This chapter may seem more like a NejixHinata. Thats because i was going to make a One shot out of it but decided to put it in this book

"Hey Neji, when do you think Hinata-chan will be back from her mission?" Naruto asked. He was on his 6th bowl of ramen and moving onto his 7th.

"I don't know" Neji picked away at his miso ramen. He had had a craving for ramen earlier at the hospital, but after he started it he didn't feel to hungry.

"Isn't she supposed to be back tomorrow sometime?" Naruto quickly asked before diving back into his ramen.

"Think so." Neji pushed the rest of his food away and set the money on the counter.

"Where ya going?"

"..."

"Ok, cya i guess."

"Neji's wasn't listening to Naruto though, his mind was on (three guesses who) Sakura. She had seemed ok when he had visited her, but something just seemed off. Why was it that her wound had reopened even after Chiyo-baasama had healed it with her tensei jutsu?

Why am I even worrying about her. It's just my mind playing tricks on me, she was fine. An image of Sakura sitting in the hospital bed flashed through his mind.

Sakura and Neji had grown a little closer of the past years. They hadn't really known each other in the academy since he was a year older and even when they were genin, they were on different teams. It was just after they became chunin and started doing missions with different teams that they got to know each other better.

Plus Sakura had healed a lot of injuries of his in the past. He liked having her heal his wounds. She was more careful and gentle than some of the other nurses. He pictured her hands glowing a bright green glowing over his chest while she examined his heart and lungs. He thought of the soothing feel of her chakra flowing into his body, the gentle touch of her hands as she ran them across his back mending the cuts and bruises. Cut it out. He thought to himself. Do not think of Sakura's hands like that.

"Neji-san, pant have you pant seen Hinata-chan?" Hanabi asked her older cousin, trying to catch her breath.

"No, why?" He asked starting to get worried.

"She was supposed to be back today. Fail or success." Hanabi answered, finally catching her breath.

"Hanabi-sama, Neji-sama," a gaurd called from the porch near the front entrace to the mansion.

"What is it?" Neji called to him.

'We have received word of Hinata-sama. She is at the hospital, Hiashi-sama is already there. He told me to send you there." The guard called back to Neji.

"Lets go." He motioned for Hanabi to follow him. Hanabi and Neji jumped from rooftop to rooftop and landed infront of the hospital entrance. The two cousins walked into the hospital to see Hiashi already sitting in a chair.

"Father what's going on?' Hanabi asked her father.

"Your sister is in surgery."

"WHAT!!!" Hanabi screamed almost on the verge on tears. "What happened!!!"

"I don't know, exactly." Hiashi looked at the floor.

"Well what do you know." Neji asked, calm as could be.

"All i know is that it was a D-rank mission and Kiba-san and Shino-san were on this mission with her. They were escorting a prince who had been visiting Konoha back to the Stone Village. There were already three ninja escorts with him, but they wanted extra protection, because they were epecting an attack on the way back to the village." Hiashi finished looking at his youngest daughter, who now had tears rolling down her face.

Surprisingly Hiashi embraced his daughter in a fatherly hug while telling her that her sister was going to be alright. Hiashi may be the head of the Hyuga family and have a stern personality most of the time, but he knew when it was time to be a father instead of a clan leader.

Neji took a chair on the other side of the hall. He had his arms crossed of his chest, deep in thought of possible scenario's that could have happened. He wasn't concerned, Hinata had probably not been looking out for herself and acting all weak. She probably had just got a kunai in her body somewhere. That couldn't possibly to enough damage to go into surgery though, could it?

Neji began to think that maybe it was something worse. Maybe she had gotten a kunai in the heart and was dying right now. It hit him hard in the face like he had been punched by one of Sakura's chakra powered fists. He had never said sorry to her. Sorry about almost killing her at the chunin exams. Sorry for never giving her the protection she needed. Sorry for never treating her like a family member. Sorry for never being there for her. And to think that he might never say anything to her ever again, not even a "hn", he dropped his head to look at the floor.

"Hiashi-sama," Neji heard Tsunade's voice. So busy dreading the next words he barely heard her say that she was stable. Neji felt warmth well up behind his eyes, he knew these were tears. He held them back though, he thanked Kami that he was going to get a second chance.

"Hokage-sama, can you tell us what happened." Hiashi said while quietly letting out a sigh of relief.

"Yes, I can." Tsunade took a seat a chair away from Neji. Taking a breath she began. "As you know Kiba, Shino and Hinata were sent on a D-rank mission to escort Prince Laridoku back to his home in the village of the stone. He had been in Konoha for a week and already had three ninja escorts with him. The ninja's were expecting an attack on the way back and wanted extra help with them. They did not encounter anyone on the way back to the village, but Kiba, Shino and Hinata did on the way back to Konoha. They were attacked by about 70 missing nin. We think that they had gotten confused thinking that the Prince was leaving that day instead of 4 days before. Kiba and Shino took out about half of the enemies, Hinata already having used her gentle fist technique 6 times. Her limit is 7 as i'm sure you know. Shino fell unconscious when he was hit my a kunai in the back and was already suffering internal bleeding and chakra loss. Kiba then was hit in with several kunai to the back and arms, thankfully missing his head. Hinata then took on the 20 that were left with the help of Akamaru. She performed her gentle fist 3 more times,taking out the rest of the enemies. Using all the will power she had left she gathered up Shino and Kiba setting them on Akamaru's back. There having no room for her, she clutched to Akamaru's neck and staggered along. Thank Kami they were only a few hours away. Hinata passed out 4 hours later. Akamaru started barking and thats when Izumo and Kotetsu heard him and went to check it out. They recognized Akamaru and went back for help." Tsunade took a deep breath after she finished.

"How are Kiba and Shino doing?" Hanabi asked. She had become quite accustomed to seeing them come to the mansion and she also had a little crush on Kiba.

"Shino is still unconscious, but he is stable and Kiba woke up a little while ago and translated Akamaru's version since Akamaru was conscious the whole time." Tsunade turned her attention to Hiashi again. "Hiashi-sama i would be very proud of Hinata-chan if i were you. She exceeded her own limits and still stayed conscious for another 4 hours. She also put her friends lives above anything else."

"I am very proud of her. I wouldn't expect anything else from her." Hiashi said with a small smile. "Can you also tell Akamaru that I am grateful to him, if he hadn't been there to help my daughter i'm pretty sure i would have lost her." Hiashi said.

"I'll be sure to do that." Tsunade smiled at them."

"Can we go see her?" Neji surprised Tsunade with his voice. He had been so quiet the entire time that she had almost forgotten he was there.

"Yeah, but she will be sleeping." Tsunade looked Neji straight in the eye.

"We'll come back tomorrow and see her. It's getting late." Hiashi told his nephew.

"Uncle," Neji turned to him. Hiashi saw the sadness in his eyes and instantly understood what was happening.

"Okay, but don't be come back too late or the guards will tell me." Hiashi turned around. Neji didn't notice the smile that had accompanied his lips, because he was too busy walking in the direction of which Tsunade had said Hinata's room was.

Neji entered the hospital room. It had the same color of walls and ceiling as any other room:White. Neji walked over to where Hinata was sleeping. She looked so peaceful, her face was white and if you weren't observant you wouldn't notice the small rise of her chest.

Neji listened to the heart monitor that was beeping at a steady pace, showing that her heart rate was normal. Neji sat for quite awhile, thinking about nothing inparticular. He just felt that he should be there if she woke up. He didn't quite care if he got home late. He just wanted to be there.

Several more minutes passed before he heard a soft "Neji-kun". He looked over to see that Hinata had woken up.

"Yeah."

"What are you doing here so late?" she whispered.

"I - I wanted to make sure you were okay." He answered back.

"Well i am so you can go back home, you need your rest too." Neji got up and headed for the door.

Hinata i'm sorry. Just say it. It's easy just do it. "Hinata..."

"Yeah."

"I-I'm s-sorry." Neji stuttered walking back towards the bed.

"For what?" Hinata asked, looking confused.

"Back at the chunin exa--"

"Neji, it's okay. That was a long time ago."

"No it's not okay," Neji took his seat again beside her bed looking as frustrated as ever." I was never there to protect or help you and i can't get over how if Hokage-sama hadn't have been in the village... you probably would've died." Neji was looking at the floor when he heard a soft giggling noise. He looked up to see Hinata laughing.

"What's so funny." Neji said a little annoyed at her for laughing at him when he was trying to say sorry, but also happy to see her smile.

"It's just that, i've never seen you so frustrated before and it looks absolutely hilarious." Hinata kept on laughing.

"Hinata.." Neji said a little to sternly than he would have liked.

"Sorry, Neji-kun."

"I'm sorry all i want is to be forgiven by you."

"Neji-kun..you were forgiven that very day, back at the chunin exams."

Neji's eyes widened a bit and then he did the most un Neji-like thing ever. He leaned forward and kissed Hinata on the forehead. Getting up, he walked towards the door leaving a stunned Hinata behind. Before he walked out the door he paused, "Hinata,"

"Yeah."

"Don't say anything, please"

"Of course not." Hinata laid back down. She knew that once Neji walked out of her hospital room he would go back to be the same stoic ninja everyone knew and not the caring ninja that Hinata now knew about.

Loved this chapter, Neji finally made up with Hinata. Yay leave a review please. thanx ttyl tata for now.

whiteangel-sakura