A/N- It's alive! (smacks with spatula) Not anymore...

Hello all! My sincerest apologies for my absence from posting. It has been a very difficult year but I won't bore you with details. I also apologize to all of my fans who were hoping my next post would be a Kenshin fic. I have not abandoned RK, but I was just so happy to be writing again after so long that I didn't care what my muse demanded and this is the result.

I did my best to keep everyone in character but please keep in mind that this story takes place when the characters are 19-20, so there will be some differences. I have taken all of my references from Wikipedia(dot)org and my personal knowledge of the anime. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the anime Naruto nor the characters thereof. The original character Sorano, however, is of my own creation.

Ryukaze: Dragon Wind

Little Unobtrusive Things

Chapter 1

"Though I did not know the place, I set out for the land of my dreams. Having arrived at the land of my dreams, I found I did not know the place." -Kino's Journey

It had been an awful lot of trouble for one little scroll, but if there was one thing about being Anbu that Hyuuga Neji had come to understand, it was that the little unobtrusive things caused the most problems, were the most dangerous. Still, his team suffered no casualties and few injuries. He couldn't ask for more than that. Well, maybe a hot shower and some of Hinata's tea, then he would be content.

Upon entering the quiet halls of the Hokage's tower, he pushed the blue-striped Anbu mask up on top of his head. While he appreciated the anonymity the mask gave him, wearing something over his face for so many days on end was irritating. Honestly, how did Kakashi put up with it?

Knocking three times on the Hokage's office door, he waited patiently until he heard her call him in. There were fewer piles of scrolls, he noticed as he closed the door behind him and crossed the short distance to the large desk. Shizune must have been on her all week to get this much work done.

"That was faster than I expected," Tsunade said as she folded her hands under her chin. "I assume everything went well?"

Neji fought the urge to grimace. "Well enough," he said as he handed her the scroll. She would get to read the details in his written report. That was sure to be entertaining…but he might leave the part about the chickens out. He would be picking feathers out of his hair for a week.

"Good," she said as she set the scroll aside, her amber eyes flickering over his shoulder.

Neji's brow creased at the gesture before following her glance. He would spend the rest of his day wondering how he never sensed her presence.

The woman seemed oblivious, leaning against the window staring out over Konoha. A lesser eye would have missed the tension threaded through her seemingly indifferent posture like a tightly coiled spring.

Her hair was the purest white he had ever seen, pulled up into a soft bun with two blue chopsticks holding it in place. He had seen Tenten use senbon for the same purpose. Shorter strands feathered around soft, innocent features, but there was an unmistakable sadness in the crease of her eyes.

She wore no weapons, so he wondered if she might be a client. For certain she was not from Konoha. He would have remembered crossing paths with someone like her, ninja or not.

"Sorano," Tsunade spoke and the clearest, bluest eyes turned towards them. "This is Hyuuga Neji, Anbu Captain."

Neji glanced sideways at Tsunade to find her staring intently at him with a faint smirk.

"Sorano will be staying with us for a while," the buxom woman said. "If she decides to remain, I'm hoping to convince her to join the ranks."

A finely sculpted brow arched over pearlescent eyes as he glanced back at the snowy-haired woman. There had been a lot Tsunade didn't say and he had a feeling she was trying to bait his curiosity, rather successfully too. There was nothing about Sorano that indicated her to be a kunoichi, yet Tsunade had indicated her skills to be of interest to him. It hadn't escaped his notice either that she had pointedly left out a family name.

Sorano, for her part, did not seem the least bit pleased with the situation. She shifted uneasily under his scrutiny, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off a chill only she felt. But her eyes did not flinch from his gaze, the only indication that there was much more to her than this surface innocence.

"Welcome to Konoha," he said finally and she inclined her head slightly but did not deign to reply.

Turning back to Tsunade, he found amber eyes alight with amusement. "Take tomorrow off, Neji," she said. "You've earned it."

"You will have my report in the morning," he said before leaving with a respectful bow and one last glance at the silent woman who was once more staring out the window. Little, unobtrusive things…

"You know I can't," Sorano said the moment the door clicked shut on the Anbu Captain.

"You would be surprised what can and cannot be done in Konoha," Tsunade murmured wryly as she shuffled through papers.

Sorano sighed as she stared out over the Hidden Leaf Village. It was a warm, welcoming place…and large. It had been years since she had been around so many people and she wasn't certain she was ready for it. But she liked the vibrant colors and variety of architecture. It gave the village a life of its own. She could almost deceive herself into believing peace could be found here.

Another knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and this time she turned away from the view, hoping it was Shizune. Any more time spent with the Godaime would only result in another unpleasant disagreement. The woman was headstrong and determined to have her way despite Sorano's concerns and insecurities.

"Tsunade-sama, here is the key you requested," Shizune entered the office, her little pig tucked snugly under her arm.

"Good, give it to Sorano. I think you will like it there," Tsunade said with a suspicious sparkle in her eyes. "You will have interesting neighbors."

Sorano wasn't willing to even try to figure that one out.

But after a half hour of wandering about the village, she decided she should have at least asked for directions. At this rate she would be sleeping in a tree again.

"Are you lost?"

Maybe sleeping in a tree isn't such a bad idea, she thought as she glanced up into the pupil-less eyes of the Anbu Captain. He had discarded some of his uniform, basically the arm guards, vest and mask, so she assumed he was off duty and drawing way too much attention in his direction. The sleeveless black shirt hugged his muscular frame, and her eyes couldn't help trail along the breadth of his shoulders to the dark Anbu tattoo on his well-formed deltoid. It was like nature's way of saying "hands off", but the ogling girls on the corner didn't seem to pay any mind. His stoic, unwelcoming expression was all that kept them at bay.

"You've been going in circles," he said when she remained silent.

Ocean blue eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "You've been following me?"

One fine brow arched in the closest expression to 'duh' the man would ever make.

Sighing at her stupidity, the man was Anbu after all, she handed him the piece of paper Shizune had scrawled the address on.

Neji smoothed out the crinkled paper and nearly smirked. "Your new apartment?" he asked.

"Yes," she admitted, shifting her small pack on her shoulder. "Am I at least close?"

"You're in the right village," he said and was rewarded with an irritated scowl. Sorano snatched the paper from him and started walking only to have him snatch it back.

"You're going the wrong way," he said and started off down the street.

Sorano rolled her eyes before running to catch up with the handsome pain in the neck.

"What brought you to Konoha," he asked when she caught up with him.

"Tsunade," she said, but didn't elaborate.

"You know her well?"

Sorano glanced at him before shrugging her shoulders as if shifting a great weight. "She knew my father," she finally said and something in her posture told him it wasn't a safe topic.

"Did she pick out this apartment for you?" he asked as he stared down at the paper in his hand.

"Why?"

A faint smile flickered across his lips too fast to be seen. "Your days are bound to be interesting. It's the same building as Naruto."

"Naruto?"

"Elite jonin. You'll meet him soon enough."

Sorano decided that didn't require a reply and focused instead on her surroundings. It wouldn't due to get lost again.

Neji watched her from the corner of his eye as he led her from one road to the next. She didn't miss much, her blue eyes constantly shifting from people to buildings to road signs. She wasn't as short as he first thought, the top of her head just surpassing his chin, making her slightly taller than his petite cousin. But she was unnaturally thin, pale, trail-worn…and wary.

He had been on his way home from Anbu headquarters when he saw her strolling down the street glancing intermittently from the paper in her hand to the road signs. If Tsunade wanted him to keep an eye on this one, then now was a good time to start. It became obvious that she had no idea where she was going after the first ten minutes. A simple question of a passerby would have solved her dilemma, but it soon became apparent that Sorano was rather leery of people in general. He should have expected that from the way she folded into herself when Tsunade introduced them.

But she didn't flinch when he approached her and her quick scrutiny of him had been surprisingly emotionless. He didn't consider himself particularly vain, but he was more than aware of his numerous admirers. There wasn't a single glint of appreciation in those remarkable blue eyes and if he were any other man, he might have been insulted.

Her voice was deceptively soft and pleasant, like the rest of her, but she had spirit and if his presence intimidated her, she hid it well. She wasn't shy when speaking to him either, but didn't say more than necessary, an admirable trait really. He wondered what her reaction to Konoha's number one hyperactive loudmouth ninja would be.

"Here it is," he said as he stopped before the building. "Naruto's on the top floor if you need anything. Look's like you're right beneath him." He handed the paper back to her.

"Thank you, Hyuuga-san," she said.

He bowed his head slightly. "Good day, Sorano-san."

She watched him walk away for a moment before looking up at the building before her with a hesitant smile. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.