"What are you smiling at?" He noticed her holding a small frame in her hands.

Her smile made him look away, a bit reddened for some reason.

She suddenly turned the frame around revealing a photo of an old man with a small girl by him.

"Icha." He said to himself remembering the old man.

Icha is an old kind soul, he was a library cafe owner half of the time while the other he would run a dojo. Hinata was his first customer at that cafe.

It was a snowy day and her mother was running late from work.

Although Itachi had offered her a ride home, she had refused not wanting to cause a burden on her teacher. Not to mention she would be sharing the same car with the one who hurt her the most.

She had began walking as her footprints imprinted onto the snow. A breath escaped from her lips as she suddenly felt something strike her in the back of the head.

Turning around she was faced with two boys.

"You got us in trouble creepy, now you're going to pay!" Satame yelled forming another snowball in his hands.

She suddenly caught on to what was about to go down. She began to run, tripping a few times because of her big snow boots. She suddenly caught sight of a nearby cafe.

'Maybe I can hide from them in here!' She opened the door and closed it behind her while staring at the door window, rubbing her hands together trying to gather some heat.

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder as she turned around.

'I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you! I'll leave right away!' She signed hoping he would understand.

Lucky for her, he did.

The old man gave her a gentle smile and offered her a blanket.

"It looks like you were running from someone." He laughed as she lowered her head.

"You were? Do you need me to call 911!?" He furrowed his eyebrows in concern.

She shook her head from her side to side as she ran back up to the door frame as the old man followed.

"Boys?" He looked down at her as she nodded.

"Don't worry, you can stay here as long as you want. I got plenty of books." He smiled as he showed the bookshelves as her eyes widened.

She smiled as she saw a book that caught her eye.

She pointed to it as the old man walked over.

"This one?" He pointed as she nodded.

"The Hero." He read the title as he handed the book to her.

She began to open it as it was a pop-out book. She sat on the floor as she was amazed by the way the pictures popped out at her.

He smiled at the sight of her.

"What's your name?" He suddenly kneeled down to her.

She spelled it out 'Hinata Hyuga'.

"Hinata? That's a beautiful name, my name is Icha." He said as he suddenly went to the back of the counter and began making something as the room filled with the smell of chocolate.

"Hinata, do you like marshmallows?" He said to her as she nodded again.

He filled the hot chocolate with marshmallows and placed it in front of her.

"I don't have money!" Hinata signed.

"It's on the house." He laughed at how respectful she was.

"Do you want me to read to you?" He noticed as she was making confused faces.

She nodded happily.

"The Hero. The Hero was a small child who was a big troublemaker with a huge imagination. They would make fun of the hero and bully him for being different." The pop-out showed a small child in the corner with shadows towering over him with laughing faces.

Time had passed as the old man noticed her face squished against his arm as she had fallen asleep. He smiled at the sight as he grabbed the blanket from earlier and covered her with it.

He got up and ran to the phone book.

"Hyuga, was it?" He searched for a name as he finally found a phone number. He dialed the number as he waited for the ringing to stop.

"Hello?" He heard a woman's voice.

"Hello, is this Mrs.Hyuga?" He spoke into the phone.

"Yes, how may I help you?"

"I have your daughter here at my shop."

"Hinata is there?!" She sounded relieved.

After her giving her directions she arrived in 5 minutes flat, smiling at the sight of her sleeping daughter.

"Thank you so much." She said taking out her wallet to pay for the drink.

"That's alright, it's on the house." He smiled as he watched carry the sleeping child in her arms.

"Please take the book as a token of my appreciation."

"Appreciation?" Her mother smiled.

"She was my first customer." He said.

"Thank you, we'll definitely come again." Hinata's mother thanked him as she walked out the door.

And it was true, from that day forward Hinata had visited that shop everyday after school. It was her second home. Where she read, eat and learn how to defend herself.

"Do you want to go visit him?" Sasuke asked placing the photo down.

She quickly nodded her head and walked outside.

"Hinata, wait!" He yelled as they were still in their pajamas but it was too late, she was already halfway down the street.

He sighed grabbing his jacket and locking the door behind him.

He finally caught up with her once as he noticed the familiar street. Memories of them walking together towards the cafe caught up in his mind as he saw her for a brief second running as a kid again.

"Hinata." He smiled and began running faster until she stopped and dropped to her knees.

He went behind her as they noticed it was no longer a cafe but a clothing store instead.

"Can I help you?" A woman walked out of the store.

"Is Icha here?" Sasuke held Hinata's shoulders as he lifted her up.

"Icha? Oh my, haven't you heard? That poor old man passed away a year ago." She said as Hinata's eyes filled with tears.

She had begun running away as she felt her heart breaking into pieces.

Memories of the old man flashed through her mind, the only bits and pieces she could remember.

She ended up at an gray dark cemetery. Where she knelt down and began to cry on his tombstone.

That's when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up to his half smile with white flowers in his hands.

"He might be gone but he will never be forgotten." Sasuke placed the flowers down.

'Yes!' She wiped her puffy red eyes.

Sasuke then pulled a letter from his pocket.

"That woman said if you ever came back to give this to you." He gave it to her as she unfolded it.

"My dearest little hero, I heard you're going to high school now from your mother. I hope you have made lots of friends there and I hope you're staying on top of your studies! You were always a smart girl. Don't let people bring you down (both emotionally and physically!) This might be it for me but it won't be for you. I know you will live a long life full of joy and happiness. One day, you'll find someone like you. I just know it. Someone with a kind heart and full of courage. My little hero, you were always like the daughter I never had. Watching you grow was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I can go in peace knowing you're going to turn out as a beautiful hardworking woman. I might not be there to wipe your tears like I always did but I will always be watching over you, so keep fighting for what's right and don't forget about me.

-With Love,
Icha."

She wiped her face at the kinds words written down on paper.

She held the paper to her heart and folded it back, sticking it into her pocket.

"Are you ready to go?" He held his hand out to her as she placed her hand in his.

When they had arrived home, she had locked herself in the room, softly crying to herself.

He unlocked the door.

"Enough." He said as she looked up at him.

"I can't stand seeing you like this." He knelt down to her level as he wiped the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm here, rely on me."