||My Little Bird|| [Neji Hyuga x OC]

Chapter Eleven

Throughout the entire meeting, Kimiko was chilled to the bone by Shino's words. Sasuke, knowing her original identity, wasn't too fond of her either, not until she proved her purpose here. If bug boy knew, he would probably spread suspicion about her, leading to her capture by the Anbu, leading to her failed mission, to her never seeing her brother Kai again, and her lost memories never being found-

"Kimiko?" A deep voice called out to her, sort of worried by the tone. She managed to snap out of her trance, realizing that her face was drawn with a sort of lost and forlorn look. "Are you okay?" Neji asked, observing her as she quickly snapped out of it and gave him a smile.

"Yea, fine. It's just...is Shino always that cryptic?" Kimiko said with a sort of eyebrow raised, and drew his attention towards the gray cloaked Genin. "He's not a talker, I can tell, but..."

"Shino Aburame, Team Kurenai. His subordinates would be Kiba Inuzuka and...Hinata Hyuga. He excels in ninjutsu, using bugs and bending them towards his will. The Aburame clan has a connection with those beetles, I'm guessing it's a family thing." He leaned back against the seat, arms crossed to his chest. "Yea, he doesn't talk much. Don't be too concerned on what he says, he's always like that." Neji assured her with a gentle glance to her. Kimiko looked back at him, nodding her head and beamed like she would to tell him she was alright. But...she couldn't help but shoot a cautious look towards Shino.

"Thanks for telling me. When should we be going back?" Kimiko said lightly, leaning towards him and talking with a small voice. She didn't want to stay any longer, in the room with the strange Aburame who seemed to be watching her every move. Occasionally, she would find a beetle or two on the edge of her plate, hiding in the shadows. Neji seemed to notice as well, and gave Shino an annoyed look as he attempted to scold him for being shady.

"Now is a good time. But where to?" The Hyuga said with a low voice, and leaned back to give the two some room. He had been thinking about her to take her to places, like the hot spring or the old library. Maybe even the Academy, it would have been nice to tour her around the playground he had once played in. With a far away look in his eyes, Neji managed to crack a smile, and looked her way.

Kimiko hesitated for a long while, thinking. A good place to visit around Konoha, but she also needed to gather more insight in his home. The best place to lead Neji to, end his life and such. Strangely, though expected, she didn't seem to warm up to the idea like she used to. It felt...cold. Heartless.

But then, that is what she always did when exterminating her missions.

So Kimiko's brain got to work, thinking of all the places for her own benefit in hurting the Hyuga boy. "How about your compound? Would that be okay?" She smiled from ear to ear, feeling foreign on her face but natural to everyone else.

"The Hyuga compound?" Neji gave her a strange look, but slowly nodded his head. He supposed she could do no harm. Though he knew she was strong, he had faith in his abilities. He could take her down in one blow. With a reluctant sigh, he spoke. "Fine. Just...don't touch anything. I don't want your hands dirtying every piece of furniture in there."

"Of course I won't! I know my manners, you know, I wasn't raised by pigs..." Kimiko scoffed, but the edges of her mouth curled into a smile. She remembered, pieces and bits, but she remembered that her father had told her a lady was supposed to be observative, even more so than men because they were the quieter gender. She remembered that he said she should be watching everything, remembering little details, and that the key to a person's soul was their room. Everything a person loved, disliked, or despised would be shown there. For instance, the moment she walked into Sasuke's room, Kimiko could tell that he was a barren wasteland, dead set on one goal in mind that was pretty obvious to everyone else; to kill Itachi. With a determination like that, she easily deciphered his loneliness, sparking a small pinprick of sympathy in her. All those times when they were younger, she had assumed, were not strong enough to hold him together over the years it had seemed. His weakness, his family, had been exposed and terminated...rendering the boy she once called a brother into a vengeful little...fleshy thing.