A/N: Here's a treat for everyone who supported this fanfiction! ^^ And miz, I incorporated your idea about the elders finding a fiancée for Neji.

Imperial Dragon: That's true but there will be a big leap for them here xD
midnight blue08: Yeah, she'll do anything to keep her gender a secret ;P
ChocStraw: Well, I'm not sure whether it's a good start for them ._.
Hajnalmadar: I suppose they did change a little, not really sure though… But their feelings are reaching the climax :]
Awesomeness02: Thanks you ^^
miz: The time apart is actually a stepping stone for their relationship :D
blooded wyngs: Hinata's identity isn't discovered yet but a lot of people will know about it next chapter :P
pennotes: Here's the latest chapter. Hope you like it :D

Leap

The three years spent in the Hyuga house without Neji's presence seemed like an interminable length of time for Hinata. Hinata was now 16 years old and a lovely ojousan at that. However, her gender remained a secret so her hair was still short like a male's.

News that Neji would be returning today spread around Konoha as Hinata ran at breakneck speed to the Hyuga house. When she arrived at her destination, she found herself looking at a sea of faces. The elders were seated in two lines on each side of the room while Hizashi was seated in front. Hinata was standing with the other branch house members at the corridor, peering into the room. Her eyes picked out another teenager that was one year older than her among the crowd.

There he was! God, he was beautiful. Handsome was too weak and colorless a word. He was a fair man, with curls of dark brown hair on each side of his smooth face. His hair was now longer and he had definitely grown taller. Happiness expanded like an explosion inside her – so extreme, so violent that she wasn't sure she'd survive it. Finally, her wish of meeting him again was fulfilled.

But isn't the one sitting beside Neji-sama, Tenten-chan? She still looked the same with the distinct characteristic of Chinese-style buns. Her long brown hair was tied up in two buns, one on either side of her head. What is she doing here?

With an ominous feeling, Hinata looked back and forth between the two of them.

"It's settled then. Tenten would be Neji's fiancée." One elder declared, extremely pleased to have her as the heir's wife.

There was an instant's delay before her mind reacted to the announcement. W-What? Other than expressing her shock, she could not think of anything else. Her mind refused to function; refused to process this information. But her body knew what to do. Flee.

Hinata didn't stay behind to listen to more heartbreaking news as she bolted from the corridor and from the house, bursting outside. She couldn't let Neji-sama witness her crying, couldn't let him see her feminine side. Instinct led her in the direction she should be going – more or less. That was until she knocked into someone.

By then, the skin of Hinata's pale face grew moist the way pure snow softened and glistened on the mountains, and, as the snow melted, mountain streams ran full: so her white cheeks were wetted by these tears shed for him.

"What's wrong, Hidaka? Are you injured?" Kiba inquired, worried for his teammate. He had never seen a sobbing Hidaka before so it was a shock to him.

Upon hearing his voice, Hinata realized that it was Kiba-kun. She unconsciously leaned her head on his shoulder to hide these tears.

Kiba didn't say anything or push Hidaka away but he felt awkward since a male was leaning on his shoulder.

Unknown to the two, a figure was observing them from afar in an inconspicuous corner. It was Neji. He looked over the scene before him with his head leaning forward and legs slightly apart.

When he heard footsteps running down the corridor, he curiously turned to see who it was. It was his protector. Hidaka's hair was the same hime-cut style, with chin-length strands framing his face. Hence, Neji could recognize him immediately. But why was Hidaka running away? Neji then excused himself and chased after Hidaka. He was slightly angry that Hidaka hadn't greeted him as soon as he arrived in Konoha. And now, Hidaka just left wordlessly.

Waves of rage and pain assailed Neji as he stared at the two people. On one hand, he was angry that Kiba was the one to console Hidaka. On the other hand, he was sad that Hidaka only viewed him as a superior and not a friend. Thinking back, Hidaka's teammates knew about the Protector Examination while he was the last to know. Furthermore, Kiba must know why Hidaka was unhappy. Hidaka isn't honest with me. And me only.

Dejected, Neji left the two.

Neji became extremely drunk – his legs and head sank listless, weighed by wine's thick dregs. He had spent the last few hours at Shushuya ("Sake Sake Store"), a Chinese pub that sold their own brand of choice sake and served large-platter cooking, when all the food was put on a single large plate. Sitting in one of the multiple wooden booths, Neji had lost count of the cups of sake he drank. It was only when the pub landlord told him that the pub was closing did Neji leave the place. He held onto the pillars and walls for support as he stumbled back home.

Hinata was frantic with worry as she paced about the entrance. There were pools of impenetrable darkness everywhere. It was already midnight and Neji had not returned home. Could Neji-sama have encountered a mishap? She shoved this thought away almost as soon as she thought of it. It couldn't be.

Just then, she heard low, muffled footsteps. Hinata stared at the approaching figure, hoping that it was Neji but the pitch-black night made it difficult to discern who it was. After a few minutes, her vision focused to find herself face to face with Neji-sama.

"Neji-sama!" Hinata instantly dashed towards the heir. Surprise took hold of her as Neji reeked of alcohol. Why was he drinking? No, wait. Why was he even allowed to drink alcoholic beverages? He's only 17. All these questions raced across her mind but she knew that she couldn't ask him now, not in this state. In order to support the drunk heir, Hinata put Neji's arm around her shoulders and held him up. Then, she slowly guided Neji back to his room quietly. If the elders found out that Neji was drinking, they would have made a ruckus over it.

Hinata eased the door open without a sound. It took her immense effort to carry Neji into his room but since she had come so far, she might as well tucked him in bed. After closing the door behind her, Hinata took a few steps towards the futon. However, everything didn't go as planned. Neji easily pushed her away and staggered in the direction of a wall, swaying a little and about to hit his head on the hard surface.

Eyes wide with shock, Hinata hastened towards the wall and stood before Neji-sama, blocking him from colliding his head with the architectural structure. "Neji-sama. It's late. You need to sleep." Hinata convinced the drunk heir although her persuasion fell on deaf ears. Neji couldn't even comprehend what Hidaka was saying as the spinning in his head accelerated.

Hinata blinked rapidly as Neji took a few steps forward and advanced into her space. In response, she took a few steps backward and realized that her back was pressed against the wall. There was no escape. His mass towered over her while his eyes looked most powerfully down into hers and hers looked most helplessly up into his. Then, his hands held her shoulders in a firm grip as he dropped his face to the level of her eyes, holding her gaze. His sudden proximity sent her heart into frenzied palpitations. What's Neji-sama doing? Is he awake?

Neji's lips parted as he put his hand under Hinata's chin to lift her lips to his.

"Neji-sama, wh—" She never got to finish the sentence. It was cut off as his mouth descended on hers. There was nothing cool about the kiss. It struck sparks from her nerves, melting and dissolving everything around it. Time seemed to have stopped in her heart: she felt nothing, except that this must be a dream.

Hinata felt the tremor of Neji's breath on her neck as his lips brushed against her throat, just below her ear. Her mind must have stopped working to not register the fact that he broke the kiss. As if the kiss wasn't sufficient to satisfy Neji's desire, he placed his lips on her sensitive neck and sucked on the exposed area until a discoloration was formed. He couldn't help but let out one low moan that started from the back of his throat as he marked his protector.

"You're… mine…" With the two words said, Neji slumped to the ground, his eyes drifted shut, his legs sprawled on the floor as he entered deep sleep.

Neji's actions sent Hinata's heart thudding against her rib cage. Heat flooded her face all the way to her hairline as the previous scene replayed in her mind over and over again. Did Neji-sama just k-kissed me? She shook her head and forced away the burning sensation that was flaring up around her ears, cheeks and neck.

"Hidaka, why are wearing your head protector around your neck? Don't you normally wear it over your forehead?" Kiba asked curiously while Shino's eyes glinted with mild interest – he wasn't the type to poke one's nose into other people's affairs.

It was the next morning and members of Team Kurenai had gathered in the park to discuss their next mission. They were standing in the clearing and were surrounded by trees. The park was slightly crowded as some families were having picnics.

"O-Oh. Err. I…" Hinata left the sentence hanging, unsure of how to explain. Kiba's question caught Hinata off guard. She had neither thought of any explanation nor expected anyone to notice the change in how she wore her head protector.

"Are you injured?" Kiba's face creased with worry as he pulled Hidaka's head protector off his neck without delay. His eyes widened in utter shock at the reddish mark on Hidaka's neck. "I-Is that a h-hickey?"

Now, Shino's face was eager with curiosity as he turned to look at Hidaka intently.

"Shh. Kiba-kun. Keep it down," Hinata's voice fell to a whisper as she looked anxiously at the vicinity. Luckily, no one heard their conversation.

"Oh my. Which daring girl did it?" Kiba whispered back, a wide smile pressed upon his face. Although both genders could give hickeys, Kiba knew that most of his male friends were the hickey givers. Males were typically more possessive so it made sense that they were usually the ones to give hickeys. Hence, seeing that Hidaka had one, Kiba was certain that the girl was a bold one.

Before Hinata could answer, she felt herself being dragged away. It was no other than Sakura and Ino. Apparently, they were standing behind a nearby tree and had eavesdropped the whole conversation between Hinata and Kiba. Hinata could only give her teammates an apologetic look as she was reluctantly dragged away.

When they were out of earshot, Hinata realized that Sakura and Ino had brought her to a secluded area in the park.

"Who did it?" Sakura and Ino questioned Hinata with a serious expression on their faces.

Since the two knew about Hinata's biggest secret, she couldn't think of any reason to lie to them. Thus, she explained what happened the previous night and how she felt about the whole accident. She didn't want to bottle up her feelings. Her mind was almost shutting down because it couldn't cope with so many sudden driving emotions at once – happiness, confusion and shock. She needed to confide in someone and Sakura and Ino were the best candidates she could think of.

By the time Hinata finished explaining, Sakura and Ino were staring at her, motionless as subjects in a photograph. Hinata had to wave her hand in front of them a few times to bring them back to earth.

"Neji-kun is gay?" Their astonishing question rang in Hinata's ears while they stared at her in disbelief. The fact that Neji, a popular guy and most sought after male in Konoha, was gay was shocking. It was impossible. Impossible.

"Let's take a step back and think things through. First, we need to confirm whether Neji-kun is gay." Sakura calmly instructed on what they should do.

Hinata and Ino nodded their heads as Ino interjected. "Yeah. We need to know whether Neji-kun likes boys or just Hinata in particular." Hinata blushed at the last few words of Ino's frank remark.

"So, if Neji-kun likes Hinata-chan and he's heterosexual, I believe that Hinata-chan's secret will be safe with him," Sakura deduce with reasoning.

The three then gathered in a circle as they planned their next moves. Gales of laughter could be heard from Sakura and Ino while Hinata protested to every ingenious scheme they suggested.

"Uh. Do we really have to do this?" Hinata meekly asked as she tugged at Sakura's and Ino's sleeves.

"Of course! In order to test Neji-kun sexual orientation, we need to flirt with him and see his reaction." A wide smile automatically spread across Ino's face as she happily volunteered. "Besides, it's Neji-kun we're talking about. Which girl wouldn't want to flirt with him?"

"Rest assured, Hinata-chan. Ino-chan and I are only testing him. We won't really fall for him. You just hide here behind the tree and observe his reaction." Sakura gave one final order as she gazed at the familiar figures. After noticing that Team Guy arrived in the park a few minutes ago, Sakura and Ino proposed that they execute their plan straightaway.

"B-But…" Hinata trailed off, not sure why she was stopping them except that she felt strongly to object to their scheme. Anxiety was running up and down her nerves like spots of ants, forcing her whole body to twitch nervously. With the uneasy feeling she experienced, realization hit her like a fist in her stomach. She definitely disliked the idea of someone flirting with Neji-sama.

Hinata's face was readable; anyone could effortlessly decipher her expression. Therefore, Sakura and Ino could perceive that she was not exactly keen on their idea. The tinge of jealousy radiating from Hinata was impossible to ignore either.

"Maybe we can test him in another way," Sakura conceded, her hands flew up in defeat. Ino merely nodded her head, slightly upset. When Sakura and Ino gave up their plan, relief swooped through Hinata and she felt like a crumpled piece of paper being straightened and smoothed. She then shot a sideways glance at Neji, not expecting the scene before her.

Tenten lifted her hands to finger the button on Neji's robe. Fiddling with the button to his white shirt, she smiled secretly and looked up at him through her lashes. Even though Neji's face was cold as a statue carved in ice, Hinata still felt uneasy witnessing this flirtatious act. Neji didn't give any sign of being attracted to Tenten but neither did he tell her off. Suddenly, a scowl formed on his brow as he frowned at Lee's antics. Hinata knew that Neji wasn't on good terms with Lee but she thought that the years spent together as teammates would have improved the relations.

"What does this mean?" Ino shot a question at Hinata and Sakura. "Neji-kun's aloof towards Tenten-chan but is angry at Lee-kun. He's emotionless towards females but has a feeling towards males though it's a negative one. Okay, I don't understand. It's confusing and my head is aching."

"Never mind that. I have a better plan," Sakura spoke rationally. "But first, Hinata-chan, do you really like Neji-kun?"

"N-Nani?" A rosy blush broke out on Hinata's cheeks at Sakura's abrupt question.

"Sakura-chan, you don't have to ask her. Just look at her face. It explains everything."

"Alright. Our plan will be called 'Capture Neji-kun's Heart'."

After the meeting with his team, Neji left the park and strolled through Konoha. With the approach of evening, strings of bright colorful lights illuminated the roads and the street throbbed with activities. The bustling little village was preparing for dinner and so was Neji, who was heading back home.

Neji was weary and fatigued to the last degree. Fortunately, the violent headache he had in the morning had vanished. Hence, it didn't add to the pile of worries he had. He was already troubled about what he did while he was drunk last night. Although he tried to recall as much as he could, memories of the previous night were confused and blurry. Only fragments were clear. He remembered walking the empty streets, returning to the Hyuga house and entering his room. But that was all.

For some odd reason, the dream he had in the morning flooded back to Neji.

Hidaka's fair face was like the full moon in its radiant grace as Neji gazed in awe. Their eyes met in wordless communion. His protector's parted lips were like rose petals that enticed him to have a taste. Instinct was driving him then. To have caused him to bend his head down to Hidaka's lips. The intensity of the kiss made him dizzy and drunk with pleasure. He kissed hungrily down the edge of Hidaka's jaw and proceeded to his neck. He devoured his protector greedily, knowing he would leave his mark on Hidaka…

Neji could still vividly recall the quiver of desire that ran through him.

Why did I even have such a dream?

"Perfect!" Sakura's and Ino's eyes were glittering with enjoyment as they looked at the masterpiece of their dress up game.

Hinata was clad in an off-shoulder floral chiffon dress that managed to made her look innocent and elegant while a white carnation flower clip resided within her indigo hair. The dress effortlessly highlighted her inner sweetness. She was blushing crimson while tugging the hem of the dress. She had never worn girl's clothes so she felt a little embarrassed to be wearing this in front of them. Being so used to donning male clothes, she was uncertain whether she looked normal.

"This will do. No one will recognize you." Ino encouraged Hinata, alleviating her worries.

"We shall test Neji-kun now – to see if he likes Hinata-chan as a girl or boy."

"But Sakura-chan, Neji-sama was drunk then. He wasn't sober enough to make a sound judgment. M-Maybe we shouldn't do this."

"Does it matter whether Neji-kun's drunk? If he's heterosexual, he'll definitely choose Hinata-chan as a girl than Hinata-chan disguising herself as a boy." Ino stated, overriding Hinata's protests.

Glossary
Ojousan: Young lady
Hime-cut style: Literally princess cut in Japanese. It is a hairstyle consisting of straight, usually cheek-length sidelocks and frontal fringe.

A/N: Fanfiction doesn't allow me to put the link to Hinata's dress so check my blog for the link! And I realized that the meanings of white carnation are innocence, faithfulness, sweet and lovely, pure love, ardent love and good luck.

It was my first time writing a kissing scene and I took a long time to write it even though it's only a few paragraphs ._. I wrote from both protagonists' perspectives so we can gain an insight into how each of them felt about the kiss. Hope you guys like it because I do! ^^

Read and review please!