Author's Note: This is a NejiHina story. Hope that you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters.

Bonds - Chapter 1

The air hung thick and heavy inside the closed office, and mountains of paperwork were stacked and piled up together, forming columns of white, things that are needed to be read, signed and stamped.

Tsunade tapped her fingers on her desk and reached out from under her to check her hidden jug of sake. She eyed the piles of white occupying her desk as she lifted and shook the bottle, confirming that it's full. She needs a drink, she can't possibly face all of this work sober.

She sighed. This is so irritating.

The door of her office opened quietly and her raven-haired assistant stepped in. "Tsunade-sama, Neji-san is here."

Tsunade straightened her back and raised her face, peering from the monstrous heap of papers obscuring her view. The papers were starting to annoy her, and she smirked at the amused thought of her burning them to ash. But she knows that she can't. So she gave out a sigh and with a wave of her hand she said, "Aa, let him in."

"Yes." Shizune bowed, went out, closed the door and motioned for the young jounin to come in.

The Hyuga member stepped inside her workroom, and he went in carrying with him an air of coldness, calmness and competence. Always serious and proper this Hyuga is. Not even one smudge or wrinkle can be found in his white shirt and pants, even after the most grueling of missions, and his face is as cold and as reserved as ever. He looked at Tsunade, his face stern, and white eyes tinged with silver met blue.

"What is the reason that you called for me, Hokage-sama?"

The blond haired kunoichi snorted and rested her chin on her hand, eyelids drooping, looking as bored and as uninterested as ever. "You have a mission. This will be your last, since you're being promoted to ANBU. I know that you've already been aware of that promotion."

"...This mission is so simple that I'd like to give it to someone else, but everyone is busy nowadays. There's an influx of clients and I've only got a few people left. There's too much requests, too much work." Eyeing the stacks papers on her desk. 'I really need a drink' she thought to herself.

Neji didn't say anything, there's nothing to be said. He accepts whatever mission is given to him. He is a shinobi, and he does what needs to be done. He just stood there, tall and steady, waiting for the blue-eyed woman to resume speaking.

Sensing that Neji will not reply, she sighed again, and she took out her sake bottle from under her desk and uncorked it. "It's a simple escort mission to Tea country, you'll be escorting a merchant's daughter. It's somewhat far so it might take you a couple of weeks to get there. You can form your team yourself, I don't really care who you pick. I don't want to bother myself anymore, there's already too much waiting to be done." She waved her hand, raised the opening of the bottle to her lips and chugged.

Exhaling contently and looking back to the brown-haired genius she asked, "But do you have anyone in mind for you team?"

"Hinata-sama." He answered. His face matching his voice. Devoid of any hints of emotion. He is expressionless, serious, blank and decided.

"Hinata?" Her eyebrows scrunched together slightly and took another gulp of her sake. "What do you need another byakugan user for? Your range is farther than her's, so I don't really see why you need her."

Tsunade eyed the jounin carefully, suspiciously. The blonde Kage was well-aware that Hinata had greatly improved as a kunoichi. She is able to serve and complete any high-ranking missions with her teammates without fail. Her skills have improved, developed and became more refined due to her training and her own self-efforts, she also had become one of the best trackers with her Byakugan, just after Neji. But of course, it is undeniable that Neji is a lot stronger than Hinata, he had the advantage of being a Hyuga genius, a prodigy.

And Neji opened his mouth to speak, "This is my last mission, Hokage-sama, and as you said, it can be easily completed. And you know that Hiashi-sama had entrusted Hinata-sama's training to me, and being in the ANBU, I will not be able to train her due to my future missions requiring a lot of time to complete. This will be the last time that I will be able to train her."

"But during the mission Neji? There aren't any threats, but can you just do it after?" Tsunade scowled.

"If anyone attacks us, Hinata-sama and I will be able to sense and avoid them easily. But if a battle is unavoidable, Hinata-sama and I are able to fully protect ourselves and the client. And besides Hokage-sama, you stated earlier that I can choose whoever I want."

Tsunade shrugged and looked away, her hands returning to cradle her chin. "Fine, do what you ANBU ceremony will begin once you return from your mission. Now, get out of here."

"We will take leave tomorrow at sunrise." He bowed his head, turned on his heel, and walked out of Tsunade's office.

Veins bulged and became prominent as the Hyuga heir activated her blood-line limit, and she was instantly allowed to immediately see her opponent's Tenketsu points.

Her palms were spread open with each attack, but she didn't place any of her chakra in her hands. She didn't want to hurt her teammate badly, or give them severe injuries because everyone knows how deadly and painful the Hyuga technique can be. She loved sparring with them, her teammates, her friends, because she knows she won't be this strong without their help and support.

She is now stronger and a bit more confident in her abilities, but everything else in her remained the same. Still shy, still kind, but more deadly and more fast.

Her eyes never left her opponent's, watching him, looking for any opening, any mistake, any chance to strike while she avoided every jab, and every kick Kiba threw at her with ease.

Kiba jolted on his heels and took a step back when Hinata's palm slipped right through his block and landed flat on his chest, just right next to his heart. Hinata's eyes widened as they froze.

her lips were parted, panting, aiding with her breath. Sweat was trickling down her face and neck, almost glistening with the light of the sunset. She removed her palm on him, and Kiba smiled at her in approval. She turned her face to look at her silent teammate. With his glasses hiding his eyes, he gave her a nod, and she knows perfectly well what this means. She deactivated her Byakugan and smiled.

"Well, that's another score for you Hinata-chan! The score now is 5-7, two more wins for you and we'll have equal scores!" Kiba beamed at her and smiled with a toothy grin, and Akamaru barked at her, seemingly like he was encouraging her.

Hinata moved away and dropped back into her fighting stance, but Kiba shook his head and said, "No, I think that's enough for today. We've been training for hours already and Shino and I have different missions together this week."

The training area is unoccupied by people other than these three Shinobis. The sun is setting in the horizon, and Hinata can barely see the sun through the trees. It will be dark soon, but the three of them sat together, too tired to move, or even to speak. This day's training had been extensive, they sparred with each other since morning, and they've just finished today. Hinata touched the grass beneath her, Everyone is so busy right now, she thought. And she wondered to herself if there is also a mission waiting for her.

As if right on cue, she heard a familiar voice say, "I need to speak to Hinata-sama."

Hinata looked up and saw Neji standing right beside her, she stood up, a little wobbly from exhaustion, but his strong hands grabbed both of her shoulders, steadying her. Her other teammates stood up too, and Kiba said, "Nah, it's okay, it's getting dark, and we're gonna go home anyway." He exhaled loudly and patted the grass off his clothes.

Hinata spoke with her angelic voice as they turned to leave, "U-ummm... Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, g-good lu-uck on your missions." And she gave them a sincere smile, Neji gave them a nod, Shino nodded back to the two of them and Kiba waved and grinned at the two cousins before he turned and walked away, with a white-haired beast energetically following him.

"W-what is it, N-neji-nii? I-is th-there something w-wrong?" She eyed her cousin curiously. His hands forgotten, still resting on her arms.

"We have a mission. We will leave tomorrow."

"So soon?" She said. Her body still ached from the training, from the punches and kicks that she couldn't avoid, her body ached from falling down, from over exertion, the effect of wanting to be strong.

"Yes." He replied. "So you have to rest as soon as we get home." He removed his hands from his hold on her arm, and walked into the direction of the Hyuga compound.

She walked by his side, in a bit of pain, but she didn't dare to show it. She will not let Neji see her weak. She already have his respect, and she loved it every time she hears him praise her, like for every mission accomplished, for every fight that she had won, and for every evidence that showed him that she had gotten stronger.

Like Shino and Kiba, she wouldn't have become strong without her cousin's help. She grew under his tutelage, he trained her every time he can. She grew under his care, and they developed a strong and unbreakable bond, despite the harsh words that he sometimes said to her when training under him, she knows that her cousin only said it to taunt her, to make her get up up again.

She knows that behind those words that he used, are the ones that spoke of encouragement and hope. She knows it, because every time, she gets up she sees an unusual spark of pride in his eyes for a short while. And to her, that is enough to keep her going, to make her never give up and stand again.

Neji walked confidently, his head held high and the chilly evening breeze was stroking his skin. Beside him, his cousin walked daintily, taking small careful steps. In the night's darkness, their white eyes shone, identical, but still different. Hinata walked a little bit slower, so that she can sneak a look at him. She peeked at him through her lashes and she saw his long hair, tied near the bottom to avoid being in the way, but it looked like a flowing stream on his back, she also saw the pale flesh of his neck, his broad back and the white fabric of his clothes. She had loved Neji's hair, he once told her that he kept it long for the sake of traditions, but it looks perfect on him.

She had never touched his hair, but she would love to run her fingers through them, even if it's just once, just to let her feel what it's like.

Neji noticed his cousin's paces becoming slower, he then clamped his hand around hers, hoping that she'd walk faster or else he'd be forced to drag her. The night wind is getting colder, and he's worried that Hinata might get sick, he knows that she's still exhausted, and her clothes are still a bit damp with sweat.

She snapped back to reality when she felt his hand, her face going red. She lowered down her gaze hoping that he wouldn't see the blush on her cheeks.

And silently, secretly, she immediately stored in her memory the feeling of his hand wrapped around hers.

Unbeknownst to her, Neji was looking at her, and he smirked, both confused and amused at his cousin's little antics, he knows that her face tells everything, every emotion that she felt, and all the things that she had been thinking of, even the things that she had tried to hide, it is easily shown on her innocent face, like an open book waiting to be read. That's why Hinata can never lie.

But seeing Hinata now, as he led her by the hand, he can't seem to comprehend why her cheeks are blazing furiously red.