"When I was young, before I moved to Kirigakure, I lived with my mother and father in a small house, somewhere in Konohagakure. They were both members of the Konoha Military Police Force, which was of course created by the Uchiha clan, and they didn't have a lot of time for me. They were both full Uchiha, but neither of them had ever had their Sharingan activated. I vaguely remember mom telling me that I was going to have a baby brother someday, and he would be able to use Sharingan. Then one day they didn't come home. No one knew where they had gone or why. Everyone had assumed they died, and I was sent to live with my Aunt and Uncle, who already had young Itachi to deal with. Itachi was of course the child prodigy of the Uchiha clan.
"Miraculously I got along fabulously with Itachi and we were friends for quite sometime. He taught me how to use The Grand Fireball jutsu and was trying to teach me the flamethrower when my aunt found out she was having another baby- Sasuke. So I was sent to live with my Great Aunt in Kirigakure, until she died as well. Then I lived with Shishi. It just seemed like…no one really wanted me. My parents disappeared, Aunt and Uncle sent me to Kirigakure, and then my great Aunt died. I suppose that is why I was crying," I said to Neji. He touched my cheek gently.
"I'm sorry, Hoshi," He said quietly. I shrugged my shoulders and turned my face away from him.
"How did your mission-thingy go?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Fine. We were only helping the Kazekage of Sunagakure get rid of a few rogue ninjas that had been attacking his village," Neji replied.
"Oh."
I rested my head on his shoulder, not feeling the need to talk anymore. I was just glad he was home. He was frowning intently.
"Hoshi, where did you get all of these bruises and cuts?" He asked finally.
"Training," I replied, looking down at myself. I was pretty much covered in bruises. His face hardened.
"I'll kill Kakashi," He swore, teeth clenched.
"It's not Kakashi's fault," I said quickly, "I was trying to tree-walk on my own. Kakashi wasn't even there."
"Oh. So I guess the tree-walking didn't work out too well for you?" He asked lightly.
"I did better than last time, only this time there was no one to catch me when I fell," I replied quietly. I closed my eyes as he began to stroke my hair soothingly and before long I had fallen asleep.
The next morning when I woke up Neji was already awake, waiting for me.
"You need to get down to the training field. I'm sure Kakashi Hatake is waiting for you," He said when I sat up and stretched. I sighed heavily and Neji smiled slightly.
"Training is important," He reminded me. I nodded dejectedly and allowed myself to be led down to the training field.
Kakashi Hatake was sitting in the middle of the field reading like he had been yesterday.
"Nice to see you're on time today, Hoshi. Thank you, Neji," Kakashi said without looking up.
"No problem. See you later, Hoshi?" Neji asked me. I reached up and kissed his cheek.
"Most definitely," I replied as he blushed and looked meaningfully at Kakashi who was looking in the other direction. I rolled my eyes and Neji smiled slightly before walking off the field.
"How's your arm today, Hoshi?" Kakashi asked, nodding to my left arm.
"Better," I answered truthfully. It hadn't hurt me…since yesterday.
"You look pretty banged up. What were you doing yesterday?" He inquired, no hint of a smile.
"I got bored and practiced tree-walking."
"How did it go?"
"Better than before. Are we working on tracking today?"
"Yes. We're going to have to go to the woods for this," Kakashi said, leading me off the practice fields.
We went to a place in the middle of the woods and Kakashi stopped.
"A ninja friend of mine left a trail through here a few hours ago. It starts there and the ninja will be waiting for you at the end of the trail," He said, nodding to the left.
"Am I to go alone?" I asked.
"Yes. I'll be back in Konohagakure," Kakashi replied.
"What happens if I get lost?"
"that would be inadvisable. Don't get lost and you won't have to worry about it."
Kakashi disappeared back the way we had come and I turned to where he had pointed. Sticks were bent down slightly as if someone had kneeled there for quite a while. The footprints in the dirt were barely visible, but I was able to follow them for quite a while. Then I was able to follow a trail of broken twigs from every few feet. I was good in the thick underbrush, due to my training in Kirigakure, and if there had been marshes I would have had a major advantage.
Although there were no marshes I was still able to come to the end of the trail. There was no one at the end, either. The trail just sort of ended… At that moment I spotted the slight scuff marks on the trunk of a tree, just before there was a heavy thud of someone jumping out of a tree right behind me. I whirled around, preparing to use my Chakra spheres, but I froze.
"Sasuke!" I exclaimed.
"Hey cousin. Did Kakashi tell me you were supposed to fight me?" He asked lazily. I thought for a moment.
"No. He just said someone would be waiting for me at the end of the trail," I replied.
"Good. That means I can go home now. Come on," Sasuke said to me.
I followed my cousin to Konohagakure without speaking. Sasuke and I rarely spoke. I didn't really know much about him. I'd only seen him a few times when I was allowed to visit Aunt and Uncle, back when I lived in Kirigakure. Even then I still got a long with Itachi better. I had been startled to find out he had killed almost all of our clan…startled but not surprised. Itachi wasn't the most social person on earth, but neither was I. We used to talk a lot when we were little. He was only a few years older than me after all. He even told me that he wished people didn't pay so much attention to him. He loved his little brother, Sasuke, but his father paid him almost no attention at all.
"Hoshi, what're you thinking about that's so important?" Sasuke asked as I tripped over a branch and fell on my face.
"I was just thinking…about what Itachi was like before he got all evil," I replied with a sigh. Sasuke looked surprised.
"Mom once said that…Itachi did things to you," He said quietly.
"What sort of things?" I asked with a confused frown.
"Things that weren't very nice," He said mysteriously.
"I don't remember Itachi ever being anything, but nice to me," I replied with an honest shrug. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders as well and I let the subject fade to the very back of my mind.
After my training with Kakashi Hatake I went back to Neji's house only to find he wasn't there. Yumi's bedroom door was closed and she was blaring music. It sounded like the rapper, Eminem, but I wasn't sure which song it was.
I knocked on the door loudly and the music was turned down slightly.
"come on in. I'm alone!" She called to me through the door. I opened the door to find Yumi laying upside down with her head hanging over the edge of the bed. She looked up at me from her upside down position.
"Hey Yumi. I didn't want to walk in on you and Kiba doing…well anything, really," I said with a smirk.
"Speaking of doing things, you sure seemed happy to see my brother last night," Yumi said, sitting up.
"Sorry," I said sheepishly, "You should have knocked."
"I'll be sure and remember that next time," She replied with an 'ick' face.
"So where is the wonderful kisser anyway?" I asked with a smile. She shuddered slightly.
"I don't ever want to hear you say that again…and I ain't my brother's keeper," She replied rolling her eyes.
"Well I'm bored," I said with a sigh. Her eyes twinkled mischievously and I knew what was coming next.
"Yumi, I am not going to the club with you," I said before she could ask me.
"Please, Hoshi, you've never even been! How do you know you won't like it?" She demanded.
"Because I can't dance!"
"It's not about dancing, it's about the music…and the guys," She said with a dreamy smile.
"I already have a guy…I think," I replied slowly.
"I'd say you do have a guy, seeing as how he didn't do anything to stop you from shoving your tongue down his throat," She said with a wicked grin. I blushed and smiled guiltily.
"Don't worry about my tongue and your brother's throat. Be more worried about Kiba's tongue and where he's gonna stick it next," I retorted jokingly.
"It's not his tongue I'm worried about," Yumi said pervertedly.
"Eww! Yumi!" I said with a fake gagging noise.
"So are you coming to the club or not?" She asked, changing the subject before we could be any more perverted.
"I guess," I said with a defeated sigh.
Yumi dressed me in clothes that weren't mine. Blue jeans and an extremely short red t-shirt that showed a lot of skin, as well as black leather boots, all of which belonged to her.
"I like the boots," I said truthfully.
"But not the other stuff?" Yumi asked me.
"Not particularly, but I'll wear it if it looks good," I replied.
"Ah well. If you like the boots you can have them. They're too big for me anyway," She said with a shrug.
"Are you trying to say I have big feet?" I asked, punching her in the arm playfully.
"Only if we're using an elephants foot for comparison," She responded jokingly.
It was growing dark outside when we went to the club and there were a lot of people there I didn't know. I tried to hide, but Yumi tried to make me blend. The result was me stuck in the middle of a crowd and having trouble breathing.
"That's Kankuro over there. He tried to shove his tongue down my throat the first time I saw him," Yumi said, nodding to some dude I didn't know.
"Really? What did you do?" I asked, trying to keep my mind off the fact that I was having a panic attack because I was stuck in the crowd.
"I bit him," She replied simply.
"Where?" I asked, startled.
"How many places can you bite someone who's trying to shove their tongue down your throat?" Yumi asked as if I were a very dim light bulb. I thought for a moment.
"I honestly don't know. I've never tried shoving my tongue down anyone's throat," I replied truthfully.
"Before last night, you mean," She responded.
"Hey, he met me halfway! Technically speaking, there was no shoving of tongues down throats," I retorted coolly.
"Okay, I don't want to hear about this anymore," She said plugging her ears. I smirked and snatched her hands away from her ears.
A few dudes asked me to dance, but I turned them down. I mostly just listened to the music and talked to Yumi.
"Why did we come here if you're not gonna talk to anyone?" Yumi shouted to me above the blare of the music.
"I am talking to someone. I'm talking to you, aren't I?" I called back.
"You're so antisocial, Hoshi," Yumi said, rolling her eyes. At that moment she spotted Kiba not far away and disappeared into the crowd.
I suddenly found myself lost in a sea of strangers. I couldn't find Yumi and I didn't see anyone I knew. It felt very stuffy and I looked desperately for an exit. I didn't do well in crowds. I had panic attacks. I knew I shouldn't have come. I couldn't find an exit. Suddenly a familiar hand grabbed my arm and I turned to see Neji standing behind you. I didn't say anything, but one look at me and he knew he had to get me out of there.
The next thing I knew I was outside in the cool night air. I inhaled and exhaled a couple of times, calming myself.
"Are you alright?" Neji asked.
"Fine. I just…don't like being around a lot people. Especially if I don't know them. I get nervous and my heart starts pounding…" I said quietly.
"You have panic attacks."
"Yes."
"What were you doing in there, anyway?"
"Your sister took me there. Can we go home now? I don't feel so good…"
I was glad we went back to his house instead of mine. His blankets were softer, for one things, and his room smelled like…well him of course. Neji lay on the bed with me and held me close while I still tried to recover from my panic attack.
"You should go change," He said quietly.
"Why?" I asked, startled.
"Because it is hard to find you almost irresistible when you look and smell just like my sister," He whispered in my ear. I got a warm tingly feeling, hopped up quickly, and hurried into Yumi's room to change back into my own clothes.
"That's better," Neji said when I returned and lay back down.
"I need to go clothes shopping sometime," I said thoughtfully.
"Uh…"
"Don't worry, Yumi can take me," I assured him. He looked relieved and smiled tenderly before kissing me.
The next morning, Kakashi announced that we wouldn't be training that day or the next day because he and his team were going on a mission. I didn't particularly mind because I had Neji to train with. He and I went for a run before lunch, which we ate at the Ramen Bar. Afterwards, Yumi found me and we went clothes shopping.
One of my favorite outfits that Yumi picked out was a long-sleeved purple shirt that had black skulls on it. I decided it would look great with the boots she'd given me yesterday. I also bought a few pairs of blue jeans and some more shirts.
We spent most of the afternoon shopping and when we were finally done I had about five bags filled with clothes. I said good-bye to Yumi before heading to my house, not hers. My house was empty when I got there and I made myself something to eat in the kitchen before heading to my bedroom. I put most of my clothes up before trying on my favorite outfit; the shirt with the skulls on it, along with a new pair of blue jeans, and my boots. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror in the hallway and thought I looked pretty good. I was going to take off my new clothes when I heard a knock at the front door. So instead of going back into my bedroom and taking off my new clothes I hurried to the front door, eager to impress my visitor with my new clothes.
I opened the door enthusiastically and found myself face to face with Neji. He smiled at me and I smiled back.
"Hey, Neji. What're you doing here?" I asked curiously.
"Hello, Hoshi. Well, when I got home Yumi was in her room blaring music with some of her friends. It was giving me a headache so I came to see what you were doing," He replied.
"Oh. Well would you like to come inside?" I inquired. He nodded and came inside.
I followed him into the rarely-used living room and he sat down on the couch.
"So what were you doing before I came over?" He asked me.
"I was just trying on my new clothes that I got with Yumi. What do you think?" I inquired, turning around so he could see the entire outfit. He smiled slightly but didn't say anything.
"Do you like it?" I prompted.
"Yes I do like it. A lot," Neji replied. His eyes darkened as he pulled me down next to him on the couch and kissed me.
It was a very long and lingering kiss that left me pretty much breathless and made my heart pound wildly.
"What was that for?" I asked, gasping for breath.
"Just showing you how much I like your outfit," Was his reply. A smile played at the corners of his mouth.
"You must've really liked it," I said.
"I can do better," He whispered, kissing me again.
I was disconcerted by this new side of him, but needless to say it was more than enjoyable on my behalf so I wasn't too unsettled. Still, I wondered where he was going with all of it.
"Neji, I need a break, I'm gonna suffocate!" I said breathlessly. His smile broadened, but he stopped kissing me.
"What was that all about?" I asked when I could breathe again.
"Nothing," He replied quickly.
"Something prompted that… and don't tell me it was the outfit."
He hesitated, no longer smiling.
"I had a talk with your cousin today," He said awkwardly.
"Sasuke? What did you two talk about?" I inquired. He paused again.
"It is difficult to lay down on this couch. Is there somewhere else we may go?" He asked, changing the subject. I sighed, but obligated his request by leading him to my bedroom. He sat down on my bed, kicked his shoes off, and then lay down.
"Now, what did you and Sasuke talk about?" I inquired, laying down beside him.
"Well you, mostly…you and Itachi," He said reluctantly. I frowned slightly.
"Me and Itachi? What about me and Itachi?" I asked curiously, wondering what could've prompted a conversation about Itachi and myself between my cousin, Sasuke, and my sort-of boyfriend.
"Sasuke said that Itachi…did bad things to you when you were younger…" He said quietly.
"What sort of bad things?"
"…can't you remember?"
"No. I can only remember Itachi being nice to me when we were younger," I answered honestly.
"Well, Sasuke told me that the reason your Aunt and Uncle made you go to Kirigakure…was because Itachi had done some very unpleasant things to you," Neji said softly. Something connected in my brain and I realized what he was talking about. I squinched my eyes shut as I tried not to recall what I had forced myself to forget.
"I don't really want to talk about that right now," I said through clenched teeth.
"Of course not. Hoshi, I'm so sorry. I was just so shocked. It sickened me to think he could've done that to you," He replied softly, pulling me close to him. I very suddenly found myself unable to breathe and I started to sweat. I pulled myself from him and immediately felt better, but I needed to leave.
"Neji, I…can't be around you right now, okay? I can't be near someone. I need to be alone. I'm sorry," I said quickly and I headed for the door.
"It's alright. Hoshi-?" He began. I paused timidly at the doorway, itching to get away.
"Yes?" I asked.
"You know that I would never hurt you, right?" He inquired softly.
"Yes. Of course I know that, I just…I can't be near anyone right now. I need to get out of here for a while and be alone. Okay?"
"Okay."
I hurried out the front door and inhaled the cool night air. I exhaled and began to walk. Out here I could be alone and no one was there to talk to me or make me think about things that happened a long time ago. I felt bad for leaving Neji all alone, but it was better than having to suffer another panic attack because of him.
As it grew later I grew calmer and as midnight came and went I returned to my house. I was surprised to find Neji had remained and was now sleeping in my bed, just as I had slept in his when he left. I thought, for a moment, about going to the spare bedroom, but then decided I would be okay. I crawled into my bed next to Neji and he opened one eye sleepily.
"Are you better now?" He asked drowsily.
"Yes," I whispered quietly.
"Good."
He closed his eyes and pulled me close to him, kissing my forehead before falling back asleep. I relaxed slightly and then I fell asleep as well.
The next morning I awoke to the sound of someone running through my house, calling for me. I opened my eyes blearily and found myself face-to-face with Yumi.
"Hey Hoshi! It was so awesome last night! Kiba came over and Hinata was there and Naruto and Kiba bought me a Vault energy drink and then we all stayed up till about three in the morning and-"
"Yumi! Calm down! How many Vaults have you had?" I demanded of her. She was bouncing up and down in her hyper-activity.
"Oh, I dunno. Not a lot. Maybe like 12 or 13," She replied. She was talking so fast I could barely understand her, but I'm pretty sure she said 13. Neji lifted his head from where he slept beside me, took one look at his hyper sister, and laid his head back down.
"Neji, Kiba gave your sister 13 energy drinks," I said to him.
"Remind me to kill Kiba later," He muttered with his eyes still closed. Yumi was still bouncing up and down like an excited puppy.
"Yumi, why don't you go outside and burn off some energy?" I suggested.
"Great idea! I'll go run," She said enthusiastically. She darted out of the room so fast that the only way I knew she'd gone was that I heard the door slam shut behind her about two seconds later. I lay back on the bed and Neji looked at me.
"Are you okay this morning?" He asked hesitantly.
"I'm fine."
"Good," He said, then he kissed me. My fingers clutched his shirt instinctively and this urged him to kiss me even harder. I wasn't aware of the fact that I was slipping towards the edge of the bed until I landed on the floor with a painful thud. I let out a muffled yelp as Neji landed on top of me.
"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.
"Just brilliant, but next time- I get the top," I said with a wicked grin. He sighed as he got off of me and helped me up.
"You've been spending too much time with my sister," He said, rolling his eyes at me.
Neji and I went for our morning run and Yumi caught up with us at some point. She still had a lot of energy, too. Kiba was out running with us as well and with him were Akamaru and another white puppy.
"Whose dog is that?" I asked Kiba, nodding to the female puppy that was playing with Akamaru.
"That's my dog, Barlow," Said Yumi from beside me.
"How come I haven't seen her before?" I demanded.
"She spends most of her time with Akamaru," Yumi replied.
We ran until we reached the lake, then we stopped for a rest. Akamaru and Barlow were in the water as soon as they saw it. Kiba let out a bark-like laugh before jumping in as well. Yumi made a move to jump in after him, but Neji snagged her by the sleeve.
"Boots off first, Space Cadet," He said strictly. Yumi looked down at her leather boots and kicked them off before jumping in the water. Neji and I sat down in the grass and watched them swimming and splashing each other.
"Now the whole house is going to smell like wet dog," Neji said loud enough for them to hear, winking at me.
"Shut up, Destiny Boy!" Yumi shouted from the water. I laughed out loud as she made an attempt to splash him.
"You call that splashing, Space Cadet? Hoshi, show Yumi what a splash really is," Neji said to me. I nodded and took my stance.
"Water style jutsu: Water wall," I said as I performed the hand seals that completed the jutsu. I lifted some of the water out of the lake, formed a wall with it, and dumped it on Yumi, Kiba, Akamaru, and Barlow. They were tossed backwards and all of them disappeared under the water for a moment before resurfacing.
"No fair, Neji, you can't use your girlfriend's jutsu as a means of splashing us!" Yumi said after she spat the water from her mouth. Neji caught my eye and smiled when Yumi called me his girlfriend, and I looked away, blushing.
"Well I haven't seen Dog Boy do anything that useful," He called back to her.
"Leave Dog Boy outta this, right Akamaru?" Kiba asked the puppy. Akamaru barked his agreement.
"And stop calling him Dog Boy! Don't you two have to go make out in the woods now or something?" Yumi asked crossly. I blushed again and Neji took my hand.
"Sound like a good idea to me," He said.
When we returned to Konohagakure we were being frantically searched for by an over-hyper Naruto.
"There you guys are, you've been gone all morning!" Naruto exclaimed when we emerged from the woods.
"Calm down, Naruto. What do you want?" Neji asked him.
"The Hokage has been looking for you- all of you," He replied enthusiastically.
"Why does she want all of us?" Yumi asked, surprised.
"I dunno. Some sort of a mission. Come on," Naruto said. The four of us looked at each other curiously before following Naruto towards Lady Tsunade's office.
She was sitting behind her desk when we entered, but she didn't look very cross.
"So, there you all are. Good job locating them, Naruto," Said Lady Tsunade.
"We apologize, Lady Tsunade. We were out training," Neji said on behalf of all of us.
"It's fine. The reason I called you all here is because our allies in Kirigakure have been having some problems with rogue ninjas attacking travelers around their village. They request out help. Since Kakashi, Guy, Sasuke, and the others are all either out on missions or severely injured thanks to worthless fights-" She said, looking meaningfully at me. She meant Tenten, of course, who was still unable to fight. I lowered my head and would not meet her eyes.
"- you five are the only ninjas in the village that I am able to send to aid Kirigakure," She continued.
"Isn't that on water? How will we get there?" Naruto asked. At that moment I thought him very dim.
"On a boat, Naruto," I said slowly. How else could one get to the Village Hidden in the Mist? It was an island, after all!
"Oh right. So when do we leave?" Naruto asked.
"Tomorrow. Neji, you'll be squad leader. The boat leaves from the harbor at dawn so be awake and ready before then," Said the Hokage.
"Yes, Hokage," We all said in unison.
As soon as we were out of her office and back outside I started to freak out.
"I can't go to Kirigakure, Neji! Shishi will be there and the Mizukage and all the people that I know and there'll be Hunter-nin there and my postural be plastered on every wall you see and-" I was cut off as Neji held up his hand.
"Relax, Hoshi. Breathe. You're worse than Space Cadet when Kiba buys her energy drinks," Neji said calmly.
"Hey!" Yumi protested.
"We'll be sure and disguise you good before we even get on the boat tomorrow. We'll use Genjutsu to make you look completely different, to the untrained eye, and hopefully that'll be enough to get you through Kirigakure safely," Neji continued, ignoring Yumi's protestation at being used as an example.
"But what if it doesn't work?" I asked softly, "What if I get caught?"
"You won't get caught. It will work. And if it doesn't… I'll fight all of Kirigakure for you," He whispered in my ear. I blushed and lowered my eyes.
"Thank you, Neji. I hope you won't have to fight all of Kirigakure, though," I replied, then I kissed his cheek.
"Okay, time to go home now," Yumi said, snatching me away from her brother. I wrenched my arm away from her.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Yumi," Kiba said to her, and he kissed her.
"Hey! Don't kiss my sister in front of me!" Neji scoffed.
"What, Hoshi can kiss you, but Kiba can't kiss me?" Yumi demanded.
"I don't care where he kisses you, Space Cadet, as long as I don't see it," Neji retorted. Yumi and Kiba shared a mischievous look and began to walk off together. Neji realized what he'd said only a moment too late.
"Hey! Wait I take that back! No kissing! Come back here!" Neji said, and started to chase after them. I snagged his arm and held him back.
"Let them go. What's the worst that could happen?" I said with a shrug.
"Well for one-"
"Never mind. Just don't even say it. Let's go…wherever," I said vaguely.
We ended up going to his house and we weren't the least bit surprised to find that Yumi was not there. Neji seemed agitated.
"I guess she's spending the night at Kiba's house," I said when we looked in to find her room empty. Neji let out an exasperated grunt.
"She's just a kid. She doesn't need to be off doing all that…" He said.
"She's not a kid anymore, Neji. Like it or not, she's about the same age as I am," I said to him.
"I don't care how old she is. She's still my little sister," He protested.
"Well, regardless, I think Kiba is an okay guy. I don't think he would do anything to upset you, as far as Yumi goes," I replied calmly.
"He'd better not," Neji muttered.
"Come on. Let's forget about them. We need to get some sleep if we have to leave at dawn…and someone has to fix me up with some Genjutsu," I said with a smile.
By the next morning I no longer bore even the slightest resemblance to my former Naoshi Uchiha identity. My eyes were now green instead of purple and my hair was an eerie whitish-silver color. I wore black jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt that contrasted my appearance perfectly.
"Do I look okay?" I asked anxiously as we waited for our ship at the harbor.
"You look great," Naruto said enthusiastically. Neji simply glanced at me.
"You don't look like Hoshi anymore," He said simply before looking away again.
"You look fine," Yumi assured me, "No need to worry."
Regardless of their confidence, I still worried. When the ship came and the crew stared at me awestruck, I thought it was because they might've recognized me. When the boy carrying our luggage nearly dropped it when he saw me, I thought it was because he knew who I was. When the waiter who brought us lunch dropped a bowl of rice on Naruto's head when he saw me, I thought he had spotted a flaw in my disguise that would give me away. I spent the rest of my afternoon hiding in my cabin, trying to avoid people.
I was listening to Yumi's CD player when there was a knock on my door. I took off my headphones, heart pounding, and opened the door. It was only Neji.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I exclaimed, moving aside to let him in.
"Why are you hiding in here?" Neji asked me, looking around.
"Because, people kept staring at me. …I don't want anyone to recognize me," I muttered. He looked at me appraisingly for a moment.
"They aren't staring because you look like Naoshi Uchiha, Hoshi, they're staring because you look… beautiful," He said finally. I blushed at the sincerity in his voice.
"Oh," I said awkwardly. I kind of felt like an idiot and I didn't know what to do now. Neji kissed me on the forehead and then took my hand.
"Come up to the top deck with me," He said quietly.
It was already nighttime when we got up there and the top deck was deserted. The moon was reflecting off of the waves and the stars were brighter than I had ever seen them.
"The stars are so beautiful," I said in awe, looking up as I leaned on the rail of the boat.
"They always are over the ocean because there's nothing to block their view. Didn't you see them when you left Kirigakure?" Neji asked me.
"No. I was hiding amongst the luggage so no one would find me. I couldn't work up enough Genjutsu to make a good disguise so I hid," I admitted.
"Well, now you don't have to hide. No one will be looking for you amongst the ninja from the leaf village," He said reassuringly.
"I hope not. I wouldn't want you to fight all of Kirigakure for me," I said jokingly.
"Do you think I would be able to do it?" He asked seriously.
"Truthfully? No… the ninja of Kirigakure are trained to be ruthless killers. I think you'd be able to finish off half the village, with help, but in the end, you'd be annihilated," I replied quietly, "Even if you are the strongest ninja in Konohagakure."
"Well, then, it's a good thing they're our allies," Neji said, staring out over the water.