(Disclaimer, I do NOT own this anime/characters... I wish i did- but! )

Hinata peeked out from behind the shoji wall-door and blushed. Naruto, the new young captive was practicing outside in her garden. Quietly, she stepped out and began to walk over to the blonde samurai. "Naruto..." she mumbled and shly handed him a bamboo tray filled with sweet smelling rice cakes & hot tea. "Thanks!" Naruto bowed enthusiasticly and noisely slurped a cup of Hinata's tea. She giggled softly before bowing and returning to her work in the main house.

"You know you aren't high enough to catch his attention, cousin. Why do you even try?" Neji, Hinata's older cousin teased her. He must've had a happy morning; a smile from Neji Hyuuga was very rare. Hinata decided to take advantage of this good moment. "He's cute and strong. I can still be around him even if i work for him. Don't tease like that."

"Are you ordering me?"

"No, of course not."

"Sure sounded like it."

"Gomen, I was not." Hinata backed up. Neji just glared, his slight smile now vanished. Imediatly, she went back to preparing lunch for the house. Other than her chores and spying on Naruto, there wasn't much she was allowed to do around here. Every once in a while, she would walk the mile or so to the village with Neji and shop, but other than that, she rarely left the grounds.

That afternoon was strange. Their danna (Their master, you know.) came up to the Hyuugas and handed them each a small paper package. The raven-haired teenager bowed deeply without saying a word and left to his room to open it. Hinata thanked her master and bowed gracefully before heading to her garden. Her garden was the most beautiful garden in the manor since she kept it daily and visited it regularly. Naruto told her once that he would never leave if he had the choice. It was his favortie and would only train in her sheltered area.

Hinata sat down beneath a willow tree in the far corner of her space, and began unwrapping the gift. Inside was a letter from her oto-san, an ivory comb, and a lavander, silk kimono adorned with silver embroidered swans. The black and white striped obi appealed to her since her obssinian hair always brightened her father's grim features.

When a blonde head bobbed from behind the tall woven fence, Hinata quickly hid her posessions behind the tree and stood up. When the young man opened the gate and stepped onto the mossy rock path leading to the tiny pond, Hinata gingerly bowed and began pulling weeds from the orchid beds. To her surprise, the trainee made his way towards her. "They're pretty," Naruto wispered, leaning over Hinata.

"The flowers?"

"Your eyes..."

And with that, Hinata fainted. [XD, so like her right??? By the time she woke up, the sun was just behind the stooping mountains and the frogs were singing their lullabies. Sitting with great ease, the young girl sighed and looked over to her right. There was Neji, fast asleep. Why he was sleeping so early she did not know untill she nudged him awake. "Nghh, what do you want, pest?"

"Neji-niisan, why are you asleep so early?"

"Early? It's goddamn four in the morning!"

"G-gomen-nasai..." Hinata's eyes grew wide. Have I really been asleep for the whole day and night? she thought to herself and stood up on wobbly legs. Carefully and quietly, Hinata tip-toed over the tatami mats to the hallway. Peeking out, so not to startle anyone, the female Hyuuga tread down the hall in her light robe and into a dressing room. There, Hinata softly called to the house's dresser. He helped her into a simple, yellow kimono with a grey flowered obi. Now, this girl was not an apprentice geisha or anything, but she still valued her appearence like most girls her age. The manor had been nice to her, but she missed Konoha. She wanted to have been a ninja like a lot of her friends, but she, Naruto, and her cousin had been taken here. (XP sorry, just had to put that in there...)

Then, Hinata went straight to her garden to watch the sunrise. While she waited, Hinata felt the urge to create a new flower bed and fill it with more beautiful flowers than before. So, she knelt down and began arranging small pebbles and stones into a box form about a few inches high. She had already produced orchids, lilies, Magnolia hypoleucas, Irises, and multicolored roses lavishly. Hinata paused before filling up the bed with riverbed dirt that she had carried from the stream, and thought long and hard for a new flower.

Finally , the sun's beauty welcomed the Earth in a warm morning glow. Hinata smiled & hummed all the way to the village for Zinnia seeds. On her way back, the teenager heard metal clanging and yelling. Gripping the package, Hinata sighed and walked into her garden. Again, Naruto was challenging his danna, but they were too close to her new flower spot! Jumping back as they almost back into her, Hinata rushed over to the newly built flower bed. As soon as she set down her seeds next to her lap, the samurai apprentice himself stumbled into her, ruining her efforts. "N-Naruto, my flowers!!!" Hinata cried. "Wha?!?" Naruto yelped and stood up faster than he thought he could. His master just sighed, "Apprentice, clean yourself up, and rebuild her bed." Before Naruto could object, the elder walked away and left the two people by themselves. The blonde knelt beside Hinata and repaired the arden box for her while Hinata tried to wipe her tears away with the sleeve of her kimono. Eventually, he was finished and Naruto apoligized to Hinata for being uncareful. "No, don't be sorry, Naruto-san... I didn't place it in a conveinient place..." Hinata wimpered and quickly bowed low to the ground, her fingertips just barely touching the mossy earth. Slowly, she rised from her bow and blinked. Naruto was hugging her!