/Neji/ They had been making their way towards the Fire Daimyo's place in a hurry, a lord's daughter had been kidnapped yesterday and they were sent out to meet with the Daimyo to discuss what they would do. Movement above them caught his attention as a few leaves fell towards the ground, he called out and when nothing happened for a few minutes he feared attack. What happened instead shocked him more; A young woman jumped from the tree's facing him, the golden eyes screamed who she was, his Hoshi; she stood as tall as he was her body had developed though he tried not to focus on that. Her purple black hair was up out of the way as it usually was, and Neji couldn't be sure of just how long it might have been; her clothing was different than it had been when she had spent that year with his family. Back then she had wore knee length black capris' paired with a black and mess shirt; very plain but very practical. She now wore a light lavender short kimono top, matching gloves, a pink obi around her waist, under her kimono top was a white shirt, adorning her legs were black pants It was a very bold statement, though thinking about the rest of the ninja from Konoha it was nothing unusual. Naruto wore orange, Sakura pink and red, Hinata was another who had a variation of blue and purples, Tenten wore a combination of red and pink herself and Neji's own outfit was white and Lee of course stuck with his green. He hadn't seen her since the chunnin exams, not since he dropped her off at the hospital; his thoughts sobered remembering what had happened soon after that. He had never got the chance to tell her how he'd felt, had never got to share the news that he had turned chunnin; he didn't even get to say goodbye to her.
"Hoshimi… is that really you?" Tenten asked from next to Neji.
"Hello Tenten. You look well." Hoshi answered back civilly, almost pleasantly.
"You look so youthful!" Lee yelled out with his usual grins.
A smile graced her features, though her eyes were the color of bronze, the warmth didn't quite reach all the way up as she greeted Lee.
"Lee, you look as energetic as usual." She replied turning her eyes to him finally.
The silence spread out for a few minutes, Neji wasn't sure what to say to her after all these years; sure he had thought about what he wanted to say but none of it came out as she was in front of him.
"Neji; you look quite handsome." She said though her smile dropped a bit and something flashed in her eyes.
"Hoshimi… you're as beautiful as ever." He finally managed to say.
Hoshimi suddenly turned her body tensing as she felt something and a few minutes later Kuroi was between the two holding her nodachi out threateningly towards Neji. Kuroi was Hoshi's younger sister, a loud obnoxious child, or that was how she'd been as a child, her dark blue hair was down pin straight and her orange eyes glared menacingly at him.
"Kuroi no." Hoshi spoke calmly.
"But… Hoshimi." Kuroi said glancing back at the older girl.
"Come, Oyaji has found something." Hoshimi says before she jumped into the trees.
Kuroi stayed for a second longer glaring at Neji hatefully before she disappeared as well, Neji quickly ran to where their chakra was heading as he pulled out the byakugan, Lee and Tenten by his side. They reached where the three were, Hoshimi kneeled not touching the ground with her knees as her and Raiden looked at something on the ground. Raiden was someone Neji had only met once, when he had greeted Hiashi as he gathered Hoshimi's things from the house. Raiden's black hair was streaked with more grey then it had been three years ago, his eye was a light yellow color; the other one held a scar clean across it, the eye was gone and the eyelid stayed shut having no control over the muscles and nerves.
"What do you think these tracks are Hoshi?" Raiden asked quietly paying the other three no attention.
"It looks like drag marks." Hoshimi answered sternly.
"How can you tell?" Kuroi asked curiously standing next to her sister.
"These marks here, it shows a struggle; then suddenly they stop but I see no blood so they were probably hit so they would pass out." Hoshimi answered before standing up.
"But how do you know." Kuroi asked with a huff.
"Let's tie you up and see if you make the same marks." Hoshi said turning to give her sister a smirk.
"Girls now is not the time." Raiden says standing up and turning around.
Neji wasn't sure how to greet the older ninja so he bowed to him, Raiden stared for a minutes before bowing back to Neji as they both straightened Raiden held his hand out to Neji.
"Neji, it has been a few years." Raiden says as Neji shook his hand.
"It has been." Neji said nodding.
"I must ask though, what are you doing here?" Raiden asked curiously.
"One of the Fire Daimyo's lords has had his daughter taken recently; we were sent out to find her and bring her back. Can I ask why you are out here?" Neji asks curiously.
"We heard rumors of Otogakure Ninja about." Hoshimi explained.
"We came to take a look." Raiden adds.
"How about accompanying us to the daimyo and helping us with the mission?" Neji asked looking at Tenten and Lee.
"We can't help." Hoshi says almost sadly.
"Why can't you?" Tenten asked curiously.
It was clear that Hoshi didn't want to say but Kuroi grabbed her hand looking up at her and nodding her head, Hoshimi sighed heavily closing her eyes.
"I'm not allowed to go on missions, I'm not even suppose to be out of the village…" She explained.
It was crazy, how could they not send her on missions? Neji couldn't accept that answer, he wouldn't when she had come to him four years ago with her mother she was only fourteen and already a chunnin. Neji assumed when he had seen her that she was a jounin like himself but the way she replied made it seem like she hadn't been on missions in a while. What was going on?
"You must be kidding." Tenten said nervously.
"She's not… a lot has happened since she left you." Raiden says seriously.
"What can we do?" Kuroi asked sobering up and looking around.
"We can talk with the Daimyo, we can get you in on this mission." Neji says seriously.
Neji wanted to see her in action again, fighting or something, surely she had to have gotten better. He needed to see for himself, he had to know at all costs what might have happened to get her taken off missions, for her to be stuck inside her village.
"We might as well try." Raiden says stepping forward with a nod of his head.
Hoshimi said nothing it was almost as if she knew what would go on as they walked towards the outcropping of builds with a gate around it, making their way in they knelt down on the floor.
"You have come very quickly. I am pleased." The Daimyo says happily.
"My lord daimyo we have a request." Neji says while he sat up back straight.
"Ask it and we shall see." The Daimyo says staring at Neji.
"We ask that the shinobi of Kumogakure be included upon this mission with us." Neji said staring at the Daimyo.
"Hmm." The Daimyo says staring at Hoshimi and her family.
Silence lingered and one of his advisers hurried up and began whispering in his ear, as the adviser whispered the Daimyo's face changed and he frowned.
"You there girl, what is your name?" He asked Hoshi.
"Kumoashi, Hoshimi; My Lord Daimyo." Hoshimi answers bowing to him again.
"So it's true then. You dare set your disgraceful feet inside my building." He scoffed looking down at Hoshimi.
"Forgive me your grace, I shall leave now." Hoshimi said dully as she stood up and started to leave.
"My lord Daimyo, before you send her away so quickly I shall say none of us will help without them." Neji says clearly.
"You think you can get away with this? I can just send word to your Hokage and she will send someone else." The daimyo said with a huff.
"The thing you don't understand, My Lord is that this woman has fought by my side, she helped save my village in the attack on Konohagakure from Sunagakure and Otogakure three years ago." Neji said strongly.
The daimyo paused looking thoughtful, before he chuckled looking at Hoshimi who had paused waiting for the verdict.
"Very well; I don't expect anything from the girl though, she's fallen from her pedestal. Everyone but you seems to know about it, how odd." The daimyo says looking pleased.
"As long as they are included; they get half of our money." Neji says calmly.
The daimyo looked disgusted by the thought but he nodded his head before leaving the room with a sneer towards Hoshimi who stared after him calmly, as if she was use to this reaction from people. The two groups left the gated area that is the Daimyo's building and Neji stopped to look at Hoshimi sternly.
"What has happened? Why do people like him treat you so lowly?" He asked almost angry.
"Now's not the time." Hoshimi said turning away from him, though by the way her fist was clenched it bothered her just as much as it bothered him.
"Then why does everyone seem to know but us?" Neji asked at a loss.
"I imagine Tsunade stopped the talk of it." Raiden was the one who answered the question.
Could it have really been that horrible? Neji couldn't imagine what could have caused something like this but he kept his mouth shut as Raiden led the way back to the tracks.
"We should follow them and watch for a while." Raiden offered.
"That sounds like a good idea, they can't be very far." Tenten says with a nod.
They followed the tracks silently neither of the two teams talking, Neji's mind was on the past, the day they had first met.