rating had to go up for a just in case because of the violence that happens in the next couple parts

Disclaimer: the norm...don't have any connection to any thing in accordance with ownership of the Naruto manga/anime

Tsunade-sama leaned forward on her desk then next day. "You say it looks like she was taken? But why would someone do that?" She stared at the 4 of us.

"Maybe someone from another country found out she was living with us and wanted to see what secrets they could get out of her?" Hiashi-sama mentioned.

"True or maybe she betrayed us and went willingly?"

"No." The others looked at me. "Maida-san would never leave her drawing book out in the middle of a forest. She would've taken it with her if she went on her own."

"Or maybe she just took the pages she needed from the book?" Tsunade-sama looked directly at me.

Again I shook my head. "Her drawings are all still there."

Tsunade-sama sighed and closed her eyes.

We stood there for a few minutes while she thought.

When she opened her eyes she looked directly at me. "I can tell there's no way I can convince you not to go after her or just sit by and wait. I also can't allow any chance for your secrets to get out." She continued looking at me. "So I will allow you to go after her, Neji, but on one condition. You are to take 2 other jounin assigned by me along with you. You will be leaving in 1 hour. Meet your partners at the front gate by that time or this search will no longer include you. You're dismissed."

I bowed and left quickly.

Hiashi's POV

"So you've noticed it as well, Hokage-sama?"

She sighed and looked back at her paper work. "Yes. He's changed and seems to be a little more gentle, and all this talk about Maida-san's supposed kidnapping has got him angry. I doubt even you could've kept him in this village, Hiashi-san."

I smiled. "Then would you believe me when I say that I saw him sleeping soundly right next to her in the middle of the day?"

She looked up shocked.

Neji's POV

I arrived 5 minutes earlier at the gate so I set my pack down by my feet. No sooner than I did this I heard an all too familiar saying.

"Hello my youthful student!" Gai-sensei walked up with his pack. "The Hokage wanted me to go along with you on this sudden mission." He did his annoying sparkle pose.

I looked away.

The hour came and went.

By the time 15 minutes had passed Kakashi-sensei appeared. "Sorry" and he ranted on with his usual false and strange lie.

"Now, now my eternal rival. Let's save those for after the mission." Gai-sensei looked at me. "Where was Maida-san at when she was taken?"

I shouldered my pack and jumped to the clearing.

We stayed in the trees when we came to the clearing. Kakashi summoned one of his nin-dogs.

"Pakkun, we're tracking someone who took a girl from our village. Can you place the scent?"

"I'll need to know what the girl smells like," the dog replied.

They looked at me and I pulled out her book. "It's what she carried with her all the time."

Kakashi-sensei took it from my hands and let Pakkun smell it.

"Interesting scent. I most definitely won't forget this smell." He jumped down and sniffed around the clearing. "Smells like a ninja from the village hidden in the mists."

"Which way did they go?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

He pointed away from the village towards the hidden mist direction then disappeared

Maida's POV

I awoke to my mouth gagged, hands tied behind my back, and my body slung over someone's shoulder. When I looked to see who it was, all I saw was a white mask. He apparently felt my movement and stopped. Three others stopped around him. The man placed me on my feet and something hard hit the back of my head. This routine continued every now and then with an occasional food break before being knocked out again. Sometimes I was knocked out, sometimes they put a cloth in front of my face that made me fall asleep.

When I last awoke I was in a dark room with my bindings removed. I couldn't see a thing, but when felt around I realized there was nothing in here and it was all cement. I don't know how long I was kept in here. It seemed like forever. When someone finally came, I was blinded by the light that came in and instinctively put my hands in front of my face. The next thing I knew, my hands were bound and I was dragged to my feet and out the door. They shoved me down a bright, empty corridor that had doors every few feet on either side. I was steered towards one and was shoved through. I looked at the 2 people before me. They were in the same type of white masks. Another 2 with the same masks grabbed my arms.

"Tell us what you know about the Hyuuga clan."

I stared at the 2 before me.

A sharp pain erupted from my back. Someone was dragging a kunai down my back ripping my shirt along with it.

"Tell us and we won't do that again."

"Go to Hell."

Someone punched me in the face hard. I turned my head back to the masked people in front and spat the blood at them. Another kunai was dragged down my back, but ever so slowly. I screamed in pain. They continued demanding to know about Neji's family and I continued to refuse them. Each time a kunai was dragged slower and slower down my back.

When they finished they dragged my limp body back to my cell and threw me in there after removing my bonds. I lay where I fell and wept.

The next torture was with punches. Each blow that landed must've cracked a bone and some probably broke my ribs. They threw me back into the dark cell.

I woke shivering slightly and couldn't move without disrupting the wounds on my back and my ribs screaming in pain. The men didn't come while I was conscious that whole time. Finally sleep overtook me again.

I rarely got food and water but when I did it was stale and the water was almost like mud, but I drank it any way knowing that I wouldn't survive if I didn't. The dark pressed in on me every time and there were times when I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or not. Tears poured out of me until I had no more. The only way I was continuing to refuse these people was my memory of Neji. I don't know why, but I felt I had to survive just to get him to smile like he did in the courtyard that one day. It was just one smile, but it was all I had that kept my mouth shut.

A kick to my chest woke me. My hands were bound and I was dragged off again. We went to a new room this time. It had the same bleak look about it, but this time a new interrogator was in there.

"Hello, my dear. It seems like you haven't been playing nice so they brought me in." A long whip fell loose from his hands. "Now, tell me about the Hyuugas."

My 2 guards backed away and stood around the door.

I swayed dangerously on my feet.

The man laughed.

I looked straight at him and spat the blood that had collected in my mouth at his feet. The whip sang and a sharp pain erupted from my swollen cheek. I fell onto my knees then down to the floor. The whip flew again, but hitting me on the arm then the other. I was lying face down on the floor now, weeping.

"Tell us."

I continued sobbing then I remembered what Neji said about it not suiting me. Taking breaths deep enough that my ribs wouldn't scream as bad, I got my sobs under control. Apparently the interrogator saw this and snapped his whip hard on my back 5 times. Each time a scream escaped me. My sobs were coming hard and it was hurting my chest again, but they wouldn't stop. The whip hit my back some more. I tried to remember the way Neji looked when he was making fun of me. I tried to remember his small laugh. I tried to remember everything, but the pain was too much. I felt like I was going lightheaded and I just let it envelope me into the sweet darkness of unconsciousness.

:sniffs: i'm so mean to my characters aren't I?