A young woman stirred restlessly in her haunted sleep. Terrified whispers and cries were emitted from her delicate lips. Her lily pale skin glistened with the sweat of nightmares. Every twist, turn and arch of her petit body told more and more of the object of her frantic escape. Her heart hammered so loudly in her chest one would be fearful that it would have leapt from the cage that keeps it in place. With one name on her lips and one image tattooed in her mind, she woke with a start. Her eyes snapped open revealing the pale pupil less eyes the legendary clan, Hyuga was known for. She gasped for the breath she was deprived of in the dream and wearily looked around the large familiar room. Her drowsiness escaped her quickly as she sat up cautiously. The memory of her dreaming fresh in her mind, and the face of her pursuer clear as if it had been branded there.

Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Recognition clear on her face. Again she attempted to speak. Her soft, chiming voice made the most gruesome of words become an airy melody. Through the wonder and the fright, she said "Gaara."

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Hinata sat for several minutes with her dream the occupant of her attention. Her slim arm wrapped around her chest. Her eyes scanned unseeingly around her room. She was finally brought to awareness as the temperature in her room dropped several degrees. Her opal eyes went to the large open window where a few snowflakes drifted lazily in. A window, which was closed. Emotions ran wild through her, from shock to glee to an awareness only a shinobi can possess. Hinata leapt skillfully up from her place to the window, kunai already in hand. The frosty wind blew the delicate snowflakes onto her inky silk hair. She looked into the starless night.

"I should have known if someone entered my room." She scolded herself.

The pale maiden looked around waiting anxiously for her eyes to become accustom to the darkness. She stood motionless by the window, her muscles tense with anticipation of attack. She became aware of a minute sound that if she was not a trained shinobi she would have missed. The sound came at regular intervals, the pace of which was increasing. Like foots steps. What ever had invaded Hinata's room was approaching her quickly. The being quickened its pace and then abruptly stopped. Hinata raised her eyebrow and coiled into and attack stance. Then with out warning a small ball of white torpedoed through the darkness toward her. The thing landed on her torso lightly, clinging to her shirt. She faltered at impact for it was not what she expected. She dropped the kunai and held the creature gently and pulled it off of her. The thing was warm and furry and made a noise Hinata did not expect. It purred. Hinata laughed delightedly, like a child. She wrapped her arms around the small kitten and stroked it.

"Now how did you get in here little one?" she cooed to the animal "You're so adorable. You came in light as the snow didn't you?" she giggled softly. She set the kitten on the floor.

"Come on kitty cat. I'll get you some tuna. Kitties like tuna right?"

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Hinata rested Tora on the bed and rubbed between her ears. She drifted quietly across the white tile to the window and opened it wide. Snow flakes flew wildly around her and the bright moon light lit her creamy skin with a radiant glow that made her look like an angel. Tora looked on with curious eyes. She deeply inhaled the winter air and exhaled loudly. She rose from the cushioned window seat and moved towards her bed. She stripped the bed of the still sweat dampened sheets and piled them on the floor. Hinata glided ever gracefully to her personal bathroom.

"I'm just going to have a shower, Tora-chan. D-Don't scratch anything." She whispered before shutting the door. Hinata retrieved a towel from the cabinet and turned on the water. She looked at herself in the mirror. Looking back at her was a beautiful woman she knew so well it hurt. Her eyes were her mother, her rosebud lips were her mother's; she was a split image of her mother. Hinata's vision became blurred and her opal eyes were rimmed with crystal like tears. Hinata wiped the tears off her face as furiously as she tried to wipe the longing for her mother from her mind. All too suddenly the angel disappeared, leaving a distraught little girl in her place. Her skin looked too pale to be human, glistened with ill moisture and her eyes looked drawn and distant with sadness.

Hinata stepped into the shower; the warm water ran on her back. Her mood rose with the comforting heat. Hinata hummed quietly to herself. She reached for her shampoo.

"Oh, empty, oh no." she muttered. She turned off the shower and left the bathroom in her towel.

"I-it's just a quick dash from here to Neji-san's room." She looked down the dark hall and crept out her room. She entered her cousin's room. A welcoming smell filled her nostrils. She love the way her cousin smelled. It was like the whole forest on one person. Was it even normal to smell like the fresh rain and then sweet forest herbs all at once?

Hinata trekked through her cousin's room trying to touch as little as possible. This proved to be difficult as the floor was strewn with papers, scrolls and such like. It seemed to take hours to reach his bathroom but Hinata actually reached it in quick secession. Neji's bathroom was as beautiful and natural as Neji himself. It smelt of him and more. The more being Hinata's Herbal Essence shampoo he had stocked up in his room. Hinata giggled a little as she pictured her manly cousin washing his long luxurious hair with the feminine smelling shampoo. She picked out her favorite, uncovered it and took a deep breath, inhaling the rosy aroma that matched the scent of her hair.

"You really shouldn't be sneaking around people's rooms at 3:20 in the morning Hina-chan." A deep soft voice whispered into Hinata's ear. Hinata spun around and stared at her half naked older cousin. Neji's wet hair was plastered to his body and his head bent close to her face. Hinata could make out every single long dark eye lash that surrounded his beautifully haunting eyes. His slender arm against the wall behind Hinata, his skin tanned against her snowy one.

"I-I'm s-sorry Neji-san. M-my shampoo ran out a-and a-and I thought that since you have the same as me i-it would be a-alright. I-I'm re-" Hinata dropped her gaze to the ground as the blood rose up to her face in embarrassment.

"Hinata, hush," Neji cut her off "Just stop. Take the bloody thing, I don't care. When will you learn Hina-chan? Relax alright? I don't bite." He ruffled her indigo hair with one large hand. He moved out of her way and she shuffled clumsily through the clutter in his room. Hinata opened the door to leave.

"Oh yeah…Hina- chan … Hyuga-san…I really hate the stuttering you know." Neji said as Hinata moved though the door. Hinata paused and looked back.

"…I-I know. Naruto did too." She said quietly and closed the door behind her.

A.N. Tora be the name of th kitten. And just to clarify things Neji is not coming onto Hinata. Gaara would beat him if he did .))

dont forget to check the next chapter

peace and love

Scarlette