A/N: Hello! This chapter really doesn't contain any of the content I originally planned to write for it, but it kinda just happened. It's also very short because I just wanted to get a new chapter posted. It's very dialogue and plot-heavy too. ANYWAY, the next chapter will be back to normal length.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 17: Perplexed

"'Cause I just dodged a bullet from a crazy bitch."

Natsuka was grumbling under her breath and staring with narrowed eyes towards the window when a deep voice interrupted her musings.

"Do you have anything to say about this?" Inoichi Yamanaka's calm voice cut into the silence smoothly, but Natsuka would not be bothered so easily. She continued to stare out into the bright sunshine for several more seconds, hearing the distant sounds of content and happy civilians out and about. Eventually, she slowly slid her pale eyes towards her so-called therapist and her friend Ino's father.

"No." She answered with only a minimal opening of her mouth, and her face never turned fully toward Inoichi's before it turned back to the window again. She let out a quiet huff and crossed her arms over her chest.

Inoichi let out a sigh of his own before surreptitiously rolling his eyes.

"I saw that."

The older man would never admit it, but he jumped just the tiniest bit when the young ex-Hyuuga snapped her head his way and looked him in the eye for the first time since he stepped into the office.

"I understand that you're frustrated, but I don't understand why you feel the need to take your frustration out on me. I'm simply the messenger, Natsuka-chan, and I'm here to help you." He recovered quickly from his little start and laced his hands under his chin before speaking in his usual calm manner to his most mystifying patient.

"I'm not mad, Inoichi." Formalities had slipped away from them long ago. Others might have felt strange being on first name basis with their friend's fathers, but Natsuka was past such trivialities. "I swear I'm not mad."

She was a little mad.

"I didn't say you were mad, I said you were frustrated." The soothing, monotone voice droned into her ears.

Damn it. To hell with it. With arms still crossed, she directed her next words to Inoichi's long-dead cactus. "Who told?" She tried to sound demanding, but with her emotions poorly leashed she mostly just sounded like a child who'd been tattled on.

"You mean who gave honest mission reports? That would be everyone." Inoichi hid a small smirk behind his hands. The last thing he wanted to do was show the young girl that he was amused by the situation. While what it entailed was certainly nothing to be entertained by, it was fascinating to see emotion in someone who used to have so little.

"It's not like I'm suicidal," she muttered sullenly.

At that, Inoichi lost all traces of amusement and became serious. "Of course not, Natsuka. Everyone knows that. That's not what we're discussing." He took a short breath before speaking again. "Though it was obvious that your behavior changed dramatically after Hinata's death, this brought an issue to light. Before, I could see that your mental health had taken several steep turns and twists, but never for better or worse. You'd simply changed, as any person would after a traumatic experience."

She'd flinched at hearing her cousin's name but otherwise hadn't reacted. She sensed more was coming, and wasn't disappointed.

"Your behavior on this mission was brash and reckless. You could have endangered the lives of your teammates, and you did endanger your own life."

"It was a mission," she said quickly. "At what point was my life safe?"

"Natsuka, don't try to deflect from this. Of course a shinobi's life is always on the line. But you needlessly put yourself into more danger than was absolutely necessary by acting recklessly."

She's slumped a bit in her chair by now, and her narrowed eyes now dropped to the floor. She stared at her sandaled feet. She didn't know what to say. She really didn't even know what to think.

"This behavior tells me that you may not have progressed as much as I'd originally thought. Please understand that you've done nothing wrong Natsuka. This was your first major mission since it happened, and no one could have known how you'd react."

She didn't need to ask what it was, and she didn't need to sit here and listen to this any longer. Abruptly, she stood up and walked out of her therapist's door without saying a word.

"See you next week," Inoichi called out quietly. He didn't try to stop her.

Walking aimlessly through the village streets, she became lost in thought as she watched each step her feet took. She'd probably run into a wall soon, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She'd slipped seamlessly into the moving crowd of villagers, and no one paid her a second glance.

Had she been reckless? Her eyes drifted to her hand at her side. The faint scars had faded into nothing. There was no evidence of her failure. TenTen had truly done a wonderful job.

During the mission, and during the ensuing battle, she hadn't felt reckless. She hadn't felt much of anything, now that she was thinking about it. But looking back, she knew deep down that her actions had been far too brash. It was unlike her to be anything but calm and calculating during a mission, and she'd behaved worse than Naruto. She snorted under her breath at the comparison.

When you acted more impulsively than Naruto, you were doing something wrong.

Had her cousin's death changed her permanently? Was that how she'd behave in dangerous situations forever now? One might think that witnessing a traumatic event would cause one to be more fearful and cautious, but it'd seemed to have the opposite effect on Natsuka.

She frowned at her revelation. This was unacceptable. Such behavior on a mission was dangerous. For her, and more importantly, for her teammates. She'd only just begun to move past her greatest failure, and apparently even that wasn't going well. She could not be the cause of another loved one's death.

Perhaps the month of suspension she'd received would do her some good. Give her peace of mind. It was something she hadn't realize she needed.

She swerved to the right quickly to avoid running into a wooden cart, and swiftly turned to the opposite direction, location now intent on her mind.

She needed advice. More than anything, she just needed someone to talk to. And while Shino was quickly becoming that person for her, and she now trusted most of her generation's Genin, there was one person else she was desperate to see.

Her feet took her in the direction of the Hyuuga compound.

Her feet carried her all the way to the broad and looming gates of her esteemed clans compound. She tilted her head as she wondered if she could really still call it her clan.

The large gate was at least three times her height. Not that she was very tall, but the gates length was impressive. It looked just as she'd always remembered, but she'd never noticed just now private it made the compound seem.

Many clans of Konoha had their own compounds. It was not an odd thing. What made the Hyuuga compound unusual was that it was fenced in all the way around its massive length. Natsuka had always assumed it was allowed simply due to the Hyuuga being amongst the noble and oldest clans of the village. But now, with an older mind, she just thought it looked strange.

The Hyuuga had always been a private entity, protective of their bloodline and any other secrets they may hold. The walled in compound was there for safety, and protection. But as Natsuka pondered the massive structure surrounding her native clan's home and realized suddenly that not even the Uchiha fenced in their compound, she questioned the motives behind the Hyuuga's need for privacy.

Why was the gate closed in the middle of the day?

She realized quickly that this line of thought would lead nowhere good, and so she welcomed the distraction when a figure suddenly appeared on top of the wall.

"State your business."

Natsuka frowned. A lone Hyuuga stood on top of the gate, his forehead covering identifying him as a branch member. She was also fairly certain he was a distant cousin. Yama, or Yamo or something of the sort. She decided she didn't appreciate his tone.

"Hello, cousin," she called up in what she hoped was a friendly voice. "I was hoping to see my brother."

"No outsiders." He crossed his arms and stared down at her.

She raised a single brow and kept the small amount of hurt she felt at bay. She was an outsider now, was she?

She tried to remember how long it'd been since this place had no longer been her home, and realized she couldn't remember. She'd been gone a long time. She wondered if any of her clansmen still considered her one of them. It was probably best not to know.

Well, she thought, if that was how things were going to go…

"I would like to know where Neji is, Hyuuga-san. Right now," due to the manners instilled into the Hyuuga from birth, it did not feel odd to speak so formerly to one of her former clansmen.

Her distant cousin, however, did seem a bit taken aback at her sudden change in tone. Gone was the false friendly demeanor. Natsuka was not in the mood to play games. Two sets of pale eyes stared intently at one another for a brief moment, before one glanced away.

But Natsuka did not blink or look away while she waited for an answer.

"Neji-sama is not here. And even if he was, you would certainly not be allowed inside to see him." The Hyuuga sneered down at her, and it was her turn to be taken aback by the callousness in his tone. He continued speaking before she had a chance to respond.

"Besides, Neji-sama has more important things to do than waste his time on the likes of you." His mouth had twisted into an ugly sneer by this point, and though he still could not meet her eyes, his own cold orbs stared intently at a spot by her feet.

A myriad of emotions swam through her as she took in his words without moving. Who did this man think he was to look down upon her in such a way?

You're the ultimate failure, a voice spoke in her head. A disgrace to the clan.

But no, that could not be where this ill-will was coming from. If she was the ultimate failure of her clan, then so Neji-sama was as well. And clearly, this mere gate guard had nothing but respect for her brother.

She'd been virtually forced from the compound against her will by her very own uncle. She'd been forced into an arranged marriage that she initially did not want. But she'd done it all without a fight. She'd followed her uncles wishes. Why was it that she was still in the wrong?

Natsuka gave a dainty sniff, and couldn't help but let go of some of her anger. "My, my, Hyuuga-san. You might've just hurt my feelings deeply. You certainly would have, if I still cared about anyone or anything within this wretched clan. Rest assured, I do not." Except Neji, of course, she added silently.

As she spoke the words she knew they were true. She'd given up the dim hope of returning to the home of her blood at some point a while ago, and she now had no desire to return.

A Hyuuga was a Hyuuga, recently disowned or not, and if looks alone could maim Natsuka's certainly would have. The man above her seemed to shrink in size as his shoulders slumped ever so slightly and his sneer slowly shriveled into a weak frown.

For a Hyuuga, he really didn't have great composure. They'd let their standards go since she'd been gone, it seemed.

He shifted a bit on his feet, and she could tell he didn't know what to do next. She continued staring up at him in silence, with no intention to leave anytime soon. It wasn't every day you got to unnerve a Hyuuga, after all.

But the awkward silence did not last nearly long enough before a lilting voice interrupted. "Let her in, Amayo."

Well, she hadn't gotten his name even close to correct. Oh well.

"But Hanabi-sama-!" The guard protested.

Natsuka lifted a delicate brow. Hanabi?

Suddenly, the looming gate began opening, accompanied with the oh so pleasant sound of grating metal. A bit of dust was kicked up, and when it cleared the compound was open and Natsuka stood face to face with her younger cousin.

She'd only caught glimpses of the younger girl in the time since she'd gone, and most of those had been from her successful attempts at stalking her brother and finding him in spots throughout the village. She'd seem them walk hand in hand a time or two.

She was wearing a pink yukata, and young and pretty was really the only way to describe her. Her face though, told a different story. The girl looked older than Natsuka remembered her being, and she felt a whisper of unease.

She'd visibly grown in recent years. They stood nearly even in height, which really just wasn't fair at all. The long ebony hair so similar to her own fell straight down her back, falling to her waist. Her eyes, nose, mouth.. she looked so similar to her long dead sister that it was unnerving.

She was also staring straight at Natsuka with an unreadable expression.

"Please follow me, Natsuka-san. I have tea prepared." And then she turned on her heel and began walking farther into the compound, a compound she didn't remember as well as she once did.

With only a moment of hesitation, Natsuka took a slow step past the gate, and then strode after the girl with as much confidence as she could muster. Her face did not betray an ounce of the turmoil or confusion she was feeling.

She just hoped the girl hadn't hear any of her insults through the gate. That certainly wouldn't start things off well.

As it turned out, if Hanabi witnessed any of her outburst, she did not bring it up.

They'd been sitting in the old tea room for half an hour now, daintily sipping on green tea and making amicable conversation about nothing.

She was slowly dying inside.

Natsuka, and Neji for that matter, rarely spent time with Hanabi when they were younger. Their duty was and had always been to the heir. And so they'd rarely graced the younger sibling with even a thought.

Which was turning out to be a grievous mistake apparently, because she'd quickly learned over the last half hour that she knew nothing about this girl or her intentions. It was clear she was playing some sort of game, but Natsuka was not even on the playing board yet.

If she recalled correctly, Neji was the true heir to the clan now. At some point in time, he'd become engaged to Hanabi. Natsuka swallowed a sip of tea along with her distaste at this thought. She was curious as to how Hanabi felt about not being named heir, but she somehow doubted she'd ever get the chance to ask her.

"And so I told him, that shade of lavender will simply not do. It clashes with my eyes, you see." Hanabi let out a deep sigh with this statement, as if deeply burdened by her color coordination issues.

"Ah, yes," Natsuka agreed blithely. What had she been saying?

"Natsuka, dear." Said girl started a bit at the condescending tone. "I know it's coming up very shortly, and I think I know why you're here."

She hid her confusion behind another sip of the cooling tea. "Hmm? Remind me, what's coming up again?"

Hanabi frowned and put a hand over her heart. "Oh, cousin. You don't have to pretend. You know I'm talking about the wedding."

It was only years of reflex training that kept the tea within the confines of her mouth. "Wedding?"

"Well, yes," Hanabi said tentatively. "It won't be long now before we make it official. And I know you were wondering where your invitation was-"

"You and Neji are getting married already? Aren't you thirteen?" They were not the most graceful words to ever escape Natsuka's mouth, but she was too astonished to care.

"I'm fifteen," the girl answered with a hint of frost in her voice now. "And we did not see any need to wait longer, seeing as Neji has achieved Jounin status."

She didn't have any tea in her mouth to cover up the shock this time. Her mouth gaped open for just a moment before it snapped shut. "Neji? Jounin?"

"Yes, Natsuka-san. He was promoted just last month. I understand that you and Shino-san are waiting to be married until you both achieve the rank."

"Well, yes, but-"

"Anyway," Hanabi interrupted her. "I didn't want you to be worried that your invitation was lost in the mail or anything of the sort. It's just… we really can't have you at the wedding, Natsuka-san. Not with everything that's happened. You understand, right?" Hanabi looked at her with wide eyes and what was probably supposed to be a heartfelt expression.

Natsuka blinked a few times and drank the last bit of tea before answering. "Right," she drawled out slowly. "Of course, Hanabi. Er, Hanabi-san." With the tea gone, and her nerves absolutely frayed, she stood up to take her leave. All she'd wanted to go was visit her brother. Instead she'd been gifted far more information than she'd bargained for.

Hanabi stood as well. "Oh dear. With all due respect Natsuka-san, you'd best refer to me as Hanabi-sama when we are in public. We wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea, now would we?" her younger cousin flashed her a brilliant smile before grasping her by the elbow and leading her out.

They walked to the gates in silence. Natsuka probably could not have spoken if she'd tried.

"Well, Natsuka-san, it was wonderful to see you. If you'd like chat in the future, do not hesitate to contact me and we can meet somewhere inside the village." Another bright smile, and Natsuka was being sent on her way.

She began walking out of her former home without uttering a word, but finally gained some of her wits before she'd traveled too far.

"Oh, don't worry Hanabi. I don't think we'll be seeing each other again any time soon."

She called the words as casually as she possibly could over her shoulder, and so she missed the dark look that flashed across innocent little Hanabi's face.

She also didn't realize at the time how impossibly far from the truth her words were.