Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapters 1 and 2 slightly revised. Important notes in chapter 3.

Today was a dreary day in Konoha. It has been raining for the past few days, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, but rarely letting up. Not a common weather occurrence, but not necessarily a bad one. However, it made for a depressing setting, discouraging people from going outside. In fact, only the few shinobi on missions were out at the moment, with the exception of one.

Some ways from the Hyuuga complex was a cemetery for the Hyuuga clan. Today was the day that Hinata's mother had died, and Hinata had gone to pay her respects. It was only a light drizzle at the moment, anyway.

"Ah-choo!" Sniffle. Despite the umbrella blocking the rain, Hinata was still a bit cold, especially after standing by her mother's grave for a while. This year's had the usual pleasantries. She told her mother how the clan has been doing, that Neji had recently come back to full health from a particularly rough mission, that she has been continuing her studies as a medic-nin, how much she missed her, and so forth.

"Ano… things in the village have been really well. We still have enemies, but we're more secure and safer right now." In fact, Konoha has seen none of the Akatsuki, and it's been easier keeping tabs on Orochimaru, especially with Sasuke back in Konoha. Most importantly, relations with Suna have been very good.

"Hmm… it's too bad the weather can't be nicer. I know you love sunny days. I really miss you, but I should be going now. I love you, Okasama." With that, Hinata bowed and turned away, only to see Neji a few meters away at the entrance. Hinata gasped and blushed, looking down. She didn't notice him coming.

"Neji nii-san, what are you doing here?" Even after all these years, Hinata couldn't help but feel a little shy around her cousin.

Neji had a stoic, but non-aggressive expression on his face. He was wearing his usual shinobi clothing, and was holding an umbrella in one hand and a coat in the other. "Hinata-sama. I'm here to escort you back. You came here to visit your mother and I knew you would get cold." He held out the coat.

Hinata sighed. She appreciated the gesture. Neji has been kinder to her, but she wished he wouldn't call her Hinata-sama anymore. She didn't like the formal title, even though she was the Hyuuga heir.

"Arigato, Neji." Hinata took the coat and wore it over herself as Neji patiently waited. She felt a lot warmer now, and even though she was feeling a little more nervous with Neji around, she also felt safer.

Neji quietly observed his cousin, musing on how she's grown. Hinata was fifteen now, and more mature as a shinobi. Her skills have improved, as did her confidence, minor as it was. Hiashi-sama has been scolding her less often, and Hanabi has grown to appreciate her older sister. Even today, Neji saw to it that Hinata was protected. It was his duty as a Branch family member, but also a small part of him wanted to protect his cousin.

"I'm ready to leave now," said Hinata quietly.

Discussion was minimal on the way back, and eventually the rain died down to a mist, leaving a fresh smell in the air-

Neji stopped and listened, as did Hinata. Was that an explosion?
"Neji?"

"Byakugan!" Neji looked off the path to the left, deep into the forest for miles. The explosion was very faint and far away, and Neji could barely see what seemed like some sort of commotion.

"Let's go look," replied Hinata. Neji was slightly taken aback, but nodded. His duty was to protect her, but between himself and Hinata they can take care of most threats.

As a blur, Neji and Hinata jumped through the wet treetops, barely touching the branches, though Neji had to slow down a bit so that Hinata could keep up.

They arrived to discover a gruesome scene.

In a clearing made larger due to fighting and set off bombs, the ground was practically a stew made up of sticks, mud, blood, and dead bodies. Hinata looked sick, and it was enough to make even Neji a little queasy. They mostly looked to be nothing more than thugs, but at least one scratched out headband was seen. Neji counted a total of seven bodies.

"Did they all kill each other?" Hinata tried not to stare too hard.

Neji moved closer to inspect after seeing that there was no one living nearby. He shook his head. Three things struck him. One, they all wore similar generic garb which probably meant that they were a single force. Two, the one scratched out headband probably meant that at least this one was a missing-nin. And three, all of them bore the same lethal injuries and nothing else. Numerous shallow, thin cuts that didn't touch bone or organs, but instead ran right along and followed most major arteries.

Neji was slightly shaken. All the victims had died purely of blood loss. Whoever had done this was very skilled indeed. But who? No hidden villages or missing-nins that Neji heard of have ever had a style remotely like this. Hidden Sound could have done this, but many profiles were off. And the Akatsuki would never leave such a vivid mess.

Neji suddenly noticed that Hinata was abnormally still and quiet. He used his Byakugen to avoid turning around, and he saw that Hinata looked deathly pale and afraid, and that she was staring at something across from her. Neji looked with Byakugan, grew very apprehensive, and turned his head up to make eye contact with the girl he had somehow completely missed.

The scene of blood forgotten, Neji was starting to become a bit nervous himself. She must have incredible stealth abilities. How else could he have possibly missed someone who went around looking like that?

The girl in question was very frail and thin, as if she's been underfed for a while. She was dressed in wet, tattered, and dirty rags that looked like were worn for a long time. Her white hair was long and unkempt, probably not washed for a while, and framed a thin, attractive face. Neji pegged her age somewhere between 12-14 years. She'd look like any homeless person, but that was not all there was to her. Her rags were covered in blood, both fresh and old, and some of that blood stained her hair, face, and hands. In one of those hands was what looked like an old and regularly used straight razor. She was shuddering and twitching all over, but it seemed more from some condition rather than the actual cold. Her head would often sway about.

All of this was enough to make Neji and Hinata stare in shock, but what topped it all were her eyes. Big, wide-open eyes that glowed, literally glowed, a bright, baleful green. Her eyes didn't seem focused on anything, but yet seemed to take in everything. In most other circumstances the eyes would have appeared beautiful, but right now, to Neji, staring into those glowing green eyes felt like being lightly grazed with an unnatural fire. What's more, something horribly wrong seemed to stir behind those eyes that were staring at them, yet didn't seem to see them.

Her eyes, coupled with her twitching, and her attire and straight razor covered in blood, gave her the perfect image of a psychotic madwoman. Hinata was utterly terrified, and even Neji was feeling a bit apprehensive. This was clearly the one responsible for killing the missing-nins, but because of her already sorry looking state it was hard to tell if she sustained injuries from the battle.

The girl in question suddenly jerked forward and Neji instinctively went into the Hyuuga fighting stance, placing himself right in front of Hinata. Her protection came first, and Neji didn't know what this strange girl was capable of.

Slowly and unsteadily, the green-eyed girl advanced towards Neji. She swayed and twitched as she walked towards them, her expression the same as before.

Neji noted that the hand holding the straight razor was quite steady in contrast to the rest of her. His eyes hardened.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Neji demanded. The girl kept slowly advancing, as if unaware of the carnage around her, but now she seemed focused on Neji himself, and her posture was becoming more stable.

"M… m… mo… mo…," was the only response that came out of the girl's lips. Her attention was solely on Neji now, and her gaze was intense. And as she approached even closer, she began to walk a bit straighter.

"Ano…" Hinata, though hesitant, inched forward a bit.

"Stay back, Hinata-sama!" Neji steeled himself. The girl was coming within striking range.

"Mo… mo… mo…" It seemed like she was pleading.

Neji focused his chakra. "I'm warning you, don't come any closer or-"

"MOMMY!" The girl flung herself at Neji and hugged him tight.

"…"

"…"

"…" What?

All the forest was quiet except the crying, rambling girl clinging onto Neji. "Where did you go, Mommy, you were suddenly gone and I looked everywhere and I couldn't find you and I felt all alone and I was so scared and…"

Hinata was utterly flabbergasted. Frozen in disbelief, her lip and eye twitched as she stared incredulously at the scene that unfolded.

And Neji? Neji was in such a state of shock that he hadn't even left his fighting stance.

A few moments passed, and finally it all began to sink into Neji's mind. Despite how potentially dangerous this girl was, a vein in his head began rapidly twitching. Hinata began slowly backing away, though the strange girl was oblivious.

And finally, through her crying and rambling, Neji blew up. He couldn't help it. This whole thing was just too tense and utterly bizarre.

"I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER, YOU PSYCHO!"

The girl stopped and looked up at Neji in surprise. Her eyes no longer had that unnatural glow, and she no longer had that disturbing aura. Her face was blank, and then she gave Neji a strange look, as if she were seeing him for the very first time.

Then she gasped in shock and backed away. "Oh! I'm… I'm terribly sorry! I… I…" She looked desperately at Neji, then at Hinata, and back at Neji. Then she turned around slowly and looked at the bloody scene around her. She grew increasingly pale and scared. She looked like she was going to be sick.

Hinata, despite all she had seen today, couldn't help but begin to feel for this girl, despite feeling sick herself. Neji noted the severe change in her. Before, she looked so unnaturally deadly. Now she looked like a helpless child.

The girl's breath grew quick and rapid. She took a step back, and then turned around to go on a full-blown run, only to slip on the wet ground and fall flat on her face.

Hinata rushed forward to the girl on the muddy ground. "Are you okay?" She gently shook the girl, but she didn't move. She was unconscious. Her medical training took over and she moved her onto her back, feeling for a breath and a pulse.

"Is she alright," Neji asked?

Hinata nodded. "I think she's just really exhausted. She's not severely injured anywhere."

"Then we take her to Konoha." Neji picked her up, remarking on how light she seemed. "We'll head straight to the Hokage and inform her of the situation."

Hinata nodded. "Hai."

"However."

Hinata gave a questioning look. Then understood as Neji closed his eyes and his

forehead had that twitch.

"I'd much prefer it if you didn't let word spread about the girl's apparent confusion over my identity."

"…" Hinata nodded nervously, then followed her cousin back to Konoha, where they would head straight to the hospital for treatment, then to the Hokage.