This short fanfic is dedicated to a friend of mine. We were doing fanfics for each other, and this is what I made for her, since she's a Neji fan. Enjoy!

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"There it is!" Aktiva, a 12 year old girl with dark green hair and eyes, gasped as she saw the gates of Konoha, also known as Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. She squealed in excitement, bouncing up and down. 16-year old Kurioza chuckled at her little sister's enthusiasm. "Right you are, Aktiva. Konoha at last."

"Now now, girls." Their father, Tsunu, hummed in amusement. "Let's not get too excited."

Kurioza nodded, but on the inside, she was nearly bursting with curiosity. After five days of constant travel, they had finally reached their destination. Was it as beautiful as they? Were there really four seasons? The leader of the village was called the Hokage - was he or she nice?

Aktiva was more showy with her emotions. She bounded to the gates, laughing, "Race you, fratino!"

Kurioza grinned and gave chase. Once they got to the gates, the guards halted, demanding for I.D. They flashed their passes, and after a nod of approval, ran inside. Aktiva gasped. "Wow!"

Wow indeed, thought Kurioza. Konoha was exactly what she thought: green forestry everywhere, shops and stores scattered about, both Konoha shinobi and non-shinobi strolling down the street, talking and enjoying the sunny day. Kurioza closed her eyes and drew a breath. Even though the air was the same as outside the gates, it somehow felt more refreshing. She couldn't wait for what was in store.

"It's so pretty, fratino!" Aktiva sighed out dreamily, and Kurioza hummed in assent. They turned around to see their father not too far behind, and Aktiva asked, "Oh, Patro, Patro! Can we go around and have a look?! Oh, pretty please?!"

Tsunu gave a look of reluctance, not wanting to let his most active daughter and his most curious daughter loose in new territory. However, after staring right into Aktiva's pleading puppy face, he sighed in defeat. "Hm... Alright. But please, be careful."

Aktiva grinned cheekily. "We will, Patro! We promise! Fratino, let's go, let's go, let's go!"

With that, Aktiva grabbed Kurioza's hand and proceeded in dragging her through the village. Kurioza looked back at her father and said, "We'll be fine, Patro. Don't worry about us."

Tsunu nodded in agreement, then turned to the Hokage Tower to begin his business. Meanwhile, Kurioza went through, amusingly watching her little sister bounce around, gasping and squealing with delight at all the news things. Kurioza also entertained herself by peeking through various windows or listening in to random people's conversations. When the girls passed through a nearby training ground, Kurioza saw something really interesting. She saw a group of four training, although it was the particular person in that group.

It was a man, two boys and a girl. The girl had brown hair into chinese buns and brown eyes. One boy had his hair in a bowl cut style, along with a green spandex suit, super thick eyebrows and owl eyes. The man was a grown version of the boy. What really caught Kurioza's attention, was the last boy. He had silky, black hair that went down to his lower back, and cream eyes. He was talking to the girl, and that was when he noticed Kurioza. When their eyes met, Kurioza felt her body going numb. She knew it was rude to stare, but it didn't matter right now. It felt as if they were the only two in the world. That is, until Aktiva decided to speak. "Ooh, let's go talk to them! Maybe they'll take us around the village!"

"Uh, Aktiva, I don't think - Wah!" Kurioza wasn't able to finish her sentence due to her younger sister's rough pulling. As they neared the group, Kurioza could only think of two words: Oh. No.

~~~

Neji was talking to Tenten about weapon techniques, when he felt someone staring intently at him. Looking around, he saw a girl with straight, green hair that went down to her shoulder, with her bangs concealing the entire left side of her face. This left only one eye to see, green with a lighter texture. She wore a ruffled green skirt with a flowing back that went to her ankles, along with a long sleeved sweater, green with black horizontal stripes. Over it was a sleeveless, olive green jacket with frontal buttons and a matching scarf (aka Cover Pic). She gazed at his direction, and when their eyes met, he felt his heart stop.

Her eyes held so much curiosity, so much intrigue. Neji had never met someone with such eyes, until now. It made his mind scrambled, his heart skip a beat, his soul quiver of the piercing gaze. He knew only one other gaze such as that - and that was his. It got worse when she began to be dragged his way by a girl who looks like her, except her attire being an olive dress with black shorts and matching sandals.

"Hi!" the girl announced, giving a short wave and a bright smile. "My name is Aktiva Toshimoko, and this is my fratino, Kurioza. We're new!"

Tenten squealed. "You're just about the cutest thing! Welcome to Konoha, both of you!"

Kurioza chuckled. "Thank you. We were just wandering around, getting a quick look. But my fratino wanted to have an escort of some sort, and she picked you bunch. It would really be appreciated if you showed us around."

Tenten opened her mouth to say something, but was beaten by Rock Lee, who eagerly grasped Kurioza's hands. "It would be my honor to escort such a beautiful and rare blossom such as you!"

Neji frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. Normally, he wouldn't care about his teammate hitting on girls, however futile it was. But this girl, this girl is different somehow. Seeing another person near her gave him a bubbling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Whatever this feeling was, he sure didn't like it. Kurioza sweatdropped and laughed nervously before slowly prying her hands out of Lee's, much to Neji's hidden gratitude. "Uhh, thank you?"

At last, the girl's eyes landed on Neji. She smiled brightly, and if one would peer closely, they would see a barely noticeable blush on her cheeks. Neji noticed, which caused his cheeks to taint a light pink. Kurioza held out her hand, saying, "Kurioza Toshimoko. You?"

"Neji Hyûga." Neji answered as he shook hands. The brief contact sent a spark through both their bodies, and they parted hands almost immediately, a deeper blush on their faces. While Rock Lee didn't notice, Tenten saw the exchange instantly, and snickered to herself. Well, well, she thought. What do we have here?

"So!" Tenten cut in, clapping her hands to gain attention. "You guys said you wanted a tour, right? We'll be happy to oblige!"

"Yay, yay!" Aktiva squealed, clutching Kurioza's arm and bouncing up and down. "They're gonna give us a tour, fratino!"

"Fratino?" Tenten repeated, and Kurioza explained, "It means 'sister' in our language, Esperanto."

Tenten nodded, and Neji asked, "You don't speak Japanese?"

Kurioza laughed in embarrassment. "No, I'm afraid not. Pretty sad, huh? We need to find a tutor somewhere."

"I could tutor you." Neji abruptly blurted out. Everyone peered at him in either surprise or curiosity. He tried his best not to look away, not wanting to appear shy. He didn't know why he suddenly volunteered to help Kurioza with language speaking. Something just came over him. Kurioza smiled brightly and gave a slight bow. "Thank you. That's sweet."

"~Ooh, someone likes Kurioza~" Aktiva sang, causing the Hyûga and Kurioza to blush and look away. Tenten laughed out, "Come on, let's give you that tour already."

With that, they began walking throughout Konoha. Tenten and Aktiva were in front, pointing and laughing at everything that amused them. Rock Lee was right behind them, stating youthful this and youthful that. Neji and Kurioza strolled behind, already beginning their language lesson. Kurioza would point at random things and ask for the translation, and Neji would reply. The way Kurioza acted, observing everything with undeniable wonder, made Neji smile to himself. He never saw a girl who was so interested in everything around her.

"Where are you from?" Neji asked, and Kurioza peered at him with a raised eyebrow. "Where am I from? The Village Hidden in the Rain, Amegakure."

"Why have you come here, then?" Neji questioned. Kurioza shrugged, answering, "Patro- meaning Father in Esperanto - insisted on a change of scenery. Aktiva and I agreed. It rains there all the time, making it seem drab and dull. I don't like drab and dull. It makes me bored, and when I get bored, I tend to become mischievous and get in tons of trouble."

Neji chuckled out, "Oh really?"

"Yeah." Kurioza said, then giggled. "I remember this one time I got into some serious trouble. See, Aktiva and I had a mission to go to. As we were entering enemy lines, I saw Aktiva about to step on a trip wire. Luckily I stopped her, but then I began wondering how did the trap work. Next thing you know - Bam! I was trapped in a mess of metal wires!"

"Not only that, but some explosive tags came rushing towards me. I thought I was done for, but Aktiva slashed the wires and saved my behind." Kurioza giggled again, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "I would've avoided the trap altogether, but I was really bored on the mission. Nothing was happening until after the trap."

Neji threw his head back as he let out a laugh. It made Kurioza stop and stare with wide eyes. The laugh was strong and deep. When Neji finished laughing, he noticed Kurioza was staring intently at him. A bit of pink formed on his cheeks as he looked away, mumbling, "My apologies, I hope I wasn't being rude by laughing."

Kurioza grinned and gave a laugh of her own. It was soft and harmonious, like the chiming of bells. "Oh, it's alright! I think it's funny too. My apologies for staring."

Her cheeks became tainted with a light pink blush as she smiled. "Your laugh, it's just nice. You don't seem like the type to laugh very often. So, hearing you laugh, it brings a smile to my face... That sounds weird, doesn't it?"

Kurioza sweatdropped while Neji snickered, "A bit."

As they talked some more, Tenten and Aktiva would glance back at them every so often. Tenten giggled and whispered to Aktiva, coming up with a plan that would make the two obvious lovebirds come together. Aktiva grinned and nodded eagerly, joining in. Once they were done, Aktiva bounded to Kurioza and clutched her arm. "Kurioza, Kurioza!"

"Yes, fratino? Is there something wrong?" Kurioza asked, and Aktiva grinned. "Tenten-san says there's a Fūru no Dansu coming up! It's tonight! Can you convince Patroto let us go? Please?!"

"A Fūru no Dansu?" Kurioza repeated, furrowing her eyebrows. She then turned to Neji, asking, "What is that?"

"It's translated as "Fool's Dance" (A.N. - If this is wrong, blame Google Translate App). Every year, Konoha prepares for a dance festival. There's games, performers, and other such things." Neji explained. Kurioza's eyes twinkled in curiosity, and looked back at Aktiva. "I'll try to convince Patro. No promises."

Aktiva squealed and tightly hugged her sister, thanking her many times. Kurioza laughed before patting her sister's head. Neji flashed a ghost of a smile at the two. They acted like true siblings. It reminded him of how he used to treat Hinata when he was younger. Such scorn he felt then...

No more, he thought determinedly. Never again will I do that. I will treat her like Kurioza treats Aktiva - like a beloved little sister.

The Hyûga blinked rapidly as he finally realized someone was calling him. It was Kurioza. She stared at him expectantly, as if waiting for an answer.

"What?" He grunted, his tone harsher than what he intended. Kurioza flinched ever so slightly, and it made him immediately feel guilty. He didn't want to scare her away.

"I-I was wondering," Kurioza stuttered, playing with a lock of her hair, "If you were going to, you know, go to the Fūru no Dansu as well. Tenten and Lee said they would go with Aktiva and I."

Neji's eyebrows subconsciously raised upwards. In a way, Kurioza was asking to go out with him - tonight, no less. The thought made his mind go blank. Should he say yes?

Behind Kurioza, both Tenten and Lee were nodding their heads. Neji sighed before mumbling, "Yes, whatever."

Kurioza gave a big smile and chirped, "Great! We'll meet at the Festival, ok? Aktiva and I have to go to the Hokage tower now. Bye."

Neji nodded, then watched as the Toshimoko sisters ran off. Once they were out of sight, Tenten and Lee sang, "~Neji and Kurioza, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes~~"

"Shut up." Neji grunted, stalking away. At this, his teammates merely laughed.

----

"Y-You look n-nice, Neji-kun." Hinata shyly complimented. Neji nodded, saying, "Thank you, Hinata-san."

Neji stood before a full-body mirror, checking out his attire. His clothes consisted of a dark blue male's yakata with a black obi and wooden sandals. His hair was tied in a low ponytail, and wore no headband.

He turned to his younger cousin. She wore a lilac female's yukata, with a dark violet obi and matching sakura petals along the edge of her sleeves and bottom. She also wore wooden sandals, but added a light purple fan and handbag for accessories. She had light purple eyeshadow and dark purple lipstick, along with a bit of blush on her cheeks. As a finishing touch, she tied her hair in a bun and drove two chopsticks through the bun.

"Ar-Are you ready?" Hinata asked, fiddling with her fingers. Neji nodded. "Yes. Let's go."

Hinata nodded back, then followed the older Hyûga out of the room and out of the compound. They strolled down the street, towards the party that laid in the middle of the village. As they walked, more and more people began crowding the street, dressed in wide variety of colorful yukatas. Lines of lit lanterns hung from building to building, and small shops and stands were open and calling to the public. Villagers, both shinobi and non-shinobi, talked and laughed freely. Some played little arcade games that were set up; some ate festival eatery; others merely walked around, enjoying the festivities.

"Oh, th-there's your t-team..." Hinata pointed out with a finger. Following the finger's path, Neji indeed saw his team not too far away. Along with then were Kurioza and Aktiva, laughing and talking animatedly. Neji sucked in a breath when he saw Kurioza.

Her yukata was a dark green with a light green obi; red and light green flowers dotted all over. Her long olive hair was wrapped in a french braid, with two wavy bangs on either side of her face, framing it. She wore light green eyeshadow and a bit of blush, along with soft pink lip gloss. Her eyelashes had been made more voluminous with mascara, and her eyes brighter with eyeliner. She had a fan in her hand which she used to lightly tap Aktiva on the head.

"Sh-She's really pretty..." Hinata commented softly, pulling Neji away from his thoughts. He nodded. "Indeed."

"You l-like her, don't y-you?" She asked, looking at her older cousin. The response was delayed before he answered, "I don't."

Hinata said nothing after that, merely stared at the girl for a little while longer. Kurioza certainly caught her cousin's eye, even though he denies it.

"Hey Neji, Hinata! We're over here!" Tenten called with a wave, finally seeing the 16-year old male Hyûga. Kurioza looked to where the two Hyûga cousins were, then blushed at the sight of Neji. She quickly hid it behind her fan as she thought, He looks so... so handsome.

Neji and Hinata walked over to the small group. Tenten grinned as she placed her hands on Kurioza's shoulders. "Doesn't Kurioza-chan look adorable? Me and her went shopping for this, you know."

"Hey!" Aktiva cried with a pout. "Don't forget about me!"

Aktiva wore a light green yukata with pink swirls everywhere and a matching obi. She didn't put on any makeup, just a purse and a pink fan.

Tenten giggled. "Of course, Aktiva-chan! Oh, Hinata-chan, you haven't them, have you? Meet Kurioza and Aktiva Toshimoko. Girls, this is Hinata, Neji's younger cousin."

"It's so nice to meet you, Hina-chan! Your yukata is so pretty!" Aktiva said, with Kurioza smiling and nodding in agreement. Hinata blushed heavily at the compliment and gave a small smile. "Th-Thank you. I must s-say, you look rather adorable y-yourself."

Aktiva giggled. "Thanks!"

"So, shall we get this Fūru no Dansu started?" Lee asked, looking at everyone. Kurioza smiled. "Yes, we shall."

With that, everyone began to enjoy the Fūru no Dansu. Tenten, Hinata, and Aktiva went off to dance; Lee left in search of his sensei. So, it was Neji and Kurioza left. For a moment, they just awkwardly stood there, gazing at everything but each other. They once caught each other's eye, and quickly looked away. Kurioza sighed. "Standing here will get us nowhere. Let's just walk around, ok?"

Neji nodded in assent. They strolled the festival, merely looking at the bright lights and arcade games. Kurioza ate a sakuramochi and squealed in delight. She then ate other sweets, such as mitarashi dangos and anko bean soup. All were things Kurioza never eaten before, so it amused Neji to no end to see her reactions of awe.

He even won her a stuffed panda. He noticed her staring at the creature with longing eyes, causing him to play the arcade game that contained. It was simple kunai precision, so Neji succeeded with ease. The look of jubilation on the green haired girl's face brought a smile on his lips. He liked her smile; it was so bright and cheery, like a ray of sunshine.

What they did next was the dancing. It took Kurioza a while, but she managed to convince the stoic Hyûga to have one dance with her. The entire time, Neji's cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as he constantly stumbled. It amused Kurioza; she simply couldn't stop laughing.

At long last, the Fūru no Dansu was nearing to a close. Everyone agreed on going up a hill and watching fireworks from there. Nearly the entire gang was present: Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Tenten, Lee, Aktiva, Kurioza and Neji (A.N. - Tell me if I'm missing anyone. I purposely didn't include Sasuke because he was still defected from Konoha).

"What are fireworks?" Kurioza asked as she still on the grass, her legs pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Neji sat and leaned back on his arms, one leg stretched out while the other was propped up. He chuckled, "Just wait and see."

Kurioza merely nodded, staring up at the sky curiously. A moment after, a stream of light traveled upwards before exploding in a mass of blue and purple. The sudden eruption caused Kurioza to squeak in surprise and huddle near Neji, clutching his yukata tightly. His cheeks tainted a light pink, and his eyes never left her face, just as hers didn't stray from the colored blasts that lit up the night sky. Her eyes were wide, lips were slightly parted in silent astonishment. Neji smiled for maybe the hundredth time that night; he seemed to smile more now that she was around.

"They're so beautiful," Kurioza whispered breathlessly, "I've never seen or heard of fireworks in Amegakure. I'm so glad I came here..."

Neji couldn't stop himself from responding, "As am I."

At this, Kurioza gazed at the Hyûga in a questioning manner. She then blushed as she suddenly realized the meaning of those words and looked down at the grass. Neji initially thought his words upset her, until he noticed the small smile dancing on her lips.

He wordlessly grasped her chin with his index finger and thumb, and tilted her face towards him. She gazed at him with curious eyes, taking in every single detail of his face. His cream colored eyes, defined chin, sculpted cheekbones, soft lips. Especially his lips. Oh, how she wanted to press her lips against his...

Neji had the same thought. Her round cheeks and plump lips made his mind go whirling.

Neither of them realized that they were slowly leaning towards each other. It wasn't until their lips brushed did they notice how close they were. It was too late then. With both closing their eyes, they completed the kiss.

It sent sparks down their spine and throughout their body. They quickly forgot about everyone else, the fireworks, the Fūru no Dansu. The only thing that mattered was them. Both wished that they could freeze time at that moment, so that it would last forever.

Of course they had to breathe, and so pulled away, slightly out of breath. Both of their faces were flushed, and smiles tugged on their lips.

"Ooh, would ya look at that!" Naruto laughed as he pointed to the couple. Everyone else looked his way and began whistling and hooting and hollering. Kurioza's blush grew wider and deeper, as did Neji's. He then rolled his eyes and used Kurioza's fan to veil their faces and kissing her again. Nonetheless, the gang were still laughing and joking, although everyone was happy that Neji finally found someone.

Indeed Neji Hyûga, the stoic Hyûga of the Branch Family, finally found that special girl that suited him. And there was no way he was going to let her go anytime soon.

~~~~

The phrases I used in this fanfic were from a language called Esperanto. Although not widely known in the United States, it's quite common in South America and other places I forgot. Here are some translations:

Patro - Father

Fratino -Sister

Aktiva - Active

Kurioza - Curious

Also, if anyone wants me to write a fanfic romance, I'd be happy to oblige. If you want a character with one of my OCs, then cool. If not, then just tell me the pairing, and also the theme if you have one. I've babbled enough for today. Ciao!

~MerciLani ;)