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

Chapter Nine

[Hey! Yea, the part where Kimiko meets everyone isn't really in this chapter, but I promise! It is in the next! I just didn't want to make this part too long? And I kinda felt rushed to publish it... > < I'm sorry! But I hope you guys enjoy! ^^

-Rei-chan]

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Kimiko woke up as Sasuke roughly pulled her out of bed. He seemed pissed off more that usual, his sharingan on. Shit. Genjutsu is out.

"Sasuke!" Kimiko pushed him off, reaching for her blades. "What the hell?!"

"How are you doing it?" He growled, a kunai knife pointed at her as he pinned one of her wrists to the wall.

"Doing what?!" She said with wide eyes, quickly slicing a cut on Sasuke's arm, which released his grip on her wrist.

"The genjutsu, Kimiko! If that's even your name..." Sasuke covered the cut on his arm. He knew he had her cornered, but she was armed. And two katanas are something not to be taken lightly.

"W-What genjutsu? Please, I just woke up..." Kimiko murmured, rubbing her eyes with exaggerated effect.

"You slip up once, I'm bound to notice. Of course I lied, but trust me. The instant that you make anything more suspicious, the Anbu will be on you like bees to honey." He smiled dryly. "Now about you. Start talking, why don't you? Before Neji and Tenten makes their way here."

Kimiko hesitated, confirming Sasuke's suspicions that she, of course, knew. With a reluctant sigh, she slowly started talking. "How much did you see?"

"Enough to know that you're dangerous and not who you seem to be. While you were going to wake, that first night, I snuck into your room and found a dark haired girl lying in the futon instead of the girl you said you were. With such bad timing, I wasn't able to see your face. But I managed to snip of a lock of hair, and handed it to the Hokage for analysis." He smirked. "You won't be murdering anyone else soon."

"If you saw my face, would you have reacted the way you are?" Kimiko said with nervousness in her voice. With Neji, Tenten, and Sasuke....she had to finish the job. Now or never. The bluff was over. The only choice she had now is to release the genjutsu and make him trust her, or to kill him and hide the body.

Of course the former.

She slowly reached into the pocket of her loose pants, pulling out the chakra orb. "If I release this genjutsu now, you better not try and kill me on sight. I doubt you will." She mumbled the last part, looked up to meet Sasuke's sharp glare, and reluctantly broke the orb.

Almost immediately, her genjutsu as Kimiko Houra wore off, her hair lengthening and darkening to their natural purple color. Her eyes also darkened and retained their slitted forms, and her clothes clung loosely to her body. She returned to her natural state.

Sasuke's glare only worsened. "So I see you're in league with Itachi?"

"What? Since when was he pulled into this?" Kira crossed her arms with a sort of deadpan expression. "Really, no formal hello?"

"She's dead." Sasuke growled, as if it was a fact. "There's no kind of way to being a person back from the dead without-"

"Yes, without their side effects, I get it. But did the Anbu ever find my body?" Kira raised her eyebrow, half curious. Since she didn't retain all her memories yet, some parts were shady.

"No...none of the third generation Uzuki members were found." Sasuke said hesitantly. "But it is the Hokage's orders to kill you."

"Then can't you talk some sense into him? The only reason I'm here was to visit Konoha. Of course, in a different form, but still. I couldn't go here as myself!" Kira took a deep breath. "Here. Let me live, and we can talk to the Hokage, I'm sure he would understand. Do you believe me?"

His eyes still nailed daggers down her figure, calculating her every move, every word. She couldn't tell if he believe her, but the kunai knife was slowly lowered. "Fine. But any suspicious things from you, and there will be a fight." Sasuke, reluctantly sighed, putting the kunai knife back into his pocket. "I don't doubt you, Kira. It's just too much of a coincidence for you to appear in such a timing as the culling of the clans."

"I know. But when you're on the run, what can you do?" Kira was finally able to breath normally. "And please, don't tell anyone else."

"Of course not." Sasuke opened his mouth to say something else slightly reassuring, but stopped. "...your friends are here." He frowned slightly, as if not expecting them to come here as soon as they did. "They've been here for a while, it seems..."

While he left to get Neji and Tenten, Kira quickly shoved the chakra orb down her pocket. As much as she loved waltzing around Konoha as herself, she couldn't risk the mission.

"Hey~!" Tenten popped up from behind the screen door, nearly scaring the living shit out of her.

"Ah!" Kimiko yelled, but faltered towards the end awkwardly as she realized who it was. "Dammit, it's too early in the morning for this..." She pouted slightly, but broke into a smile.

"Your room is...bland." Neji said from behind Tenten, Byakugan activated. His head wound was covered in a little patch of gauze under his headband, but from his smile she could tell he was feeling much better. "It's nice being out of that cramped hospital. Smelled of vomit all day."

"Neji!" Kimiko smiled brightly. "You feeling alright?"

"Yea, a little headache, but I'm more worried about how today will go. Let me prep you." Neji walked in the room, taking in more of her room and nodding with approval. "All you really need to know before we go meet them is that you should never call Choji fat, even though he is. He'll murder you without hesitation. Ino and Sakura are two of Sasuke's craziest fangirls. They'll want to use you to grant passage to his room, his home, etc." he said lazily, and for some reason, started to fold up her futon. "What, did you just wake up?" He said with a slight frown.

"Sakura and Ino aren't that bad! ...better than other fangirls, at least. Their enemies too, so expect a lot of bickering!" Tenten said with an eyeroll and a smile.

"Stop that." Kimiko scoffed, pulling Neji's attention away from the half folded futon. "Yes, I just woke up as Sasuke and you two barged into my room. Now can we please get a move on?" She couldn't hold in the excitement that was bubbling inside of her, grabbing her black katana blades and brushing passed Tenten to the door.

"Alright, alright. Calm down! We've got plenty of time before going to the barbecue shop." Neji said with what seemed like an annoyed sigh, but Kimiko saw it as otherwise. She shook her head with a careless demeanor, and Tenten quickly rushed to catch up to the two.

"Where to first then? I haven't been to Konoha at all since the exchange, so...might as well show me around as we go there." Kimiko said, with a hop to her step as she stepped out of the Uchiha gates. The memory of Sasuke pinning her to the corner of the room and calling her out on her genjutsu soon quickly resurfaced however, and she instinctively touched the chakra orb in her pocket, her little hop slowing to a hesitant walk.

Neji did seem to take notice, a small glance to her pocket, and soon took note of it. "Might as well show you the little dango shop. It's not much-"

"The dango shop! It's the best place in Konohagakure! It's the best place period!!" Tenten gasped excitedly, eyes growing big. "It's the first place my dad took me to when I was little and got my first haircut outside of home! And it's right next to the hot spring! Tsunade likes staying there after she gambles..." She sighed wistfully, going on and on about the little shop and spring. Kimiko laughed lightly, enjoying how happy Tenten seemed to be. Neji took note of how oddly familiar the sound of her laugh was. A far away kind of lullaby, a catchy song that he didn't know the title to...