Ivy stared at the envelope on her table. It had been a week since she obtained it, but had still not opened it. She didn't know that to expect, either it to be a letter or a notice of something that she might or might not like. She sighed heavily, and thought. 'Might as well, as Shino's not here but with his teammates talking to Tsunade at the moment.'

She smiled at the memory of first meeting Hinata, not expecting her to be the Heiress of the Clan that opposed her life so greatly, but was also kind, gentle, and timid. She was still nervous to talk to her half-brother, not even knowing if he knew that she was his older half-sister. Or if he would except her as such.

She shook her head, and not delaying any further with more thoughts, opened the envelope. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Hello my daughter, Ritorusutā
By the time you read this, I would be long since dead. As you may be wondering how your Uncle might have this letter, then you must know that he's known of you for a long time. But has never acted in trying to take you from you and your mother. So I had written this before the day I died, and confided to him my sweetest secret. You. And he has assured me he would hand this to you when you were ready.

No matter what you do, I would have been proud of you. And I will always love you, just as I have loved your half-brother, Neji. If you are confused on why I've died, all I will tell you is that it was of my own choice. My own free will. But I had never wanted to leave you alone. And so, this letter is also acceptance into the Hyuuga Clan if you wish it and are not happy in your mothers. Though I would never want to separate her from you. And Hiashi has already informed me that you would be treated like a daughter of his own, though he didn't know if he would give you the Heiress title as you would be older than bother Hinata and Hanabi. But if you turn this down, then give it to your brother to read as the next part is for both of you.

Care for each other. Look out for each other. Cause you are both blood. Sister and Brother. Don't forget.

Love, Hizashi"

She blinked a few times, re-reading what he had called her. 'My original name was... Ritorusutā, meaing 'Little Star'?' She thought and also thinking on how her dead loved ones loved writting her letters, and looked up when Shino appeared in her appartment. She had given him permission some time ago to do so if she didn't answer the door. She guessed she had been to absorbed in the letter to hear him knocking.

She quickly tucked the letter away, and stood up brushing invisible dirt from her skirt. "Hey Shino, sorry for not answering I was... preoccupied for a bit there."

He nodded, and sat as she gestured for him to do so. She went to the counter, and brought over some Winter Melon. She had found out that this was his favorite food that she always had in stock.

"Anything new?" She asked, and he negatively shook his head. She looked at him curiously, wondering why had hadn't said anything yet, or why he hadn't touched the Winter Melon. "Alright... Um, I was thinking of visiting my Uncle for a bit to talk to him." She told him.

He nodded again. Shaking off his strange attitude, she and him headed off towards the Hyuuga complex. The entire way there, she would sneak glances at him, wondering what was up with him. As they arrived, they had bumped into Neji who was just leaving. He stopped, and stared at her, then to Shino.

She didn't know what to say. 'How does one go to say that your their Big sister?' She thought, and sighed a bit.

"Shino-san." Neji acknowledged. Shino nodded in response. Neji then looked to Ivy. "You are here for my Uncle?" He asked.

'He doesn't know!' She nodded, and Neji motioned for them to follow. They followed him down the main hall that opened to an out door training ground where Hiashi stood, training with his youngest daughter. Hiashi looked up when they arrived, dismissed Hanabi, then walked over to the three.

"Thank-you Neji, you may go meet with your team." Neji bowed respectfully to his Uncle, and left them. Hiashi turned to his niece. "I had expected you sooner, Ritorusutā-chan."

She bowed respectfully to him. "If its all the same to you Uncle Hiashi, but call me Ivy. I have grown with the name, and don't wish to change it."

"Alright. Would you like some tea while we talk?" He asked. She accepted, and they sat on the deck after he told a passing family member of what they require. Shino stood on her left side, looking anywhere but her. And it wasn't long before tea was brought to them all.

"Uncle Hiashi... I want to let you know, that I still do not wish to be a Hyuuga. I've not grown in Konoha, and wish to live in peace." She started, and he nodded to her in respect for her decision. "I would like to know if... If Neji knows who I truly am to him?" She asked.

"No, he does not. I am leaving that up to you. All he knows is that you a Hyuuga, but not who fathered you." Hiashi assured her.

"Thank-you Uncle Hiashi." She said, and the three finished their tea in silence. Hiashi spoke up again before she could make her leave.

"Ivy-chan, are you trained in the Ninja arts?" He asked, his pale gray eyes studying her.

Ivy shook her head. "Not really. I know enough Taijutsu to protect myself, and those closest to me." She confided to him.

He nodded his head thoughtfully, and looked up to the sky. "After you have spoken to Neji, would you return here, for lessons to keep your loved ones protected better?" Ivy stared at her Uncle, who looked back at her. She smiled gently.

"I would like that Uncle Hiashi."

Ivy and Shino were walking down a street, having left the Hyuuga compound. She was set on finding her younger half-brother. Either he accepted her, was up to him. She just wanted him to know who she was to him, and didn't matter if he accepted her or not. She glanced at Shino, who still seemed oddly quiet still.

"Shino, you alright?" She asked.

He nodded as they continued walking. Now this was starting to upset her. He hadn't spoken a word since he came to her apartment that morning. And it was scaring her a little. Had she done something wrong? Was he angry from the second time she screamed at seeing him when, she was shopping the third day she was here, and had forgotten he was following her?

Just as she was about to ask the question she nearly bumped into someone, and stopped herself in time. She looked see that it was Neji, and she smiled timidly. He was with his teammates, Ten-Ten and Lee. Their Sensei wasn't with them, which she was silently thankful for.

"H...Hello Neji-san, Lee-san, Ten-Ten-san... May I have a word with you Neji-san? Privately?" She requested, her eyes at attention with his to show she was serious.

Neji's eyebrows furrowed together, trying to figure out she what she wanted to say that she didn't want his teammates to know. He crossed his arms, still glaring at the slightly older girl before him. He had heard she had Hyuuga blood, but that was impossible. She didn't have the Byakugan, and that was a dominate trait. Instead her eyes were a slight pale blue and green hazel.

"Fine." He allowed himself to say.

She smiled again, but this time it had a hint of sadness. They walked a bit of ways, with Shino staying with Lee and Ten-Ten as the three could see the two talk.

They stopped a good few feet away from them, when Ivy decided to just go for it. "Neji-san, you know I have Hyuuga blood, right?" She asked.

"Yes." He confirmed, still not really buying that.

"I don't have the Hyuuga bloodline, nor do I have the Maki bloodline. That's the clan I was born in. I..." She stopped, and clenched her fists as she tried to make the words come. "Neji-san, I... Here." She said, thrusting the letter she had read earlier to him. She cursed her cowardliness, as he took it questioningly.

His eye brows then rose, upon seeing the familiar writing. He looked back at her, as she had her face turned to her profile. He opened the letter, and his eyebrows furrowed together again, and his eyes began narrowing. He scowled, and looked up at her.

"Is this a joke?" He asked, causing her to whip her head rather fast at his tone.

"No." She said steadily, watching and staring at her younger relative.

"I refuse to accept you as my older sister! Or blood! Your a disgrace to the Hyuuga Clan, and my father is NOT yours." He spat at her. As he talked he had crushed the letter in his hand. He threw it as her feet, and stalked back to his teammates, then past them to go to the training ground.

Lee and Ten-Ten watched their teammate worriedly, wondering what had happened. They turned to look at Ivy, to see her bending down to pick up a piece of paper that he had thrown at her feet. They then looked to Shino.

"Do you know what just happened?" Ten-Ten asked him.

He shrugged, and headed back to Ivy who had began walking slowly back to her apartment.

"Perhaps, we should find our partner, and ask him?" Lee suggested. Ten-Ten nodded, and the two went to follow their partner.

She didn't know why it hurt. She had known he might have not wanted her as a sister. Or family. But it did. She walked stiffly down the street, ignoring the usual gabble and gossip. She stopped in front of a flower shop, and looked in. There, she spotted a green stemmed flower. It was bell shapped, and had three petels as white as snow.

'A Snowdrop. How appropriate.' She thought, and stepped inside. A girl was at the counter, her hair was long, blond and pulled back. Her blond fringe was covering her right eye. And both eyes were a light baby blue. In all, she reminded her of Deidara, just a little.

"Hello, welcome to Yamanaka Flowers. You looking for anything in particular?" The girl asked.

"Yes. I would like to buy that Snowdrop." Ivy requested, pointing to the lonely looking flower.

"The Snowdrop? Sure." She said, leaving the counter to get the requested flower. She wrapped it up to keep it from the wind outside, and looked up at Ivy. "Anything else?" She asked.

She shook her head, and gave her the money. She picked up the flower and sighed. "Hope." Was all she said before leaving the shop, leaving a confused Ino inside.