Even now...the rain is falling in your heart...
xXx
Neji looked at the skies. It was going to rain today. And he knew what that meant. He would have to be with her.
Her name was Ame Itsunai, the girl that had come to visit the Hyuuga during the year. She was always in her room, locked up and would never come out. Throughout the whole year, Neji had to be with her while it rained. It seemed that this year, rain was falling down more than usual. The fields would flood up a bit, dry, and then it would rain again. There just was so much rain...
Neji had often asked Hiashi-sama why he had to be with Ame.
But he would always say that it was Neji's duty.
Of course, Neji had no objection to it. It didn't bother him that he was in a room with Ame. Most of the time, she was asleep in her bed anyway.
But this time...it would be different...
xXx
Neji slid the door open to Ame's room, but found that she wasn't in her bed now. She was looking out toward the rain.
"Hello Neji," she said.
Neji was surprised. Over the half-year that she had been with the Hyuuga Clan, she had never once spoken to him, until now that is. Her voice sounded non-human, almost like a robot. It just said something as if it was programmed to. But yet, it held this deep sadness that you could sense. It almost made you feel sorry for her.
"I am sorry that I've never spoken to you. I'm sorry that I've troubled you," she added, still looking toward the rain.
Neji was silent.
"It's my duty anyways," Neji replied coldly.
Silence. Only the pitter-patter of rain was heard.
"Your duty...is to yourself. Neji, you don't have to be here with me," Ame said her voice now low and showed signs of sadness. But her voice was still robotic. "After all, I am only a sick child of the Itsunai Clan. Someone who cannot care for herself, and is given little love by anyone. I don't expect to given love, because I may never be given love at all."
It surprised Neji. Often he had wondered why the Itsunai Clan dropped her off here. Now it made sense. No one wanted to care for her. No one did care for her.
For the first time, Neji felt sympathy toward someone. It was unusual for him to feel this way, and it made him nervous.
The rest of the time was silent.
xXx
Throughout the whole month, the rain had begun to drop nonstop. The fields were flooding badly and the rain made it impossible for Neji to train now.
But Neji didn't want to train. He was with Ame, and somehow, it placed his heart at ease. He found out something new about her every time he was with her. It made him confused sometimes.
"Hello Neji," Ame said in her robotic voice as Neji entered her room. It was raining again.
It was silent for the first few minutes.
"It's been raining almost forever now," Ame said.
"I know," Neji replied.
Silence again.
"Ame...may I ask why I have to be with you during the rain?"
Ame was silent for a while before answering.
"I was born...on a rainy day like this. It was then that my parents named me Ame, for the rain. However, they suddenly realized that I was born sickly, and they were petrified. My mother wanted the perfect child, beautiful and elegant, someone who was kind. My father, on the other hand, wanted a strong child. Someone would be best at being a ninja. So...when they found out that I was a sick child, they wanted to abandon me. I was always locked up in my room, only a nurse took care of me during my time of need, but even a nurse cannot replace the love needed by parents.
"The rain...has been falling upon my heart. My guess is that Hiashi-sama wants you to be with me so that that rain will stop falling. However, I doubt it."
Neji looked at Ame in silence, watching her sad beauty from afar. Then he felt something on his own heart.
It was then that Neji realized how much sorrow Ame was feeling at the moment. Suddenly, he began to see Ame's sad beauty, clearer than before. It was right there in front of him, but why couldn't he see that?
Ame stood up and turned around to look at Neji. Her eyes dulled with a hue of black as her long silver hair lay limply around her long kimono. Her mouth gave no way to a smile, but more of a frown. There was no emotion in her face...
"I'll ask Hiashi-sama to stop sending you here to keep me company Neji. Perhaps you can go back to training," Ame said, walking toward the door.
Unconsciously, Neji stood up and grabbed Ame's hand. Ame turned around and looked at the form of Neji's hand holding onto hers. It was like in a story, a fairytale. Everything was still for a moment as they stood there in silence.
"Why are you stopping me?" Ame asked, looking at Neji with her emotionless eyes.
"I don't mind being here. Besides, my thick-browed teacher won't mind," Neji said.
"Still..." Ame looked at the image of Neji's hand holding onto hers. She then pulled away. "You should be let free from Hiashi-sama."
Neji was partly surprised and partly confused. What had she meant?
"Hinata told me about you Neji. She has come into my rooms many times to talk to me about her problems. We're almost like sisters. She told me that you're the Caged Bird of the Hyuuga Family, and that you despise destiny and fate," Ame explained, her voice still dull and held no emotion. "You want so much to be freed, and I will promise to give you that freedom. Something that I may never have."
"Why would you give it to me?" Neji asked.
Ame was silent as she looked at Neji, thinking about her answer.
"To that, I have no answer. Please, just allow me to do as I please."
"As you please? Why would you be pleased?"
Ame was confusing to understand...but she was kind in her own way. She was giving Neji something that he had wanted for a long time, instead of trying to make it happen to herself.
"Because...at least I can be of use to someone. Rather than just be a mistake to the world," Ame replied. "Perhaps that is why I'm trying to help you."
Ame stared at the rain as it fell from the window, making a little waterfall.
"Rain falls on everyone's hearts, some more than others. I can sense how hard they have fallen in your heart Neji. The rain in your heart doesn't seem to stop, either is mine. But...yours is getting warmer. I can tell it's about to cease soon. I suppose you can say that I want your endless rain to come in to an end," Ame added.
"Why would you help me, when you know that I'd probably not return it?"
Ame's face showed no emotion. But her eyes swelled up as tears formed.
"To that, I have no answer," Ame said. Then she turned and looked at the rain again. "The rain is about to cease."
Neji looked, and saw that it had stopped raining.
"You can go now," Ame said.
Neji reluctantly turned and left, but first glanced at Ame before leaving.
xXx
Over the next week, the rain had ceased a bit. There were short sparkles now, which meant that Neji didn't get to go to Ame's room very often.
However, on this day, Neji had gone with his team on a mission to the Land of Waves. And then, a few hours after he had left, it began to rain...very hard.
"We're sorry that Neji isn't here Ame," Hinata said, sliding the door open to her friend's room. "But Father told me to accompany you instead."
"Thank you Hinata," Ame said in her sad mechanized voice.
Hinata smiled sadly, knowing her friend's pain and sorrow. But what Hinata didn't know, was what Neji gave to Ame when he was here with her.
Now...Ame realized what Neji gave her that she couldn't get from anyone else. No wonder Hiashi-sama wanted to Neji to accompany her during rainy days and nights. Until the rain ceased.
xXx
"It's raining," Neji said, looking up at the grey angered skies. The rain was falling hard and fast.
The first thing that came to mind was Ame. How sad was she at the moment now? How hard is the rain falling in her heart? How long has it been there?
Grief consumed Neji's heart as well as guilt.
"Neji c'mon," Lee said, running ahead toward where Gai was.
Neji halfheartedly ran to catch up with his team, all the while thinking about Ame.
xXx
"Ame, I'm going to dinner. Do you want to come?" Hinata asked.
Ame shook her head. "No thank you Hinata."
"Oh..."
Hinata turned and went out of the room, wondering if Ame was going to be ok.
Ame was left alone again. She sighed sadly to herself as she gave way to her tears. Tears that she had been hiding for all her life were now let out. Emotion was held in her voice this time. Her sadness was clearly heard in her sobs.
She looked at her bed as lightning flashed. The reflection of her kunai under her pillow was seen. She walked slowly toward it, and grabbed it, admiring its cold metal on her fingers.
"Neji...if you can hear me...please know that I don't expect to see you when the rain in my heart ends," Ame said as she placed the kunai back under her pillow.
Just then Hinata came in, and Ame turned around.
"Hinata, can you take me to Hiashi-sama?" Ame asked.
Hinata was confused, but nodded.
xXx
Two weeks had past. Neji was now returning from his mission, and he wanted to see Ame as soon as possible. Over his mission he had realized something. Ame was given to him by destiny and fate. Finally, destiny and fate were showing him some mercy.
However, he was wrong. Fate and destiny were foul, cruel creatures that showed no mercy to anyone. Even if they did, it'd only be for a moment.
"Where is Ame?" Neji asked Hiashi-sama after he had looked in Ame's room, which was empty.
"She's not here," Hiashi answered. "She went back to the Itsunai Manor."
"Where is she then?"
"Where she needs to be," Hiashi said.
It didn't make any sense. Not one word that Hiashi said was comprehendible. Nothing at all. Neji was getting frustrated.
"Will you just tell me what happened to her?" Neji asked.
"Nothing happened to her. But something will happen to you," Hiashi said. His words were now more confusing than ever. "Neji...go to Kino-sama."
Kino-sama was the head of the Branch Family. Usually, Kino-sama didn't talk to Neji that much, well, never. So...why did she need him now?
Neji said nothing more and just went toward Kino-sama's quarters. He slid the door open, and was surprised to see it.
It was like a ceremony. There was an alter, and candles were lit everywhere. At the alter was a bowl or some red liquid. Wait...was that...blood?
"Come Neji," Kino-sama said, gesturing for Neji to go to the alter.
Neji did. He stopped at the alter and stared at the blood. The thick blood was still while it waited to be wild again.
"Close your eyes," one of the maids said, who was standing beside the alter.
Neji did as he was told. Then he felt someone lifting off his headband, revealing the sign of the Caged Bird. Then he felt something being rubbed on the sign. It was a thick liquid. It was the blood.
There was that burning pain on his forehead. So hot and burning that Neji wanted to scream. But he didn't. He kept it all in.
He could feel the blood run down his temple. It felt like someone was touching him. Someone's delicate hands were touching his rough face. The first thing that came to mind was Ame.
'Ame...where are you?' Neji asked himself.
He felt the blood being wiped off, and that pain was gone now.
"Open your eyes," Kino-sama ordered.
Neji did. He looked in the mirror, and gasped.
There was no sign of the Caged Bird. Did that mean...?
"The Branch Family is finally freed," Kino-sama said with a smile.
'But how?' Neji wondered.
"You may go now Neji," Kino-sama said.
Neji got up, took his headband, and went out of the room, confused and frustrated. What was that ceremony about? And how was he freed?
Just then, Neji saw Hinata. Perhaps she had the answers to his questions.
"Neji...are you free now?" Hinata asked once she saw Neji.
"Yes. But...I still don't understand how. Do you know?"
Hinata smiled softly. Then she turned facing the ground. "Ame...didn't really go back to the Itsunai Manor."
'What?'
"That blood that was rubbed on you...was Ame's blood," Hinata continued.
It seemed as if the world had stopped right then and there.
'Ame's blood...was rubbed to get the mark off...but...I still don't understand...'
"To erase the mark of the Caged Bird, you would need to use blood from an Itsunai member. For many years, the Branch Family has tried to get the mark off by killing an Itsunai. But that always failed because the Itsunai were the best ninja in the village.
"Then there was Ame, a sickly girl who couldn't defend herself. That was why she was dropped off here, so that she may be killed and used for to get rid of the Caged Bird. But...they didn't want it to happen that way. Neji, you were sent to be with Ame, so that she may come willingly and just give up her.
"And that's what happened," Hinata ended sadly.
It all became clear now. How Ame was going to free Neji was...to sacrifice herself...and sacrifice her own life...
"So...she killed herself?" Neji asked in a quivering voice.
Hinata nodded slowly. "She...she told me to tell you that she wanted you to be free, and that...she wanted to do something for you because you were always there for her. She wanted to return her debt."
"But..."
"Here," Hinata said, handing Neji a scroll. "It was from Ame before she committed suicide."
Neji took the scroll with shaking hands, and opened it with shaking hands.
xXx
Neji,
Thank you for always being there for me. Now it's my turn to return my debt. I owe you my life Neji, for ceasing the rain, and being there when it ceased. But...that rain started again. That only way to make that rain stop, was to stop my own life. I hope you understand Neji. I only meant to free you.
I don't find my life to be of any value. However, I found that your life had value to it. And I wanted that value to remain there for all eternality.
Don't cry or be angry at me. Just simply know that I did this so that you would be happy. Please don't think of this as cruel fate, think of this as my sorrowful destiny.
Let my destiny remain sorrowful for all my life. Let your fate be happy for all your life Neji. Appreciate what I've done for you. Or else, I fear the rain may never cease at all. My heart will remain cold with sadness and my eyes will be dulled without emotion for the rest of my life.
Everything starts without meaning, but it always ends with reason. My life started without a reason at all...no value. But now it has ended with a reason, a value. I hope that I did my best to use that value.
Last of all, I want to thank you again Neji, for always being there by my side. And ceasing the rain for a moment. Thank you Neji.
-Ame
Neji wanted to cry out to the heavens to Ame, that way she would know. She would know that Neji wanted her to be freed along with him. He wanted her to be with him always, so that the rain won't start again.
But he didn't. He held the scroll with fists as he held in his tears.
Tears are like rain falling from the sky. The more the sky is saddened or angered, the more rain. Just like tears. The more the owner is saddened or angered, the more the tears will fall.
Neji rolled the scroll up again, and walked pass the sad Hinata, who had been crying since he read the letter. Deep inside, Neji wanted to cry too. He wanted to let the rain fall down.
xXx
May the rain stop falling...may your tears stop shedding...may your life have meaning...and may you be happy with that value...
---------------------
Hope you liked my first story about Neji Hyuuga! I'm sorry if it wasn't that good.