Author's Note: Chapter Three. :) Enjoy!

The walk to the door of the building seemed to drag on forever. Hinata's body felt heavier with each pounding step. She dreaded getting back home to the Hyuuga household…with nothing at all to give to the cousin she'd fallen for so deeply now. It was almost too much for the girl to bear; until, luckily, the familiar voice of a friend made it through the barrier of sorrow now tightly around her soul.

"Hinata!" she heard.

Hinata stopped in front of the door. She didn't turn around to greet Tenten. She only stood. Tenten blinked, a little confused as she ran to Hinata. Immediately, the brunette knew there was something wrong.

"Hinata… Hinata, what happened?" she asked.

For a moment, Hinata didn't speak. Finally, she turned around. Tenten blinked again.

"…Hinata??"

Hinata lowered her head, forcing back her tears. "…I…I was writing a letter to Neji…and…Zaku ripped it up."

Tenten's worry became a scowl at Hinata's words. "…That jerk! I'll—"

"N-No! No, no… It's…it's okay. It was just a letter. It shouldn't be bothering me so much…" she raised her head, still looking away from Tenten.

"…Hinata… Can't you write another one?" the brown-eyed girl suggested.

Hinata shook her head. "I...I wanted that one."

"…Can you remember what it said, then?" she attempted again.

"No…," the Hyuuga shook her head. "It was Spanish… And…I only remember a few words I had in it…"

Tenten looked away. She couldn't think of anything else to say. Finally, she gave her Hyuuga friend a hug. "Hinata…I'm sure you can find something even better to give him."

Hinata hesitated before responding to her words. "…It'll be okay."

Giving her a smile, Tenten released her from the embrace. She told Hinata again she was sure everything would go well, and then the two of them went their separate ways. Hinata didn't believe everything would go well, though. She could buy Neji something… But she wanted to give him the letter… He loved Spanish. And from her letter, all she could remember was a single line.

The girl closed her eyes, opening them again after a few moments. She walked on. Home wasn't far. There had to be something she could do.

---

But at home, there was still nothing. Hinata sat at the table of the Hyuuga household, tracing the tabletop with her finger. Silently, she sighed. It was already getting late and she still hadn't come up with anything. There was nothing she could do now. If only she had more time. If only her letter hadn't been destroyed…

"Hinata-sama?"

Hinata jumped at her cousin's voice, turning around to face him nervously. Her face quickly began to redden.

"N-Neji-niisan," she responded.

Neji blinked. He'd known Hinata far too long to fall for any kind of tricks she'd try to fool him with.

"…What's wrong, Hinata-sama?" he asked her.

She quickly shook her head. "N-Nothing…I just…"

Neji began to approach her. When he reached her, he gently laid his hand upon her head. "Hinata-sama… You're lying to me."

Blinking in surprise, she lowered her head, looking down to the floor sadly.

"I'm sorry, Niisan… In Spanish…we were writing letters…and…I wrote one. But…Zaku ripped it up. And…I never got to give it to the person I was writing to," she softly explained.

Neji's softened face became stern once again at hearing the story. Hinata had probably worked the whole class time on that one letter. And now it was gone.

"…I'll take care of him. On Monday," Neji assured her, forgetting they had Monday off as well.

Hinata looked up at him with a blink. "Niisan, you don't have to…it's okay."

"It's not okay. It's not okay at all. …You worked a long time on that letter, didn't you?"

Lowering her head again, Hinata couldn't help but give a small nod. She had worked a long time. But still…

"Niisan…I don't want you getting into trouble for me...," she said.

Neji sighed silently. After a few seconds, Hinata was in his arms. Holding her gently, the boy tried as he could to comfort her.

"I can't promise that…," he began. "But Hinata-sama… Can you remember anything your letter said?"

He was warm. Hinata held onto him gently, letting his comfort soothe away the pain of the lost letter. She blinked, resting in his embrace as the blush on her cheeks grew a bit. She'd never been hugged like this before. It was something different. It felt very good, though. She felt as if pain wasn't even existent as Neji held her. Finally, she closed her eyes, answering him as she rested her head atop his chest gently.

"…I…I only remember a small bit of it," she told him.

"Well…you could always simply read it from memory to the person you wrote it to," he suggested.

Hinata blinked, beginning to blush again. "O-Oh, I could…never do that, Niisan…"

The boy smiled softly at her words. He'd known she was going to say that. Neji gently pressed his nose to the side of her head before he spoke.

"I'm sure you could," he said supportively. "And I'm sure whomever the letter was for won't mind the fact that it isn't a letter."

Hinata looked down a bit. "…Maybe."

Leaning away from her a little to look at her, Neji blinked. He'd known the letter was for Valentine's Day. Gai had told him that he wouldn't have to worry about missing anything important and told him about the letters when he'd left the school before fourth block. And he also knew how sensitive his younger cousin was. She'd wouldn't be happy for days if she wasn't able to get her message to the person she'd been writing to. …Both of them knew their neighborhood. There was still time.

"Hinata-sama, it isn't dark yet. No one in the school lives very far from the Hyuuga. Go on and give him your message. You have time before Valentine's Day is over," he told her. "If you'd like, I'll go with you."

The girl blinked in surprise, the blush on her cheeks a tad bit deeper than before. Neji would even do this for her? And he still had no idea the letter was for him. Hinata gave a small smile, averting her eyes from his. If he wanted her to give her message, she would. Even if it was but a single line of words. If she didn't tell him now, she probably never would have courage again. Hinata met his eyes again.

"You don't need to…," she gently rested in his arms again, hesitating a moment before whispering her last words. "Thank you for always being there, Neji-niisan… Mi corazón late para ti."

...

Neji froze at her words. Could he really be the one her letter had been for? …Why him, though? The boy felt his own heartbeat begin to beat just a bit faster. He always had loved only her, after all. Ever since the two of them were children, meeting for the first time. Never had he made it known, though. He'd wanted her to find her own happiness, without being pressured by any outside force. So the only thing he'd ever done was wait. And hope. After all this time he'd waited… Could she really…love him? Neji ever so gently pushed back from her the slightest bit, looking into her eyes. It surprised him that her lavender eyes were shining just a little. He knew she was genuine. Yet, he couldn't help lightly placing his finger underneath her chin before his quiet response.

"...It does?" he asked her.

"Mm-hmm," was all she could say.

Neji closed his eyes. He knew what could happen if they did. If word got out, there would be talk all over the school in less than a day. Hinata is dating her cousin. Opening his eyes again, Neji spoke again.

"Hinata-sama…you do realize what could happen if…"

"I know," she interrupted him. "I know, Niisan… But…I don't care what happens. I just…"

Gentle lips touched hers. A chaste, light kiss. From him. Hinata suddenly felt as if the day wasn't existing, but only a mere dream. In a moment, the kiss was gone. But the feeling wasn't.

"We'll face them together," he told her softly. "I'll protect you."

Hinata held onto his arm as he held her close. She trusted his words. He would protect her. Just as he always had. And just as he forever would.

"…Arigatou, Niisan."

---

Valentine's Day had reached its end. The gift-giving and love letters had all been given, and the start of a new day had begun. The Hyuuga male blinked his tired, morning eyes slowly open just a little. The sunlight of the morning shone through the window of his room, almost as if trying its hardest to wake him from slumber.

Neji closed his eyes again for a moment. But suddenly remembering something, he quickly let them open back up. Hinata…

Had she really been there last night? Or had it all been a dream? She'd confessed her love for him just the previous night. …Was it real?

Rolling over to the other side, Neji found his answer. Because there she was. Next to him. He blinked. Maybe it was an illusion. Hesitating only a moment, the boy reached his hand to her face, ever so lightly touching the soft skin of her cheek. She was there. And the two of them were still wearing their clothing from the day before. They must've accidentally fallen asleep here as they'd stayed awake together talking about little things with no essential purpose in life.

At the light touch of his hand, Hinata found herself slowly coming out from the unconscious world of her dreams. It was strange, especially when on any other day, even the loudest of sounds could never wake the girl up. Opening her eyes, she blushed a bit as her cousin came into view, watching her as she slept. Neji smiled, idly fingering a strand of indigo hair. After a moment, he stopped the action and sighed silently.

The boy hoped Hinata hadn't felt uncomfortable waking up like this. With him beside her, watching her. He looked into her eyes.

"…Did you sleep well?" he finally asked with a quiet voice.

Hinata nodded, burying her face in the pillow for a moment before lifting her head again and looking back at him with a smile.

After getting out of bed and heading to the kitchen, it felt strange how Valentine's Day had passed by so quickly. This particular one had felt as if it'd only been a moment. Yet even so, moment or not, never had either of them had such a one as this.

Neji was a bit nervous. He'd never had a girlfriend. But then again, so was Hinata. As they got into the kitchen, Neji took a pot from the cabinet, filling it with water before he placed it onto the stove.

"How does hot chocolate sound?" he asked.

Hinata smiled. She was glad to know she wasn't the only one worried about how to create a good relationship. And she knew everything would be fine. As long as the two of them continued to help one another. But what would happen when school began again…?

For now, Hinata pushed the thoughts of school away. Destiny would take its course. And whatever was to happen would happen. Only time would tell.

Author's Note: In all honesty, I hate this chapter. It's too rushed and just…ugh. I hope everyone else liked it, though.

Thanks for the reviews, guys. :)

Oh, and…

IMPORTANT SIDENOTE: There's still one more chapter. I had to expand the story a little more. So, this is NOT the end yet. Next chapter will hopefully be posted tomorrow.

Please review. :) If I was reading something of yours, you'd want me to too.