Okay, so this is the last filler-ish chapter that isn't ACTUALLY a filler but SEEMS like a filler until the Chuunin Exams! Yay! Oh, and if I didn't make it clear earlier, (which I probably didn't) Nami's supposed to fight Dosu (the numbers are even now) and Kyoko's supposed to fight Inzumaru. I guess it wouldn't matter since they're just going to--AAAAAHHH! I was about to give SPOILERS! THAT was close!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Early sunlight peeked over the Hokage Mountain gradually, painting the village of Konoha with a golden brush. Majority of the village's occupants were still fast asleep while the ones who were awake were already starting their day. One of these people was the ever so likeable Shimizu Kyoko.

Kyoko had left the apartment early to get a head-start on training. She sauntered through Konoha, noticing a few people setting up their shops and doing some last-minute cleaning. Her abnormally good hearing picked up tidbits of conversations as she passed.

"Yeah, I'm thinkin' of raising the prices…"

"Scrub clockwise like this!"

"…And he's like, so cute, you know! But then she like, totally, like, stole him from me…"

"And there were little traces of blood on the rooftop, I swear!"

Kyoko's ears perked as she heard the word 'blood'. She stopped in mid-step and turned quickly towards the pair of leisure men. "What did you say?"

"Didn't you hear?" one of the men said.

"Probably not," the other man said. "The blood was wiped away immediately by the ANBU as not to raise any tension, but they didn't count on me seeing it." He turned to Kyoko. "Let me tell you, it was a terrifying sight seeing the blood. The roof itself wasn't in great shape either, you know. It seems like there was some kind of attack there, or something. I have no idea."

Kyoko nodded. Blood on a rooftop, huh? She shook her head. I've got a lot of work to do…

"Yo, Kyoko."

"NAAA!" Kyoko jumped at the sound of a voice. Spinning around, she came face-to-face with Nami. "Nami?!"

"Why'd you leave so early?" Nami cocked her head to the side.

"To train, why else?" Kyoko said coolly.

Nami raised an eyebrow. "You're not thinking of beating me in the third exam, are you?"

"The thought's crossed my mind once or twice."

"Hmph. Well I'm not gonna let that happen."

"Of course not. We're rivals."
The two girls crossed their arms and turned away, sneering in unison.

"Hm?" Kyoko suddenly caught sight of a familiar-looking white/lavender-eyed boy walking a number of feet away. Forgetting her conversation with Nami, she grabbed her teammate and turned her, forcing her to notice the Hyuuga. "Look, it's Neji!"

"Huh?" Her eyes widened slightly. "It is. You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

Kyoko grinned slyly.

"Oi, Neji!"

Neji reluctantly turned when he heard his name being called and saw the two girls jogging towards him. Oh great.

"Hi Neji!" Kyoko said in a friendly tone. "How's it going, huh?"

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Fine."

"Where are you going?"

"That is of no concern of yours."

"My, my, we're a bit touchy today, aren't we?" Nami said jokingly.

"Is there a reason why you two are wasting my time?" Neji said coldly.

"We know what happened during the Forest of Death," Kyoko said furtively. "What's your motive, huh?"

Neji stared at her incredulously. "What are you blathering about?"

"Cut the act, Neji," Nami said, placing her hands on her hips. "We know you're a regular ice cube with the personality of a log, so why suddenly show some compassion, huh?"

Neji narrowed his eyes in evident exasperation. "For one thing, she's not as irritating as you two." With that being said, he stalked off.

"Why does Midori like that guy?" Kyoko wondered.

"Same reason you like that psychotic killing-machine?" Nami guessed.

Kyoko glared daggers at Nami.

Nami grinned toothily. "You know, I don't think Midori has enough ambition to win the Ice King's heart."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that if she and Neji are gonna hook up, her two best friends need to help her out. After all, at the pace she's going, they'll probably get together by the time they're twenty."

"True…" Kyoko nodded. "But what do you want us to do? Meddle into her business?"

"Not meddle," Nami said carefully. "We know that Midori likes Neji, so we're doing her a favor. See?"

"Oh…"

"So, what're we waiting for? The Ice King's not gonna melt himself!"

"Right! Midori's gonna owe us big-time!"

"Why's that?"

"EEK/AIEE!"

Midori stared at her two teammates with her hands clasped behind her back and a suspicious look on her face. "You two aren't exactly the only ones who get up early around here. What is it that you're talking about, hm?"

Kyoko and Nami regained their composures and averted their eyes. "Nothing."

Midori raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" She could tell her two teammates were hiding something. That and she heard them talking about some melting of ice or something like that…

"Okay, okay," Nami sighed, suddenly a serious look on her face. "We were talking about…getting Naruto a girlfriend, he really needs one."

"Right…" Midori said doubtfully. "How about you tell me what's really going on?"

"Okay, fine. We're getting Sasuke a girlfriend before he decides to take the low road."

Serious stare.

"Come on, Midori!" Kyoko exclaimed. "You saw the signs! Neji gave you a scroll for crying out loud!"

"You were talking about Neji?" Midori's eyes widened with realization.

"You…didn't know?"

"Way to go, Kyoko," Nami said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," Midori said, turning around and shaking her head. "You guys are not going to bother him about anything okay?" She whirled around and stared critically at her teammates. "You got that? You won't."

"Oh, we won't," Nami said, crossing her arms. "You will."

"Huh?"

CRACK. THUMP.

"Nice job, Kyoko."

"Thanks."

---

…

"I think she's waking up."

"I-I h-hope she's a-alright."

"How'd she get this way anyway?"

Midori sleepily opened her eyes to see two girls with identical eyes staring down at her. She screamed loudly.

"AAAAAAHHHH—ooooowwww…" Midori rotated her shoulders and placed her hand over her right one. GEEZ. She just came out of the HOSPITAL.

"M-Midori-chan?"

"Huh? Hinata?" Midori looked up at the blue/black-haired girl. "What're you doing here?" She turned gaze around the room. "Where…is here?"

"The Hyuuga Mansion."

Midori finally noticed Hinata's little sister, Hanabi standing there. "H—I mean, who are you?"

"I'm Hanabi," Hanabi said, leaning in towards Midori and examining her. "Neji-niisan found you outside lying out in the street somewhere. What were you doing, huh?"

"Ne-Neji?!"

"Yeah," Hanabi nodded, slightly confused. "He always goes out training in the woods, you know. And when he found you, he wasn't sure of what to do, so he brought you here because you didn't seem hurt at all, just sleeping! And he didn't know where you lived and your teammates weren't—"

"My teammates…" Midori said suddenly, narrowing her eyes. She angrily clenched her fists. I can't believe they'd do this to me! Would they really sink this low? When I get back, I'm gonna kick their—

"M-Midori-chan?"

"Eh?" Midori was pulled out of her thoughts by the shy girl's voice.

"Y-You had a s-strange look on y-your face…W-What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, well," Midori said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "It's nothing, really!" She stood up and hopped off the bed, walking towards the door. Thank you for your hospitality and I—oomf!"

"You weren't about to leave, were you, girl?"

"H-Hello, father!" Hinata said, bowing timidly.

"Father?" Midori looked up to see that she had unfortunately run into the Hyuuga lord. She jumped backwards instinctively and bowed, frightened. "I-I'm sorry, sir!"

"Well," Hiashi said brusquely, "Where do you think you're off to?"

"Um…somewhere," Midori said. "I don't want to intrude—"

"Nonsense," Hiashi said. "I expect you to express gratitude to my nephew who brought you here."

"Eh?"

"That's right," Hiashi said stonily. "Unless…you'd like the disapproval of the Hyuuga Clan."

"…I'll go find Neji!"

Midori slid past Hiashi anxiously and disappeared.

---

"There he is," Nami whispered. "Working his butt off as always."

"He's got the right idea," Kyoko admitted. "Shouldn't we be training for the exams?"

"Stupid, this is training," Nami said. "Now shut up before he hears you."

"I think we have company, Tenten," Neji said suddenly, staring up into the trees.

"Huh?" Tenten followed his gaze and saw the two girls crammed onto one branch nearby. "Well what do you know…?" She placed her hands on her hips. "It's two of the three-woman team hanging out in the trees. What're you guys doing up there?"

"Uh…well…funny story actually," Nami chuckled nervously. Dang it! That's the last time I try to hide from a dude with Byakugan!

"We just want to hang out with you guys, that's all!" Kyoko said quickly, jumping down from the branch.

"…Hang out with us?" Tenten said, raising an eyebrow.

Kyoko nodded and put an arm around Tenten's shoulder, pulling her off to the side for a moment. Whispering, she said, "You know what happened in the Forest of Death?"

Tenten shook her head.

"Well, your teammate Neji over there left our teammate Midori a scroll and also helped her out in a battle!" she whispered excitedly.'

Tenten's eyes widened. "No. Seriously? He'd never do that!"

Kyoko nodded. "I know, right? Well, he did. And Nami and I just want to get him to admit it, you know?"

Tenten nodded eagerly. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, definitely! I'll help you dig deep inside his soul!"

"Ahem." Neji cleared his throat, instantly making the two girls whirl around. "Mind telling me what you two are talking about?"

"Nothing, Neji!" Tenten said quickly. "You know, I think we've trained enough for today, don't you think?"

Neji looked at her strangely. He was no dummy, and Tenten didn't get tired that easily. What were these females up to?

"I just remembered I had some stuff to do with these two here!" Tenten said, gesturing towards Kyoko and Nami. "You know, girl stuff! I'll see you later!"

Before Neji could object, the three girls were gone. Shaking his head, he decided to leave the training grounds as well to have a bite to eat.

---

"So you're saying that Neji might have hidden feelings for this Midori girl, right?" Tenten asked doubtfully. "The same Midori who lost to that wannabe Kumo ninja, no offense."

"That guy cheated!" Nami claimed angrily. "I'm gonna punch his face in when I get the chance, but that's off topic! Don't you see it, Tenten?"

Tenten thought for a moment. "No, not really. But Neji wasn't always one to showcase his emotions."

"You see what we mean!" Kyoko said spiritedly.

"But you need to be sure," Tenten said. "If your hunch was to be mistaken and something goes wrong…well…let's say Neji wouldn't exactly put you on his best friend's list."

"What best friends?" Kyoko said.

Tenten shrugged.

"Then we'll just test them!" Nami exclaimed.

"When will the time come when Neji and Midori are actually together normally?" Kyoko said, raising an eyebrow.

Just as she said that, Midori came sprinting up to the three, panting. "Tenten! Just the person I wanted to see! Do you know where Neji is?"

Tenten stared at her for a moment then nodded. Pointing in the direction behind her, she said, "He should still be in the training site."

"Thanks!" With a short wave, she continued her journey.

Kyoko and Nami exchanged crafty glances then gave Tenten knowing looks.

"That wouldn't prove anything," Tenten said, crossing her arms.

"Maybe Midori's gonna ask him out!" Kyoko suggested.

"Shyeah right," Nami said. "Midori doesn't have the guts to do that. So then what's she doing? She didn't even stop to yell at us for—uh…"

"For what?" Tenten asked when Nami trailed off.

"For…leaving her…in front of the Hyuuga estate by herself!"

Tenten looked confused.

"Never mind anyway, it's not important!" Kyoko said hastily. "What is, though, is finding out what the heck Midori's doing!"

"Right!"

"Okay…" Tenten said uncertainly. I don't know what I'm getting myself into but… "Hey!" she called once she realized the two girls had left her to her thoughts. "Wait for me!"

---

The three girls found Midori talking to Neji still in the training sight. They quickly darted into the bushes and peeked at the two. Neji's face seemed a bit confused if a raised eyebrow counted as confused and Midori's back was turned towards them so they couldn't make out what her expression was like. However, she seemed to be moving her arms around quite a bit as if she were trying to persuade him or explain something.

"See? Arm movements. That means she's nervous and she's trying to ask him out," Kyoko whispered victoriously.

"No!" Nami hissed. "I know Midori, and those arm movements mean she's trying to explain something to him! I bet he saw her with another guy or something and now she's trying to explain why!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

Tenten looked from Kyoko to Nami to Kyoko to Nami as the girls kept quarreling in hushed voices. "Sh! Neji's hearing is almost as good as his sight," she warned. "Be quiet!"

"We have to get closer," Nami proposed, inching towards another bunch of bushes. "I can't hear anything!"

"So," Midori said, averting her eyes away from the Hyuuga boy, "Thanks for…bringing me to your home."

"It's no big deal," Neji said simply. "I'm a bit curious, though. What were you doing in plain sight?"

"Er…I uh…" Midori rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "I…"

"Hold on," Neji said, saving her the trouble. He looked over Midori's shoulder and called, "Tenten. What are you doing with those two back there?"

"Nothing, Neji!" Tenten exclaimed with a nervous laugh as she popped out of the bushes. "I lost a few of my weapons here after you used Kaiten on them so I came back and Nami and Kyoko wanted to help me so…"

"Don't lie to me, Tenten."

Tenten flinched. "Ah…well…I think I should be going now!" She started to back away but was stopped by Nami and Kyoko who held onto both her arms. "Huh?" she said with confusion as Nami pointed an accusing finger at Neji. "Admit it, Hyuuga!"

Oh crap… Midori thought urgently. Don't say it, don't say it, don't say—

"You love Midori!"

Midori slapped her forehead. …She…said it…She was falling into a deep, dark abyss of no return at the moment, and as 'of no return' states, there was no going back.

"I what?" Neji blinked then glared at the girls.

"Guys, go away!" Midori shouted uselessly as she swept her hands back and forth as if trying to say 'Shoo!'

Neji stared at Midori for a second, then back at Midori's teammates. "And what makes you think I could possibly have feelings for her?"

Midori winced as he said that and lowered her head.

Kyoko gasped. "How could you say something so heartless, Neji?!"

Neji narrowed his eyes. "How could you say something so naïve?"

"That's it! I'm gonna kick his ass!" Nami said, rolling up her sleeves.

"No, Nami," Midori said quietly. "Don't waste your time trying to defeat him. He's a genius, after all. Right, Neji?" She turned her head towards him and smiled, though it wasn't as cheerful as she wanted it to be. "Thanks again." As she finished her last sentence, she started walking away, staring at the ground.

---Later That Night---

Midori sat on a rooftop silently and stared up at the countless stars twinkling brightly over Konohagakure. The sickle moon shed little light over the village, but there was no need for light, for generally everyone was asleep at this hour. She rested her chin upon her knees which were drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. A cool breeze rustled her clothing slightly and she let out a heavy sigh.

Why is this bothering me so much? Midori thought. It was only this morning he said it. I should've gotten over it by now, right? But she knew she was in denial. Midori had never really been one to get over something that made her upset so quickly, and she was one who got easily upset when the attack was to her self-esteem…or her heart.

Maybe it's not worth anything at all. It's not like I expected Neji to like me anyway, the voice inside her head told herself. He's a cold-hearted Hyuuga who couldn't care less about girls and I shouldn't even like him anyway. But still…I can't help but feel…

"Excuse me. Would you mind if I sat here?" a voice interrupted her thoughts.

Midori jumped vaguely at the voice, not realizing someone had been standing there. She shook her head. She didn't dare to look at the person.

Neji sat down a few inches away from her with one leg propping up his arm and the other stretched out in front of him. He looked at her for a moment then looked up at the sky. He didn't know w hat possessed him to come here, but after that afternoon he had been feeling quite confused.

"What brings you up here?" Midori said, breaking the silence.

"I come up here during the night because it is quiet. It gives me a break from Gai-sensei and Lee everyday."

"I see."

"And you?"

"I don't know, really," Midori shrugged. "I suppose…it's because from here you can see the stars pretty well…almost as well as from Hokage Mountain."

More silence followed.

"About today," Neji started. "I didn't…" It was then that he realized he didn't know what he wanted to say.

"It's okay," Midori said while hunching over slightly so that half her face was hidden behind her arms that sat atop her knees. "I understand."

Neji was quiet and didn't say anything after that. He didn't even notice the small smile that ran across Midori's face as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

Maybe…It's worth something after all.

Yes, yes, I do romance slow, I know. (grins) I'm not one to rush into fluffy stuff, so bear with me! I've been quite busy this week, (XD its only Tuesday where I live) but I've got testing coming up next week and there's this big thing on Thursday too. However, I MAY be able to work in another chapter on Friday like usual! Wish me luck on my test! DARN YOU DISTRICT!

R&R please! Review soothe the soul! Until next time!

-HM