**Disclaimer- I own nothing but this story's plot and OC characters**

Author's Note- This is chapter 1 as promised. Just to let you know, this isn't not going to be in Hinata's POV for the couple of chapters. And I totally thought I was going to post this Saturday but the power went out and it was storming so yeah. Forgive me and enjoy. Ciao

P.S.~ Forgive me for all grammar mistakes you may see in this as I do not have a beta-reader~ OK now bye

Jutsu Name

Thoughts

Normal Speech

Chapter 1- Little One

It was a full moon tonight. The dim lighting encompassed her surroundings with a silvery hue. The sight it bore was as beautiful as it was haunting. The mere thought of going out there made her apprehensive, but she had a duty to do. Her nii-san needed this medicine. Especially tonight. His illness was taking a turn for the worse, and she feared he wouldn't have much time left. Her nii-san was all she had left, and no shadows were going to scare her off.

Letting her determination fuel her, she stepped away from the safety of her home with a collected façade as if the shadows sensed weakness. As Kori walked across the grass clearing towards the forest, she fiddled with the cool metal hidden in the sleeves of her brown yukata and did her best to calm her nerves.

The moon was huge in the sky as it loomed over the tree line, giving her the impression of being looked over from afar. She did her best to shrug off the paranoia, but it was for naught as there was a small rustle behind her. And there was where she lost her false composure. Without any hesitation, she threw a shuriken in the direction of the sound, then took off running towards the place where the herbs were. She knew there was a such thing a too-much-paranoia, but she couldn't bring herself to care. It kept her alive, didn't it?

Kori had been running for about twelve minutes nonstop ducking and weaving between low hanging branches, bushes and trees with roots sticking up from underground when she finally allowed herself to slow to a stop by a leaning tree. Leaning heavily on the brittle tree bark, she took a few minutes to calm her racing heart and catch her breath. It wouldn't do for her to faint. Bark digging into her back, she narrowed her amber eyes, and scouted the area to make sure no one was near. After assessing every direction, she deemed the coast clear. She straightened away from the tree, let out a sigh of relief, and continued her trek in at a much more leisurely pace. She allowed her eyes to roam about taking in as much detail as she could. Kori may dislike coming into the forest at night, but she couldn't help but admire the beauty of the scene. It was beautiful in every sense of the word.

Coming to a stop by a narrow stream, she looked for the flowers that she knew would be nearby. The pale moonlight provided only the bare minimum of sight. Straining her eyes, she finally spotted them about three meters to her left. She slowly strolled in their direction. Kori then kneeled by the flowers and began digging them out the ground. She let herself relax at the familiar task.

The damp soil clutched in the tanned hands. The smell of grass and fresh water. The pale moon reflected off the water. The cool wind current brushing against her body. Those were a few of the things she noticed. She was truly relaxed for the first time since she came out here. After she gathered the amount she deemed sufficient, she stood up, the flowers in her pouch, and dusted herself off.

She only had one more thing to get and she'd be on her merry way. Turning on the direction of her next destination, she felt something. She wasn't sure as to what it was though. Her instincts never lied to her before so she continued with a cautious air about her. Her nervousness had just reappeared tonight. She did her best to brush it aside as she didn't want to appear frightened. Hands tucked in her long brown sleeves, she treaded carefully. She wandered for approximately seven minutes when she stopped by a bush that reached the waist of her small frame and picked twenty dark purple pea sized berries. The woman paused in what she was doing when she heard whimper to her right. She stiffened slightly, ready to run if the situation called for it.

Ignore it, it's nothing. It's just your mind playing tricks on you.

A cool breeze brushed against her tanned skin, blowing raven black hair across her face. Somewhat annoyed by her hair and the situation for distracting her, she pushed the irritating strands behind her ear. Just then, a stronger gust of wind whisked through the woodland clearing. The swaying tree branches and rustling leaves casted eerie shadows on the ground under the pastel moon, sending shivers up her spine. Kori stiffened at the ominous feeling that engulfed her very being. Reaching for the kunai hidden in her yukata to calm her nerves, she took several deep breaths and continued her work. Another whimper made itself known in the dark forest. She was terrified, but she had to grab the exact amount of the plant that she needed.

Just a few more berries then you can go.

She nearly gave a shout of joy when she finished.

Now let's get out of here.

Right when she was about to take off running, a powerful gust of wind stopped her in her tracks. She had to ground her feet into the ground so she wouldn't fall. The harsh wind current caused her to close her eyes as some dirt flew in her eyes. Clothes and hair flapping in the current, she could hear the rustling leaves and howling wind. She kept her eyes covered until all that was left of the bout was a gentle breeze, disheveled clothes and a pair of mildly irritated eyes. She was a bit dizzy from the sensation too.

Another whimper echoed throughout the dark forest. She moved to leave when a thought struck her. What if this was some type of sign? Tempted as she was to ignore the absurd thought and go about her merry way, she had a gut feeling that this something was very important. Normally she avoided situations like this at all costs, but now, no matter what she did to talk herself out of it, something was forcing her to go and see. It was almost as if something was forcing her, like a divine intervention. She braced herself for any unpleasant surprises she might have brought upon herself.

Kori made her way over to where the sound was coming from. She crossed several wild animals no larger than a small fox when she reached the place where the whimpering came from. Another whine sounded across from her, no further than twenty feet away. She edged a bit closer to catch a peek of what was causing the pitiful, high pitched sound.

…Wah?

She was shocked to say the least. She found a squirming purple bundle in a hollow part of an old tree. She mulled over that for about twenty or so seconds before she snapped out of it. Acting quickly, she searched for some type of clue as to why this was. There weren't any signs of dead bodies or blood around so the probability of there being a battle that took place here is slim. This wasn't exactly the first time she's stumbled upon something hidden in the forest, and she has a feeling it wouldn't be the last. Especially during these times. But her finding an alive baby in a forest, that's something that she hadn't experienced before now.

So how did it get here? Maybe the baby's parents left it here to come back to later. No. if they wanted to do that, they would have hidden it better.

Looking around one last time to make sure the coast was clear, she ventured towards the tightly wrapped bundle. Her mind raced at the possibilities. Coming to a stop, she studied the writhing infant for a few minutes to make sure this wasn't a trick of some kind. She really hoped it wasn't because her mind was already made up as to what she was going to do with the baby. She sent a quick prayer to Kami for the child's parents and the child itself.

Kori moved her arms towards the baby to pick it up, when it let out a pitiful sob, squirming renewed. Carefully lifting the purple mass to her chest, she noticed that she could feel a distinct chill through the thin blanket. The child continued to sob. Kori held the child gingerly, slowly rocking it until it grew quiet. Breathing a sigh of relief at the silence, she removed one arm from under it while keeping it safely tucked against her chest. Her hand grabbed the edge of the blanket that shielded the head. She slowly uncovered the head, and studied it for a while. The child's face was scrunched up slightly, tiny mouth slightly open. The hair looked soft and had a distinctive blue hue to it. The skin was as pale as the moon in the sky. But what really stuck out to her was the fact that it was a girl.

Poor child, probably yearning for her mother.

Her heart clenched at the sight. Kori's hand absentmindedly brushed over her tiny head. The child slightly turned towards the body heat resting on her.

Who would ever give her up?

Making up her mind, she clutched the slumbering infant closer to her breasts and hurried back to her modest cabin mindful of the extra weight resting in her arms.

Author's Note- I'm sooo sorry for not updating like I promised I would. I didn't know I would end up in the hospital two days after I posted the prologue. Please forgive me. I'm better now, and I apologise for the somewhat short chapter. I just wanted to post something to make it seem like I didn't abandon it.

To the people who reviewed, thanks for the support because I didn't know how people would respond to it.