Kabuto finished checking up the state of Hyuuga Hinata. He smiled when he saw that she still had vital signs. He was not sure whether his master still needed the girl now that he had found another plaything, but it wouldn't hurt to preserve her, since she would still be useful in convincing another prospect that his master was eyeing to join their forces.

He then noticed the different glow of the crescent moon tonight. It was more menacing, promising interesting turn of events. This made the Sound spy smile in malevolent cheerfulness.

"Tonight won't be too boring after all."

…………………………..

Chapter Twenty-Three

This chapter took longer than usual gomen nasai! It didn't come out well, but an update is an update ehehe. This is dedicated to Orrie-chan, WormKaizer and White Witch. Thank you for the encouragement while I was suffering from writer's block.

Messages:

xX Just A Girl Xx and Crystal-Faerie = Wai! I'm glad that you stumbled upon the fic. Happy reading, guys! Thank you again for reading and reviewing!

Kaguara = Wow, you actually read until this point?! WOWEE!! A new [hopefully] NaruHina is converted! Let's celebrateeee!!!

Immortalrin = I misyah! nn Thank you so muchie for reading and reviewing! Whatever that's keeping busy you now, I hope you're having fun with it :D

xXxLiQuiD FaNtAsYxXx = Basta ikaw, prend! Basa na para ma-appease na ang iyong nabagabag na damdamin XD

Kitsue43 = Climax, it is. I wasn't able to make true with my promise that it will only reach twenty-seven chapters ehehe. I picked up the pace of the story a bit too late -.-;;

FlareOfDragon = Point taken! nn I can't undo the chapter anymore though, so I hope you make do with what I was able to do. I'll use your tip the next time I make a Neji/Hinata situation. Thankies, not only for the comment, but also for reading! [bows]

tetsu = Neji is ur fave character and u called him a bastard…0.o sweet, sweet love it is he he he [holds out a peace sign]. To Neji…because he is a bastard…and so damn sexy being so. [wicked grin]

Kamui = Naiintindihan ko. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do…and in that case, murder Neji. Nde ata cya flavor of the month ngaun tsk tsk . Oi cno ung Gamabunta??? C Jiraiya b un??? Waa, nde ko ata kilala!!!

Wormkaizer = thanks for answering my emails. Gomen if my letter was long. Tee hee, I was in the mood to write. Hey, I'm going to have my pc connected to the net in two weeks. So the site may be visited already after that period. I'm gathering images right now so if you guys have any, donate please! Email me, YM me, PM me in Chaos…okaay, sowee about that he he. You can also donate essays, reasons why you support the couple, summaries of the Naruhina moments, edited pics…the works. You shall be credited fully for that.

Usagi-mun = [quote: Must think positive!...positive...hmm...Naruto kissing Hinata...There we go! I'm smiling already!=P] Stay a positive thinker and soon, your fantasy will come true…or perhaps, sooner than you think…[wink]

Sequ3stered = One word: WOW. I never felt this…appreciated before. [sniff] Gawd, I must have did something good recently to get these kinds of touching comments from people who only know me through my works. Wow…I'm going to go to sleep happily…[shuts eyes dreamily] Heeey, I still have to do the chapter! [bangs head on the CPU].

NuttyScribbler = [hurriedly hands out the chapter] Er…did my update make it in time for your Math test? [peeks at Nutty-san's Math sensei] Nweiz, my thank you for reading the story, and yes, Kakashi/Icha Icha Paradisu itsumo!

Yoshimi Aki Hyuuga Uchiha = I hope you finish all your assignments in time nn so you can have time to dream about our Naruto bishounens [drools] Is it me, or is Naruto getting cuter every passing day? [I had been staring at his manga and anime face for three straight nights—I was editing the images for the NaruHina site I'm going to launch)

Orrie-chan = Hai! Thank you for the email! One request though: call me syao-chan, k? nn All my pals do! (They'll die laughing before they could even choke out the –sama suffix)

White Witch = Waa! Grabe, nung natapos ko basahin ung review mo, I was wearing this very goofy smile…kamukha ko tuloy c Pluto. Kc when you said that you were kinilig, na-outrage, natuwa chuchu, parang naramdaman ko po yung contentment na nde mawari. Nasa isip ko, "Wow, buhay ang kwento ko! Buhay cla sa isip ng readers!" If you can only see my face then…basta…nde ko maipaliwanag ng mabuti. Pasencya k n s drama ko he he. I'm glad temporary lng sharingan mo. Sana wag naman Byakugan ang dumapo sa iyo nn;;

Jiri: I was looking for the cache of my profile account in because I can't access the main page, so I typed my pen name in Google (I usually do this back when was undergoing those hardware maintenance thingies). After flipping across pages, I noticed a link to your Xanga. Nweiz, happy reading! :D

Takari-san: Haha! Salamat sa pics! Nde lng me makareply kc lagging gahol sa net time. Tsaka don't worry, you'll be the first to know if the site is up…the pics you sent me will be featured there.

…………………………..

"Hyuuga Neji, if you are really a man, then fight me!" screamed nine-year-old Tenten as she followed the silent young earl around, refusing to stop following him even if his lethal glares were telling her to do so already. She couldn't forgive what he did to Rock Lee—making him stupidly take his dare to jump down from the balcony of the Hyuuga Wing. Between the two of them, it was Neji who obviously had more maturity between them. Why did he have to agree to that kind of competition anyway?

Now here she was trailing after him, challenging him to a one-on-one duel. She was determined not  to stop pestering him until he faces her squarely and she makes him pay dearly for what he made the helpless Lee do. Lee, who was now bedridden, one leg sprained and body slightly feverish because of the injury.

And letting that arrogant beast get away with that was the last thing on her mind.

"Stop following me around, witch," he hissed. They were already outside the courtyard. His voice hinted already the barest suggestion of annoyance, and that made her smile inwardly. She would always find it a personal triumph to see this perpetually unspeaking and unfeeling boy get infuriated with her. Only with her, since she knew he would crucify himself first before he would let anyone know that he or she was already getting under his skin.

"Not until you say yes," she snapped. "You know how obsessed Rock Lee is about defeating you, and we both know that when people gets obsessed, they blow off to a one-track mind and—Hyuuga Neji, where are you going—" She watched, eyes wide, as Neji steadily walked up towards the tree, merely using the soles of his feet.

When he reached the treetop, he looked down at her and smirked, as if daring her to follow him way up there.

 Her eyes crinkled in irritation. She may be good in sorcery, but she still had a long way to learn in precise chakra control. She wasn't born a genius like this boy here, so she had to make do with the best ammunition she had now—a little girl's pride.

She looked at the towering cherry blossom tree above her, and then gathered her momentum. Suddenly, she sprang up the tree, startling the boy who didn't expect her to actually try to climb the tree.

She was about to reach the branch three levels lower than where the earl was, but gravity was calling her back down again.

"Woaaah!!!" She felt her body lose the battle of mid-air as she lost her grip on the tree branch.

Suddenly, something encircled her wrist, stopping her fall. She looked up and found herself gazing straight up at the eyes of  the boy, which for a second, lost their vacuity.

And she was caught breathless by that.

"Damn, what were you thinking, you witch?" he hissed, helping her up the branch. "Do you know that you are my responsibility when something happens to you? We left the palace together, so they would expect that we return together…safely."

"I didn't ask you to save me! Don't yak at my face!" she yelled back. "Now fight me!!!"

"Witch." His grip on her wrist loosened. "If it's fight you want, fine, you'll get one. Not now though. Both you and Lee look like you need more than a night of bed rest."

"Hmp!" She withdrew her hand from him, testing her wrist. "You're just saying that because you're not up to the challenge!"

"Say what you want to say. Believe what you want to believe," he said dismissively.

"Why you—" She wasn't able to continue anymore what she was going to say because the branch where they were standing suddenly broke, collapsing from their combined weight. Before she could react, his hands grabbed her waist, and he pulled her away with him from the tree that crashed.

They landed on the ground perfectly, and she could hear his controlled breathing on the side of her temples. It was only then that she realized that in her fright earlier, she had already buried her face on his shoulder.

She tore herself away from him, heartbeat pounding frantically against her chest.

He, on the other hand, got up from the ground and dusted his clothes, as if nothing much significant happened.

"You saved me…" she heard herself whisper in half-disbelief, half-shy gratitude.

"Funny. You weaklings always needed saving every time." With that, he walked away, face as stony as before.

Leaving her seated on the ground still, eyes wide and her cheeks burned. "Weaklings….he thinks I'm weak…" Her fists clenched as anger started to rouse violently within her. "Bastard!" She spotted a pebble and threw it at him, but he swiftly caught it without even glancing back at her.

She threw another pebble, and another. "How dare you speak this way to me when you're not even royalty! You're not from the main family, I know! You don't deserve your title—" The moment she said those words though, she immediately regretted them. When he turned her way, she thought she saw a slice of raw pain on his face. She could have just imagined it though, because in a flash, any trace of emotion was gone on the boy's face.

And she felt her own heart wrench in pain too, when the realization dawned on her too late. She hurt his feelings.

More than those pebbles were her words.

"I'm sorry…" she said, eyes shaking.

"But it's true. I am a bastard. I am not from the main family." He shrugged. "You wasted enough of my time already."

She watched his figure slowly disappear from her sight, but to her surprise, she could see him slowly growing taller, more mature.

"N-Neji!" she called.

He didn't turn back.

"Neji! Wait!" She tried to get up and run after him, yet her nine-year-old frame was not enough to keep pace with his mature form. "Neji!!!"

Darkness ensued.

Her eyes flapped open. As soon as her gaze finished inspecting her surroundings, she immediately knew that she wasn't in her room. Once again, she had fallen asleep in Hyuuga Neji's room. She was still clutching on his pillow, some of his scent mixing with her senses. No wonder she dreamt of him.

It had been six straight nights that he hadn't come home. There hadn't been any news yet on the Earl of the Hyuuga Court, and the prince had decided that Hyuuga Neji was the least of the kingdom's priorities after the bodies of Mist and Leaf soldiers were found side by side in the crossroads. Prince Uchiha Sasuke had calmly assured the whole court that the earl's abilities equaled the power of the Leaf's battalion, so he dismissed the people's worries.

But that wasn't enough to reassure her. After all, Sasuke and everyone else didn't care for him as much as she did.

Hyuuga Neji was always an asshole, a bastard, and a swine. Yet the first time he turned her way back when they were just five-year-old novices in the court, and she saw those blank eyes as she looked up and down at him measuringly, she felt something pound within her—something she felt was maternal instinct. She wanted to take care of him, protect him, and shield him from the world.

Which was weird because with the way he walked up and down the halls of the Hyuuga Court, he seemed to not need any of those. He was confident and sure of himself, and he would not back down from any challenge, may it be in combat or knowledge-wise battles.

She treated him as a rival in Kurenai-sensei's classes, in debates, and in every field imaginable that required the use of the best of the wits, but still there were times that his pensive silence, the strange maternal instinct would return like a flash flood, overwhelming her so.

She herself couldn't understand why she felt this way.

Why it deepened the moment she saw the face of Hyuuga Neji was carrying the beaten up body of his cousin.

The devastating pain and guilt on his face. She could never forget that look, because that expression nearly broke her heart into pieces too.

She laughed at herself sardonically. Doushite?
Why couldn't she stop feeling for him when she knew that this would just take her nowhere?

He didn't need her mother hen instinct, let alone would ever appreciate it.

So why couldn't she tell herself to stop feeling like this?

She hadn't realized that she had already hugged the pillow, burying her face in its softness scented with Neji's natural maleness. And she felt herself transported back in time when Neji first showed her their difference. He was strong, and she was weak. Yet it was not enough to stop the small seed of affection within her that had blossomed now, confusing the heck out of her. "Neji…damn you…damn you…come home already…" she whispered, not bothering to wipe those tears that were shamelessly cascading down her cheeks already.

"So that's why you weren't in your room…you moved into mine."

.

.

.

"Damn!" Lord Zabusa threw the bloody scroll that the seriously wounded messenger brought him just minutes ago. The man died shortly afterwards—it was only his loyalty to the kingdom that made him live long enough to report to the court lord of the double-crossing that the Sand kingdom did to them.

Haku calmly refilled his teacup. "I heard that the Sand decided to help Sound instead. After all, the Sound kingdom had a remarkable weapon."

"Those bastards…" Zabusa leaned back on his chair. "What weapon is that?"

"Do you believe the legend of the devil serpent? The one that the Hyuuga and Uchiha clan sealed together in a scroll centuries ago?"

"What?! It's a myth…just a myth."

"Apparently, it wasn't. A boy was victimized by him, and that lad is now under the care of Kingdom Hidden Leaf. Anyway, rumors say that the serpent had finished gathering his ammunition, and Sound is now ready to conquer Leaf." Haku slowly shook his head. "It was said that it was he who assassinated the Kazekage-sama. The Sand has no choice but to do what he wants, after he defeated the most powerful warrior that kingdom could offer."

"Rats!" The Mist court lord clenched his fists angrily. "No matter. It is too troublesome to collaborate with other kingdoms anyway. Mist can build an empire with her own hands." His eyes danced in crazed glee. "I will crush them…like ants…"

The younger warrior stood behind him and started to massage the lord's temples. "Yes, you will."

Suddenly, a commotion occurred outside their tent where they were stationed.

"I will entertain it for you, my lord," said Haku quickly.

No sooner than he spoke that a body was thrown against the wall of their quarters. Both eyes turned to the doorway.

"Hmm? So you are the boss of those guys who tried to kill us while we were walking home, minding our own business." A tall man appeared, prominently dressed in crumpled Starlet uniform.

"Hatake…Kakashi…" Zabusa's eyes twinkled in malicious glee.

.

.

.

"I'm sorry, Lady Haruno, but your wish is impossible to grant." Sasuke clasped his hands together under his chin. "We cannot form a search party for Tsunade-sama, not in this state. The whole army is preparing for the impending kingdom wars."

Sakura groaned. "I am not asking for the whole army, Your Highness, just two or three men!" She blew on the bangs of her forehead exasperatedly.

"Those two or three men counts, Lady Haruno," he said gravely. "Sound, Sand, or Mist. I don't know which of them will attack first, but those deaths in the crossroads should mean something."

"Hinata's going to die!" she burst out. "Last night's safe line had passed, and from now, if we don't act quickly, she would die!"

"I don't have time to worry about your friends, Lady Haruno," he said, massaging his forehead. "The kingdom's security is at stake."

"Hinata-chan is part of your kingdom too, damn it!" Sakura furiously turned her heels around and headed for the door.

"Lady Haruno, I have not yet dismissed you—"

"Go to hell!" She slammed the door close. If Sasuke was not going to help her, she knew someone else who could.

"Find Inuzuka Kiba!" she yelled. "And Earl Rock Lee too! Hurry!"

.

.

.

Tenten couldn't believe her eyes. Though filthy and haggard, there was no doubt that indeed, it was Hyuuga Neji who was standing in the doorway already.

She slowly got up, rubbing her eyes to see if he was just a mirage. But he wasn't—his smirk was as sure as the tangible things around her. "Neji…" She approached him cautiously as he made no move to go near her. He was merely gazing at her, momentarily at lost for words too when he saw the still visible paths her tears took.

He was shaken by what he saw.

Someone cried for him.

And he couldn't comprehend the eddy of emotions swirling within him too. He was pleased, and yet he felt awful. He was touched, but he was also furious.

At last, they were standing face to face. Her hands, trembling, reached for his cheeks. His eyes shook for a fleeting second, yet he waited, silently waiting for what she would do next.

A sound slap nearly made his neck stiffen. Tenten, now more visibly trembling, stepped back, fresh tears welling up her eyes. "You nincompoop! You jerk! You asshole! You son of a gun! You…you…" Her hands fell to her sides, exhausted. "Six nights…six long nights that you didn't even tell anyone where you were going, or why you suddenly left…" Her voice broke. "You've got the nerve to suddenly show yourself here as if nothing happened! You bastard…" Her hands reached for the doorknob, steadying herself against it. It was only now that relief and joy flooded her, draining her of her energy. "You stupid, unfeeling brute…"

His hand touched his slightly swollen cheek. "You…sure have a strange way to say you miss me."

"I do NOT miss you, jerk!"

"I heard you, witch. " His smirk returned on his face in full savage glory. "Every word you said, in fact. You were begging me to come home." His eyes went to the pillow she was still holding. She quickly let go of it, as if it was hot potato.

Her face reddened. "I…I…" Her eyes went to the blue-blackish bruise on his left eye. "Ah…"

"This?" He shrugged as he touched his injury. "I just talked with someone this afternoon."

"Uh-huh. Talked," she nodded. "Drop by Kabuto-sensei's clinic first and have that treated." Before she could stop herself, her fingers traced his skin gently, determined to soothe his discomfort even in her own little way.

His hand stopped her. "Tenten…"

She stepped back, embarrassed. Why didn't she even think that he was going to refuse her concern because he was Hyuuga Neji, for crying out loud! "Sorry…."

But he didn't let go of her just yet. He gently guided her into the room and pushed the door close with his foot.

"N-Neji…a-ah…I-I think you need to rest…" she stammered as he leaned her against the wall with equal gentleness. "R-Really…"

"You were the first person to cry for me in the longest I could remember," he said quietly. "I'm glad I came back."

"Y-You were planning to run away forever?" she asked, eyes wide.

"I do not know." The confusion on his face returned, and she felt her maternal instinct return in full force. "N-Neji…" she whispered.

"I do not know how else I can face Hinata-sama…and you." He exhaled sharply. "I kept on remembering the look on your face when we met in the hallway…"

"I-I was shocked," she admitted. "I didn't know what happened between you and Hinata…"

"I nearly killed her. And she would let me." He wearily placed his forehead against her, breathing more audible in every passing moment.

"Neji…"

"Do you hate me?" he asked softly.

"W-Why do you ask? My opinion won't matter," she said, trying to laugh out her nervousness.

"And if I tell you it does?" he asked again.

She felt her heart skip a beat. She struggled to find something to say, but she realized a second later that it was unnecessary.

He was already kissing her passionately.

.

.

.

"Damn!" Sasuke gave up and got up already. His conscience wouldn't be put to rest if he wouldn't know the whereabouts of Sakura. He was about to leave his desk when Iruka entered the room.

"Your Highness, it's Lady Haruno! Something happened to her and she told me to call for you—" He barely finished hi sentence when Sasuke frantically left the room.

"Take me to her!" he ordered.

"This way, Your Highness!"

Iruka led the way to the south wing. "Your Highness…"

Sasuke halted. "Where is she—" He avoided Iruka's lunge on him just in time. He gaped at the Starlet. "W-What the—" His words trailed off with his consciousness.

Kabuto, who was behind him, holding a syringe of sleeping medicine, smiled at the unconscious body of the prince. "You know where to take him."

From the shadows emerged a black-clad boy, holding strings. The puppet that looked like Iruka fell down on the ground uselessly. "Yes. The devil serpent will be most glad to meet the Prince Sasuke at last."

.

.

.

Meanwhile, a shadow entered the clinic where Hinata laid, still unconscious of the slow havoc forming in the kingdom.  

………………………….

To be continued

……………

Mini-omake:

One of my reviewers sent me a Kakashi in a birthday suit, so I might as well share with you guys what I did with my [ahem] gift.

9:46 pm GMT (Greenwich pizza Meal Time…dinner galore)

Syao-chan had just finished reading her reviews when the doorbell rang. She hurried to the door, nearly stepping on her cat, Shino, and answered.

[large giftwrapped box outside]

"Gawd, my neighbors are dumping their trash in our backyard again." [inspects the gift tag] "Oh? A gift? For me? From a satisfied friend who now has kitty band Shino and bunny band Neji tickling her sides…hmm, I know now without a doubt…that this is not from my neighbors."

10:04 pm

[finally arrives inside the house after pushing the gigantic box from the yard into the third floor of the house] "Gawd, this better be good." [unwraps]

[ribbons fall]

[Smooth by Santana and Rob Thomas plays]

10:05 pm

[last of the ribbons fall and the box falls apart too]

"Special…delivery…" Hatake Kakashi in birthday suit drawled, eyes twinkling.

[Syao's mouth drops open]

"Wow…so big…your shoulders…" [Syao's eyes widen] "How come the anime never did any rendition of your….shoulders this way?"

Kakashi winked coyly. "Does the term 'for your eyes only' ring a bell?"

"N-No…yes…er…" [Eyes go down] "B-But if you ring it for me…"

Sexy chuckle from the man as he stepped down from the box like Apollo and steps towards the frozen Syao. "Naughty girl. Now I was sent here on a mission…"

"C-Cool."

Fortunately, the white-haired man didn't mind her unintelligible answer. "And you're the only one who can help me."

And since he puts it that way, Syao is willing to go beyond the grasps of human comprehension and sanity as if the fate of mankind and the evangelion units depend on it.

His eyes read her thoughts, making him slowly smile languidly.

10:12 pm

Syao-chan: nn

Kakashi: nn

10:28 pm

Syao-chan: nn;;

Kakashi: nn

10:44 pm

Syao-chan: -.-;;

Kakashi: nn

10:59 pm

Syao-chan: 0.o

Kakashi: nn

11:15pm

Syao-chan: X.x

Kakashi: nn

11:54 pm

Syao-chan: You know that I love you to pieces, Hatake Kakashi, and I worship the very ground that the soles of your sandals walk on…

Kakashi: Yes? nn

Syao-chan: …but a girl can only take so much.

Kakashi: What's the matter? Don't you like my singing? "She bangs, she bangs! Oh baby when she moves, she moves, I go crazy…"

Syao-chan: No offense, honeybunch, but confidentially speaking, I had too much of that song already.

Kakashi: [whines] But you're the only one who will listen to me!

Syao-chan: Stick with the Come Come Paradise, pancakes. You have no career in singing.

Kakashi: So…no F4-like fever then?

Syao-chan: Nope.

Kakashi: Dang. [goes back to typing the Snow White Omake]