"Byakugan!"

Veins swelled around her eyes and she lunged at Neji. He shifted slightly and didn't give her time to pull back. He seized her wrist and hit another tenketsu, causing her to cough up blood on his hand. Though it was just sparring, Hinata seemed more unwavering than ever. Even being within this state, she was not dejected. The words "inescapable" and "fate" rang through her head.

This time it was he who charged first. He was going for the obvious and it was all Hinata expected. However, the next move took her by surprise. Neji dove under her arm and hit the curve of her back.

"Let's take a break." Neji turned, not expecting Hinata to pursue the fight any longer. With a bitter smile, she collapsed from exhaustion watching the outline from the distance grow smaller and everything adjust to the color of black.

--

"Wake up."

Her eyes sprang open and she shot up. A crimson haired boy had his head cocked to the side. It looked like he was…curious?

"You've been like that for somewhat hours."

He's been watching me all this time.

"G-gaara, why are you here?"

"It seemed like you were dead, your pulse was quite slow." He ignored her question.

She looked at the grass and grabbed a good chunk. It was to prevent herself from poking her two fingers. Without Hinata knowing, he scowled.

"Why won't you look at me?" He made it seem more of an accusation than a question. His eyes became slits almost waiting for her to dub him a monster. The Shikaku desperately needed the girl to trigger his killing instinct as its hunger for blood grew.

"I-I'm sorry, I j-just don't w-want you t-to see me like this." Hinata said softly, refusing to meet his eyes.

It was only then that Gaara realized how pitiable she looked. Her clothing was torn to a degree, covered in grass stains and smothered in her blood. Yet, she looked so composed before that it had almost mesmerized him. So clean. To some extent, he wondered if he was the cause of her anxiousness now.

"Do you live near?" Gaara asked quietly. "You're hurt."

Grateful he didn't ask why she was in her current state, Hinata mumbled, "Y-yes. I w-was just out here f-for s-som—"

"Hn."

Sand began to slide from his gourd and swirl around him. It danced in the air, covering his body first and then his face. When he was no longer visible inside the crust, the grains of sand fell apart, leaving behind no traces of the crimson-haired boy. All but the scent of blood lingering in the air.

…

"Goodbye."

I saw you there. I saw you there on that swing.

You looked at me, but you never saw me.

Your eyes had dark rings around them and mine were opaque.

But they both seemed so similar to me at the time and they still do.

Both so lost and condemned.

We knew who we were and who we could never be.

When I saw you, it made me realize I wanted that to change.

I wanted to find you and me, the people that we wanted to be.

I didn't know your past, and you didn't know mine.

Because of that, we could be perfect,

Even if it could only seen through our eyes.