About a month has passed since that day. Madara started helping her with basics in chakra control, though getting that wind surge to happen is difficult and hard to control once it happens.

On a cloudy day she is trying to take control and still keep it going. But she could only get it to last for a few minutes.

"S-still can't get… it." Chihiro huffs, lying back on the soft grass.

Madara had been watching the girl when he could, although Izuna remained her primary guard. He knew it frustrated his younger brother, but in spite of his protests and warnings, Izuna never acted out against him or threatened the girl. Mostly, he was just cold to her. Aiko, on the other hand, still hissed if Chihiro got too close or called for her attention.

Manami was far happier to accept someone new than her sister, even if she was confused by the prospect of the Hyuuga girl knowing her already. She tended to come along with them when Madara took the girl out of the compound to try and help her learn control of her dangerous power. In only a week, she had already made strides of progress. Each time they came out, she was a little less of a threat when they returned.

"Progress is progress," Madara stated from the tree he was leaning against, letting his Sharingan fade. "It's still separated too much from your normal chakra. Come here."

"Kay." Chihiro got herself up walking over to him.

Madara led the girl over to the edge of a nearby stream, pointing to a small whirlpool that formed just below a boulder. "Take a look at that part of the stream. Do you see how a part gets pulled in and stuck, separate from the rest? That's what's happening with your chakra."

"But how? I don't get it." Chihiro looks at the whirlpool.

'Is it this thing?' Chihiro moves her hand over to where the mark is.

"That's playing a part," he said, guessing her thoughts. "Think of it as the boulder in the stream."

Chihiro looks at it trying to figure it out. She grips over the mark remembering what the man had said in the meadow.

"Madara… have you ever seen a mark that looks like this before?" Chihiro draws her birthmark in the dirt; three lines with small curves to them and a circle above them in the middle.

"I've only seen it on you," he replied coolly. "That doesn't mean no one's ever seen it, though. All it means is that I myself haven't, and I'm only one man. Does it scare you?"

"The man I met in the dream doesn't." Chihiro shakes her head slightly. "But… but everyone always said I was marked by a demon." She shakes a bit remembering the cold looks of her fellow Hyuuga clan members.

"In your dreams?" Madara raised an eyebrow as he looked over the girl. "You haven't mentioned that before."

"I can't control when it happens. And it was a while ago. First time he looked like a giant hawk and the other a man around your age with dark skin and that mark under his eye and on his clothes." Chihiro explains.

"Well," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe as you gain more control over this, he'll explain more about that mark." What was left unsaid was the red flags this sent soaring. Now there was more credibility to the suspicion of the girl being a sleeper. He would have to maintain a constant watch over her, just to be safe.

"Nnnyaaa~!" Manami yawned, stretching on the tree branch above them. "What about a real giant hawk, though? Or one of your falcons?"

"I actually wonder if he's like Manami, a ninja animal that can change forms." Chihiro smile up at the cat.

'Though something tells me it's different.' Chihiro thinks of the man again and what he said. She still has no clue what he meant about her waking up or this woman he mentioned. Truthfully she was still very much in the dark.

"That's a possibility, but I wouldn't place a bet on it. I'm one of the only such shinobi," Manami bragged with a flick of her tail.

"You're welcome," Madara said flatly, causing the nekonin to break into laughter. He smiled. "You're a spoiled brat, Manami, you know that?"

Chihiro couldn't help but laugh herself. Though she misses home these moments were nice. She wouldn't mind staying here for a while.

'What's your name?' calls a distant Manami.

'What in the…? When did that happen?' Chihiro's eyes widen at the flash that came before her.

"What's wrong? Did you remember something?" Madara asked, noticing the change in the girl's expression.

"K-kinda." Chihiro holds her fuzzy head. "Something with Manami. But I… I can't remember when it was." She tries to gather her spinning thoughts.

Madara reached out to steady her, keeping his hand firm. "Probably when you first met her, or around then. You said before you spent some time in a hospital. It wouldn't surprise me that memories from that period have started to resurface."

'Why can't I remember? What happened?' Chihiro looks over at Manami, hoping something will trigger the full release.

Manami jumped down onto Madara's shoulder, walking down his arm to the girl. "If you need to, take a rest, little sister."

"I might close my eyes for a little bit." Chihiro lays back against the tree closing her eyes as she listens to the rustling of the leaves.

As she drifts off to sleep she soon found herself in the meadow again. This time there was a sweet song playing in the distance, looking around she couldn't find the guy again.

'Where are you?! Hawk!' Chihiro calls.

'The name's Tilu, not Hawk.' The dark skinned man appears behind her.

'Okay then why do you keep showing up? What's going on?' Chihiro tries to keep calm. 'And why was I thrown into the past?'

'You asked for answer; to understand where you stood in everything. Really I wish you had just jumped dimensions and met Girly.' Tilu sighs heavily.

'Girly? Who's that?' Chihiro looks at him confused.

'She'll explain things when the time is right.' Tilu smiles at the young girl.

'WHEN!?' the young Hyuuga stumps her foot.

'Really soon little sparrow and… I'm sorry.' Tilu taps her forehead waking her up again.

"Tilu!" Chihiro pops awake.

"Woah, settle down." Madara put light pressure on her shoulder to ease her back. "You passed out."

"Who's Ti- Tid- Uh. Tiru?" Manami jumped up onto Chihiro, tail swishing curiously.

"Tilu. And… and that's all I know." Chihiro shakes her head slightly thinking of his words.

'What's coming? Why was he sorry?' Chihiro felt uneasy, like something bad was about to happen.

"That's an odd name."

"I'm not going to disgrace myself trying to say that..."

"Is he the man you spoke of earlier?" Manami asked, intrigued, before noticing her tension. "Little sister, what's wrong? You seem apprehensive."

"I'm… I'm just tired. That wasn't really restful. Can we go back now?" Chihiro looks over at her teacher, fighting to keep herself from shaking.

"Yeah…" Madara helped the girl to her feet, giving Manami a meaningful look. She jumped up to lay across Chihiro's shoulders.

For a few nights Chihiro doesn't sleep well, fearing this thing coming. But as the days crept by nothing happened. As days fade into weeks she slowly forgets about the darkness looming over her. She also has more control over when the power awakens she still can't hold it for long.

"I still can't get it!" Chihiro falls on to the grass shouting as she falls over.

"Well, you'll never get it if you just give up like that," Izuna stated bluntly. He glanced down at her through the branches and shifted his back against the trunk. "What is it you're trying to do?"

"Keep a hold of this I guess. My chakra is wind but this one is different and doesn't stay long." Chihiro calls back still pouting.

'I wish I could get a better handle of this. Manami always said that Izuna…' Chihiro got an idea then and sat up.

"Ne! Izuna! Will you help me?!" Chihiro calls up to him her eyes twinkling a bit.

"That's your problem right there," he pointed out with a sigh. "What an eccentric girl, no wonder Manami adores you. Look, you need to know exactly what you want to do before trying to do it. Vague directions aren't precise enough."

"Well sorry I don't know how this works." Chihiro huffs crossing her arms.

"No shit, or we wouldn't be here."

'Why you…' Chihiro stares at him a bit sharply.

"You know I think I'll wait for Madara. At least HE understands and is helpful!" Chihiro calls back.

"Not helpful enough to get you any further than this," Izuna pointed out. "This is where you've gotten stuck. Don't think I haven't noticed it, or that glare you're giving me. Figure out what you want to do before actually doing it and you might start getting somewhere."

"Fine! I want to knock you out of that tree!" Chihiro huffs.

Not realizing the wind picking up around her. Soon her wish is granted, him landing into the river drenched. It was so funny she couldn't stop from holding her side laughing.

Izuna wasn't prepared to react when the wind struck him into the river, but his expression as he pulled himself out wasn't harsh. Instead, he was smirking.

"Laugh all you want, kid," he said as he made sure none of the water got to the blade of his katana. "I was right."

"Guess you're right." Chihiro smiles over at him. "But I'm totally telling Madara about flattening you." She sticks out her tongue playfully.

"Knocking me over is hardly 'flattening' me, brat." Izuna jumped back up into the trees, sitting casually on one of the higher branches. 'But to do that so suddenly…'

"Hey. What the hell is a Hyuuga girl doing learning Ninjutsu, anyway?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Chihiro looks at him a bit puzzled.

"Because you're a Hyuuga," Izuna replied flatly. "Your Kekkei Genkai is perfect for Taijutsu, not Ninjutsu. Or are you just that bad at hand-to-hand combat?"

"I… I'm not bad. I just… I have my own style okay?" Chihiro puffs her cheeks with a ring of sadness in her tone.

"So you're bad at that Taijutsu, then," Izuna concluded. "Noted. Try something else, then. We only have so many hours in the day."

Chihiro thought about this for a moment and decided it was a good idea to not let her skills get rusty. True she knows the basics of the family's movements but she had to come up with some on her own and others her and Hinata made together. She thought her movements were more like a dance than anything else, more free than the others.

"Oi, oi, oi!" Izuna glared at the girl, leaning over to get a clearer look at her. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"YOU said try something else! I am!" Chihiro stares up at him annoyed her flow was cut off.

"Yeah, with the Ninjutsu I got dragged out to watch you struggle with," Izuna retorted. "Do that on your own time, not on mine."

"You're an ass you know that?!" Chihiro shouts up at him.

"So I've been told." Izuna leaned back against the tree again, arms crossed. "You're awful bratty, though, I expect more from a girl your age, but you act like someone half your size."