"Hinata, go!"

Neji's furious command carried easily through the air to Hinata. She was only inches away and flinched at the harsh tone of his voice, but she refused to budge. Instead, she furiously shook her head, closing her eyes to keep in the tears that threatened to seep through her lashes. When Neji growled, a deep grumble that came from the very core of his anger, she had to take a deep breath before she could calm herself well enough to stay.

"Go, Hinata," Neji snarled, glowering at Hinata with furious lavender eyes, an emotion that contradicted the color completely. "Find the others before the enemy finds us. Shikamaru and the others can't be too far off. If you go now, then you can still catch up to them. If we're found, I won't be able to completely protect you. Go!"

"Y-you a-a-are hurt, Neji," she managed to blurt out, self conscious of how silly she sounded, how pathetic and weak. Still, she couldn't leave him here!

The fear in her voice made him wince uncomfortably, especially when he saw the tears glistening like rain on her dark eyelashes. He sighed deeply, unable to maintain his façade of anger when she gestured to the ointment in her hands, thrusting it outward as if offering it, but he knew she wouldn't have him tending to his own wounds. Despite their standards in the Hyuga clan, Hinata was constantly looking out for him instead of the other way around. Not that he didn't do his job, of course. Protecting the heiress was one of the things that he did twenty-four-seven, never ceasing in his efforts to please the timid girl.

"I m-must h-h-heal your w-wounds," she stuttered, glancing up at him without much confidence in her eyes. When he said nothing to decline, though, she straightened up, lifted her chin and looked him straight in the eye. "We can't carry on with you hurt, Neji. If I can do anything on this mission, this is it."

There was a long silence between them as Neji contemplated Hinata's words, the younger female holding onto her wavering bits of courage with trembling fingers. And then he was sighing for a second time and pushing with his elbows, fighting to sit up right. Hinata watched, stunned that she had won, and allowed him to straighten himself as best as he could on his own. Making him feel like he needed to be protected was a major blow to his male pride, and she wanted to make it as painless for him as possible. The physical hurt was enough damage to worry about, and Neji's ego was like a bomb.

In silence, Hinata extracted the ointment carefully and began to deliberately place it on the most serious of wounds, her practiced yet nervous fingers gently soothing the burning ache that had accumulated there. As she worked, patiently and cautiously, she thought about the mission and how it had gone terribly wrong.

Their team had been an unusually large one, a group that was simple and yet strangely complex. Shikamaru had been their strategist and the captain of the mission, despite Neji's superior ranking. He was better at thinking on his feet and keeping the group working efficiently, whereas Neji was more of a follower, obedient and loyal and unwaveringly determined to the mission correctly. If he had been ordered to watch over the rest of the team, it would have burdened Neji, thus making the team less effective. So, Shikamaru had assumed the position instead, and a more rightful placement it had been.

Sakura had also joined them on the mission, not something that required much consideration to accept or process. She was one of the best medics in the country and having her on their team would be a great asset both on the offense and the defense. Not only could she fight and remain unscathed, but she made sure the rest of the team was at top condition.

Also joining them, ironically and what happened to be slightly unfortunate, was Naruto. The blonde had been, of course, the major cause of the accident that had put them in their mission. He had been chosen for his excellent offense, though his stupid antics were what got them found out. Being too loud and too obvious were things a ninja should never excel at, and Naruto was a master at both.

Both she and Neji had been told to join for the use of their Byakugan. The mission was one that required constant surveillance They were escorting a special artifact through the Land of Fire and into that of Water, and the criminal organizations would pay more than a few lives to obtain it. She and Neji had taken turns in scoping out the land, taking over when the other became drained of chakra and needed to take a break from the extensive use. Neji tired much less quickly and needed a significantly less amount of time to have his chakra charge back up, but Hinata was glad that she had proved to be useful for Neji's health and wellbeing during the mission.

They had been attacked while distracted. Naruto had been in charge of making the fire and had somehow managed to kick the embers out into the brush, creating a fire that required much more attention than they were supposed to spare. By the time they had gotten the flames under control, it was too late. The fight had been quick, but brutal on Neji's part.

Hinata winced at the reminder, Neji flinging his body in front of hers like a human shield. It had been terrible, what it had done to his body, but he treated the act like it was nothing, like it was simply his job. Though she didn't like what being a side branch member did to him, a part of her wished that protecting her wasn't just an order, a burden. Shaking her head lightly at such silly thoughts, she continued to work. Last time she had seen, Naruto had been able to snatch up the artifact and draw some of the men away, with Shikamaru and Sakura soon following anxiously. The remaining adversaries had stayed behind in order to finish the job, but Neji had surprised the four men by incapacitating and disarming them within a few seconds. By the time a minute had ended, Hinata and Neji had been the only ones breathing in the clearing.

And then he had collapsed.

They weren't anywhere near the corpses now, but they were still alone, and in danger of any oncoming enemies. Hinata closed her eyes, pausing just for a moment in her ministrations. No, she shouldn't think like that. She hated to admit it, but anybody following them would've gone after the artifact rather than stay behind just to make sure the two Hyugas ended up dead. That would be pointless. She assured herself that she had nothing to worry about and opened her eyes, ready to continue.

There was another, longer hesitation in her movements, enough so that it caught Neji's attention this time. Curious, he opened his eyes from the relaxed state he had allowed himself to fall into and stared at her blinking, unreadable eyes. It seemed that something was coming over her, a realization of sorts, but he wasn't able to make out what had her so immobilized, and yet not frightened at the same time.

"Um…your shirt, cousin," Hinata said softly, and Neji almost didn't hear her.

It surprised him, the blankness with which she said it, but he obliged regardless, shifting with a considerable amount of effort to tug his loose-fitting shirt up and over his head, impossibly long dark hair falling back over his bare shoulders and back. Hinata had always found that hair beautiful, how it shone with a natural healthiness, thick and well groomed. Her own weird purple hair was absolutely nothing against Neji's.

Still not betraying her inner thoughts, about his hair or about the rest of her cousin's flawlessness, from his marble body to the shockingly gentle features of his face, Hinata worked. Each wound she applied a certain amount of pressure, a fixed amount of time, and a specific bit of ointment. With the more major wounds, she laced the ointment with chakra, using what she had learned from Sakura to lace together skin tissue and reform blood cells. Despite her efforts, she knew that Neji would be slower than usual, but what she did would last him until they found Sakura and the others again.

As Hinata's hands moved restlessly over Neji's body, applying the ointment and carefully using her chakra, she began to notice tiny things. Like the way his muscles stopped twitching involuntarily at her touch, and how his face was completely still despite her hands on him. His breathing was steady, unhindered, no longer tense and controlled as it had been before. She smiled, feeling much more comfortable now.

He was asleep.

It was odd for her, though. She had seen her cousin shirtless and unconscious many times before, but now, being so intimately close to him, made her blood boil, her skin flush, her heart race. There were things that she shouldn't be thinking about anyone, especially her stoic cousin, so she shoved the occurring thoughts from her mind, ignoring the fact that the would only come back at full force later, when she wasn't prepared to handle it.

Twilight was upon her by the time she felt safe about his wounds, but she worked on until the darkness was a burden to her all-seeing eyes before she was satisfied with Neji's health. Tired, she slumped a little, placing the near-empty container of ointment to the side and rubbing her eyes. A sudden chill swept over and she twitched more than shivered. She had forgotten how close they were to the Water Country, how cold the nights were here in the late fall compared to back in warm Konoha.

She glanced around a few quick seconds before sighing and facing the inevitable. Oh well. If she didn't take care of herself and Neji, then they would both be in trouble. Not exactly willing, she stood and set about protecting the tiny, unnoticeable clearing with chakra alert traps and a chakra cloak, hiding their presence from not-so-prying eyes.

When she was finished with insuring their safety, she trudged back over to her motionless cousin and knelt beside him. She stared at that peaceful, pretty face in the last of the dying light and then sighed. Such things even an heiress could not have.

Those last thoughts on her mind, she laid down, curled up on her side. Without letting her mind give it too much that, and refusing to allow her body to respond, she pressed herself close to the warmth of Neji's body and tugged his oversized shirt over them as a blanket. It was unfortunate, their circumstances, but that was exactly what they were: circumstances. And there was nothing she could do about them unless she was willing to risk either of their health. That, she could not do.

In order for it to work the way she had planned, for his shirt was not as large as she had been depending on, she had to snuggle close, resting her hands and head on his chest and pulling her legs up against his. That way, they were able to fit together, the blanket helping retain body heat and keep them warm.

As soon as she stopped shifting about, let herself finally relax there, she noticed two things about sleeping alongside her frightening cousin. Firstly, was that it was even warmer than she had hoped, comfortable and frankly nice. The second was how unbelievably safe she felt, almost in his arms.

His arms. Arms that had once tried to kill her.

That disturbing thought processed through her mind once before it was discarded and replaced with a satisfying nothingness that dropped her into a pit of darkness and sleep.

Light filtered into his sight before he even opened his sight, the shade of black that was his eyelids a whole five shades lighter than it had been when he had fallen asleep. He squeezed them tighter for a moment, trying to block out the sense of consciousness he couldn't seem to avoid now that he had awaken. A tiny groan escaped his lips, making his body tense for a moment before he let out all the air in his lungs with a sudden, abrupt huff, going limp where he lay.

That was when he noticed the weight pressing down on his chest.

It wasn't a very heavy weight, something that hadn't been noticeable enough to disturb his sleep or make him worry. There was a slight familiarity about it, immediately calming his nerves when the first of his alert systems went off. Nothing seemed out of place, and his general instincts were telling him that he and Hinata were safe.

Oh. Hinata.

Very carefully, so as to not disturb the heiress, Neji opened his eyes and craned his neck up to peer at the sleeping young woman. He had half a mind to push her off of him, the bitter aftertaste of resentment coiling in his mouth, but he knew that doing so would be selfish, immature, and it would only prove to upset Hinata, enough so that her unstable emotions would be a liability. The mission still wasn't over, and he was Hinata's protector, so if he were given the option of letting her freeze or simply being her personal heater, than he would choose the latter.

Still, he couldn't help but stare at her complexion, noticing the way the beams of filtered light made her angelic features stand out even more. The beams hit her cheekbones, highlighting how high and defined they had become over her years of maturing. Her skin had the look of petals, so delicate and soft it was hard to believe that it belonged to that of a shinobi. Her midnight tresses, so long and uniquely colored, framed her face. She reminded him of night, in a way, the velvet night sky framing a flawless full moon. And those eyes…

Of course, now they were shut softly in her sleep, but he could see how beautiful they were just by looking at the shape of them. So large and round, like an adorable kitten's, a shade so light, they almost blended in with her skin tone. And those long black lashes that fluttered every time she blinked and cast tiny shadows across the spread of her cheeks gave her meek look a more exotic flavor.

Smirking, Neji wondered why on earth she was so shy. Such an attractive woman should have broken a million hearts by the time she was twenty, far more than an airhead like Ino would have. Even worse, Neji could feel her, soft and supple pressed against his side. It didn't trigger his hormones or arouse him like it would other men, but made him feel honored, made him feel like protecting Hinata was worth something. Something more than just the life of an heiress.

Then her breathing became less steady, not raged, but a sign that she was no longer asleep. He tilted his head at her, watching as she tensed her body in a small form of stretching and waking up the muscles. When she relaxed, her eyes were already blinking open. He chuckled, making those pretty eyes narrow in thought. Apparently, she had forgotten where she was, too.

"Good morning, Lady Hyuga."

In a second, she was scrambling away and bowing her head, looking entirely ashamed and embarrassed at once. He smiled lightly as he sat up, watching her fingers pick up that nervous fidgeting habit she was supposed to have gotten rid of years ago.

"O-oh, g-good m-m-morning, Neji," she breathed, and he caught a glimpse of her beet-red face from beneath her bands, the strands of hair creating a curtain that blocked her from view. "A-are y-your w-wounds b-b-better?"

"Very much so," he said, and when he said it, he realized he was telling the complete truth. Grinning at her kneeling form beside his, he stretching, popping a couple joints in his shoulders and then flexing the muscles in his abdomen experimentally before nodding in affirmation. "Whatever you did truly worked, Hinata. You're not so bad a medic, really." And before he could help it, the words were out of his mouth: "I thank you."

Of course, Hinata didn't seem to understand what he was really saying, and his momentary pause allowed her to speak in a rush at his compliment.

"Well, I could never abandon you, and it was my duty to protect a fellow teammate in need of assistance," she murmured, squirming uncomfortably and glowing brightly. She felt her veins heat, her entire system melting under the pressure of his gaze. "I care about you, Neji, and it was my place to help."

"Of course," he agreed, smiling encouragingly at the braveness with which she spoke, but then he ducked his head so that her eyes would meet his and said softly, "But that's not entirely what I was referring to."

"What then?" she asked, eyes wide with curiousity. Her blush had turned down to a slight pink hue that matched the pastel hue of her eyes. He sucked in a deep breath, telling himself again that he had to do this before time beat him to any chance he'd ever get again.

"I want to thank you for every bit of kindness you have spared me," he said, as sincerely as he could. Her eyes were fixated on his, her entire body and expression frozen. "You've been so forgiving of everything I did to you, after how cruel I was when you were no one to blame. My actions and assumptions were wrong and foolish, and yet you do nothing to reprimand or humiliate or harm me… I… Hinata... With my undying thanks, I hope that you could possibly accept my apology."

There was a moment of silence between them, one awkward and unsure. It seemed fitting, but Hinata could only focus on forcing her brain to comprehend what was happening, what she was hearing. She was hopeful, wanting to believe it, and so she shook her head lightly, and then smiled, leaning toward a dumbstruck Neji to place her hand gently over his.

"Neji, I have never disliked you," she said, summoning all the honesty and love she could reach. "I would never reject your apology. It really means a lot to me."

And everything just clicked into place, so perfectly and stunningly clear. Neji found himself leaning closer to Hinata and whispering before he found reason to stop himself, "And would you reject me?"

Unable to move, Hinata stared into Neji's wide, pupil-less eyes, shivering lightly when a large hand placed itself over his, enveloping it in complete warmth. So identical their eyes were in that moment, and then Neji was moving closer.

His kiss was sweet, his lips soft as they moved patiently over hers. It didn't come as much of a surprise after his previous words, so she was able to timidly return the pressure. The acceptance of the kiss was enough for Neji to feel his heart quiver within his chest, aching deeply with a hurt that felt so good, he thought he might break right there. When the kiss was broken, neither could really remember who pulled away first.

But suddenly, Hinata was in Neji's arms and he was embracing her tightly without a care in the world who saw. If anyone dared interrupt now, Neji just might rip their throats out. But then he felt Hinata jerk in his arms, and then she began to cry.

Immediately, he was pulling away, touching her cheeks lightly with his thumbs, wiping the tears away hurriedly. Too shaken to think, he failed to see the tiny smile on her lips, unable to understand just what it was she was crying about. When he began to apologize again, she shook her head and pressed her lips to his once again to cut off his words. It was shorter than the first, but filled with such sweetness, it caught Neji completely off guard. Surprised beyond words, he blinked blankly at Hinata, asking with his eyes for an explanation. Giggling with the happiest expression he had ever seen her wear, she leaned her head against his and said murmured softly:

"You're my first."

A simple little oneshot that is technically the same as the original "My First." It's simply edited and better. Ironically, "My First" was my first fanfiction. I didn't notice that until I had posted a few fanfictions up. Anyway, this is taking place of the original, 'cause it's way better. Just making sure none of you are too confused.

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