Prologue: Konoha

There was water. That much Haru was certain. The young woman made her feet move forward, even though each movement made pain shoot up her legs. She dimly noted that she was walking beside a waterfall, in a lush green forest that was shadowed with the darkness of twilight. Night surrounded the trees and the stars, and the grass beneath her bare feet was wet with dew.

Konoha.

That was the only coherent thought. Everything else was a blur, a fleeting image of coherency that fled whenever she attempted to focus upon it. Haru didn’t know where she was going, but her feet seemed to be on their own schedule, forcing her to walk forward. It was dark, and she stumbled often, winces of pain being emitted whenever she did so.

Where am I going? How did I get here anyway? the weak kunoichi thought to herself. She tried to remember, but the effort sent fogginess swirling in front of her eyes. She stopped, using a clammy hand to steady herself on the nearest tree trunk. Something shining on her hand caught her attention.

It was blood, glistening in the moonlight. What the-? she thought, looking down at her crimson soaked form and grimacing slightly before continuing on, shaking her silver bangs out of her eyes as she did so. What happened to me?



Horrible red eyes gleaming, the figure’s hair as red as blood…or perhaps it was another color, but so thoroughly drenched in the substance that it merely looked as if it was naturally red.

The air outside was filled with embers from burning houses and the sharp smell of burning flesh, and the sounds of men, women and children filling the air with their dying screams. Haru was immobilized by his evil magic, unable to fight, unable to breathe, unable to think. At least Yuki was safe, gone and never to return. She would be spared.

Haru was swallowed by the fear, the terrifying feeling of seeing that man come closer to her and a malevolent grin spreading across his face as he touched her brow, saying one word in his malicious voice.

“Konoha.”



The recollection made her abdomen convulse, trying to bring up anything in her stomach, but to no avail. She shook, trembling as she leaned against a tree, breath coming in gasps.

But her feet continued to move forward, and she felt her legs begin to throb more painfully with every step. How she had lasted this long was beyond her, the girl was to a point in her exhaustion that such trivial thoughts were brushed aside without question.

The scenery slowly began to change, and she saw a huge looming wall before her.

Konoha.

Haru somehow knew, deep down, that this was the place she had been looking for, even if she didn’t know why she was drawn to the village in the first place. She had never seen the place before, and the symbols adorning the heavy doors were as unfamiliar as Konoha itself.

The young woman saw a small opening in the huge wooden doors, and her small form slipped into the city. She saw dark figures standing on the top of the walls, patrolling, but somehow…they didn’t see her. Why was that?

The village was large and clean, but the strange stillness of this night gave it an ominous tinge. Haru struggled to focus as she nearly tripped over a small stone wall that surrounded a household garden. Her breathing was labored and harsh, and echoed in the eerie silence of Konoha. The shadows danced and leered at her as she passed, and she quickened her pace until she was half running, half limping.

Suddenly the shadows were gone, and she was standing before a large bridge, arching gracefully over the rushing river beneath, a pearly gray in the bright moonlight.

It was a very simple structure, but it embodied grace and dignity as well. The wood was shiny and worn from where hundreds of hands had rested, and the planks were slightly indented from many sandaled feet. The exhausted girl felt her bleeding foot touch the cool wood of the bridge, and a sense of ease filled her heart.

The sound of the water soothed her, and she was about to let out a sigh when she suddenly, she heard the sound of someone stepping onto the bridge. It set off every alarm in her system, and the pain left her for a split moment as she whirled around.

It was a young man, his form a silhouette against the moonlit sky, and partially cloaked in shadow. His hair was long and brown, falling past his shoulders in straight strands. His hands were at his sides, but Haru could see the tension in them.

“May I ask what–”

But before he could finish, he caught sight of the blood. In the light of the moon, the blood covering her was put into jarring focus. The boy moved forward suddenly, as if to help, but Haru’s tense mind saw the movement as an attack. She tried to swipe at him, but he caught her arms and pinned them to her sides. Haru’s head was spinning, and she struggled even more when the man’s hand clamped over her mouth.

It was then that she realized that she was screaming. The sound had begun the moment he moved toward her, and she felt the sound still being emitted from her throat, muted greatly by the man’s fingers.

Gray spots swam dangerously, and her body finally gave out on her, having completed its mission in bringing her to Konoha.

The stars seemed to be moving towards her, and she slowly blinked.

Her screams were immediately silenced, her mind sinking into unconsciousness the moment her eyes closed.

Chapter 1: New Beginning

Haru opened her eyes to a pale ceiling, covered in blinding lights. ‘Where am I?’ She thought, struggling to sit up.

“You shouldn’t exert yourself. Lay back down.” Haru flinched at the sharp tone of the woman, and turned to study her. The beautiful woman was simply dressed in a low cut shirt with black pants that cut off just below her knees. She had light brown eyes and long butterscotch blonde hair tied in two ponytails hanging past her shoulders. The lady was carefully scanning a clipboard of complicated charts, and Haru opened her mouth to speak.

“Where am I?” The woman looked up, before answering.

“Konoha Hospital. You were found last night on the Izuko Bridge, covered in your own blood. You were brought here, where we hooked you up to a couple machines and tested for your condition. Sakura Haruno, who is your nurse, will be able to explain it more. I just wanted to check up on you.” As she finished that sentence, a young woman that looked Haru’s age walked in, and smiled warmly at her. Haru stared at her. Everything seemed so…joyful here. Haru didn’t know how to handle how cheerful this pink haired mystery was.

“Tsunade-sensei, I hope you aren’t harassing my patient.” The girl teased, and Tsunade snorted.

“Just checking in. I’ve got to get back to the office anyway. Got to separate the incoming genin into teams.” Tsunade shuddered as she explained, and Sakura smiled at her as she left, shutting the door behind her before turning to Haru.

“Hello, my name is Sakura, and I’ll be your nurse for the next few days.” She held out her hand, and Haru looked at it in confusion. What was she supposed to do with a hand? ‘Why can’t I remember anything? I feel like I’m seeing the world for the first time…’

Sakura frowned slightly, lowering her hand and looking at the charts again, her frown deepening, her deep emerald eyes confused. Haru tilted her head slightly, absorbing all of her expressions, biting her lip to hold back the tears. What had she done to upset her? It had been like that…once….people never were happy with her around. What was wrong with her?

“Hm. It seems that you have a case of amnesia, but your charts say that nothing is wrong with you except a few deep cuts in your legs.” She seemed to be speaking more to herself than to Haru. She shook her head, smiling again. “Do you know your name?”

“Yes.” Sakura seemed surprised at the sound of Haru’s voice, but quickly covered it up. Haru stared at her, waiting for her to speak. She smiled at her, motioning for her to continue. “It’s…Haru.”

Sakura smiled warmly. “That’s a very pretty name.”

Haru said nothing, but her lips twitched into a smile that was so unfamiliar it felt painful. Sakura seemed also dazed by the smile, but didn’t comment. Sakura continued her questions.

“How old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

“Where did you come from?”

“I don’t…remember…” Haru frowned, and her face contorted as she attempted to remember.

But when the thought to even try to remember entered her mind, something at the back of her neck began to burn like a branding iron. Haru screamed, and clutched her neck so tightly she felt her nails pierce the skin. The small pricks were nothing, a warm bath next to the iciness of the coldest winter, compared with the pain coming from her neck.

Pain pounded so harshly in her entire body that it was all she could do not to stab the nearest sharp object into her heart, anything to stop the torture. She felt her mind going through images so fast it was as if her life was in fast-forward. Sakura’s alarmed face flickered past, and Haru heard her yell something into a walkie talkie.

“Tsunade-sensei!! Get in here NOW!” The door slammed open, and Haru saw through a haze the same blonde from before. All else was swept into nothing as another wave of agony, making her scream again, curling into a ball of hurt. Haru felt hands brushing against her neck, and snarled at them, crouching like a wounded animal, glaring at the two women who were touching her. Every touch was an attack, and she had to fight it off. Haru tried to calm down as she looked at the attractive pink haired woman who looked terrified.

No.

Haru had hurt too many people. She had invoked that same fear in so many, too many to count. Haru didn’t know why, but she felt tired of being hated, despised. She wanted…she didn’t know the word, but ‘someone’ to feel safe and happy with. The pink haired girl, Sakura, seemed so happy it glowed from every part of her body, so infectious, Haru felt attached to her, like a puppy to its owner. Haru didn’t know how to handle it, she couldn’t remember how.

Sakura studied Haru’s face of calm concentration that was twisted with torturous misery, decided to end her pain, for the moment anyway. She nodded to Tsunade, who stabbed a needle into the girl’s pale neck. Haru grabbed Tsunade’s arm, and exerted hard but steady pressure. Tsunade hissed under her breath, but as soon as the painful pressure was exerted, it was gone.

Haru felt her grasp on consciousness slipping, gray fog clouding her vision. She released the blonde woman’s arm, and closed her eyes, and fell into absolutely pain-free blackness.

***

The pink haired medic watched as the strange girl closed her impossibly deep violet eyes, and fell back into the pillows, face smoothing out as the drugs kicked in. Haru’s long silver hair seemed to shimmer in the fluorescent lights, and her snowy white skin reminded Sakura of the moon somehow, seeming to have a radiant glow underneath. Sakura sighed, moving forward to cover her with the blankets once more. Tsunade came forward also, standing by her apprentice to also study the girl who they knew absolutely nothing about, save perhaps her name and age.

“Sakura, what the hell was that?”

“I’m not sure sensei; it seemed to be coming from the back of her neck.” The two women moved Haru a little so they could get a good view of her neck. Tsunade leaned forward, running her fingers over the intricate tattoo, a light green glow surrounding her hand as she sifted through the inner workings of the seal without altering them.

It was a rather pretty thing, the center of it being an elaborately detailed flower that was shaped like a five pointed star. The flower had vines that ran in twists and swirls around the flower itself, which had a single sign in the middle of its petals.

“Sensei, what kind of seal is it. Is it even a seal? I’ve never seen anything so detailed…” Sakura asked, also examining the tattoo. Tsunade frowned, leaning away and thinking hard.

“It’s a seal all right, but I have no idea what kind. It is vaguely similar to the Hyuuga seal, seeing as it has a trigger reaction, meaning that something must have happened to trigger it, but I can’t imagine what, and I definitely didn’t feel any chakra presence that could possibly have the power to do that. It seems odd…”

‘But wait…she was fine up to the point where I asked her about where she came from…and then…’ Sakura remembered Haru’s attempt to remember, the pain that exploded the second after.

“Tsunade-sensei, I think I know!” Sakura exclaimed, and Tsunade waited patiently. “I was asking her questions, and she was fine until I asked about where she came from. She said she didn’t know, and when she tried to remember, the seal reacted.” Tsunade’s eyes narrowed and she studied the seal even more closely.

“If that’s true, than it’s more like the Hyuuga seal than I imagined. It reacts in almost the same way, only the Hyuuga seal is triggered by someone else, while this girl’s attempts to remember triggered it from inside her own mind. Seeing that it causes her extreme pain, the person who put it on her doesn’t want anyone, including her, to know anything about where she came from.” Sakura frowned.

“Do you have any idea who?”

“No. But it seems to not be a very crucial problem right now. It only triggers when she remembers her past, so she should refrain from thinking about it until we know more about the seal. We should let her get used to her surroundings more before doing any tests on it.”

“Should I have the teams come and see her, or should it wait? They all heard about it from Neji and are very curious.”

Tsunade’s lips twitched, but she said in a calm voice. “That would be good. Just make sure Naruto doesn’t wake her up.” She made her way toward the door, and called over her shoulder. “Oh, and Sakura?”

“Yes?”

“As soon as she gets better, send her into my office. I need to talk to her about her skill level as a ninja and if she wishes to become a citizen or not.” Sakura smiled in agreement, and the Fifth Hokage closed the door behind her. Sakura turned back to Haru, and shrugged. It was unusual of Tsunade to be so welcoming of a complete stranger, but maybe she had been affected as much as Sakura by Haru’s appearance.

When Sakura had seen her at first, she hadn’t how to react. The new girl had been so breathtakingly gorgeous she didn’t seem real, more resembling a flawless goddess in a painting. Haru was tall, with a slender figure that was the definition of delicate. Her forehead was covered by silver bangs that stopped at exactly eyebrow level. Haru’s hair was an odd color of silver, not like Kakashi’s darker gray, but instead luminous silver that made the finest silver pieces look like garbage. That perfect silver hair went in graceful waves to her lower back, and looked amazing no matter what situation. But the most beautiful thing was Haru’s eyes. They were an entrancing violet color, making Sakura want to hug her on impulse. Those eyes were scared, and innocent, and longing for friendship so strongly it made Sakura want to cry. When she had spoke, Sakura had been surprised by how low it was, but not too low, the perfect pitch that made even her heartbeat pick up slightly.

Sakura was suddenly very afraid for the single male population of Konoha. The thought of this goddess of a girl walking down the main street and the expressions of men as she passed was hilarious.

And even more surprisingly, her loveliness wasn’t something that made Sakura jealous. The girl seemed devastatingly beautiful, as if that beauty had made her feel so much pain…

Sakura almost felt protective, and stroked her hair softly. The girl flinched in her sleep, but when she heard Sakura murmur to her soothingly, she relaxed. Sakura smiled, and immediately made a goal to get the girl more used to having physical contact, because if she was a ninja, that would be crucial to have. She pressed her hand to the girl’s forehead and exerted a small amount of chakra to slowly awaken the senses, assuring that Haru would wake up in half an hour so she could meet some people her age.

“Hey!” Sakura suddenly called to a passing nurse. The lady was older, and stepped into the room.

“Yes Haruno-sama?”

“Would you watch, or get someone to watch Haru while I’m gone? She’ll be waking up in a few minutes, and I’ll only be gone for a few hours; also, can you alert the receptionist that a large group will be coming up with me to visit Haru?” The nurse nodded, and Sakura waved before opening the window and lightly slipping out, and falling gracefully onto a house roof. She scanned the roads for any familiar faces, and grinned when she found the one she had been looking for. She jumped down and walked briskly through the street until she was right behind him.

“Sakura.” Sasuke tilted his head back slightly to look down at her. Sakura smiled, linking her arm loosely with his.

“Hello Sasuke. I wanted to know if you would help me round up everyone.”

“Hn?” That translated to ‘why’.

“Because I want you all to meet the new girl that Neji found last night.”

“Who do you want me to find?”

“Let’s see, I’ll find Ino, Hinata, Tenten, Shikamaru, and Choji. You can find Shino, Kiba, Naruto, and Neji. Can you find them and meet up with us in an hour at the hospital in an hour?”

“Fine.”

“Thanks!” Sakura hugged her boyfriend tight, and he lightly returned the embrace. Sakura pulled away, and kissed him quickly on the lips before running off, smiling at the slight blush on Sasuke’s face at being kissed in public.

Okay, first stop, Yamanaka Flower Shop.

Sakura turned at the first right turn and looked down a small street that was the residence of Konoha’s one and only flower shop. It was a small place, but packed full of both simple and extravagant flowers. A pleasant wave of different fragrances swept over Sakura as she stepped inside. A familiar face smiled at Sakura through the many flowers that were piled everywhere.

“Hey Forehead girl! What’s up?” Sakura grinned at her best friend.

“Nice to see you too Ino-pig. I want you to come with me and everyone to see the new girl Neji found last night.” Ino Yamanaka perked up at that news.

“Really? Who is she?”

“Her name is Haru, and let me just say in advance that all of the ninja males are going to be swooning after her in no time at all.”

Ino’s eyes widened. “She’s that pretty?”

“She’s drop dead gorgeous.” Sakura amended, and Ino grinned slyly.

“I can’t wait to see their faces.” By ‘their’ faces, Sakura knew that Ino was referring to all the boys who were single among our group of friends: Shino, Choji, Kiba, and Neji.

Sakura and Ino grinned, and the pink haired medic led the way out the door and into the now bustling street.


An hour later, seven people were grouped at the hospital gate. Shikamaru was rubbing his head with a scowl on his face. This was a result of Sakura and Ino finding him in his favorite cloud watching spot and so deeply asleep that Ino had to kick him awake. Tenten was juggling a few razor sharp kunai carelessly in her hands, a bored expression on her face. Kiba and Naruto were busy arguing about whose jutsu was stronger, and Ino and Hinata were busy pondering on what the new girl would be like. How pretty she would be, and if she would be shy or outgoing, or if she was arrogant and nasty…and so on and so forth. Sakura frowned, wondering who, other then Choji, was missing.

Sasuke, noticing Sakura’s searches, answered that question. “Shino wouldn’t come. He said he had to work with his dad to do research.” Sakura nodded, and led the eager group into the hospital. The receptionist nodded to Sakura, and the medic led the group up the stairs and stopped when they were just outside earshot of Haru’s room. She told the ninja to quiet down, and spoke in a whisper.

“Okay you guys, this girl’s name is Haru, and she doesn’t like physical contact. She also is very sensitive to loud noises and voice tones; so no matter what she says or does; try to be as unthreatening and quiet as you can while still being friendly. Now, I want all of you to go in there, and ‘calmly’,” Sakura glared pointedly at Naruto, who grinned sheepishly, “introduce yourselves. And you can ask her questions too, but whatever you do, do ‘not’ ask her about her past, at ‘all’. Just ask her about things she likes and dislikes, what her hobbies are, that sort of stuff. Okay?”

Everyone nodded, and Sakura opened Haru’s door and let the ninja file in quietly, closing the door behind herself.

Haru was sitting up, hands resting in her lap, eyes wide and shocked as she took in all the people suddenly staring at her. She tensed, hand clenching the side of her bed and tried to pull herself up. Sakura rushed forward, and touched her arm gently. Haru flinched, but allowed the gesture. It was apparent the group standing in silence that this girl trusted Sakura, enough to let her touch her at least.

While Sakura patted the girl’s arm soothingly, every male in the room had some degree of incredulity in their thoughts.

Sasuke was the first to get over her dazzling radiance, looking instead at his pink haired medic, and personally thinking that the latter was much more his type. More durable, more…special in a way nobody could ever match. The raven haired boy had to admit that the new girl was indeed beautiful, but he wasn’t attracted to her the way he was to Sakura.

Shikamaru’s thoughts were very similar to Sasuke’s, and he moved closer to Ino, wrapping an arm around her waist. Ino was happy for his comforting presence. Sakura had been right; this girl was beyond beautiful, but she was also slightly disconcerted by those eyes. They were so captivating she almost couldn’t look away.

Naruto was staring open mouthed at the exotic girl in front of him. He had never seen anyone so beautiful. But he suddenly noticed Hinata moving closer to him, and realized that he too saw what Sakura had seen. Those eyes were so lonely and sad. They made him want to branch out and make her smile, but only as a friend. Hinata was the one for him, and that couldn’t be thrown aside.

Neji just stared. She was indeed beautiful, so stunning it made Neji’s head spin. The Hyuuga couldn’t help remembering when he had seen her the night before, bathed in moonlight, staring at him with those violet eyes that were questioning and relieved when he had told her what she wanted to hear, that she had arrived in Konoha. The girl’s voice sounded like the most beautiful sound Neji had ever heard, almost part of the night itself. He reluctantly recalled the feel of her silky silver hair against his arms as he carried her to the hospital. Her skin as it glowed in the moon’s pale light…

“Haru, these are my friends. They are very excited to meet you.” Sakura spoke slowly and calmly, and Haru cocked her head slightly, looking each person in the eye before asking.

“Friends?” Every person in the room, particularly the boys, felt their heartbeat quicken at the sound of Haru’s voice.

Sakura smiled. “Yes. Do you want to meet them?”

Haru looked around at the people standing around her bed, and suddenly caught the eye of Neji. She stared unblinkingly, and everyone watched as Neji met her gaze without flinching. She suddenly smiled hesitantly, making the men gasp silently. It was as if the sun had suddenly come out after days of relentless rain. She silently stepped out of the bed, and brushed off Sakura’s hands trying to help her. She walked, almost glided over to where the white eyed boy stood. She was a good head shorter than the Hyuuga, but that didn’t seem to deter her.

Neji looked down at her flawless face, feeling her warmth radiate from her closeness, smelled the fragrance that came off of her skin and hair. A mild, but intoxicating scent…magnolia and roses…

The girl slowly reached up with a slender hand, and touched his cheek. Neji felt a shiver go through him as her surprisingly cool hand touched his skin. Her hand traced slowly up his face, to rest on his eyes, which had slowly closed as he gave in to the feeling of her hand on his face. Her fingers drifted over his closed lids, and she stopped, pulling away slightly. Neji opened his eyes almost unwillingly, to find himself inches from violet orbs. She was much too close now, and a slight blush colored his cheeks at the closeness, but she was staring at his eyes curiously.

Finally, after a few long moments, she released him, looking back at Sakura, who was a bit shocked at Haru’s study of the Hyuuga.

Haru turned again to Neji, and asked. “Are your eyes pieces of the moon?” Neji stared at her, and when he didn’t answer, she continued. “And you are not blind, but your eyes don’t change in the light. They’re…different from others I have seen.” Sakura suddenly started laughing. Naruto soon couldn’t hold it in, and started cracking up. Everyone began laughing, and Haru’s eyes went wide in fright at the sudden noise. Neji glared at Sakura, who soon realized her error and made everyone stop.

“No,” Neji spoke gently, “my eyes are not part of the moon. They are different because they allow me to do different things. It is called the Byakugan, and it is a trait of the Hyuuga clan. It allows me to see everything around me, and even through things if I wish.”

Sakura cleared her throat, and led Haru back to the bed, trying not to look too pleased. Haru was already getting more comfortable with other people, and seemed to be intrigued by Neji in ways that Sakura could not comprehend. Now that she had met Neji, she needed to meet the others.

“Here, let’s introduce everyone else.” Haru nodded, and looked at the person farthest to the right. Hinata.

“Uh, hello Haru. My name is Hinata Hyuuga.” And Haru nodded, moving on to the next person.

“Yo! I’m Naruto Uzumaki, the next amazing Hokage!!”

“Hi, I’m Ino Yamanaka!”

“Shikamaru Nara.”

“Sasuke Uchiha.”

“I’m Tenten!”

“I’m Kiba Inuzuka. And I have a canine pal named Akamaru, but he’s getting checked up by Sis!”

“I’m Hyuuga Neji.” Haru’s eyes lingered on Neji the longest, and smiled widely, looking to the room at large.

“Thank you all for coming to see me. I’m Haru, and I hope to become your…um…what’s the word Haruno-san used?”

It was Sasuke who answered. “Friend.”

Haru nodded. “Yes, a ‘friend’. I don’t remember where I came from, but I would be very…happy…if I could stay here in Konoha, even if it’s only temporary.”

Kiba laughed. “You don’t need our permission. Do what you want!”

She smiled, and glanced at each person once more. “Thank you.”

Sakura glanced at the clock. “Okay, everyone, I think we should give Haru some time to sleep. You can visit tomorrow.” She ushered everyone out, and Haru lay back obediently.

“Haruno-san?”

“Please, call me Sakura.”

“Sakura…did, Kiba I think his name was, speak the truth? Can I really stay here?” Sakura grinned.

“Only if you think you can stand us!”

Haru looked puzzled for a second, and then she got the joke. A trilling laugh filled the room, full of amusement and was as lovely as the prettiest bird song.

“Actually, I think all of your friends are very nice.” Haru settled back into the lumpy pillows, and Sakura made for the door. She was about to close the door when she heard Haru mutter to herself. “Especially Hyuuga Neji…” But then she was asleep. Sakura smiled inwardly, softly closing the door and making her way to the group that was waiting for her.

For Haru, Konoha was a new beginning.
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Chapter 2: Unanswerable


Haru sat in her bed, staring out the window, studying the beautiful village of Konoha. Maybe, if she was lucky, it would soon be her village too. Sakura had explained to her this morning that their leader had been considering letting her become a citizen, and Haru had been almost too happy to speak. Haru already felt at home here, even if it had only been a week or so, and in a hospital bed at that. But she was confused by some of the boy’s reactions when they had all come as a group. Were they staring at her because she was so different…so repulsive?

Haru didn’t remember where she came from, and had been warned not to try to remember, but some of the memories just…came. Not ones that made any sense, but just snatches of the past that was part of her unconsciousness. Like last night, when Haru was just falling asleep, a vision of a man standing over her in disgust sprang forth as if on cue to haunt her nightmares.

“Go away, you disgusting monster! We don’t want someone that’s part of any murderous spirit here!!” She remembered the hurt she felt, and the realization that she was different, so different and ugly that it set her apart as a different species all together. She also knew that she herself knew why she was so hated, but every time she tried to grasp it, her neck began throbbing painfully, and she ceased her efforts immediately. But what was it that the seal was preventing her to remember? And most of all…why? It seemed that the more questions she had, the more frustrated she got, because nobody could answer them.

Haru sighed, running a hand through her hair and staring out as something orange caught her eye. It was an orange blur, weaving through the crowds of people on the street. Haru also saw that there was a dark purple flash right behind him. Haru grinned as she slipped out of bed and made her way over to the window, which she slid open, poking her upper torso out and watching as she basking in the wonderful knowledge that she recognized the two ninja that were making their way toward the hospital.

Naruto and Hinata were paying her a visit. On her last day in the hospital.

Haru didn’t let it show, but she was very excited to finally get out of this place. She was grateful to Sakura and Tsunade and the other nurses for treating her and making her feel welcome, but Haru was looking forward to getting outside, and maybe even get some training in. But before she could do any of that, she had to go visit the Fifth Hokage, and discuss her future. Haru could hardly wait.

The two figures noticed Haru hanging out her window and slowed to a stop.

“GOOD AFTERNOON HARU-CHAN!!!!” Naruto yelled so loudly that a few people that were nearby stared at him in shock. Probably wondering how someone could yell so loud that even the birds flew off their perches in fright.

Hinata whispered something in the blonde’s ear, and Naruto just shrugged, taking the Hyuuga girl and dragging her toward the hospital doors. Haru smiled slightly, and sat on the corner of her bed, smiling as she heard the loud stomping of Naruto charging down the hallway, and the soft whispering of Hinata’s footsteps behind him.

The door slammed open, and a loud Naruto stood happily in the room.

Haru shook her head. “Uzu-”

“No ‘Uzumaki-san’!!”

“Fine, ‘Naruto’. Were you planning to break the door? Because you just about did it.” She pointed to the door that was miserably hanging by a single hinge. Hinata laughed as Naruto’s face became horrified.

“Aww crap! Sakura-chan’s going to kill me!” He shuddered at the thought, and Hinata sighed, while Haru stood up and walked over to the door, studying it critically. It wasn’t so damaged, just unbolted from the wall.

“Naruto,” Haru asked, and Naruto stopped whining. “lift the door back onto the wall. I can fix this, but I’ll have to be quick. I can sense Sakura coming up the stairs two floors down.” Naruto immediately lifted the door with one hand so easily it looked effortless. He held it steady, and Haru picked up the stray bolt that had been pushed out, and slipped it into the small metal hole.

Sakura’s chakra signal was only a hallway away, and Haru twisted the bolt into place as fast as she could. Hinata listened intently, and motioned for her to hurry. Just a few twists more…and done!

Hinata tried to touch Haru’s arm, but she flinched back, and Hinata withdrew. Haru rubbed her arm hurriedly, trying to get the creepy feeling of someone else touching her to fade. Sakura was alright, but anyone else touching her made her skin crawl. It wasn’t anything personal, but Haru was determined to break the feeling of unpleasantness.

Sakura’s footsteps were heard coming down the corridor, and Haru jumped into bed, while Naruto and Hinata settled into a few chairs that were beside the small mattress. They all looked toward the door as it swung open to reveal a familiar green-eyed medic. She grinned at everyone, and went to check on Haru’s charts. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief behind her back. Sakura traced her finger down the list, and seemed pleased with the results.

“Okay Haru, you are free to leave! I’ll just get you into some hand me down clothes so we can go see the Hokage. But it can wait if you want to visit with Naruto and Hinata for a bit…” Haru nodded, and Sakura left. Haru assumed that she was off to find some suitable clothes for her. She turned to Hinata and Naruto, and laughed, making the two ninja lose their train of thought.

“That was close!” Haru said, smiling wide. Naruto shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts, before beaming.

“I’ll say! I was so afraid that Sakura-chan would notice!” The three laughed for a moment, and Hinata turned to Haru to explain the reason for their visit.

“Um, Haru-chan, I’ve talked to Sakura, and she’s told me that you don’t have a place to stay. So, I was wondering if you’d like to come live at the Hyuuga estate. You don’t have to but I was just wondering…” She trailed off, because Haru had gone deathly pale.

“You’re…asking me…to live with you? I mean, you’re serious?”

Hinata nodded, and Haru felt overcome with emotion. Here she was, a complete stranger, and this girl was offering her a place to stay right off the bat. It was so nice it made her want to cry.

“Why are you being this nice to me? I mean, I just met you, and-”

“Because everyone likes you Haru-chan! We all want you to be happy here, and want you to be our friend!” Naruto said loudly, and Haru was shocked into silence. She looked at her knees, feeling the tears finally break free. They streamed down her cheeks, and she didn’t even try to stop them. Is this what it is…to be happy? So happy that nothing you can do can stop the tears? The tears of joy…tears of friendship.

“I…I’d like that very much Hyuuga-san. Very much.” Haru said quietly, wiping the tears away with her blanket. Naruto grinned, and Hinata smiled, wrapping her arms around Haru’s slender form. She jerked at first, but after Hinata didn’t pull back, Haru had to admit that being hugged felt rather nice. It made every hurt go away, all the pain of simply being alive…just melt away.

Hinata pulled away, wiping a drop of water from her own eye, and said teasingly. “And for the last time, don’t call me Hyuuga-san. It’s Hinata, just plain Hinata. Don’t use honorifics unless you wish to be put below them, which you could never be p-placed, below a-anyone...” Her voice got shakier as she went on, and suddenly she turned and ran from the room. Naruto stared after her, forehead creasing in concern. He turned to Haru, his big grin back on his face.

“I’ll see you around Haru-chan! Maybe we’ll spar sometime!” He waved, and dashed off after Hinata. Sakura came in soon after, with a clean set of clothes in her hands.

“Okay, are you ready to go? What’s wrong?” She noticed the traces of moisture on Haru’s cheeks, but Haru just shook her head, and Sakura let it go. Sakura handed Haru the clothes, and Haru went behind the screen to change.

It was so unfamiliar to her, these clothes, but she managed to get them on. It was a pair of jean shorts, with a dark gray tank top. Weird choice of clothing, but Haru didn’t say anything, so she wouldn’t appear rude.

When Haru was finished, Sakura led her out of the hospital, and out into the street. Haru gaped around her in wonder. She had never seen a place that was so alive, so…peaceful. Children ran past the two young women, and Haru smiled at their thoughtless innocence. Every direction she turned, she saw people, people, and more people. It was a bit unsettling how populated this place was, but wasn’t that what Haru liked most about it? There were so many people there were to watch, to learn from, and to love…

Haru and Sakura passed a large building that Haru guessed was the ninja academy. A group of kids were outside in the yard, getting help from an older ninja for ways to hold a shuriken. Haru dimly remembered a man teaching her the same thing, but his face was blank, blurred.

A breeze blew through the street, blowing Haru’s hair around her, and as she pushed a few locks of hair out of her face Haru noticed that Sakura and she were making their way toward a huge looming building that had a large dome on top, looking glorious in the late afternoon sun. Sakura noticed her staring, and said.

“That’s the Hokage Tower. C’mon, let’s go!” She grabbed her hand, and Haru felt the flare of chakra coming from Sakura. The silver haired girl sensed that Sakura’s chakra was now focused on her feet, and the medic grinned. Suddenly the houses were mere splashes of color as they passed by at a speed so fast Haru couldn’t even distinguish people’s faces. Haru grinned as the wind buffeted her face, and she even boosted a bit of chakra herself, shooting ahead of the medic and through the gate of the huge tower. Sakura laughed behind her, and she took the lead again, jumping up onto the nearest ledge, and using that to propel herself upward onto the red dome, which she ran up effortlessly. Haru exerted the chakra to her feet, and jumped onto the same ledge, running on the railing to get up speed, and leaping up onto the red dome just behind her friend. Sakura grinned, and suddenly turned a sharp left. Haru stumbled for a mere second, and then turned in the same direction. Sakura then ran on the side of the building, running parallel to the ground. Haru ran faster, pushing her legs faster until they caught up with the flash of pink hair that Sakura had become as she picked up speed.

The two girls ran neck to neck, both smiling. Sakura pointed to a tile part of the roof, with a window on the wall that rose out of it. Haru followed the girl downward and they both landed lightly on the even surface. Sakura slid open the window and slipped inside, Haru behind her. Tsunade was sitting at her chair, staring out the large window that made up the wall that was behind her desk. She turned to see Haru and Sakura standing in her office, and she smiled at the two of them.

“Thank you Sakura. You can go.”

“Okay sensei! See you later Haru!” She grinned, and disappeared out the window again. Tsunade stared at Haru for several long moments, and Haru stared into her golden brown eyes, and they were calculating, questioning.

Tsunade finally leaned back, releasing Haru from her intense stare.

“So, I take it that you’re fully healed?”

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

“That’s good. Now,” Tsunade sighed. “to discuss your future.”

Haru nodded, knees suddenly becoming slightly more unstable beneath her. What if…Tsunade sent her away? Haru didn’t want to think about it.

“Haru, I want to make something very clear. I don’t know where you came from, or what your reasons were for coming to Konoha. You also can’t remember anything about it, so that makes you a mystery, and sometimes mysteries can be disastrous. I’m willing to allow you to become a citizen of Konoha, and even a fully privileged ninja of this village. It’s probably against my better judgment, but I am setting that part of me aside for the moment. But heed this, Haru. If you even ‘try’ to hurt this village, even hint at any sort of disloyalty, and I, Hokage of this village, will kill you myself. Do you understand?” Tsunade folded her hands together, and Haru shuddered at the thought of one of those fists ending her life.

“I understand.”

“Good. Now, moving on to other matters. In order to place you in a ninja rank, I need to see your skill. Come to Training Ground 13 at 7:00 tomorrow morning, and I’ll test you. Also,” Haru was jerked out of her fear of not being able to find the training ground, “you don’t have a place to stay, which isn’t much of a problem. We can supply you with an apartment and-”

Haru cut her off. “Uh, sorry, but Hinata already offered to let me stay at the Hyuuga estate, and I told her that I would.” Tsunade looked surprised, but didn’t argue.

“Oh, that works out then. Okay, if that’s all, then you are dismissed.” Haru grinned, and bowed low, saying happily.

“Thank you very much Hokage-sama!”

“Huh.” Was the woman’s reply. Haru quickly exited the large office, and could barely stay silent. She was allowed to stay!

Haru almost bounced down the hall, she was so happy, and almost didn’t notice when a vaguely familiar voice called.

“Haru!”

The purple-eyed girl turned to see Ino Yamanaka walking toward her, a lazy looking Shikamaru Nara close behind her. He raised his hand in greeting, and Haru smiled hesitantly at the pair.

Ino asked, “So, what did Tsunade say? Sakura just told us that she and you were talking.”

“She told me that I can stay.” Haru answered, and Ino squealed in delight.

“Oh I’m so happy for you! We have to get together sometime, go shopping or something!”

“Uh…shopping? What’s that?” Ino’s face went totally blank in astonishment, and Haru stared confusedly at her. Shikamaru sighed, and before Ino could open her mouth he grabbed her around the waist and dragged her away.

“It’ll be nice with you around Haru, see you later.” The Nara boy called over his shoulder, pulling a girl who was limp with shock toward the door. Haru stood alone in the hallway, watching them go. She shook her head in bewilderment, and went out into the walkway where the streets were slowly becoming empty as the sun sunk down to rest just above the horizon. Golden rays were splayed across the roofs of the houses, and on the massive trees whose leaves swayed in the breeze. Haru walked down the now empty street, and suddenly realized that she had absolutely no idea where she was supposed to go, or where the Hyuuga estate was. This was not good. Haru looked around in hopes of spotting Naruto or Hinata anywhere, but she was alone in the now fiery orange lit street. Haru walked on, looking around for any building that said Hyuuga on it, but nothing came.

Haru walked for a long time, taking random turns and wishing that she had asked Hinata where to go after she and Tsunade had cleared things up. After an hour or so, the sun had long since descended fully, and the sky was passing the dark purple shade and going on dark blue. There were small glittering stars that speckled the sky, and Haru felt herself getting more and more frustrated. How big could Konoha be?

‘Wait, if Hinata’s a ninja, then I can just pick up her chakra signal!’ Haru cursed her stupidity for not coming up with this earlier, when it was light out. Haru concentrated her energy, and branched out her senses, searching for the familiar glow of Hinata’s pulse. There was nothing. Damn. That either meant that she was on a mission or that she was asleep. Both didn’t help in this situation.

Haru sighed, and something caught her eye, and she turned to study it. It was a bridge. She instantly recognized it as the bridge where she had passed out a week and a half ago. The bridge had looked different at the full moon, more magical somehow…

Haru looked up at the moonless sky, and sighed once more, making her way toward the bridge. She felt the old wood creak as she placed her foot on its worn surface, and she touched the side of the structure, running her fingers over the almost silky wood and wondering how many hands must have been doing the same thing hers were doing for the surface to get this smooth. Haru leaned against the wood, staring down at the smooth glassy surface of the river that ran underneath, seeing her dim reflection, her silver hair looking as bright the sun in comparison to the darkness around her. She suddenly felt a cold wind begin to blow, and shivered in her mere tank top and shorts. It was getting cold, and she still had no idea where to go. Haru wrapped her arms around herself, and stared at the water, thinking about nothing in particular…just the water.

“Is standing on bridges late at night a habit of yours? This is two times I’ve see you here now.” Haru whirled around toward the person who had appeared silently on the bridge behind her. His pearly white eyes gleamed mysteriously in the dark, and Haru let out her breath when she recognized him.

“Neji…you scared me. Why are you out here so late?”

“I was asked by Hinata to look for you, because it’s getting late.”

“Oh.” Haru was determined to make it appear that she was merely out late, and not hopelessly lost. She still had her pride to uphold.

“You got lost, right?”

“No!” Neji smirked at her loud exclamation, and she sighed, turning back to the river. “Maybe…”

“It’s only to be expected. You haven’t really ever gotten a tour.” He seemed to be hesitating to say something else. Haru turned to face him.

“Well, maybe after Tsunade tests me, you could show me around a bit. Only if you’re not busy…” She stopped when she saw the small yet joyful smile spreading across the face of the Hyuuga.

“Sure.”

“Thanks. Do you mind showing me the way to the Hyuuga estate right now though? It’s getting cold…” Haru shivered, and Neji led the way off the bridge, and Haru quickened her steps to match his long strides. They walked in silence for a few moments, and Haru shivered again.

“Here.” Neji was holding out his thick jacket.

“Oh, no I shouldn’t, you’ll-” Neji cut Haru off abruptly.

“I’m used to this weather. You aren’t. Take it.” Haru reached out to take the jacket, and their fingers brushed against each other, his hand almost covering hers. Haru was busy putting on the jacket, so she missed the slight flush that rushed across the Hyuuga’s face at the contact.

“Thank you Neji.” She said, smiling at him. He stared at her for a few moments, his face strangely blank as he stared at her with those pale eyes.

He didn’t answer, merely started walking again, turning his face slightly so Haru couldn’t see the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.

Haru ran after him, and they made their way onward into the streets that were bathed in darkness.

Later that night, when Haru was settling down for bed that night, she realized that when Neji had touched her hand, she hadn’t flinched. Neji…why was she so comfortable around him, when she barely knew him. And why did she feel like she knew him better than the did?

Those questions seemed just as unanswerable as the rest of them.


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Chapter 3: All Five Elements

“Here Haru, you can borrow these clothes for today, and tomorrow we’ll go buy some clothes for you.” Hinata said, handing Haru a black short sleeved shirt and a pair of black capri’s. Haru thanked her, and went in her new room to change while Hinata waited outside.

Haru slipped on the clothes easily enough, and stared around her in happiness for a few moments. She actually had her ‘own’ room! It was medium size, occupied only by a luxuriously soft bed, a dresser, and a massive bookshelf. The carpet was a plain gray color, and the walls a soft ivory. Haru smiled as she gazed in awe at her new room, and moved to the door, glancing back once more before closing it behind her. Hinata was waiting.

“Also, do you usually use this?” Hinata held up a kunai and shuriken case. Haru nodded, and Hinata handed it to her, watching as Haru strapped it expertly to her right thigh. “Do you remember how long you’ve been a ninja?”

Haru frowned, and Hinata immediately held up her hands.

“Don’t try to remember if it hurts, I was just curious.” Haru shook her head.

“No, that doesn’t trigger the seal; I was just trying to think about it. I think I started training when I was five, so that’s,” Haru counted it up silently. “thirteen years. I’m pretty sure that’s right.” Hinata nodded, relieved at the newfound information that some things about her past could be learned without causing her pain.

“Okay, let’s go.” Hinata smiled, and the two ran out of the Hyuuga compound. Haru noticed that the village streets were relatively empty, the early sun shining over the paved roads. Haru turned to Hinata, who was staring at the sun that was partially showing above the horizon.

“Hinata?”

“Yes?”

“How is Hokage-sama going to test me?”

“I’m not sure. She’ll probably just have you spar someone there to see how proficient you are with the ninja arts.”

Haru paled. “Wait, other people are going to be there too?” Hinata almost laughed at Haru’s terrified expression.

“Yes. But don’t worry! Nobody’s going to be mean or anything, trust me. If they did say mean things to you, I don’t think they would have any bones left after Sakura was done with them.” The two girls laughed together, the sounds echoing in the empty streets.

Of all the people Haru had met so far, she had become attached to Sakura the most. Sakura was her fortress, her protector from the strange and new things Konoha held. Haru always felt so loved when she was around Sakura, so wanted. Sakura was the one person Haru would allow to touch her, and that proved that Haru trusted her.

The two kunoichi soon approached the training ground, and the small group that was waiting for them watched them come. Tsunade, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Neji all stood in complete silence.

Neji couldn’t help comparing the two girls. Hinata, his cousin, was one of the most beautiful women in this village, but even she couldn’t hope to match the glory of the tall girl beside her. Haru’s feet barely touched the ground she was moving so fast, and her elegant run looked almost like a dance, it was so graceful. Her lips were spread in a heart-stopping smile, and it was clear that she loved to run.

Tsunade’s study was much less based on her pretty face. She looked at Haru’s body structure as she ran, noting with pleasure that she seemed agile enough to outrun enemies. She also noted that Haru’s legs and arms were slender, and wondered how strong she was, underneath her soft and delicate exterior. If a ninja didn’t have strength, both mentally and physically, then they were almost useless.

Haru slowed as she neared the group, taking them all in with her deep purple eyes. Sakura grinned at her, and she smiled back.

“Hey Haru-chan!” Naruto said cheerfully, before moving past her to greet Hinata with a kiss…and not just a peck on the lips either. Haru tried not to stare. She had never seen anyone kiss before. What were they doing? Was this some kind of normal thing for them? Who’d want to share spit with someone else anyway? Haru shook her head in wonder.

Tsunade coughed loudly, and Hinata broke off, burning deep crimson at Sakura’s giggling.

“I trust you slept well Haru?” Tsunade asked, and Haru smiled brightly, ignoring the two blushing teens behind her, who were getting snickered at by the pink haired medic.

“Yes!”

“Good. Now, I am going to test you in a series of test to see where your skill level is. To begin, I want to see how fast you are. I want you to race Sakura. Your goal is to go to that training post and back as fast as you can.” Tsunade pointed out a post that was so far, Haru had to squint to see it properly. Tsunade was not only testing her speed, but her endurance.

Haru hesitated and asked in a small voice. “As fast as I can?”

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. “Yes. Why?”

“When I was younger, I was told not to go at my full speed. They said it wasn’t safe.”

Sakura spoke this time. “Why wouldn’t it be safe?”

Haru flinched, grabbing at her neck. “I…can’t remember…”

Tsunade exchanged glances with Sakura, before saying. “Don’t worry about anything, I want you to go as fast as you possibly can, understand?” Haru nodded.

The two girls positioned themselves on either side of Tsunade, waiting for her mark. Naruto cheered.

“Go Haru-chan! You too Sakura-chan!” Sakura grinned, and Sasuke merely smiled in encouragement. Tsunade raised her hand, and Haru tensed, and felt her entire body shaking in anticipation. She felt her hear begin to pound, and her body felt as if it were on air.

Sakura glanced over at the girl who was her opponent, wondering if she was really as fast as she was. She looked fast, but she hadn’t beaten Sakura by that much when they had raced earlier. Well, that couldn’t really be called a race. More of a fun exercise activity. Tsunade suddenly lowered her arm with a shout, and Sakura shot off, but was shocked to see that Haru was already nearing the post. Holy crap she was fast! Was she even human? Haru turned at the post, and shot back like a bolt of lightning, so fast that Sakura couldn’t see her. But the freakiest thing was the fact that when Haru passed Sakura on her way back, Sakura noticed that Haru’s eyes were glowing, and the girl looked like she was gliding rather than running. The grass seemed to part when Haru’s feet drew near, and the wind seemed to be pushing her along. Sakura shivered. What ‘was’ she?

Haru felt a strange pulsing within her as she started to run, and saw everything through different eyes. Every blade of grass came into focus; every leaf on the trees seemed to shiver as she passed. Small whispery voices swayed into her, whispering things in languages she didn’t understand. Haru grinned as the energy pulsed. She didn’t know what this power was, but it made her feel impossibly alive.

Suddenly, it was over, and Haru was in front of Tsunade, not out of breath in the slightest. The pulsing feeling was gone, and the voices along with it. Haru turned to see Sakura just rounding the post, and faced Tsunade again, whose mouth was agape. Naruto was gaping, Hinata was wheezing for words, and Sasuke (his Sharingan slowly fading) and Neji just stared in wide eyed astonishment.

Tsunade had never seen anyone travel at that speed. It was impossible, yet it had happened. And what was that energy she had briefly felt? It was enormous, larger than the Kuuybi, larger than anything imaginable. It had felt like the whole world itself. But what was it? Tsunade pushed the thought from her mind as Sakura came running up.

“Well, you certainly pass that test. Well done. Did you use much of your chakra?”

“I didn’t really think to use my chakra.” Tsunade choked on the tea she was sipping, and Sasuke’s head snapped up to stare at her. Everyone had either their mouths open or their eyes bugging out of their eye sockets. Tsunade coughed loudly, taking deep breaths.

“Wait, are you telling us that you didn’t use ‘any’ chakra? And you still ran like that?!” Tsunade gasped, and Haru nodded. The group struggled to regain control. Haru frowned worriedly.

“W-Was that bad? I told you that it wasn’t good when I used my full speed!” She bit her lip, covering her face with her hands. Sakura quickly put an arm around her, glaring at everyone until they calmed down.

“It’s not that it’s bad Haru, it’s just surprising. Nobody’s mad at you…don’t worry.” Sakura murmured, rubbing her back soothingly. Haru glanced at everyone, and when she caught Neji’s eye, he smiled slightly, and she smiled back.

“Okay, the next test is…strength. Let’s see…how about you punch that training post over there. As hard as you can.” Haru nodded, and the group watched in rapt attention as the girl took a deep breath, and swung her small fist at the training post that was as thick as her torso. Her bare fist collided with the smooth wood with a crunch and a shuddering groan. The post splintered at the center, wobbling unsteadily before splitting completely in half.

Tsunade watched the girl in amazement. This girl certainly was full of surprises.

“Okay, before the last test, I want to see what chakra element you are. To see who you should spar.” Tsunade pulled out a small square of paper, and handed it to Haru. “You exert a little bit of chakra into that, and we’ll see if you either have fire, water, wind, lightning, or earth chakra. Go ahead.”

Haru stared at the small white paper, and did as Tsunade instructed. The paper sliced neatly in half. Tsunade smiled.

“So you’re a wind type cha-” But as she spoke, the sliced paper crumpled like static. The one half of the right piece became soaked as if Haru had dipped it in a vat of water, and the other half of the other piece burst into flames. The ends of those pieces crumbled into dust. Haru looked at Tsunade, who was staring at Haru as though she had seen a ghost. Naruto was pale, Sasuke mouth dropped. Neji looked like he was about to scream in confusion. Hinata was clutching Naruto’s arm fretfully. Sakura was staring at Tsunade. Haru cleared her throat nervously.

“What does that mean?”

Tsunade tried to calm down. What the hell was this girl? Nobody, in the history of the world, ever had more than three elements. But to have ‘all five of them’…was frightening to think about, much more so to see with your own eyes.

“Uh, that means you have all of them.” Tsunade said, and Haru raised her eyebrows in shock.

“Is that bad?”

“No! No…just…unusual. So you should spar…” Tsunade looked around. Who should fight this girl? Would something even more frightening happen? She looked into each person’s eyes, and finally decided.

“Haru, you will be fighting Sasuke Uchiha.”


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Chapter 4: Placement

Sasuke’s onyx eyes stared mercilessly into Haru’s violet ones, carefully looking the girl up and down, seeing if she had any obvious weak points. Unfortunately, he could find none, her face was a blank mask, and her body didn’t give anything away. One part of him was thankful that Tsunade had chosen him to fight this strange new anonymity. The Uchiha didn’t like the idea of Sakura or Naruto going against her. Sasuke was suspicious of this girl’s motives; past (and extremely unpleasant) experiences taught him to be careful of unfamiliar people and situations.

Haru was studying the Uchiha with the same intensity, also looking for weaknesses. She glanced at Sakura, noticing that Sasuke’s eyes followed her movement and his piercing gaze softened. Note: Sakura was very, very important to him. That could prove useful if he ever turned out to be an enemy. Not that Haru ever wanted anyone here to be an enemy; her brain just automatically noted details that might help her survive. The girl shifted slightly, pulling out a kunai and holding it tightly in her hand. Her eyes scanned the terrain, being sure to note any stones and ditches that might deter her. There were trees on her right, along with a large river. She had an idea of what Sasuke’s element was, she seemed to sense it. It wasn’t something that she could ignore or put aside. Haru had had this ability for as long as she could remember: the ability to sift through people’s emotions and learn their deepest secrets, their fears. But it was limited by her concentration. She had to keep eye contact with the person to do it at all, and even then, she had to concentrate extremely hard to see the emotions... through it, Haru got a sense of what element his chakra was.

Haru locked eyes with him, listening to the element energy whispering from the Uchiha’s body. There was a crackling sound, much like the sound of thunder booming in sharp cracks. Lightning. There was also another, an erratic swaying and flaring of a hot flame, searing and blinding at the same time. Fire. Haru’s thoughts sprang through her like rapid fire. ‘I’ll have to use water and air techniques against his fire and electricity. But he seems like he’s faster then he looks. I’ll have to really try this time, not like I did earlier.’ Haru said to herself, barely listening to Tsunade as she motioned for them to walk toward the trees, a fair distance away from the observers.

“Alright,” Tsunade said loudly enough so the two could hear, watching as Haru looked up to pay attention. “This is a spar, remember, but I don’t want you two to go easy on each other. Go as hard as you can Haru, and Sasuke, don’t injure her permanently alright?” Sasuke nodded, and Tsunade saw him shift into his attack stance.

Tsunade completely expected the girl to be at genin level, ‘maybe’ chuunin, if they were lucky. The girl seemed too uneducated, too innocent for a ninja of jounin level. Tsunade only hoped that Sasuke wouldn’t hurt her too badly. She had seen the Uchiha in action, and doubted that this new girl would stand a chance.

“You may begin.” Tsunade said, and neither of the ninja moved. They stood, watching each other like hawks. Haru stared at him intently, glancing once more at Sakura, who was also staring at the silver haired girl.

Sasuke decided to attack when her back was turned, and rushed at Haru, coming silently behind her. He held a kunai to her throat, and she stiffened. He smirked.

“Don’t turn your back on the enemy.”

Haru smiled suddenly. “You want me to think of you as an enemy? I don’t want you as an enemy.”

“You are an enemy to me, even if you’ve convinced Sakura that you’re not going to hurt anyone. Until you prove to me that you’re trustworthy.” Haru turned and smiled at him.

“Then I’ll just have to prove you wrong.” Sasuke shivered slightly as she grinned at him. All of a sudden, she was gone. Sasuke looked around in shock, that someone could move that fast. Where did she go?

“But in this battle, you are my enemy.” Sasuke heard Haru’s voice behind him, and wheeled around to suddenly feel a rock hard fist collide with his jaw. He staggered away, and wiped the blood from his chin. She leapt at him again, and he quickly pulled out a kunai to clash with hers. Sasuke was surprised by the amount of force exerted by her slender arms. He had underestimated this girl, but that time was past. Time to get the show on the road.

“Fire Ball Jutsu!” He yelled, jumping back to blow a massive fireball at the girl who was standing with no fear on her face. Her fingers moved in blindingly fast signs.

“Water Dragon Jutsu!” An equally massive water dragon suddenly swirled out of the river, colliding with the flaming inferno. The fire hissed out into a ball of a steam, and Sasuke was rocked to his core. That particular jutsu was of jounin level, in fact, the only person he had seen perform that move was his sensei, Kakashi Hatake. Haru took the few second he stood, stunned, to make more signs.

“Wind Slice!” She held her hands in front of her, and Sasuke felt a large gust of air buffet past him. He felt shallow slices appear all over his body, and cursed. Stupid idiot! Why are you going easy on her? Time to get ‘it’ out.

Sasuke opened his eyes to reveal the blood red Sharingan, and he suddenly disappeared. He ran circles around Haru, who was glancing around thoughtfully. Sasuke struck out with his foot toward her lower back, ready to feel his foot collide and send her flying. It was too close now, she couldn’t dodge…

Haru suddenly turned, grabbing his foot and twisting around slightly to send him flying into the ground. He got back up, and she rushed at him.

‘I…can’t tell what she’s going to do!’ Sasuke thought incredulously, as his Sharingan displayed her moving at a speed so impossibly fast that there was no way to predict it. It wasn’t human…and it was frightening to realize that his bloodline would have to way to help him. Sasuke would have to use his instinct, and his powerful attacks, to defeat her.

Sasuke focused his chakra to his hands, and suddenly, electricity ran in crackles of energy. He would have to get a hand on her, and immobilize her. Sasuke ran, as fast as he could, around her, feinting left and right. He suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm, and exerted the electricity into her system. Her body began jerking and twitching, her mouth open in a silent scream.

Shocks of lightning ran through her, pain filling her every muscle and making her want to scream. But she didn’t make a sound. She had to focus. She couldn’t let this boy beat her. She had to beat him; it wasn’t in her mind-set to eve think of losing. Haru gritted her teeth, as Sasuke spoke.

“I can see that my electricity has immobilized you. Give up before you get hurt.” Haru laughed suddenly.

“I…won’t lose to you!” Sasuke felt a moment of shock. He had heard those words so many times, from his best friend. It made him smile automatically, and Haru took a deep breath, and put her hands together. Sasuke was suddenly propelled back as the girl slammed her foot into his gut. Sasuke was stunned. She should have been in too much pain to move. How had she done it? This girl…was strong...

Haru stood, eyes flashing, and rushed forward again. Sasuke aimed a kick at her chest, but Haru jumped gracefully over him, turning in a complete flip before landing lightly on her feet.

Sasuke was spellbound. She was moving in slow motion, her hair rippling behind her, her long legs arching over him. Haru was practically flying. Sasuke could almost see wings on her back, but it disappeared as soon as the vision came. She seemed to float to the ground. Haru turned around, and came at him again. He ran backward, dodging her swift punches.

Tsunade was watching the battle with amazement. Haru was…beating Sasuke Uchiha? Sasuke, one of the most skilled ninja in this village besides Neji Hyuuga. It was unbelievable…yet here it was, in front of her. Could she in fact be stronger than even Neji? Tsunade didn’t want to imagine it. What she did know is that this girl was definitely beyond chuunin level. It would be valuable to have another skilled jounin to add to the ranks.

Haru, not out of breath in the slightest, stopped advancing. She glanced at the out of breath Sasuke, and closed her eyes, making rapid hand signs. She held two fingers up in front of her face, and suddenly a swirling mass of silver flower petals swirled around Sasuke, and Haru disappeared in a flurry of silver. He tensed, preparing for any type of attack, but nothing happened. An intoxicating perfume of sakura blossoms suddenly surrounded him, and he was immediately reminded of Sakura. His thoughts were suddenly filled with Sakura. Her smile, the sweet smell of her hair, the addicting flavor of her lips on his…

Haru watched as Sasuke stood, completely relaxed, a serene expression on his face, eyes glazed over, and a genuine smile gracing his features. Haru closed her eyes once more, and exerted some of her chakra, and watching as the cuts that covered Sasuke’s skin faded away without a scar.

Haru waited until every cut had been healed before stopping the jutsu. It was a jutsu that she had learned from…someone. The special flowers were infused with chakra, and it gives off the scent that most attracts the person. It wasn’t an offensive jutsu; it was created to relax the person, sending them into a pleasant trance that at the same healed any wounds they had. Haru knew that this fight was over. Sasuke was skilled, she gave him that much, but he wasn’t up to her level. Continuing this fight would be a waste of time.

Sakura saw the silver vortex disperse, and saw the Uchiha on his knees. Haru was kneeling in front of him, glowing hand on his forehead. Sakura ran over, worry making itself prominent in every step. She reached them, and knelt beside Haru.

“What’d you do to him?” Haru looked over to see the medic staring worriedly at Sasuke’s far away gaze. Haru smiled, and answered pleasantly.

“I ended this battle. It was pointless to continue fighting, seeing as he would only lose. I healed his wounds, and put him under a perfectly harmless trance. It relaxes him, and allows the wounds to heal at a much faster rate. Don’t worry; he’ll come to in a second or so.”

Sakura watched as, true to Haru’s words, Sasuke’s eyes focused once more. She smiled in relief as he blinked rapidly, shaking his head slightly. He saw Haru, who had pulled her hand back from his forehead, and stood up once more, tensing, but Sakura put her hand on his shoulder, restraining him.

“It’s over Sasuke. You’re alright.” He gritted his teeth in frustration, and glared at Sakura, before turning on his heel and walking away. Sakura frowned before smiling reassuringly at Haru. “Don’t take it personally, Haru. Sasuke’s just a ‘really’ sore loser. I’ll go make sure he doesn’t destroy anything…” She smiled again, and ran after the angry Uchiha as he disappeared into the forest. Tsunade and the others made their way over. Naruto immediately yelled.

“You were amazing Haru-chan! You kicked that bastard’s ass! Bet he’s pissed…” He beamed, and Haru laughed at his enthusiasm. Hinata smiled her congratulations, and Tsunade cleared her throat.

“That was quite impressive Haru. It would be foolish to place someone of your skill in the chuunin or genin rank. You will be accepted as a jounin, but the Elders insist that you have someone with you at all times. They don’t trust you, and the trial will last for about three months. But don’t worry; you can still go on missions, just with a partner. I brought Neji, Hinata, and Team 7 here today to see if they would be willing to be your escorts, either as a team or individually. I think you passed their standards.” She glanced at the group, who were all either smiling or nodding.

Haru frowned, looking at Neji and his lack of teammates. “Doesn’t Neji have a team?”

Tsunade nodded. “Tenten and Lee were sent to be long term advisors to the recently voted Lord of the Bamboo Village. They will be gone for almost six months, maybe longer, just until the Lord settles his disputes with neighboring villages.” Haru nodded. “Alright, so the test is over. Haru, the Elders are waiting for the trial to be over to give you your Leaf headband, so I want you to wear this instead, so other ninja know that you belong with Konoha.” Tsunade handed her a black arm band, with the Hokage symbol embroidered in forest green thread, with a faded gray Konoha symbol in the background. “Only leaders of a village have access to these headbands, so don’t lose it.” Haru slipped it on, nodding seriously. Tsunade disappeared in a poof of smoke, and Naruto grinned with his hands behind his blonde head.

“Oh yeah! It’s going to be so much fun going on missions with you Haru-chan! Want to go to get some ramen with Hinata and me to celebrate?” Hinata and Naruto waited for her answer, and Haru smiled sincerely.

“Thank you for offering Naruto, but Neji already offered to show me around Konoha today.” Naruto waved his hand in understanding.

“It’s fine! C’mon Hinata let’s go! We don’t want to get in Neji’s way!” Hinata laughed, and they disappeared. Haru frowned, looking at Neji, who looked slightly embarrassed.

“What did Naruto mean by that?”

“Nothing. Let’s go.” Neji led the way out of the training ground, and Haru hastened to follow him.

“Thank you again for doing this Neji. I hope I’m not taking too much of your time.”

Neji turned to smile at her. “Not at all.”

***

Sakura ran after Sasuke as he stomped off into the trees.

“C’mon Sasuke, it’s not a big deal!”

No answer.

“Are you jealous?”

No answer.

“Why are you jealous? Seriously, we just met her, and we have no idea of her origins. She could have been trained by a master; she could have ‘years’ more experience than us! Why are you so threatened by her? What has she done to you?” Sasuke stopped abruptly, and Sakura almost bumped into his back.

“It’s not what she’s ‘done’ to me, Sakura. It’s what she might do. How can you trust her? She could be a killer, sent to destroy this village. You have no idea of where she came from, or why she came here, of all places.”

Sakura was silent for so long that Sasuke turned around to see her expression. It was smiling. “You’re right Sasuke. I don’t know. But I ‘do’ know that Haru is a good person. I can see it in her eyes, in the way she looks at me, even you. She wants to have friends, and I’m going to give her that. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

“You think I’m afraid for ‘myself’?”

“What else would you be afraid for?”

Sasuke chuckled softly, and suddenly, Sakura felt her back against bark, and Sasuke’s soft lips were roughly pressed against her own. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, marveling in the feeling of his lips moving against hers. Sasuke was normally cold, composed, and thoughtful. But when they were alone like this, he was different. He was passionate, loving, and heartbreakingly kind. His emotions seemed to bottle up inside him, every feeling of longing and desire, and were released when they were in close proximities like this.

Sasuke pulled away after a few minutes, frowning. “When you’re involved with anything unfamiliar, I’m always afraid. Every time I see you fight an enemy, I’m afraid. I’ve learned to hide that fear, but this…is different. If you get hurt because of this girl, I will never forgive myself.” Sakura sighed, hugged him tightly.

“You shouldn’t be worrying so much.”

“Hn.” Sasuke pulling her close.

“I’ll be careful, I promise.” Sakura murmured into his warm chest. He sighed in relief, and the two held each other in calm silence, listening to the sound of the wind rustling though the leaves.

Chapter 5: The First Mission

“Konoha is so huge!” Haru exclaimed, as Neji and she sat down at the ramen shop, after spending the entire morning and most of the afternoon walking through Konoha, Neji pointing out important buildings and shortcuts to get there…and so on.

Neji smiled. “It is. Let’s just hope you don’t get lost again now that you know where everything is.” Haru scowled.

“I will not get lost!”

“Anything you say…”

“You don’t think I can find my way through Konoha?”

“…”

Haru watched as Neji turned his head slightly away, a smirk spreading across his face.

“Fine. You wait. In a year or so, I’ll be as good as you!” Haru settled back in her chair, deftly spearing a segment of egg and popping it into her mouth. Neji watched her, still smiling. It seemed that Sakura was a bit off on her personality. Her timidity and quiet attitude must have been a result of the trauma of losing her memory. Haru thought about something, but when she opened her mouth to ask, the look in Neji’s eyes stopped her.

“What?” Haru asked, turning to face him. Neji shook his head.

“Nothing. What were you going to ask?”

“Uh, nothing.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing!” Haru said loudly, blushing a deep red as she shoveled ramen into her mouth. Neji scowled.

“Just tell me.”

“You’d laugh at me.”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“Yes, you would.”

Neji persisted, but Haru wouldn’t budge. Neji finally relented, after rolling his eyes.

“Fine.”

Haru smiled slightly. “Maybe, if you’re nice, I ‘might’ tell you someday. But then again…maybe I won’t....” Neji felt his eye twitch in frustration. She was a bit trickier than he anticipated. Making deals already? Haru went on. “Anyway, I hope I get a mission soon! I haven’t gone on one…for…I don’t remember, but for a long time!” She grinned, finishing her bowl at a speed that could rival even the ramen obsessed Naruto.

Neji stood up, and paid for the meal, and the two ninja walked out of the shop, only to run into Naruto and Sakura, who were deep in conversation. Well speak of the devil... Haru caught a few bits of their intense conversation before the two noticed them standing just a few feet away.

“But Neji is ‘so’ hooked! You should see the way he looks at her!”

“Naruto, it’s only been a week!”

“But he went to visit her every day when she was in the hospital!!”

“He probably just wanted something to do, since there haven’t been many missions lately.”

“Oh yeah? He wanted to show her around, which means something right? I mean, he’s probably with her right now, even though I know it only takes two hours tops to tour Konoha, I remember when we became Jounin, and we had to tour foreign ninja around. So if Neji’s still with her after,” Naruto glanced at his watch. “seven hours, then he definitely likes H-”

Sakura noticed them then, and Haru glanced at Neji whose cheeks were glowing pink. Haru assumed that he had heard as well as she had what they were.

“Hey Haru! What are you doing here?” The medic asked loudly, smiling at the two of them, making Naruto whirl around in surprise at seeing Haru right behind him.

“Oh, Neji and I were just-”

“Are you two on a DATE or something?? Jeez Neji, I didn’t think you’d be the kinda guy to get so attached after what, a week? But you never know, sometimes sparks just fly an-!”

Sakura, glaring at Naruto, stomped on his foot. Naruto was cut off, yelling his head off and holding his swelling foot.

Neji blinked, and Haru’s mouth was agape. Haru glanced at Neji, and blushed crimson, and the two pointedly tried not to look at each other. Sakura ignored Naruto’s yelps of pain, and said.

“That’s good. Thanks again for showing her around Neji; it was really nice of you.”

Neji merely nodded in response, and Sakura cleared her throat. “The real reason I’m here is to ask the two of you if you guys want to join me and Sasuke on a mission to the Land Hidden in the Waves tomorrow. It’s a B rank, a collection of a scroll from the village that built the Naruto Bridge. We’ve been there before, so we know where to go.” She smiled knowingly at Naruto, who put his hands behind his head.

Haru frowned. “The Naruto Bridge?”

Naruto answered with a grin. “Yup! Back when we became genin, we went there on an A rank mission, and we know a few people there. Haven’t seen them in years!”

Neji nodded his confirmation, and waited for Haru. Haru grinned, and shot her hand up in the air happily.

“Yes!”

Neji looked at Sakura, who was gaping at Haru, who was jumping around and chatting to Naruto about the Hidden Wave village. “Sakura,” The pale eyed jounin said, “I think we’ve got another Naruto on our hands.” The others were too engrossed in their conversation to notice them, so Sakura smiled slyly.

“Well then, I leave Haru to you during the mission. Sasuke and I have too much trouble with Naruto already. If it’s too much for you to handle, I can always get Kiba or someone to do it instead…” She left it hanging, amusedly watching Neji shift embarrassedly.

“Fine.”

“Thanks.” Sakura said, and told him where to meet her and Sasuke the following morning at the bridge, around six in the morning, and dragged Naruto off, whispering frantically in his ear. Naruto beamed in triumph.

“I ‘told’ you!” The remaining ninja heard him yell before they turned the corner and where gone. Haru laughed, and twirled in a small circle.

“Yes! We get to go on a mission! I wonder if it’ll be hard, a B rank mission seems pretty difficult…” Haru mumbled to herself incoherently, while Neji smirked at her enthusiasm. He asked.

“Did they have ninja at your village too?”

“Yeah, I remember my father, he was the king and he hated me working with the rest of the boys, but I kept sneaking out to sessions until he finally let me do it. I was the only girl, but I still kicked their butts! I-” Haru stopped suddenly, and looked to Neji, who was also staring in amazement. “Neji! I remembered! I remember that, the ninja training, my father…but…nothing else. Damn it!” The silver haired girl stomped her foot in dissatisfaction. Neji sighed, and she looked up at him.

“Well, it’s a good sign, if you’re already remembering things about your past so soon after coming here. It’ll only be a matter of time before the rest comes too. Be patient.” Haru grinned.

“I hope so.”

Haru kept pace with Neji as he walked off, and she asked. “So, what’s your story?”

“Hn?”

“You know! Your life up until now! What were you like before I came here?”

Neji stopped, and looked at her. She grinned at him, and he snorted.

“It’s not important.”

“Oh no you don’t!” She grabbed his arm, and forced him to look at her. “Please tell me!”

“I was quite spiteful, hating of anyone who was below me. That’s all.” Neji looked away, unable to speak the true words. He didn’t like to talk about his genin years, that being the period when he had discovered how cruel he really was…

“Well, I think you’re very nice Neji! Thanks…again, for showing me around. I had a lot of fun, even though it took five hours longer than it should have!”

Neji’s eyebrow twitched and he scoffed at her teasing tone. He didn’t answer, merely kept walking. Haru laughed, and ran to keep up.

“It’s alright Neji! I’m flattered even, that you’d want to get stuck with me for so long!” Haru said, and Neji grunted in reply.

“Aha!” Neji looked over at her smug face.

“What?”

“I’ve figured you out!” Neji smiled.

“Oh really?”

“On the outside, you’re the typical silent but deadly type, and you aren’t scared easily. But whenever you get really nervous or embarrassed, you resort to using little to no words at all, to prevent any reason to make yourself more stressed out, or in the second case, more embarrassed by something you say.”

“You’re very observant Haru.” Haru grinned.

“Thanks. What do you want to do now?”

“We should go back home and get packed.” Neji said, and let Haru lead the way back to the Hyuuga mansion. Little did they know, a certain raven haired jounin was watching them, eyes narrowed in unease. With a look from the person beside him, he, the pink haired medic, and the hyperactive blonde disappeared in a swirl of leaves…

***



[Thirty Minutes Earlier]

Sasuke and Sakura stood in front of the Fifth Hokage, and waited in silence while the older woman poured herself a small cup of sake. She took a sip, and ruffled through a few scrolls, finding the one she was looking for and handing it to Sasuke.

“This is your mission to the Land of Waves. It seems that there is a large group of ninja who feel that the village is small enough to take over by force. We need to eliminate these ninja, and it seems from the reports that they are merely high level chuunin, and maybe one low level jounin. It will be fairly simple, a B ranked mission, if that.”

Sakura also looked at the scroll. “But Tsunade-sensei, why are you also sending Haru on this? She hasn’t been here for a very long time, and she hasn’t ever had a chance to work with any of us. Don’t you think it’s a bit sudden?” Tsunade sighed, taking another sip of the liquor.

“I have nobody else to send. Everyone else is either on other missions, or tending to important personal business. I also need to see what Haru is like under pressure like this. It will be interesting to see how she deals with not only protecting herself, but others as well.” Sasuke scoffed. Tsunade raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem, Sasuke?”

“No.”

Sakura slipped the scroll into her back pouch, and, glaring at Sasuke, asked. “Is it just going to be Sasuke, me and Haru?” Tsunade shook her head.

“I would also like you to ask Neji if he would accompany you three.”

Sasuke scoffed, and this time spoke. “It’s only a B ranked mission. I don’t think that Neji is also necessary for-”

“Neji will also be there to look after Haru. He is the only ninja that has a chance of keeping her under control.” Sasuke gritted his teeth. He was still humiliated by the blow to his pride Haru had inflicted.

Sakura nodded, and Tsunade continued. “I expect the mission to last a few days, a week at most, so Sakura, you should bring your entire medical kit, just in case. That’s all.”

Sakura bowed, Sasuke merely nodded, and the two walked out, only to run into a familiar cerulean eyed teammate.

“Hey, so Granny gave you the mission? I found Neji and Haru-chan, they’re eating ramen! C’mon!” He sped off, leaving Sakura to roll her eyes, and Sasuke to snort in annoyance. But they both quickly followed.

They met Naruto around the corner from the ramen shop, and Naruto whispered.

“Sakura, lets go check this out. They’re like…on a date!!!”

Sakura giggled. “Uh, ‘right’. You know Neji; he’s the ‘least’ likely person in this entire village to like anyone!”

“Just look at them!” Sakura was dragged forward by Naruto, and Sasuke didn’t follow them.

Sakura and Naruto masked their chakra so Neji and Haru wouldn’t sense them, and peered into the shop. Neji was sitting with Haru, watching her eat with a calm expression on his face. They were talking to each other, but Sakura couldn’t hear them. Neji said something, and Haru replied excitedly, before jabbing a slice of egg. Neji sighed. Sakura’s jaw dropped when she saw Neji blush when Haru’s hand brushed his on her way to grab her chopsticks, and Naruto nudged her in the ribs, grinning. Sakura shushed him, and dragged him to the front of the shop.

“Neji is in loooooooovvvveee!!!” Naruto whispered, almost singing. Sakura hissed at him.

“He is not! He blushed when she touched his hand, so what? You would’ve too is you were in his position…”

“How long do you think until he falls for her?” Naruto ignored her comment and plowed forward with his excited questions.

“Ugh, Naruto, it’s none of our business!”

“But have you seen the way he looks at her!”

“Naruto, it’s only been a week!”

“But he went to visit her everyday when she was in the hospital!”

Sakura had to admit that Naruto was right on that one. Neji had indeed come everyday, and he had always brought a flower with him. He was always smiling when he saw her, which was odd, because the great Hyuuga almost never smiled with his two best friends and teammates absent. But maybe it was something else…yeah; it was probably something other than Haru.

“He probably wanted something to do, seeing as there haven’t been any missions lately.”

“Oh yeah? He wanted to show her around, which means something right? I mean, he’s probably with her right now, even though I know it only takes two hours tops to tour Konoha, I remember when we became Jounin, and we had to tour foreign ninja around. So if Neji’s still with her after,” Naruto glanced at his orange watch Hinata had gotten him for his birthday a few months ago. “seven hours, then he definitely likes H-”

But Sakura suddenly noticed someone behind her, and stomped on Naruto’s foot, making him yell in pain and surprise. The he noticed who the two people were. He mumbled incoherently to himself, backing away slightly.

Haru and Neji were standing right behind them.

And by the looks of their faces, they had heard every single word.



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Chapter 6: First Page

Haru shouldered her large pack, filled with supplies, and met Neji outside of the Hyuuga mansion. Neji smiled at her, and the two ran lightly through the village that was silent with the chill of early morning. Haru watched as the trees waved slightly in the slight breeze that blew, rustling the leaves into a musical-like symphony. Haru sighed as she breathed in the fresh spring air. It felt great to be going on a mission, even if it meant spending more time with Sasuke. The Uchiha seemed to be avoiding her, and stared at her menacingly when she looked at either him or Sakura. Especially when she looked at Sakura for too long. It made Haru a bit hesitant to be her true self around him, knowing that if she messed up, Sasuke would be silently laughing at her helplessness.

But was it really just being hesitant? Deep down, Haru knew that, even though she had beaten him in a spar, Sasuke was very strong. If Sakura was threatened, or anyone dear to him, and if Haru was the cause of their pain, Haru knew that Sasuke could – and would without even the slightest hesitation – easily kill her before she had time to react. Yes, the real thing was that Haru was scared of the intimidating Uchiha, and didn’t know how to change that fact. His walls were too high for anyone to get over, and only a few people had ladders in which to climb it. Haru was not one of them.

Neji saw how lost in thought Haru was, and studied her face. It was tense, and a frown creased her face. Neji wasn’t the type to comfort, so he remained silent, leading the way to the entrance. Sasuke and Sakura were already there, Sakura with an enormous medical bag strapped to her back, Sasuke with the usual load of supplies. Neji slowed to a walk as he came up to them, and Sakura smiled at Haru, hugging her in greeting.

“Good morning Haru!”

Haru made to say hello back, but Sasuke’s glare sent her backtracking. She felt sweat beading up on the back of her neck as his stare bored into her skull. She averted her eyes from Sakura, pulling away jerkily, and nodded in reply, not meeting anyone’s eyes. Sakura raised an eyebrow at Neji, who shrugged ever so slightly. Sasuke smirked slightly. This girl wasn’t as strong as he thought. He hated to be openly hostile to people, as he had done in his genin years, but this girl was ‘not’ going anywhere near Sakura until he was sure she wasn’t an enemy.

The team set out, and Neji and Sakura exchanged looks throughout, both asking the silent question.

What’s wrong with Haru? One second she was bubbly and happy, the next, she was silent and brooding, flinching whenever Sakura came close to her. Neji glanced at Sasuke, who looked strangely unaware of Haru, and the jounin’s pale eyes narrowed suspiciously. Those suspicions were confirmed when Sakura tried – as she had been trying for the past hour – to engage Haru in conversation, and when she tried, Sasuke gave her the iciest glare Neji had ever seen, and Haru quickly went silent, face creased in a worried frown. Neji felt a prick of anger at Sasuke’s obvious aggression, and went up to him when they stopped for a break, when the girls were off to the side, talking in low voices that didn’t carry. Neji found Sasuke frowning at the girls, obviously ticked off that Haru wasn’t in glaring distance.

Neji came up behind him. “Sasuke.”

“Hn?”

“Haru is new to Konoha.”

“Hn.”

Neji’s eyebrow twitched. He always hated it when Sasuke went back to his single syllable answers. “So then explain why you are preventing her from befriending Sakura.” Sasuke glared at Neji for scolding him, and looked away.

“You know why.”

Neji sighed loudly, rubbing his temples with his right thumb and middle finger. “Sasuke, please, enlighten me. Haru isn’t a threat to you, so, for her sake, please do not be so hostile. You are allowed your personal opinion, but to be so openly angry at her is a childish display, and I will not tolerate it.” Sasuke tensed up; Neji had hit a nerve. Sasuke gave the Hyuuga his coldest glare over his shoulder, but Neji ignored it.

Sasuke snorted. “You trust her?”

“Not entirely yet, but I do know that she needs us to help her regain her memories, and Sakura and I are trying to be kind to her. You’re interference isn’t helping much.”

“Sakura already considers her a friend.”

“Did you expect anything less from her?” When Sasuke didn’t answer, Neji went on. “I may not know Sakura as intimately as you do, but I ‘do’ know that, like Naruto, Sakura is a very kind person, and Haru is in need of that exact kindness. Why are you denying her that?”

“I…don’t know. I just get this feeling, whenever I look at her, that letting her into our village was a bad idea. The way she ran that race against Sakura…it wasn’t human. Surely you must see that.”

Neji sighed. “I understand that she is…different, but different doesn’t necessarily mean dangerous.”

“But we don’t know that.”

“You can never tell a book by its cover.”

“Don’t relate this to a book, Hyuuga. It’s ridiculous.” Sasuke said softly, getting up and making his way past Neji. Neji said the next few words to the Uchiha, but he knew that Sasuke was listening.

“You can never tell if a book is good just glancing at it and leaving it on the shelf. You have to put aside your prejudices and turn to the first page.”

Sasuke didn’t glance back, or give any inclination that he had heard Neji, but Neji knew that he had heard every word. Neji sighed, following him as the raven haired jounin made his way over to the girls.

Sasuke, not everyone is your enemy. There are so many books out there, waiting to be opened. You’ve ignored all of them until now. The book Haru has been pushed into your hands. You can’t let go of it until you’ve opened it to the first page. Open it, and let the story take you away…


A few hours later, the looming bridge arch came into view. The sky was a clear blue, and the grass approaching the bridge was long and lush. There were even songbirds twittering in the background. Haru gasped at the bridge’s massiveness, and Neji chuckled at her gaping eyes. ‘The Great Naruto Bridge’ was carved into the top, and the long viaduct stretched out endlessly before them, the dazzling sapphire water lapping rhythmically against the concrete.

Sakura laughed as the memories came rushing back. “Remember this mission Sasuke? We were so young! I was so childish…” The medic’s eyes closed as she thought about it.

“I have to agree with you on that last note.” Sasuke murmured, getting a light punch in the arm by Sakura in response. They made their way across, and Sakura craned her head to grin at Haru, saying softly.

“This was our first ‘real’ mission as a team, and we helped the builder, Tazuna, finish this bridge. It was much louder than this with Naruto here. He’d love to see this.” She gestured to the structure around her. “Hey,” Sakura nudged Sasuke in the ribs until he looked over at her. “Remember, this was the place where I asked you out on a date for the first time!”

Haru dared to speak. “What did he say?”

“No of course. He hated me back then! I don’t know how ‘anyone’ didn’t back then.” She said, shrugging nonchalantly as Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t hate you.”

“No, you just loathed and cursed my name to the very depths of hell!”

“No.” Sakura laughed at his annoyed reply, and winked at Haru’s confused expression.

“Well, I guess I got less annoying after you came back from…that place.”

Sasuke’s face tightened at her mention of his time with Orochimaru, but Sakura silenced his angry retort with a kiss on the lips, one that dragged on for a few long moments, and became so searing that the two had to stop walking so they could grip each other more tightly. Neji chuckled, and tugged lightly on Haru’s arm to keep her from staring open mouthed at the couple. Neji pulled her until they had reached the other side of the bridge. Haru frowned.

“What are they doing?”

Neji stared at her, gauging her expression to see if she was kidding.

She wasn’t.

Neji coughed lightly, slightly embarrassed. “Um, well, they both really like each other, so…”

Ugh. Neji was ‘so’ not comfortable with this. Talking about kissing with ‘Haru’ of all people was making his eyes trail down to Haru’s lips, making him wonder how they would feel against his own...

Snap out of it Neji! You don’t know her! You aren’t attracted to her in that way!

Neji hated how even though he thought the words strongly in his mind, his body wouldn’t listen to him.

Haru frowned. “But if they like each other, aren’t they just friends?”

‘Dear God, why are you putting me through this?’ Neji thought desperately. “Well, they really, ‘really’ like each other. Not just as friends.” Neji said embarrassedly, not meeting Haru’s curious eyes.

“Why do they have to do ‘that’ though?”

“It’s a way to show affection.”

“You mean, if you like someone, you do it? Even if they’re friends?”

“Well, its –!” Neji was cut off as Haru leaned up and pressed her lips to his, so lightly it was almost a caress. Neji felt heat rush through him like rapid-fire, and he was leaning into her kiss before he could stop himself. Because the world had ceased to exist anymore. His perspective had narrowed down to a single point. Haru’s lips. Those delicious lips that made his entire body tingle and spark.

Neji was brought back to reality as Haru released Neji from her kiss, and smiled at him. “Like that? I mean, I like you as a friend!” Neji was blushing furiously, and he looked away jerkily, struggling to regain control over his body so he wouldn’t grab her and kiss her again. He took a deep breath, and nodded.

“Just as a friend.”

Sasuke and Sakura thankfully chose that time to reappear, both a bit tousled, but covering it up well. They both led the way to Tazuna’s home, the two ninja trailing behind; Neji blushing, and Haru oblivious to the reaction Neji had from her kiss. Sakura sensed that something had happened, but didn’t get a chance to confront Haru about it until they were both going to sleep, away from the boys who Tsunami (Tazuna’s daughter) had forced to sleep in the other room.

“Haru, what happened to Neji? I saw that he looked kinda weird after we came off the bridge.”

“Well, I asked him about what you and Sasuke were doing, and he said that people only do it when they like each other. And I like Neji as a friend, so I did the same thing to him.” Haru shrugged, and Sakura gasped.

“Wait, Haru, ‘what’ did you do exactly?”

“I did…the mouth to mouth thingy!” Haru said, frowning, and Sakura suddenly recalled how hot and flustered Neji had been after they had come off of the bridge, and covered her mouth as a snort came out. Sakura couldn’t hold it in, and started cracking up hysterically, rolling around on the floor as tears streamed down her face. Haru asked what she was laughing at.

“You…turned Neji on! That’s just – Hahaha!!”

“Wait, why is that bad?”

Finally, Sakura got control of herself, and explained. “Haru, you only kiss someone when you ‘really’ care for them! When you love them so much that you know them better than they do themselves. You only kiss someone when you feel that they feel the same way about you. Do you understand?” Haru looked horrified.

“But I only meant it as a friend!”

And Haru couldn’t get another word out of the girl beside her, because Sakura was once again laughing.

***

Sasuke looked up from his book as he heard a loud peal of familiar laughter. He glanced at Neji, who was on his side, trying to go to sleep. “I wonder what she’s laughing at…” Sasuke muttered before going back to his book.

In the blankets, Neji cringed slightly, covering his face with his hand, groaning mentally. Because Neji knew exactly what Sakura was laughing about…

Chapter 7: Prophecy

“Alright, the enemy base is located here, in the middle of the forest, but is surrounded by at least four of smaller camps that host some of the less important ninja. That means the ones that are paid less, and they are most likely to be jounin despite that.” Neji gestured to the general area around the small dot meant to represent the main base. Sakura nodded, and Haru stared at the map, violet eyes scanning it carefully.

“Will we all go in as one unit? Or should one of us scout first?” She glanced at Neji, but mostly at his pale moon eyes. He had said something about them being able to see through things…perfect for scouting.

Neji nodded. “Yes, scouting would probably be the safest thing to do. I will go, but the forest is too large for me to see alone. Sasuke, do you think –?”

Haru piped up. “I’ll go. I mean, if it’s alright with you, Sasuke?” Sasuke nodded, glancing at Sakura, and Haru beamed inwardly at her quick thinking. Haru wanted to get on Sasuke’s good side, and maybe if she allowed Sasuke more time to be with Sakura, he would ease up a little. But…it would also mean more time alone with Neji. Her face flushed deep red at the thought of the major social blunder she had made yesterday on the bridge.

Neji nodded, rolling up the map swiftly and standing up, stretching slightly before walking across the small room to get his bag. The ninja heard Tsunami teasing her son in the other room, and Haru sighed longingly. Sakura cocked her head, smiling slightly, but didn’t speak.

Neji told them to head out, and he and Haru walked down the crowded street that led to the forest, while Sasuke and Sakura went in another direction, ready for Neji and Haru to come back to relay the news. Neji took deep breaths, and Haru watched him in quick glances. Suddenly, a young teenager around fourteen years old collided with Haru, her head only reaching Haru’s collarbone. Haru knelt beside her, and helped her into a sitting position.

“[I’m sorry, I was just –!]” The girl pushed back her wavy silver hair, and stared up at Haru with hazel eyes flecked with gold, green and blue, ones that widened as they took in the ninja kneeling beside her. Haru stared too, and suddenly realized that the girl had spoken in the language native to her kingdom across the ocean. Both of them opened their mouths to speak, and spoke at the same time.

“[– trying to get away from –]”

“[Are you alright?]” Haru joined the girl in the native language, while Neji looked on confusedly.

Both of them, Neji noticed, had similar voice tones, and had the same snowy white skin. The girl looked behind her worriedly, and bolted upward, eyes frantic. She saw the headband on Neji’s forehead, and grabbed Haru’s arm, speaking swiftly.

“[You’re ninja?]” When Haru nodded – Neji still wondering what she was saying, as she was speaking in a different language – and the girl went on. “[Then please, help me! These men are chasing me, but they’re…not human! They keep trying to kill me, and I don’t have anyone to go to! My sister was killed in the fire, and our family…was murdered…]”

Haru had gone deathly still, and stared into the girl’s eyes that were staring into Haru’s violet ones. Haru remembered that face…
***

“Sister! Come on! You have to watch me do this jutsu!” A small girl said, tugging on Haru’s arm, and led her to the training field, her shoulder length, wavy silver hair blowing wildly behind her. Haru smiled.

“Yuki, slow down!”

Yuki gave her big sister a blinding grin of delight, her hazel eyes shining in exhilaration. “But I’m too excited to slow down! I’m gonna be a chuunin in two days, and I want you to see how amazing I am!”

Haru gave her a kiss on the forehead. “You’re already amazing.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Haru suddenly felt something flare to her right, and stopped, Yuki stopping with her. Haru turned, and screamed.

The mansion was on fire.

In the next second, Haru had Yuki’s slender form on her back, and Yuki wrapped her arms around Haru’s neck. Haru took off toward her room, yelling.

“Mother?! Father?!”

No answer, only the shrill screams of citizens being slaughtered.

They came into Haru’s room, only to find the room torn to pieces. But what was inside made Haru want to scream again. Demons, with horns and disgusting tongues and arms that searched through Haru’s things. Yuki screamed, and the demons whirled around, their voices clicking like insects.

Haru pulled out a large shuriken that was strapped to her back, and in one sure throw, all the demons were on the ground…dead. Yuki buried her head into Haru’s shoulder, coughing, while Haru squinted as the smoke reached her room. She could see the flames though her door, and hastily shut it. She wrenched aside her cabinet, and revealed the secret passageway that had been reinforced with chakra and magic to form a fire escape. She tugged Yuki off of her back, and hugged her tightly, Yuki shaking uncontrollably.

“H-Haru, don’t leave me!”

“Yuki, I love you! But I have to find Mother and Father. I love you so much, so just…live, alright? Do this for me! I ‘will’ find you, okay? I promise!” Yuki, starting to cry, nodded, and scrambled down the passageway, and Haru felt tears of her own escape as she watched her sister disappear into the darkness of the tunnel. She heard a noise behind her, and turned to see a tall demon with hair the color of blood…

I’m sorry, Yuki. I probably won’t be coming after all. At least you got out alive. I love you, little sister…
***


Haru was pulled out of her remembrance, and she cleared her throat. “[What does your sister look like?]”

The girl bit her lip, and a single tear escaped. “[She looked just like you!]” She buried her face in her hands, and Haru laughed, her own tears welling up.

“[Yuki, it’s me, Haru.]” The girl snapped her head up at her name, and stared at Haru with wide eyes that were filling with tears of hurt.

“[Stop it! My sister was killed in the fire!]” Neji frowned; he was getting kind of annoyed at his cluelessness, but didn’t dare interrupt.

Haru took Yuki’s hands, and blinked back her tears. “[No, I didn’t die, Yuki. I’m right here. Look at me, little sister. You know that this is me.]” Haru forced the girl to stare into her eyes, and Yuki’s tears overflowed, and she threw her arms around Haru tightly, sobbing recklessly into her big sisters shoulder.

Haru held her close, and kissed her silver head again and again, making soothing hushes into her ear. “[I told you that I would find you]…Shh….Shh…” Neji marveled at the uniqueness of the language that they spoke. It was like flowing water, gliding smoothly from one phrase to the next.

Neji watched the sorrowful exchange with sad eyes, feeling his own eyes start to smart at the happy tears that were a result of a reunion – Neji didn’t need to understand the language to understand that. He also assumed that this small girl was a relative of Haru’s, one that thought Haru to be dead. He quickly resisted the urge to cry, and touched Haru on the shoulder. She looked up, tears gone from her face, but instead filled with overwhelming happiness.

“We have to take her with us.” Haru switched back into Neji’s language effortlessly, which also astounded Neji.

“Alright Haru, we should go back to Sakura and Sasuke so they can look after her while we go on.” Haru nodded, and, without the slightest show of effort, cradled her fourteen year old sister in her arms, and stood. She stroked the girl’s hair while the two ninja ran back the way they had come. Neji, using his Byakugan, found them easily, and the two ninja went into the small and inconspicuous inn.

“We have friends in room four that are expecting us. Can we go up?” The inn keeper – a portly man with a kind face – nodded, and Haru thanked him. The two made their way up the stairs, and knocked on room four. They heard Sasuke’s voice.

“Who is it?”

Neji answered. “Let us in.”

The door opened, and Sasuke’s eyes widened at the sight of the girl in Haru’s arms, still burying her head into Haru’s neck. Sakura was behind her boyfriend in the next instant, pulling Haru into the room. Neji followed her, and Sasuke glanced at Haru before looking at Neji with questioning eyes.

“What happened?”

Neji sighed. “Haru is the one to ask, because I have no idea.” All eyes turned to Haru, who was busy sitting with Yuki on the small bed. Yuki stiffened at the sight of these strangers, and Haru could’ve burst in pride when Yuki straightened, wiped any traces of tears from her eyes, and held her head high, like a true kunoichi would in the face of the unknown. Yuki had always been known for her self control and mature nature; her tears rarely seen unless driven to a breaking point, as shown when finding out her only sister was alive. Haru sighed, stroking Yuki’s hair for a moment before starting.

“Neji and I were making our way toward the forest, when Yuki” She gestured to the calculatingly silent girl beside her. “knocked into me. She was being chased by these things, demon’s most likely, and she asked us for help, telling us how her family, more significantly her sister, had died in a fire. But then…I remembered. I remembered the fire that destroyed my home; remember making my sister go through the fire escape and away from danger, while I stayed to fight the demons off. This girl ‘is’ Yuki, my younger sister. I forgot her when that man erased my memories, but now I remember, and I need to protect her from the demons that are after her.”

Everyone was silent. Sasuke was staring at her with his mouth slightly open, Sakura was staring at the girl in Haru’s arms, and Neji was just staring at Haru, marveling at nothing in particular except the way that Haru ran her slender fingers through her sister’s hair occasionally as she spoke.

Finally, Sakura broke the silence. “Haru, do you mind if I ask your sister some questions?” Haru smiled at Sakura in affirmation, and lifted Yuki off of her lap, speaking in the same liquid language that Neji had heard earlier. It seemed to be the language that they used before they had come here, to the mainland that consisted of the Seven Great Nations.

“[Yuki, the lady with pink hair wants to ask you a few questions.]”

“[Who are they, Haru?]” Yuki answered, looking stonily at the group assembled in a way that was so like Haru’s first examination of them that Neji felt like laughing. Definitely sisters.

“[They’re the people who helped me when I came to their village. They’re really kind, so don’t worry. The one with long brown hair is Neji Hyuuga, the one with black hair is Sasuke Uchiha, and the one with pink hair is Sakura Haruno.]” Sakura and Neji smiled at her when they heard their names intermeshed with the flowing sounds that made up the language Haru was speaking. Sasuke lips twitched – that was about as close to a smile as he would give, to Sakura’s disappointment.

Yuki studied them for a while, eyes lingering on Sasuke the longest before returning to stare at Sakura, who was also studying her with equal intensity.

Sakura smiled. “Would you mind translating Haru?” Haru shook her head. Sakura smiled at Yuki.

“Hello Yuki. My name is Sakura. Do you think you could tell us where you and Haru are from? And how you got here?” Yuki nodded when Haru relayed Sakura’s words, and spoke, Haru quickly translating the entire time, so smoothly that the two soon forgot that Haru was speaking for them, imagining that the person in question was speaking instead.

“Our kingdom was far across the sea, on a distant island that was very passive and non-violent. Our mother and father were king and queen, and they kept our nation at peace for many years. But there were demons in our land, ones that usually kept to themselves, but were starting to emerge as time went on. Finally, one day, Haru and I found the mansion on fire, and Haru made me run away while she stayed to find Mother and Father. But…I assumed she was dead after coming back a day later and finding the mansion in ashes…” She had to pause for a second, blinking back tears. Sakura asked.

“Wait, so, did they have ninja like us in the kingdom?”

“They did….before the demons destroyed them all. I don’t think anyone else survived, except for us. But we’re different from your ninja, who just rely on chakra and such. We also control magic.”

Sasuke spoke this time. “Magic, what kind of magic? And where did it originate from?”

Yuki turned her mysteriously captivating eyes onto the Uchiha, and he shivered internally as her gaze bored into him. Yes…these two were definitely similar in many ways…

“Magic that comes from other dimensions. Long ago, when man was first created, there were angel and demons that warred for control over the world. Their battle was so intense that it even splintered some of the seals that blocked our island from other dimensions. These spaces allow energy to seep into the air, and saturate the island air with magic, and eventually our ancestors learned how to control it. Ever since, our people have been harnessing magic, and our ninja learned how to control both magic and chakra as a result.”

Sakura asked. “How did you escape?”

“I waited a few days until a ship came, and stowed away in a barrel filled with fruit until they docked in this harbor. I wandered around for a few days, before the demons caught up with me.” Her young face darkened. “They had followed me from our island. I warn you, these beasts multiply at rates you wouldn’t imagine, and I’m afraid that they’ll try to take over the mainland as well. And then, they were chasing me, when I came upon the crowd of people, and I lost them. But they wont stop until I’m dead, I’m sure of it!” Haru patted her head comfortingly, as she finished translating.

Sakura went on. “What level of ninja are you?”

“I was about to become Chuunin before the kingdom was attacked.”

Sasuke looked at the pair of them, and wondered silently if Haru was ever going to run out of surprises. Yuki suddenly turned to Haru, saying something in the same fluid language as before.

“[Haru, I’ve seen the Uchiha. In my visions.]”

Haru’s eyes widened slightly, but she quickly masked it up by hugging her sister tightly.

Neji asked. “What did she say?”

Haru pulled away, smiling. “She said that she would like to eat, if you have any food to give her.” Sakura nodded, and exited the room to get some food from the bar. Sasuke followed her, and Neji left soon after, just to give the sister’s time alone. The second the door closed behind Neji, Haru turned to Yuki.

“[What!?]”

“[I saw him, yesterday, when I got off of the boat. He was dying, but he was smiling…]” Yuki looked worriedly at Haru, who had gone deathly pale.

Because Haru knew as well as Yuki did what it meant.

Their mother had not only been an elite priestess. She also had the ability to see into the future, and Yuki had inherited the rather dark gift. They could only see, at the most, two years in advance. Anything farther than that was too undecided to anticipate. These images were not always clear, sometimes just being words or emotions, because like life, the future is always changing. If it was blurry and indistinct, there was a chance of changing it for the better…or for the worse. This was different.

When the image of the future was one specific person…and their image was as clear as Yuki described, it was something that was set in stone, it would happen no matter how hard you try to change it.

So that meant…that Sasuke Uchiha, sometime in the near future, was going to die.

And there was nothing that could be done to stop it…

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:D

Chapter 8: Dark Secret


“Neji, I’ve got a good view of the camps. I count two camps, with about ten ninja each. They all look to be about Chuunin level. How many do you have?”

“One.” Haru sighed with relief, and glanced at the camps that were situated on the forest floor below her. There were two large tents that were skillfully camouflaged in the underbrush. Haru had almost passed them by, but had thankfully seen a ninja moving as he sharpened his sword, and had hidden in the concealing branches of one of the enormous trees that occupied the forest. She masked her chakra so none of the ninja could pick up her chakra pulse, and speculated by their age and attitudes that these ninja were weaker than she and her team had thought. But why would they send fourteen year olds to take over a town? Wouldn’t they assume that the town would call for help? Haru shook her head in bewilderment.

“Alright, let’s get back.” Haru said as she leapt off of the branch silently, not a leaf stirring as she ran, feet moving so fast they barely touched the branches as she made her way toward the town where Neji was also running to. In barely any time at all, the town came into view, and Haru met Neji at the door of the inn, and made their way up. The large mahogany door opened before Neji could knock, and Yuki was smiling at them, eyes shining as she let them in. Haru raised an eyebrow at her sister, unable to frown at her, still being too happy at the fact that she was alive. But she would have to warn her sister about displaying her ability to predict the future.

Yuki seemed to sense Haru’s disapproval, because she turned to her apologetically. “[Sorry Haru, I can’t control it! It just…happens.]”

“[It’s fine, but you have to be careful. I don’t want to tell anyone about it, not even these people.]”

Neji sighed as he walked inside, slightly annoyed at the fact that for once, he would have to rely on someone else (that person at the moment being Haru) to tell him what was going on between her and the girl that she was conversing with at rapid speeds, in that strange language that Neji couldn’t even begin to grasp.

Haru saw Neji’s slight anger, and smiled reassuringly at him, quickly saying to Neji. “Sorry Neji, it’s just that I can’t have her opening the door like that, when an enemy could have been standing there.” The Byakugan user nodded, and Haru turned to Yuki, who asked.

“[Why can’t we tell them?]”

“[Because, if they know, they’ll start using you for everything! They’ll put you in dangerous situations, and I don’t want to be separated from you when I finally found you again. So, promise me that you won’t tell ‘anyone’ about it. Please, Yuki.]”

Yuki stared at her sister for several long moments with her depthless hazel eyes, and slowly nodded, but Haru’s eyes narrowed at the strange look that spread across Yuki’s face.

“[What?]”

“[Nothing.]”

Haru knew Yuki was hiding something, but couldn’t stay mad at her for long, and hugged her.

“[I’m glad that you’re here, little sister.]”

“[I love you too. I wonder…do you think that they’ll let me train as a ninja when we get back to their village?]”

Haru snorted. “[Let’s just focus on keeping you from getting killed by demons, alright?]” When Yuki’s young face fell in disappointment, Haru quickly added. “[But I bet that there’s a good possibility. The Hokage was very accepting of me, so I bet she’ll like you too.]” Yuki brightened, and Haru made her way over to the other group, where Neji was already conversing with Sasuke quietly.

Sakura smiled at Yuki, and Yuki sent her a blinding smile in return. Haru smiled. Sakura had won Yuki’s trust as easily as she had Haru’s. That was saying something, because Yuki was pretty reserved most of the time.

Sasuke turned to Yuki. “Yuki,” Yuki’s head snapped up at her name, and she stared down the Uchiha. “How proficient are you in combat?”

Haru translated, and Yuki smiled, replying happily. Sasuke looked to Haru to translate, but Haru seemed hesitant.

“My sister is quite skilled, and she would like to show you how good she is outside.” Neji started to protest, but Sasuke silenced him with a look.

“We could use another good fighter, seeing as we are greatly outnumbered.” Neji went silent, and Sasuke went on. “Fine. Let’s go outside, behind the inn.” He stood, and one by one, the ninja leapt out of the window, lithe as jungle cats. Sakura was the last one, and she gestured for the two silver haired ninja to follow. They quickly complied.

Haru stood in a small clearing that was the secluded backyard of the inn. Sasuke stood stoically with Neji and Sakura beside him, and he studied Yuki with his dark onyx eyes.

Haru stood opposite of her sister, smiling as she waited. Yuki beamed, and fished a small metal bar out of a bundle that was strapped securely to her back. Sasuke and Neji scoffed at the short piece of metal, but Haru grimaced. This was going to be tough, if Yuki had ‘that’ weapon with her…

Yuki whispered a few words in her native language, and suddenly the metal rod extended, gliding gracefully until it was a foot taller than she was. She spun it around in her hands a few times, warming her hands up, and Haru frowned in puzzlement when Yuki tossed her the bundle.

“[I brought your weapons. They were all in the storage shed that escaped the fire.]”

Haru looked through the bag, and smiled when she saw that her sister had managed to get her sword. The one that she had been made the day she was born. Haru remembered now, as she was remembering many things now that she and her sister were reunited.

All princesses and princes, when they were born, were created a weapon, made by the spirits. The spirits were like fairies in a way, only the spirits were much more powerful. They were the things that protected humans, protected their souls from darkness and evil. When Haru was born, the spirits searched inside her soul, seeking the inner fire that would light their forges and help them create the weapon that best matched her. They went to work, and created her sword.

Her sword was elegant, the hilt being inlaid delicately with patterns of smooth moonstones that glimmered in the night, and turned clear in the sunlight. The blade was silver, and its edge was razor-sharp. The metal blade was long, and didn’t arch or waver from its straight course as it ended in a sharp point at the tip. Haru’s sword was a part of her, and the spirits that had created it were still sealed within it, pulsing it full of strength and energy.

Haru’s hand grasped the handle, and Haru felt sudden warmth spread throughout her fingers, as though her body was rejoicing at being reunited with her beloved weapon. She raised it out of the bag, slowly pulling it out of the ornate sheath, and the blade caught the light of the sun, the moonstones turning as clear as diamonds in the light of full day.

Neji watched Haru stare at her sword with a joyful expression on her face. The weapon seemed…connected to her somehow. Like it could speak to her.

Sasuke cleared his throat. “Haru, please.” Haru snapped out of her daze, and focused.

Haru tucked the sword into its sheath, and placed it aside. She ran at her sister, flicking a kunai at her. Yuki smiled, and suddenly, she was gone. The kunai flew harmlessly into a tree, lodging themselves into the wood with a soft ‘thunk’. Haru tracked the petite silver blur, and flipped backwards as Yuki appeared behind her, swinging her metal staff. Haru twisted in the air so her foot could collide with Yuki’s upper arm, but the staff knocked it away at the last second. Yuki made a move of her own, using the staff to keep her hands busy, and attempting to trip the older girl. But Haru suddenly grabbed the staff, and swung the girl around, sending her toward the trees.

Sasuke watched in interest as the two girls came together again and again, like graceful snakes striking in harmony. He noticed that Haru was not using her full strength, seeing as the girl was obviously not as skilled as her. But that didn’t mean Haru was going easy on her. Sasuke focused on Yuki, and was pleased to find that this girl was incredibly skilled, and that staff of hers was a better weapon than he had imagined. The staff wasn’t sharp, but it was solid, so it was a good offense and defense, and Yuki handled it as easily as if it was an extension of her own arm.

Sakura was gazing in open mouthed amazement. Haru was normal enough when she was acting like a regular 18 year old, but when she was fighting like this, especially against another girl of her culture, it was stunning. They both looked so much alike, yet so very different. Haru was indeed graceful, but compared to the slender girl she was crossing blows with, but her fighting style, even the way she jumped and ran, was more aggressive, like a cheetah running after the gazelle. Yuki was more lithe and slender, her body bending and flowing effortlessly. But Sakura sensed that Yuki, though being younger, was much more hard-hearted when it came to fighting than Haru was. Yuki had the merciless eyes of a girl who wasn’t one who enjoyed death and suffering, but someone who also wouldn’t hesitate to kill if she was in any way threatened. Haru’s eyes, in comparison, were softer, gentler. That could be a result of Haru losing her memory, but Sakura had an insight that Haru was like that naturally.

Sasuke glanced at Neji as the battle wore on. Neji’s face was blank, calmly watching the battle with his all-seeing eyes that pierced through everything. Neji sensed Sasuke’s gaze upon him, and caught the Uchiha’s eye. Sasuke nodded at Neji’s silent stare, and called for the two silver haired girls to cease. They did so at once, standing perfectly still and watching him with disconcertingly vibrant eyes that seemed to gleam in the sunlight.

The group made their way over, and Sakura smiled wryly at the stillness that stretched over them. If Naruto were here, he would be yelling his head off. By now I’d probably be hitting him in the head, or Sasuke would tell him that he’s an idiot, and then ‘that’ would escalate into a full on fight between the two rivals that seemed to take extreme pleasure in insulting the other. Naruto was a great guy to have around, but there also were times where his absence allowed the team to actually get through the orders without wanting to become a homicidal ax killer; ‘anything’ to shut the blonde up.

“Well, that was interesting. I guess you could come along, if you don’t slow us down.” Sasuke said coldly, and Sakura stomped on his foot angrily, and she glared at the scowl that was directed toward her by the Uchiha. Yuki rolled her eyes scornfully, causing Sasuke to stiffen in annoyance, and Haru put her head in her hands. Typical Yuki…

“[Oh don’t worry, Sasu-bastard…I’ll be just fine. Thanks for your concern though.]” Yuki said sweetly, eyes flashing. Sasuke met her glare full on, and you could almost feel the electricity tingling between them. Sakura groaned, and slapped a hand to her forehead.

Sasuke, without taking his eyes off of Yuki, said curtly. “Translate.”

Haru reluctantly spoke in first person, easier for the two to communicate. “Oh don’t worry Sasuke-bastard. I’ll be just fine. Thanks for your concern though…” Haru trailed off, as Sasuke had paled, as well as Sakura.

Sasuke swallowed, and moved closer to Yuki, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “What did you just call me?”

“Sasu-bastard.” Haru translated, and Neji masked a laugh with a short cough. Haru was obviously mortified at the name Yuki had called Sasuke, and that shame showed in her translation.

‘How…do you know that name? The only one who calls me that is Naruto...”

“I know.” Yuki realized her mistake too late, and clamped her hands over her mouth, eyes screaming apology to her fuming sister.

“What?!” Sakura and Neji said loudly, and Haru actually went over to a nearby tree, and began hammering her head mercilessly against the bark, her irritation too much to express verbally. What had Haru said ‘specifically’ to Yuki? And look what Yuki had done…gone out and ruined it all.

“[Haru I’m sorry! I couldn’t stop myself! It just came out!]”

Haru glared at her. “[Why am I getting this feeling that the strange look you gave me has something to do with this?]”

Yuki sighed. The rest of the team sighed too, but for different reasons.

“[I saw me letting it slip. Clearly. It was going to happen whether I wanted it to or not…]” Haru continued to bang her head against the tree, even harder if possible, until Neji was forced to pull her away from the tree. Haru asked angrily.

“[Why didn’t you tell me?!]” Yuki shrugged.

“[I thought that maybe if I ignored it, that maybe I could change it!]” Haru growled under her breath, opening her mouth to say something else when Neji suddenly snapped, yelling.

“Will ‘someone’ tell me what the hell is going on?!!” Everyone stared with open mouths, and Haru spoke quickly.

“Fine. I didn’t want to tell you all before, because I was trying to protect my sister from being used by the ninja for her ability.”

Sakura piped up. “What ‘ability’?”

Haru sighed. “In our society, magic is as natural as breathing, and everyone is a part of it. Our mother was an elite priestess as well as queen, and she was gifted at birth with the ability to see into the future.”

The shock that went through the group was almost touchable, it was so massive. Haru went on.

“Almost all of these images are usually blurry and hard to focus on, because your fate is always changeable.” Neji smirked slightly, remembering how Naruto had told him something similar to that…so many years ago. “But when the images are very clear and precise, that means that that event will occur, no matter how hard you try to stop it.” Haru glanced at Sasuke at the last bit, and quickly looked away, eyes sad.

Sakura’s mouth was still agape. “I…didn’t think that was even possible! I mean, you guys, think about it, it doesn’t make logical sense! There’s no scientific proof!” Sasuke sighed.

“It doesn’t have to make sense for it to be real. How else could she have known what Naruto calls me when we fight?”

Yuki didn’t understand what they were saying, but she got the sense that they didn’t believe her sister’s words. Haru nodded at Yuki, and the girl concentrated for a few moments. Haru didn’t like her using her ability like this, but it was necessary to prove that she was telling the truth.

Yuki’s eyes snapped open, and she spoke to Haru quickly.

The others waited for a translation. “My sister says that…um…Sakura…” Haru was too embarrassed to continue, and motioned the medic over with a hand, and whispered the rest into her ear, too softly for the boys to hear. “Your menstrual period is going to start in four days.” Haru blushed, and Sakura gasped.

Sasuke was at her side, and frowned at his girlfriend’s shock. “Sakura, what –?”

“She’s telling the truth. This girl can see into the future!” Sakura looked shocked, and seemed to have trouble breathing. “It’s unbelievable…”

Neji raised an eyebrow, and spoke to Haru. “If we have her see into the future for us, then we could tell what the enemy is going to do.” Haru frowned.

“No! That’s what I wanted to prevent! She’s already a ninja; I don’t want her to be in even more danger! If enemies found out that she could do this…then they’d want to take her for their own, even kill her so they couldn’t be found out.” Neji nodded at her concern, and placed a hand on the young woman’s shoulder.

‘I understand. I agree with you on that, but what if she was to do it in secret? It would help our village immensely, and nobody but us would have to know.” Neji said consolingly, and motioned Sasuke and Sakura over. “I think we should all swear not to speak a word of Yuki’s ability to anyone, not even our friends back at Konoha. It would put both Haru and Yuki at risk.” Sakura nodded, smiling.

“My lips are sealed!”

“Fine.” Sasuke said quietly, and Neji smiled nodding his agreement. Haru sighed a sigh of relief, and Yuki suddenly looked excited.

“[Haru, the ninja in the forest are moving north, toward us. We’d better get moving if we want to intercept them!]” She enthusiastically extended her silver staff, and Haru quickly told the others, grabbing her sword and strapping it to her belt at the same time.

“The camps are moving toward us, we’d better get moving if we want to intercept him.” Neji nodded, and at his command, all the ninja disappeared, jumping on the branches at speeds that made them mere blurs. Haru whispered to Yuki.

“[Stay with me.]”

Yuki smiled, and Haru was suddenly overwhelmed by the happiness that blossomed in her heart at the sight. “[Yeah!]”

Neji heard them talking, and turned his head, only to meet Haru’s gaze. She smiled at him, and he couldn’t help smiling back.

Suddenly, Neji’s face blanched, and he jumped backward, yelling. “Haru, behind you!”

Haru turned, and felt her heart pound, race frantically against her ribcage. There was a man, who had his sword out and was about to stab it into Yuki’s chest No, not Yuki! Not her sister! Yuki’s eyes were scared and surprised at the same time, and her staff was a useless thing twisted out of her hands. These ninja were ‘not’ chuunin. Haru doubted if they were even jounin.

Haru screamed Yuki’s name, and the sword came swinging down. Yuki hadn’t seen this coming, so Haru could still change it! Haru jumped toward the man, and locked eyes with Yuki, trying to convey through eye contact that Haru loved her.

The sword came down, and a spray of blood splattered onto the branch. Yuki’s piercing scream filled the air…

Chapter 9: Angels


The sword swung down, and effortlessly sliced through Yuki’s left shoulder, cutting all the way to the girl’s right hip. Yuki gave a choked scream, and blood dripped from the corners of her mouth as she coughed. Yuki’s eyes were still locked with her sister’s and Haru’s mouth opened in a silent scream. She had been too late.

Yuki’s hazel eyes, only a second before so bright and alive, were glazing over with pain, and they slowly closed as the girl’s now limp body crumpled on the branch, the tan brown of the wood now becoming crimson as Yuki’s blood poured out. Haru stood, frozen, as the man withdrew his sword, leering at them.

Haru’s mind was dwindling, and she heard Neji’s voice from far away, like a sound in an empty hall way, only Haru was already out the door. Numb shock filled her veins as she stared, mouth open, at her sister’s dying form. No, this couldn’t be happening. Not here, not now, not when Haru had just started to remember everything. But Haru suddenly wanted it all to go away, wanted to close her eyes and wipe her mind blank of the horrible images of her sister dying on the branch. Haru had been so close to saving her, but yet it was too far…too far for it to change. Maybe if Haru had turned around faster, had felt the man’s presence sooner…

Maybe it would have been different.

Maybe Haru could’ve saved her.

If only life wasn’t so unfair, to take the innocent ones first. Why Yuki, dammit? Why not Haru instead? Haru had killed so many people, while Yuki had never sullied her mind like that, even as a ninja. Why did Yuki have to go? No, not now, please someone!

And then, like a light switch, something stirred within Haru. Haru gasped, falling to her knees, and felt Neji’s hand on her shoulder. But that was hardly noticed, Haru was fading, and a new energy was pulsing through her blood like rapid-fire. It was large, and more powerful than anything Haru had felt before.

[Kill him…] A cool voice inside Haru’s head said, and Haru felt her conscious slipping.

[Who…are you…?] Haru asked, and the voice said in answer.

[Someone who can help.] Haru felt the power pushing on her mind like a concrete wall, and finally felt her defenses crumble, her emotions overwhelming her, and the power exploded into her mind.

Neji flinched as he saw Haru look up at him, with those violet eyes that were burning and glowing so brightly they nearly blinded him. Then, without warning, a fierce wind began to blow, and swirled around Haru like a tornado, making her hair whip around like a deathly halo. Haru’s mouth opened in a yell of fury, and the suddenly two spheres of fire appeared on the palms of her raised hands, and Neji stumbled as he felt the earth shifting beneath them, rumbling angrily in harmony to her cry of sadness and anger. Sasuke grabbed onto the trunk for support, and Sakura threw herself over Yuki to protect her from the wind as she healed her with soft green chakra.

“I’LL KILL YOU!” Haru screamed, and the flames flared outward from her tornado of wind, and flew toward the man who was pale with shock. The flames covered him from head to toe, and his screams added to the deadly music of Haru’s frightening rage.

What…was she? Sasuke thought, his heart quickening in fright as he stared at Haru. It wasn’t human, and it was powerful. It had a similar pulse to Naruto when he was in the Kuuybi form, but this was ten times worse. More than ten times. Like facing the Kuuybi in its unsealed form compared to fighting it through Naruto. Sasuke shuddered as the wind blew harder, icy cold and out to kill. He dimly noticed that the seal on the back of her neck was glowing, and spreading across the skin of her neck, branching out like vines. The earth beneath them cracked dangerously, and a smell filled the Uchiha’s senses. Sasuke realized with a jolt that it was the smell of burning flesh.

The man screamed and screamed, but Haru only smiled at his agonized shrieks. Neji tried not to let his face betray how frightened he really was. This…energy that was being released was not human, and it was ‘not’ Haru. Haru was kind and beautiful, while this other being within her was full of sadness and vengeance. The man finally fell to the ground, and Haru laughed, a chilling laugh that made the trees ripple. Literally. Neji had to use chakra to keep himself upright as Haru slid her sword out of her sheath, and Neji felt his heart beat faster. She was like a goddess of war, her flawless magnificence making his blood cool with the raw fear that pulsed through him with every heartbeat.

The sword came down, and blood sprayed, speckling on Haru’s pale moon face, and her violet eyes narrowed with anger that her foe was so easily taken down. She hacked at the man again and again, blood coating the metal, and the wind blew, and making her hair that was streaked with red blow wildly around her. Neji ignored the instinct that told him to stay away from her, and made his way forward, using chakra to keep the wind from blowing him off.

“Haru!” He yelled over the wind’s unrelenting howl. Haru’s hand stilled at the sound of her name, and her violet eyes flickered to meet his own. Neji trudged onward, and hissed when the wind sliced his arms. Haru glared, but Neji didn’t stop.

“Haru, this isn’t you! Stop!” Neji was answered with more wind blowing at him, cutting his legs with its chilling strength. Neji ignored this, and finally reached Haru.

He whispered. “Haru, look at me.” Neji put his hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look up at him. She grabbed at his arms, and he yelped as her hands burned his flesh. Neji hissed as the burns were exposed to the cold wind.

“Haru, you don’t have to fight anymore. It’s over.” Haru’s violet eyes dimmed somewhat, and she shook her head a bit, to clear it of something. Neji slid his hands down so they were resting lightly on her shoulders. Haru suddenly gasped, eyes becoming their normal clear purple again. She looked around.

“Neji, what happen –?” She caught sight of Neji’s cut up arms, and put her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. “I…did this? I was the one who –!” Haru noticed the hacked up body below her, and sank to her knees, looking at her reflection in the shining puddle of blood that was gushing from the mound of cut up flesh that had once been human looking. Haru seemed oblivious to the fact that blood was staining her skin. Neji put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him, and Neji stared into her violet eyes that were filled with grief.

“I really am a monster, aren’t I?” Haru tilted her head toward the darkening skies, choking out a laugh. “I thought that I could fit in, that I would be able to live in your village. But…I don’t know what I am anymore…” Haru’s voice broke, and Neji was shocked to see pearly tears falling down her cheeks, glowing like diamonds in the shadowy darkness that was covering the sky at an unusually rapid rate. Neji felt a drop of water on his arm, and looked up to see raindrops begin to fall, icy cold on his skin.

Sasuke gasped as it began to rain, and saw that Haru was also crying. The Uchiha’s eyes narrowed. Something was clear. Haru was ‘not’ human, and somehow had some sort of unusually strong bond with nature. It responded to her emotions, and the rain was a sign of that. A few minutes ago, it had been sunny and bright, just like Haru had been in the presence of her sister. Sasuke frowned. Can Haru control elements? He’s never heard of anything like that, but this was ‘Haru’ they were talking about. Anything was possible it seemed for her.

Neji was familiar with grief. It had been a large part of his existence when he was younger, when the whole world seemed to be against him. It was part of being a ninja, seeing comrades injured, and experiencing the death of loved ones. Neji was used to it being somewhat covered, for ninja were not supposed to show their tears. The only focus was the mission, and tears were a distraction. Neji wasn’t as harsh about the rules anymore, but he was still overwhelmed to see Haru crying so heartbreakingly in front of him. And Haru wasn’t soft by any standards. Neji had seen her take a punch to the face (Naruto had sparred with Haru a few days before they left for their mission) without batting an eyelash, and get cut up without making a sound. Before he knew how he got there, Neji was beside the sobbing girl, and watched her as she sobbed.

Haru clenched her slender fingers so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and she stared up at the rain falling down on her face, closing her eyes, though tears streamed without a break down her face, only to be washed away by the rain. Haru felt his hand rest lightly on her arm, and she tried to stop crying, taking gasping breaths and feeling the pain constricting her chest with its fiery grip.

Neji was shocked when Haru saw his concern, and tried to stop crying, tried to be strong. Neji suddenly wished that she would look to him for comfort. Most kunoichi would know that Neji wasn’t like that, wasn’t the ninja who was used to holding sobbing girls in his arms. Tenten was much too independent for that, and although Neji respected that quality most in Tenten, he secretly wished that girls would stop treating him like a cold statue and more like a person. Sakura was like that, and he appreciated that fact, although he would never admit it. But even then, Sakura had Sasuke to cry on. Neji saw her tortured face, and smiled slightly.

Haru felt his gentle hands tug her gently into his arms. His arms constricted around her comfortingly, and she felt tears continue to fall as she let herself go, sobbing recklessly into his neck. She dimly noticed that it was warn here, in the circle of his arms, so warm that she almost forgot the rain altogether. Neji stroked her hair softly, so softly that Haru wondered if she was imagining it.

Neji rested his chin on her silver hair that was wet from the still pouring rain.

“I’m here.”

Haru gasped at how ‘right’ those words were. He was here for her, and that’s all that mattered in this perfect moment. Haru nodded silently.

Time seemed to slow down, and Haru soon lost count of how many minutes Neji held her, and frankly, she didn’t care. The rain, which had been pouring so hard that it was alike to having relentless buckets of ice water poured on you, slowly lightened.

Haru’s tears slowly ceased, and her breath became more even. The rain stopped all together, and the sky slowly lightened to a neutral gray-blue. Neji, having also lost track of how long they sat there, looked down to see that Haru was asleep, worn out by her emotions. His heartbeat quickened at the almost childish look of trust and innocence on her face as she slept. Neji stood, cradling her bridal-style, her head leaning against his chest, her hair hanging over his arm and blowing gently in the breeze that blew. Neji felt her warm breath fanning against his exposed neck, and the tingle that swept through him made him shiver, and it wasn’t from the cold of the rain that still soaked his hair and clothes.

Neji saw Sakura kneeling over Yuki, and jumped over to them, avoiding the broken branches that were scattered around. Sasuke was next to her, and spared Neji a glance as he walked up.

Neji cleared his throat. “How is she?” Sakura smiled at him.

“She’s fine. I managed to get to her before it was beyond repair. She’ll have to rest for a week or so, but she’ll be up and running in no time.” Neji sighed in relief, and stared down at the girl who Haru had gotten so out of control over. Yuki’s face was at peace, and the blood was all gone, washed away by the rain. Sakura carefully put the girl on her back, and Sasuke slung Sakura’s medic pack over his shoulder. Sakura looked around at the destroyed forest.

“What now? Do we come back later? Both of them need rest, and I’d like to get moving on the mission as soon as possible. I want Tsunade-sensei to take a look at Yuki…” She didn’t say it, but Neji and Sasuke both knew that Sakura wanted Haru to be examined as well. They all did. Haru was Haru, but that…thing inside her wasn’t.

In that silence, Sasuke was the only one who realized, that this power could be incredibly useful, if controlled properly. Yuki could see into the future. Haru could control elements. Those skills weren’t something you see every day, actually, they’ve never been seen before. Sasuke nodded to himself. Yes, he’d make sure to ask the Hokage to delve deeper into that respect; the respect of assigning someone to help train her to tap into that dangerous energy, along with helping her to control her element powers. She had obviously never used that power before, and if she had ever used it, she couldn’t have remembered it, because that other conscience took over, blocking out Haru’s mind.

Sasuke shook his head, shaking out water droplets in every direction. “We should get back to the room, and wait for Haru to wake up. Then we’ll head out and eliminate the camps. We should be done in a few hours, and then we’ll go to the leader of the Wave Country and get our payment, and head back to Konoha.” Neji raised an eyebrow. That was the most the Hyuuga boy had every heard Sasuke say.

Sakura nodded, and the three ninja disappeared.


***


Neji laid Haru carefully on the bed to the right, and Yuki lay unconscious on the other one. Sakura put some blankets over the younger girl, and turned to examine Haru. Neji watched with eyes that tracked the medic’s every movement as Sakura went through the steps of usual examination; pulse, breathing, etc…

Sakura then put her hand to Haru’s temple, and exerted a bit of chakra to examine Haru’s mind. Sakura’s face went blank, and Sasuke knew that she was in another place, a place known as Haru’s mind.





Sakura went deeper, finding nothing amiss, when suddenly, something rammed against her probing, like an iron wall. Sakura felt twisting fingers stab at her mind like knives, and she suddenly was falling. The pink haired teen landed with a hard smack on a grassy field, with splashes of flowers of every color. Sakura got up, and looked around warily. She noticed that the sky was a vibrant blue, and that there were what seemed to be hawks flying through the air.

“Hello, Sakura Haruno.” A musical voice said in a low voice that made Sakura shiver. Sakura whirled around to see…Haru. Haru had on a long white dress, one so blindingly white that Sakura had to blink a few times.

Something was off about Haru though. Instead of her skin being just pale white, her skin was glowing, and her eyes were shimmering with swirling colors. Haru’s hair, instead of to her lower back as Sakura was used to, went in silky tresses to just above her shoulders. Haru smiled, and the light reflected off of her pearly teeth.

Sakura cleared her throat. “What is this place?”

“This is that girl’s consciousness. Almost funny, how similar it is to…that place.”

Sakura frowned. Why was Haru speaking in third person? “Haru, what’re you –?”

Haru clapped her hands. “Oh so ‘that’ is the girls name! What a pretty name…”

Sakura tensed. “You aren’t Haru, are you?” It was technically a question, but Sakura knew the answer before she opened her mouth. The girl smiled.

“You finally figured that out? You’re more foolish than you look.” Sakura didn’t dare answer, because she was afraid. This was the same being from which that destructive power came earlier. This was the thing inside Haru.

“What are you?”

The girl didn’t answer, instead cocking her head as if listening to something Sakura couldn’t hear. “Dear me, it seems our little ‘Haru’ doesn’t want me talking to you. I haven’t ever shown myself to her until now, but I must say that she channeled my power rather nicely. She doesn’t know exactly what I am, but she doesn’t like when I take over like that, although it was for her own good…”

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a yell.

“Sakura!!” Both of them turned to see Haru run up the hill, still not within hearing distance, hair flying behind her. Her eyes flashed with anger as she caught sight of the other girl.

The girl sighed. “I had hoped to chat with you some more Sakura. Oh well. Ha.” She laughed as she watched Haru come closer. “She still doesn’t know the secret.”

“Know what?”

The girl smirked. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?”

Sakura suddenly felt her mind crushing around her, and screamed, falling to her knees. Pain pulsed through her, and she felt Haru shaking her.

“Sakura, why are you here? What’s wrong? Sakura!” Sakura had slumped to her side, and Haru held her head in her hands, looking down at her with worried eyes.

Sakura felt her eyes blurring, and saw something that made her gasp. The girl, her short hair flying behind her, had spouted…wings. Sleek and glorious, the girl took off, and Sakura blacked out, but not before thinking that one last thought.

That girl was an angel.

Chapter 10: Haru Svit-terrai


“Sakura!” Sakura’s eyes shot open at the sound of her name, only she was slightly surprised to hear Sasuke instead of Haru’s voice ringing in her ears. Sakura sat up, and turned to her anxious partner.

“What happened?”

“You were doing fine for the first few minutes, and then something happened. Both you and Haru started twitching and jerking, and then you just fell back, unconscious no matter how Sasuke tried to wake you. You’ve been like that for about two minutes.” Neji murmured from the other side of the room where he was sharpening his weapons.

Sakura looked down at Haru, who was still motionless. “I…”

Sasuke took her hand, surprising her in his unexpected show of affection, especially in front of Neji, and squeezed it gently, giving her strength. She cleared her throat.

“I went inside her mind. I didn’t mean to do that…it just…happened. There was something there alright, something very similar to Naruto’s creature. But then…” Sakura sighed. “I don’t remember anything else. I remember being in a field, and seeing…something…flying. But then I feinted…” Sakura looked up at Sasuke once more.

“What do you mean, ‘something’?” Sasuke asked.

“It’s not human, Sasuke. It’s much stronger. But I can’t think of something that’s stronger than the Kuuybi…” Neji paused in his sharpening, almost cutting his thumb.

“Stronger than the Nine Tailed Fox?” He said quickly, putting down his kunai that was only half sharpened. Sakura nodded, and Neji frowned slightly.

How was that possible? What could possibly be ‘that’ powerful? And why was it in Haru of all people?

Neji glanced over at Yuki, who was still sleeping peacefully. The thought of something bigger than that…that demon was unsettling.

Sasuke frowned as he studied Sakura’s ashen face. “Was Haru there?”

“Yeah…but there were…two of them.” Sakura frowned to herself. How could that be? And why did one of the Haru’s have short hair? It was all so confusing…

Neji raised an eyebrow. “So what do we do now?”

Sasuke scowled. “Normally, I’d say that we continue as planned, but this is…an exception.” Sakura protested.

“No! We have to finish the mission! It’s too dangerous for the townspeople to remain in their homes unprotected. Tsunade-sensei told us that the leaders were planning an attack on the village itself, so we don’t have time!”

Neji and Sasuke shared a look, and they both knew that the pink haired medic was right. They didn’t have time to interrogate Haru right now. They needed to get moving.

Sakura shook Haru gently, and the girl opened her eyes, and shot up into a sitting position so fast that even Neji was a bit startled. She looked around frantically, and slowly relaxed as she recognized Sakura.

“Sakura…?”

Sakura nodded, and Neji cut in. “We have to get moving. Sakura, stay here with Yuki. The rest of us will head out to the main camps.” Sakura nodded once more, and Haru quickly climbed out of bed, and suddenly, all the memories came rushing back.

The mangled corpse of a man.

Yuki getting cut open.

Blood going everywhere.

Wind blowing around her like a tornado, fire rippling in her hands.

Blood.

Haru gasped, and Neji was beside her in a second. “Haru? What’s wrong?”

“Wait…what was I? What was…that ‘thing’ earlier? It spoke to me, it told me to let her help me!” Neji’s pale eyes flashed to Sakura’s emerald ones, and they looked as confused as they all felt. Sakura spoke in a small voice that still seemed to fill the room.

“We don’t know. That’s why we need to finish this as soon as possible, so we can get you back to Tsunade-sensei so she can find out for us what exactly is in there.” Haru looked frightened, but Sakura smiled in reassurance. “Everything will be fine, I promise.”

Haru smiled hesitantly in return, and Sasuke looked at Sakura with unyielding eyes. Haru didn’t notice, and was led out by Neji.

“Sakura, what are you doing? Getting her hopes up…so that she can be torn down again…”

Sakura stared at the boy, and said softly. “Haru is my friend, and I will ‘not’ let this get out of hand. I will make sure Tsunade-sensei sees reason, whether you agree or not.” Sasuke was surprised at the anger in her voice.

“She means that much to you…”

“Yes, she does. You might delude yourself into thinking she’s out to kill us all, but I assure you that if she tries, you can tell me that you told me so.”

Sasuke gritted his teeth at her tone. “You know that the Hokage isn’t going to let her go until she knows exactly what ‘it’ is, right? Especially when she hears about how Haru killed that ninja–”

Sakura said quickly. “Sasuke that’s what you ‘can’t’ do! We have to hide that fact, and bring it up as if I happened upon it during my scan because she got hurt. If Tsunade-sensei knew about what happened back there…Haru would never see the light of day again.”

“So what? She’s a danger to us all! Did you see what she did to that enemy ninja? What if Haru couldn’t tell friend from foe? What if it was you next time?”

Sakura bristled, and snapped at him. “Sasuke, Haru isn’t dangerous! That wasn’t her back there! The thing in Haru’s mind took over! You can’t possibly be thinking of putting Haru in a cell for the rest of her life for something she didn’t do!”

“She did do it, and if she loses control again, I will do just that.” Sasuke said curtly, and stood. Sakura’s face paled, and she glowered at Sasuke, pushing him out of the room roughly.

Sasuke was about to protest when Sakura got in his face. “Sasuke Uchiha…you miserable prick. How dare you! You think that you have this power to imprison and condemn, but you don’t! Oh, wait, you do have the power. The power to shut others out, to tear their hearts out and leave them crying on a bench.”

Sakura knew that she had gotten to him, and the pain on his face affirmed it. Sakura would feel guilty for this later, but she ignored the feeling for now. “You left me in the dark for three long years Sasuke. But then you came back, and I saw the sun again.” She was staring at her hands now, struggling to keep her voice level. “Do you have the heart to lock someone else in the dark? To leave them cold and bleeding, with no chance of freedom? You did it once, will you do it again?”

Without waiting for an answer, Sakura slammed the door in his face.


***

Sasuke watched as the door slammed in his face, and felt his chest contract painfully. Sakura had cut him to the quick, and he had no defenses left. She had swept them away like dust on the wind. Sasuke leaned his forehead against the wood, closing his eyes as he cursed his situation.

He loved fighting when it involved besting others using the skills he had honed over the years. But when it was with the one person he truly, really truly loved…it was a different story.

Sakura was his other half, his very soul. It was laughable to remember that at one point he had thought she was annoying. She was everything but that.

And now he had made her angry. When she had two fists that were capable of creating earthquakes at her disposal, it wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

With a sigh, Sasuke turned to find himself face to face with Neji and Haru. Neji was scowling, and Haru was just rounding the corner.

Neji had heard what had been said. Neji glared. Sasuke sighed… ‘Not again’…

“Sasuke…” Neji began, but Haru came closer, and Neji was forced to cut off abruptly. Haru smiled at the two of them.

“Ready to go?”

“Yes.” Neji said, and Sasuke grunted moodily in response. He stomped off in front of them, and Haru turned to Neji.

“Sasuke and Sakura are having a fight…”

Neji shrugged, but surreptitiously affirmed that statement.




They met Sasuke outside, and they all leapt into the forest. Sasuke said curtly. “Alright, so Haru, you’ll take the lower camp, Neji, you take the upper one, and I’ll take the center one. The leader’s camp is after this, so try to use as little energy as possible.” The two nodded, and stealthily made their way through the leaves. Haru separated from the others, and crouched in the branches, staring down with focused eyes on the group of ninja. There were about seven in all, but Haru wasn’t worried. She eased her sword out of the sheath, and jumped down.

One of the boys (they were all in their early teens or so) yelled, and Haru silenced him with a flick of her kunai, sending it through his head. The others screamed, and ran at her with fear in their eyes despite their fearless attitude. Haru’s breathing barely picked up as she twirled around the boys, bending and slashing as she ended each life as painlessly as she could. Haru didn’t like to kill, but if it was to protect innocent people, she did it without a second thought.

Haru touched her ear as the last boy fell. “Neji, I’m done.”

Neji was a bit long in replying. “I’m done as well. Are you injured?”

“No. Neji…these were just kids. What do you think it means?”

“I don’t know…unless…” Sasuke’s voice cut in.

“Neji, Haru, get your asses over here. The leader and his men are attempting to attack the village. We need to intersect them.”

“Got it.” Haru and Neji said at the same time, and disappeared.


Sasuke was breathing heavily when they arrived, and Haru and Neji faced the enemies. There were four of them. Sasuke had managed to take down one of them, but it was still three against one, so Sasuke was tired. Haru glared at the three ninja, who smirked.

“So you’re the one who killed one of our best men. You’ll pay for that you little bitch.” The tallest one snarled, leaping at her. Haru slashed with her sword, and his kunai collided with a resounding metallic ring. Haru pressed against him, swinging with her foot toward his stomach. He dodged, and Haru followed him into the higher branches. The man smirked, and put his hands together.

Ice slivers flew at Haru, and she quickly ducked to avoid them, but one managed to slice her arm. Blood trickled down her forearm, but she ignored it, and put her hands together for a jutsu of her own.

“Fireball Jutsu!” White hot flames scorched the man, but Haru saw that right before the fire hit him; the man disappeared in a poof of smoke. Haru cursed as she turned around to find his fist aiming at her face. She grabbed his wrist, and threw him toward the trees, running after him, and slamming her foot into his throat. He coughed up blood, but then disappeared again.

Another clone!

Haru turned around, but the man’s kunai was already at her throat. She froze as the cold metal touched her skin. This is why jounin battles were so dangerous. They only lasted minutes, and advantages turned on a dime. ‘Dammit…I couldn’t do anything…’ Haru thought mournfully, closing her eyes and waiting for the slice that would end her life.

I am going to die. But I don’t want to die…not yet. Yuki’s still waiting for me, and I cant leave her now.

Haru felt the man shift behind her, and call out. “Hey, unless you want this little girl to die, I would suggest you stop moving.” Haru opened her eyes to see Neji and Sasuke standing on a branch about ten meters away from her, both motionless. Neji was looking at Haru, while Sasuke’s face was a blank mask.

The man nodded toward his men, and whispered into Haru’s ear. “Time for some payback.”

One of the men punched Neji’s jaw. He grunted in pain, stumbling back. Haru struggled, and gasped as the kunai made a thin line of blood on her neck. Neji turned at the sound of her gasp, and smiled at her.

“Haru…don’t be afraid.” Haru nodded, trying to stay calm, but couldn’t help but bite her lip in horror as another man’s foot slammed into Sasuke’s chest, and Sasuke coughed harshly, but didn’t move.

Haru gritted her teeth in pain as she watched the men kick and punch her two team members. But what was worse is that they weren’t resisting. No! Fight back!

“Stop it, please!!!” Haru screamed, as the men drew out their formidable looking swords, and the man laughed coldly.

“Oh, so you’re finally getting scared? That’s good, because you’re about to watch your little boyfriend here die…and I think its only fitting that its done with your sword.” Haru kicked at him.

“Stop it! You can kill me, just let them go!” The man ignored Haru’s pleading, and shoved her at a man who quickly pinned her arms behind her back, kunai at her throat. Neji stood, blood trickling out of his mouth, and he stared at Haru with those pale eyes that reminded Haru so much of a man she had seen, only in a life that was tucked away in some unconscious corner. Those eyes that had shone so brilliantly in the darkness of that first night.

Sasuke was crouched on the ground, clutching his side tightly. The Uchiha guessed that some of his ribs were broken. The clouds were gathering once more, dark gray and foreboding. Haru looked up at the sky now, astonished.

‘Is this...me? Am I making the sky like this?’

The man reached down to grasp the sword’s handle, but the instant that the man touched it, the cool metal of the blade suddenly glowed bright silver, though there was no light in the sky now. The man jerked his hand back with a yell, and Haru saw that his hand had been burned, the skin bubbling acidly as the burn solidified. The man, face contorted with pain, barked.

“You!” He pointed at Neji. “Pick up the sword.”

Haru yelled. “No, Neji don’t!” Neji stopped, and looked at her with calculating eyes. The man motioned to the man holding Haru, and Haru yelped as her captor took her wrist, and slowly squeezed. It started to throb as he tightened his grip the point that if he kept going, he would break Haru’s wrist. Neji glared.

“I’ll do it, so enough.” The man leered, and Haru sighed as her hand was released from the pressure. Neji strode over to the sword, and wrapped his fingers around the hilt.

Nothing happened.

Sasuke’s dark eyes were widened in surprise, and the man scowled.

“Oh well. Get them.” The two who were standing nearest them leapt at Neji and Sasuke, knocking them both to the ground and slashing at them with their kunai. Haru screamed as blood filled the air.



Sasuke fell limp, and his onyx eyes were glazed over in pain as they closed. Neji crouched in front of him, gritting his teeth as he felt the knives slashing though his clothes and into his skin. He looked up to see Haru’s pained gaze. Her violet eyes were so vibrant and clear, like a pool on a calm day, a day without even the thought of a breeze in the air. Neji felt something in his chest lift up at the sight, and he struggled to get to his feet, snarling under his breath as his sides burned at the effort. He, without warning ran at the two who were smirking at him, stabbing Haru’s sword into their chests with speed and strength that left Haru breathless.

As the two fell, Neji coughed, and Haru sucked in a breath as blood splattered onto the smooth wood. The leader smirked, unperturbed by the deaths of his men.

“You’re strong. But you’re no match for me.”

And then the leader slammed his fist into Neji’s stomach, and he let out an uncontainable cry of pain.

That cry stabbed through Haru like a spear, and she felt her blood boil. Time seemed to slow down as something within her stirred.

“[Let me help you…]”

Haru gasped at the strange consciousness that touched her own mind, and asked. “[Who are you?]”

“[Does it really matter?]”

Haru growled under her breath. “[You’re the one who made me a monster.]”

“[Not a monster…not a monster at all Haru.]”

“[If you’re not a monster, than let me use your power without you taking over my body as a result.]”

The huge source of energy sighed. “[And if I refuse?]”

“[You obviously need me, right? Otherwise you’d be dead.” The voice didn’t answer, so Haru went on. “[I’ll take a kunai, and kill myself. Then where’d you be?]”

The voice chuckled, and Haru could tell that the energy form, or whatever it was, was frightened by the prospect. “[Fine. You’re more powerful than I took you for...]”

Haru felt the voice fade away, and the power flared into her veins like liquid flames. The wind started to blow, and Haru gasped in wonder.

She could feel…everything! Everything living around her pulsed and throbbed to a twisting and complicated rhythm of life, yet it all worked in harmony. The wood beneath her feet was alive, as was the air that swirled around her. It all whispered to her in voices that trickled like water and groaned like the earth. Haru touched their consciousness tentatively, and reveled in the ancient wisdom that thrummed beneath the surface.

They all touched her mind lightly in return, and she felt their happiness at being part of the wonderful song of nature flowing through her. She smiled, and closed her eyes. She entered their minds, and they gladly welcomed her into their presence. She focused, and she felt the power being put into her hands.

Haru snapped open her eyes, which were glowing, and suddenly, a branch wrapped around the neck of her captor, and with a quick snap, he was dead. Haru jumped on the wood that was waving and weaving like a great snake, and directed the branch with her thoughts as it took her higher, over the man who was approaching Neji. Neji looked up, and his mouth dropped.

Haru focused again, and the branch split off into a separate piece, becoming as sharp as a spear head. She flicked her finger toward the man’s back.

In another second, the man was screaming, a branch like spear piercing his chest and poking through the other side, a bloody point inches from Neji’s own chest. Haru was concerned at the closeness of the point.

{Forgive me, Svit-terrai…}

Haru frowned at the name. {What does that mean?}

{It is the name for the ones who are able to speak with us. It means “Earth Speaker’.} The tree whispered, and Haru nodded, a little embarrassed at the unashamed loyalty this tree showed her.

Haru laughed. She was talking to a tree….how could her day get any weirder?

Neji sank to his knees, eyes wide. Haru suddenly remembered the others, and leapt down from the branch, and dismissed the branch back to its natural position with a warm thank you.

{No thank you is required, Haru Svit-terrai…} The tree murmured as it sunk back into its less active state.

“Haru…what the hell was that?!” Neji nearly yelled, and Haru could’ve laughed at the bewildered/ scared expression. It was also the first time he had heard the Hyuuga swear.

Haru sighed, and knelt by him, examining his injuries, which were thankfully not that serious. Sasuke…however, was a different story. His breathing was quick and sharp, and his skin had a slight greenish tinge as the blood drained from his face. Haru carefully slung his hand over her shoulder, lifting him upright.

“Neji, I do have something inside me. And I blackmailed it into letting me use it’s power. And I can talk to nature.” Haru said quickly cringing as she waited for his reaction. Neji blinked.

“Oh.”

Haru smiled slightly, and shifted so her arm wrapped around Sasuke’s waist to support him better.

Neji blinked again. “Oh.” And he fell backward onto his back as he went limp. Haru yelled, and laid Sasuke down so she could kneel by Neji.

He stared up at her. “You spoke with that tree.”

“Yeah.”

“You do know how crazy that sounds right?”

Haru smiled. “I know. But it’s true.”

Neji smiled back. “I hate to say it, but I believe you.” He smiled even more as Haru flashed him a glowing grin. Neji sighed. Why did she have to look so pretty when she smiled? It made it like looking straight into the sun. He gasped when he felt her arms wrap around him, and hold him tightly.

“Sorry for getting you two hurt.” She whispered, and Neji snorted.

“It’s alright.”

Neji, if he really tried, could pull himself away from Haru. But Neji didn’t really want to move away. His hand hesitantly came to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer. Her warmth seeped through him, and he rather liked the feeling of her slender arms wrapped around him, the intoxicating fragrance of her hair washing over him, making him smile.

So they stayed like that as the sun pierced through the clouds, shining brightly over the two of them.

Chapter 11: Feelings

Neji sighed, and pulled away, smirking at the slightly put out expression on Haru’s face. He stood, relieved to find that he could stand without any serious pain. He turned to the Uchiha, who was motionless, and motioned Haru to come over.

“We need to get him back. Lift his other arm, and I’ll put him on my back.”

“Neji, I can take him if you’re –”

“Don’t even start.” His tone was so final that Haru went silent, and did as he requested. Neji slung Sasuke over his back, and the two started running. Neji sighed, and glanced at Haru beside him.

“Haru.”

“Yes, Neji?”

“Don’t tell anyone about your…power. It’ll scare them, for one. But most of all, it isn’t fully controlled, and you need to have it completely in you power before you show others, especially Hokage-sama. Sakura already wants her to examine you, and she’ll ask you questions about the…thing inside you, but you need to tell her only that you didn’t know about it until now.”

“Basically; that Sakura was examining me, and she just happened upon it, and that it didn’t look like anything dangerous?”

“Yes. Hokage-sama will probably examine it herself in any case.”

Haru nodded, and focused up front once more. The power that had seemed to pulse through her with every heartbeat was absent, and everything seemed silent and motionless in the world. Haru tried to reach back into that power, but was met with a thick mental wall.

Why couldn’t she get in? It was her mind after all…shouldn’t she be able to have clear access?

Haru shook her head, and Neji’s sharp eyes caught the movement. “What is it?”

“I tried to get the power back, but I can’t. It’s cut off…” Haru trailed off, frowning. Haru sighed. Neji probably will now lecture about how dangerous it is or something along those lines…

“I could help you with it…if you want…” Neji’s said hesitantly, and Haru nearly stumbled with shock. Neji was…offering to help her? What?

“Really?” Haru asked, unsure if Neji was really serious.

“It seems as if your emotions trigger the thing inside you, so I think, with practice, you will be able to harness it at will.”

Haru smiled, and bit her lip to keep from breaking down and crying. “Neji, thank you…so much!”

Neji smiled back, and suddenly, Sasuke groaned. Neji stopped, and they both listened as Sasuke mumbled.

“What happened, Hyuuga?”

Neji sighed. “The enemies are dead. As soon as we get you healed, we can head back to Konoha.”

Sasuke nodded dizzily. “I thought…I saw a floating branch…”

Neji and Haru both looked at each other in alarm. Haru struggled to keep her voice level. “You were probably imagining it. You were almost unconscious, so that might explain it.”

Sasuke didn’t have the energy to nod, instead closing his eyes and falling unconscious. Neji heaved a sigh of relief.

“We’ll have to be careful about him. If Sasuke gets suspicious, he will take the time to find out.”

Haru nodded, and saw the inn come into view. She ran even faster when she saw the flash of silver hair pass the window of their room.





Neji stared at Haru, who was walking in front of him, beside Yuki. Sakura was on Yuki’s other side, and was watching as Haru explained how to say objects in their language. Neji was relieved that Haru was finally doing that, because if Yuki was going to be a ninja, her command of their language must be close to, if not completely flawless. Hokage-sama would probably assign her to a jounin teacher, who would help her learn the language as well as enhance her ninja skills.


Haru sensed Neji’s eyes on her, and smiled at him before continuing. Yuki’s hazel eyes were bright with interest, and Haru knew that Yuki was trying as hard as she could. She had especially started pushing herself when Haru had told her that she had to understand the language to be a ninja.

Neji sighed, and looked up as the Konoha gate came into view. But before Neji could even take another breath, a yell filled the air.

“SASUKE-TEME!!!!”

An orange blur tackled Sasuke to the ground, and Yuki gasped. Haru laughed at her alarm, and smiled reassuringly while Sasuke grumbled from his position on the ground.

“Baka…”

“YOU GUYS ARE BACK SO EARLY! I THOUGHT TSUNADE-BAACHAN HAD –!”

“Naruto! Shut up god dammit!” Sakura yelled, and everyone except Yuki shuddered at the chilling threat in her usually cheerful voice.

Naruto grinned sheepishly, and got up off of the thoroughly embarrassed Sasuke, who also got to his feet. “Sorry Sakura-chan!” He suddenly noticed the dazed Yuki, and yelled in surprise. “Whoa!! Who’s the babe, Sakura-chan?”

Neji chuckled, and Sakura’s eye twitched.

Haru coughed. “Uh, Naruto…that’s my sister…”

Naruto’s face paled. “What? You have a sister? Where’d she come from? What’s her name? Is she a ninja? Is she strong? What about Haru? Did she do well on her first mission? What–!”

Sasuke smacked the blonde’s head with his hand. “Shut up for once Naruto…”

Yuki tugged Sakura’s arm, and pointed at Naruto again and again. Sakura frowned, and Yuki pointed to herself, saying her name – Sakura still marveled at the exotic accent that the two sisters possessed. Haru’s accent was less prominent, but was still present. – and then pointed at Naruto. Sakura’s frown smoothed out when she finally understood.

“Oh. That’s Naruto.”

“Na…ruto?” When Naruto’s head snapped up at the sound of his name, Yuki looked pleased. “Naruto!”

Naruto’s eyes sparkled. “She makes my name sound so ‘pretty’…” Sakura laughed, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Yuki smiled, and suddenly, as she met Naruto’s eyes for the first time. Her mouth opened wide, and a grin split her face. Naruto was still glowing about how Yuki said his name, and didn’t notice when Yuki walked over so she was standing right in front of him. She peered into his face, and Naruto blushed with her being so close.

After a few seconds, Yuki pulled away, and beamed. She said something, and the people who couldn’t understand looked at Haru to translate. Haru grinned.

“She thinks that your eyes are really beautiful. She wishes that her eyes were that color…” Haru trailed off, because Naruto had started yelling.

“Ha!! Take that Sasuke! I’ve got prettier eyes than you do!”

Sasuke ignored him, and started walking toward the village. Sakura smiled at them, and followed him, both of them talking in low voices. After a few minutes, before they disappeared into the village walls, Haru saw Sasuke take her hand.

Haru turned to smile at Yuki, who was staring at the blonde with eyes full of wonder.
Neji just sighed at the loudness of it all, and looked away from Naruto gratefully when a certain lilac eyed girl appeared, slightly out of breath. Neji smiled at her.

“Hinata-sama.”

“Welcome back, Neji-oniisan.” Hinata said softly, and Naruto ran over.

“Hinata!” He took her hand gently in his calloused one, and she smiled affectionately up at him.

“Naruto-kun…I’ve been chasing you for over an hour…”

Naruto laughed. “Oh…sorry about that.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, making her turn bright red. “I was just excited about Sakura-chan and those guys coming home!”

Yuki stared at this newcomer with the same eyes filled with wonder. “Naruto?” She pointed at Hinata with questioning eyes. Hinata eyes widened at the girl who was standing next to Haru. The younger Hyuuga could immediately see the similarities to the two, and her assumption was confirmed when Naruto spoke to Yuki.

“Yuki, this is my girlfriend, Hinata!” Yuki only understood the name ‘Hinata’ in that sentence, but his tone of pride and loving tenderness left no doubt that these two were lovers. Naruto turned to Hinata, continuing. “This is Haru’s sister, Hinata!”

Yuki smiled, and, glancing at Haru for a split second, walked to Hinata.

“My name…Yuki.” Yuki bowed, and Haru smiled proudly. It was one of the first things Haru had taught her in the past day or so. Hinata smiled kindly.

“Nice to meet you Yuki.” Hinata was a bit confused though, and turned to Haru. “But Haru-chan, Yuki doesn’t know how to speak? You can speak very well, however, so–?”

Haru frowned. “I…don’t know. I remember my journey to Konoha, and when Neji spoke to me…I was able to speak to him. I assume that I was taught back in my native land.” Haru shrugged, and Hinata looked a bit puzzled, but didn’t say anything more.

Naruto grinned at them all. “How about we all go to ramen? It’ll be fun!!!”

Haru smiled. “Maybe next time Naruto. I have to…uh…try to explain Yuki’s situation to Hokage-sama.

Naruto sighed, but quickly brightened. “Oh well, more ramen for us!”

Hinata laughed, and the two of them disappeared. Haru smiled, and turned to Yuki. “[Ready? We’re going to see someone very important, so please be respectful and quiet. Let me talk, okay?]”

“[I understand. But…]” Yuki’s cheeks flamed red, and she leaned in to whisper. “[Are there any cute guys there? Ones that aren’t taken, like Naruto?]”

Haru thought back, and grinned.

“[Yes.]”

Yuki looked relieved, and led the way to the gates. Neji raised an eyebrow.

“Are you going to teach her?”

Haru frowned. “I wish I could, but I think it would be better if she branched out to others. Maybe some kids her age.”

Neji smiled. “She’s only four years younger...”

“That’s a huge difference!” When Neji didn’t answer, Haru’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re impossible!” Haru pouted, and Neji scoffed.

“Look who’s talking...”

“I resent that!” Haru yelled, and Neji smiled, running down the road. Haru chased after him.

“Tell me Neji Hyuuga or I’ll hunt you down and make you wish you weren’t born!!!” Neji smirked, and stopped suddenly, making her run into his back.

Before she could speak, he whirled around, leaning down so his face was close to hers. “I don’t think you could.”

Haru felt her face heating up, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. Neji was just a friend, right? She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat wouldn’t work, and her heart was throbbing relentlessly in her chest.

Neji moved closer until his face was inches from hers. “That’s what I thought.” And he disappeared in a poof of smoke. Haru glared at the place where he had just occupied. Why had Neji made her feel that way? Haru sighed, and ran to catch up to Yuki, who was oblivious to the scene that had just occurred behind her.


***


Sasuke laced his fingers through Sakura’s, and was relieved when she didn’t pull away.

Sakura smiled, and he quickly spoke. “You’re not mad anymore.”

“Oh I still am.” Sakura said calmly, and he sweat dropped. “But I’m not ‘as’ mad as I was.”

“I’m…sorry, for what I suggested. It was wrong, and I–” Sasuke was caught off by Sakura’s hand pressing against his mouth. They were in front of their apartment, and Sakura took his hand and led him up.

“No, I’m sorry. I was stupid to bring up the past like I did. I was angry, and I knew that it would hurt. No, Sasuke, ‘I’ am the one who should say sorry. Not you.” Sakura said, and Sasuke closed the door behind them.

Their apartment was large and spacious, but Sakura didn’t have time to observe the interior, because Sasuke lifted her up, and carried her to the bed so fast it was a blur. He sat her down, and sat beside her, and she smiled.

“This is unlike you, Sasuke…” She smiled, and then frowned. “I wonder what Tsunade will do with Haru and Yuki.”

Sasuke silenced her worries with his lips, pressing her down into the soft blankets. Sakura closed her eyes, feeling Sasuke’s hands trace all over her skin, sliding her clothes off, and she let herself respond to his touch, letting the world dissolve around them…

Chapter 12: Home


Neji watched with calm eyes as Tsunade listened to Haru’s story. The Hokage didn’t interrupt at any time during the thirty minutes it took to tell their tale, and Neji wondered what was going through her mind. But the sannin’s clear golden-brown eyes were impossible to read, as usual. She merely stared at Yuki with those eyes that seemed to be evaluating her.

Yuki showed no fear at being stared down at probably the most intimidating woman in the world, and Tsunade could see that she had the look in her eyes of a hardened soldier, young enough to still be considered a child, which unsettled Tsunade, and made her wonder about the island culture that Haru spoke of. It seemed quite unusual that the older of the siblings had more gentleness and compassion than the younger, but sometimes emotions were more powerful than strict and unyielding obedience, for example Naruto. Tsunade smiled as she remembered meeting the boy for the first time…how bold, how determined to challenge a sannin like that. It would be called stupidity by most, but to Tsunade it was a sign of a true shinobi.

Tsunade listened silently, and wondered what the best path was. Tsunade was more than willing to let both in; they were both excellent shinobi, and they were short on truly skilled chuunin and jounin at the moment. But Tsunade didn’t know what it was…but these two gave her a sense of unease. They were too foreign, too different. Both seeming entirely normal in personality and appearance, and yet…frightening. ‘Will I live to regret this?’ Tsunade asked herself, and when she received no answer, she made up her mind. When Haru stopped speaking, Tsunade cleared her throat.

“Alright. I’m deciding that Yuki can also stay. But be warned, as you were Haru, I will have ninja by her side at all times, and that only after a certain amount of time will you and your sister be fully received as Konoha ninja. Is this agreeable?” Haru nodded hurriedly, and Neji spoke.

“Hokage-sama, may I speak?”

“You may.”

“Yuki here needs to learn how to speak. She only knows the language that Haru speaks from her native land. I would request that we assign a teacher to her a soon as possible. One that isn’t pressured with…other distractions.” Neji trailed off, and Haru giggled as she realized what he meant. Tsunade chuckled.

“So you’re suggesting that I assign Yuki to someone who isn’t distracted by other…intimate relationships?”

“Yes.” Haru answered, still smiling. Tsunade thought about it, and looked up.

“How about Kiba Inuzuka? He is taking a vacation from missions, and he could also teach Yuki at the same time.” Neji raised an eyebrow.

“Kiba? And would she live with them?”

“I think it would be best.” Tsunade continued before Haru could protest. “I know you want to protect her, but she needs to associate with others to fully become fluent. And I’ll ask Kiba to introduce her to others her age as well, so don’t worry. You’ll be able top visit her as often as you want.”

Haru bit her lip, looking over at Yuki with sad eyes. The last thing she wanted to do right now is leave her sister again. ‘Well, I’m not really ‘leaving’ her…’ Haru mused to herself, as Yuki stared at Tsunade with those deep hazel eyes. Haru nodded to Tsunade, and bent down to look at her sister.

“[Yuki?]”

“[Yes Haru?]”

“[The Hokage says you can stay. But you can’t live with me. You have to go live with the Inuzuka clan.]” Yuki’s eyes widened with horror. She clutched Haru’s arm, mouth opening in silent shock. “[I know…I don’t want this either, but it’s for the best…for both of us. You’ll get your speech to where it needs to be, and I’ll have time to get myself situated here. Kiba is going to be your teacher, so be nice and listen to all that he says. Okay?]”

“[What if he doesn’t like me Haru?]” Yuki whispered, and Haru laughed.

“[Don’t worry. Nobody could ever ‘not’ like you.” Yuki smiled, and hugged her sister.

“[Okay, I’ll do it.]”

Haru looked up at Tsunade, who was sharing a puzzled look with Neji. “Alright, she says that she’ll do it.”

Tsunade smiled, and there was a knock at the door. It opened to reveal a confused seventeen year old. His brown hair was messy and spiked up in all directions. Two red slashes decorated his cheeks, and his dark eyes glanced around, and locked onto Yuki for a long moment before he reluctantly turned to Tsunade.

“You…wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?”

Tsunade smiled. “Yes. I need to discuss something with you, Kiba. You all may wait out in the hall.” She said to the three other ninja, dismissing them with a blasé wave of her hand. Haru bowed deeply, and Yuki mimicked her. Neji nodded, and led the other two towards the door.

Yuki glanced at Kiba with a curious look in her eye. Kiba was staring openmouthed at her, and when he reddened slightly, Yuki turned slightly pink in response to his intense stare, and hurried out. Neji gave a warning look to Kiba over his shoulder; Haru had not seen any of it, and was still smiling with relief.

Neji leaned against the wall, groaning mentally at the thought of Kiba’s flushed face. When he had mentioned that Yuki was ‘only’ four years younger than Haru and Neji were, he was joking around. But he hadn’t expected to be confirmed on that fact so soon. ‘This is going to be interesting…’ Neji thought grimly, and glanced over at Haru, who was hugging her sister tightly.

Haru beamed, and Yuki was smiling as well. Haru felt as though her heart was going to burst with happiness. How much better could life get? Haru was reunited with her sister, they both got to stay in Konoha, ‘and’ Haru was starting to become good friends with everyone, especially Neji. Haru beamed even brighter at the thought. If only Yuki could stay with Haru in the Hyuuga Compound…then everything would be perfect.

The three were suddenly diverted from their inner thoughts by the door opening, and a glowing Kiba sidling out. He seemed ready to burst.

He grinned at Yuki. “Hey! I’m Kiba, and you’ll be living with my clan from now on!” He put his hands together for a split second, and suddenly, a huge dog was next to him. Haru shrieked in surprise, while Yuki just grinned in delight. She had always loved animals, and this dog was no exception. The canine had snowy white fur, and shining black eyes that shone as they took in his beloved ninja friend. What amazed Yuki the most was that its muscular back reached all the way up to Kiba’s lower chest.

“This is Akamaru!” Kiba said proudly, rubbing the said dog’s ears affectionately. “In the Inuzuka clan, we specialize in working with ninja dogs. We fight with them, but they are also part of our family. Akamaru, meet Yuki!”

Yuki remained perfectly still as the dog cautiously approached her, black nose twitching as he evaluated her scent. Haru wanted to grab her sister, and keep her as far away from those gleaming fangs that were revealed slightly as the dog opened its mouth to taste the strange smell that surrounded her more thoroughly, but Neji put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back.

The dog’s mouth suddenly split in what Neji swore to be a grin, and Akamaru leapt at Yuki, licking her cheek sloppily with his long pink tongue. Yuki laughed, and rubbed the dog around his chin, earning deep rumbles of contentment from the canine. Kiba looked extremely pleased, and turned to Haru.

“You’re sister’s a good one.”

Haru’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Akamaru always knows when someone is good or bad. If Yuki had been mean or hateful, then Akamaru wouldn’t have accepted her like he did. So…” Kiba put his hands behind his head. “Are we all set? I want to show Yuki around the Inuzuka Compound…”

Neji nodded, and Kiba helped Yuki carefully onto the huge dog. He settled himself behind her, one hand holding onto Akamaru’s fur, the other wrapping around Yuki’s waist. Yuki giggled as Akamaru leapt out the large window that was to their left, and Haru rushed to the side and peered down, ready to leap after them. She sighed in relief as she saw the large white dog land lithely on the roof. Yuki waved excitedly, her face alight with happiness. Although she was a ninja capable of killing a man without batting an eyelash, Yuki was just a fourteen year old. A girl that was, in truth, still a teen that needed to have fun once and a while. Haru had sometimes forgotten this, seeing how mature Yuki was by nature.


***


Yuki’s eyes watered as the wind buffeted against her face, sending her hair blowing behind her in swirls and ripples. Kiba smiled as he watched her delight, and held her tighter as Akamaru leapt up higher on a building. They soared over the rooftops, Akamaru’s tough feet making soft padding noises on the tile. Yuki buried her hands into Akamaru’s thick fur, marveling in how warm it was. She sighed with happiness, and glanced back at where her sister had been only minutes ago, but now the Hokage tower was concealed by other buildings. Yuki felt a pang of unease, but pushed it from her mind as they continued on.

Why was she worried? She could visit Haru any time she wanted, so why was she already feeling this way?

‘But…what if they don’t like me? Why would they like me? I’m a freak to them.’ Yuki thought morosely. ‘I can’t believe that they don’t even use magic. Everyone used magic back home.

Home.

Yuki’s eyes smarted with restrained tears as the memories came back.

The flower garden that was Haru and her own secret base that nobody could go to but them, the one they had played in when they were young.

The small lake that held those bright fish that spoke in liquid tones that flickered into high and low notes, notes so beautiful that when a group of them spoke, it was as if music was being played underwater.

Her mother’s eyes…her father’s hands as they hugged her tightly to him. Their smiles of pride when she became a genin.

The lights of the fire that burst from Yuki’s hands as she learned to control her elemental energy presented by the spirits at birth. Everyone had a spirit element in their land. But did they have them here?

Yuki felt a tear roll down her cheek as she remembered the fire. That day, the fire had been a good thing, a thing that flickered and shone like a wonderful sun in the palm of her hand. But then…the fire had come from a different source that day. The day her kingdom was destroyed by the element she had been so proud of. She had been going to show Haru her jutsu, and the fire had suddenly licked around the wood of the mansion, and the screams tore at Yuki like a barbed hook. The gross demons cackled as they killed, and Yuki ran faster to get away.

Yuki wanted to go home.

Was there even a home to go to? What would she find? Ashes? Bones? What horrors would await her there?

Was there a chance…that some were still alive? Was there a chance that Yuki and Haru weren’t as alone as they seemed? Was there a chance, though it was near impossible, that some of their people were still alive?

Kiba felt the girl’s shoulders shaking, and Akamaru stopped. “Yuki, what’s wrong?”

Yuki couldn’t answer, because she only understood her name. But his concerned tone left no doubt that he was asking what was wrong. Yuki struggled to keep her tone calm.

“Home. Yuki miss…home.”

Kiba’s eyes softened. “Homesick, huh? Don’t blame you. I would miss it too if I had to leave this place.” Kiba said softly, and Akamaru whined in agreement. Yuki turned to him quizzically, and Kiba laughed to himself.

“You don’t understand me. If I’m going to teach you anything as a ninja, I need to teach you to talk first.”

Yuki stared at him, and tried to understand. Kiba sighed.

“Well, while we’re saying our thoughts, I’ll just add that I think you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, and that…um…never mind.” He trailed off, going bright red in the face.

What did he say? Yuki raised an eyebrow, wondering why his face was going red. Was something so embarrassing about Yuki that he had to feel self-conscious?

Kiba murmured to Akamaru, and they set off again, Yuki looking back often as Kiba struggled to keep the blush from intensifying.

Kiba wondered why he liked this girl so much. ‘I feel like such a creep…going for a girl at first sight like this…and one that’s four years younger than me too...’ Kiba suddenly remembered that he was only seventeen, making it only three years apart.

‘I am ‘not’ going to fall for her!’ Kiba said strongly to himself, steeling himself. ‘I am ‘not’ going to fall for her! I am ‘not’ going to…’

Each time he repeated it to himself; he felt his resolve weakening. Damn…

Chapter 12: Time Passes


Yuki carefully got off of the broad back of Akamaru, and Kiba dismounted with an ease that astounded her. Kiba gestured grandly toward the towering compound.

“Welcome to the Inuzuka Compound!” Yuki just stared.

There were lush gardens, filled with trees and bushes in which to hide. Yuki sighed with happiness as she took in the huge mansion surrounded by smaller houses. Dogs were heard barking from inside, and Yuki’s heart lifted at the sound. She couldn’t wait to meet the canines in person.

Kiba noticed her look of longing at the barking sound, and grinned. She liked animals, dogs in particular. Wait until she meets Sis…

Yuki followed Kiba into the mansion, and savored the sweet smell of pine and grass that filled the air. Yuki almost fainted with excitement when a mass of fluffy ninja puppies exploded out of one door, and crowded uncoordinatedly around her legs. She cooed in delight, and petted them all very gently. They yipped in adoration, and licked her cheeks lovingly. Kiba knelt next to her, just as a tall young woman burst through the door, looking frantic. Yuki looked up at her.

The stranger was in her early twenties, and had long black hair that – even in a high ponytail – went to her lower back, and deep brown eyes that widened as they took in Yuki. Her cheeks were, like Kiba, also tattooed with the traditional Inuzuka clan marks, and her eyes also had the slightly angled shape that was not entirely human. It didn’t make her less striking however, and Yuki still stared.

“Kiba…who is this?” Her voice was low, and slightly higher in distress. She glanced at the puppies, scanning them with her sharp eyes. Yuki sensed her alarm, and moved away from the puppies, ignoring their small cries of disappointment. The woman knelt down next to Kiba, and stroked each puppy, searching for injuries.

Yuki pulled on Kiba’s sleeve, and pointed to the woman. He grinned.

“That’s Big Sis! Her name’s Hana Inuzuka!” Yuki frowned, and carefully repeated.

“Big…Sis? Hana?” Yuki had never heard of someone with two names before…

Hana looked over in surprise, and looked at Kiba for confirmation as she asked once more, but with less alarm. “Kiba, who is this?”

“Her name is Yuki. She’s Haru’s sister. Neji and Haru found her on their mission. She’s living with us from now on, but I need to teach her how to talk.” Hana looked shocked. She had never met Haru, but Kiba had described her, and this girl looked exactly as he had described Haru, only with entrancing hazel eyes instead of purple. Hana studied the girl as she glanced longingly toward the fuzzy puppies once more.

Hana noticed how Kiba looked at her, and looked at the girl even more closely. She was young, but the way she held herself told Hana that she was a ninja, and a skilled ninja at that. But not a bad person. Kiba wouldn’t have brought her here if that was the case. And the ninja puppies wouldn’t have gone to her so willingly if she hadn’t been a good one.

Hana smiled at Yuki, who hesitantly grinned back. “Well, Yuki, welcome to the Inuzuka clan! I’ll show you to your room, and maybe you can help me taking these puppies back?” Yuki looked puzzled, and Hana laughed. “If you’re going to help at all, we’re going to have to teach you how to talk.”

Yuki didn’t understand what she said, but Hana’s laugh was infectious, and Yuki smiled even wider.

‘Haru, I like this place. I’ve already made new friends. It feels like home. Is that why you like this place so much?’


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Haru leaned noiselessly against the door frame, watching Neji as he meditated in the small square of sunlight that shone through his bedroom window. His face was perfectly smooth, eyes closed, and his glossy dark brown hair was tied up in its usual loose ponytail. He was sitting cross-legged, and his large yet slender hands were loosely resting on his bent knees. Haru marveled at his ability to remain still for this long – she had been standing there for at least an hour – and wondered if she could ever do it.

Haru listened to each deep breath that he took in, and suddenly felt the urge to put her hand to his chest, to feel it rise and fall as it took in air, and let it out. Her face flushed red, and she scolded herself for such thoughts. ‘Neji’s just a friend! That kiss on the bridge a while ago…was just a fluke. I didn’t know what I was doing!’

If that was the fact, then why was Haru staring at his lips that were slightly parted, so full, so delicately shaped…

Haru turned an even deeper crimson, and it was at that moment that Neji spoke, eyes still closed.

“Do you need something, Haru? You’ve been standing there for a long time.” Haru flinched as he said her name, and struggled to reply.

“No. I was just…watching.”

Neji opened his eyes, and Haru resisted the urge to gasp as those pearly opal eyes focused on her. In the sunlight, they seemed to glow.

Neji was staring at her, wondering why she was so red in the face. Must be the heat. It was summer after all, and the heat sometimes got to the point of being unbearable. He was getting rather uncomfortable, being in direct sunlight, and he rose to his feet, stretching slightly. Haru smiled at him, and turned away abruptly. Neji blushed as her hair swung gracefully behind her, the alluring fragrance of her washing over him in like a mist. Neji knew, after nearly six months living with her in such close proximities, that she didn’t put on any kind of perfume on, which made him even more confused.

Even after living with her for this long of time, she still confused him on so many levels. But he understood her much more than he had half a year ago. Had it been that long? It seemed such a long time ago that he and Haru had brought Yuki home with them, and she had been accepted into living with the Inuzuka clan.

Haru sighed, and Neji’s attention was turned to her once more. Haru was another thing Neji was attuned to, her every move made him respond in kind.

Haru was stubborn and opinionated, but she was embarrassed easily. Her favorite food was strawberries. She had eaten an entire box of them in less than an hour. Neji could still remember her face when he had found her, looking gloriously satisfied…and an empty box beside her.

She was extremely protective, and often went to extra measures to make sure that those she cared about were safe. Neji had noticed that when she had a nightmare, she went to his room, and poked her head in, making sure he was still there and safely asleep. It made him wonder what her nightmare had been about.

Haru’s skills as a ninja were exceptional, Neji still being the only one who could beat her in a battle. Her elemental magic – still only known to Neji and Haru – was steadily improving, and she now could control them almost perfectly. Fire was the only one that was giving her some trouble, and Neji couldn’t understand the reason. He hadn’t been there when Haru saw the fire destroying everything precious her. Fire burned, and had killed her parents.

Neji spoke. “Do you want to go get Yuki now? Or should we wait?”

Haru brightened. She had visited her sister nearly every day in the beginning, but as Yuki became more confident in her new home, the visits had become less in number. “We should go now. Before she gets too into her training with Kiba. You know how she gets.” Neji nodded, smiling.

The two walked out of the compound, savoring the sunlight that shone down on the village of Konoha, making the town seem much more alive. The Inuzuka Compound soon came into view, and Yuki was seen with her newly found best friend, Akira Inuzuka, a slender girl with long reddish-brown tresses and clear brown eyes. The two giggling fourteen year olds were sitting outside, on the grass next to a huge oak tree. Akira’s canine companion, named Tora, barked happily as Yuki stroked her russet fur.

Haru called out to her, and both girls were pulled out of their conversation. Neji was still amazed at the speed at which Yuki had learned their language, and impressed as well. Yuki was almost fluent in their language, but still had a few problems pronouncing words, but that was minor.

“Haru!” Yuki called out, running up to her sister and throwing her arms around her. Haru smiled, and waved to Akira when the girl grinned in greeting.

Yuki smiled happily. “Let’s go! I wasn’t able to sleep last night I was so excited! Do I get my headband today?”

Neji nodded, and Yuki squealed joyfully. Haru looked to Akira, who was rolling her eyes at Yuki’s unusual childish behavior. Haru smiled and asked. “Akira, did you become a chuunin yet?”

Akira beamed. “Yup! About a week ago! They said I was a bit young, but my dad finally convinced them to let me pass. Maybe Yuki and I will go on missions now!” The two girls slapped enthusiastic high fives, and Haru laughed, petting Tora, who was sitting by Akira’s feet, tongue hanging out.

The four of them all made their way to the Hokage Tower, Yuki and Akira gabbing away, and Neji and Haru walking in companionable silence.

So much had changed. But fortunately, it was for the better rather than for the worse.

Tsunade was waiting for them in her office, and her smile of welcome was genuine. “Good afternoon, Haru, Neji, Yuki. I didn’t expect you to come with them Akira, but you always were unpredictable.” Akira flashed the Hokage a feral grin. Tsunade continued. “Anyway, the Council and I have agreed that you two have proven your loyalty to Konoha throughout the past months, and I am pleased to present you with your Konoha headbands.” She reached into her desk, and brought out two gleaming headbands, both with new metal pieces engraved with the Konohagakure symbol.

Haru took her headband, and admired the dark purple cloth that the metal was attached to, and bowed her thanks, tying the headband loosely around her neck. Yuki almost jumped up and down with excitement as she took hers, tying the plain black cloth around her head, so the metallic plate was centered on her forehead. The two sisters bowed, and they all left.

Neji smiled as Haru kept reaching up to run her fingers over the cool metal, a small smile on her face. He knew how much Haru had wanted that headband, how hard she had worked to prove her worth. She had just hidden her excitement, unlike Yuki. But Yuki was still only fourteen, so that was expected.

Yuki turned her head as something caught her eye, and she grinned. “Hey, there’s Emo and Sakura-chan!” Haru sighed as Yuki pointed out a certain raven haired jounin and Sakura, walking down the street. Yuki ran up to them, and leapt at Sakura, a mere silver blur.

Haru put her head in her hand. Yuki could be such a child sometimes…

Sakura looked pleasantly surprised. “Hey Yuki! You got your headband! Congratulations!” Yuki grinned, and turned to Sasuke.

“Hey Emo!” Sasuke twitched in annoyance, and Yuki stuck her tongue out. Sasuke muttered.

“Still as annoying as ever. When did Kiba teach you that word?”

“Oh Kiba didn’t teach me that! I learned that from Naruto-oniisan!”

“…”

Sakura laughed at Sasuke’s expression. “Why am I not surprised?”

Yuki laughed with the medic, and said goodbye, she and Akira racing off, yelling at the top of their lungs, Tora barking behind them as she ran to catch up with the two teens. Haru laughed nervously as her sister vanished.

“Uh…sorry about that Uchiha-san…she can be like that sometimes…”

Sasuke just sighed in irritation. Neji smirked. Sakura just smiled.

“HEY SASUKE-BASTARD!!!!”

Sakura winced. “Oh no…”

An orange flash bounded up, tackling Sasuke. Haru rolled her eyes. Neji smirked even wider. “This just isn’t a good day for you, is it Sasuke? I mean, first you’re called “Emo” by a fourteen year old, and then you get tackled by an idiot. How could it get any worse?”

Sasuke glared, but its usual intensity was diminished somewhat by the fact that he was on the ground, with an overexcited ninja on top of him.

Naruto grinned, and looked up at Haru. “You got your headband! Nice!”

Haru smiled. “Thanks Naruto. Yuki got hers too, but she left with Akira a few seconds ago, so you missed her.” Naruto pouted.

“Damn! I gotta go find her!” Naruto jumped up, and ran off, leaving a dust cloud behind him. Haru sighed. What a random day this was turning out to be…

Sakura helped Sasuke to his feet, and Sasuke brushed himself off. Sakura checked her watch – it was now at least three in the afternoon – and gasped. “Oh no! We have to go get stuff for the party tonight!”

Haru raised an eyebrow. “Party?”

Sakura slapped a hand to her forehead. “Great! ‘And’ I forgot to tell you guys! Its Naruto’s birthday today and we’re making it a surprise! Hinata’s the one who planned it, and she asked us to buy some balloons and firecrackers. It’s at the Hyuuga Compound; Hinata’s bringing him there at five, so we should get there at four to set up.”

Haru’s eyes lit up. “I’ll be there! Is it alright if I help? I know a few tricks that’ll make things more…interesting…” Neji’s eyes flashed over to her mischievous ones, and Haru quickly made her face blank. Sakura didn’t notice this, and smiled.

“Of course you can! We’re going to need help, because surprising Naruto is getting pretty tough…”

The couple said goodbye to Haru and Neji, and quickly made their way toward the market, talking in low voices. Sakura laughed at something Sasuke said, and the two disappeared around the corner.

Haru turned to Neji, who was still staring at her. “Did you know about this?”

“Yes.” Haru bristled.

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“Nope.”

Haru laughed, and stuck her tongue out at him. Neji smirked, ruffling her hair playfully. Haru suddenly stiffened.

“Oh! I have to get him a present!!!”

Neji shook his head at her alarm. “Calm down…”

Haru ignored him, and nearly trampled him over as she sprinted to the market. Neji grabbed her hand before she could collide into anyone, and he pulled her in the opposite direction.

“Don’t worry about it. We already got all of his presents. You can just give him one of those.” Haru relaxed, and let him lead her back to the Hyuuga Compound.

“Does Yuki know?”

Neji coughed lightly. “I don’t think she should come.”

“Why not?!”

“There’s going to be alcohol.”

“Oh. I see.”

Neji smiled as she took that fact in. “I’ve given Kiba explicit instructions not to let her come, so don’t worry about her. He wouldn’t want her drinking anyway. He’s gotten quite attached.” Haru frowned.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing.”

“I know you’re not telling me something, but I’m too tired right now to try and get anything out of you.”

Neji smiled. “You’ve finally learned to stop trying when it comes to these things.”

Haru grinned. “Oh, it doesn’t mean I’ll ‘stop’ trying. It just means that I’m letting it go for now.”

Neji shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.”

Haru stopped, and looked up at him. “Really, am I ‘ridiculous’? Or am I just too much for you to handle?” She said, grinning.

Neji stopped, and looked back down at her. The look in his eyes made the words she had ready dwindle away into nothing. He bent down, and kissed her forehead so quickly that she didn’t have time to draw a breath of surprise, and walked away, hands in his pockets.

Haru blinked rapidly, touching her fingers to where his warm lips had been just a moment before. Haru felt her face heat up rapidly.

What was that?

Haru didn’t know. And that fact left her even more confused.

Chapter 14: Birthday Surprises


Haru was perched on the Hyuuga Compound roof, staring up at the sky that was spotted with delicate wisps of snowy white clouds, and it was slowly dimming as it got later in the day. Haru was on the roof, waiting for Sakura and Sasuke to come so she could start decorating.

She sighed happily, stretching her arms high above her head. The sun was warm, and it made the trees around her seem to glow. The streets outside the compound were lively, and if Haru had been less aware, she would’ve missed the pink flash that zoomed into the entrance, followed by a raven one. Haru grinned, getting to her feet and jumping through the window into the main room, where Neji, Ino, Shikamaru, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were waiting. The Sand siblings had arrived that morning, and Haru had been introduced to them when the two teens had arrived back home after meeting Sasuke and Sakura at the market.

“Sakura’s here!” Haru said happily, just as Sakura came into the room, followed by a silent Sasuke, both of them holding bags of supplies.

Sakura was in full business mode, and her voice was firm. “Alright, we don’t have much time.”

Sasuke sighed. “Sakura, we have over an hour…”

Sakura went on as if she hadn’t heard him. “So we need everyone to pitch in! Alright?” Her eyes challenged anyone to say no. Neji smiled at Haru, who stared at Sakura with wide eyes.

Haru never would’ve labeled Sakura as a birthday person…

They all agreed, and Sakura gave them their jobs. The three Sand siblings would be cleaning and decorating the backyard where dinner was going to be served. Shikamaru would blow up balloons, and Ino would organize the tableware and chair placement. Sasuke was unloading the food into the kitchen, where the cooks immediately set to work. Haru was sitting on the rug in front of the door, hands touching the door, muttering inaudible words to herself as she did so.

After a minute or so, Haru giggled, finally ending her spell and getting to her feet, calling to the house in general. “Nobody touch this door okay?” Ino poked her head in the room, smiling.

“What’d you do?”

Haru beamed. “You’ll see. I’ve set it so it triggers when Naruto closes the door behind Hinata, who is going to move to the side I hope…”

“Is ‘it’ illegal?” Haru frowned.

“Um, well, it depends on what ‘illegal’ is…” Ino laughed, and retreated back into the room where she was sorting silverware.

Sakura looked down at the list, and pointed at Neji. “You get to frost the cake.”

“…”

“Don’t give me that look. Just be a man and get it over with.”

“…No…”

Sakura bristled. “Neji Hyuuga.” Neji paled, taking a small, almost indiscernible step back. “Frost the cake. ‘Now’.”

“No!” Sakura moved forward, and Haru stepped finally stepped in.

“Enough! It’s just a cake! Sakura, calm down. Neji, get in the kitchen and help me frost the cake!” Haru grabbed Neji’s arm and pulled him into the kitchen. Sakura stared, blinking rapidly as she watched Haru effortlessly drag Neji off. Then she smirked, as the two rounded the corner into the large kitchen, the door closing behind them.

The medic felt two arms wrap around her waist, and a pair of soft lips press themselves on the base of her neck.

Sakura sighed, stroking the Uchiha’s hair softly. Sasuke pecked her on the cheek, and said quietly.

“I’m sure Naruto will love this.”

Sakura smiled. “He’d better love this, or this’ll be the last birthday he will ever see…” Sasuke chuckled at her tone, and kissed her again before moving away to throw away the empty shopping bags.



Neji grumbled as he mixed the bright orange frosting in a small bowl, and Haru fingered the small camera Sakura had given her about a month ago. Better not let it go to waste…

Haru sighed, and took a knife, scooping a large portion of orange frosting and smearing it all over the top of the cake, smoothing it out all over the top layer. Neji sighed, and followed suit.

The Hyuuga glanced over, and smiled at the sight of Haru; so vigilantly slathering the cake with frosting, tongue sticking out in concentration. Her silver bangs were pinned back by a slender clip, and a few strands of hair that she had hastily tucked behind her ear were hanging in front of her eyes. Those amethyst eyes that turned to look at him.

“Neji?”

Neji turned away, getting more frosting and moving it along the sides, watching the plain white cake get covered by the orange colored frosting. He felt Haru’s eyes on him, but he ignored her. She finally looked away, and reached up to get the candles. Neji found himself watching her once again. She was getting out the frosting, the squeeze-out kind used to write names and such. Haru picked at it, and her face became frustrated when it didn’t open.

Neji took it gently, and, with a quick snap, opened it. Haru took it back, and looked a bit guilty.

“Sorry.” She said apologetically. “I should have been able to do that!”

“It’s fine.” Neji said, and Haru grinned at him, making him suck in a short breath. Was she purposely trying to taunt him by looking that beautiful?

Haru turned back to the cake, and grinned. “There! All done!”

The cake was round and bright orange, with black letters that neatly spelled out on the surface: ‘HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY NARUTO!’

The silver haired girl looked extremely pleased with herself, and Neji smirked as she reached up to push back her hair, and instead getting frosting on her lips and cheek. Haru saw the frosting on her finger, and licked it clean, smiling as the sugary substance disappeared into her mouth. Neji shook his head, and pulled out a napkin. He closed his fingers around her slender wrist, and pulled her around so she faced him. Neji dabbed lightly at her face, until all the orange was gone.

He felt something stir inside of him as he placed the napkin back on the table, and he found her staring up at him. Her lips were parted, and he found himself mesmerized by their captivating violet color.

Haru felt her face heat up as Neji folded the napkin and wiped away the frosting she hadn’t known was there. He was warm; she could feel the heat radiating off of his hand even through the napkin. She felt her hand that was resting on the counter form a loose fist as he smiled at her, a gentle smile so affectionate that it made her heart clench painfully. She hadn’t seen this side of him before.

Neji Hyuuga had, in the beginning, been the polite teenager who cared for her, making sure she was comfortable. Now, however, he was her friend, one of the ones that she knew that she could trust with every fiber in her body. Neji was kind, but he didn’t show his true emotions easily. Maybe that was why her heart was beating so fast, because of this one rare moment of seeing into his soul.

Neji felt her hand slide out of his grasp which still had a hold on her wrist, and her fingers laced through his. Heat flooded through him, and he struggled to keep his body’s responses in check. Her mouth opened, and she tried to keep her voice level.

“Thank you.”

The Hyuuga knew, deep down, that she was not just thanking him for removing frosting from her face.

“There’s no need to thank me, Haru.”

“Yes, there is.” Haru’s hand tightened around his, and she stared at the floor. “You’re always there for me, Neji, and I always feel as if I’m not ever there for you. So I want to thank you. Thank you. I know it doesn’t mean much, seeing that they’re just words, but…” Haru felt a cool finger under her chin, and she raised her head to find herself inches away from moon pale orbs.

Neji felt himself leaning in, almost instinctively. He put his hand on the counter near her hip, other hand coming to rest on her collar bone, tracing the silky smooth skin there. Her eyes fluttered closed, and her lips parted as he came even closer. He paused, his lips only centimeters away from hers. He could feel her warm breath on his lips, and he closed his eyes, leaning in to attempt to close that temptingly short distance.

“Is the cake ready ye– AHHHH!!” Sakura walked into the kitchen; only to slam her head on the door in her haste to exit when she saw the position Neji and Haru were in. Haru shrieked, jerking away from Neji and moving to the other side of the room. Neji stayed where he was, and tried to keep the red from overwhelming his cheeks.

Sakura pried herself from the door, and stood open-mouthed at the two, gasping for breath. “You guys…you–!”

Sasuke’s urgent voice came from outside. “Sakura, are you alright?”

Haru’s eyes flashed to Sakura, and Sakura met her gaze, calming her voice down, and raising an eyebrow.

“Y-yeah…I just stepped on something! Don’t worry, I’ll be right out!”

They waited until Sasuke’s footsteps had faded away, and both Haru and Neji tried to speak at once.

“It wasn’t–!”

“I can expl–!”

Sakura held up a hand, and the two went silent. “You two should be careful where you put things on the floor. Someone could get hurt, and you might get in trouble.” She smiled, and was gone. Haru blushed deep red and bustled out, mumbling something about “Sakura…cake…better go…”

Neji watched as Haru closed the door behind her, and then he sighed loudly, leaning his head against the cabinet, thinking of how close he had been to feeling those lips on his for the second time. How close their bodies had been.

Dammit…


***


The house was dark and silent, the only sounds heard where the rustling of trees outside. Footsteps were heard outside the Hyuuga Compound, and the silent ninja who were crouched behind furniture listened as a familiar voice was heard.

“Thanks for inviting me over Hina-chan!”

“It’s nothing Naruto-kun.” Hinata’s soft voice replied, and Haru tried not to giggle in her place beside the door. The doorknob rattled, and it opened, revealing for a moment Hinata, looking radiant in the bright moonlight, and a beaming Naruto behind her. Hinata walked into the room, and Haru reached out and tugged her lightly in her direction. Hinata took a few steps in Haru’s direction, and the door closed shut.

BANG!!!

A huge golden fox, sparking and crackling, appeared right in front of Naruto, roaring so loudly that the very roof seemed to rattle. Naruto screamed, and his curses were heard even over the roar.

“HOLY FUCKSHITCRAPSHITFUCKFUCKFUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The lights came on, and the fox disappeared, and everyone jumped out, yelling, “Happy Birthday Naruto!!!”

Naruto had his hands in front of his face, and he peeked out to see his friends. His eyes opened wide, and he grinned. And then he glared.

“Alright, which one of you assholes came up with…that ‘thing’??”

He was looked accusingly at Sasuke, who smirked. “Hey, don’t look at me Baka. It was Haru, not me.”

Naruto turned to Haru, eyes blazing. Haru cringed muttering. “Sakura told me that it would take a lot to scare you, so I went a bit overboard…”

Naruto laughed. “Ha-ha! I must be hard to scare! It was pretty cool, even if it scared me to death!”

They all laughed, and Naruto looked around at all of them. “Thanks you guys!”

Hinata kissed Naruto on the cheek, and led him to the back yard, where the dinner was already on the tables. The Sand siblings had hung gently glowing lamps all around, and streamers were covering everything that wasn’t edible.

“Wow!” Naruto said loudly, and they all sat down. Haru sat next to Temari, who she hadn’t really gotten a chance to talk to.

Temari grinned at the young woman who sat beside her. “Hey! You’re Haru, right?”

“Yeah. Temari, am I right?”

“That’s me! So, how do you like Konoha?”

Haru took a bite of her chicken before answering. “It’s great. I love it here.”

“That’s always good! But you should visit Suna one of these days; I’ll be your guide.”

“I’d like that.”


After dinner was finished, and Naruto had consumed his last ramen bowl, the group went into the living room, and Ino passed around glasses and the bottle of sake. Everyone except Neji, Haru, and Sasuke took a glass. Naruto sat on the couch, Hinata beside him, and Sakura – who was sitting on the opposite couch with Sasuke – raised her glass.

“I’d like to say something.” She stood up, giving her glass to Sasuke. She took out a . Haru looked up from her conversation with Neji, and everyone listened as Sakura cleared her throat.

“As you all know, Naruto is turning eighteen today. It’s weird to think about it, because I remember desperately wishing that Naruto would grow up, and stop being so annoying and ramen obsessed. And, in what seemed like no time at all, it happened. Naruto grew up. He became a jounin, something I never would’ve expected him skilled enough to accomplish. He’s become actually able to hold a conversation, and his ramen obsession has lessened somewhat. Well, at least he’s found something else, more accurately ‘someone’ else, to be obsessed about.”

Everyone laughed as Hinata turned beet red, and Naruto went pink in the face, and he defiantly kissed Hinata deeply in front of everyone. This carried on for several moments until Sakura cleared her throat.

“Anyway. Over the years, I’ve come to love Naruto as a brother, and I think we can all agree on the fact that Konoha wouldn’t be the same without our favorite ninja Naruto around.” Everyone nodded, and Naruto beamed happily. “Naruto, you may be crazy, you may be louder than everyone in this room put together, you may wear ‘way’ too much orange, and you may be so stubborn that it makes me want to tear my hair out sometimes. But…even through that, we all love you Naruto, and are so proud of you.”

Sakura wiped away her tears hastily, and looked around awkwardly now that her speech was over. Naruto bit his lip, and rose to his feet in one fluid moment. Everyone looked slightly surprised when Naruto swept up his pink haired teammate, and hugged her tightly.

When the two broke apart, Sasuke chuckled, also standing up, and pulling out his own slip of paper. “Well, don’t get teary on us yet Baka. I also have something to say.” Naruto’s eyes widened impossibly wide, and Sasuke looked down at his paper.

“When I met Naruto for the first time, I only thought of him as an idiot who had a big mouth. But as I got to know him, I realized that I was, without my noticing it, becoming his rival. He was the one thing I wanted to be. He had the ability to change people. Naruto, you changed me, and even now, as you probably still want to beat my ass just for being in the same room as you, I know that you made me who I am today. Without you, I wouldn’t have returned to Konoha, I wouldn’t know what it is to love, and to truly have friends. And,” Sasuke looked up from his paper to stare into his best friend’s eyes. “no matter what people say, no matter how hard they try to push you away from your dream, just remember that you have people you believe in you. Maybe not today, maybe not for a few years, but I know someday, that you will be the greatest Hokage Konohagakure has ever seen.” Sasuke trailed off.

There was silence. There wasn’t one person in that room whose mouth wasn’t open in pure shock.

Naruto stood up, and the two men stared at each other. Naruto suddenly ran forward, and Sasuke tensed, as if expecting a blow.

But it wasn’t. Naruto hugged Sasuke tightly, tears finally making their way down his whiskered face. Sakura smiled, and joined in the hug.

The others sat there, smiling at each other, trying not to look at the heartfelt moment between the three teammates, and Haru’s eyes automatically found Neji.

His eyes stared into hers, and Haru smiled at him, a big glowing smile that seemed to fill the entire room. She hesitantly took his hand, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Neji was surprised by the gesture, and squeezed her hand gently, resting his chin on the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her, and reveling in the warmth that swept through him as she cuddled closer to him. Both of the teens were thinking the exact same thoughts at that moment, as they watched Naruto be embraced by his two best friends.

So this is what it was like to be in love.

Chapter 15: Teammates


Haru stepped outside of her room, looking down the silent hall before closing the door behind her. She stretched her arms above her head, and yawned widely. She walked over to the open window, and breathed in the crisp morning air. Morning was the perfect time to savor the coolness of the air for a few short hours before the temperatures soared to unbearable heights. There was a small garden just outside the doors, and Haru smiled, slipping out of the window and landing just outside the garden. There was a stone path, and Haru strode along it, stopping to smell the roses and other flowers whose fragrances filled the air. Haru felt the energy of the plants pulsing slightly around her, and the whispering voices were chanting faintly in her mind. But Haru was used to this by now. She could block it out if she wished, but she rather liked having the constant company. It reminded her that no matter what happened, she would never be truly alone.

Haru knelt beside a cluster of tulips, and smiled as they waved gently in the breeze. She looked around; no one was in sight. Haru reached out with her fingers, and lightly brushed the petals of the tulip closest to her. She let a bit of elemental energy flow to her fingertips, and the flower immediately responded. The thin stem lengthened, and wrapped itself around her fingers, making her giggle in delight. She let out a sigh, and gave the tulip a mental command to go back into the ground. It squeezed her finger gently for a moment before doing as she commanded, taking its place back with the other flowers.

Haru suddenly felt a prickling sensation in the back of her head, and she turned to see Sasuke leaning against the porch, onyx eyes boring into her amethyst ones. Haru forced herself to smile at him, but inside her mind was spinning in worry.

How much had Sasuke seen?

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, and he disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Haru forced herself to swallow, as her mouth had gone bone-dry at the look in Sasuke’s eyes. Those dark eyes that seemed to be looking through her even when he was focused on something else.

Haru remembered Neji’s words: “We’ll have to be careful about him. If Sasuke gets suspicious, he will take the time to find out.”

Neji was right. They would have to be cautious with Sasuke around. But it couldn’t be too hard, could it? Haru was already being careful and Sasuke hadn’t picked up on anything so far.

The girl sighed, and got to her feet, running her fingers through her silver tresses, yawning widely. Haru slipped out of the Hyuuga Compound, and turned to look at the large structure that had become her home over the past months with a small smile on her face. It had replaced the home that she had known in her heart, and the distant memory of her home before the fire seemed even dimmer with each passing summer day. Konoha was her home now, and that fact made Haru’s heart glow with happiness.

Haru still didn’t understand why she had been compelled to travel to Konoha in the first place, but whatever it was, she was glad that she had come.

The village streets were slowly filling with civilians, and Haru listened as random snatches of conversations reached her ears.

A cute little girl with blonde hair tied in pigtails. “Daddy, you promised to teach me how to do that jutsu!”

An elderly man chatting with the woman next to him. “This summer is hotter than usual, is it not? Its surprising that our children don’t collapse from heat stroke with all that running around they do…”

“I became a genin yesterday! My dad gave me my own kunai case with my name inscribed on the side to celebrate it!” A thin teen boasted to his younger friend, nearly bursting with satisfaction at the awed look he received.

A woman commented to her friend as they walked. “Did you hear something unusual last night? I was walking past the Hyuuga Compound last night on my way home when I heard a startling roar come from inside. Did you hear it?” The woman paused to listen to her friend’s confused answer. “Oh well…I probably was imaging it…”

Haru chuckled to herself as she heard that statement.

The Hokage Tower soon came into view, and Haru made her way toward it, leaping onto a nearby store to propel herself upward until she was perched on the balcony of one of the lower levels of the tower. She slipped in one of the windows, and was greeted by the Hokage, who was surveying some charts given to her by a receptionist.

“Haru, it’s good that you came by, because I wanted to talk to you.”

Haru bowed respectfully. “Yes, Hokage-sama.”

“Come, let’s walk.” Tsunade gave the report back to the young assistant who had been hovering nervously, and led Haru down the hall. “I haven’t thought about it for some time, but I believe that the tattoo on your neck should be looked at as soon as possible. I want to send you on a mission, but before I do so I would like to examine the seal. Is that agreeable?”

Haru smiled. She hadn’t thought about her seal for a long time, though Neji had mentioned that the seal glowed green when she preformed elemental magic.

“Of course.”

“Good. Then let’s go to my office and I can examine you there.” Tsunade grasped Haru’s arm, and the two disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Haru blinked as the smoke dispersed as they appeared in Tsunade’s office. The blonde woman rolled up her sleeves, and faced Haru.

“Put your hair to the side and sit down.”

Haru sat, and did as the Hokage instructed. Tsunade placed her hand on the seal, as she had done nearly six months ago, and exerted her chakra into the twisting vines and characters that made up the seal. She closed her eyes, and focused.

Tsunade couldn’t feel anything at first, but then a steady flow of some foreign kind of energy sparked up under the touch of Tsunade’s chakra, blocking her out. Tsunade frowned. This energy was…massive, and so different from anything she had experienced in all her years as a medical ninja. She dove deeper, and flinched as tiny pricks of pain filled her arm as the energy reacted to her investigation. The energy had feelings and thoughts. That was not a good sign.

Haru felt Tsunade’s soothing chakra fill her system, and tried to relax, but she couldn’t stop her hands from clenching as she felt the elemental energy that was stored in the barriers of her mind react, and began attacking Tsunade with their needles of energy. Haru scowled.

“{Stop it!}” Haru hissed mentally, and the energy paused slightly. Tsunade’s eyes widened in astonishment as the pain lessened. Could this girl…control this power?

“{Long time no see Haru.}”

Haru’s eyes narrowed as that familiar voice rang through her. “{You! Get out of my head you–!}”

“{Ugh…this is why humans are so ridiculous! All they do is hate, hate, hate, and hate!}”

“{You don’t know any humans besides me, so how can you assume that we’re all the same?}”

“{I’ve seen them through your eyes. Sasuke…poor boy. His heart is so overwhelmed by darkness, darkness that not even the brightest flame can cure…}”

Haru gasped as the energy whispered Sasuke’s name, and Yuki’s prediction came flooding into her thoughts, and the energy chuckled as the scene played over in her head.

“{You want that to happen, don’t you?}”

Haru snarled. “{No!}”

The voice laughed outright this time, not bothering to restrain itself. “{Oh Haru…you’re just so easy to read.}” The voice was fading, and Haru let it go, her breaths coming faster in her anger and frustration.

Tsunade pulled her hand away from Haru’s skin slowly, walking over to her desk and sitting down.

Haru was pulled from her thoughts as Tsunade spoke. “Well Haru, it seems that the seal poses no threat to us, seeing as you can control it.” Haru nodded, and Tsunade continued. “Now, about the mission. In case you don’t know, Neji’s two teammates, Lee and Tenten, have been sent on their long term mission to the Bamboo village. But the problem is that the leader of the village sent a letter of gratitude for their services, saying that they departed nearly two weeks ago. And it only takes three days at most to travel from there to Konoha. So I want you and Neji to investigate the area. I would send Kiba for his tracking skills, but…” Tsunade’s eyes darkened as she whispered the next few words. “If something…has happened to them, then I think that Neji should be with someone who he trusts and cares for, rather than just a fellow ninja. Do you understand?”

Haru nodded grimly, and Tsunade handed Haru a scroll. “If that’s agreeable, then you and Neji should leave as soon as possible. We don’t know where they could be, but I’m sure that someone in the village knows the direction they left in.”

Haru bowed, and left the building to find Neji. To her surprise, she found him waiting for her outside the Hokage Tower.

“Let’s go. I packed your bag for you.” Neji said curtly, and Haru nodded, taking her bag without a word. Neji’s eyes were narrowed as they set out, and Haru walked beside him, giving him silent support as they walked.

The trees offered some shade, but it was still blistering outside, and they took as many breaks as they could. The ground beneath them was cracked and hot, and Haru was glad for the thick soles of her sandals that saved her feet from getting burned.

The sky was bright and clear, and Haru smiled as the sun shone.

“Hey Neji?”

“Hn?”

“What are your teammates like?”

Neji smirked slightly. “Tenten is very good with weapons, and somewhat of a tomboy.”

“Is she nice?”

“Extremely. I think she’d like you very much.” Haru smiled, and Neji went on.

“Lee is…an interesting character. He’s very energetic, sometimes so energetic that Tenten and I have to restrain ourselves from strangling him. But nevertheless…he’s a good person, and he loves being accepted by others…”

Haru nodded, and moved her pack into a more comfortable position on her back.

‘If something…has happened to them, then I think that Neji should be with someone who he trusts and cares for, rather than just a fellow ninja.’

Haru frowned, and looked over at Neji.

Don’t worry Neji; I’ll help your teammates, even if it kills me.

Neji seemed to hear her mental comment, because he looked over at her, pale eyes staring at her. She smiled, and he turned away to face front once more. She could see the worry in his almost expressionless face, and she hesitantly reached over to take his hand.

His hand was motionless for a second, and then he wrapped his fingers around hers, squeezing gently.

Chapter 16: Dark Cave




Haru and Neji were kneeling before the Bamboo Village lord, who was a stout man with a kindly face. That kindly face was now creased with unease.

“I give you my word, they left this village at least three weeks ago, and I wasn’t given any word of them being attacked!”

Neji frowned, and replied quietly. “I trust your word, my lord. Do not worry yourself. If my teammates were successfully kidnapped, then they were taken by extremely high level ninja, ninja trained in stealth and secrecy when it comes to these sorts of matters.” When the man made to answer, Neji held up a hand, getting to his feet. “Thank you very much for telling me what you know, my lord. We must be on our way.”

Haru followed Neji, and they both bowed to the lord before exiting the large room. Haru looked over at Neji.

“Should we start asking around the village?”

Neji nodded. “Yes. Let’s split up.” The two ninja went separate ways as they exited the mansion, and Haru made her way down the street.

The Bamboo Village was a wealthy village, and it had been a very peaceful place for many centuries. The only conflict that had occurred was the arguing lords that were situated around the small village. They wanted the land for themselves, and the lord had no chance of winning his land without some help. That was why Tenten and Lee had been called to assist him. From what Haru gleaned from the fellow villagers, they had also helped re-build structures and settle inner village feuds.

Haru smiled as a woman animatedly told her about the two Konoha ninja. “They were so…alive! The boy in particular, Lee was his name, was especially energetic. It was a fine sight to see every morning, him playing with my older children. They often fight with each other, but Lee taught them valuable lessons he had been taught from his master, things about loyalty and friendship, and they suddenly got along so much better! I wish he was still around, but I suspect he has friends and family to return to as well.”

“Yes…I suppose he does. Thank you so much for your time ma’am.” Haru bowed, and the woman nodded her head, moving away to continue her path down the street. Haru sighed, and sat down on the curb, watching carts and people going by with a somber expression on her face.

She had been asking everyone around, and though many of them were able to recall who they were and what they did…none of them knew where Lee and Tenten could have disappeared to.

Haru sighed once more, and watched as a small girl broke away from her mother and ran in the middle of the street. She was brown haired, and her blue eyes were alight with excitement.

At the same time, there was a huge cart full of metal poles that went suddenly out of control. The driver struggled to slow the wooden cart down, but it went screeching in the street, straight towards the girl, who was still unaware of the danger coming toward her.

Haru leapt to her feet, as the girl’s mother screamed the child’s name. The cart was too close for the girl to run, and the girl threw her hands in front of her face, as it that small gesture would shield her from the cart.

Haru was there in the next second, and she glanced at the cart that was a mere six feet from her. Haru grabbed the girl in a tight embrace, shielding the child with her own body. More quickly than she had ever done before, Haru concentrated on the earth beneath her, and suddenly a shield of earth and rock formed around the two in a crescent formation. The cart slammed into the wall, but Haru, with a slight effort, made the earth that the cart made contact with soft and pliable, so no damage was done to the cart.

There was silence, and then the mother’s ragged breathing was heard as she rushed to where Haru was crouched, and wrenched her daughter from the jounin’s grasp, sobbing as she examined her daughter for any injury. When she found none, she embraced her child tightly, and the child seemed confused at her mother’s distress.

The crying mother looked at Haru, who was silent as she made the earth go back into its natural state.

“T-Thank you so much!”

“It was nothing.” Haru made to leave, but the mother grabbed her arm with surprising strength.

“No! It was not ‘nothing’! It was so much more than just nothing. You saved my child’s life! Please, at least let me offer you tea and some dinner in return!”

Haru was about to politely refuse, but the look on the woman’s face made her change her mind. Haru bowed, and accepted her invitation.



Haru followed the woman to her house, a cozy cottage on the edge of the village. The woman let the girl go free in the house, and the two women sat in the small living room, steaming cups of tea before them.

The woman cleared her throat, and smiled at Haru, wiping all remains of tears from her blue eyes. “My name is Aiko, and my daughter’s name is Kaida.”

Haru smiled. “I’m Haru.”

Hoshiko nodded, and took a sip of her tea before saying in a low voice. “My daughter has always been adventurous, just like her older brother was.” The woman’s voice broke at the last word, and tears filled Aiko’s eyes once again.

“He was killed a week ago, when he was exploring in the western part of the forest. They managed to get him back to the village alive, but he died a few hours later. But he told me things…things that he had seen there, and the things that had killed him.” Aiko gave a short humorless laugh. “But the others didn’t believe my son when he told them. They said that he was delirious at the time, that he must’ve been imagining things. But my son was not imagining anything. I know that every word my son said was the truth.”

Haru spoke in a quiet voice. “What killed him?”

Aiko’s lip trembled, and she bit her lip to struggle to remain in control of herself. “My son described them as small creatures with long tails with forked ends, and fur that was stained with blood. Their voices were like the clicking of insects, and he couldn’t understand any of it…”

Haru had gone completely still, eyes wider, her fingers clenching into a tense fist.

Aiko didn’t notice Haru’s reaction, and went on. “There was a large group of them, and they were all listening to a tall man speak. Well, he looked human at least, my son said. The man had skin the color of old parchment, and teeth that were jagged and white. His hair was the color of blood, and his eyes were a deep maroon color. And then, my son fell out of the tree he was hiding in…and the demons….they…..” Aiko couldn’t go on, and burst out crying again. Haru patted her shoulder, trying not to scream, feeling her tattoo prickle slightly.

Aiko blew her nose on a handkerchief, and choked out. “My son said that he saw two figures being carried into the cage, a woman and a man, though he couldn’t make out their faces. Oh…” She broke down once more, and Haru couldn’t hear anything more except sobs coming from the woman.

Haru sat there…numb with shock. Like a fog, memories were floating back.

The man with the hair like blood, sneering at her with those jagged teeth. His voice was vibrating in her mind, and she couldn’t make out the words. Demons with their clicking voices that made her skin crawl, their thin fingers and those beady eyes...

This village was not safe. There were demons prowling around, and Haru knew that their favorite meal was the tender flesh of young children. But they’d eat any meat that they got. They didn’t usually take prisoners, so why did they take those two people…in…

Haru’s shocked thoughts were interrupted by a quick knock on the door. Haru made her feet move as she pulled herself to her feet, reaching for the brass doorknob with shaking fingers. She finally understood, and her heart seemed iced over.

Haru opened the door to see Neji standing there, his face smooth and calm. He looked at the sobbing woman at the table with a raised eyebrow, and Haru pushed him out before he could ask anything. She pulled him past the houses until they came to the town bell tower.

The silver haired jounin let go of Neji’s sleeve, and collapsed on the tower steps, shaking uncontrollably. Neji looked down in alarm, crouching next to her, putting a hand to her forehead.

“Haru?! What’s wrong?”

The young woman shivered at his touch, and she opened her eyes to meet his concerned ones.

She managed to choke out one word. “Demons.”

“The ones that were after Yuki?”

“Yes. They’re here, and they killed that woman’s boy a week ago. They eat human flesh, and other things that I don’t want to say. They’re here Neji, in the western part of the forest, and if we don’t stop them they’ll spread even farther, to Konoha!”

Neji nodded hurriedly, and asked quietly. “Did you find anything out about Tenten and Lee?”

Haru struggled to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes, and failed miserably. Neji watched in alarm as tears cascaded down her face. Neji hadn’t seen Haru this distressed since the first time she used her elemental powers.

“Haru, speak to me!”

“Neji…they took them! The demons have your teammates!” Haru choked out, and watched his face pale until it was an unhealthy color, a chalky white that made his eyes seem too large for his face.

Neji swallowed hard, and spoke. “Is there a way we can still save them?”

Haru nodded, tears still streaming without a break. “Yes. But I can’t guarantee that we’ll come out alive Neji. They’re ruthless, and they are born to kill. Tenten and Lee are most likely being held in order to lure…something in…” Haru trailed off, and Neji gritted his teeth, getting to his feet.

“Let’s go.”

Haru nodded, wiping the tears away. Neji took her hand in his long fingers, and brushed the remaining tears away with his sleeve. She smiled at him, and he grasped her hand more tightly.

“Don’t let go.”

Haru felt the tug of a teleportation jutsu, and suddenly they were on a tree branch. Neji was close at her side, and Haru looked around to see that they were in a thick, misty forest. She heard scuffling coming from the forest floor, and motioned to Neji to be quiet. She looked down and saw a small demon sniffing around, quite obviously alone. She pulled a kunai out of her case, and sent it flying without a sound.

There was a muted thud as she kunai stabbed through the back of his skull, killing hi, instantly. Neji dropped the ground beside the motionless body a second later, and looked at it in wonder/disgust.

It was a pig demon, with a long bristly snout that was covered in thick yellowish dried snot. Its yellow eyes were glazed over, and its mouth was open to reveal sharp teeth, with meat stuck in between them.

Haru whispered. “Now, the good thing about these demons is that about 95% of them are complete morons, their teeth being bigger than their brains in most cases. They can’t use magic, and those who can are so horrible at it that it doesn’t really count.”

Neji nodded, and the two made their way through the mist, kunai held up in readiness. They suddenly saw a dark blob appearing out of the whiteness, and they stopped when they realized it was a cave.

Haru had always hated caves. They were too confining, too dark, too unpredictable.

But this one she liked the least of all. But she also knew that she had to go in there. For Neji’s teammates. She couldn’t let him down.

Neji looked over at Haru, who was looking at the cave with amethyst eyes that were wide in fear. She must be really scared, to be going into the place where the demons that killed her family are. Neji knew that he would sacrifice his life in a heartbeat for his comrades that had been by his side since the beginning. But Haru’s life…that was another story. That was one life that he wouldn’t allow to be in danger no matter what.

Because he loved her. Even if she didn’t love him back, he loved her, and nothing could sway him from loving her as much as he did. But he was Neji Hyuuga for god’s sake, and Neji Hyuuga wasn’t like Naruto, or even like the stoic Uchiha. He didn’t show his affection like they did. Only very rarely did he let the barriers fall away, and let his true emotions show. So he remained in his shell, wishing that he knew whether Haru felt the same way. It was like being an immature thirteen year old all over again.

Neji swallowed hard, looking at her. “Haru, are you sure you want to come? I can go in by myself if you’re not comfortable.”

Haru looked at him, and suddenly smiled, struggling to keep the fear from her face. “Neji, I swore to myself that I would help you, and that’s what I’m going to do. I ‘will’ save your teammates…don’t worry.” Haru whispered, reaching up to touch his cheek lightly with her fingers, tracing his jaw so lightly it was almost a caress.

It only lasted for a second or two before Haru pulled away, and ran lightly into the cave…the darkness seeming to swallow her whole.

Chapter 17: Falling


Haru felt the coldness envelop her as she went deeper into the cave. She smelled the horrible smell of raw meat and demon sweat, and shivered in disgust. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she struggled to stop her hands from shaking.

The silver haired saw a light up ahead, and stayed close to the walls as she crept forward, feeling with her hands, squinting in the dim light. Haru saw that the light came from a torch that was attached to the wall, and there was a long hallway with a series of passages that led to farther recesses of the cave. Haru was at a loss.

Which one should she go down?

Haru remembered the night when she had gotten lost, unable to find the Hyuuga Compound. She had thought of a way to find one of the Hyuuga members, a way that allowed her to find her way by following the chakra pulse.

Haru brightened, and closed her eyes, branching out her chakra very carefully. She didn’t know exactly what type of chakra pulse to look for, but seeing as Tenten and Lee were the only ninja other than Neji and herself, it shouldn’t be that difficult.

Haru felt around, feeling the bright flames of demons as she did so. There weren’t as many of them as she thought…only twenty or so. Haru shook that thought away, and focused even harder.

There!

Haru felt two pulsing chakra points, though to her alarm, she felt that one of them was slowly dimming, as though being eaten away by some disease. Haru felt her blood run cold at the thought, and opened her eyes. She ran soundlessly down the passageway farthest to the right, where the chakra points were pulsing the strongest.

Haru glanced back, and saw that Neji had followed her, and he ran next to her as they ran down the earthy passage.

There were the sounds of shrieks and cackling laughter from one of the wooden doors that were situated at the end of the passage. Haru crouched next to it, and they both listened as snatches of the conversation were heard.

“How long before we can go and get what the master wants?”

“Why would I know?”

“Pass the beer.”

“Hey, what should we do with those two ninja? The master hasn’t gotten anything out of them…”

“I say that we kill them. They’re of no use to us!” There was a chorus of laughter, clicking, and howls that must have some from some kind of dog demon. Haru looked over at Neji, whose face was hardened into a mask of stone. Haru tried to stop him, but Neji was too far gone to be reasoned with.

Neji raised his foot, and broke the door down, kunai out and eyes flashing in rage. There were about four large demons sitting at a round table, and their yellow eyes widened in fear at the appearance of the deadly ninja whose eyes were surrounded by veins as he called upon his Byakugan.

Neji leapt at the nearest demon, and in one swift movement, the kunai in his hand was shoved through the roof of the demon’s mouth and pierced his skull, killing him. The others screamed in terror, but their screams weren’t ringing in Haru and Neji’s ears for very long.

Haru tackled the largest demon, and had her sword out in the next second. She swung her sword at his neck, and blood poured out of his severed neck as his lifeless head dropped with a sickening thud to the floor. Blood splattered on Haru’s face and clothes as she slashed the rest of the demons, and she grimaced at the crimson liquid that stained her hands.

Neji looked over at her, after storing his kunai back into his case that was strapped to his right thigh.

“Do you know where they are?”

Haru nodded. Neji went on. “Then go and get them. I’ll try to eliminate as many demons as I can so that you can have a clear way out.” Haru nodded, and Neji disappeared, Haru feeling him pass her, almost too fast to follow.

Haru made her way down the hall once more, ears listening for the sound of padded feet on the smooth stone. She heard nothing, and that fact unnerved her as much as it reassured her.

The passage went on and on, and Haru shuddered as the cold feeling passed over her once more.

There were so many things that she remembered now, so many things that this cold feeling brought back.

Blood trickling out of the mouth of the red haired demon, his maroon eyes gleaming in the fire that surrounded them. Haru remembered the fear, the chilling terror that made her unable to move from the spot. The man grinned at her, and said.

‘Haru, I won’t kill you. Yet, anyway. You still need to do something for me.’ He had placed his hand on her forehead, and had murmured one word. ‘Konoha’.

And then Haru had felt blackness, and she had awoken in a cold forest that was dark and shadowy, with water everywhere, from the large waterfall that roared nearby.

The girl stumbled as a sharp pain stabbed through her mind as if something was stabbing at it. Haru gritted her teeth, and ran even faster, following the two points of chakra.

They were getting closer, and Haru ran faster, hair blowing behind her. But then they suddenly split up. Haru swore silently. They must’ve been put in separate cells. Damn! Haru doubled her speed, racing toward the chakra point closest to her.

Almost there.

Haru felt the point just behind a heavily barred door. There was a small window at the top, and Haru stood on tiptoe to see inside.

The room was small, not having a cot at all, just dirt for a floor. Haru saw a slumped figure in the corner, a figure with long brown curls. This must be Tenten.

Haru whispered. “Tenten!”

The girl’s head snapped up as if Haru had yelled, and piercing brown eyes bored into amethyst ones. Tenten stood shakily, and Haru saw that she was thin, her bones sticking out unhealthily.

“Who are you?”

Tenten’s voice rang with authority. Not even torture or starvation could take away her status as an elite ninja.

Haru leaned closer, glancing around to check that nobody was around before answering. “It’s Haru. I’m here to get you and Lee out of here and back to Konoha.”

Tenten’s eyes didn’t release their suspicious glare. “Why should I believe you? How do I know that this isn’t a trick?”

Haru locked eyes once more with the Konoha ninja. “Because Neji Hyuuga is here too, and I promised him that I would get you two out.”

Tenten’s eyes widened at the sound of Neji’s name, and Haru saw that Tenten finally believed her.

“Now, stand back.” Haru ordered, and Tenten did exactly that. Haru focused on the earth beneath the door that held Tenten in the small cell. Haru closed her eyes, kneeling down to put her fingers on the dirt.

With a crunch, the door was dragged into the ground beneath them, and Tenten scrambled out of the cell quickly. Haru put the door back into place, and Tenten spoke quickly.

“Lee is two cells down from me, that way.” She pointed to the right passage, and the two girls ran down it, and Haru found Lee’s cell. Haru did the same thing as she had done with Tenten’s cell, and to both of their horror, the cell was empty.

Tenten suddenly went pale. “They must’ve taken him! They took him!”

“Where?!”

“They have this place outside…where they question their victims. They took me there once, and now it’s Lee’s turn. We have to save him!”

Haru nodded, and let Tenten lead as they ran through the tunnels. Tenten’s ragged breathing was the only sound that Haru heard, rasping and sickly.

Haru asked concernedly. “Are you alright?”

But before Tenten could answer, a scream filled the hall. Tenten stiffened.

“Lee.” She whispered.

Haru ran forward, and hid behind the rock as the sunlight hit her. It was a clearing type place, and Haru saw a glimpse of a black haired boy tied up to a post deep slashes in his back and shoulders. The blood ran down his back in rivulets, and Lee shuddered as another slash appeared.

A smooth voice called out. “Tell me how to get into those records and the pain will stop. You want that don’t you?”

Haru’s heart stopped at the sound of that voice. She raised her head once more, and stared into the face of the man who had killed her parents.

He was the same as she remembered; pale skin the color of yellowing parchment, maroon eyes gleaming with evil cruelty, and hair the color of blood.

Lee shook his head furiously, eyes flashing.

The red haired man’s eyes flashed, and he raised his pal. Another slash appeared, and Lee screamed again as it went especially deep. Tenten trembled at the sound, her eyes closing as she slumped to the ground. Haru walked around the rock, and threw her kunai, two cutting the ropes holding Lee, the other going toward the red haired man. The man’s eyes flashed toward hers at the movement, and the kunai stopped just as it was about to go through his eye.

He smiled at Haru, who was suddenly unable to move. Those eyes made her muscles freeze up, and her heart thudded frantically in her chest. Lee lay unmoving on the ground.

“Well look who it is…my dear little Haru. I’ve been waiting for you to show up.”

Haru felt her mind growing dark, and forced herself to stay awake. Think about Neji, Neji needs you!

The fog cleared, and Haru tensed. The man walked forward until he was only inches away from Haru.

“I’m pleased that you found them Haru. So obedient, so clever, to get them to trust you this much.”

Haru suddenly felt herself being pulled away from the man. Haru looked up to see the one and only Hyuuga Neji glaring daggers at the red haired man.

The demon looked shocked for a second before bursting out laughing.

“Oh this is just so amusing! Of all humans to meet, it had to be this one! Hahaha!!” The man laughed, and Neji’s narrowed.

“Shut up. Time to leave this world.”

The demon chuckled. “I don’t think so.” He said, and suddenly he wasn’t there. Neji pushed Haru toward Lee, who was trying to stand.

“Help him.” Neji hissed before clashing with the red haired man, both of them fighting to kill.

Haru rushed over to Lee, who looked at her in shock.

“Can you stand, Lee?”

Lee groaned, smiling weakly. “It’s funny. I thought that Neji would never learn to love. I see that I was wrong.” His breathing grew ragged and harsh, and Haru struggled to get him to his feet. The two watched as Neji was beaten back again and again. Haru glanced around. There were no other demons. Neji must’ve killed them all beforehand. That’s a relief.

Haru suddenly saw the red haired man laugh, and throw his sword toward her, a insane look in his maroon eyes. Haru couldn’t move without injuring Lee any more, and that look had Haru still and motionless. Neji’s face was frozen with fear and shock as he yelled at Haru to run.

She couldn’t move. She was going to die.

Haru suddenly felt Lee leave her side, and stand defiantly in front of her, back facing the sword, his smiling face facing her.

The sword stabbed through his chest, and he coughed roughly as he fell to his knees. Haru was frozen, still, and tears welled in her eyes as Lee looked up at her, speaking once more.

“Take care of Neji. He needs your love, more than most people do…” He coughed roughly, blood splattering down his front. Haru stared at him.

“Lee, don’t let go! We’ll save you!!” She screamed, and Lee chuckled. Haru felt the tears blurring her vision. “I’m not that important to him, I’m just a person, I can’t be the one to change his whole life!” Haru said frantically, and Lee smiled widely.

“To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.”

And those were the last words that Lee ever spoke.

Haru watched in horror as his eyes closed, and a small smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he fell limp, falling to his side, and the sword still gleaming in his chest.

There was no life in that once grinning face, no life at all.

Haru fell to her knees, hands shaking and the tears finally spilling down her ashen cheeks.

She whispered softly, voice cracking. “L-Lee!”

No answer. Haru knew that there was no chance of those eyes opening, yet she kept saying the boy’s name.

Haru held her head in her hands, and let the tears fall, still repeating his name over and over, as if saying it enough times would make life come back into his body.

Neji’s eyes were diverted from his friends when the demon lunged toward him once more. He kicked him solidly in the chest, and the demon laughed.

“Where are your friends now? They aren’t here to save your hide!”

A deep voice suddenly sounded. “Actually, they are.” A sword was stabbing through the demon’s chest, and the maroon eyes turned to lock onto cold onyx ones.

Sasuke Uchiha was standing there, holding the sword, smirking slightly.

Sakura Haruno was over treating the unconscious Tenten, her emerald green eyes darkened with concern.

The demon screamed and screamed, but instead of blood coming out, smoke surrounded the demon, and he screamed at them.

“I will have what I have waited for! Just you wait Konoha ninja!”

And he was gone.

Sasuke sheathed his sword, and Neji ran over to Haru, who was slumped by Lee.

Haru was crying, and Neji saw with a stab of shock that Lee’s body was stiff and cold, blood pouring out of his chest. Neji fell to his knees beside the silver haired jounin, and Haru looked at Neji.

“I’m sorry Neji. I failed you.” Haru’s eyes fluttered and she fell backward, unconscious as her shock caught up with her at last. Neji found that his arms wouldn’t move. Grief and disbelief were flooding through him as he stared at his unmoving teammate.

Sasuke moved so that he could catch Haru before she fell, and he stared at the Hyuuga who was staring with wide eyes at his teammate.

Sasuke spoke softly. “Do you want me to carry him?”

Neji shook his head. “No. I’ll do it.”

The Hyuuga carefully picked up the cold body of his teammate, and started walking slowly toward the trees. Sasuke put Haru on his back, and Sakura carried Tenten. They all followed Neji as he walked toward the road.

Neji looked down at the peaceful face of Lee, and his throat tightened.

Lee had fallen so many times in his life. He had fallen on the grass when Neji beat him over and over in fights. Fallen when protecting others, always with a smile on his face.

Neji’s eyes closed as he felt sadness well up in his heart.

Lee, I hope wherever you are, you have wings, so you never have to fall again.

Chapter 18: Confessions and Silence



Neji watched as Lee’s casket was lowered into the cold ground, the rain coming down in icy sheets of water. Tenten was next to him, crying into his shoulder, unable to watch Lee being placed in his final resting place. He put his arm around her shoulders, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from overflowing.

It had been the longest walk of his life, that day two days ago, carrying Lee back to Konoha. Every step was painful, and every breath seemed to cut through his throat, making it hard to breath.

Lee was gone.

Gone…so far that nobody could ever get him back.

Neji stared at the headstone that had Lee’s name on it, and closed his eyes as he listened to the rain patter softly against the dirt, and the sound of soft earth being shoveled over the simple wooden casket. There were a congregation of ninja standing around them; people who had been Lee’s friends and teachers.

Sakura was crying as hard as Tenten, Sasuke holding her tightly, kissing her forehead, letting her stain his shirt with tears.

Naruto and Hinata were standing beside Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto was staring at the casket that was being slowly covered in earth, and stared up at the rain, tears dripping down his whiskered cheeks. Hinata reached over to take his hand, and he gripped it tightly, gulping in deep breaths in an attempt to control himself.

The Fifth Hokage was staring down at the grave which was finally filled with soft soil. She took a deep breath, and began to speak.

“Lee was a ninja not quite any other. He was an inspiration to us all, a beacon of hard work and hope. Lee never gave up, even at his end, and he always put others before himself, always protected, always encouraged. He was an excellent jounin, an excellent ninja, but most importantly, an exceptional friend. Even though he is gone from us now, I know that he will always be there encouraging us, even when all hope is gone. That is what is special about Lee. He gives us hope, hope for happiness, and hope for the future. We will all miss him, and hope that his soul rests in peace.”

The Hokage slung Lee’s headband over the corner of the headstone, touching it gently for a moment before letting it go, and it dangled there next to Lee’s name. She turned, and, with a nod to Neji and Tenten, left, the rest of the crowd trailing along more slowly behind her. Tenten remained, pulling away from Neji and crouching in front of Lee’s headstone, sobbing as she touched Lee’s name that was carved there.

Sakura approached Neji, Sasuke waiting a little ways off. Naruto and Hinata made their way toward the village, Hinata’s arm wrapped around the blonde’s waist, and his arm around her shaking shoulders.

“Neji.” He turned towards her, and she bit her lip, eyes filled with pity. “I’m so sorry. I really am. If there’s anything you need, or–”

Neji shook his head. “Thank you Haruno-san, but you don’t need to do anything. Thank you for coming to say…goodbye.” He said, and Sakura nodded, and hesitantly moved forward to hug the Hyuuga gently.

Neji was surprised. He wasn’t used to being hugged by girls, save Haru and Tenten. He appreciated the gesture, but it felt…odd. It only lasted for a moment, and Neji gently hugged her back before she pulled away, the pink haired medic blinking back fresh tears. She ran over to Sasuke, and the two disappeared into the pouring rain.

Neji walked over to Tenten, who was still crouched there. He knelt beside her, and she looked over at him, her brown eyes filled with more tears.

“I-I can’t believe h-he’s really gone…” She said brokenly, and Neji sighed, touching the engraved name of his teammate with long pale fingers.

“I can’t either.”

The two teammates remained there for a long time, until the rain eased up and stopped, the sky remaining cloudy and dark.



***



A week later, Neji walked down the grassy slope, not really knowing where his feet were taking him, but not trying to stop them.

A familiar block of stone came into view, engraved with hundreds of names. Names of people who had died in action. Neji ignored the uncomfortable feeling in his chest, and crouched down to read the names at the bottom of the list, the very newest one that had been added before the funeral. There it was, so clearly carved that Neji found it immediately.

Rock Lee.

He clenched his fist on the cold stone, and closed his eyes.

Why Lee? Lee was so bright, so energetic, and so…happy! People like him just can’t leave the rest of their friends behind. It’s not possible.

But it was possible, and Neji hated that fact.

Neji was so absorbed that he didn’t notice Haru come up behind him.

Her silver hair rippled over her shoulders as she bent down to sit next to him, her face sad as she gazed at Lee’s name.

Neji glanced over at her. “You got out of the hospital.”

Haru nodded. Neji looked back at Lee’s name.

Haru took a deep breath. “Neji, are you alright? I know that you probably don’t want to speak to me right now, but I just want to say that I’m sorry.”

Neji sat down, and sighed. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Haru looked over at him until he looked at her. “You’re a bad liar Neji.”

Neji hissed in a quick breath, and turned away sharply.

Haru went on. “Neji, I know that you blame me.” Neji flinched, and was about to speak when Haru put her hand over his mouth. “You don’t have to make excuses. I know that it was my fault, and you can’t hate me more than I hate myself!” Haru said calmly, pulling her hand away, looking at the headstone once more. “I had Lee, and I stood there while the man threw his sword, and I just…didn’t move. I was too afraid. I was scared that more memories would come back. How pathetic is that?”

Haru buried her head in her arms, and went on in a muffled voice, not waiting for an answer. “It’s my fault. I should have died, not Lee. I’m sorry, Neji. I’m so sorry.”

Neji suddenly yanked her up to her feet, standing over her with a furious expression. Haru was shocked. She had never seen him like this before.

“Haru, stop it, right now! It was not your fault! It was just meant to happen! You were frightened; everyone gets like that sometimes, no matter how strong they are. Blaming yourself isn’t going to help, and I know that Lee wouldn’t want you blaming yourself like this. So just…stop.” Neji bent down so that he was looking her in the eye.

Haru stared into his eyes, and bit her lip, trying not to let the tears escape. Neji chuckled softly, and suddenly pulled Haru so that he was hugging her tightly.

“You did everything you could do. That’s all that matters.”

Haru nodded against his chest, and hesitantly wrapped her arms around him. The sun was shining brightly, and Haru suddenly laughed; the sound sounding like more of a strangled sob than a laugh.

“I-I came here thinking t-that I was going to be the o-one comforting you. But here I am, b-being comforted by y-you instead!”

Neji smiled, holding her even more tightly. “It’s not so bad, staying like this.”

Haru looked up at him, and he smiled at her. Neji took her hand, and together they walked away from the grave, in comfortable silence. They reached, without even deciding that they were walking there, the bridge. The same bridge that Neji and Haru had first met on.

Haru leaned against the railing, Neji next to her, both of them staring at the water. Haru remembered the darkness of that night, but most vivid of all had been his silvery eyes, so similar to the moon above them. Haru looked over at his eyes now, they were the same color. Suddenly, without even knowing it, Haru leaned over so her face was inches from his.

Neji’s throat had gone dry as he watched her come closer. He struggled to speak. “I think I remember you doing this once before. You said my eyes–”

“–were like pieces of the moon. Yes, I remember Neji. There were so many things I did wrong before. Like on the Wave Country bridge.” She blushed at the thought, and he dimly noted how beautiful she was, her silver hair waving in the wind, her pale porcelain skin shining in the sunlight…

Neji blushed faintly, his cheeks a pale pink in color. He hastily spoke. “I remember that too. Sakura couldn’t look me in the eye without laughing for a few days…”

Haru smiled, and moved closer. “You know Neji; I wondered why I was so comfortable around you, even when I didn’t know you at first. I thought about it a lot, and I asked Naruto about you.”

Neji raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t known about this.

“Naruto told me that you used to be a total…well, I don’t really need to say it, but you get the idea.” Neji nodded, frowning slightly. “But then he told me about how hard you’ve worked, how much you’ve grown. He told me a lot. And that made me think about you some more, and that’s what made me want to be friends with you. But I’ve always had this feeling that I know you already; already care about you more than I should…”

She trailed off, and stared into his eyes. She seemed to resolve herself, and kept her head high. “You remember that day in the ramen stall, that day you took me around the village?”

Neji nodded, smiling at the memory.

“Do you remember what I was going to ask you, but then I got too embarrassed and refused?”

Neji nodded once more, and Haru went on. “Well, I want to ask you now. Neji Hyuuga?” Neji smirked at her formality.

“Yes, Haru?”

“Have…” Haru faltered. “Did you ever love anyone when you were younger? Not like with family and close friends, but…really loved someone?”

Neji looked into her violet eyes, and shook his head.

Haru bit her lip, and couldn’t meet his eyes as she whispered. “Do you love anyone now?”

Neji frowned. “Haru, what are you saying?”

Haru wanted to roll her eyes, but restrained herself. “Well, do you?”

“I still don’t understand.” Neji frowned. What was the girl saying? Did he love anyone now? Did she mean…like in that way? Well…Neji wasn’t sure if he loved anyone right now. He had almost kissed Haru in the kitchen, but there was no guarantee that she liked him back, so he withdrew.

Haru saw the thoughts running through Neji’s head, and decided he needed a more direct approach. She moved even closer, and whispered.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and then that day in the kitchen, I realized that I did love someone. I loved someone so much that it hurt me sometimes. Seeing them so close to me and yet so far away was…painful.”

Neji was in full panic mode, his mind going haywire while his face remained perfectly smooth. Who was this mysterious boy? Neji glowered at the water. Mental note: go track down this boy and beat him to pulp. Neji took a deep breath, and tried to calm down enough to speak.

“I’m…glad for you Haru. You must be very happy with him.”

Haru raised an eyebrow. Um, what was going through Neji’s mind right now? He looked like he wanted to kill someone…

Neji turned to walk away. “I suspect you want to go see him. I’ll just go train.”

Haru’s face paled. What?

Neji was walking away. Haru’s mind was spinning. Neji thought…that she was talking about someone else? No! He took it the wrong way!

Haru ran after him, and grabbed his hand. “Neji! Wait! I wasn’t talking about someone else!”

Neji raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. “I don’t mind Haru, I was–”

Haru closed her eyes, and yelled as loud as she could.

“I LOVE YOU, NEJI HYUUGA!!!!”

Neji stopped in his tracks, and the world suddenly felt like it was swerving, back and forth. Neji turned his head to stare at the panting girl, who was staring at her with shining eyes that were wide and vibrant. They bored into his heart, and made him want to fall to his knees.

Haru…loved him?

Loved him.

Really loved him?

Neji didn’t know what to do. He never had had girls confessing their love to him left and right, like the Uchiha. He didn’t know what to say. At the moment, even blinking was an effort, speaking almost impossible.

Haru was standing there, and she moved closer, smiling widely. “I love you, and I don’t care if you don’t love me back! I’ll always keep loving you, even if you grow up and marry someone else, even if I die and go away forever, I will always, always love you Neji Hyuuga!” Haru leaned in quickly, and kissed him full on the mouth. He couldn’t react, his mouth cold and unmoving, and she pulled away, staring at him.

Neji stared at her in silence, and his face was so shocked that Neji was almost unrecognizable.

Haru waited, and waited, but there was nothing. Hurt slowly made the way across her face, and she swallowed.

“Forgive me; I just had to say it. I’ll just go now!” Haru forced a grin on her face, even though tears were welling up in her violet eyes, and turned away, running down the wooden bridge and out of sight before Neji could so much as blink.


Neji was still standing there, eyes wide, when Sakura and Sasuke came walking down. Sakura looked at Neji’s shocked expression, and waved her hand in front of his face.

“Neji?”

No answer. Sasuke sweat dropped.

Sakura frowned. “Neji Hyuuga, can you hear me?”

No answer.

Sakura slapped Neji’s cheek gently, but with enough force to bring him back to reality. The green eyed medic watched as Neji looked over at her.

“Neji, where’s Haru? I heard that she was with you?”

Neji swallowed hard. “H-H-Ha-ar-r-r-ru?”

Sakura’s eyes widened. “Oh my god…Neji’s in shock?? Neji, what happened to you?”

Neji tried to speak again, but it was so jumbled and stuttering that neither Sasuke or Naruto could make any sense of it. They needed an expert in these types of things. The two ninja looked at each other, then at Neji, and both said at the same time.

“Hinata.”

Sakura nodded, and grabbed Neji’s arm. “C’mon Neji, let’s get you to Naruto’s place. We need Hinata to talk to you.”

Neji came along sluggishly. Sasuke muttered. “I wish I had a video camera…”

Sakura glared, whispering angrily. “Sasuke!”

“I was just kidding…”








They found Hinata, as Sakura had predicted, at Naruto’s. The two were eating lunch in his apartment kitchen, and Hinata looked shocked when they saw the two lead in Neji, who was still fumbling and blank eyed.

“S-Sakura-chan? S-Sasuke-san?” Hinata said timidly, and Naruto yelled.

“Hey! What’s up with him?”

Sakura smacked Naruto on the head to shut him up, and turned to Hinata. “We need you to talk to Neji. He’s in shock about something with Haru, and we cant understand a word he’s saying. Can you talk to him?”

Hinata nodded at once. “Come with me Neji-oniisan.” Hinata said quietly, and led Neji into the next room.

The rest of them heard her close the door, cutting off all sound from the room. Sakura sat down on the couch, and Sasuke took a seat next to her. It was silent for a few minutes, in that time Naruto wolfed down the rest of the ramen into his mouth. After finishing, Naruto bounded over, looking excited.

“Where’s Haru?”

Sakura shrugged. “We don’t know. We just found Neji standing on the bridge, completely motionless and in shock.”

Naruto frowned. “Do you want me to go look for her?”

Sakura looked worried. “Yeah, that’s a good idea, but we should wait until after Hinata finds out what’s wrong. Then we can know what the heck is going on with–”

“YOU DID WHAT??!!”

Everyone, including Sasuke, jumped at the shrillness of Hinata’s voice. They had never, even Naruto included, ever heard Hinata Hyuuga scream that loud. Even when she was at her worst, all you got was a slightly raised voice. This…was worse than all that put together.

Hinata came storming out, face bright red and furious. She spoke, for once without her usual softness and stuttering.

“Haru confessed her love to Neji, and even kissed him. But he didn’t say anything or react, and she took it as a rejection, and ran away crying!”

There was complete silence. Sasuke and Naruto both hastily plugged their ears as Sakura blew up.

“WHAT???!!”

Sakura and Hinata took off out of the door both anxious and frantic.

Sasuke and Naruto hesitantly unplugged their ears. “Man…poor Haru. Poor Neji, he’s gonna be dead once all the girls hear about it....” Naruto groaned.

Sasuke, for once, agreed completely with the blonde beside him.

Chapter 19: Advice



Haru was crouched down in front of the large memorial stone, tears dripping down her cheeks and falling onto the grass, glittering there like diamonds against the bright green grass. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach, holding herself together as sobs ripped through her frame.

She had confessed to Neji. She loved him, loved him so much that it hurt her heart to the point of bursting. When had she realized that she loved him? Yesterday…the day before that?

The day they had met for the first time? That day when she felt something between them, so ancient and strong that she knew that she was meant to be with him?

Obviously, she had been wrong. He did not want her. Haru closed her eyes at the recollection of his lips…unmoving, cold. He had been trying to let her off easy, not saying anything that he would regret.

It hurt so much more because of his silence.

The silence seemed to cut through her heart, slowly…painfully prying it open, letting all her hurt and misery pour through in a torrent. Haru gripped her stomach even tighter, pressing her lips together in an attempt to hold back the tears that tried to keep coming.

She had to get a hold of herself. It wasn’t going to help her if she remained here, letting her sorrow overwhelm her. She could do this, she could be strong.

Even more frightening than Neji rejecting her love was losing his friendship as well. Haru couldn’t, no wouldn’t, let that happen. She would be strong, and ignore the rejection and move on. How hard could it be?

Haru heard the sound of footsteps, and didn’t turn around, afraid that the one person she didn’t want to see would be standing there. But then she felt a small hand on her shoulder, and suddenly she was being embraced by a pair of pale arms, and saw pink strands of hair.

Sakura?

Haru struggled to speak. “S-Sakura.” She noticed the young Hyuuga there also. “H-Hinata. What’re you g-guys doing here?”

Hinata sat down beside the embracing pair, and stroked Haru’s hair gently. “Haru, I-I know what Neji-oniisan did.” Haru’s face crumpled at the thought.

Sakura held her tightly, kissing her forehead consolingly. “Don’t worry Haru. He’ll come around.”

Haru jerked away, face twisting in grief, and Sakura let her go. The pink haired medic and the pale eyed Hyuuga were sitting next to each other, facing the distraught girl. Haru spoke angrily. “That’s the problem. This is Neji we’re talking about! Not some regular guy who actually has the emotional capacity to even–!”

Hinata cut her off, eyes narrowing ever so slightly, but her voice remained gentle and soft. “Neji-oniisan has emotions Haru, I’m sure you k-know that better than I do. Do not insult him j-just because he has m-made you upset.”

Haru sighed, ashamed at what she had just said about her best friend. He was the one she could confide in, no matter what. Hinata was right; she was just speaking out of anger.

And humiliation. Haru knew that she was attractive – and many people had told her that, almost enviously some of them, which was both flattering and embarrassing at the same time. To be rejected by Neji not only hurt her feelings, it hurt her pride as well. As anyone would be; Haru was stung by his rebuff.

Sakura smiled at her. “You know that Sasuke used to hate me, right?”

Haru nodded; remembering the conversation on that mission where they found Yuki. Sakura went on.

“All during our genin years, I tried to get him to like me, so hard that it took my attention to being a good friend and kunoichi. All I wanted was some kind of response from him, something to let me know that he liked me, even if it wasn’t in the way I wanted. But there was nothing, and then he was gone. He left me, rejected all the love that I had given him all those years, and turned his back on it. It tore me apart. If it hadn’t been for Naruto, I don’t think I would’ve lived though it.

“And when he came back to Konoha, I didn’t know what to say to him. He was a stranger to me. I couldn’t face him for at least a month. When I finally did face him, I tried to push away all the love I had felt for him, all the emotion that had made me so weak and helpless in the first place. But when he looked at me with those eyes, I realized that I still loved him. I still loved him with every bone in my body. I hated myself for it, because I knew that I would just be rejected again and again. I tried so hard to be his friend, and it worked for a while. I was happy with myself, but then I realized that Sasuke was…starting to act a bit…strange.”

Sakura smiled fondly at the memory, and Hinata giggled. “He wouldn’t talk to me, and whenever I came within a foot of him he’d rush off, as if I had some kind of disease or something. I thought that he was making sure that I wouldn’t get hurt again, and that brought about another round of self-pity, because I knew that he knew that I still had feelings for him.

“Then, one day, he appeared at my door, and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I tried to get him to speak, but he just stood there, struggling to get words out. I tried inviting him inside, but he ignored it, trying to get the words out. I turned to go inside to get some tea for him, but then he stopped me, and he…” Sakura’s face flushed as she remembered, trailing off into silence, and Hinata laughed openly this time.

Haru’s eyes widened, and a grin was on her face before she could stop herself. “Sasuke did that?!”

The cold, unfeeling Uchiha had gotten tongue-tied around a girl? Wow…that very thought was similar to saying that the sky was green. Utterly impossible. But here is was, staring at Haru in the face as Sakura smiled at her.

Sakura nodded brightly before going on in a soothing voice. “What I’m trying to say Haru is that sometimes guys just can’t express how they really feel. They sometimes have just nothing to say. You just have to wait for them.”

Haru took a deep breath, and wiped away all traces of tears from her eyes. Hinata asked quietly.

“Haru, did Neji-oniisan ever say a-anything about rejection or anything along those l-lines?”

Haru shook her head jerkily, and Sakura smiled ever-so-slightly. “Then how do you know it was a rejection?”

Haru snorted. “He didn’t answer me; he didn’t…react to anything! He just stood there, and looked at me weirdly. That’s a rejection, even if he didn’t say anything.”

Hinata sighed. “Haru, y-you didn’t see Neji-oniisan when Sakura-chan b-brought him into Naruto-kun’s apartment. He looked horrible.”

Sakura nodded in affirmation. “Yeah, he was…just bad. He wasn’t moving, and he was stuttering like there was no fricken tomorrow!”

Haru looked up in shock. “Neji was stuttering? Why?”

Hinata giggled again, and whispered. “I think anyone who w-was kissed by you would be s-stuttering like that Haru.”

Haru’s face burned as Sakura snickered, getting to her feet and hauling Haru up with her. “Now, enough of this! You need to go see Neji again!”

Haru wrenched her hand out of Sakura’s grasp, and shook her head. “No.”

Hinata frowned. “Why not?”

“I don’t want to get hurt anymore. I just want to be friends, as he obviously wants to be!”

Sakura groaned, and leaned against the stone. “You’re just as stubborn as he is. No wonder you guys are so good for each other…”

Hinata laughed quietly, and Haru raised an eyebrow in silent puzzlement. Sakura went on. “Haru, either you are extremely ignorant or you are just plain stupid.” Haru opened her mouth for a loud retort, but Hinata cut her off.

“What Sakura-chan means is that it’s r-really obvious that Neji has feelings f-for you.”

Haru froze, her eyes widening as she struggled to keep the tears from overflowing once again. “He doesn’t have anything for me, I know that. I don’t want to make it more uncomfortable then it already will be between us.”

Sakura smacked her head against her palm, sighing. “Haru, you can’t just walk away from the truth like this. I’ll say it again; Neji Hyuuga likes you. To keep telling yourself that he doesn’t it being just plain foolish.”

Haru stood there, and blinked rapidly, mind reeling.

Neji…liked her? Then why had he not responded? Maybe Sakura’s right; he didn’t know how to react. But how do I face him now? It going to be so embarrassing!

Hinata seemed to read Haru’s thoughts, because she said quietly. “I t-think you should just act normally a-around Neji, to let him know that j-just because you like him doesn’t mean that y-you’re going to act all unfamiliar and emotional.”

Haru nodded, and Sakura patted her shoulder kindly, smiling.

“Don’t worry Haru. Just be yourself; that’s what Neji will appreciate the most.



***



The moment Sakura and Hinata left, Sasuke and Naruto sat there, debating whether to try to talk to Neji.

Naruto was nodding to himself. I think we should talk to him. Neji has no idea about having anyone love him before, so he’s probably scared shitless! Naruto chuckled to himself, having a hard time imagining the impassive Hyuuga to be scared shitless.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was less willing. How could the two of them possibly know anything about love in general? Naruto was a complete dumbass, so that wouldn’t help. And Sasuke himself was probably the worst example, being the traitor who came back and wondered why he was such an idiot to not notice Sakura before, and fumbled like an idiot for a couple of weeks until he got the courage to talk to her.

Wait…that did sound somewhat like what Neji was doing. Not the fumbling for weeks on end, but the uncertainty and fear of saying the wrong thing…that sounded very familiar.

Naruto suddenly stood, and yanked Sasuke up with him. They both opened the door slightly, and Naruto poked his head in.

Neji was sitting on a chair, staring at the wall, thinking hard. He turned to see the two teens staring at him, and sighed, looking out the window. Naruto grinned.

“Hey, Neji! What’s up?”

Neji didn’t reply, and Naruto slid into the room, sitting on the floor opposite Neji. Neji rolled his eyes at him, and Sasuke smirked slightly, leaning against the wall next to the blonde.

Nobody spoke, and Neji finally broke the silence, which seemed to surprise Neji himself as much as it surprised the other two.

“Sakura-san and Hinata-sama…they left?”

Sasuke nodded, and Naruto blurted out thoughtlessly. “Yeah, they went to go comfort Haru, cuz she was crying!”

Neji’s face darkened. Sasuke bopped Naruto’s head with his fist, snorting as Naruto yelled curses at Sasuke.

“Hyuuga,” Neji looked up at Sasuke. “you didn’t mean to hurt her…did you?”

Neji shook his head, and Sasuke sighed softly. “Then go and tell her so.”

Naruto nodded affirmably, and Neji sighed, looking down at his hands.

The blonde looked at Neji closely eyes uncharacteristically thoughtful, and asked quietly. “Hey, do you love her, Neji?”

Neji’s head snapped up toward the blonde, and Naruto met the pale eyed man’s disconcerting stare without flinching.

After a moment, Neji nodded, so slightly that the other two almost missed it. Naruto beamed, and reached over to clap Neji on the back. “Then go tell her!”

Sasuke snorted. “Baka. It’s not that simple. Maybe for an idiot like you, but not for the rest of us.”

Neji nodded, and Sasuke spoke again. “But Naruto is right on some level. She already told you how she feels, so you should tell her that you feel the same. She won’t forgive you otherwise. No matter how hard she fakes it, you’ll know.” When the Hyuuga looked doubtful, Sasuke went on. “Trust me, Hyuuga, I know from experience.”

Neji still looked doubtful, and Naruto laughed. “Neji, if you don’t tell her soon, you’ll end up like me! I didn’t even know that Hinata-chan liked me until two years ago! If you don’t hurry and tell her soon, she’ll move on, and you’ll spend the next few years trying to win her back!”

Sasuke nodded, and Neji stared at them, thinking hard.

Suddenly, Neji was gone, and the chair was empty. Sasuke smirked as he felt Neji pass him, and Naruto cackled.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, and grinned widely. “Our work here is done.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Naruto, that’s the worst line you could possibly say right now.”

“It is not!”

“Yes, it is.”

“Hey Sasuke?”

“Hn?”

“Do you think Neji’s going to tell her?”

“Who knows…”

“I think he is.”

“Hn.”

“Don’t Hn me! I’ll kick your ass!”

“Hn.”

“Hey, don’t you walk away from me! You’re just scared that I’ll beat you!”

“There’s nothing to be scared of, Baka.”

“Yeah there is! I – HEY! WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN??”

“You’re an idiot…you know that?”

“SHUT UP!!”

Chapter 20: Planned Compromise



Haru was walking down the bridge with Hinata and Sakura, chatting amiably when suddenly an Anbu appeared in front of her.

“Haru…Hinata Hyuuga, the Hokage needs to speak with you.”

Sakura and Hinata shared a glance. “Can’t it wait? Haru’s in a hurry to–”

“The Hokage said that Haru and Hinata Hyuuga were to come immediately.” The Anbu’s voice was toneless and blank, his posture perfectly straight and tense.

Haru sighed. “Alright,” she turned to Sakura. “See you later.”

Haru and Hinata disappeared along with the Anbu, and Sakura was left smiling slightly to herself.



Haru and Hinata appeared in the Hokage’s office, and both bowed as the blonde woman looked up from the scroll that was spread out in front of her. Tsunade nodded to the Anbu, who quickly exited. The Hokage put her chin on her interlaced fingers, and stared at Haru for a moment before speaking. Hinata was silent, and the two teens both watched the Hokage closely as she spoke.

“I know that you have only recently become a jounin, Haru, but I have a need of someone with your…abilities.”

Haru frowned. “What do you mean, Lady Hokage?”

The older woman sighed, and stood, looking out the window. “Haru, I need you to go to the Land of Rain, and seduce and get certain information out of one of the ninjas there. His name is Toshiko Hura, and he holds…important information about this village, and we need to know exactly what he knows. If the information is trivial and useless, then he will be left alive. But if it’s a large amount, and its information that could enable them to have any sort of control over us, then he must be assassinated.”

Haru blinked. Wait…she was thinking what Tsunade was thinking…right?

She finally found her voice. “You want me…to, sexually appeal to someone in the Land of Rain?” Her voice cracked at the word ‘sexually’.

The Hokage nodded, and Haru blinked again. “Why me? Wouldn’t Sakura or Ino be much more suited to this mission?”

Tsunade sighed. “No. Not only would I have two male ninja cursing my name to hell, but this jounin in the Land of Rain has very particular tastes when it comes to women. You have many of these traits that – based on what’s written about him – he finds intriguing in women.”

Haru gulped, and the blonde woman looked sympathetic. “All of the kunoichi in this village have had to do at least one of these kinds of missions at one time or another, so don’t feel as if you’re the only one.”

Haru swallowed. “But, I don’t really know how to–”

Tsunade waved her hand. “Don’t worry; Hinata will be accompanying you, so she will teach you along the way.”

Haru relaxed slightly. Of all the kunoichi, Hinata seemed the most gentle, and talking with her about seduction seemed much less awkward than it would be with Sakura or Ino, who were much more open with their comments and such. Hinata smiled at Haru warmly, and Haru smiled back.

Tsunade handed the two girls a scroll, and she turned to Hinata. “You two will leave immediately. Here is some money to buy garments in the Land of Rain. Haru will need them if she is to attract his attention.”

Hinata nodded, and the two of them were dismissed.


***



Neji was walking down the road, searching for a familiar silver head. Where is she? He thought, eyes darkening as he remembered her saddened face as she ran, her long silver hair rippling behind her as she vanished.

The stores were bustling with people, and Neji was about to resort to using his Byakugan when a familiar voice yelled out.

“Neji!”

He turned, and found, to his slight disappointment, that it was not Haru but Sakura who was running toward him. Her green eyes were glaring daggers at him, and he braced himself.

She reached him. “Okay, the only reason I’m even talking to you is to tell you that Haru is really torn up and that if you ever–”

“Sakura, I know. Where is she?”

Sakura looked slightly surprised. “What?”

“Where is Haru?”

“She got called to the Hokage’s office half an hour ago. Why?”

“I need to talk to her.”

Sakura glared. “What, so you can get her crying again?”

“No.”

“Then what is it Neji?”

They were staring at each other when another deep voice joined the mix. “Sakura let him go.”

Sasuke was standing behind her, Naruto right behind him, grinning.

“Sasuke?” Sakura raised an eyebrow.

“Let him go, Sakura. Trust me.”

Neji nodded his thanks, and took off towards the Hokage tower. Sakura turned to Sasuke.

“What do you mean, Sasuke?”

Naruto piped up. “Neji loves her, Sakura-chan! He was just too afraid to say anything!”

Sakura’s mouth dropped. “Haru…thought that he didn’t like her, because he didn’t react.”

Sasuke smirked. “The Hyuuga’s never been kissed before…” He pressed his lips to hers, and she smiled.

Naruto gagged. “Oi, please…not now. I want to keep my lunch in my stomach.”

Sakura laughed. “Oh? What about you and Hinata? Don’t even try to tell me that you two are much better! Just the other day I walked in on you two when–!”

“Shut up!” Naruto’s face was a bright red by now, and Sasuke sneered.

“Then don’t throw stones when you live in a glass house.”

Naruto huffed, sticking out his tongue. “Where is Hinata-chan anyway? She’s actually nice, unlike you two…”

Sakura spoke. “She was called to the Hokage with Haru. Maybe she’s there.”

Naruto grinned, and took off, leaving nothing but the smell of ramen behind him. Sasuke and Sakura both smiled as they saw him disappear around the corner.

Sakura sighed. “Naruto…what a knucklehead. But a lovable knucklehead all the same.”

Sasuke chuckled. “What exactly did you walk in on?”

Sakura sighed. “Sasuke, are you seriously asking me this? Use the perverted side of your imagination, and you’ll figure it out.”

Sasuke’s face flushed as he got it, and Sakura giggled. “See?”

The Uchiha smiled as he looked at the girl beside him. “Yes, unfortunately, I do.”

The pink haired medic grinned even more widely. “Hey, wanna go get some ramen? It’d take our minds off of the horrors of Naruto and Hinata’s…activities that are better left undiscovered.”

Sasuke leaned down to whisper softly in her ear. “Hm…tempting. But I’d much rather get to some…unfinished activities of ours. ‘Use the perverted side of your imagination, and you’ll figure it out’…” Sakura flushed crimson as he quoted her, and she leaned up to kiss him.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea. Shall we go?”

The Uchiha responded by picking her up, in front of everyone in the street, and running at full speed toward their apartment.

Oh…use the perverted side of your imagination, and you’ll be able to figure out what happened next.



***



Haru and Hinata were walking down the faint trail, and were talking in soft voices that didn’t carry.

“Okay, so…how do I seduce someone?”

Hinata sighed, and moved forward so they were walking side by side. “You’re not going to have much trouble doing that Haru. But I’ll give you a few tips anyway.”

Haru noticed. “Hey, you’re not stuttering!”

Hinata grinned. “I only do that in front of everyone else. It helps sometimes to have a gentle, endearing personality.”

Haru frowned. “Why aren’t you doing it in front of me then?”

“Because…unlike Sakura and Ino…you’re much less intimidating.”

Haru laughed, and smiled slyly. “Does Naruto like it when you don’t stutter?”

The Hyuuga girl blushed. “Yeah.”

The silver haired girl laughed again, and the two were soon lost from view as the forest seemed to swallow them whole.



***



Neji opened the door to find the Hokage writing something on a scroll. She didn’t seem surprised to see Neji.

“Neji…I’ve been expecting you. Forgive me, but I’m waiting for Naruto as well, as I assume he’ll be here even though I didn’t call him. Just as I didn’t call you, but you’re here nonetheless.”

Neji spoke. “Where did you send Haru, Hokage-sama?”

“On a mission.”

“Where?”

“Why are you so concerned? She’s a fully capable kunoichi, and I’ve sent Hinata with her, so she’ll be fine.”

Naruto suddenly burst into the room, as if by hearing Hinata’s name he took it as a cue to enter, yelling.

“OI, GRANNY, WHERE’S HINATA-CHAN???”

Tsunade massaged her temples furiously, sending a book into Naruto’s face to shut him up. “She’s on a mission with Haru.”

Naruto nodded anxiously. “What kind of mission??”

“A high level mission that involves Haru seducing a Rain ninja for information.”

The Hokage cringed as Neji spoke in a tone that sent shivers down her spine. “What?”

Naruto looked slightly concerned. “Um, Granny, I don’t think you understand what–”

“Naruto, be quiet. You should be glad I took your feelings into account, and didn’t send Hinata as the seducer. She is there to merely help Haru along.” Naruto looked relieved, but still concerned.

“No, Granny, what I mean is that Haru and Neji are–”

Tsunade shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Haru and Hinata are already on their way.”

Neji glared. “Send me to the Land of Rain.”

Tsunade raised a perfect eyebrow. “You have no right to order me around like this, Hyuuga.”

Naruto piped up. “But Granny, Neji loves Haru! He doesn’t want–!”

Neji glared. “Naruto, be quiet.”

Naruto shut up, and Tsunade looked mildly shocked by Naruto’s outburst, but not really surprised.

Neji went on. “Lady Tsunade, I’m asking you to send me after them. Not only would it ease my personal doubts, it would give me a chance to evaluate Hinata-sama. Hiashi-sama has asked me to report how efficient she is on missions, and by going on this mission I could do so quite effectively.”

The Hokage smiled slightly. This was what she had been waiting for. “Really. Then alright.” Neji looked shocked at her acceptance. “I’ll send you and Naruto on a secret mission that involves following the two, without being seen or heard, and tracking their progress. My only condition is that you cannot contact them in any way. Agreed?”

Neji was nodding before he could stop himself, and Naruto frowned.

“Wait, why–?”

“Didn’t I even ask if you wanted to go on this mission? Naruto, I know you better than I would let you know. Even if I hadn’t given you permission, you would’ve followed Hinata anyway.” Naruto flushed, and grinned bashfully.

“Now, you two are free to go. I’d get going as soon as possible, so you can catch up with them.”

The two jounin nodded, and they both disappeared.


***

Tsunade leaned back in her chair as the two vanished, and smiled to herself.

“I think that went well, don’t you?”

Shizune came out from her seat in the corner, grinning. “Yes, I think it did, Tsunade-sama.”

The blonde woman smiled, reaching for her pen. “It’d better work, because I wasted a lot of time planning this for the two of them.”

“Neji and Haru, you mean?”

“Of course.”

Shizune looked out the window, sighing happily. “I think that one day, if they ever find out that it was you who planned this mission for them, they’ll thank you.”

“I cant believe I even did that. What am I, a child?”

“I think I have to go get some things.”

“Are you not answering me on purpose, Shizune?”

“W-Why would I do that?”

“Cheh. You and Naruto both are the same. Trying to get under my skin at every turn…”

“Whatever you say, Tsunade-sama, but being compared to Naruto isn’t such a bad thing…”

Tsunade smiled as Shizune left the room, and turned to look out at the two jounin running down the street toward the large gates.

“I know.”

Chapter 21: Lessons in Seduction



Hinata glanced behind her as they ran through the trees, her pale lavender eyes narrowing ever so slightly as they scanned the nearby growth that loomed over them. Haru slowed so she was level with the girl, smiling slightly, her violet eyes flashing to her friend as the Hyuuga kunoichi stared behind them.

“Hinata? What’s wrong?”

“I thought…that I sensed Naruto somewhere behind us.”

Haru smirked knowingly, facing front again. “You two just cant get enough of each other, can you?” Hinata’s face flushed embarrassedly.

“I-I’m serious! I sensed Naruto’s c-chakra!”

“You’re stuttering again…”

“Haru!!”

The two kunoichi raced off, the silver haired girl giggling madly at Hinata’s furious blush that was now flooding her neck as well as her face.



***


Neji let out a breath as he watched Haru from a distance, her bright purple eyes laughing at Hinata as those rosy lips parted in a heart-wrenching smile. His heart began to beat unevenly as he remembered the scent of her, and he glanced over at Naruto, who was watching Hinata with an expression that wasn’t far from pure obsession. Normally, he would be glaring at the boy for looking at his cousin, but felt a little hypocritical…seeing as he couldn’t really talk…seeing as he was probably looking at Haru with the same expression that Naruto was.

Naruto’s chakra was reacting as well we his emotions at the sight of his girlfriend, and Neji scowled, hitting him on the head to remind him to mask his chakra. The fox boy grinned sheepishly, and masked his chakra, the two of them watching in silence as Hinata looked back.

Neji wasn’t listening to what they were saying, instead drinking in the sight of Haru, the breeze causing her hair to ripple behind her, her graceful crouch on the tree branch. She was like a guardian angel sent from heaven; strong, glorious, kind. Naruto looked over at Neji, and smiled mischievously as the two girls disappeared, leaving them free to talk without being heard.

“So, Neji…how was it?”

Neji’s mouth turned in a confused frown. “What are you talking about?”

“Kissing Haru!” The blonde said excitedly. Neji rolled his eyes, starting out.

“None of your business.”

“Aw c’mon Neji! Just tell me! It’s good to tell someone about these things!”

“If I was going to tell someone, it definitely wouldn’t be you of all people.”

Naruto pouted, and Neji glanced back at him, smiling slightly. They started moving, their footsteps almost silent on the bark. He decided to give him one word.

“Wonderful.”

Naruto frowned, already thinking about something else. “What?”

“It was…wonderful.” Neji blushed slightly, remembering his unpleasant reaction, and her tears. His eyes darkened. That wouldn’t happen again…he would make sure of it.

Naruto cackled in triumph, and Neji kicked him into a tree to try to conceal his embarrassment.


***


The two kunoichi rented a place for the night in a small town that was often regarded as the halfway point between Konoha and The Land of Rain. The two would arrive tomorrow night.

Haru unlocked the door, seeing that it was clean and tidy, with two small bunks and a bedside table that was in between them. The walls were a pleasant ivory color, and the floor was made of attractive rosewood. Hinata sighed, slipping off her backpack and setting it down on one of the beds. Haru sat on the edge of the mattress, slipping her backpack down to the floor beside her feet. Hinata unbuckled her shoes, and lay on her stomach, facing Haru.

Haru grimaced at the look in Hinata’s eyes, and swallowed hard, facing Hinata.

Hinata smiled. “Alright, Haru, the main lesson in seducing is to be confident. Guys are turned on by confidence more than anything, at least, that’s what I’ve found over the years.”

Haru raised an eyebrow. “You’ve liked other guys other than Naruto?”

Hinata flushed. “Um, well, no. But I learned that Naruto responded to me more if I was more confident with myself.”

Haru leaned forward, interested. “When did you two start dating?”

“Two years ago. I had liked him for years before that, and so I was really shocked when he asked me out for ramen one day, and he later told me that he had wanted to take me out for months now…but only that time got the courage. He used to like Sakura you know, and Sasuke had come back to the village only a year before, so he came back three years ago. Sakura and he were just starting their relationship, and Naruto, to everyone’s shock, didn’t seem jealous or anything. When Sakura asked him one day, Naruto said that he liked another girl. Sakura immediately suspected that it was Ino, but then Naruto told her that it was…me. Sakura was really surprised, and Naruto asked her for advice on how to approach me. Heh.” Hinata chuckled. “I used to faint whenever he approached me, so it was a challenge for both of us.”

Haru was beaming. “That…is…so romantic!! Who would’ve known that Naruto could be scared to approach anyone!!” Haru said, giggling. Hinata turned a pleased pink.

“Thanks. Okay, enough about me, I need to ask you a few questions to see what we should work on first.” Hinata cleared her throat. “Alright, if a really good-looking guy started talking to you, what would you do?”

Haru thought. The image of Neji kept popping up, and a sting of hurt came with it. But he was all she found attractive right now, how should she react to someone else? “Uh, I don’t know. I might talk to him.”

“Alright, if he asked for your number, would you give it to him?”

“No! He’s a stranger, why would I give him my–”

“Haru…stop thinking like a kunoichi and more like a regular teenager. A regular teenager would be flattered that an attractive member of the opposite was interested them, and so you have to act as such. So, in this mission, if Toshiko Hura asks for your number, you have to give it to him. Understand?”

Haru nodded. “…Yeah.”

“Okay, next. Say that he asks you to come back to his place, what would you do?”

“Say ‘no’, of course! And then punch him for being such a lecher!”

Hinata sighed, leaning her head in her hands. “Haru, this mission is based on him asking you that question, so you have to say yes! You don’t have to sleep with him, but you have to seduce him long enough to get the drug in him, so he’ll have to tell you Konoha’s secrets, willingly or not.”

Hinata’s tone was firm. “Haru, I know this isn’t pleasant for you, but trust me, you’re not alone. My first seduction mission was right after I started dating Naruto, and he almost got thrown out of Tsunade’s window trying to convince her not to send me. But I did it. So even though it might be undesirable, know that it’s for your village, not for yourself. Do you understand?”

Haru frowned, looking down at her hands. “Hinata…its easy for you to say, you and Naruto are comfortable with each other, and you know that these missions mean nothing emotionally. But Neji…is…I don’t even know! I can’t do this….not without seeing his face in place of Toshiko’s!” Haru blushed crimson, not used to revealing her feelings like this. Neji’s face seemed to be burned into her vision, and whenever she blinked she saw his face behind her eyelids.

Hinata laughed. “You think it was any different for me? I had to kiss this stranger, and I got through it only by imagining that it was Naruto instead.”

Haru bit her lip, and took a deep breath. “You guys really love each other…don’t you?”

“Yes.”

Haru nodded, and motioned for Hinata to continue her questions, but the sudden shattering of the glass window interrupted them.



***


Neji sat on the small ledge outside their window, rolling his eyes at the smug look on Naruto’s face as Hinata finished telling her story of how the two of them started dating. Ugh. Neji closed his eyes, listening as Hinata went on.

“Thanks. Okay, enough about me, I need to ask you a few questions to see what we should work on first.” Hinata cleared her throat. “Alright, if a really good-looking guy started talking to you, what would you do?”

Neji listened closely, almost snickering out loud when he heard Haru’s hesitant voice. “Uh, I don’t know. I might talk to him.”

Hinata seemed satisfied with that answer, and moved on. Neji was astonished by the confidence with which she spoke. “Alright, if he asked for your number, would you give it to him?” Neji couldn’t help smiling at Haru’s angry retort.

“No! He’s a stranger, why would I give him my–” Naruto snickered quietly, and Neji sent him a look to shut him up as Hinata sighed.

“Haru…stop thinking like a kunoichi and more like a regular teenager. A regular teenager would be flattered that an attractive member of the opposite was interested them, and so you have to act as such. So, in this mission, if Toshiko Hura asks for your number, you have to give it to him. Understand?”

Naruto beamed to himself at Hinata’s tone, and Neji rolled his eyes. The pale-eyed jounin didn’t understand half of what happened between his cousin and this idiot, and this situation was no different.

“…Yeah.”

Neji smiled. Haru was so inexperienced…how strange is must be that the most alluring woman in this entire village was unaware of the effect she had on men, and didn’t know how to use her attractiveness to her advantage. Even Hinata; sweet…caring Hinata, knew how to seduce men, and you just had to look at Naruto to see how wrapped around her fingers he was. Of course, in their case, Hinata was just as tightly wound around his fingers as he was wound around hers.

Hinata coughed lightly, and said. “Okay, next. Say that he asks you to come back to his place, what would you do?” Neji’s eyes narrowed at this, and he listened intently for her answer. If he knew Haru well enough…he could be almost positive that she would–

“Say ‘no’, of course! And then punch him for being such a lecher!”

Neji smirked. That was Haru all right…

“Haru, this mission is based on him asking you that question, so you have to say yes! You don’t have to sleep with him, but you have to seduce him long enough to get the drug in him, so he’ll have to tell you Konoha’s secrets, willingly or not.” Hinata said sternly, and when Haru didn’t answer right away, went on.

“Haru, I know this isn’t pleasant for you, but trust me, you’re not alone. My first seduction mission was right after I started dating Naruto, and he almost got thrown out of Tsunade’s window trying to convince her not to send me. But I did it. So even though it might be undesirable, know that it’s for your village, not for yourself. Do you understand?”

Neji glanced over at Naruto, who was scowling darkly to himself. Neji assumed he was remembering that mission in which Tsunade had gotten so frustrated with the blonde that she had almost thrown him out the glass window. She hadn’t done that, instead preferring to throw everything in her office at him, including her desk.

The Hyuuga sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. He was glad for Tsunade’s order not to contact them, because if she hadn’t ordered that, Neji didn’t think he would have enough self control to not contact Haru, take her away from this mission, tell her how much he loved her…

“Hinata…its easy for you to say, you and Naruto are comfortable with each other, and you know that these missions mean nothing emotionally. But Neji…is…I don’t even know! I can’t do this…not without seeing his face in place of Toshiko’s!” Haru said loudly, and Neji turned pink at the way her voice shook. He was what? What was Neji to Haru in that respect?

Hinata laughed. “You think it was any different for me? I had to kiss this stranger, and I got through it only by imagining that it was Naruto instead.” Naruto was practically glowing at that statement, and stuck his tongue out at Neji’s eye roll. Neji sighed. Naruto was so childish sometimes…wait, scratch that, all the time…

Haru seemed to be struggling to calm herself. “You guys really love each other…don’t you?”

Naruto wiggled his eyebrows at Neji, who was tempted to throw him through the window himself now…

“Yes.” Hinata said, without hesitation.

Naruto was now getting so excited that Neji was afraid for their secrecy. He was about to jump off the ledge and grab Naruto when Naruto, who was kneeling, slipped on the wood, falling backward.

And at the last second before he shattered the glass window of the kunoichi’s room, the blonde grabbed onto Neji’s arm, pulling him through the window as well. The two cringed as they were sent flying through the window, and onto the bed, which was next to the window. Naruto was sent plummeting to the floor, and Neji suddenly found himself straddled, a kunai at his throat. He shot up immediately, reflexes honed over the years forcing him to react, but the girl was strong too, and held her own. He stopped struggling, and closed his eyes.

Naruto…if Tsunade doesn’t skin us alive first…I’m going to kill you…

Haru shrieked when she realized that she was straddling Neji, and tumbled off of him hurriedly, face a bright crimson.

Hinata was still sitting on the bed, mouth open in shock, eyes wide. Naruto was rubbing his head, and he seemed to realize where he was in the next second, because he swore loudly.

Hinata swallowed, blinking rapidly.

“N-Neji-onissan….Naruto-kun…what are you doing here?”

Naruto and Neji looked at each other, thinking the exact same thing as they sat there.

Shit.

Chapter 22:


Yuki sighed loudly, leaning against the tree, one of the ones that was scattered in the Inuzuka compound, dangling her leg over the side of the thick branch she was sitting on. Her chin-length waved in the breeze, and her hazel eyes stared up at the blue sky that was scattered with sparse clouds. She ran a hand though her hair, closing her eyes.

She despised being left with too much time on her hands…it left her to remember what life had been like before all of this…before the attack on the kingdom. It was still as fresh as if it had occurred yesterday, and Yuki had to fight back tears when she thought about it. She couldn’t help remembering her childhood, those carefree days spent with Haru in the gardens; the gentle embraces of their mother, the priestess who Yuki had gained her future-seeing ability from. Yuki often saw flashes of the future, but there hadn’t been anything of any consequence since that day when Yuki saw the dead of Sasuke Uchiha. She grimaced at the thought, and quickly pushed it away. He had been smiling in the vision, his handsome features, even when on the brink of death, still managing to keep the arrogance, the regret that seemed to burn in his obsidian orbs.

Yuki opened her eyes quickly, shaking her head to dispel the image.

Huh…too bad that Akira’s on a mission with Tora…I could use some company. Yuki mused, breathing in the warm air that was suffused with the subtle yet intoxicating fragrance of wild flowers. She was so absorbed that she didn’t sense a certain brown haired teen creep up behind her.

“Gotcha!!!” Kiba yelled grabbing her shoulders jarringly, making her eyes fly open. She screamed, scrambling away from the boy behind her, breathing hard as she glared daggers at the chuckling jounin.

“That was not funny Kiba!!”

“Yeah…suuuuuurre it wasn’t…” Kiba drawled lazily, flicking her lightly on the nose, making her scowl. She crossed her arms and glared.

“So…what are you doing here Kiba-sensei?” Yuki growled, making sure to add on the ‘sensei’ with sickly sweetness.

“Oh?” Kiba raised an eyebrow in faint irritation. He hated when Yuki called him ‘sensei’. And it wasn’t like Kiba was really teaching Yuki anymore. Now, Kiba was a good friend, her best friend besides Akira. Kiba went on. “A little testy this morning, are we? It’s not my fault someone wasn’t paying attention…”

Yuki flared, and turned away from him. She didn’t know why, but ever since the beginning, she had marveled at how easily Kiba got under her skin. It was like he had torn away all the control she had…Why was that? Yuki had always prided herself on her calm collectiveness – well, most of the time she was like that anyway. When she got with Akira, she tended to get a little hyperactive. Maybe it was just being around Naruto all the time – and her ability to ignore taunts and annoying comments. But Haru knew, and Haru knew Yuki better than anyone, that Yuki had a fiery temper, and it was part of Haru’s naturally soothing nature that had, over the years, calmed Yuki’s temper. But now that she was around Kiba a lot of the time – he was her teacher after all, even if he was only three years older than her – her temper seemed to flare out of control, and her natural fierceness rose to match his playful and witty banter.

Yuki chose not to reply, and was shocked when he felt his fingers gently playing with her hair. It was a habit that he had gotten into, and Yuki had come down to the conclusion that he did it ever he was trying to say something, but didn’t have the words. Yuki sighed, feeling his warm fingers gently comb through her wavy silver hair that went to her chin, closing her eyes as she felt the cool breeze caress her skin gently. It was moments like this that Yuki treasured…the ones where they just sat in silence in which they communicated, just not in words.

Yuki sighed. Oh if only she wasn’t such a lovesick idiot. It was so cliché that it made her want to vomit; the female student falling for the caring, mature, and incredibly handsome teacher. And Kiba was incredibly handsome…strange that more girls weren’t drooling over him. Maybe it was the whole dog thing. But in Yuki’s opinion, that only added to his charm.

When did I start liking him? A month ago…maybe two? Ugh…Haru, why did you have to come to this village? Why did you have to make me come to the village where he was…why oh why? Yuki loved it here, but the complications of having a crush on someone was so damn annoying… It was painful enough watching Neji and Haru around each other; they were both so dense when it came to relationships that it made Yuki want to punch something. It was so obvious that they were crazy about each other…and everyone knew it except the two involved. What a nuisance. Even Yuki, who was just as inexperienced as Haru when it came to love, knew that Neji was desperately in love with her. Yuki loved Neji like a brother – as she also did with Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru – so she was perfectly alright with Neji wooing her sister, because Yuki was almost to the point of locking them in a closet herself.

Yuki was brought back to reality as Kiba’s fingers moved to the nape of her neck, his fingertips lightly brushing against the skin there.

Yuki felt warmth rising in her chest as she turned to look at him, her hazel eyes vibrant and calm. The two stared at each other, and Kiba opened his mouth to say something, and quickly shut it, blushing slightly. Yuki frowned.

“What?”

“N-Nothing.”

“Kiba.”

“It’s nothing, Yuki.”

“Kiba…you can tell me.” Yuki said softly, and when he looked up she was lost in his eyes. They were dark, as dark as Sasuke’s, and slanted exotically, a mark of his Inuzuka heredity, along with the two red slashes on his cheeks. His skin was flawless and smooth, a light tan that meshed pleasantly with his chocolate brown hair that spiked all over his head, like Naruto’s, only Kiba’s was even wilder. Yuki often saw similarities between the other male ninja and Kiba, but when she looked closer, she saw that the mixture was so uniquely Kiba that it made the similarities fade away.

Kiba looked away. “No…its nothing, really.”

Yuki huffed a breath, and moved closer, staring at him until he looked down at her. Even when sitting down, her head only came to his collarbone. How depressing…

Yuki smiled. “Kiba, please tell me.”

Kiba blushed. “No.” `

“Kiba…you’re being immature. Just tell me.”

“No!”

Yuki growled. Kiba was stubborn, like her. It got on her nerves sometimes. “Kiba…is it about me?”

“No…why?” Kiba was blushing even brighter now, and Yuki grinned evilly. He gulped nervously at her expression.

“Oh? What about me, Kiba, is so bad that you cant say it to my face?”

“Nothing!”

“I wont stop badgering you…you know that right?”

Kiba blushed even deeper red, and turned away. Yuki pouted, and slowly touched his hair with her fingers, gauging his reaction. Her heart pounded in her chest as he sighed, a sound that sent shivers down her spine. She slowly ran her fingers through his hair, tugging gently on the soft brown tresses. He leaned against her, his eyes closing. She flushed, and slowly continued touching his hair.

Yuki was about to pull away when Kiba encircled her wrist with his strong fingers, his eyes dark and intense as they stared at her. She felt her heart beating so fast that it was practically humming, and before she could open her mouth to speak he leaned forward and his lips touched hers.

It wasn’t a kiss of passion or desperation; just his lips gently pressing on hers, so lightly that it was almost a caress. She froze in surprise, but couldn’t find the will to move herself away. His hands rested on her wrists, loosely holding them, almost possessively.

Yuki felt something inside stir of her heart as he pulled away, eyes bright and filled with tender emotion that sent Yuki’s heart racing again. Why hadn’t Yuki seen this coming? She should’ve had some kind of warning…right? Kiba leaned his forehead against hers, eyes still locked on her hazel ones.

Yuki finally got the strength to speak. “That was what you were going to tell me?”

Kiba grinned sheepishly. “No. I was going to tell you, but showing you just seemed easier.”

Yuki laughed breathlessly, and smiled, her confidence returning. “So what now? I doubt that anyone will be very happy about this, I mean–”

Kiba smirked, cutting her off. “Does it matter what other people think?”

Yuki smiled widely at his words. “No, I suppose it doesn’t.”

Kiba sighed contentedly, and Yuki finally did what she had longed to do for the past months. She had dreamt about it, imagined it, and yet none of those were as perfect as the reality of it.

She leapt forward, throwing her arms around his neck, and kissed him. He seemed surprised at her sudden leap, but quickly responded as he wrapped his arms around her. The two of them remained there for a long time after that, their lips rarely apart.



***


Sakura cooed in delight as she peeked from behind the bushes. Ino was beside her, and the two of them awed as Yuki and Kiba kissed again, this time much more deeply than before. Sasuke rolled his eyes at their girlish delight, and Shikamaru covered his face in shame.

How was it again, that he had been convinced to come and spy on the two of them? All he knew was that Ino had asked him to come because Sakura and her somehow knew that today was going to be the day that they would finally kiss. How had they known that? Was it a girl thing, or was he just not paying attention?

Sasuke turned away as Yuki and Kiba got even closer – if possible – and leaned against the tree to wait. Sakura and Ino were giggling away, whispering excitedly.

“I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!!”

“I know! Wait till Haru finds out! Awww…they’re just so cute together! Ino-pig, you must be psychic or something cuz I never even saw this coming!!! Yuki and Kiba…oh life is just so perfect right now.”

Ino beamed. “I swear, one of us is going to get married soon, I swear. Maybe it’ll be you, Forehead!” She whispered, too softly for even the keen ears of the two ninja nearby to hear. Sakura blushed furiously, looking back at Kiba and Yuki.

“N-No…I doubt that’s happening…”

Ino raised one blonde eyebrow, blue eyes knowingly smug. “Sakura, Sasuke loves you, more than he let’s anyone know. You should see the way he looks at you…its kinda scary how protective and possessive he is...”

Sakura smiled, stealing a glance at her boyfriend who chose that moment to glance over at her. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Sakura smiled gently.

“I know.”

Ino smiled mischievously again, and Shikamaru sighed, knowing full well what they were smiling about. He had been subjected to Ino’s intricate predictions to when Sasuke was going to propose to the pink haired medic, so he was familiar with the look that came into his blonde companion’s eyes when she talked about it.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and gently tugged Ino out of the bushes, and whispered something in her ear, making her grin happily, and place kiss on his cheek. Sakura waved to the two, and rose, the trees hiding them from view. Sakura took Sasuke’s hand, and the two of them walked off toward the street.

Sasuke looked over at the medic as she walked, and just looked at her. Her silky pink hair went to just above her shoulders, with pale porcelain skin that glowed in the sunlight that shone down on the streets of Konoha. Her features were delicate and soft, flawless and unblemished. Her eyes…her eyes were the things that commanded the most attention, besides her vibrant hair. Sakura’s eyes were not just green; they were every shade of green imaginable, all melting together in perfect harmony. Sasuke felt pain in his chest as he looked at her; he loved her…loved her so much that it hurt to breathe. Everything about her tore his defense away, just holding her hand was making it difficult to think coherently.

Sakura glanced up at him, slightly shocked to find him staring at her. She smiled at him.

“Is something wrong?”

Sasuke shook his head, and surprised the medic by pulling her to him and kissing her softly, gently, as though it was their very first kiss, as if he had just asked her to go out with him.

“It’s…nothing.” Sasuke murmured, but Sakura wasn’t so sure. He had a strange look in his eye, but when Sasuke’s eyes returned to normal a second later, Sakura pushed it aside, and the two walked down the street, their fingers intertwined.

Chapter 23: Last Time



Haru’s mouth was agape as she stared at Neji. She found her voice as Neji silently straightened, sitting at the edge of the mattress. Hinata and Naruto were staring at each other, and Naruto, for once, was lost for words.

“What are you two doing here? And how did you find us?”

Neji sighed, glaring lightly at Naruto before quietly explaining. “Tsunade sent us on a mission to follow you two, so I could observe Hinata on her skills. Naruto came along…more to spy on Hinata than anything. We were ordered not to make any contact with you…but Naruto just ruined that part of the mission…”

Naruto laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry…”

Hinata sighed, touching Naruto’s head with her fingertips, threading the blonde tresses between her fingers gently. “Well, now what do we do?”

Neji frowned thoughtfully. “I suggest that we stay together for now on, just in case something goes wrong. Also…I want to make sure that Naruto doesn’t attack Hinata-sama in her sleep…”

Haru laughed, and Naruto was ecstatic as he leaned into Hinata. “I know! Haru can practice her seduction on Neji!!! Isn’t that a great idea! If you can seduce Neji, you can seduce anyone!!!”

Neji and Haru were frozen, and Hinata blinked. Haru groaned, waiting for Hinata to come to her rescue. But there was silence, and Haru’s head shot up at Hinata’ thoughtful answer.

“Hm…maybe we could do that. I don’t know though…it seems a bit too sudden, and Neji just might spontaneously combust....”

Neji’s mind whirled into shock, and his eye twitched at the mischievous smile that graced his cousin’s lips. Damn you Naruto…damn you to the deepest pit of hell where you belong…

Naruto coughed nervously as Neji glared mercilessly at him.

“Uh, so, do you guys need to be at that village?”

Haru whispered. “Tomorrow night…and the man I have to…uh, seduce, is going to be in the local bar the night after tomorrow, or so the information we have states.”

Naruto nodded, and Hinata rose, moving over to examine the shards of glass. She pursed her lips, and glanced over at Haru. “Hey, Haru, can your magic repair this?”

Haru nodded, and Hinata smiled in relief before turning to the boys. “Okay, you two go back outside and rent a room in this tavern. Come back tomorrow morning, at lets say six?” Neji and Naruto nodded, and Naruto started snickering.

Hinata smiled, and Neji didn’t like the look on her face. Haru swallowed, and her eyes flickered between the blonde and the dark haired girl. Neji finally got suspicious enough to ask. “What will we be discussing?”

Hinata grinned. “Well, we’ll travel the rest of the way to the village, which should take us a few hours at most, but first we’ll figure out a disguise for you two when we go to the bar. When we get to the village, Haru and I will go shopping for clothes for that night.”

Naruto waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Don’t forget, Hina-chan…that Haru still has to seduce Neji!”

Neji was silent, glaring daggers at the blonde who was snorting with retrained snickers. Hinata laughed at their expressions.

“We’ll see, Naruto…we’ll see” She motioned for Naruto to exit through the window. Naruto pecked her lightly on the lips, and he slipped out the window.

Neji stared at Haru for a moment before touching her cheek with his fingertips, lightly tracing them down her face. He seemed as if he was about to say something, but he looked at Hinata, and decided against it, pulling away and exiting without a word.

Haru sighed. It was very easy to imagine that he loved her. It was so, so very simple to imagine that his fingers that had touched her face were just as full of longing as hers were. Were they? Haru wanted to believe that they were…but…she would just have to wait and see.

Haru used her magic to make the glass float back into place, and Hinata smiled slightly to herself as she changed into her pajamas.


***


The next morning, Naruto and Neji opened the door to the girls’ room, and found Hinata and Haru fully dressed, and their packs ready to go. Hinata was laying on her bed, on her stomach, head on her folded hands. Haru was sitting by the window, the sun shining on her face as she stared out into the trees that surrounded the village.

Hinata looked up as they entered, and smiled. “Okay, now that you’re here, we need to figure out our disguises. Obviously none of us, except for Haru, can be in our true forms, because the Rain ninja may see us and demand to know why we’re there. They don’t know about Haru or her sister yet, so she’s safe.”

Naruto beamed. “I’ll be a girl! I already know how to do that from my awesome Sexy Jutsu, so…”

Neji groaned at the memory of that particular jutsu, and Naruto stuck out his tongue.

“You liked it, Neji. Admit it.”

“It was the most disgusting experience of my life, and that includes watching you eat ramen…”

Haru laughed, and Naruto scowled. Hinata smiled slightly, and turned to Naruto. “Well, that would work, I guess. I mean, it would look better for Haru too, seeing her come in with three girls instead of two guys and one girl.”

Neji’s face turned stony. “Absolutely not.”

Haru snickered at the look on his face, muttering. “You’re just embarrassed that you know that you’d make a pretty hot girl…” Neji’s eyes flashed to hers as Naruto and Hinata laughed. Haru smiled back at him, and pulled him down to sit next to her.

Hinata spoke again. “So Naruto and Neji, try turning into girls.” Haru and Hinata waited expectantly, and Neji sighed in reluctant acceptance. The two male jounin put their hands together in a sign, and suddenly, in a poof of smoke, two girls were sitting in place of Neji and Naruto.

Naruto, with the same tanned skin as before, was a girl with shoulder-length brown hair. His whisker scars were gone, and his cerulean eyes were larger, more innocent looking. Neji was now Haru’s height, and had long, straight dark brown hair that went below his waist. His eyes were gray, and the sudden appearance of pupils made Haru start in surprise. She preferred his bottomless pearly gray eyes that seemed to take in her entire soul when he looked at her…

Neji glanced over at her, and a light and musical voice said quietly. “So, is it acceptable?”

Haru laughed. The precise, cool tones were so odd, seeing as she was used to hearing them in Neji’s deep voice, and hearing them in this lighter girl’s voice was just plain bizarre. Haru grinned.

“See, I was right. You make a gorgeous girl. If only you’d walk through Konoha like this…you’d have hordes of boys chasing after you…”

Naruto laughed, and Haru again blinked as she heard him speak. “I did that once…Tsunade almost tore my head off...”

Haru frowned. “Why would she do that?”

Neji rolled his eyes. “Because, that idiot decided to walk down the street without any clothes on.” Haru gasped, and Hinata smiled fondly in remembrance. Haru laughed, and Neji shook his head in disgust. Naruto was beaming proudly.

Neji turned to Hinata. “So, how are you going to disguise yourself?”

Hinata smiled, and put her hands together. When the smoke cleared, there stood a pixie like girl that had large hazel eyes and spiky blonde hair. Her skin was lightly tanned, and when she spoke, the same soft tone came out. “How’s this?”

Naruto was grinning. “You look amazing! Not that you don’t always look amazing, but it’s kinda cool to see you with my hair…”

Hinata laughed. “That is where I got the idea.”

Naruto beamed, and leapt forward to give Hinata a deep kiss. Haru couldn’t help gasping at the sight of a girl Naruto kissing Hinata…it looked quite unnerving even though she knew that Naruto was a boy under the transformation jutsu. Neji’s eye twitched, and he bonked Naruto on the head.

“You two are going to have to stop doing that, especially when Naruto is a girl…”

Naruto smirked rather impishly, releasing the jutsu, and muttered. “You’re just jealous…”

Neji’s eye twitched even more furiously as he released the jutsu as well, and he turned away with a huff of annoyance. Haru was beet red, and she twiddled her thumbs nervously as Hinata and Naruto broke apart once more. Hinata smiled, and stood, slipping her back over her shoulders.

“Let’s head out.”

Haru looked up at her, and nodded. “Yeah.”



***


Haru sighed as she heard the soft tap of Neji’s feet hitting the branch above her. They were only an hour or so away,

Hinata had told them that they would be continuing Haru’s lessons when they stopped for breaks, and after they got to the village. Haru felt her throat tightening at the thought, and tried to clear her mind by staring at the back of Neji as he flipped in front of her. That wasn’t the smartest idea, because now her mind was traveling down those roads that were best left undiscovered. Neji had such pretty shoulders…so smooth and muscular…

Haru flushed, and slapped her cheeks. What was she thinking?!

Neji glanced back at her, his pearly eyes boring into hers as she quickly looked away. He glanced back up toward the two figures that were far ahead, mere blurs of orange and purple. Neji slowed until he was running beside her, and the two didn’t speak, just ran in silence. It was comfortable, in a way. Haru looked over at Neji, and felt so…peaceful. It was almost like the kiss hadn’t happened at all, that they were still standing on that bridge, staring down at the water that rushed below their feet.

Neji sighed, looking up at the flashes of purple-red-pink sky that appeared briefly through the thick canopy of branches and leaves, and Haru grinned, focusing slightly, drawing into that power that was now so familiar that it took almost no effort at all.

The trees whispered greetings to Haru, and she felt the jolt of energy that she always did when she touched the mind of nature. She concentrated, and the trees branches parted. Neji, not surprised in the slightest, stopped, and smiled slightly as a large beam of the orange-red sunset glowed on his still form. Haru smiled to herself, and Neji looked over at her.

“How can you be so happy…knowing what you have to do on this mission?”

The sunshine dimmed slightly as Haru frowned, but it returned even more strongly as she beamed. The weather only responded to Haru when her emotions were especially strong, and it was rare that her emotions reached that level. To see it now was a wonder, and the light glowed on her silver hair that went in waves to her waist. Neji blinked slowly as he stared, and Haru smiled.

“Well, Hinata told me that when she had a mission like this, she just imagined that it was Naruto instead of the man she was supposed to seduce. I think that…if I think of someone else while I’m doing it, it’ll be easier. I mean, if I do, it’ll be as if I’m kissing someone I actually care for, not just a stranger.”

Neji blinked again. “But, it’s still a stranger. Imagining doesn’t make it any different.”

Haru laughed. “Neji, are you trying to make me more miserable? You’re supposed to be helping me, not telling me how I’m seducing a complete stranger.”

Neji stared into her eyes, and a smirk lifted his lips as he leaned down, and kissed her, his arms coming around her waist to pull her roughly to him. She was frozen, and when he pulled away he laughed quietly. Haru blinked, and touched her lips with her fingers.

Neji touched her cheek gently, a tinge of pink dusting his cheeks. “No, I’m just trying to tell you that imagining me doesn’t cut it. You need to actually kiss me…to have something to imagine.”

Haru smiled, tears welling up in her eyes.

Standing on the bridge, staring up into his eyes. His unresponsive lips frozen as she pulled away. Haru knew now what had occurred, and she knew that to really see if someone loves you, you have to give them more than just one kiss.

So she pulled his head down to hers and kissed him again.

Neji immediately responded, limitless joy leaping and bounding in his chest. He loved her, he loved her, he loved her.

Haru’s hair was spilling over his arms as she wrapped her arms around his torso, and her mouth was warm and soft on his.

Haru pulled away reluctantly, her face still close to his. She smiled, and whispered.

“I love you.”

It was those words that made him so unaware of the auras surrounding them; if only she hadn’t said those words, if only he hadn’t been so careless. If only he had kissed her again, more time between them before everything went wrong.

There was a crash, and suddenly Haru was wrenched from his grasp, her scream piercing the air like a knife. Neji felt himself falling into a cloud of darkness, and looked down to see a knife protruding through his stomach. A wave of pain and dizziness washed through him. His knees suddenly hit the tree trunk, and he saw through a haze, Haru being thrown down into the forest floor, her silver hair whipping around her. It was so fast, too fast. How were they fast enough to catch them by surprise? Haru couldn’t fight, they had her, they would kill her. He had lost her. The cackling demons were on her in the next second, and before they knocked her unconscious, she screamed his name.

That scream was the most painful thing Neji had ever heard, and it made him want to cry and scream at the same time. No, Haru, I wont let you go, I love you Haru, I never told you that, why was that? Just fight them, Haru, I’ll tell you until my throat bleeds. Just…don’t go.

“NEJI!”

Neji coughed, seeing crimson liquid stain the wood. He reached out to her, and watched as she fell limp, and was lost in the swarm of demons.

No…Haru.

Neji forced himself to stand, and hissed as pain throbbed through his abdomen.

I have to tell you.

The demons were carrying her away…far away. Her silver hair glinted in the light.

I have to.

Neji couldn’t move as he watched them take her, and he felt his throat tighten. He forced himself to walk, jumping down with a yell of pain to the forest floor. He began to follow, blood dripping down his legs.

Don’t…leave me.

Neji saw a flash of orange in front of him, and his eyes took in Naruto. The blonde’s mouth moved, but Neji couldn’t hear the words. All that he could hear was the blood-curdling scream that had ripped from Haru’s throat. Neji closed his eyes, and all went dark.

Chapter 24: Moonlight



He was floating.

It was as if he were hovering in a calm, dark cloud of mist. He was peaceful, serene almost, and yet suddenly the moisture clung to his skin and made him feel like he was drowning in it, awakening his senses to the pain. His stomach was throbbing, a slow, smoldering ache that made him want to curl up and forget it all. Only…what was it he wanted to forget?

A broad, firm surface beneath him shifted jarringly, and the boy was swept under the darkness once more, the light that had been so close slipping away to be consumed by the familiar darkness.

Time was meaningless to him in this place of unconsciousness, and he found himself being moved once or twice, and felt the dim heat of a fire near him each time. He was aware, somewhat, but he couldn’t find the will to open his eyes. It was if he was watching his body from outside, watching as he lay there, motionless. The pain in his abdomen was lessened somewhat as he felt pressure being applied to the area, and cooling poultices wrapped tightly around his torso. The dark haired boy couldn’t remember…where he had gotten the wound. Where was he?

The older teen was being lifted once more, and his mind had roused from its slumber enough to make sense of the two voices that rose and fell around him in a bizarre melody. There was a deep voice that was raspy with tiredness, and a much lighter one, a softer one. They were, at first, mere mumbles of sounds and snatches of words that still made no sense to the boy. His mind slowly whirled, as though unused to thinking at all.

The wound in his stomach continued to burn. But there was another pain now, a pain that he could not explain. It was the pain that blossomed from his chest, more painful with every beat of his heart. The pain made his mind sharpen even more, and he struggled to understand.

Suddenly, all at once, words began to make sense to him, and he drank it in eagerly as the two voices spoke again.

“How long?” The low, hoarse voice vibrated within the surface that the dark haired boy was being held on.

“We’ll get there by tonight if we don’t take any breaks, I sent a message to the Hokage already, so she knows his condition. How is he?” The softer, obviously feminine voice asked quietly.

The surface he was pressed against shifted slightly, and then went back to its original state. The low voice sounded again. “Still unconscious. Your bandaging is helping, but he won’t hold for much longer without Sakura-chan or Granny Tsunade. That damn blade they stuck in him…it had some kind of poison that wont let his body heal itself.”

The softer voice was anxious. “Is he going to be…alright?”

“Yeah…Neji’s tough, he’ll pull through.”

Neji…that’s me. Yes, I remember. I am Neji Hyuuga. But who are these people?

“But what about you? They hurt you in the fight…just rest, and let me–”

“No! Neji’s more hurt than I am…I’ll live until we get back to the village.” The lower voice spoke vehemently, and the other voice went silent.

The softer voice, after a few minutes of silence, whispered uneasily. “Was it really the right thing…to bring him back, and leave her behind? I know that Neji-onissan would want us to go after her…and I feel…oh…”

Small sobs filled the air, and the low voice said soothingly, and Neji could hear the slight undertone of grief. “It’s okay, we made the right choice. Don’t cry, Hinata-chan. After we get Neji back to Konoha, we’ll go after Haru.”

Suddenly, everything came back. It was such a rush of images that Neji’s eyes snapped open, and the injured boy who was carrying him didn’t notice. But Neji didn’t see him, couldn’t see him.

Naruto. Sunny, warm, loud Naruto…he was injured, his arms and legs sliced with shallow but numerous cuts that oozed blood. He had hastily wrapped bandages around his wounds, but the blood had soaked through long ago.

Hinata. The polite, caring girl who was his cousin. She also was injured, but to a much lesser extent than the boy beside her. That blonde idiot had probably taken most of the hits for her sake…he was always the self-sacrificing type.

Haru.

Haru!

Sweet, hesitant, strong Haru…where was she? Neji desperately wanted to stare into those violet eyes that pierced his soul and all of his defenses. Her voice as she called his name, her grin of delight. The feeling of her lips against his as she clung to him.

Her blood curdling screams…as she was torn away from him.

Haru, Haru, Haru, Haru, HARU!!!

Neji’s heart clenched, and he groaned before he could stop himself; the pain that surged through his frame was overwhelming. Hinata was at Naruto’s side in an instant, her pale lavender eyes wide and anxious.

“Neji-onissan, can you hear me?”

Neji stared at her, and forced his mouth to open. His throat burned, and his abdomen burned so much that it threatened to pull him under once more.

He meant to say something helpful; how he was feeling, what was wrong, the terrible burn that ripped though his stomach.

And yet, only one word came to mind as he stared at her.

“Haru.”

And then the dark cloud swept Neji up once more, and this time painful and suffocating darkness descended in place of the calm and peaceful cloud of before.

Haru…where is Haru?



****



The gates came into view as the exhausted teens ran down the hard packed road, and they caught a glimpse of the full moon before the looming walls blocked it out. Hinata glanced up at the walls, her Byakugan-enhanced vision catching the flickering flashes of the moonlight reflected on drawn kunai. She quickly branched out her chakra, and the kunai disappeared, and the gates immense doors slowly creaked open. Naruto sighed tiredly, and Hinata watched him worriedly as he stumbled into Konoha. Neji was limp on Naruto’s back, the wound in his stomach seeping blood through the thick bandages that Hinata had wrapped around his abdomen.

“Naruto-kun…I can take him if you want.” Hinata glanced at the especially deep wound on his thigh. The demons had seen Naruto and Hinata with Neji, and Hinata had shivered at their voices that clicked like insects. Then, with no warning, a small group of them leapt at the three ninja. They were unable to produce chakra, so Hinata’s Byakugan had been useless, and Naruto had gotten injured while protecting Neji from the blows that seemed to be aimed directly at him. The demons had been skilled, but once Hinata got past their defenses, they went down almost too easily. Even so, both of them had injuries, Naruto even more so than her.

“No…H-Hinata-chan! I’ve got him…just go get…help.” Naruto’s blue eyes were dull and listless, and dark shadows under his eyes revealed his sleepless nights that had been filled with travel instead of sleep. Hinata’s were the same, but she wasn’t injured like he was, so she still had a modicum of strength left. She hesitated, and kissed him quickly on the cheek before vanishing.

Naruto closed his eyes as he basked in her warmth, and in the next second she was gone. He forced himself to keep walking, and felt the pain whispering in his exhausted mind and body as he trudged down the road toward the hospital that seemed miles away in his haze of fatigue. He had never gone without sleep for this long, and especially not with the many cuts and wounds that were scattered across his body. Those added to his state of near unconsciousness, and the world around him swam dangerously. He gritted his teeth, and forced his feet to keep moving, tightening his hold on the unconscious Neji.

Haru was gone. Naruto growled to himself as that thought came to his thoughts. Neji was only able to say her name, only hers, in the brief seconds before he passed out again. Naruto’s stomach had clenched in unhappiness. He knew exactly what Neji must be going through…the pain, the sorrow, but most of all, the sense of regret that ate him from inside his soul. It was the same feeling that had been his main emotion after Sasuke went to Orochimaru. It was the most horrible feeling…worse than any physical pain that anyone could inflict upon him.

And Neji and Haru had just begun to see each other as…more than friends. Why did this have to happen? It wasn’t fair!

Naruto smiled despite his sadness as he recalled that first day, when Haru had woken up in the hospital bed and seen all of the ninja that wanted to know everything about her. It was funny, how she had changed since then. It was strange, but it was almost like Haru’s haunting beauty had softened, become much more natural and glowing rather than proud and cold. When Naruto had seen her for the first time, he could’ve sworn that she was a goddess, merciless and stoic. The emotion was drained from her face, and her violet eyes seemed to burn whatever lay in their path. Only when Haru had seen Neji did her eyes soften almost reluctantly, as if it pained her to look at him.

Wait…that didn’t make any sense. If it hurt her to look at him…why did they grow so close so quickly? Naruto knew that Neji didn’t love easily, but…it was as if their bond was beyond the usual way of falling in love. It was almost like a physical tie that linked the two together. It wasn’t ‘love at first sight’, instead being almost like a love that was predetermined, as though fate had chosen them to come together as one.

Naruto felt his knees buckle as he stopped, and his breath came in rasping gasps. His vision blurred as he slumped to the ground, Neji sliding to the ground almost noiselessly, and Naruto saw with horror that blood was seeping from the wound in greater amounts, and the Hyuuga’s face was ashen, smooth and emotionless as stone. Naruto quickly put an ear to his chest, feeling the heart beating sluggishly, as though something was tapering the flow of blood to his heart. Cerulean eyes widened as it skipped a beat, and he quickly checked to see that the teen was breathing. He was, but it was shallow, and the Hyuuga’s eyes were flickering restlessly under the lids, as though searching for something. Naruto swallowed hard, and was about to unwrap the soaked bandage when something snapped inside his mind. It was if the entire journey to Konoha, a length of rope was being slowly pulled tighter and tighter each passing second, making the rope taut. It had been stretched beyond its limit, and only Naruto’s will had kept it from breaking until now.

Naruto saw a flash of pink before his eyes fluttered closed, and he knew no more.



****



Sakura quickly caught Naruto as he fell sideways, and Sasuke was by her side in an instant, gently slinging the blonde over his back, his onyx eyes stony as they took in his injured and exhausted teammate. Sakura nodded her thanks, and turned her attention to the motionless Hyuuga, her emerald eyes darkening in careful evaluation.

Sasuke knelt beside her, silent as she checked his breathing, pulse, and her hands deftly unwrapped the bandages. Sasuke couldn’t help letting out a breath of astonishment as the blood-soaked bandage fell away, and Sakura’s brow knitted in concern.

Neji’s abdomen was covered in blood, but what caught Sakura’s attention was the deep wound that dominated the area, at least three inches across. Blood flowed freely from it, and Sakura, without another word, shoved her hand into one of the large pouches that hung around her waist, and drew out a large roll of fresh bandages. She wrapped Neji’s stomach with speed gained from years of experience, faster than Sasuke’s eyes could follow. Sakura spoke, and Sasuke could sense that she wasn’t speaking to him intentionally, and that her speaking was more of a way to solidify the information within her mind.

“There’s poison in his system…something I haven’t seen before. His breathing is irregular, and his heart is reacting as well. But it shouldn’t react like this…not if it’s just his stomach that was injured. They wrapped it tightly enough that the blood shouldn’t spread that quickly. Tsunade will have to look at him herself.”

Sasuke spoke quietly, and even then his voice seemed loud in the still darkness of night that surrounded them. “Will he live?”

Sakura didn’t turn. “…I don’t know.” Sasuke saw that her shoulders were hunched in sorrow. Sasuke’s eyes lowered to stare at the Hyuuga. Haru wasn’t with them…Hinata was telling the truth. But what had happened? He wanted the entire story. Sasuke hadn’t trusted Haru from the beginning, and he realized that he didn’t care what had happened, he wanted to know why it had happened, and why everything strange and unexplainable lately seemed to be centered on Haru.

Sakura’s toned arms tensed slightly as she carefully lifted the Hyuuga onto her back. If the situation hadn’t been this serious, Sasuke would’ve chuckled at the sight of petite little Sakura with the Hyuuga – who was almost two feet taller than the pink haired medic – on her back. But this was serious, and Sasuke was silent.

Sakura hesitated for a moment, staring up at the moon that was a ominous orange-yellow color. Sasuke looked too, and felt a shiver pass through him as he stood there, in the silence that was now so thick that Sasuke felt as though he was swimming in it.

Sakura’s voice was faint. “Sasuke…what’s happening to this place? I feel as though I barely know it anymore, that there are things…things that even the strongest person can overcome…” Sakura trailed off, closing her mouth quickly, as though she had said too much.

The two jounin silently ran through the streets, toward the hospital.

Sasuke glanced back at the moon. He agreed completely.

What was happening to everything that had, for his entire life, seemed so stable and unchangeable? Why was it now suddenly changing?

It seemed that no one could answer, and the two ninja didn’t speak of it as they ran, each one lost in their own thoughts.

Chapter 25: Rising Storm


The blonde woman hurried down the hall, her golden-brown eyes flashing with sweltering anger that seemed to fill the entire room. The silent nurses looked away from her as she passed, afraid that if they looked her in the eye, they’d be somehow blamed.

But Tsunade wasn’t angry with anyone. In fact, the only person she was angry with was herself.

She should’ve known that this was a trap. She should’ve known that the smug smile that crossed the father of Toshiko Hura when he agreed to her request. She had been stupid. Tsunade didn’t make mistakes often, but when she did, they always had horrible consequences. First her brother, then her first and only love. Both mistakes on her part, she should’ve been there, she should’ve helped them more.

And now, in this moment, the brunt of her mistake was both the loss of Haru, and the injury of Neji Hyuuga. Neji’s body was rebelling against the foreign poison that raged through his system. If she didn’t get that poison out of him soon…he would die.

Tsunade turned at the corner, and all but smashed the door down. Sakura was leaning over Neji anxiously, her hands glowing pale green. Tsunade frowned as her chakra was, instead of healing him, hurting him even more. Sakura yanked her hands away, and groaned in worry as Neji’s ashen face changed to an unpleasant shade of gray. Tsunade frowned, looking at Neji’s charts.

Everything was wrong. Heartbeat: accelerated. Blood pressure: exceptionally high. His face, though pale and gray, was so warm with fever that Tsunade felt it even before her hand touched his forehead. The poison wasn’t anything that Tsunade had ever encountered, and that frightened her more than anything.

Tsunade glanced over at Sakura, who was frowning in frustration. “Sakura, what attacked him?”

“Hinata told me that they were these…demon like things. Neji’s seen them before, with Haru.”

The moment Sakura said ‘Haru’, Tsunade’s eyes narrowed, and she whirled around and called to one of the nurses. Her eyes brightened, and Sakura frowned.

“Tsunade-sensei, what is it?”

“If this…demon is from Haru’s homeland, who do you think will know what is harming Neji?”

Sakura gasped.

“Of course…Yuki.”



***


Yuki burst through the hospital doors, Kiba right behind her. The nurses flinched as Yuki passed, because Yuki was beyond angry, the anger being replaced by a cool, calm ferocity that was even more terrifying then a screaming madman brandishing bloody knives. Her sister, her beloved sister Haru, who she loved more then anything in the world, had been kidnapped. And by the man who had killed her parents. He had laughed as her world burned…

Raw waves of magic and chakra poured off of Yuki as she passed. Kiba held her hand tightly, and Yuki knew that if she let go of his hand, all hell would break loose within her, and the magic she was trying so hard to restrain would be so immense that it would tear apart anyone who stood in her way.

Magic in her world was a force that her culture had harnessed and used to their advantage, but even they didn’t know everything about it and its limits. It was erratic, powerful, and dangerous when used in the wrong hands. To harness magic required extreme inner strength, and the level of control varied from person to person. Yuki and the rest of the royal family had unusually powerful magical prowess, mainly because of their relation to Haru.

Yuki knew that this was the time to explain to her new village exactly what Haru was, and how dangerous she really was when pushed to a limit, resulting in quite literally Hell on Earth. Yuki had restrained her information out of necessity for Haru’s safety, because such knowledge put in the hands of Konoha would result in Haru’s immediate execution. She was just too dangerous, but Yuki could not see her in that way.

The community of their kingdom, on the hidden land of Galena, had always been cautious of Haru for what she held inside her. And the worst part was that Haru herself was the only one not allowed to know what was inside of her.

Yuki was about to enter Neji’s hospital room when two Anbu stepped in front of her, blocking the doorway. Her hazel eyes glowed dangerously, and her hair seemed to swirl around her as the magic-chakra flared perilously. But the Anbu ninja’s voices were calm.

“Forgive us, but no one is–”

Yuki’s eyes narrowed, and suddenly the Anbu were sent flying into the wall with a crunch. Yuki slid open the door, and Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the fallen Anbu but didn’t comment.

Yuki stared down at the unconscious Neji, and quickly bent over him, her hands flaring with a pale silver light that matched the color of her hair. Sakura watched with amazement, as the magic seemed to go through Neji’s system. After a moment though, Yuki yanked her hands away, her eyes narrowing.

“This is Mazarin poison.”

Tsunade frowned. “I’ve never–”

Yuki cut her off with a wave of her hand, and Sakura was struck by how mature she seemed at that moment, and felt a little awed by her. In this moment, she was no longer just Yuki…she was a commanding princess of a foreign country, powerful and calm under dire circumstances.

“Of course you’ve never heard of it, because it’s a poison from my country. It’s used by demons to coat their weapons, and can be created only once every five hundred years. Its original source is the nectar of the Mazaria flower, grown in my country, in the heart of a volcano. Presenting a sacrifice of human blood, and saying certain words over the nectar enable it to slowly and painfully shut down the internal body systems. It takes a little over three days to fully shut the body down, a week at the most. I can use my magic to halt the process, and restore him to full health, but it only lasts for, at the most, a week or so. After that, the process continues, even more accelerated then before.”

Sakura was wide-eyed, and Tsunade scowled. “Where can we get the antidote?”

Yuki’s eyes were dark as she stared at Tsunade. “My sister is the only one that can save him. There is no antidote, but her magic is strong enough to completely expel the poison from his body. She is the only one strong enough to do this.”

Tsunade frowned. “What do you mean?”

Yuki sighed, sinking into a chair, and looked towards Sakura. “Are Hinata and Naruto stable?”

“Yes, they’re waiting in the lobby for news on Neji.”

“Well call them in here, as well as Sasuke and Tenten. You all are the closest to Haru, so you’ll take the news better then the rest of them would. You need to hear the entire story. I will perform the spell on Neji now, so he can be awake for my explanation.”

Sakura glanced at her sensei, who nodded at her to do as the silver haired girl asked. Kiba followed the medic out, and they both disappeared. Tsunade stared at Yuki as the girl stood once more, and placed her hands on Neji’s chest. The magic and chakra clashed harmoniously, creating a billowing cloud of silver above her hands, and her brow furrowed in concentration.

Tsunade watched in wonder as Neji’s chakra slowly regenerated, as well as the color in his face. The pain in his body eased, and Yuki grunted in effort as she slowly pulled back after a few minutes. She was slightly out of breath, but recovered in a minute or so.

“That is all I can do for him…it’ll only last a week or so, but…” She trailed off, watching as Neji’s eyes opened.

His eyes were clear and sharp, and he sat up quickly, his long hair cascading down his shoulders. Pale eyes searched the room, and when Haru was still absent his face darkened with pain.

“Where is she?”

Tsunade was shocked beyond belief. Neji had been dying…how could he be like this after just one spell?

Yuki’s eyes betrayed her sorrow, and his face twisted with fury. Neji made to rise, but Yuki pushed him back.

“Wait. Not yet. There’s something I have to say.”

Neji was about to argue when Sakura and Kiba returned, followed by Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Tenten. Their eyes were wary as they took in the unusually calm Yuki, and they quietly stood by the wall. Naruto’s eyes were like ice, and Hinata’s mouth was a thin line of restrained sorrow. Sasuke’s eyes locked with Sakura’s, and they softened when Sakura took his hand.

Yuki sighed, and gestured for them all to sit down. “Tsunade, if you would please put up a sound proof barrier?”

Tsunade did it silently, and the second her hands lowered, Naruto said loudly. “Why are we still sitting here? We should be out there going after Haru!”

Hinata said quietly. “Naruto-kun is right. Why are we still here?”

Yuki smiled without humor. “I agree completely. But…before we do, there’s something that I need to tell you about my sister. You know her as the enigma – we both are, in a way – a foreign mystery that no one can solve. I was surprised to see that everyone accepted her so quickly; in fact, Sasuke was the only one that acted the way I expected, with suspicion. And he was the only one who saw though her the way everyone in my world saw through her.”

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

Yuki sighed once more. “I knew I should have told you all before, I knew that it would someday come to this. I even saw glimpses of it…but I ignored those warnings. You see, to understand, you have to know the entire story of my kingdom. How we came to be, how an event that happened thousands of years ago shaped life today.”

Yuki paused, and took a deep breath.

“Three thousand years ago…an angel crossed into the human world, fell in love with a human. When that human died by the hand of others, she killed them all. She wanted revenge, she wanted power to murder those who had hurt her, she wanted to punish the entire human race. She was helped by a demon, the demon that killed Lee…the demon that killed my parents. With that demon’s help…she sealed herself in a human child. She remained dormant, and waited for the child that was most compatible with her magic and elemental powers. And…when Haru was born, she came into the world…along with the angel’s soul.”

Naruto’s mouth was open. “You…mean that–”

“My sister is a weapon created by the angel, Princess Leilani…a weapon created to kill us all.”

Chapter 26: Tsunade’s Decision




The young woman was proud and beautiful, rather rebellious for one of her age. Her name was Leilani, and she and her sister Terra were the only heirs to the crown of the angel kingdom of Opala. Leilani was content with her life, until her teachers – fools they were for telling her of this – began spinning tales of the human world. Her mind was intrigued, and she soon felt confined by the royal life of an angel princess, and ran away at the age of sixteen years old. Angels were immortal, and ceased aging at the age of twenty-five years of life.

Leilani fled to the Arch, which had been constructed in the ancient times of the past, when angels had once ruled the world of man. But, angels, being pure beings of light and righteousness, soon were tainted by the evils of mankind. Angels healed and spread goodness, while men were consumed by greed and hatred. They murdered the angel king Rotaro (who was Leilani’s grandfather), and the angels, filled with grief and horror at the actions of humankind, fled to their homeland, swearing never to meddle with human affairs ever again. The pathway was unguarded, for the angels never imagined that an angel would abandon the serenity of the angel society in favor of the harsh, cruel world of mankind. But Leilani was not like others, and she was foolish in her youth, and blindly crossed under the Arch without thinking of the consequences.

When Leilani touched the ground of the island Galena, her wings were torn from her, and they disappeared in a flash of light. Even if she realized her mistake, she could never return to the kingdom of Opala without being able to fly, and neither could her family retrieve her, for once in the human world she was unable to leave.

She wandered until coming to a small town, where she met a young man about the same age as she was. He was kind, so unlike the stories that her teachers had told her! He was charming, kind, affectionate, and they soon fell in love. They lived happily for many, many years. Leilani, though not having her wings, still retained her elemental powers that were passed down in the generations of angel kings and queens, and she hid her true identity from him. He was still affected, however, by the aura that surrounded her, the aura that retained her elemental powers. As the years passed, his eyes…they slowly changed, paled, lightened, but did not turn blind as was assumed by most. Instead, the magic in Leilani created the eyes in her love that would one day be known as the Byakugan. But one day, he saw that she was not aging, and confronted her. She was afraid, but when she confessed, he forgave her, and she was overjoyed.

But soon after this, people came to their house, and began to burn their barns and crops, accusing Leilani of being a demon that had come to kill the village priests and lure away the young men. Her husband rose against the people, tried to explain…but as he stood to do so, the people went into a blind rage, and he was trampled by the mob, and as he fell he broke his neck, dying in an instant. After his death, his sister’s newborn twins – a boy and a girl – were born with the same pale eyes, and so his eyes were passed down from generation to generation.

Leilani went into a rage. Fire burned the people alive, and she delighted in the suffering. They had killed her love, and they deserved to burn. Tornados blew, floods rushed through the town, drowning all who survived the fire. Soon, everyone was dead, and Leilani was alone in the ashes, for that was all that remained of the village she had called home for so many years.

She was not herself, the death of her husband had changed her, and she was now cold and vengeful. A demon named Miles approached her, and together they waged war on mankind. Leilani sealed herself into a human child, swearing revenge on humanity for the death of her love. Little did she know, however, that the soul of her husband was so deeply tied to hers by the magic that flowed within the angel princess that when she sealed herself into a human child, his soul flowed into the male twin that had inherited his eyes, waiting until his wife’s soul emerged, so he could emerge too, so the two of them could once again be together.

And so mankind continued to develop, and since all of the witnesses to Leilani’s angel powers had been killed, there was no knowledge of the angel’s existence outside of Galena.

The generations that had inherited the eyes of Leilani’s husband quickly migrated to the mainland after Leilani’s sealing into the child, where they became known as the Hyuuga Clan, and it was from them that the other eye-related kekkei genkai sprouted.

Only the native people of Galena – who, being so close to the angel’s world, were able to harness magic and the powers of the sprits – were aware of the existence of Leilani in their world. When the girl in whom Leilani’s soul was dominant appeared in their kingdom, they knew that Leilani’s soul was raging inside the child, wishing for vengeance.

The child’s name–




*****



“–was Haru.” Yuki looked up at the group who was staring at her with wide eyes that reflected shock beyond the normal degree of shock. They were frozen, stunned…

Yuki quickly turned to Tsunade, who had backed against the wall. Sakura was beside her. “Tsunade-sama, Miles has taken Haru to Galena, it’s the only place he would take her, I’m positive. I can take at the most four people with me; any more would be too conspicuous. I can transport us there, but we must return by sea. Do I have your permission?”

Tsunade stared at the girl, and her golden brown eyes were calm. “The Council will never agree. This is beyond the usual mission, this involves the entire region…”

Yuki frowned. “Tsunade-sama, this is life and death. If Miles extracts Leilani’s soul out of Haru, then we will all die. Because if you think Haru is dangerous, imagine Haru’s power, only increased ten-fold.” Tsunade’s eyes narrowed, and Sasuke’s eyes widened even more. Sakura had a hand to her mouth in shock, and Neji was frozen. Tenten and Kiba were staring at Yuki, who was breathing hard. Her eyes were like live coals, burning and sparking with the passionate fire. The sadness was also there, so heart-breaking that Tsunade felt tears welling up in her own eyes, but quickly blinked them away. The Hokage rose, and said, slowly and calmly, her eyes firm. Something had been decided.

“I cannot.”

Yuki snarled, and leapt at Tsunade, but Kiba grabbed her before she could reach the Hokage, and held her securely to his chest.

Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata all started talking at once.

“Granny, what the hell are you–”

“Tsunade-sensei, Haru’s going to die if we don’t–”

“Please, we have to go and–”

“Silence!” Tsunade barked, and everyone became quiet. “I know that this isn’t an easy decision, but this is about Konoha. If we get involved, the ‘demons’ could trace it back here, and then Konoha would be under attack as well.”

Sakura was near tears. “Tsunade-sensei, if we don’t do something, Leilani will kill everyone, not just Konoha! Are you–!”

“Sakura, be quiet.”

Sakura forced herself to stay silent, and Tsunade snapped her fingers quietly, the sorrow deep in her eyes. Four Anbu appeared in the room. One of them attempted to pry Yuki from Kiba’s grasp, but the boy growled, and tensed.

“Get the hell away from Yuki!”

Sakura made to get forward, but suddenly, more Anbu appeared, and held her back. Naruto yelled, and leapt toward Yuki as well, but then everything snapped, and suddenly Naruto was unconscious, and Sakura and Hinata were on their knees, knives held at their throats, Sasuke held at sword point by two Anbu. Neji was in his bed, his face cold and hard with fury, but two Anbu at his sides prevented him from rising.

“Tsunade-sama what’re you–”

Tsunade stared at Sakura’s tear filled eyes, and a flicker of emotion welled within them before a cold, blank stare covered her gaze as she turned to Yuki. “Do not resist, or they will be required to use force. You will be held in the lower prison chambers until the Council decides what to do with you. You are proving to be a danger to Konoha, and that makes you a threat.”

Yuki tensed, snarling at the Anbu who slowly advanced. “Tsunade, please, listen to me. If you don’t listen to me, you’re killing Konoha! Do you hear me? How can you–”

Tsunade continued as if she hadn’t heard her. “Take her.”

Yuki shrieked as Kiba was roughly torn from her. She bit the hand that attempted to hit the back of her neck, and received a blow to the face instead, sending her sprawling. Kiba roared in anger, and kneed the Anbu roughly, making him stumble. Yuki kicked the nearest Anbu in the groin, and he fell with a grunt of pain. But before either of them could make another move, Tsunade was behind them, and she pressed her glowing hands to the back of the two ninjas’ heads. Yuki’s eyes widened slightly before fluttering closed, and she fell forward into the arms of an Anbu, who slung her over his shoulder, restraining her hands with chakra strings. Kiba was left to fall to the floor, and he was motionless as Tsunade helped the fallen Anbu up and watched as they walked out of the door. The Anbu guarding the rest of them didn’t move, and Tsunade turned to stare at the wide-eyed ninja.

“You all are banned from missions until I choose to give those privileges back, and are all ordered to remain inside Konoha until further notice. Anyone who tries to leave Konoha will be severely punished, and perhaps even stripped of your rank. Do you understand?”

They all – except Naruto and Kiba, who were still unconscious – nodded slowly, Hinata and Sakura silently crying, thick tears rolling down their cheeks.

Tsunade slowly, almost unwillingly, turned to stare at Neji, who hadn’t said a word this entire time.

His face was smooth, but Tsunade could see the cool, terrifying fury that raged in his eyes. It sent a flare of fear running through her, and she struggled to keep her voice even.

“You will be discharged from the hospital immediately, and you are held to the same restrictions that the others are. I know that you…care for Haru, but you must learn to put the ideals of the village before your emotional attachments. As ninjas of Konoha, you are all,” Tsunade’s eyes flickered to include everyone. “forbidden to go after Haru, for the life of one ninja is not as important as Konoha as a whole. This is for the safety of your village, please understand that.”

And with a glance at the Anbu, she left the office, and the Anbu disappeared.

The remaining ninja were left to stare at each other. Sakura was still crying, though she managed to crawl over to Naruto and Kiba, and examine them carefully. Sasuke was silent, staring at the boy who was like stone in the hospital bed.

Neji was staring at his hands, and Sasuke saw something shining on his cheeks.

They were tears.

Like diamonds, they glittered in the sunlight that shone through the glass window.

Neji Hyuuga’s tears dripped down his face, and he closed his eyes, gripping the blankets between his fingers tightly, his shoulders hunched in despair. His face was torn, and so desolate that it seemed that his heart was slowly being torn apart.

Sasuke’s eyes closed, and he felt Sakura pressing into him. He wrapped his arms around her, and held her tightly to his chest, and buried his face in her hair.

Without Yuki to lead them to Haru, all was lost. The world would be destroyed. Why was Tsunade doing this so suddenly? Why was everything going wrong? Why was…this happening?

Hinata stared at Neji, and her chest began to ache with the misery that leaked through her heart.

For if Neji was crying, then there must be no hope. She couldn’t find even the wish to hope. There was no hope for them, for Konoha.

There was no hope for Haru.

Chapter 27: Which Path To Take


Neji stared with blank eyes at the nurse who was filling out his papers, and his hand clenched around the headband that was warm, which was strange, because it was made of metal. It didn’t matter to Neji.

Ever since Tsunade’s decision, a week ago, everything had been cold.

Neji nodded to the nurse, and slowly put the headband in his pocket, and walked out of the hospital. Normally, he’d be on his way to train with Haru or Lee, but they were both…gone. Tenten and he had grown apart after Lee left; she had begun taking more risky missions, and had even begun training to become an Anbu. Lee had been the string tying their team together, and now that he was gone, it all seemed to fall apart. The center was slowly crumbling, in Neji, in Konoha…in everything.

The sky was dazzling and clear, almost mocking Neji as the sunlight shone brightly on him as he walked through the bustling streets. The people were smiling, laughing, happy…how naïve they were. It was almost sickening how peaceful they were…how everything would fall apart around them, and they would only realize it at the last second, the seconds they had before their hearts stopped beating.

Yuki’s warning would never be acknowledged, and Haru would die while Neji walked without purpose. Useless, only able to dream of how things could’ve been different. Of how he could’ve spent the rest of his life with her.

Neji’s throat closed up at the thought of her, and he stopped, staring at his hands, which were still tightly clenching his headband. The Konoha symbol glimmered brightly, and Neji’s eyes narrowed.

Was this what it was to be a ninja? To save some, and yet let some burn in the chaos of things outside their control? Was this what it was like to be strong?

If this was what it was to be truly strong, then Neji was going to throw it away in an instant. His mind was set on one thing, and her violet eyes seemed to beckon to him as he walked toward his destination, his headband still in his hand.

Neji glanced up when he saw the group that had been with him in the hospital, besides Yuki, standing together, waiting for him. Kiba’s eyes were dark and intense, bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. Sakura was holding Sasuke’s hand, her eyes bright and sorrowful. Hinata was…unsure. For an instant Neji mistook her for the weak, shy little girl that he had faced in the Chuunin exams all those years ago, her eyes had that same softness, that same uselessness. Naruto was holding her hand as well, and a small smile turned his lips upward when Neji caught his eye.

Neji’s eyes narrowed, and when he reached them Sakura touched his arm. “Neji, I–”

The Hyuuga brushed her off, and looked at all of them slowly, his eyes drifting over each face as if to memorize them. Hinata gasped, and her eyes widened, and she spoke for the first time since Yuki had been taken. Neji knew that she would realize it, Hinata knew him better than anyone, besides Haru, and she could read his emotions better than even Haru could.

“N-Neji…you can’t be considering–” Hinata moved to block his path, and Neji stared down at her.

“Hinata-sama…step aside.”

“Neji, think about what you’re doing, think about–”

Neji’s eyes hardened. “The time for thinking is past. Now, get out of my way.”

Naruto moved behind Hinata nervously, his eyes confused. “Hina-chan, what’re you guys talking about?”

Sasuke looked from Hinata to Neji, and his eyes widened slightly in understanding.

For although the reason for it was so completely different, Neji’s face was the same as Sasuke’s had been when he left Konoha all those years ago. Emotionless, torn, vengeful…

Sasuke murmured. “You intend to leave Konoha?”

Neji looked at the Hokage tower that was looming over them like an ancient sentinel, the symbol shining in the light. It had been the fortress for Neji…for such a long time. That fortress was slowly fading in his heart, and his eyes narrowed.

“I…need to understand.”

Without looking at any of them, he strode past them, and disappeared in a flash of leaves. Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, and Hinata’s eyes filled with tears.

“Oh…” Sakura half whispered, half sobbed. She tightened her hold on Sasuke’s hand, and her eyes were heartbreakingly sad. Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other, and at that moment they seemed to link thoughts, and they both nodded.

“We should go after him. He might do something reckless.” Naruto said quietly, and the rest of them nodded. Kiba silently mounted Akamaru, whose ears were down in unhappiness at the absence of the girl with the pretty hazel eyes…the one both the Inuzuka ninja and his canine partner adored.

Sasuke blinked as he ran beside Sakura, and suddenly, a flash of silver appeared on his right, and a streak of purple eyes along with it. He turned sharply, but there was nothing but the blue sky. He stared straightforward again, and though he saw the flashes of silver and purple, he did not turn again.

Why was that?

Was he afraid that he’d see Haru, her eyes silently judging him, silently taking apart his soul? Was it the shame that for the briefest moment, when Hinata told them the story, he was happy that Haru was gone?

Was it the guilt?



***


Tsunade looked up from her paperwork as the tall, brown haired Hyuuga walked into the office without knocking, his eyes carefully composed. Tsunade put down her pen and stared sternly at him.

“What, you can’t even knock?”

“I’m in a hurry, I apologize.” Neji spoke slowly, as if it took a great effort to relinquish every word from his teeth.

“Fine, whatever. What do you want, anyway?”

“I want you to send me after the demons that took her.”

Tsunade leaned back in her chair. “I knew you’d come in asking me this one time or another. And at the same time, you know my answer. So why did you really come here, Neji?”

Neji’s face remained smooth and blank. “There is no other reason, Tsunade-sama.”

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Neji smiled slightly, and reached into his pocket to bring out his headband, and he studied it for a moment before speaking again.

“When I got this headband…I was so proud of myself, but even more proud that I was now a ninja of Konohagakure. It’s always been my home; the place that I knew would be my home even if the rest of the world was burning. Being apart of this village…watching others grow up as I did, watching my comrades grow up and become happy even though their job required so much suffering as ninja. I always thought that my life was complete when I received this headband…I thought that I was happy.

“I knew that I would protect this village, no matter what. But as you locked Yuki away that day in the hospital, I realized something. My home, Konoha, isn’t a perfect place. Decisions can either benefit it or destroy it, and I know that if you don’t listen to Yuki, and defend Konoha, we will all die.”

Tsunade’s eyes darkened. “Neji Hyuuga, silence yourself. You have no right to preach to me like I’m a child!”

“That is where you’re wrong. You hide yourself in Konoha because you’re afraid. You’re afraid of what Haru is capable of, and you think that if you just crawl away and ignore it, it’ll go away. Those are the actions of a coward, and if I allow it to happen, I will be going back on my promise to this village. I will protect it with my life, and if I have to sacrifice certain things as a result…I will.”

Tsunade frowned. “What are you suggesting?”

The two were so intent on their conversation that they didn’t notice the group come in, and watch in shock as Neji spoke once more.

“If this village doesn’t have the sense to release the only ninja who can help save this village, and has instead the cowardice to hide away from a uprising war, then I…no longer wish to belong here.”

Neji let his headband drop with a chilling sound on the polished wood of her desk, and she stared at it, her eyes wide with shock. Neji turned to leave, and found the rest of the group staring at him. Akamaru’s ears were almost all the way up in surprise, and that same shock was on each of the ninjas faces.

Tsunade rose, and barked. “Please take Neji Hyuuga into custody. He has defied this village, and that marks him as a traitor.”

“No.” Kiba spoke calmly, and they all turned to look at the blonde in shock. “If that’s what it takes to save this village, I’m all for it. Neji, I’m with you.” Kiba moved forward, and Tsunade’s eyes widened as the teen reached up to gently untie his headband, and he looked at it for a moment before letting it fall beside Neji’s.

Akamaru growled at Tsunade, and he, Neji and Kiba disappeared out the window, as Sasuke slowly moved forward, and Sakura’s fingers tightened on his arm.

“Sasuke, what’re you–”

“The right thing.” Sasuke said, and with a flash, his headband was scattered across the others’, and he stared at Sakura before moving to the window and disappearing along with Kiba and Neji.

Sakura stared with a shock filled face before slowly turning to her sensei that had been like a second mother to her for all these years. Tsunade’s lips trembled slightly as she saw the look in her apprentice’s eyes.

“Sakura, please, don’t…”

“Tsunade-sensei, I…I have to go.” Sakura slowly pulled off her headband, and set it down beside Sasuke’s. “I won’t let Konoha die, I just won’t.”

And with a flash, she was gone, and Tsunade saw a tear glistening on her student’s cheek before she disappeared. Tsunade turned to stare at the two remaining jounin, and she slowly sat back down. Hinata’s eyes were calm and blank, and she took Naruto’s hand briefly, looking up at him. Naruto’s cerulean eyes flickered down to her lavender ones, and she gave him a small smile.

“In case you choose to stay,” Hinata reached up to whisper, so low that Tsunade couldn’t hear. “I will always love you, Naruto Uzumaki. And…if the offer still stands after all this time…I’d want nothing more than to become your…your…” Her throat choked up, and she instead pressed her lips to his as a tear escaped her eye.

Naruto’s eyes widened, and he hugged her tightly, and she pulled away, and slowly set her headband on the table. He stared after her as she vanished, and Tsunade chuckled without humor.

“Now…the great Naruto Uzumaki…you once told me you wanted to become Hokage. Is that all worth losing, for the life of a single girl?”

Naruto blinked, and after a moment a grin split his face.
‘
“No, not really. But I think that the mark of a true Hokage is sacrificing some things in order to protect the village you lead, even it means sacrificing your own happiness and safety. What’s the point of being Hokage…when I cant even protect people who are precious to me? I asked myself that when I was searching for Sasuke, and I ask you the same question, Granny Tsunade. What’s the point? Jiraiya taught me a lot of stuff…but the one thing that was the most important was the last day I talked to him. He told me that even if I’m not Hokage yet, even if I never become Hokage, I could still lead the village of Konohagakure…by simply loving it with all my heart. By loving every single person within its walls, by giving everything I have into protecting it. It was the last thing Jiraiya-sensei told me…the last thing I ever heard him say.”

Tsunade made to speak, but Naruto held up a hand, and the motion was so silencing that Tsunade closed her mouth in surprise.

“And I intend to stand by my ninja word: I will never give up! I will defend every person in this village until I breathe my last breath! You think that I’ll just sit back and let you speculate on what we’re facing? Or, worse, you just want to push it aside as some kind of joke? There’s a war coming, Granny, and if you want to keep this village standing, I’d get ready for it. We’re going to see if we can stop it from happening at all, and the only way to do that is to go after Haru. Oh, and if I survive all this…” Naruto’s face softened. “I’m coming back to Konoha, and I expect you to hand me that Hokage hat. So don’t die on me, Granny, okay?”

Tsunade was frozen, and Naruto laughed, dancing forward to give her a poke on the forehead, and suddenly he was gone.

His headband seemed to be falling in slow motion, and was about to hit the hard wood when Tsunade’s hand snaked out to catch it noiselessly. Her head was bowed, and her face was contorted with emotion.

Naruto Uzumaki…the one ninja who she had thought would stay…was gone.

They were all gone.

Gone.

Tsunade spoke into the silence, as if it would answer her in her anguish.

“What have I done?”

There was no response, but the answer blared in her mind like a flashing siren, and she bit her lip so hard that blood dripped down her chin, and fell on the shining metal plate that covered Naruto’s headband, soaking into the grooves of the Konohagakure symbol etched there.

Chapter 29: Alüa Tereia


Neji and the others were silent as they ran on the rooftops, Naruto glancing back over his shoulder guiltily. Hinata took his hand, and Kiba spoke.

“We have to get Yuki.”

Neji nodded curtly. “I know. That’s what we’re doing.”

Naruto punched a fist in the air in excitement. “Hell yeah! Then we’ll go save Haru!”

Neji was silent, and Naruto slowly lowered his fist, his cerulean eyes full of pity for the pale-eyed Hyuuga who was hurting so much. Neji’s shoulders were tight, and a constant frown marred the usually smooth skin of his forehead. Instead of a headband, thin bandages covered the mark of his enslavement to the main branch, and Hinata felt a stab of remorse, as she always did when she glanced at the bandaging that covered his forehead.

Sakura was wiping the tears from her eyes, and Sasuke patted her on the shoulder with a small smile. Sakura couldn’t find the will to smile back, but she kissed him quickly in thanks.

Kiba and Akamaru growled as they saw the group of Anbu outside of the prison chambers, and Neji walked past them without a word, and to Kiba’s shock, they just let him pass.

Then he saw the shadow that connected to their bodies, and sent a grin to the dark haired figure crouched in the shadows of the building nearest to them, and got a small wave from the blonde girl beside him.

Sakura followed without a word, and thankfully the halls were empty as she searched the cells. It was cold and dark, and she rubbed her arms furiously to rid them of the goose bumps that arose as a result. Naruto sent out his clones, and the rest of them stayed with the original as he focused on what his clones found.

After a few moments, his eyes opened, and he led them down dark steps into the lower chambers. He stopped in front of the first cell, and Yuki’s vivid hazel eyes widened. She was leaning against the wall, barely conscious.

She was a mess, with a bloody nose and mangled fingers that made Kiba’s blood boil.

They had tortured her for information.


Sakura’s eyes flashed as she kicked the door down with one sure kick, and with a sure motion flipped the girl onto her back. Yuki moaned in pain before her eyes fluttered closed, and her head flopped over the pink haired medic’s shoulder.

Blood dripped down her fingers, and fell with chilling precision onto the floor, and something caught Kiba’s eye, and he gasped.

“Look.”

They all looked down at the floor, and stared with wide eyes.

There drawings everywhere, words that were in a different language, and pictures to go along with them. It was done in Yuki’s blood, some fresh, and the rest darkened with age.

Sasuke knelt beside it, and Yuki heard their gasps, and lifted her head, her eyes wide and emotionless.

“Haru…she’s the container for the soul, see? I made the pretty pictures, right? They can’t say I made this up…I didn’t. I don’t want to hurt anymore…” Yuki groaned, and Kiba’s eyes filled with tears, and he reached for her with a sob.

He held her close, and she continued to mutter nonsense into the fabric of his shirt,

Sakura’s eyes were wide.

She knew that they had tortured her…but she didn’t imagine that they would do it to this extent.

Sasuke frowned, tracing his fingers over the dried blood that made up the pictures.

There was a picture of a circle, with lines drawn from the center outward, like the rays of the sun. A stick figure was in the center, and there was words written in the strange language. A larger shape surrounded the drawing, like the opening of a cave.

Yuki giggled, dancing over to where Sasuke was and flopping beside him, pointing again and again at the tiny figure.

“See? Marcus…he’s the one who wants Haru, he will force her to get the angel’s soul out, and then she’ll die…” Tears ran down Yuki’s cheeks but she was still laughing.

“He’s going to take her to my land, to the cave that was considered sacred. The cave called Alüa Tereia…” Yuki’s eyes slid closed, and Sasuke caught her as she fell to the side, this time truly unconscious. Sakura held back a sob, and Naruto stared at the blood before looking at the group.

“We have to find a way to get to Yuki and Haru’s island. If that’s where this ‘Marcus’ guy is taking her, then we’ll be able to stop them.”

Neji didn’t answer, but instead was staring at the small bag that was on Yuki’s cot. They usually didn’t allow prisoners to bring personal items, but Yuki must’ve had enough power to manipulate their minds to make an exception. Neji’s eyes were calm as he reached inside the bag. It glowed bright red when his hand touched it, but quickly dimmed after a moment.

It clenched around his hand, and a cool voice rang through the cell.

“What is your purpose?”

Neji seemed unperturbed by the sudden voice coming from the bag, but the others were shocked, Sasuke actually fell backward in shock. Yuki stirred, but didn’t wake up. Kiba held her protectively, and they all watched the Hyuuga who was smiling, a sorrow-filled smile.

“Purpose? Define purpose.”

“What do you seek in my depths?”

Neji stared at the glowing bag. “Something to lead us to Haru. I wish to find the land of Princess Haru. That is my only purpose.”

The bag seemed to recoil, and a warm light enveloped Neji’s arm. After a moment, it went limp, and Neji now held a large leather bag that held several objects inside.

Neji reached inside, and slowly drew out Haru’s sword, though it seemed so pitiful compared to before. Its silver handle was subdued, and when Neji held it, it seemed to mourn in a low note that vibrated throughout the cell. Neji held it close to his chest, and his eyes closed in anguish.

The sword was warm, and holding it felt like holding Haru, her soft skin against his, her violet eyes smiling at him…

After a moment, he pulled away, and reached into the bag once more, and found a large map that was scribbled with notes in Yuki’s language. They didn’t make any sense, but the map did. Neji handed it to Kiba, who was their best tracker, who tucked it in his pocket. Yuki’s staff was the only other thing in the bag, and Neji gave it to Sakura, who frowned at it, seeing as it was in its untransformed stage, only as long as her palm.

Neji closed the bag, and it vanished in a beam of silver light.

Naruto helped Sasuke to his feet, and Kiba stood as well, still cradling Yuki close. Sakura touched Yuki’s cheek, her emerald eyes full of pity and sorrow.

“When we get far enough away, I’ll heal her. She’ll be okay, Kiba.” Kiba nodded, and thanked her in a low voice, his eyes murderous at the sight of her bloody face.

Sasuke put his hands together, and the others grabbed onto his arm. The Uchiha waited for Neji, who was still holding Haru’s sword. The Hyuuga was staring at the amethyst jewel that was on the pommel, and he belted it onto his waist, touching it gently before gripping the Uchiha’s arm.

They all disappeared in a swirl of leaves, just as the screaming started.



***


Shikamaru released the jutsu, and the two jounin disappeared before the Anbu could see them. Ino’s cheerful blue eyes were now subdued, and she sighed.

“They’re really gone…aren’t they?”

“Yeah…” Shikamaru said, frowning.

Before they could say anything more, something seemed to crush down on them, a pressure…an evil, suffocating pressure. The ground was shivering, and everything around them seemed to be filled with terror.

Shikamaru grabbed Ino’s arm, both of their eyes scanning around them for the source.

The two could hear a faint hum, and they turned to the walls of the village, and Ino screamed.

There were crawling demons, some large, most of them small, snuffling and shrieking with piercing voices. Shikamaru drew his kunai, and Ino did the same.

The townspeople were screaming, and Ino screamed even louder when one of the demons, having reached the first house, grabbed a woman who was running with her baby. His clicking tongue flickered out greedily, and suddenly the baby was headless, blood pouring down onto the woman’s front.

Shikamaru swallowed bile, and sent a kunai through the demon’s head.

Ino was sobbing, and Shikamaru pushed her back as the demons started attacking the village. Their beady eyes were hungry, and evil in a way that left Shikamaru weak at the knees. They held crude weapons, but the boy knew that they would be effective in taking the life of any that let their guard down.

Shikamaru turned to the girl that had been with him since the beginning, her blue eyes streaming with tears.

How many times had he been too lazy to tell her how much he loved her?

Too many times.

Shikamaru held Ino tightly, and crushed his lips down on hers, his hands tangling in her hair. There were only seconds left before the demons found them, seconds in which to remain simply two teenagers in love…before becoming merciless ninja that had no hesitations, nothing to hold them back.

Ino kissed him back, and Shikamaru pulled back to stare into her eyes.

“If I die…”

“No, don’t say it…” Ino sobbed, and Shikamaru put a finger against her lips.

“If I die… know that my lazy heart will always belong to you. No matter how far I go, no matter how many troublesome women I meet, no matter how long I live, I will always love you, Ino. No one could ever be as troublesome, as wonderful...”

“You romantic lazy-ass…” Ino sobbed, and kissed him again, and Shikamaru kissed her tears away, touching her cheek for one last moment, and then the two turned away from each other, and pulled out their weapons.

They would see each other again. They had to…right?

It had all started so quickly.

The air filled with a fine mist of blood as the two jounin rushed forward into the fight for their lives…and for the life of Konohagakure.