Chapter Seven

…Meanwhile, in the Uchiha Kingdom…

A pink-haired girl sighs and looks over at her best friend. "I wish you'd eat something."

"Sakura, stop worrying so much," Ino replies, attempting to divert the attention from herself for perhaps the first time in her life. "I'm fine, I swear. It's a little early for lunch anyway, and don't you have other things to be worrying about?"

Sakura groans and leans her chair back on its two rear legs, obviously wishing her friend had refrained from brining it up. Being the daughter of the Uchiha family's doctor, the teenage girl had quite a lot of contact with the royal family- more than the average person. She also had a raging crush on the prince, but one only her best friend Ino knows about.

Ino follows Sakura as she gets up and strides to her room in the back of the house. Though not nearly as lavish as the Uchiha palace, the Haruno household has the look of someone important. Ino sits on her friend's red bedspread as the other girl begins rifling through her closet.

"I need to find something to wear so I can make a good impression when I go to visit him later," she complains, wearing the look of one who's done this multiple times already.

"I stick by what I said before," says Ino, leaning back to look up at the ceiling, not appearing terribly interested. "You make the best impressions when you're not trying to make an impression."

"Come on, Ino, this is important! I might actually have a chance now!" The pink-haired girl claps a hand over her mouth as soon as she realizes what she's said, but it's too late now. "That was awful," she whispers, in awe at her own subconscious daring. "I can't believe I just said that."

Ino smiles at her sympathetically. "But so true, right?" Her friend looks down out of shame. "It's okay. I wont tell. Just don't go saying those sorts of things around town or in the market. The Hyuga rulers are starting to threaten war. They think Sasuke and his family have gone and kidnapped her or something. People are starting to get worried."

"I never wanted her to get hurt or anything," Sakura says quietly. "I just wanted her out of Sasuke's life."

She's rewarded with another understanding smile from her best friend. "I know. But let's get back to your outfit. I don't think what you have on right now is too bad." Sakura is wearing a simple pink dress- almost the exact color of her hair- that is slightly ruffled at the bottom. "Oh! I almost forgot!" Ino digs around in her excessively large bag and finally unearths a hair clip.

She crosses her friend's bedroom and clips it above her right ear. It's made with a real red flower from the shop Ino's mother runs.

"Perfect! I think you're ready."

…Back in the woods with Hinata…

Stunned, Hinata is frozen with the younger girls arms still wrapped around her tightly. She opens and closes her mouth a few times, unsure of what to say. Fortunately, she doesn't have to. The girl retreats when another voice-this one a male's- breaks through the silence.

"Lady Hanabi!" They've just separated when a boy rushes into the clearing, following in the exact footsteps of the young girl-Hanabi.

Hinata sucks in another breath as she takes in the boy. He has long dark brown hair that's really just a few shades lighter than black. It's tied together near the tips almost into a ponytail-type thing. He appears to be her age, maybe a bit older, but that's not what catches her eye. They have the same eyes…

He wears an exhausted look as he looks down at Hanabi- a look much too old for him.

"Lady Hanabi," he scolds. "You can't go running off like that. What would your father do if he found out I lost you, too?"

"Neji!" she cuts in, visibly excited. "Look!"

She points to Hinata kneeling behind her. He follows her pointing and gasps, completely taken aback. He stares at her, and once again she feels a pair of eyes travel up and down her body, taking in her scars. She wants to look away, but for some reason she's drawn to this odd pair. She can't shake the fact that they look so much like her… that she knows them from somewhere.

Neji's eyes find hers and he doesn't look away. His mouth has fallen open from the shock. After a moment, he unroots himself and takes a shaky step backwards. Then he falls to one knee and bows his head. It takes her a moment for her mind to work through the sheer absurdness of it all. He's bowing to her.

"Lady Hinata," he says. Then corrects himself, "Princess. I'm so glad to see that you're okay."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" she stammers, utterly bewildered. She's thinking about running from this complete madness, and she actually turns only to find yet another surprise. Tsunade's standing behind her.

Unfortunately, the two misinterpret her confused, slightly fearful look. Neji gets back on his feet and moves to stand protectively in front of Hanabi.

"Lady Hinata," he says slowly, seemingly trying to ignore Tsunade's presence. "Everyone's been so worried. Why haven't you returned home?"

"Who… Who are you?" Hinata asks, baffled.

Neji takes a moment to absorb her words, then turns angrily to Tsunade. "What have you done to her?"

"Watch your tone, boy!" Tsunade says in such a stern, commanding voice that even Neji backs off. Then she sighs and, running a hand through her hair, turns to Hinata and the other two as a whole. "Perhaps you should both come back with us… there's a lot of explaining to be done."

Neji looks about to protest, but Hanabi rushes forward and grabs hold of Hinata's hand. Hinata doesn't have the heart to shake her off, and Neji is left with no choice but to accompany them.

…

"I… I don't understand," says Hinata. "You're saying I'm… I'm a… princess?" she can't help nearly whispering the last word. After all had been explained, she'd expected for everything to fall into place, to finally make sense. But instead, she finds that her world has remained upside down. If anything, she's more confused than she was before.

Neji nods his head emphatically. "Yes. You are the eldest daughter and heir to the Hyuga family."

There are so many things she wants to ask, but the question that comes out isn't the one that anyone- not even she herself- had been expecting.

"Eldest… How… How many siblings do I have?"

"Why… It's just you and Lady Hanabi."

The younger girl looks up at her sadly from her spot beside her at the table. "Sis, your really don't remember anything?"

Hinata looks right into her eyes and immediately feel guilty. She wishes she could unearth some memory of the two of them and share it with the table, but… it's just not there. "No… I'm sorry."

Quietly, Tsunade says, "Now that you're around familiar people, your memories may start to return sooner."

"With no help from you," Neji says bitterly to her. Her look does not stop him from continuing, "You should have returned her to her family the second you knew you had the Hyuga princess under your roof! Do you have any idea how much grief you've caused? What right do you have to keep her prisoner here?"

Tsunade's gaze is hard. "She was hardly prisoner," the older woman says shortly. "And as her doctor, I have all authority to say that it was in her best interests for me to keep her here. I was observing her for any further signs of damage."

"Really?" his tone is no less mockingly harsh. "And what's your prognosis?"

"Stop it!" The words explode from Hinata, but still she wishes her tone could replicate Tsunade's. "Stop treating her like some sort of criminal! She's taken really good care of me."

Though her voice peters out a bit at the end, it's still her and not strong, controlling Tsunade that makes Neji back down. Tsunade doesn't appear to hear her though and addresses Neji.

"There's the chance that your cousin's memory will never return. It's almost impossible to tell at this point. Of course, we also need to consider that she could make a full recovery. And I'm prepared to explain this whole mess to her father."

Neji stands abruptly. "Good. Then there's not a minute to lose. Let's go."

Hinata's head is spinning. This is all moving so quickly! And doesn't she get a say? But Tsunade's already standing as well.

"Yes. I'm aware."

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I don't own Naruto.