Not many seem to care for the rewrite, that's ok, I'm still gonna write it.

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue

Love Hurts, Lust Hurts More

III

When Hinata is excused she is quick to exit, glad that Gaara was not yet finished with his business with Tsundae. In a much unlike Hinata fashion the girl walks briskly and pays no attention to those around her, just wanting to get out of the building for it seemed to be closing in around her. The Hyuuga heir cannot recall when her hurried walk turned into a run, nor did she remember how she ended up in the woods but when she realized these things she stopped.

Baby birds of a dull brown cried for food at a near by tree, other than that the teenage girl was alone, she made sure of it, and only when she was absolutely sure of it she allowed gravity to pull her to her knees and she took a deep breath. If she were less intelligent she would have believed that she hadn't been breathing before that one breath but she knows that couldn't be true.

Though Hinata did not stay long, knowing that she could not, she thought about a lot of things in the few minutes she was there and came up with an answer to a question that bothered her since she left the Hokage's office.

Do not tell father.

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Strong winds dance with a darkened mane, pushing, pulling, and twisting dark strands. It is an unbelievably cold night and Neji is glad that in a few minutes he will be at the gate of Kohona.

What was supposed to be an at least three day mission turned into a massacre, the person who was to be guarded was not to honest when he asked for an escort and in turn TinTin got hurt, Neji was put in charge of returning the injured girl to the village, the closest one being there home village seeing as they only left that afternoon before the attack. After he was told to care for his teammate he was ordered to go home and rest, that he was no longer needed.

Neji readjusts the weight on his back, the girl groans lazily. Neji thinks back on it, if he was just a bit stronger, a little quicker, he would have been able to do more, and TinTin would not be in this pain.

One fire fights back the darkness, at seeing this Neji increases his pace and watches as that lone torch turns to two, three, four, he can see the gate and beyond to the lit up bars and closing restaurants. When reaching the town he is only stopped so someone can take the girl from his back and rush her to the hospital.

Once his teammate has been taken his it is his duty to report to the Hokage, and he is quick on his way to do so.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Neji's report was mainly useless, seeing as the Hokage kept on falling to sleep, but that doesn't matter now, all that matters now is he is approaching the Hyuuga clan's private hotsprings.

The first thing the boy notices when he gets there is his younger cousin, she is at it again. Neji knows it is wrong to watch Hinata in such a state, but she is absolutely breath taken in these moments, any other person would mistake such beauty as a dance, but Neji knows this is highly complicated training, which makes it only more wonderful to his eyes.

The genius cannot find it in him to hate his younger cousin like he used to, yet he could not really say he likes her, it is hard to make friends with someone who fears you.

Neji does not get to enjoy the show for long for he can since another, and as much as the thought of someone else ease dropping on Hinata angers him, being caught would be no less than deprecatory. He retreats with the image of red hair and hard eyes on his mind.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hinata! Hey Hinata!" The girl stops her training and turns around, an overly cheerful blond is running her way. Hinata looks up into big blue eyes as the person stops right in front of her, getting a little nervous at the way the other is staring at her. "Guess what I just heard."

"I-I don't know I-Ino," the smaller of the two answers, really she believes it is way to early to be gossiping.

"I heard that you and the Kazekage are going to the Spring Conference together!" The blond is absolutely giddy.

"W-what?"

"I have good resources, so tell me is it true?"

It would be impossible for Hinata's face to be any redder.

"I knew it! Who would have thought, you and Gaara!" Ino continues to ramble, "It's kinda like a romance story, someone soft hearted like you winning over the stoic Kazekeage."

"N-n-no, it-it's not l-l-like that," Hinata protests.

"You don't have to keep it from me, I won't tell a soul!" Hinata is doomed everyone knows that if Ino knows the whole town knows, which means her father will know.

Before Hinata could even try to straighten every thing out Ino is on her merry way.

The Hyuuga heir considers chasing her down, explaining the situation, though in the end she just turns back to her training post, wondering how Ino found out.

She goes to strike again but drops her hand. She cannot think of training at the moment her mind seems to be swelling, instead she puts her hand in her pocket, she counts the coins within, just enough for a bowl of her favorite ramen.