WARNING: This is an AU. Okay? Okay.

Anyway. Yes. This is my first story.

Yeah. Okay. Let's do this.

She remembers when she was still young, when she was still a ninja in training, and one of her chores was to clean and replacing the flowers in the Konoha Cemetery. She always volunteered to be the one to perform cemetery maintenance because no one would volunteer to do so. This means that she was usually alone, which is absolutely fine to her. She'd rather be alone doing all the work than causing trouble to others.

Also, this would give her time to visit her uncle who sacrificed himself to her clan. She had always thanked him, giving him a set of flowers that she would pick on the way there. She would always light candles for him and close her eyes, reminiscing the days when he was still alive. Her uncle was a nice man, and she would never forget him.

She would occasionally see people there such as Kakashi-sensei, who she didn't know at that point. Sometimes, Iruka-sensei would come with her and visit the tomb of his parents, introducing her to them and talk how she's a good student, much to her embarrassment and joy. There were times when the Third Hokage would visit the cemetery and greet her, teaching her how to do maintenance properly.

Occasionaly, she would see her cousin Neji, and she would hide behind tombstones to avoid being spotted. She would hold the flowers close to her chest, her hands shaking at the same time, while constantly looking back at her cousin who would just stand in front of his father's tomb. She knew that her cousin had a grudge against the main family, hence why she would hide her presence from him.

Her cousin always visited alone, despite already having a team. He probably didn't want to bring them here yet for some reasons only he would know.

She knew that Neji probably knew that there was someone else besides him during his visits. He has the Byakugan, which he can activate anytime to scan his surroundings. He probably knew that she was there, but just ignored her, much to her relief. Or perhaps he was just respecting the location.

After she graduated from the academy, she would still go to the cemetery occasionally, meeting the new set of students in the process, and helping them with the chore. After the Chuunin exam, Neji has started inviting her to his visits, much to her surprise. Together, they would visit her uncle (and his father), and will sometimes bring her father or his team with them.

Now, she was with her father, and her friends, as well as the village, for the burial of her cousin. Her father was the one, who declared that Neji would be buried next to his father, which Hinata smiled at. She started reminiscing their last visit to this cemetery which was before they went to the war. Neji said that he always went there before his missions because he felt secure.

Hinata looked at the burning coffin in front of them, ignoring the pain of the grazes on her face when her tears touched them. Perhaps she would come here as well and visit her cousin before her missions to feel the same way as her cousin did – to feel safe.

She looked around the cemetery, finding other coffins as well to be either burned or buried. She found Shikamaru and Ino on the other side, mourning for their fathers. Choji stood on their side, trying to be strong for both of his teammates, but couldn't hide his sadness as well. The three of them excused themselves from Neji's funeral earlier, sending their condolence to Hinata, who perfectly understood their situation.

Hinata rubbed her eyes to stop the tears from flowing. She knew that Neji wouldn't want to see her like this after sacrificing his life for her. But the more she rubs it, the harder it was getting to try stopping herself from crying. Neji and Hinata were more of siblings than cousins, and knowing that she lost someone as important as Neji in her life was something she couldn't handle.

She then felt someone touch her shoulder and rubbed it gently. She looked at her right to see that it was Shino who was trying to console her, in his own way. Her left hand was then nudged by Akamaru who was worried of her as well. She then looked at the person who was standing beside Akamaru.

Kiba was just staring at the fire in front of them. Hinata knew that Kiba and Neji spent a few times with each other due to their missions. They were together when they tried to retrieve Sasuke, and they were together again during the war. Kiba knew that Neji almost overworked himself to the point that he couldn't distinguish Kiba from Akamaru. Due to Kiba being Hinata's teammate, he knew the strengths and limits of the Byakugan, no matter how great of a bloodline it is.

Though Kiba found Neji irritating at times (and vice versa), he considered the guy as a great ally and is worthy of his title as a genius. Both Shino and Kiba would visit the Hyuuga compound a lot, to which they would meet Neji and would sometimes have a practice match with him. Their connection with Hinata has made them connect with Neji as well.

Hinata scanned her eyes again to find Naruto just a few rows behind her. She didn't even felt that he was there. Her eyes then went to Naruto's missing right hand and looked at it solemnly. She wondered to herself, what did Naruto feel right now? Does he feel guilty or thankful? Does he think that the war is a victory despite the many losses? Does Naruto feel that he was responsible for everything?

For once, Hinata didn't want to think of Naruto right now. She was worried, yes, but she had something to worry about more. Her mind was full of her memories of her cousin who she feels is more of a priority right now. Naruto is alive and he would be fine.

She knew that he would be fine.

Half of Neji's ashes were buried down the ground, beside his father. The other half was equally divided between the members of Team Guy and Hinata, as she requested to. They have already prepared the place where Neji's ashes would be placed in their house. Hinata was kind of comforted to have Neji near her. Looking at Tenten, Rock Lee, and Guy-sensei, holding their own small jars as if their life depended on it, made her realize that they were feeling the same as well.

The crowd started to disperse, with some going home, while some were going to the next funeral. It has been days since the war ended but the agony still isn't done. The dark and sad days were still continuing, and everyone was still tired from what happened.

Shino was still beside her, still holding her shoulder. Though Shino doesn't really speak much unless spoken to, his simple actions were really meaningful. Perhaps his silence helps the situation also. However, she felt that something was missing right now.

"Where's Kiba-kun and Akamaru-kun?" Hinata asked, her voice slightly sore from stress and fatigue.

"He went with the ANBU already. He said that he was sorry to leave early and without saying anything," Shino answered.

Hinata finally realized why Kiba had to leave early. He was one of the Inuzuka clan, and they were tasked to search and locate all the corpses and missing people from the war, with the help of ANBU. Hinata and Shino were part of that too, being part of a team that specializes on reconnaissance, but Kiba was requested more since he doesn't have to spend chakra that much compared to the two of them, and he was faster than both of them combined, which makes him more efficient.

Ever since the war has ended, the Inuzuka clan has been working non-stop to retrieve bodies of countless ninjas. Even other villages were starting to rely on them to retrieve their own missing people. The pressure put on the Inuzuka clan had become so heavy that there was no time to rest for them. In order to help them, the Akimichi clan had supplied them soldier pills to help boost their chakra and overall health.

Hinata has actually seen Kiba again today, the last being the war. She was happy that he has actually given time to visit her cousin's funeral, but felt disappointed at the same time. She wished she could have at least talked to him a bit, ask about what was going on and all, and how she could help him. He looked so exhausted.

"I want to help with the search…" Hinata said as her hold on the jar tightened a bit, expressing her desire to help. She started walking, after Shino offered to walk her home.

"I know, but you need to rest, Hinata. You're still mourning," Shino explained.

"Are you going today as well?"

"Tonight."

It was then that Hinata noticed that Shino's hands were full of injuries here and there. She thought that Shino probably helped in digging up the people who were trapped underground. Hinata instantly looked at her clean, smooth hands and felt pathetic all of a sudden. She hadn't ever thought of doing that, and even if she wanted to, her group has earth users, so she wasn't really needed to help out.

She could have at least forced them to let her help. She could have at least fought for her wants instead of following anyone's orders like an obedient dog. Even Akamaru had more guts than her.

"Well, uhm… Good luck, Shino-kun," Hinata said to Shino, giving him a reassuring smile. She saw her reflection in her teammate's sunglasses, seeing how haggard she looked, and understood what Shino meant when he said that she was still 'mourning'.

Shino nodded to Hinata and for the rest of the way, the two of them stayed quiet. It wasn't an awkward silence, but a really comforting one. It was always like this when the two of them are together, with Kiba breaking the silence when he comes. Perhaps their team is a great balance.

Hinata was just thankful that she has good friends, and a good team.

After thanking Shino for walking with her, she then went inside the compound and placed the jar containing Neji's ashes in a cabinet decorated with flowers. She lit up incense and knelt down on the floor, and paid respect to her cousin. She wonders if Neji was with his father and mother now. Was he happier now compared to when he was alive? What was he doing right now? Is he watching over her?

Hinata pursed her lips and closed her eyes tightly. She didn't want to cry again. She had to be stronger more than ever now that her cousin is gone. There was no one to teach her new skills and train her anymore. There was no one who would protect her anymore. Sure she has her team and her friends, and maybe her family, but she can't rely on them every time.

She had to get strong by her own.

She then stood up from her place and gave a confident smile before closing the cabinet. She then went up to see Hanabi and see how she's doing, only to see no one inside her room.

"She went to help the search in place of you."

Hinata turned around to see her father behind her, looking older than usual. She then closed the door softly and faced him.

"She should have told me…" Hinata said quietly.

"She knew that you wouldn't agree, Hinata. She just wanted to help you."

Kiba, Shino, and now Hanabi are out of the village doing what was requested of them, while she was just here moping around, doing nothing. She bit the inside of her lip, her eyes glued to the ground while she was thinking of how useless she was.

"I'm going," Hinata said as she then went on to her room to change into her normal attire. She grabbed the forehead protector from her desk and tied it around her neck while searching for her favorite jacket.

"You need to rest, Hinata! Your body is going to break down if you do this any further!" her father said, scolding her of her recklessness. Hiashi already lost his nephew who was almost like his son. He doesn't want to lose another one in succession.

"I'm alright. I want to help them, father. I just want to be of use," Hinata said as she finally found her jacket, the matching pants, and her kunai pouch. She then pushed her father out of her room gently so that she could change. She gave her father a smile, which reminded Hiashi of his wife, from which Hinata took most of her appearance from.

He remembered when his wife gave birth to Hinata, and how she smiled and tear up while cradling their first child in her arms. She kept touching Hinata's soft cheeks and knew that she would indeed be a strong shinobi, just like her father. As Hinata was growing up, Hiashi would always think how wrong his wife was and turned his attention to Hanabi who was showing more potential than her sister.

Looking at his eldest daughter now, he realized that his wife was right. He wished that he could have at least trained her a bit more, or at least trained her alongside Hanabi. He should have been a little more patient with Hinata. Because of him, the relationship of his two children began to sour, Hinata becoming more reclusive and her strength not developing much at all. By the time he decided to train her again alongside Neji, he was probably too late to develop her skills.

However, after the war, Hinata has shown great strength and desire to protect what must be protected. Her skills and confidence had vastly improved from her genin days. She did her part well, and she snapped Naruto out when he was feeling down and thus, leading them to victory. There was no denying that Hinata had played a big part during the war.

Hiashi sighed as he held the doorknob. "Alright."

Hinata's eyes had lightened up and held her father's hand before closing off the door. She quickly took off her black outfit and changed into her usual ones.

As she sat on the doorway and wore her sandals, her father stood behind her.

"Be careful out there."

"I will," Hinata said as she stood up and brushed her pants off of any dust. She hesitated at first but gave into it anyway, hugging her father, which surprised Hiashi. Nonetheless, he hugged her back as he brushed Hinata's hair and said goodbye to her. There are only a few times when his eldest daughter would hug him, so he might as well enjoy it as much as he can. It's only a matter of years before he goes away.

Hinata closed and opened her eyes as quickly as she can, trying to brush off the strain that she was starting to feel. Her chakra was starting to deplete but she had no time to complain about that. There are still many people who were missing, and it was her mission to find as many as she can. She doesn't want to disappoint the families, friends, and the villages, who rely on them to find their loved ones. Their only wish is to just make sure whether their loved ones are dead or not.

She wanted to give them a proper burial, just like how her cousin did. It's not easy to move on without doing a funeral service.

She looked up at the sky to see a full moon above them as they ran, the Land of Lighting just in front of them. She met Shino a few minutes ago, but they never spoke and just looked at each other, acknowledging their presence. They were too busy to have a chat.

"Wait," Hinata stopped suddenly, looking around the ground. "There are two people down here. One is still alive but he's barely breathing." Her group then quickly proceeded to dig underground, with Hinata helping as much as she can. She suddenly wished that she could be a drill, like how Kiba does with his Fang Over Fang technique. Hinata then dug even harder, realizing that it was indeed for that reason that the Inuzuka Clan was decided to be the main searchers.

Her group then dug out two people from the Land of Water, one boy and one girl, with the former still barely breathing as she stated. Both of them were only a few years younger than Hinata. They immediately tended to the boy, with her helping the first aid, while the other group was trying to identify who the girl was.

Hinata looked at the boy who was starting to breathe normally, and was suddenly reminded of the day when the Sasuke Recovery Team came back, all of them either injured or dying. She heard from Shino that time that Kiba's injuries were pretty deep, though not life threatening. Not to mention, it was not from an enemy, but was something he inflicted to himself twice. He was almost killed as well if it wasn't for Kankuro. Neji, on the other hand, was almost to the brink of death.

As she looked at the boy who she guessed just became a chuunin, Hinata wondered if this would continue until they get older. If she had kids, would she let them be ninjas? Would she risk losing them just for the village? Will she be able to sleep when her kids are on their missions? Suddenly, she started to understand why her father felt reluctant to let her go today.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked the boy who started grunting. "How do you feel?"

"…Dead," the boy answered back in a pained whisper. Hinata smiled at him and caressed his cheeks softly, making the boy feel like he was in his mother's embrace.

After some time, the group who would take back the recovered people back to their own villages came and took the two kids away from them. Hinata looked at the retreating backs of the group and started looking for more people they could find.

"You can rest for a while. We will start again when the sun rises," the ANBU with a dog mask said to her while giving her a hot cup of coffee. Hinata bowed her head at him and accepted the offer. "Thank you for your hard work," the ANBU said and then walked to his tent, leaving Hinata there in the campfire.

She blew the coffee and sipped on it, flinching when realizing that it was still hot. Hinata sighed as she decided to hold it on her hand for a while, enjoying the warmth that it brings to her cold hands. She wrapped the blanket tighter on her body when the wind blew. She didn't really feel like going back to her tent yet. She just wanted some peace and quiet.

Hinata stared longingly at the fire in front of her. It reminded of the fire she just saw a few hours ago – the fire that burned her cousin's body to ashes. She started to wonder if it was better if they just buried his body without burning it, but that would mean that she wouldn't see nor touch him anymore. The ash was probably the best option for them. With this, they could feel that Neji's with them, even if he isn't really there.

She suddenly heard the trees rustling and looked at the direction where the sounds where coming from. The ANBU said that some groups were coming to the same place as them, so this must be what he was saying. She heard some barking, which she instantly recognized.

"Kiba-kun…!" Hinata said as she stood up, her blanket dropping onto the ground with a flop.

Akamaru suddenly leapt out from the trees then landed in front of Hinata perfectly, sending dust everywhere. On top of Akamaru was Kiba, who didn't expect to see Hinata tonight.

"What the- What are you doing here?" Kiba blurted out, while the others arrived as well after them.

"I… I'm helping with the search," Hinata answered as she grabbed the dropped blanket and put it on her seat. Her other hand was still holding onto the cup of coffee that was given to her.

"I thought Hanabi took your place," Kiba said, patting Akamaru on the head as he went down his dog. The two of them were dirty, with dust and gravels all over their clothes and hair (or fur in Akamaru's case). Akamaru immediately yawned as soon as Kiba went down and took his place near the campfire, falling asleep instantly, not even caring about how filthy he was.

"Yeah, uhm… but I couldn't resist. I just wanted to help out."

"Heh. I expected something like that," Kiba smiled at her, his fangs jutting out from his mouth as usual. She started to smile as well. Kiba's smiles were always contagious ever since they were little.

"Uhm, do you want something?" Hinata asked. "Coffee? Food? Anything?" She asked as she reached her coffee to him, only to take it back instantly, realizing that her mouth had already touched it.

"I need rest."

"Oh. Right."

Kiba then walked past her, ruffling Hinata's hair as he walked, much to her surprise. He then grabbed his water can then refilled it with water by the river. He then quickly jumped to the same river, surprising her and others as well, though they were pretty used to it already. Kiba's an Inuzuka – it should already be expected for things like this to happen.

He then shook the water off him, which to this day, Hinata had found amusing. She wondered a bit if he didn't feel cold. Kiba then sat beside Hinata's seat and dried himself off using the campfire. Hinata then sat beside him and wrapped the blanket around her.

"How did you know that Hanabi replaced me?" Hinata asked after some silence.

"I met her a few hours ago," Kiba replied as he took off his jacket and placed it near the fire to let it dry. He didn't mind that Hinata was sitting beside him, and neither did Hinata. It's not like he's completely naked under that jacket. He still had a fishnet shirt under it. "I asked why she was here."

Hinata nodded at Kiba's answer and looked at the fire he was also looking at. She saw that Kiba had put his head on his arms, which were wrapped around his legs, and was just staring at the fire. His black, slit-like eyes were tinted orange from it.

Hinata thought for a while, but she finally knew what was bothering her ever since she met him again at the funeral.

Kiba felt lifeless.

These days, Kiba was just staring, not doing anything at all. He would speak but only for a short while. His lively attitude and expressions were gone, filled with a void of emptiness; Even the smile from before made her feel unusual from before, though still contagious. Just sitting beside him, she felt that he was warm, but she felt like he wasn't there at all. She might as well sit beside no one and it would feel the same. He was looking tired, too tired, and thinner than before. She probably would not have realized his weight if not for him taking off his jacket.

"Kiba-kun… Are you okay?" Hinata asked.

"Huh? Yeah. I'm… I'm fine." Kiba answered, stuttering a bit, as if he was hesitating to say something. He then ruffled his hair roughly, sending water droplets here and there, some of it splashing on Hinata's face. She didn't mind of course, and just wiped it off. She was too worried of her teammate than bothering with some water droplets.

"It's just that…" Kiba bit his lips. "You wouldn't really understand."

"Is it that bad?"

Kiba sighed as he looked at Hinata and back to the fire. "I… haven't eaten ever since I started this mission."

"…What?" Hinata was surprised, to say the least. In their team, Kiba was the big eater. He would scarf down anything, especially if it's chewy, and both Hinata and Shino would give their unfinished food to him, much to his delight. Hearing something as 'not eating' from Kiba was thought to be impossible.

"Three days have passed since we started this! Why?" Hinata raised her voice to which Kiba shut her off by covering her mouth with his hand. He looked at the onlookers and laughed at them, ensuring that everything's fine, before releasing Hinata from his grip.

"Don't raise your voice!" he hissed at her.

"They don't know?"

"Of course they don't! I'll be kicked off the mission if they knew," Kiba said, suddenly being reminded of his mother and sister and how they would get angry if they ever found out of his actions. "And it's not like I'm doing it on purpose…"

"What do you mean…?"

"I just… can't. I try to eat but… it's just…" Kiba cringed as words came out his mouth one by one. His hand then covered his nose instantly, as if his body was reacting to an awful smell. "I just can't stomach the food whenever I'm reminded of the smell," he continued in a muffled tone.

"Smell…" Hinata then finally realized what he was talking about.

"I mean, it's not like I'm not used to it. We're a reconnaissance team; we've seen a lot of dead people during our missions, but this… For the whole day, all I could and can smell are dead people; nothing but corpses. The food tastes horrible because the smell sticks in my mind. Even water tastes horrible. I end up just vomiting them sometimes when I'm out of their sight. The pills are the only thing that's keeping me going right now."

"Have you tried not focusing your chakra to your nose?" Hinata suggested.

"I tried but… You know that even if we don't focus it, our nose is still more powerful than normal, right?"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"I can't even smell you. You're near me but I still can't. My mind is just reminded of that smell and it's driving me nuts," Kiba said. Hinata then finally knew why Kiba was surprised to see her. He couldn't smell her at all.

She suddenly remembered Kiba and Naruto's fight during the Chuunin exam and saw how painful it was for Kiba to smell Naruto's fart. He said that it was like there were needles in his nose. Hinata and her team always relied on Kiba's nose that they didn't even realize how much of a double-edged sword it is. Compared to her and Shino who would use their eyes and insects respectively, Kiba had to smell them directly. He has to smell them with that enhanced nose of his. When Hinata finds corpses, she has to stop herself from gagging to show respect for the dead. If that smell could make her gag with her normal nose, imagine what Kiba is feeling with his enhanced one.

"Don't tell anyone, okay? Just like you, I want to help out as much as I can."

"Do all the other Inuzukas feel the same way?" She wondered.

Kiba shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'm just not trained for that ability yet."

"Wait here," Hinata said as she stood up and went to her bag to grab something. Kiba was just staring at her as she put out object after an object before she found the thing she was looking for. She then neatly put the unnecessary objects back into her bag before seating beside Kiba again.

"Remember this?" Hinata asked as she held out the said object in front of her.

"Hey, that's the same ointment from before."

"Yes. I just thought that maybe this could counteract that horrible smell," she said as she opened the bottle, the scent of a powerful mint-like odor enveloping them in seconds. "I just remembered you complaining how strong the smell of this thing was before, so… it might help."

"Well, it is strong." Kiba said as he accepted the ointment and put it near his nose. "I'd rather smell this than have that horrible smell imprinted into my mind." He closed his eyes as he inhaled a bit. He realized that the smell isn't as strong as he remembered when he was still little.

"It's not really much though…"

"Nah, it's fine. It's kind of soothing," he said as he took another whiff of the ointment. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Kiba then closed the ointment and put it in his kunai pouch. He then grabbed his jacket off the ground and hanged it on his shoulder. "Hinata, sorry but, I really need to rest. I think we're going off earlier than your team," he said apologetically.

"No, it's fine. You need the rest," Hinata said, yawning after seeing Kiba yawn. "I think I'll get some rest too while I can."

"You should. Your eye bags can't seem to hold your marbles any longer," he jokingly said, referring to her eyes.

"Same goes for you," Hinata said as she giggled.

"Goodnight Hinata," Kiba said as he went off to his own tent, looking back at Akamaru before deciding that he would leave his companion outside just for today. He didn't want to disturb his sleep just for him to move.

"Goodnight," Hinata said, waving at the brunette as he went in the tent. She then grabbed her blanket and drank her coffee before going to her tent to get some sleep.

It was another busy day for them tomorrow.

Well, congratulation. You've reached the end. Gold star for you.

Anyway, please leave a review, or something that could improve my writing... if you have time for it.

I think I use too much commas and run-on sentences. I'll probably improve on that.

See you next chapter~