I do not own Naruto.

Izumo grinned and he followed Hinata throughout konoha. Her friends looked at the pair oddly but soon enough strolled over to see what was going on. Naruto, Ino, and Menma were the first ones they saw. Naruto was giving Izumo a disapproving look, but he figured he wasn't quite informed of their current situation. "Naruto..." Izumo began but the look of dislike didn't leave his face. "Why are you following her around?" he asked, a look of sheer distaste was on his face. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were pursed in an amusingly accusing way.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata said with a smile and Naruto shivered and slowly looked at her with a nervous smile. "Do I need to begin the search for a new Hokage?" she asked and even Izumo paled, she still had some evil in her after all. "H-Hinata-chan... that isn't necessary..." he said and Sasuke strolled over and blinked then glared at Izumo. "So it was you..." he grumbled darkly which sent chills down Izumo's spine. "What did I do?" he asked and Sasuke glared at him and opened his mouth to speak but Hinata walked in between her blonde friend and raven haired friend. She giggled lightly and draped her arms around Sasuke and Naruto's necks.

"Now, boys...I understand you are jealous... but seriously, there's no need to be jealous or overprotective." Hinata said with a smile as the grip of her arms around their necks tightened a bit. "Oh, Sasuke..." she said with a ruffle of his hair. He looked at her with curious eyes. "I'm surprised you made it out of the hospital this month...but even more surprising you made it out this week. I could arrange a trip to see Tsunade-chan if you wish." She said sincerely and he paled and locked eyes with Izumo, then he grinned.

"She's all yours, bro. It was nice knowing you." Sasuke said and Izumo sighed. "Look...I know she has the ability to scare the hell out of the both of you...but I mean really...I understand. I would love to have the old Hinata back, the sweet kind hearted woman who would never raise a fist to anyone who didn't deserve it, but you know...life sucks and shit happens. Either way I accept her just as she is." Izumo said and Hinata's arms dropped from her friends shoulders.

Her eyes were clouded over in disappointment at her brash nature and she looked down to her hands. "Thank you Izumo...I just wish I could be that person again...but I never will. I have made mistakes and so has everyone else, but mine...my mistakes made me unconsciously belittle you and bully them...I'm sorry." She said and was fiddling with her fingers, but it was not as it used to be she wasn't nervous, she wasn't blushing. She was just disappointed in herself for acting like a spoiled child.

That had been the first day back in konoha, the two had heard that someone had made her mood brighter and they figured that it had been the one everyone thought she would get with, but it had been the one who she had looked over for so long. Hinata opened the front door to Naruto's house, Naruto, Menma, Sasuke and Izumo had been there helping set up baby Menma's new bedroom. It was something friends did she guessed. She looked over at Izumo with a small smile. Everything felt different with him...some things were better...some made her chest hurt...

He held a hand out to her and she smiled and reached for his hand. "Now how about be go get something to eat." He said and she nodded and smiled, but behind her smile was a frown, his hand was comforting and warm...but it was different than what she had felt before when she had reached to grab HIS hand...his had felt like a guardian, like he would always be there to protect her and care for her. His hand had always pulled her to her feet when she was down, his had given her strength, but in the end...his took her strength away. He was never there anymore, he was always avoiding her, he let her fight her own battles and only showed up when it threatened to kill his mission or information he needed.

Ino watched as Hinata walked off with Izumo, a frown stretched over her lips. "She likes him...but she doesn't like him like that. She is trying to fill the hole a certain someone left." Ino said and Naruto frowned. "You know this... how?" Sasuke asked and Ino bounced Menma on her hip as she looked over to her raven haired friend. "Her eyes said it all..." she sighed and Naruto frowned. "Hinata always did have bad taste in guys." Naruto sighed and looked over at Ino who glared at him.

"You do realize that-" "That I was one of those guys she liked, yes...I know this. She always did have an eye for the ones who were the blindest." Naruto said and Sasuke nodded. "Especially since she chased after you." Sasuke snorted and Naruto frowned. "At least she didn't chase after you ya perverted bastard." he said and Sasuke glared at him. "That was mean, Naruto-baka." He said and Naruto rolled his eyes. "And so was the incident at the hot springs in suna." Naruto said as he strolled off to his office, Ino, Menma, and Sasuke in tow.

"You now realize you are going to inform me of this 'incident' right?" Ino said and Naruto's head dropped and he glared at Sasuke. "That was Tobirama's fault..." Sasuke said and Naruto snorted. "Didn't help you were staring." Naruto said and Sasuke smirked. "You looked too." He said and Ino smiled sweetly. "If I find it inappropriate, I'm going to hurt both of you...how about that?" she asked and they both glared at each other.

:-:-:-:-:

Hinata smiled at Izumo, he looked like he was having fun so she wouldn't ruin it. He was talking animatedly to her with the most endearing smile she had ever seen. That smile turned into a frown after a while and she blinked in confusion. "This is getting a bit boring huh?" he asked and she shook her head. "No not at all, I enjoy listening to your stories! It seems like you and Kotetsu-kun have a lot of fun." She said with a smile and he blushed. "Yeah...I guess so...but he is so weird." He said with a chuckle. Hinata smiled and nodded and at that exact moment Kotetsu popped out of nowhere with a frown on his face.

"You talking bout me, man?" he asked accusingly and Hinata giggled. "Absolutely! We were talking about how much fun you two seem to have." Hinata said with a smile and Kotetsu smirked and pulled a bottle of straight up syrup out of nowhere. "What the hell man...you're going to scare her away..." Izumo complained and Kotetsu snickered. Hinata laughed lightly and snatched the syrup and chugged it. Both men looked at her oddly. "What, when you hang out with Anbu who show no emotion and are crabby all the time you gotta find some way to entertain them... and yourself." She said with a shrug. "Besides, one of them offered it up and I thought it was the weirdest damn thing ever, but its oddly energizing...I guess it's all the sugar. And I think it is better than getting my squad drunk." She laughed and Izumo smiled.

She looked out the window to see the sun was fading away and she frowned. "I guess I should be heading home Tobi- ...oh...yeah...that's right..." she said and her eyes fell to the floor and her heart sank. "He doesn't live with me anymore..." she said and Izumo exchanged looks with Kotetsu. "Are you alright, Hinata-chan?" Izumo asked seeing her sudden drop in mood. "Yeah...I'm fine...I just...you know...got used to having someone waiting on me to come home again and it is getting hard to get that little fact that he isn't there anymore, and that he isn't coming back, through my head." She said and he frowned.

"I know how that is, I know it sounds weird and all but Kotetsu and I live together...we have a spare room if you would like to come live with us..." he offered and she shook her head with a small smile. "No, that's alright. Sasuke already offered to let me move back in with him but I just went back and gathered the rest of my things and that was all. I already have a place and I don't really feel like moving all my things again." She said with a smile.

She then stood and waved them off as she headed home, only to stop on the way out and peck Izumo on the lips before she left. Izumo sighed and slouched in his seat. "What's wrong man?" Kotetsu asked, eyeing the empty syrup bottle with sad eyes. "I'm too smart for my own good sometimes..." he sighed and Kotetsu blinked and stared at him oddly. "What the hell do ya mean by that? You have gotten the most un gettable woman in konoha to date you, and smile about it. What problems do you have because you know, not even Kakashi could get her to like him." Kotetsu said with a smirk and Izumo crossed his arms in front of him and laid his head on them with sadness in his eyes.

"You know the phrase, too good to be true? That's what this is... I can see it in her eyes. She likes me, yes... but she doesn't like me enough to give up on him... he's rude, inconsiderate, and self-centered and yet she practically worships the ground he walks on...sure they fight all the time and he couldn't have been happier to run from her, but I see it... she is always thinking of him and not me... You saw the look in her eyes when she remembered he no longer lived with her, nor did he associate with her. He acts as if she doesn't exist anymore... and she still follows him like a lost dog..." Izumo said with a frown and Kotetsu's shoulders dropped and he sighed.

"Damn...there goes my good mood. Sometimes you're too smart and observant for the both of us..." he sighed and Izumo frowned deeper. "And you also know the saying...if you care for something...let it go...If it comes back...it was meant to stay." he said as he stood and vanished before Kotetsu's eyes. Kotetsu frowned and stood and left through the door of the restaurant like Hinata had done instead of disappearing like Izumo had done.

He ran through the streets of konoha before he bumped into someone. Kotetsu looked up to apologize to the person but he realized it was Tobirama. "Sorry, Kotetsu-san." He said and Kotetsu blinked oddly at the white haired twenty three year-old. It was odd that he was younger than him now... he had just gotten over the fact that he was alive again, then Naruto had to go say he and Tobirama were about the same age, now that he hadn't been expecting in the slightest.

What Tobirama held in his grasp was more intriguing than that of his age. He held four dozen red roses in one arm while in the other there was a chocolate bar and two small bottles of sake. "So, You got a date tonight or something?" he asked and Tobirama shrugged. "I suppose that is what you could call it. I have prior arrangements though...so I must get going." Tobirama said and with a slight nod of the head, he strolled off.

Kotetsu frowned and decided to follow him. He followed him out of the village and he jumped up into a tree to avoid being seen when Tobirama turned around. He peered around the tree and then began his pursuit once more. He followed Tobirama all the way out to the sacred sanctuary where the kage and their wives were buried. Kotetsu's eyes fell and he felt a bit bad when he realized this 'date' was an arrangement to pay his respects to his family. Kotetsu then turned on his heel and made his way swiftly out of the sanctuary and back into the village.

:-:-:-:-:

Tobirama knew Kotetsu had been following him. He knew all too well how the older shinobi felt about him being back. It felt weird to say he was older than him...Tobirama had been a few years older than him when he had died...Hinata's mother and whatever other Kami stood behind her had brought him back at a younger age so he could relate to Hinata better he guessed. He walked over and set one dozen of the roses on the grave they had made for his mother, although her body did not rest there she still deserved to be part of the family burial grounds.

He then walked over and placed one of the other dozens of red roses on the grave of Hiruzen's wife, the other two dozens of red roses went right onto Mito's grave and Kushina's grave. "I may have never met you Kushina, but your son is an exceptional young man... Hokage at age twenty-one..." he said and placed a bottle of sake on Hiruzen's grave. He placed the chocolate bar on Minato's grave, the young Hokage hadn't seemed like the one to drink, but instead seemed like one to act childish when need be and serious at all needed times. When he had met Minato's father, the man had always fed the child chocolate despite the wishes of his mother.

He walked over to his brother's grave and he just collapsed to his knees. He understood how Madara felt, but it had taken the death of his older brother to see such... even though it had been a clan war... he regretted killing the young Uchiha named Izuna. He hadn't realized this regret until he had lost his own dearly beloved last brother in war. Itama and Kawarama... he knew their deaths were in vain and he had wished they had been able to get older than seven and ten...

He had killed Izuna when he was sixteen... he supposed that Izuna had been about the same age. Madara had lost it when Izuna had died... and he felt like all the hope was drained from hi when Hashirama had died. Sure, they had been much older when Hashirama died... but... losing someone is still hard. He supposed that was how Madara felt when he had lost Izuna... it had taken five years for him to regret the killing of Izuna...and five years for a second war to take his brother from him.

"Forgive me brother...I have made this world the way it is...who could have ever known how one death could change the world so much..." he sighed and he felt the wind ruffle his hair. He felt a bit of pressure when the wind had ruffled his hair, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that it was his brother. He knew it wasn't Hashirama because Hashirama had already moved on...he had seen his brother pass into the light that he could never reach...

He sighed and closed his eyes as he rubbed his forehead and eyes. "You have no idea how much I miss you all...I may never have been the best of a brother...but I always stood there right by your side, even if I ended up screwing everything up in the end." He sighed and looked up to see a full moon. He frowned and wondered how she was doing at the moment... she had been happier as of late while dating that Izumo guy, than she had ever been near him.

After a while of sitting by his older brother's grave he stood and took one last look at the grave and frowned once the sake bottle tipped over. He reached to grab it but the bottle was light, it was empty and there was not even a trace of the rice wine that had been left inside of it. He raised a brow and set the bottle back down and turned to face the sky. "Never knew dead people still drank." He said as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his civilian pants and he strolled through the village.

He could tell Hinata wasn't home, nor was she with Izumo. He felt Izumo's chakra and raised a brow. He seemed utterly depressed at the moment. He frowned and watched as the man paced around. Izumo saw him and walked over. Tobirama sighed and prepared himself for what he thought was going to be gibberish. "You are lucky... you realize this?" Izumo asked as he walked right beside him. "I fail to see how I am lucky. I couldn't disagree more, I live alone, everyone has a deep rooted fear of me despite their smiles, and I have no family here. I have no one and your friend thinks he has to follow me and see what I choose to do in my spare time which is drink sake with my dead brother... I fail to see the luck there." Tobirama asked with an ever deepening frown.

Izumo frowned right back at him. "You have everything I want, right in front of you but you don't see it! You could have everything, but you refuse to look past YOURSELF to see what you have!" Izumo growled angrily and Tobirama eyed him curiously. "If I had everything... would I be drinking with my DEAD brother? Would I be setting roses on the graves of the women I knew that DIED? You have Living people while all I have is myself and graves to sit by. If you ask me, I have nothing... while You have everything... Family, friends, people who care for you." Tobirama said and pushed past the man and vanished from sight.

"You do have everything... You have her..." Izumo whispered and his eyes hit the ground. "You have her... even if neither of you realize it..." he muttered and turned on his heel and decided it was time for him to go home.

:-:-:-:-:

Hinata stood outside the house that Naruto had made her and Tobirama live in. This was the first time in two weeks since she had been here; the last time had been when they had left on the mission to the daimyo... this place looked dead now... it reminded her of the loneliness and solitude that the compound had. She grit her teeth and was tempted to burn this place down as well but she clicked her tongue and turned away from the place. Everything seemed to give off a bad vibe lately.

She had a feeling that her relationship with Izumo was going to end and it wasn't going to be on her account, he had seemed hesitant today for some reason. They had spent two weeks together and not a single bad vibe, frown, or hesitant word spoken... but today he seemed to not want to talk very much... Hinata bit her lip and looked at the ground as her eyes stung. 'I can't have anything good, can I?' she thought with a whimper.

She frowned and made her way to Neji's grave. She sat with her back against the back of his tombstone. "The world is an awful place, huh Neji-nii?" she asked as the wind ruffled her hair. "I can't seem to be happy can I?" 'you can if you would let him help you.' A familiar voice said and tears sprung into her eyes. She didn't think she would ever hear his voice again. "Neji-nii..." she whimpered and turned to face him. He sat atop his tombstone and looked down at her.

"You weren't expecting me to still be floating around, huh?" he asked and she shook her head. "I couldn't leave you alone... but I never really thought an answer to all your stories was required. You seemed so eager to be like the second Hokage, you stole his 'I don't care I am grumpy' type of attitude..." he complained and she laughed lightly. "If anyone... who would it mean the most to you, to have back?" he asked and she looked at oddly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked and he smiled. "Exactly what it means. Think it over, that will be important to remember in the future." He said and she glared at him. "That doesn't help me any, Neji..." she said and a smile crossed his lips. "It helps you and him more than you could ever know. The one he wants back the most is his older brother...think about that...he is lonely too." Neji said and she frowned as he vanished once more.

She glanced up to the moon that shone brightly in the sky. She had no idea what he had meant, but she pondered it for a moment. Her eyes drifted softly to her hands and she smiled softly. Her mother and father were together, so she wouldn't pick either of them. They deserved to be together and not miss the other. Hanabi would be another choice, but... she seemed to be happy where she was.

"It would be you, Neji-nii."