How in the world had he let this happen, it wasn't supposed to end in such a way?

Such thoughts churned through his head like a noxious mixture, poisoning all of his ideals.

He scowled; it was that woman's entire fault.

He was certain than she had planned this, he knew well of her skills in strategy, not to mention that she was also a prodigy medic.

He decided that a little more training would clear his head, and so he sat down to meditate.

Two minutes later, much to his frustration, he was forced to relinquish all hopes of further training, that woman had infiltrated his mind too much to continue.

And so he found himself wandering the streets of his village, hoping to clear his mind, he after all still had enough time.

He at some point walked into a park and leaped into a tree, remembering that children were dangerous, and that the tree was a good hiding place from such perils.

He sat there, watching said little monsters, and much to his chagrin, his thought strayed back to the woman who could give them a run for their money.

He sighed, it had started out so simply, teach the girl how to increase in stamina, and look after her.

His scowl returned, the woman just had to go and ruin that, made it her mission to feel strange things.

He remembered their first training session, how she had tried hard, and she still couldn't hit him once, or strike any of his moving targets, and within the span of two hours collapsed into a tired heap.

He had nodded, telling her that she had done well, and to meet again tomorrow at the same time and place.

She had gotten to her feet, and thanked him, then turned to head towards the village, her pace resembling that of a wounded turtle.

He decided to train for a while, and a good three hours later was making his way back to the Hyuga district.

But he was feeling tired, and decided to walk through the cemetery, walking through the village would only result in getting ambushed by Lee, something he desperately wanted to avoid at all costs.

And so he found himself walking stealthily through the corpse inhabited land, his movements as delicate as a feather, and his chackra masked.

He was thinking about how to improve the girl's speed, something she lacked severely, when he felt a presence close to where he was.

He cursed his curiosity as he snuck through the darkness, in hopes of finding the person.

When he did he was surprised.

She was kneeling before two tombstones, Sakura Blossoms in her hands, and completely silent.

He watched in transfixion as some of the petals from the flowers were expelled into the air, swaying in the wind, circling around her.

She's sad, was his immediate thought.

But has he left he decided to think nothing of it; all people get sad when visiting a departed loved one, and she was no exception.

As the months flew by he watched in increase in her speed, and in her strength with pride, she was a remarkably fast learner, and worked very hard.

But one thing puzzled him.

He frowned, he didn't like being at loss.

No matter how much she improved she never seemed happy, and that same aura of sadness that resonated through her that night at the cemetery was always present.

One night he decided to follow her, and solve the frustrating anomaly of what was saddening her to such extremes.

He followed her as she walked to the cemetery, watched as she laid the flowers in front of the two stones, and then kneeled down.

As the days passed he still had not solved his mystery, and his charge seemed to grow more desolate with each passing day.

He decided that her routine was maybe what was causing her bleak state; she did after all visit the same two tombstones every day.

He then decided he would have to change that.

One day when training was finished he stopped her before she had the chance to leave.

She wore a look of surprise when he asked her to get something to eat with him.

She asked him why, and he had simply said that he was hungry, and thought that she might be as well.

She looked hesitant, but eventually relented.

It was then that he realized that maybe her daily escapades where something that she wanted to keep secret.

When they decided (or for lack of better terms he decided) that ramen was their choice for a meal, they headed to the Icharaku.

He strode to the place with languid steps, while she trekked sluggishly behind him, as thought she was shackled with heavy chains.

When the unlikely pair was seated, and two steaming bowls of ramen were placed in front of them, he noticed the strange looks people were giving them.

He did what came naturally, glared at them for all he was worth.

When he obtained the desired effect, which was of course said people scampering away in panic; he turned to look at his companion.

His eyes widened, then he frowned, he really considered himself a fool at this moment.

She looked horrible, her cropped hair was drearily pallid, her bright eyes were void of any positive emotion, and she was too skinny for him to overlook.

He inwardly banged his head over and over on an imaginary tree, he possessed the Byakugan, and even then he had not noticed.

He told her to eat, and she looked at the bowl in distaste, he lips curving into a grimace.

He was about to threaten her if she didn't eat when the owner of the ramen place came over.

He said hello to her, and said it had been long since he had seen her, then he asked about the fox boy, when she didn't respond the man went on, saying that he missed the fox boy.

He watched as her eyes widened how her eyes began to tear, and how it must have taken a lot to contain them.

She abruptly stood up, and ran away, not looking back.

And so in the darkest hour of the night he had found himself watching her, and silently thanked the fates for not leading her back to the cemetery, and back to the two tombstones that she daily haunted.

She had run into the forest, and he almost smiled inwardly when he found he was having trouble keeping up.

When she finally stopped he also ceased, and waited for her to do something, to cry to scream, anything to vent the bottled emotions that he felt swirling inside her being.

But she didn't, she didn't shout, or fall into a heap on the earth and cry her pain, instead she remained standing.

He was confused, and his heart skipped a panicked beat when he saw her pull the kunai from her holster.

But still he didn't move, and watched as instead of committing suicide, she began to train.

Furiously, desperately, as if her life were on the line she trained, throwing shuriken at almost impossible targets, and making them with precision.

Moving at an incredible speed, and looking as if she could go on forever.

It had been well over a year since their sessions together started, and yet, as he looked at the determined girl before him, he found that he knew nothing abut her.

Maybe it was for the better, but he decided that maybe just for once he didn't care about that anymore.

He watched as the early hours of the morning came, and the faint glow of the sun had begun to settle, and the moons glow wane away.

And how the girl, now looking exhausted finally did what he had first expected of her.

She dropped to her knees, and let the tears begin to flow, and after a few minutes she sunk into a heap and openly cried her pain.

The shouts came soon after.

"Why am I so pathetic? Why does everyone leave?"

He watched silently from his spot in the tree.

"Mom, Dad, Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi!"

"They all though I was worth nothing, they didn't even bother looking back when they left!"

Her only palliative was to let it all go, and so he decided to wait, to stay put until she finished.

"Why, why me, why!"

He watched over her, remaining silent, doing nothing to discourage her painful release of emotions.

When she finally did stop it was out of sheer exhaustion.

He knelt down beside her sleeping form, and slipped his arms behind her back and knees, and lifted her effortlessly off the ground.

He was soon jumping through the rooftops, being careful as to not wake the girl in his arms.

It was two days later when she finally awoke, her dull eyes staring expectantly at him, and he knew then, that she had known he was hiding in that tree, and heard her outburst.

"I must seem pathetic to you as well." She had said, her head bowing to show her shame.

He did nothing, said nothing, hoping that the stupidity of what she just said would sink into her, and make her realize her mistake.

He frowned, for such an analytical person, she sure could be dense.

"Why would I believe something as stupid as that," he said.

She merely stared.

"You're not pathetic; if you were you would not have become what you are now."

He looked at her for a reaction, but it seemed that right now, that was too much to ask for.

He smirked.

"I no longer want you as my student," he said.

He saw her nod, and then bow her head in what he deemed understanding.

"I understand, who would want someone like me as a student," she whispered.

She looked up.

"I'm sorry for you having to have wasted all this time, please forgive my incompetence."

To say he was angry would have been the biggest understatement in the entire history of existence.

He stood from his chair on the other side of the room, and strode furious steps to the girl.

He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a hard shake, making her head snap back, as if lifeless.

"Damn it woman!"

And now he found himself snapping back from his reminiscent state, hiding in a tree.

He thought back on how after three months after that, her team came back to Leaf, and she forgave them.

How she was treated to ramen everyday for an entire year by Naruto.

How her Sensei had shown up early for their meetings on time for an entire two weeks.

How the Uchiha had apologized, and then asked her out, which she tenaciously refused.

He smirked; he had been present for the latter.

She still visited the tombstones, but not like before.

She still trained with him, but not as a student.

She was now so much more.

"Neji, what are you doing in this tree? Hiding from the horrors of youth, again?" Asked a sweet voice

He groaned.

"How did you find me? He asked"

She smiled," Don't change the subject Neji, so tell me, what are you doing in this tree, you're not planning on being late…are you?"

He smiled at the pink haired woman in front of him.

She was clad in a beautiful white Kimono, the sash a complementing red.

A beautiful smile on her pink lips.

She was hardly pathetic.

"How did you find me?" he asked again.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he responded with his own around her slim waist.

She brought her mouth close to his ear.

"It was the fates," she whispered.

If I confused anyone, I'm sorry!

And just so you know that Kimono represents a wedding!

Hope you guys liked this one!

Let me know who you want me to write about next, I love comments……………Just please, no flames!

Ps. I don't own Naruto!