Hinata's eyebrow twitched in her anger. So, not only did she wake up with a massive hangover, in the floor, and her hair tied in a knot....HE was hugged up to her, his filthy hands on her chest with this stupid grin on his face. Her eye twitched again and she grit her teeth loudly and sent him flying with a foot to the face. He got a real rude awakening, especially when he hit her dresser on the other side of her room. He had this look of utter shock on his usually stoic face as Hinata stormed over to him.

"How the hell did you get in here?!" she roared and he blinked and began looking around, confused. "How the hell did I get in here?" he asked and looked around until his dark eyes landed on her. "You're such a filthy pervert, Sasuke. Creeping into a woman's room while she is sleeping just to feel her up...You disgust me." she hissed and yanked him up from the floor. He actually had a slight fearful glint in his eyes for once as lightning crackled around her fingertips. She scoffed loudly, dropped him and spun nimbly on her heel and walked out. He sighed in relief and followed her out of the room, albeit a few feet behind her.

Sasuke made his way to the door, ignoring the smirk Tobirama gave him as he rushed out of the house. "You said you wanted her." Tobirama called after him and Sasuke flipped him off as he left the house. "Not anymore! You can have her, I don't like being awakened in such a rude manner." Sasuke grumbled and Hinata snorted arrogantly. "And I don't like perverts in my room while I sleep." She snapped and walked into the kitchen. Tobirama couldn't help but smirk, she seemed to be dealing quite well with the fact someone actually handed her ass to her in a fight. Sure she was strong, but there was always someone stronger and he could tell her that too...but you know...he kinda liked his face so the words from the wise will have to wait or else he will lose his face to her claws.

He raised a brow as she walked into the kitchen of their small shared home. "Hey, brat, get me a soda." He called and he could feel her anger through the walls. Hinata fisted her hand as her eye twitched. "Get it your own damn self!" she snapped and opened the fridge door only to have a clone of him reach around her for a soda. She dispersed his clone with a swift punch to the head. She turned to grab her a cup to pour her something to drink only to see a few more clones in the fridge. "Damn it Tobirama! Lazy ass!" she snarled and dispersed the others in the same manner as before.

He chuckled from the living room and she turned to see more clones carrying the entire fridge into the living room. She tried her hardest not to get angry, but he was pushing it and so was Sasuke. She had been going out and drinking since they had returned from suna and had even done so through her birthday, but that wasn't bad... she had been in a better mood and since then Tobirama had been a little less grumpy, for whatever reason. It was the thirty first...New Year's Eve...and they were going to have a huge new year's festival in the middle of the village; courtesy of Naruto.

She took a deep breath and watched as Tobirama's clones plugged the fridge in by the couch and then handed him a soda. She raised a brow and sighed while rubbing her eyes. "Why not a beer? They are in the fridge for you..." she said and he looked at her in feigned shock. "It's Midday! You want me to drunk so early?" he asked and she rolled her eyes. "No. I kinda just figured that you would want it since it's there. You know...I give up, I can't handle you." She sighed and walked back towards the stairs that led to her room. He watched her go, a confused look on his face but soon enough he sighed and called out to her.

"Hey, Hinata." He called and she stopped about halfway up the steps and turned around. "Has anyone asked you to go to the festival with them?" he asked and he saw her eyes flick from him to the wall beside her. "No...but why would it matter, I'm not going to go anyways." She said and he raised a brow. He was going to make her a proposition. "I will train you better in my jutsu if you go." He said and she eyed him cautiously. "This training, it doesn't consist of what Sasuke considers "Training" does it?" she asked and he deadpanned at her. "I'm not a fucking pervert damn." He grumbled and she snorted.

"That just proves you are, because that is not what I was talking about. What I was talking about was that he considers training to be a bloodbath, pretty much. He will critically injure you if you don't fight back with everything you have. I trained with him for only a year and yet I am stronger than I was when I was training alone, although when I was training alone I did get far more advanced in my elementals." She said with a smirk and he sighed, he really wished that he could find the girl who had spoken to him...this girl was an exotic beauty...but she was a handful and just straight out awful...the other woman sounded so sweet and gentle...the exact opposite of Hinata.

He gave her a dirty look and sighed. "Anyways...do you have an answer?" he asked and she rolled her eyes. "I'm still not going." She said and he frowned. He ran a hand through his hair and she watched him with curious eyes. "Why do you want me to go so badly?" she asked and he glowered at her. "Because all you ever do is sit around here and mope. Even when you go on missions you just angst around, there may only be a single Uchiha left, but he does enough angsting around to satiate the rest of the world. I mean really look at how his life turned out, but you have a chance to turn that around. You could still save the honor of your family, but you don't have to be alone when you do so. You can still have friends even if you seek vengeance, friends will help you out even if this is something you must do alone. They give moral support and even back up when backup is needed. You can trust people...you just have to try." He said and her hands gripped the banister of the stairwell tightly.

"Why do you even care? We aren't friends, we aren't more than friends nor are we even a bit less than friends. We were just shoved into this house together because I'm a bitch and I don't like competition. You could have gone off to find that one girl you speak so fondly of, the one girl who sounded like an angel or whatever you told Tsunade. You would have never had to be here, but you know...when it comes to what I have learned, no one else matters, no one but my comrades in battle and Naruto and Sasuke." She snapped and took a few angered steps up the staircase. He raised a brow, she sounded a bit jealous when she mentioned the girl, but he wasn't going to pry on that.

Tobirama frowned and looked up at her. "If you change your mind and decide that you want to let others in again, the festival would be the best place to start. I would even go with you, Naruto isn't sending me anywhere so what's it matter to me?" he said and he saw her stutter step, but she then made her way up the stairs swiftly. He stood and stretched with a sigh. He was going to make her go, whether she agreed to or not. Her friends had asked him to make sure she does. He also had ulterior motives, he was curious as to how she would look in the kimono Sakura and Ino had asked him to help them pick...why they wanted him to help was beyond him but he didn't mind, it gave him something to do.

He slipped on his shoes and slipped out the doorway, he turned back to see Hinata out on her balcony, her arms wrapped around her legs and her forehead pressed against her knees; he wasn't sure if she were just sitting like that or if she were crying, but she needed her alone time. He decided not to push on her internal affairs, she needed to solve the screwed up puzzle in her mind in her own way and he would let her do so to some extent.

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the street, and the villagers stopped what they were doing and waved. They all knew who he was and they had adjusted well to the fact that he was alive once more. They all seemed friendlier than the people of his real time; those people had been war fearing shinobi who would fight tooth and nail for their lives. He knew the majority of these people were now scared civilians, but that wasn't taking anything from them; fear is stronger than any anger. You will more likely fight more for your life if you are scared, if you are angry...most likely you will end up dead, look at Madara. Anger got Madara nowhere, he fought to his supposed death then hid away to make the anger worse. Anger is an incentive, but not a means of strength or protection; he wished Hinata would realize that most of the civilians were stronger than her when she was angry.

His eyes caught a flash of pink and he walked over to her. "Sakura-san." He greeted and she jumped, apparently she had been surprised by him. Ino swung around with a bright smile. "Tobirama-sama!" she greeted and he attempted to force a smile at the blonde banshee but so far it wasn't working. "Could you be any louder? Obviously you're hurting his ears pig." Sakura snorted and Ino glared at her friend, Menma giggling in her arms. Interest flickered in his eyes when they landed on little Menma. Ino caught his glance and grinned.

"Would you like to hold him?" she asked and he blinked in surprise, holding the little blonde child out to him. He was going to politely refuse but the child reached out to him so he gently took the child from his mother. Menma was playing with Tobirama's hair as they strolled down the street and Tobirama was happily entertaining the child.

Ino and Sakura were envious of how kind and gentle he was towards Menma. Naruto always attempted to train Menma, even at such a young age Naruto was trying to get him to learn to fight, which usually ended up in Menma crying and Naruto scrambling around to try to make Menma stop crying. Sakura adored her enthusiastic fiancé but she had a feeling Lee was going be like Naruto when it came to children.

Tobirama noticed them staring and he blinked. "What?" he asked and they laughed lightly. "You're so good with children." Ino commented and Tobirama looked at little Menma with a slightly saddened glance. "I always wanted a child, back when I was alive the first time... but... I never got the chance like my brother did." He said and Sakura frowned.

"Well that was the past and this is now. You have another chance to be happy so I would take it." Sakura said softly and Tobirama sighed. There was something about these two... they had a knack for getting information from people and he knew they knew it.

Ino grinned and hopped up and down like an energetic child. "Someone said you were interested in someone! Who is it?" she asked him enthusiastically. He blinked and sighed once more. She was up to something he figured but why not, technically he wasn't searching for the girl so he wasn't violating the deal he had made with Tsunade.

"I don't actually know who she is." He said and the women exchanged glances. "And I don't even know what she looks like." He said and their shoulders slumped. "I heard her voice though... if that's any consolation for a useless description." He chuckled and they perked up a bit.

"What did she sound like?" Sakura asked and he blinked, their moods changed fast, so obviously he was going to have to keep an eye out for these two. They were most likely going to be mini Tsunade's that's who they reminded him of. "Her voice was soft and it sounded shy... her voice sounded like... Like she had gone through hell and back and still managed not to break. Like she were a gentle human who had the world thrown at her." He said awkwardly and the two girls exchanged glances as he handed Menma to his mother. They had begun whispering behind their hands to each other and watching him oddly, like the gossiping pair they were.

"I think I know who you are talking about..." Ino said and he blinked at her. "Really?" he asked, a bit surprised. "Yeah... but you already know her... and she used to be like that all the time... but as you said, she sounded like a woman who had gone through hell and back." Ino said and Sakura nodded.

"You described the person she locked away... that's not her anymore. If you can't like her as she is... then what use is liking what she used to be? The gentle puppy became a wolf that bites." Sakura added and he furrowed his brow. He had no clue as to who she was talking about, but if the woman was not as she had sounded then what use was looking for her. Well damn, leave it to a woman to crush his hopes once more.

"But..." Ino began and he looked at her. "You can still get through to her, as I said you already know her. I know she's lonely and deep down you already know who we are talking about you just don't want to believe it." Ino said and walked ahead of the group. He sighed and rubbed his temples. "She's right you know... You may be the only one to be able to get through to her. But... enough sad talk of old friends who became friendless, let's find Hinata-chan something for the festival, shall we?" she asked and he furrowed his brows, her tone hadn't even gotten brighter like she were really excited. He sighed and rubbed his brows. They had been tried to be vague but he had this gut feeling that he would get the same nameless answer if he asked her name.

Ino squealed and began hopping up and down once more. He strolled over and saw the kimono she was squealing about. It was lovely, to be simplistic. It was a deep shade of blue that reminded him of Hinata's hair, white flower petals traced the hem of the sleeves and the bottom right side of the kimono, the obi was white as well and he nodded.

"This is the one, it fits her." He said simply and Ino gave him a look that suggested more than he dared think. "Oh, the expert has stated his facts of Hinata-chan." She laughed with the suggestive undertone and he sighed. Women, that was all he could think all of them are obsessed about matchmaking. "Hardly, Hinata couldn't hate me more. Trust me, I tried talking her into going to the festival tonight and I even offered to train her more in depth with water jutsu but yet again I was denied." He said and Ino blinked.

Sakura snorted. "That's why." She scoffed and he looked at her oddly. "What?" he was confused now. "Hinata may be stronger than most of us now, but not everything is about training and getting revenge. She doesn't trust us... but that's where she differs from Sasuke, he only thought about his revenge and training to get stronger. Hinata may be a bit cold and a bit... mean now at times, but she has other things she likes to do. Such as forcing the kage to drink until they can't walk anymore." Sakura laughed lightly and Tobirama's eye twitched at that.

"Yes, I know, she offered me a beer this morning already." He sighed and Ino snorted. "Offered or shoved in your face?" she asked, he knew it was pretty much a rhetorical question but he was going to answer it anyways. "She actually offered, unlike last time where the entire bottle was shoved down my throat just because she didn't like the taste of the whiskey." He said and the two girls blinked. "She offered it? Wow... she must have poisoned it." Ino snorted and Tobirama deadpanned at them.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he grumbled and they rolled their eyes and Sakura nudged him with her shoulder. "It was one of Ino's bad jokes, anyways Hinata doesn't offer anything. She offers it with a vengeance which usually ends up in crabby kage." Sakura laughed lightly. "Being as why Gaara-san doesn't visit konoha as much anymore, Hinata always manages to find a way to get him into a bar." Ino said as she adjusted Menma on her hip. "I see, that's why the Raikage seemed so eager for her to leave." He chuckled softly and they nodded as he paid for the kimono. He bid farewell to the gossipy women who kept trying to give him relationship advice even after he was trying to leave.

He sighed as he looked over the kimono he had ended up paying for it which had been expensive, but he didn't mind. Hopefully if he left the kimono there for her she would see it and want to wear it. He strolled into their shared house and walked up the stairs. He knocked on her door but the moment his knuckles touched the door it opened a bit. He pushed the door open lightly and saw she wasn't there. Her room was neat and pristine, much to his surprise; he shouldn't really think that she wasn't a slob...

He rolled his eyes at his own thoughts and placed the kimono neatly on her bed and he turned and walked out, he was curious as to where she had gone but if she didn't return in about an hour he figured he would go look for her. He had spent all day walking around konoha with Sakura and Ino.

It was nearing five thirty and would get dark soon and then the festival would begin. They had already finished putting up all the lanterns and decorations before the sun had even come up. He held the same respect for the civilians as he did the shinobi of the village; they were all determined and willing.

He watched as the sun neared the horizon with a frown, maybe he should go see where she was. He wasn't going to use his sensory skills because she would know it was him searching for her, he didn't want to make her any angrier than he had earlier; then his promise to get her to go would be done for completely...

:-:-: Earlier with Hinata :-:-:

She watched as he walked out of the front door, her forehead pressed against her knees. The wind whipped her hair around but she didn't care, the overwhelming pain that filled her chest made her want to cry. She tried to hide the fact she was lonely but apparently, he saw through it... she hated him. She couldn't stand how he made her feel everything she'd been hiding away.

He let her beat the hell out of him when she was angry, he just let her hurt him. He let her talk however she wanted to him, anyone else and he would knock them off their feet like he had done Sasuke when Sasuke had called him a weak old geezer and told him he needed to find his way back into the ground.

It wasn't that she wanted him to hit her for what she said... it was just she wanted to make him go away, to make him leave and not come back. He always came back; he was rude at times but he had those moments like earlier where he said things... he said things that made the pain come back and the tears force their way to the surface. He said things that made her wonder if she could even avenge the deaths of her family. He... he made her feel weak... defenseless...

She wished he would have never come back; she could handle these things on her own; she didn't need him or anyone else! She bit her lip as the tears pricked at her eyes. She couldn't even kid herself anymore... she needed them all, she knew this. But knowing that still wasn't going to force her to open up and let them all in so every last one of them could get hurt or even killed.

Neji was already gone and it was all her fault. If she hadn't used her body as a shield to protect Naruto, Neji would still be here. She wasn't going to let anyone else get hurt. Especially not Tobirama, he didn't deserve to die all over again on her behalf. She could see the kindness that he shows to everyone despite him looking like a huge walking stone man, he still had a kind heart even if he never did much else than frown.

Her eyes drifted towards her fingertips, she still felt the warmth that had surrounded her when he had hugged her and tried to tell her everything was going to be ok... His heat still lingered on her skin and it drove her mad. She knew deep down that she cared for him; she knew she did and it was unsettling. She wanted nothing more than to feel the warmth of his embrace to calm her nerves once more. That concerned tone of voice that had comforted her so greatly...

She had no idea when she had started to care for him, from the moment he had been revived he had been nothing but a nuisance to her, but he had been the only one with the ability to make her feel again. Make her feel desperate, she felt lonely, she felt fear; he made her feel all those things and more. He made her feel affection, even if it wasn't intentional, she cared for him...

She stretched her legs out and stared off towards the Hokage stone faces, her eyes landed on his face and she fisted her hands in her pants legs. She resisted the urge to scream in anger, everything he made her feel also made the rage within her come to the surface, she had worked so hard to build up a wall and yet all he had to do to blow it over was look into her soul with those eyes of his.

She grasped her balcony and flipped over it. She landed nimbly on her toes, it wasn't very hard. She had always had exceptional balance after all.

She made her way swiftly out towards the water fall she trained at when she was younger. She sighed and she could see the breath in front of her. She blinked and looked around for whoever was trying to make contact now. "Hinata..." her voice sounded sad, like she was ashamed of something. Hinata's eyes didn't water, she didn't cry; she couldn't. "It was you, wasn't it..." she began and the chill that ran down her spine brushed over her bones as if fingertips had run across them. The woman said nothing, nor did she show herself. "Mother, you brought him back didn't you?" she asked and the chill became stronger.

"I can't stay long, Hinata." She whispered and Hinata grit her teeth. "I can't see you, you're the reason he is back aren't you?" wind whipped angrily around her and the chill increased. "Don't be a spoiled brat, Hinata! I'm not the reason he is back!" her mother seethed, only to sigh and calm herself once more. Hinata's eyes dropped; she could tell her mother was lying, even if it was a little bit.

She wrapped her arms around herself and frowned. "Forgive me mother..." she whispered and the wind calmed a bit. "I can't tell you why he is back, but I can tell you that woman needs to go. I don't know for sure who was giving her the orders, but I think it might have been Orochimaru." Her mother said and Hinata faced the direction she heard her mother's voice from.

"I can handle this by myself though! I don't need anyone's help especially not his! He makes me feel those horrid things that I shoved away when Neji died! I had started to open up again after about a year... but then you all were killed and I can't I won't let myself become defenseless again! I refuse!" Hinata yelled and the angry winds blew her at her once more. Despite her mother being angry, her touch wasn't, it was soft and gentle as her cold hands found her cheeks.

"Don't be foolish, Hinata... We are dead... Nothing can change that... But you will die too if you continue to walk in this horrible darkness... That woman will kill you... And she will kill him and everyone else you know if you don't stop doing everything by yourself... Naruto couldn't defeat Madara or Kaguya by himself... So please don't do this alone... Everyone needs help sometimes, dear." her mother whispered softly, her hands finding their way to her cheeks, as of to keep her from looking away. Hinata bit her lip as the thoughts entered her mind. Deep down she knew her mother was right...

The thought of everyone dead, worse than when Pain had attacked, the village destroyed and nothing left but a desolate wasteland. Orochimaru and that woman laughing over the dead corpses of everyone she knew, while she was helpless on her knees, his blade at her throat. It was a haunting thought.

She couldn't let it happen. She refused to be the reason that the entire village perished. Hinata bit back her tears. "You cannot let that happen, Hinata; you must save them all. You can't shoulder this all alone though, you have to let someone in; it doesn't matter who it just has to be someone strong like Naruto, Sasuke, or Tobirama. You have to let one of them in or everyone you know, will die. There is no stopping it any other way." Her mother said and Hinata felt her mother's cold hands brush over her hair and cheeks then rest on her shoulders.

She could hear the smile in her mother's voice when she spoke. "It's New Year's Eve, Go have some fun, be with the people you know and relax for one night, you're going to train yourself to death if continue this way. Forcing the elements to bend to your will if you aren't a natural born user deteriorates your chakra system." Her mother scolded softly and Hinata covered the many tattoos on her arms; the fire, wind, shadow, and earth tattoos were noticeable, even when covered. The eyes of the dead see all she guessed.

"Forgive me mother, but until that vile woman is gone... the Elements stay." Hinata said and her mother's laughter echoed around her. "Who would have thought it? You're just as stubborn as your father and cousin." She laughed and Hinata's lip trembled lightly.

"I miss you all so much..." she whimpered and warmth surrounded her, but there was no one there. "We miss you too Hinata, but you can't join us. That much is obviously out of the question and you know why, there are others who would be devastated at the loss of the wonderful, beautiful, strong, and admirable Hyuuga Hinata." Her mother said and Hinata smiled, leave it to her mother to be the one to point out her current flaws.

"I have been far from wonderful, beautiful, and admirable as of late mother. They call me a wolf now..." Hinata sighed and her mother snorted. "Hinata, wolves are beautiful, majestic, fierce, strong, protective, and loyal, they don't name the Anbu just anything." Her mother said and Hinata smiled lightly. Her mother could break her down and build her right back up within a single sentence. "I have to go now, Hinata, now get out there, smile, go have an amazing time with everyone." She said but Hinata frowned.

"I don't have anything to wear." Hinata said and her mother laughed. "Yes you do, you always have something to wear, even if you don't know it. Go home and get changed." She said and Hinata frowned but nodded to her mother's ghost as the warmth that her mother left on her faded. She frowned as the cool air washed over her from the chilly night air. Her eyes drifted to where the sun was setting. She smiled softly and decided to return to her shared home. She crossed her arms over her chest and walked with a purpose.

She made it back to her home and saw that the lights were all still on, meaning that Tobirama was still there and hadn't gone to the festival. She frowned as she reached the doorstep, had he been waiting on her? She opened the door but the place was empty, he was nowhere to be seen. Her eyes dropped a bit, the disappointment of hoping he would be waiting on her taking over her. She jogged up the stairs and sighed as she opened her bedroom door. So much for her petty little hopes...

:-:-:-: Tobirama :-:-:-:

He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck in confusion as he made his way back to the house, he'd left her a note in case she came back first but he figured the stupid tape wouldn't hold so he had tried to hurry and find her before she got there. He opened the door and looked around; some things looked different so he figured she was home. "Hinata?" he called and he heard her door open. He walked over to the stairs and saw her standing at the top of the stairs.

Her hair was in an elegant bun with her bangs framing her face and the bangs above her eyes swept to the side a bit, her eyes had the slightest bit of dark eye shadow and liner which made them seem even paler, she had a small white flower hair ornament tucked into her hair, and her lips were painted a rosy shade of pink. He was at a loss of words when he had seen her; a slight blush coated her cheeks when she noticed him staring like a fool. She puffed her cheeks out and looked away from him. "Well aren't you going to get ready? The festival will begin soon." She said, not daring to glance at him. He snorted and walked away from her sight to go get ready in his own room.

Hinata tried to steady her racing heart, the attention she got from him was going to kill her one day, whether he knew it or not. She placed her hand on her chest and gently made her way down the stairs, her heart beating heavily in her chest. "I'm ready, are you going to walk there with me or would you rather not be seen with a dinosaur like me?" he asked jokingly and she turned to him. Her brow raised as she realized they matched. He wore a dark blue haori with a white obi and black shinobi pants, she guessed you couldn't get him that far out of shinobi attire...

"I guess I could take some time out of my lonesome walk to have you join me." she said with a small smile and he chuckled as he followed her out the door. The music was exciting yet festive all the same time and the people were joyous. Ino, Menma, and Naruto were the first ones to find them, not surprising Hinata in the slightest. Ino watched Hinata with mild curiosity, the dark haired woman hadn't attended a New Year's festival since Neji passed.

"You look incredible Hinata." Ino said and Hinata turned to her and Ino flinched expecting to see the harsh glint in her eyes but the happiness that shone within her eyes was a surprise. "You too Ino-chan." Naruto looked at Hinata oddly. "Are you drunk already? You are too nice to be sober..." he said accusingly and Hinata rolled her eyes. "You know what Naruto, go hump a frog." Hinata growled and Ino snorted. "Nope that's Hinata..." Ino said and they all made their way to where the rest of the rookie nine were hanging out, everyone was nervous when they saw Hinata. Akamaru even whimpered and attempted to hide behind Kiba, who didn't approach Hinata, nor did Shino. Sakura eyed her wearily while Sasuke just waltzed up and tossed an arm around her shoulder, which she shoved off with a frown.

"Don't touch me pervert." She snapped and he rolled his eyes. "Whatever Hinata, you know you want me." he chuckled and she rolled her eyes. "What I want is for you to go away fan boy." She said and he sniffed arrogantly, whilst the rest of the group laughed lightly. Hinata reached into her kimono and pulled out a large dog treat that was neatly wrapped in plastic. She un-wrapped it and crouched down. "Akamaru... I'm sorry I have been pushing you away." She said lightly and the large dog cautiously strolled over to her and took the treat. She stood and turned to face the ones who were once her friends with tears glistening in her eyes.

"I'm begging you... forgive me... I know I haven't been the best of anything lately..." she began and the looks she received made her eyes water more. "You've already been forgiven... we just didn't want to stick our necks out around you because you seemed to be one who would cut down a friend to get to an enemy..." Shino said and her eyes went wide. Her arms hung limply at her sides as she realized that what he had just said was true as her eyes rolled over to Kiba, who had tried to put the fire out at her house and she had told him that she would use him to light it back...

She had been cruel... no better than Sasuke had been... Kiba stared at her with an anger in his eyes that wouldn't diminish, he was the one who had helped her through everything... and she had told him she would kill him if he interfered. Hinata didn't know what to do, because the look in his eyes wouldn't fade. She wiped away her tears and took a deep breath to calm her growing nerves. Her eyes met Kiba's and they were determined.

"If what it takes to get you back... is taking your anger out on me, then you can hit me as many times as hard as you can until you feel that you don't hate me... until you don't want to beat my face in... Until in your heart you can forgive me." Hinata said and the shock that coated everyone's faces didn't surprise her. Lee frowned and looked down, he didn't want this for her, but he couldn't stop her she was far stronger than him now.

Naruto furrowed his brows as Kiba started towards her. Tobirama was going to jump in front of her to take the hit himself, but the hit never came. His arms wrapped around Hinata and she could hear his teeth grinding in her ear. "I'll have you know; you scared the hell out of me. I thought I had lost you for good." He said and she hugged him tightly.

"I thought I had lost myself, but in the end... you wouldn't believe who it was that helped me get some of me back..." she whispered and Kiba backed away from their hug and smiled a bit. "Go ahead try us, we thought Satan had taken over you." He chuckled and she frowned. "Funny... who came up with that one?" she asked and noticed Naruto scratching the back of his neck. "Figures it would be you, baka!" she snapped and Naruto hid behind Sakura, who rolled her eyes.

"It was-" "Her family." Tobirama interrupted and Hinata stared wide eyed at him, she was going to say it was him in all reality, but he stopped her from saying so when she had taken a breath to steady her nerves under the eyes that rested on her. "Now I believe I will go, there is somewhere I need to be as of now." He said and walked away leaving Hinata to explain what he had thrown out into the open. She explained it to her friends and they seemed to connect two and two as well. It was her mother that had brought him back, but no one could explain why.

"So where did he go?" Lee asked and Hinata frowned. "Probably off to go find that girl he speaks so fondly of." She snapped and Ino blinked. "But we already told him that-" Ino began but Sakura motioned for her to hush. "Jealous much?" Sasuke snorted and Hinata refrained from throttling him in front of her friends. She gave him the 'I'll kill you later look' and turned to face Tsunade, who had just strolled up and surprisingly wasn't drunk off her bum yet.

"Hinata... Where is Tobirama?" she asked and Hinata shrugged. "I'm not his bodyguard he is a grown man. He can handle himself, if I can't kill him I doubt anyone else here can..." she sighed and Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know I'm surprised you two haven't tried to kill each other lately. I guess the arrangements are working out I see. But... I have a mission for you two." She said and Hinata furrowed her brows.

"But you can't give out missions anymore." She said and Naruto shook her head. "For you and Tobirama, I put her in charge of figuring out the missions to put you on since Sasuke always seems to want to make you an undercover husband and wife." Naruto said and Sasuke grinned.

"Hey, if it would torture you to wear a dress, I think it would torture him worse to be married to you." Sasuke said which almost earned him a punch, almost meaning Tsunade had to hold Hinata back. Tsunade sighed and patted the girl on the head. "I understand fully Hinata, now if you would, seek him out." Tsunade said and Hinata smirked. "Alrighty then." She said and her hands flew through hand signs faster than the group could fully comprehend.

"Counter genjutsu: mind hunter." She said and closed her eyes. The jutsu worked to seek out one mind in a crowd of many, even if genjutsu were active or not. Her chakra swarmed over everyone, the green minds the minds of medics, the blue of normal shinobi, the red of Naruto's chakra, and lastly there was the darker blue of Tobirama's chakra. Hinata dropped her hand signs and vanished in thin air, she wasn't going to tell them where he was just yet she had some things she wanted to discuss with him first.

She landed behind the trees so see exactly what he was doing without letting him know she was there. He was on her usual waterfall, training with the water. She guessed he wasn't much for festivals and getting out there to meet the people... she watched as he made the water bend to his very will and go exactly where he wished for it to go. Water clung to his hair, making it fall in front of his eyes, but she could tell his eyes were closed from where she hid; she couldn't see the ruby red glow of his eyes anymore.

The way he trained was similar to how she did, it was like a dance atop the water; it was just a dance he was obviously more atoned to. It was a shame she had to stop him; she almost didn't want to have to yell at him, almost. "What the hell was that back there?" she asked and he stopped his training and the water fell evenly back into the water below. "Did I not speak the truth?" he asked and she fisted her hands at her sides as she stood atop the water.

Her fists opened at her sides and her head dropped down a bit. "Why do I even bother with you?" she said quietly and turned on the water. "We have a mission." She said simply and began walking away but his firm grasp found its way to her wrist. "Why do you bother with me? That's something I would like to know as well." He said and she looked up at him with a bit of surprise in her eyes.

He hadn't let her wrist go when the fireworks had begun going off overhead. They both looked up to watch as the fireworks burst with color in the dark night sky. His grip on her wrist loosened just slightly enough for her to begin to remove her hand from his grasp. However the desire of her fingers to intwine with his was irresistible. It seemed the need may have been mutual as his fingers lingered between hers for a moment before their hands dropped to their sides. It was either mutual or instinctual, but she wasn't going to question it. She just dropped her eyes to the surface of the water. The reflection of the brilliant colors on the water made her smile.

"Happy New Year, Tobirama." She said and placed a kiss on his cheek before melting into the water that rippled below his feet. He smirked and did the same, he appeared before the group that she had been with before while he figured she had gone straight back to their shared home to pack her things. Surprisingly neither of them had even begun to drink, which was unusual for her on holidays. Tsunade said the girl could out drink her especially on holidays.

:-:-:-:

Hinata breathed deeply when she rushed into her room of her shared home. Her wrist down to her fingertips burned with such an intense heat she couldn't understand it. Her heart was racing and she couldn't wrap her mind around it in the slightest. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her rapid heart but it only continued to speed up when she heard the front door open. She damn near had a panic attack trying to scramble to her feet and compose herself as he made his way up the steps to her room.

She didn't have time to shove her door closed the rest of the way before he gently pushed it open and watched her with a quirked brow. "Are you ok?" He asked and she pursed her lips softly. "Y-yeah..." Curse her and that wretched stammer she thought she had rid herself of. He chuckled lightly and offered her a hand which she took with a small smile.

"What brings you back here early?" she asked and he quirked a brow at her. "You are really going to ask me that? I'm not much for crowds and you know it." He said as he ruffled his white hair softly. "Me either, honestly." She sighed and he nodded. He reached outside the door and grabbed a large basket that he had brought with him.

"Uh... Tsunade gave me this and told me to give it to you." He said and she blinked as she opened the cover to the basket. A small smile crossed her lips as she closed it and offered a hand to him. "Come on. It isn't just for me..." She said as she led him out to her balcony and then atop the flat roof of their shared home. A soft blanket was folded up in the top of the basket and she neatly placed it on the ground and sat down atop it.

Tobirama followed suit and flipped open the basket as he moved to sit beside her. He offered her one of the bento boxes that was in the basket and she took it from him with a small smile. They spent the night sitting there in silence just watching the fireworks overhead as they each drowned in their own thoughts. She figured it was the most enjoyable time she had spent in his presence.

No fighting. No arguing or name calling. Just the two of them pondering in their own heads as they ate and enjoyed each others presence. She couldn't help the need however, to want to brush her fingertips over the rougher, more calloused hand that propped up the man beside her. She wasn't going to do that again though, not unless he initiated the contact.