A/N: Hi, hey, so I decided to write this up ALL OVER AGAIN. I came across my old account and thought, hey, why not, I'm still a writer, how about I rewrite these now that I know what I'm doing? I'm gonna keep this going as long as I can, just 'cause these are the first stories I wrote, and I want to see my improvement.

Also, if you're reading this, you are awesome, how did you manage to stick with my crap this long? Kudos to you, dude.

…..

A wind blows through the Land of Fire. It ignites no flame, elicits no spark, nor does it stir the pot and arise the contents within. No, this wind is a somber one. It carries with it the cries of a tortured soul, a poor innocent subjected to abuse for a petty, vengeful reason; A simple, pathetic grudge.

Ino Yamanaka is used to such winds. She's felt that cool breeze upon her fair skin more times than she can remember. But, she has the mind and body of a child. The sorrowful pain had once been lost on her.

She remembers the day that her beloved cat died. That day, her father had set up a small shrine in honor of her. Ino had sat in front of the shrine, looking at her precious Himeko's speckled face, her eyes bright and full of wonder, her pointy ears keenly focused in on movement nearby. She was so beautiful-she had done nothing wrong. So why had she been taken from her?

Ino had ventured outside to breathe. It was there she felt that wind, that gust of distress. She remembers it well. It had bristled her hair and stung her cheeks, and she had cried to the sky, asking why her best friend left her.

Since then, she has been keenly aware of her surroundings, and that special gale. This time, though, it stings a bit more. It wouldn't have bothered her if it hadn't have kept stinging the longer it went on.

Someone must be hurt, she ventures. Maybe they need someone to find them. I should look.

Ino may be a child, but being small and being aware are not mutually exclusive. Ino has always had a sharp mind and a quick wit, and she knows when danger is coming. She picks out the direction she feels the most queasy about, and walks toward it. The closer she gets, the more unbearable the feeling becomes, until she feels like she may be sick.

She rounds a corner, vowing to leave if she finds nothing, but she finds something-or rather, someone.

He is small. He is much too small as he lays on the ground, curled into a pathetic ball as he weeps into his crossed arms. He's covered in dirt and varying squalor, and his clothes are ripped in places. This wouldn't be alarming to her-she's seen a lot of poverty in her life-if he weren't covered in what looks to be his own blood. Upon further examination, he's actually covered in scratches and…stab wounds? She ventures closer.

The boy bolts up, ignoring the screaming pain, and backs against the nearest wall. Ino stops in place for a moment, throwing him a look of concern. She steels her gaze, and steps closer until she can kneel in front of him on the same level. She recognizes him.

"You're Naruto, right?" she says, quietly. "You're the fox boy."

He twitches at the moniker and looks away from her, his sapphire eyes seemingly glued to the dusty, pallid ground. He doesn't seem interested in answering her.

"You can talk to me. I'm not going to be mean, I promise."

Naruto turns to look at her. He seems to be debating something in his mind. Ino is patient-she will wait for him to speak before speaking again. If she interrupts him, her chances might be quashed in an instant.

He somehow manages to find his voice.

"You…name is…Ino…"

Ino nods enthusiastically. He's talking to her! Now, all she has to do is convince him that she's here to help. Those wounds look particularly nasty, and they could use some treatment. She needs the medical personnel to take a look at them, as soon as possible.

"My name is Ino, yes. And you're Naruto. We're in the same class, yeah?"

He looks to be remembering something. Hopefully, it is a fond memory and now a painful one.

"Ino is…nice…I remember Ino."

Nice? Most people wouldn't describe Ino as nice. She's so perfectly molded herself a bad girl persona for school that sometimes she forgets it's not actually how she is. In reality, Ino is a very kind girl, who hates people who act mean for seemingly no reason. Now, how could she convey this to someone so frail?

"Ino is nice?" she giggles good-naturedly. "I think Naruto is nice, too. Don't you think so?"

He shakes his head sadly, looking to the ground again. "Naruto is not nice. Parents don't like him, kids don't like him, strangers don't like him. Naruto must not be nice."

She almost raises an eyebrow. Is it really that bad? She knows that he gets picked on a lot, but she never understood why, or the true extent of it. All she knows is that her father and parents of other kids would always warn her to stay away from him, but presented no evidence as to why. As such, the information and instruction was disregarded.

Ino might be kind and caring, but she doesn't follow rules unless she knows why they're in place.

"Why do they treat you badly? Do they say things to you?"

"They say I'm a demon. I'm some kind of monster, but I don't know what kind…I don't remember doing anything to them. But I did, otherwise they would be nice."

A demon? This is new to her. As far as she knew, demons only existed in the scary books in her father's study.

"You're not a demon. If you've never done anything to them, then you're not a monster. No matter what they say. You're a human, just like me."

He stares at her, a mixture of emotions swimming in his eyes. He winces when he pushes himself up more, and she shakes her head sadly at him.

"You need medical treatment."

He looks scared now. Ino tries her best to calm him down.

"I'm not going to let them do bad things! If you want, I'll just take you to my dad. He knows some medical stuff. Then it'll just be us, okay?"

Naruto gives her a cautious look, and nods slowly. Ino offers to help him to his feet, but he insists on pushing himself up.

Ino finds that he's in more pain than he looks. His open wounds bleed as he slowly drags his feet across the dusty ground, trying to keep up with his new companion's pace. She has the decency to slow down her walking so he isn't discouraged.

After a long, silent walk, they arrive at the Yamanaka compound, if it could be called that. Ino's only family is her mother and father, and their home is rather small despite everything.

Ino quietly tells Naruto to settle down in the living room while she gets her father. Hopefully, he doesn't run off while she's searching.

Luckily for her, when Inoichi stirs and is brought to the room, he is still there, sitting meekly in the middle of the room, looking small and pathetic. Inoichi starts when he sees him-he remembers fighting that blasted demon seven years ago. He steels himself. He needs to set an example for his daughter by keeping his composure around someone deemed dangerous. He kneels next to the poor boy in what he hopes is a comforting pose.

"Hello, son. I see you're hurt."

Naruto looks at him, eyes wide and afraid. He searches for Ino, and finds her standing in the doorway, giving him assuring and encouraging looks. He calms slightly and settles down, allowing Inoichi to take a closer look at his injuries.

Outwardly, they look like simple scratches, but upon further inspection, the lines run deeper than he'd thought. This boy has seriously been injured-but who would do this to a simple child? He files that question away to ask much, much later, and focuses on tending to his injuries.

Two hours later finds the small boy rubbing a new bandage, judging the pain based on how bad it hurts when he presses on it. Once again, Inoichi removes his hand and tells him it'll make it worse to rub it. Ino stands loyally to the side, watching the exchange and ensuring Naruto is comfortable in his environment.

"You're all patched up, kid. Anything else we need here?"

He shakes his head, and stands. He falters, but Inoichi catches him and holds him up.

"Whoa there, you might want to cool down a bit. Don't exert yourself too much, alright? Here, tell you what, you can go walking with Ino if you want, and you can come back and sleep here for the night. Is that okay?"

Naruto weighs his options. He could leave to that tiny home begrudgingly rented to him, or he could sleep here with who he considers to be his only friend. But, he's not sure if Inoichi will harm him or not. Maybe he's hostile, and he's just hiding it until he gets the time to strike. But, as he looks into Inoichi's calm, collected blue eyes, he makes his decision.

"Okay. I have nowhere to go."

Inoichi nods, obviously pleased. He lets go of Naruto and Ino steps forward, holding on to Naruto's shoulder in case he needs stability. Naruto, ever stubborn, shakes her off politely, and takes a few steps forward.

"Be careful out there."

Ino nods, and slides the front door closed. She turns toward Naruto, about to ask him where they're going to go, only to see he's already walking. Well, at least he knows how to take initiative. She rushes to catch up with him, and slows when she's by his side.

Naruto seems to really be taking in the sight of the Leaf for the first time. Ino idly wonders if this is his first time truly seeing it. All that time cowering and hiding in fear likely left little room for observation of one's surroundings.

The walk is peaceful and unobtrusive; A straight path, with no definite destination but no definite danger. Ino will protect him if bad people come-she has a friend who gave her real shuriken!

A chakra presence draws near. Ino is keenly aware of such things-her father always did marvel at her ability to pick up on people before they're visible. She watches the signature warily, gauging whether or not the person is a threat. Strangely, they seem to be looking back at her as she observes them.

Deciding this person wasn't likely a threat, she dismisses their signature, but keeps her peripherals open in case something happens.

Naruto seems enthralled by this world. His eyes wander toward the sky, toward the now-paved path, and toward the lovely, ramshackle shop nearby. He watches the old woman there hand out fruits to children, and gazes longingly before looking back quickly. Luckily, Ino doesn't seem to have noticed his curiosity. That would be embarrassing.

Someone starts on a path just in front of them, walking the opposite direction. Ino's eyes narrow-this is the person with the signature from before, who looked at her. Now that she sees him for real, she notices why he could look back at her-he's a Hyuga, one of those infamous clansmen who can see everything.

Off-white eyes gaze back at Ino's own ice-blue ones, and they come to a stop. The confused Naruto stops too, looking back and forth between them, confused.

"Do you know each other?"

Ino shrugs. "This is Neji Hyuga, I can tell. He's got the funky eyes."

Said funky eyes narrow at her description of him, and Naruto looks around, trying to avoid picking up on the heavy tension between them.

Suddenly, his gaze softens. "My apologies. I had initially suspected you to be someone else."

Ino perks up at that, all anger vanishing from her face. Someone else? Is someone after him? As if hearing her thoughts, Neji holds a bandaged hand up, and sighs.

"I am to be branded. I left my compound, in order to avoid it. I have heard it is a very painful process, and it will forever label me as a slave to my own clan. I have no intentions of being a slave. Do you understand?"

Ino nods, albeit a bit cautiously.

"Yeah, I understand. So people are out looking for you?"

Neji nods. She notices that his head is bandaged as well. Perhaps it's to keep the brand area clean, or something of that nature. She shakes her head-she isn't sure she wants to know why it's there. Nonetheless, she extends a hand as if beckoning him over.

"Well, if you want, you can walk with us. We'll be fine with the company. Naruto here is running from people as well. We can hide together."

Naruto flinches a bit, looking somewhat uncomfortable. Ino lays a small hand on his equally small shoulder, and he looks back, feeling better about the situation. She just seems to have that effect on him. He guesses that this is what it's like to have someone care about and protect you.

Neji, meanwhile, is looking contemplatively at the sky. Hiding with these people is certainly desirable, but the repercussions…he would be no doubt tortured with his cursed seal. The clan would not be happy with him-their capture would be more forceful. If there's one thing the Hyuga keep behind wraps-no pun intended-it's that they're brutal with their own clansmen. Even the children are under strict policy. Neji personally is not fond of the system.

"I think that I can accompany you."

Ino smiles broadly at the statement. "Good! You sure like your big words, don't you. I bet you're super smart."

He gives a nonchalant shrug, and strides over, standing next to Naruto. They turn the other direction and head where Neji had been walking before. Naruto shifts, uncomfortable being this close to someone new, but Ino's hand on his shoulder keeps him grounded, and makes him feel safe.

Eventually, listening to Neji and Ino chat, Naruto decides that Neji isn't that bad after all. He loosens up, and after a while he's standing comfortably between the two of them. Ino smiles and pats his shoulder, but keeps it where it is. He's secretly grateful for the gesture.

"So, Neji, do you have any dreams for the future?"

Neji thinks for a moment. "I would like to reform the Hyuga clan. Reform it so that both the cadet and main branches are equal to one another. I have seen the suffering of the cadet branch first hand. No human should ever be subjected to such horrid teachings."

"What a noble dream…tell you what, Neji, when me and Naruto grow up, we're gonna help you accomplish that dream! We'll stand by your side no matter what, right Naruto?"

Naruto smiles first at Ino, and second at Neji. He nods. "Yeah, we'll be here for you."

Neji looks at them both; Ino, smiling with her teeth, and Naruto, staring at him with those cobalt eyes, offering him a shy smile. Neji feels as though people like this don't come around often.
"My dream has been disregarded every time it has been voiced, you know. I think you may be the first people to take it seriously."

"Really? Well, we're telling the truth, we're going to stand by you all the way! I'll make sure of it!"

For the first time in his short life, Neji feels like his dream may become his future reality.

…..

The trio arrive back at Ino's home, Neji a bit wary of the situation, but eventually coerced into stepping inside. Inoichi peeks out from behind a wall and raises an eyebrow. It seems his daughter is a magnet for people today.

"Hello, little Hyuga. How strange to see one of you outside."

Neji nods solemnly. "It is under very unusual circumstances, sir."

Inoichi laughs, a warm, velvety sound. "Please, there's no need to call me sir. Just call me Inoichi, alright, kiddo?"

Neji bristles at being called kiddo, but nods anyway. Ino giggles.

"Are you gonna finish dinner soon, Dad?"

"Almost done."

"Great!"

Ino motions for Naruto and Neji to follow her, and they share a brief look before complying. Ino leads them through a hallway and up a set of stairs, and into a room on the right. It doesn't take long for them to realize that it's Ino's room they've been led to. Naruto blushes slightly, and Neji looks around politely.

"I figured we have a lot to talk about and you might prefer a more private environment to do so."

Neji raises a neat eyebrow. "You make fun of me for my vocabulary, and yet…"

She laughs. "It takes a vocabulary nerd to know one. Now come on, let's settle.

Ino has to persuade Naruto to take a seat in one of her cushy seats, and she laughs as she forces Neji into a ceiling-mounted single-person hammock. A purple one. The look he gives her could melt the glaciers in Antarctica, but she just smiles.

"It's not a bad look, Neji."

Neji huffs and pretends to be somewhere, anywhere else right now.

She settles on her bed and looks between her two new friends. She looks to Neji.

"I suppose we should start with you. So, what are you planning on doing when you have to go home? Surely you can't hide forever."

Neji bristles as if this subject had been one he was purposely avoiding thinking of. He studies his feet idly. "To be honest, I'm not sure what I am going to do. I know I don't have anywhere to go that will hide me, and I don't want to put that burden on anyone. Whoever took me would no doubt be on bad terms with the Hyuga clan. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Very humble. But what will happen to you? Are you going to back willingly, and be branded?"

Neji's head snaps up. "No. I refuse to be branded as a slave."

Ino treads forward cautiously. "I understand, but…you don't have many options."

"No…I don't, do I."

His deflation hits Ino harder than she'd thought it would. She didn't realize how strongly he felt about all this. She thinks to herself, but it's not every day you come across a person running away from people trying to make him into a slave. She has no idea what to do about this situation. For the time being, it seems like there's nothing they can do for him. She's broken out of her thoughts by Naruto's timid voice.

"Um…well…can't you just…um…leave…?"

Neji stares at Naruto like he'd just proclaimed himself the Fire King. "I can't just leave. My clan will find me, and when they do, they will not be happy."

"But if you leave the village, then…then they might not go looking, and they might not find you, and you won't be branded."

"That's suicidal."

Naruto curls in on himself slightly. "I know, but it might help you! I don't want to see you be a slave or anything, so maybe you should just…just leave."

"Even if I were to leave I would have nowhere else to go. There would be no one to give me guidance when needed, and I would essentially be sacrificing myself to the wilds and any Cloud that might be looking for a free Byakugan."

"Well—wait, what's a Bakugan?"

Neji sighs. "Byakugan. It's a mutation shared within my clan that allows its user to see people's chakra, and unlock the possibility of hitting their chakra points and rendering it useless. The user gains nearly 360-degree vision, and can see for miles."

Naruto stares at Neji in awe. "And you have that?"

"All Hyuga have it."

Ino nods in understanding. "So if you were to leave, you would undoubtedly be the target of anyone that may want what you have, is what I'm gathering."

"Yes."

She sighs and leans on her haunches. "I can't believe I'm encouraging this, but…if you were to actually leave, we would undoubtedly be accompanying you."

Neji snaps his head in her direction. "You would follow me? No, you can't do that. You are a Yamanaka clan member, and Inoichi's only heir. You are to inherit the clan's legacy and abilities, and you can't do that if you defect."

"I know, I know, I just…" Ino sighs. "I…don't have many friends. I know it looks like the opposite, but I don't have any solid relationships that I really value. I always have this bravado about me, and I put that on in the mirror every day so I feel better about what's expected of me. Truthfully I don't like being reminded that I'm the Yamanaka heir. I just want to be normal, you know? So really…I wouldn't mind simply leaving."

"Inoichi would be mad."

"Maybe he would be. But maybe he would understand."

Naruto shyly fiddles with the fabric of his chair. "So…are we…really doing this?"

"Perhaps. I'll need to talk with my parents about this. I don't want them to worry about me. You two, think it over, okay? I'll bring some dinner up in a few minutes."

Ino jumps off her bed and leaves her room, hoping that the two occupants will work out some sort of agreement. She sighs, and leans against the door. This is a big decision, one that will impact all three of their lives. Whether it be a positive impact or negative, she isn't sure. Most seven year olds don't think about things like this.

She runs a hand through her hair and heads downstairs where her father is busy preparing the last bits of their dinner. She looks at her feet, and gets his attention.

"Oh, hello, Ino. Is there something you need?"

"Dad, um…"

She suddenly finds her throat dry. She had no plan for going through this. She was so confident before, but now she just doesn't know what to say. She takes a deep breath, and wills herself to talk.

"I need Mom here, too. I have something I need to ask you. It's big."

Inoichi looks at her suspiciously, but fixes up what he'd been working on and calls his wife into the room to speak with their daughter. Not a minute later, she arrives in the kitchen, looking between them.

Kiyomi Yamanaka, in all her elegant beauty, greets them with an equally elegant smile.

"Hello, dear. Is there something that you have on your mind?"

Ino looks at her mother in surprise. "How could you tell?"

"You have a certain glimmer in your eyes whenever you are excited."

Kiyomi's slanted amber eyes glisten as her daughter reddens in embarrassment. Ino struggles to form a proper sentence for a minute or two, and Kiyomi takes the liberty of guiding her to the living room, Inoichi following close behind.

"So? What is it you have to say, young one?"

Ino twiddles her fingers in her lap. "I…have something to ask you."

"Yes?"

"Um…I…"

Ino squeezes her eyes shut under the gazes of her parents and stands up abruptly.

"I want to leave the village!"

Silence.

Ino's parents stare at her, shock evident in their features. The silence is so thick, Ino feels like she's suffocating in it. Tears prickle at her still-closed eyes as she trembles, trying her best to will them to speak. She opens her eyes, and looks between them. Inoichi looks furious. Ino is about to retract her request, but Kiyomi holds a hand up, looking at Ino intently.

"Why is that?"

Inoichi shoots his wife a look, reading you aren't seriously considering this, are you? But she ignores it. The lone child scuffs the floor with her sandal.

"I…met some friends today. And they're not happy here. They want to run away. One of them gets hurt all the time by mean people, and one of them is going to be made into a slave. I want to leave with them…I…I don't have many friends and I don't know them very well b-but I really do think we're going to be okay and I want them to—"

"Ino."

Kiyomi interrupts her daughter, and she ventures a look up at her, only to be surprised when she sees an accepting gaze.

"I understand."

Inoichi looks like he's about to protest, but Kiyomi turns around and puts a hand on his mouth.

"Calm yourself, Inoichi. Your daughter just wants to protect her friends from trouble."

Inoichi settles slightly, if a bit on edge, and his wife turns to their awe-struck daughter.

"I have noticed that your demeanor changes drastically when you are in public places. I have also noticed that the friendships you seem to have made are rather hollow. But today, I saw that glint in your eyes. You really want to keep these new friends safe, don't you? Whatever happened to you today was very important. I can see it."

Ino is at a loss for words. But, it's not important, because Kiyomi keeps talking.

"That is not to say that I am okay with simply letting three seven year old children roam the world alone. I would like to come with you, to make sure you are safe."

Inoichi finally pipes in before he breaks a blood vessel.

"You are not going with them! You and Ino are staying here! It's too dangerous, and they're just children, they don't know what they're doing! You can't just allow them to make a decision and leave the village!"

Kiyomi shakes her head. She stands up, and leaves the room. She comes back with three plates full of food. She hands them to her daughter.

"You have them nearby, don't you? Bring these to them. Your father and I will talk it over. You go upstairs and do some planning of your own, okay?"

Ino nods quickly, taking the food and all but running upstairs, not willing to see whatever they planned on 'discussing'. She's panting lightly by the time she gets back to her room. Naruto and Neji look up at her expectantly. They've gotten closer together.

"How…did it go?"

"My mom wants to come with us."

Naruto and Neji gape even as she gives them their food-chicken curry. She sits back on her bed and pokes at the white rice on the side, contemplating a plan of action.

"She wants to come with? Not…'they want you out of the house immediately and this will never be brought up again'?"

"I'm sure that's what Dad wanted to say. But Mom, she…she said she understood, and she wants to make sure that wherever we go, we'll be safe from harm. She wants to escort us, I think."

"She…can do that?"

"I think so."

Naruto exhales and leans back slightly, digging in to the curry quickly and a bit disorderly. Neji is a bit more calm and collected, making sure not to spill on Ino's carpet.

"I think it will be fine. She likely knows that even if she were to say no, we would still leave, and you may join us in the future. She wants you to be safe."

"I guess, but…I don't want to talk about it right now, okay?"

Neji nods, dropping the subject. They eat in silence.

…..

The evening passes by smoothly. Inwardly, Ino is anticipating the Hyuga to arrive at their door to claim Neji. If they can see for miles, surely they can detect him. But to her surprise, no one comes. She's relieved for a moment, but keeps herself aware in case something goes wrong.

Night falls, and still Ino has heard nothing from her mother. Will she really join them? Is she really okay with all of this? And most importantly, is her father going to be alright? He didn't seem all too enthusiastic.

Neji agreed to spend the night, and she sits on her bed still as she watches them sleep on the floor, wrapped in blankets and varying pillows from the spare room her parents set up in case Kiyomi had another baby. She flops onto her pillow with an arm over her eyes.

She doesn't know if she's prepared for this. She's heard plenty of horror stories about people leaving the village and never being seen again. She knows what kind of people are in the world, and what they do to the vulnerable. She would be lying if she said she was unafraid.

But still, some part of her says that this is a good course of action. That, in doing this, she will be saving two people she considers true friends. She wants to keep them safe. There's just something about them that makes her want to take care of them.

The more she thinks, the more she realizes that this is really the only option she has unless she wants them both to suffer more. Now determined, she shuts her eyes almost violently, willing herself to sleep. The sooner she rests, the sooner they can leave.

The last thought on her mind before she falls asleep is simple: If this is what can happen in a single day, then what could the future hold?

….

A/N: Obviously, I'm trying to fill in some plot holes I might have missed in the first writing. So this might be quite a bit longer than the first time around. Let me know if I missed anything.