debate with herself before she admitted, “Uzumaki Naruto is here, Hinata-chan. He wants to speak with you.”

Hinata’s head snapped up at Naruto’s name and her face flushed a royal red. “N-N-Naruto-kun?” she stuttered like a lovesick schoolgirl. Inwardly, she cringed, that was not the proper decorum that the new president of one of the most prestigious companies should have shown. At least it hadn’t been in front of him. Hinata cleared her throat and smiled. “Bring him in, Sakura-chan.”

Sakura looked away for a moment and murmured, “Yes, Hinata-chan.” She bowed respectfully and left the room.

Hinata was about ready to get up and dance. She hadn’t seen or heard from Uzumaki Naruto since he had rejected her feelings for him about a year past.

Naruto looked away from Hinata with a troubled frown. “I-I’m sorry Hinata-chan. I just don’t feel that way about you… You’re like…like a sister to me. Please forgive me.”

Hinata’s eyes widened. “O-oh. Oh… I’m… I’m sorry for troubling you, Naruto-kun…” She turned away.

“Hinata-chan,” Naruto called suddenly. “I’m not the person that you’re really looking for. You may not know it yet… but someone else might. I’ll bet that they’re really fighting for you right now.”

Hinata shook her head quickly to dispel those dreary thoughts. They had been the very ones that had sent her to him a year back for comfort, and she really didn’t want them resurging after all of her efforts to suppress them.

The raven haired girl jolted slightly when a firm knock on her door tapped her out of her thoughts. “A-ah, come in!” Hinata called.

A blond head (with orange-tipped spikes) peeked around the door. Two sets of whisker-tattoos stretched up and towards his ears as Uzumaki Naruto’s face split into a wide grin. “Heya Hinata-chan! How ya been?”

Hinata smiled slightly, yet inwardly she was disappointed when she felt no thudding in her chest, no flush to desperately fight down, and no rising nervousness at seeing the person that she thought had stolen her heart. “I’ve been busy, Naruto-kun. And you? I haven’t heard from you in a long time.”

Naruto chuckled and quickly claimed one of the seats in front of her desk by flipping it around and sitting down with his arms folded across the backrest. His grin turned cheeky. “Oh, you know, I’ve been busy. One can never not be busy when there’s a bastard to bother.” Naruto laughed at his own joke, but Hinata could barely crack a smile at it. Naruto’s laughter slowly died down, and he scratched his cheek. “Ah… I thought that you’d already know Sasuke…”

“Uchiha Sasuke?” Hinata asked in surprise.

Naruto brightened immediately. “Yeah! Sasuke-teme!” Hinata laughed lightly at his enthusiasm. Naruto smiled as he watched her, but his smile slowly faded.

Hinata leaned back in her chair and played slightly with her pen. “So what brings you here to me, Naruto-kun?” she asked.

Naruto chewed on his lip for a moment before he leaned forward. “Sakura-chan tells me that you remember about Konoha.”

Hinata’s eyes rounded out, and she also leaned forward. “You mean that you remember as well, Naruto-kun?”

Naruto smiled uneasily. “I’ve remembered for a long time, Hinata-chan. The first time that I ever ran into Sasuke-teme when I was eight I remembered every fight and nasty word we’d ever shared with each other, as well as all of our good times. When I saw Sakura-chan for the very first time in middle school, I remember how close the two of us were and all of the times when all we had were each other…” he trailed off.

Hinata frowned, concerned for the blond artist. “Is that all, Naruto-kun?”

Naruto’s blue eyes met pale lavender ones directly. “Do you remember what I told you before you left last year? When I told you that there was probably someone out there who was fighting to have you?” Hinata nodded in surprise at his sudden seriousness.

Naruto’s eyes dulled slightly as his lips pursed. “Look, Hinata-chan,” he said solemnly, “that person… he’s not going to be around much longer to wait on you. Soon, he’s not going to be yours to take and reject anymore.”

Hinata’s lips parted slightly. “What… what do you mean, Naruto-kun?” she asked softly.

Naruto pushed away from the chair and stood up. “If you really want to be with the person you’re meant for, you really need to search your heart, Hinata-chan. If you keep pushing away what you really want in life then it’s going to be taken by someone else when you decide that you want it.” He turned the chair around again and pushed it up closer to the desk. “You better stop Neji before the wedding, Hinata. He’s not going to wait forever for you. Ja!” He held up a hand and walked out of the office, leaving a stunned Hinata to gape silently in his stead.

“What… I want…?”

----

Once upon a time, Hinata believed in fairy tales. She believed in knights in shining armor and dragons and happily ever afters. She believed that one day she would reach her happy ending and then everything would be wonderful and good with the world. At that time, Hinata believed in true love.

And then reality set in and she didn’t quite believe that everything could end so wonderfully for her anymore.

She was tainted.

And the tainted never gained a happy ending.

----

When Hinata turned twelve, she stumbled upon a realization. It wasn’t a very nice realization. In fact, it scared her beyond belief.

The realization had nothing to do with her deceased mother. It was not about her father or her sister, either.

The discovery centered entirely on her eldest and closest cousin. She discovered something about herself concerning her Neji-niisan.

It was with that realization that she cast away her curiosity with life. Hinata deemed curiosity painful, horrible, morbid, disgusting, and she distanced herself from her cousin as a result. It’s not like he would love her any more if he discovered her sudden secret, right?

…After all, falling in love with one’s cousin is repulsive and just plain wrong. And with that thought in mind, Hinata committed herself fully for a long time to casting all thoughts and emotions more than a sisterly love towards her Neji-niisan away from her… and slowly she forgot the love that had felt so real and so right upon first discovery.

----

Hinata covered her mouth with her hand as she recalled that time so long ago when she had realized that she fostered an impossible love for her favorite cousin. However, like last time, another memory quickly took the place of its predecessor.

----

Hinata sat underneath a sakura tree, her head tilted back and her eyes closed. It was a quiet day.

Naruto, on his visits, had called the Hyuuga Compound the Shrine of Dead Silence. Hinata couldn’t blame him. He had rejected her but a year ago and a little less than a year had passed since she had become Neji’s wife. It had also been a little less than a year since she had last really talked with Neji. For a long time, she had refused to do so, so sickened with their predicament to even stomach seeing his face. If not for the fact that they had to share a room to please her father, she would have been content never seeing him again.

Hinata’s mouth twisted into a miserable frown. After a few months, the shock of their marriage began to wear off on Hinata, and she found herself regretting ever pushing Neji away. It wasn’t like he had asked for them to be married, after all. It wasn’t like he had forced Naruto to reject her, either. However, despite the fact that Hinata was regretting the choices that she had made in the beginning of their marriage, Neji had seemed to shut himself away from her. She didn’t blame him. He had tried for so long to get her to open up to him… and when she just continued to push him away…

Hinata stood up decisively and headed out of the compound to find a particular item of importance.

-. . .-

Later, Hinata stood hesitantly a few feet away from the Hyuuga training grounds. She worried on her lower lip nervously as she debated whether or not coming to see him was such a good idea after all.

A little too late, she noticed that the sounds of training on the grounds had stopped. “I know that you’re there, Hinata-sama,” Neji’s voice intoned with a slightly tired edge to it. He stepped over to where she was hiding. Hinata’s face flared a bright red.

“A-ah, N-Neji-niisan!” she stuttered slightly, backing away out of habit.

Neji’s eyes hardened slightly and he folded his arms across his chest. “Did you need something, Hinata-sama?”

Hinata looked away shyly, although Neji probably interpreted it as her not being able to stand looking at him. “I… I just wanted to give these to you!” She shoved a bunch of flowers at him and then, as he fumbled to grab them, she took off running.

----

Hinata’s heart raced rapidly in her chest as she remembered those flowers. Neji had always had a soft spot for beauty, and he had often loved beautiful flowers. That, of course, had been a secret that he had shared with her when they were young; he had never told anybody else.

But she hadn’t chosen just any flowers to give to him. She had consulted Yamanaka Ino very critically before she had made her choice.

Into his hands she had shoved a bouquet of white Jasmines. Tied around the bouquet was a note…

Dear Neji, it had read, please forgive me for pushing you away as I had. You must understand that I didn’t really want to reject you, but I was so scared. You’re my cousin—my beloved Neji-niisan—and I was afraid of what others would think. I was being horribly selfish and I’m eternally sorry. Right now, there’s a barrier between my heart and my lips and it’s preventing me from saying “I love you” as a wife is supposed to love her husband. I am willing to try, though… if you will still have me. Please accept my sincere apology, Neji-niisan. Yours sincerely, Hinata.

The aftermath of that bouquet and its attached note ran through her head. Memories of times both good and bad. Memories of a love that did blossom and flourish. Memories of her Neji, the one that she had grown to love sincerely and truly and passionately, rushed through her head, and Hinata could have cried if not for the reality that came crashing down upon her.

Time was running out.

She stood up abruptly and dashed out of the room with not so much as an explanation to the startled Sakura, who merely stared after her for a moment before smiling slightly and turning to pick up the phone.

“Stupid Naruto, coming up with such a stupid plan.” Despite the words that should have been spoken with scorn, a smile lit up her lips. “Just you wait until Sasuke catches wind of this.” She quickly dialed the numbers that she knew by heart.

“Sakura-chan?” a cheerful voice chirped.

Sakura shook her head and rested her chin in her hand. “She just left.”

“Thank you, Sakura-chan! See you later!”

Sakura’s eyes softened as she picked up a picture on her desk. Team 7. Huh. Who would’ve guessed?... at least, that’s what Kakashi had said way back when. “See you later, Naruto. And don’t think that I’m not going to tell Sasuke about all of the mischief that you’re stirring up.”

“But Sakura-chan!”

“Bye, Naruto, kisses.”

“Sakura-chan!”

And she hung up with a contented smile.

----

Hinata ran down the street. She wasn’t really watching where she was going; all she knew was that time was running out. Naruto’s solemn words rang in her ears like a warning bell.

She shook her head and panted a hoarse cry. Of all the times for everything to fall into place it had to be when it was just way too late. She clenched her eyes shut and covered her mouth as a sob escaped.

She didn’t remember it being this hard. Being with him wasn’t a major thing back then… but at that time there hadn’t been many rules, laws, prejudices...

Hinata straightened and looked around wearily through the pouring rain. A time when she had once met Neji in the rain flashed in her mind and a feeling of despair washed over her.

She had had her chance. Maybe she should—“No!” she gasped, clenching and unclenching her wet fists. “Giving up is for… it’s for cowards.” She lifted her head and the cold, numbing rain splashed onto her face, mingling with the warm tears that began to fall down her cheeks.

Hinata ran her fingers through Neji’s long hair, grayed with age but still so beautiful. She leaned down and kissed the seal on his forehead. “When we meet again, Koibito,” she murmured against his cold forehead.

The pelting of the rain numbing her face stopped and Hinata jerked around. “Who?!” she gasped. She blinked owlishly at the person who stood in front of her. “What’re you doing here?” she whispered disbelievingly.

Hyuuga Neji glanced over at the rain, his eyes narrowing, “The rain is beautiful, ne, Hinata-sama?” He gazed at her from the corners of his eyes and his lips turned upwards into a barely noticeable smile. “Admiring the rain is one thing, though. Trying to catch your death with it is something completely different.”

Hinata’s lips barely parted. “What… what’re you doing here, Neji-niisan?” she whispered again, softly. “You… you’re getting married.”

Neji’s eyebrows shot up. “I’m getting married?” he asked. “To whom, exactly?”

Hinata stuttered unintelligibly. “I-I-I don’t—I don’t know.”

“Well,” he chuckled deeply, “on the off chance that I was getting married, I would expect that my favorite cousin would at least be there to support me. Unfortunately, at this moment in time, I’m not getting married. Although, I was at Lee and Tenten’s wedding reception a few moments ago. If not for Naruto running in crying that he had seen you running around outside in this weather…” He leaned closer, and Hinata’s face heated up. “What were you thinking, running out here in the rain like this?” He motioned to her black blouse and black suit-skirt and the heels that she wore on her feet.

Hinata pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear nervously. “I-I-umm…” She looked away. “I needed to find you. I needed to tell you that I’m sorry that I ever pushed you away. I was… I was just… scared. I didn’t want to be different or alienated because of any feelings that I harbored for you—you who is as close to me as a brother and who is more important to me than any lover.” Neji stared at her in surprise. “You mean… everything to me, Neji-ni…” she trailed off and looked up at him. Closing her eyes, Hinata pushed herself into Neji’s arms and buried her head in his chest. “Forgive me!” she whispered, “Please forgive me for forgetting how much I love you…”

Neji’s eyes softened and he hugged her, dropping the umbrella in the process.

Neither knew how long they stood there. Nor did either of them know whether the rain stopped. All they knew was that they could start again as long as they had each other.

“When we meet again, let’s meet in the rain.”

----. . . O W A R I . . .----

swastika-the picture on Neji’s desktop. In the manga (Japanese version), the Juin Jutsu (ie-the Hyuuga Branch Family Seal) is a swastika, which had its origins several thousand years before the Nazi came to power. It was usually known as a symbol of good luck and protection. This variation is probably meant to be the Buddhist symbol for Buddha's heart and mind. In the anime and English translation of the manga, the animators tried to get around the Nazi swastika connotation by altering the inner portion of the symbol.

Juin Jutsu, manga: http (colon, two slashes) tinyurl (dot) com (slash) 3aowmd

Jutsu, anime and English translation of the manga : http (colon, two slashes) tinyurl (dot) com (slash) 3yyyx2

(For the websites, just replace what's in the parenthesis with the symbols I spelled out.)

I guess this is the end of the line for this little fic. (For now, at least.) Sadly, the contest was closed because of lack of participation. .cries. I had such high hopes, too. But I’m glad that I did this fic, it was a big learning experience for me, I think.

So, let me address my feelings about this fic.

First of all, it was a torture for me to write. You might not believe me, but every time that I would sit down to work on it, I would be crying. Yes, literally crying. The ideas were so slow in coming and even when they did come they were not easy to piece together.

While I was working on it, I had the strongest urges to throw it away and start again, as I had with all of my other attempts at a NejiHina fic. Thankfully, my brother stopped me. Well, no, actually he threatened me with pain if I kept throwing the ideas out the window (or in this case, into the recycle bin). During those times, I was very, very tempted to just replace this fic with a sillier, shorter, sweeter one-shot… but I just couldn’t seem to think of one that would be fitting for these two. Most of the time, the ideas that would come were all kind of… In my head they sounded as if I had stolen the fic from someone else. That’s probably why I didn’t go through with making a different fic. laughs

Two other factors made writing this fic especially difficult to write:

1) Gaia is way too addictive. I would bring the story up but then I would get way too busy on Gaia to do anything with the fic and even when I did, I probably only got a word or two down and if I was lucky, maybe a sentence.

2) I’m such a huge procrastinator, it isn’t even funny. .cries.

By the way, a modern Naruto in eyeliner, earrings, chokers and other assorted neck apparel, nail polish (especially of the black variety), and rings is very appealing to me. .drools. I also tend to picture him with many earrings. It is one of my Dobe-fetishes.

So, I hope that you enjoyed it, and I know that, for now at least, I’m very happy that it’s done and that I’ve done the best that I could on it. Please tell me if any of the characters were outstandingly OOC, but keep in mind that they’ve all gone through different experiences in the life that they are now living in their lives.

Anyway, don’t forget to review! I would greatly appreciate it!

oXo Let the Rain Fall oXo

Endless Rain