Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Guess what my name is... not Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's Note: Has anyone noticed the extremely odd chapter titles? Well if you haven't figured it out yet, they're all painting titles and artist names. If you actually look them up you'll all be treated to very wonderful artists and their very unique works. Also, it might help you get an interesting "perspective" of the story. (I'm so clever...)

And keep reading and reviewing everyone, it means alot to me! ::smiles::

In a man's life, there are things that he just cannot take. As much as they'd like to say that they are unbreakable, that they are invincible, that they are unmovable; there are things that can make a man breakdown. Like Achilles and his heel, even the undefeated can fall. The mind can do some very interesting things when it feels it's in danger or when it has lost grip of reality.

In the case of Hyuuga Neji, the sight of his forehead sans the curse seal simply made the poor boy faint. But this wasn't the girly way of fainting that you're probably thinking of. No, this was more of a manly topple. It was probably to be expected of a person who had grown up fed on hatred of the main family, despised everything they've stood for, and raised himself in the fate of a caged bird.

At least he didn't scream.

And so, continuing in the misadventures of the stately Hyuuga lad. You could only feel bad for him when he woke up the next morning in a bed that should have been his own... but wasn't.

Neji's eyes slowly fluttered open to reveal silver irises contracting in response to the golden rays of the morning sun that, he swore, tried to blind him. With the beams of the dawn peaking through his window, he'd known that he had accidentally over slept. Usually members of the Hyuuga house, whether main or branch were up well before it stopped being considered 'night' by most of Konoha's populace. What surprised him was that no one had yet come to wake him up and lecture him on his lack of discipline. In the Hyuuga estate, nothing ever slipped the notice of a Byakugan user; Neji's punishment was guaranteed to come.

To a tired and resigned Neji, what was ten more minutes of sleep?

Rolling away from the accursed sunlight, Neji flopped onto the other half of the bed only to land half of his body on a soft lump in the bed. A soft, body length lump in the bed. A soft, warmth generating, body length lump in the bed that just so happened to go "Eeep."

Life in the Hyuuga Estate was never considered 'normal'.

Hyuuga Hinata had actually been awake for hours by now, having woken up at the proper Hyuuga time. When she felt a sudden "attack" on her innocense, it was just a knee jerk reaction that caused her to squeal. The timid little girl proceeded to peek her head out from the blanket top and look at Neji. She determined that before he claimed her body that she should probably say hello. After all, it was the polite thing to do.

"G... good morning."

That's when she saw him. Shirtless, with his untied hair splayed across his rigid, muscle-toned frame. As if being forced to sleep beside him wasn't embarrassing enough, the thought that Neji was as pretty as any of the girls she knew made the blush that painted her cheeks all the more red. It was just another reason in her mind to stay concealed by the covers.

Bleary eyed, Neji stared back and in his sleepy stupor. He responded in turn without even thinking, "Good morning."

In a person's life, there are certain things that can cause a person to become completely alert, awake and cognitive. Mothers have been known to exert superhuman strength when their beloved child is in immediate danger. Men will fight like monsters when their loved ones are threatened or even worse, harmed. The 'awakening' in Neji was caused when he realized he was in bed with a girl. No, no, not just a girl; his cousin.

Coffee is for pansies.

An hour later at the dinning room table, a special late breakfast was being brought out to the young Hyuugas. Neji watched the plates delicately slide onto the table as his server said something. Not that he could hear it mind you; the only thing he heard was the still constant drum beat of his heart rapping loudly against his rib cage. A trip to the hospital would be in order later to check for mild heart attacks.

Hinata received her food graciously, thanking the server audibly even though she herself could only also hear her heart pounding. She had never slept with a boy before, and even though the previous night had been pretty eventless, minus Neji feeling her chest, she'd expected a little more considering how many people winked and gave her advice before she went back to bed.

There was a part of her that felt a little guilty though for nothing happening. To Hinata, Neji coming into her room and jumping on her was a sign that the leader of the Main House had chosen her to be his bride. It was supposed to be an honor. The fact that he immediately started touching her chest impressed upon her that she was supposed to preform ... something. And the while she knew that, she couldn't help but sleep on the opposite layer of the covers all night long. When he was under the blanket, she slept on top. When he kicked off his covers, she buried herself in deep.

She wondered if he'd be more aggressive tonight and then turned beet red.

Neji calmed down enough to actually notice the food set before him. Two eggs over easy sat side by side, and the two pieces of bacon met at their bottom ends forming a"V". Somehow, the way it all touched looked like a heart. He squinted in disbelief, hoping that when he opened his eyes, it's just be breakfast again. He should have known that, just like most of his life, he'd open his eyes to disappointment.

Before he could say anything mean about the food before him, he lifted his head to talk to Hinata and noticed her crimson shade. Neji the mind reader, didn't even want to know what made her blush as hard as she did, but before he could dismiss it in his mind, he realized he was blushing too. He knew that she must be thinking something about him... something about him that was probably ecchi.

It was then, while he was trying to clear his thoughts that he could over hear the whispers of the house.

"He what?!"

"That's right, Neji-sama went right into Hinata-chan's room and lunged at her!"

"I just brought them their food, and I could hear both of their hearts going 'doki-doki.' It must be true love."

"I heard tossing and turning of the covers throughout the night. Who would have thought that teenagers could have so much stamina!"

"Well, they are ninja after all."

Between all of the little gossip that was being spread, there was an infinite amount of giggling. It was the giggling that set him off. Neji stood up fast from his chair and slammed his hands down on the table.

"That's it! Come on Hinata, we need to head off to train. Let's go."

When he noticed her following him side by side for a while after she should have already turned off, he stopped and spoke to her.

"Hinata, I didn't mean for you to train with me."

Hinata paused for a second with a slightly confused look on her face before continuing to walk in the same direction Neji was heading, now a few paces behind him. But the echoing of her footsteps persistently behind him made him stop a few minutes later to reprimand her for the second time.

"You can go train with your own squad now Hinata."

Hinata looked around curiously with a shy smile painted on her face. To her this was just a weird little game that Neji had thought up. After another brief pause she continued walking in the same direction as Neji. This time he tried to endure her footsteps longer. If he could just make it to his usual training area, he told himself, everything would be fine. If he could just beat up Lee for a few rounds and then be left alone to destroy a couple trees, then that would help him calm down.

"So Neji-sama, what are you doing in this part of the woods again?"

Neji could no longer keep it in.

"Hinata, go away!" He was desperate to get away from her and the thoughts that accompanied her when he looked at her. All he had wanted was to train for a bit and clear his head. " If you won't listen to me as the main house leader, then you should at least listen to me as your elder!"

That's when she chuckled at him.

Neji was starting to lose it. Going from the respected loner of the esteemed Hyuuga branch household to becoming the center of unwanted, gossipy, ecchi attention was starting to take a toll on the young man. And now, even away from the family whispers that crept down hallways, and vibrated through thin walls, things were only being made worse with Hinata's sudden development of "cute" stubbornness.

"Hey!"

Her voice chimed out distinctively to Neji. Finally he'd meet up with someone he could trust to be sane ever since this insane day started; Tenten. She was always there when he silently needed her, and to him, she'd come to his rescue just in the nick of time today.

"Maybe you should stop picking on Hinata and go train with people your own age, Neji-chan."

"Tenten-san, you don't need to..." said Hinata trying to defend Neji.

Neji-chan?!

What Neji did, you couldn't call snapping. Snapping is what happens when you try to bend a toothpick in two. No, what Neji did was more like when you ax apart firewood. Neji split from the calm of reality, and without warning he flew at the brown eyed girl in a blind rage.

Neji-chan?!

She who once had nothing but respect for Neji was now calling upon him with cutesy, little childish honorifics. As his mind broke down all he could think of was getting that respect back with force. When they trained together Tenten would always tell him to not hold back because she was a girl, and now she was going to get it.

A flash of speed and green appeared in front of Neji before he could close half of the distance between him and the weapons mistress. The bold, round eyes of Rock Lee, the human roadblock, were filled with the determination of doing what was right as an honor to Gai Sensei, even though the eccentric teacher wasn't there. Lee's speed shocked Neji out of his attack.

When was Lee this fast?

"I'm sure Naruto is probably already looking to challenge you by the bridge, Neji-kun. You should probably go meet him and Sakura-san there."

"Maybe Neji-sama should go now, I'm sure his group is waiting for him, right?" said Hinata, interrupting with a polite smile.

Neji glared into the strangely fearless eyes of Rock Lee for a moment before stealing a glance at Tenten, who was already waiving an enthusiastic and sarcastic goodbye to him. Neji turned and slowly began making his way out of the forest not wanting to continue the fight against his fellow leaf ninja, especially when the odds were against him.

Fuming, he walked and mulled over what just happened. Who was that mean girl who dressed up like Tenten? And when was Lee ever that fast? One thought after another rose to the surface of his conscience as his anger faded away. It only took a moment longer before it dawned on him, a thought so out of this world that he'd never even conceivably imagine it.

But the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together Hinata's chuckle, Tenten's honorific, Lee's suggestion. Neji realized what all the signs were pointing to and couldn't help but voice his thoughts out loud to give them life.

"Hinata is older than me..." It was more of a question than a statement that Neji put to words to help him possibly figure out all the who; what, where and why of all the weirdness that had befallen him starting since last night. "Wait, if that's true then... I'm in Naruto's ninja group?!"

Yes, even ninjas could have really bad days.

Added A.N. Once again let me start off by saying that the lovely, and talented Rekino, myBeta-reader has made this chapter possible so fast after I finished it. With her expert words an guiding this chapter isn't nearly as clunky and unreadable asit could have been, (whew). Everyone can help me out with sending her pestering emails to keep working on her "Hyuugas Engaged" story cause it's excellent.

I'd also like to thank Sintari,with whom I had a wonderful talk about the Hyuugas and this story line and who convinced (cough-ordered-cough)me to stop being lazy and start writing this chapter immeadiately. Ladies and Gentlemen, if you want to talk anything about the Hyuuga's -this is one of the people you need to talk to. Go read ...heck anything she's written, her words are Gold.

Thank you to my reviewers Cookie6, Chibi, Rekino, Sintari, and the excellent post and review by the Anon person -great guessing...

And now it's time to blame all those brilliant authors who have been writing such good stories that have made me read rather than write. I promise you'll love these stories:

Dizzcity - Five Pins

Sintari- Rosemary for Rememberance

Pretty Cherry - In Your Shadows

Spazacious - In the Shadow