Third Person

Kai hugged her cousin tightly, her tears slowing down as Hinata hugged her and whispered soothingly in her ear. The tears finally stopping, an occasional hiccup passing throughout her body, Kai didn't realize her seal was showing. She hid her face, embarrassment settling in, Why am I so weak? She thought. Her whole team was frozen except Hinata, who was comforting Kai in her fragile state. Kurenai was the first to address the situation and speak. As the young girl's sensei, Kurenai wanted her student to be happy and trust her teammates with her problems. Kneeling down next to the shaking girl, Kurenai spoke with kindness, her voice soft as to not frighten the girl. "Kai, are you alright? What happened?" Kurenai had heard of a death in the Hyuga Compound, but the name had yet to be revealed. Kai shook her head, not willing to explain. Looking to Hinata with pleading eyes, Kai held on to her cousin tightly.

When she had learned of her father's death, Kai had realized just how fragile life truly was. She cherished the efforts her cousin had made for her, and although she didn't know him well, Kai appreciated Neji and his odd form of kindness. She felt like all the things she loved could slip away from her, and that was her worst fear. Nightmares of losing her family plagued her throughout the night, leaving her in silent tears. She tried to smile and reassure Hinata, but her mother's growing depression and the memory of when she discovered he was dead hung over her like a dark cloud, making her world seem dull.

Hinata looked at her cousin sympathetically and motioned Kurenai over to her, whispering something in her ear. The boys stood off to the side, Kiba staring at his teammate in shock while Shino remained silent, his emotions unreadable through his dark glasses and silent composure. As Kurenai absorbed what Hinata had told her, her eyes looked down at Kai, the same sympathetic look in them. "I really am sorry Kai..." Kurenai gave her student a reassuring smile, "I know it'll get better eventually."

Kiba began growing impatient, "Hey! What's going on?!" An irritated look made its way onto his face. He shrunk back slightly when Kurenai gave him a look.

Kurenai sighed, a sad look on her face as she explained the situation to her male students, keeping their voices low as to not remind Kai of the horrid memories. "Kai is having...problems. Her father died about a week ago on a mission and her mother has fallen into a depressed state because of it. So please, be gentle around Kai." Kurenai explained softly and slowly, letting her students digest the new information. Kiba couldn't help but tilt his head to the side in confusion.

"What was that mark though? The one on her forehead?" Kiba asked, his curiosity eating him alive. Kurenai let out a sigh and shock her head, signaling that it was not something they should talk about. It's too bad Kiba was always just a bit dense. "Hinata!" Kiba whispered to the girl, "What's that mark on Kai's forehead?" Kiba asked, still whispering. Though he was a bit too loud.

Hearing Kiba's question Kai let out an audible gasp, her hands flying to her forehead to hide it. Looking around panicked, she began hyperventilating- a thing that she did when she was terrified and had begun to do increasingly often. She heard Hinata trying to calm her down, but it sounded fuzzy, being drowned out by Kai's heart that beat rapidly. Her hands still covering her seal, Kai's eyes that once radiated calmness were wide and darting around widely. She felt her eyes begin to water. The secret she had been trying to hide for more than five years had been revealed. Kai didn't know why, but she felt like she should be ashamed of the seal that hid behind her hair, so she did what she could to hide it.

As the tears began to stream down Kai's face, her teammates voices had become muffled and her breathing became louder. Looking around once again, Kai tried to run away from her problems, but Kiba had tackled her in a hug. So as tears kept streaming down Kai's face as she made soft whimpering sounds, Kiba held her, both of them sitting on the ground as the rest of their team calmed Kai down. A warm feeling spread through Kai, and for the first time since her father's death, it seemed that happiness was possible for Kai.