Lost & Found

Adopted By The Hyuga

Naomelli stands in the entry gate to a beautiful, large house. A man with long dark hair walked from inside the house to greet them.

"Hello Hiashi. Nice to see you." Kakashi says politely.

"You as well, Kakashi. You must be Naomelli. My name is Hiashi Hyuga. You will be staying here with my two daughters, my nephew, and myself."

"Thank you for inviting me to stay with your family, Mr. Hyuga..." She offers a slight bow.

"Such lovely manners!" He laughs. "But please, don't bow for me, Naomelli. Now, come, meet the others." Kakashi leaves, and Hiashi walks her into the house. "Hinata, Neji, and Hanabi, come here, please."

The three come into the room moments later and see Hiashi and Naomelli sitting on cushions on the floor. The three sit as well.

"Neji, I believe you already met Naomelli..."

"Naomelli? The girl from the river. You look... Better now." Utterly gorgeous is what he wanted to say, but he wouldn't dare to be so bold.

"Yes, they were very helpful at the hospital." She says softly.

"Neji, Hinata, Hanabi, Naomelli will be staying here with us." Hanabi nods as does Neji and Hinata. "Hinata, show Naomelli to the room at the end of the hall, in between you and Neji's."

"Yes, father." Hinata stands. "It is nice to meet you, Naomelli. Would you like something to drink before I show you your room?"

"No, thank you very much, but I'm fine. It's nice to meet you as well, Hinata."

Hinata shows Naomelli into a room. It was spacious and had a lot of natural sunlight. There was a comfortable looking bed, a dressar for her clothes, a desk and a bookshelf. It was so home like.

"I hope you like the room..." Hinata says softly.

"Yes, it's wonderful. Thank you. And Hinata... Naruto said that you and the other girls gave me the clothes. I really thank you for being so kind and welcoming."

"Oh, it's nothing. That dress looks much nicer on you than it did on me." Hinata smiles.

"This one was yours? Thank you, Hinata, really."

"It's no problem. I'll leave you to get settled in. Do you need anything?"

"No, thank you." She smiled as Hinata walked off.

She sat on the bed and looked around the room. It was nice here. She couldn't wait to see what life would be like here.

She set all of her clothes up in the dressar and placed her books on the desk.

A while later, she heard a knock on the door. "Come in." Neji opens the door. "Hello, Neji."

"Hello, Naomelli. Firstly, I wanted to tell you that I hope you aren't upset about how I reacted by the river. I simply didn't know if you were an enemy or not. So, I apologize."

"I accept your apology, though it isn't necessary. I understand completely. I would have reacted similarly in that situation. Caution is important, after all."

"Thank you. Also, Lord Hiashi asked me to let you know that dinner is ready."

"Oh, thank you." She smiles and walks beside him.

They all kneel on cushions around the table and begin to eat. They were eating rice with pork and vegetables with some kind of gravy.

"Mr. Hiashi, this is the most wonderful meal I've ever had." She says kindly as she sips her glass of water.

"Well, thank you, but it's nothing special." He replies. He instantly realizes that this girl has been held captive by Orochimaru for thirteen years. It would be a miracle if she ate even bread more than every few days. His face automatically softened.

They all finish dinner and go to bed. Naomelli lays in her bed, tossing and turning. She couldn't sleep. She lays there a little while longer, trying to fall asleep. It was no use.

She stood up and walked over to her desk and turned on the table lamp. She opened the first book and started reading.

Before she knew it, she woke to a knock on the door. She jumped awake and muttered, "Yes?"

When the door opened, she saw Mr. Hiashi. "Did you fall asleep reading?" He asked her.

"Yes, sir..." She rubbed her eyes. "I couldn't sleep."

"I hope the bed is comfortable enough." He says kindly.

"Oh yes, sir. It's very comfortable. I slept on a metal bed with just a small blanket for thirteen years. This is wonderful." She says reassuringly. 

"Why couldn't you sleep then?" He asks, concerned.

She smiles. "I'm just so excited for when they'll let me test to be a ninja. I want to make sure I'm ready. My jutsu is very practiced, but I haven't had schooling at all... I've held on hope for thirteen years that I could come back home. Even after I realized my whole clan was killed. I never stopped dreaming of coming back. I have to pay my way here. I want to be a ninja, protect the village, and everything a Leaf resident does. This was always my home." She shed a couple of tears but turned away from Hiashi and wiped them away.

He paused. He was never good with words, comfort, and all those things. "Well... You're a kind young lady. I'm sure you'll make friends. And I'm sure those friends will be happy to help you train."

She smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Hiashi."

"Why don't you explore the village. Try to meet some of the other kids."

She nodded. "I'm just going to wash up and get dressed."