Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

This collection is dedicated to WhiteGems, who introduced me to this pairing.

Neji took to lurking around the corner whenever Hinata made her salves. He didn't want to disturb her with his presence, but today, that thought had flown out the window and he decided that he wanted to see her while she worked. He'd just returned from an especially tiring mission and wanted to keep her in his sights for as long as he possibly could, before sleep eventually claimed him. She didn't seem to mind, as she went about making her salves for all of the small clan children that always walked around with fresh bruises on their hands because of their inexperience.

He leaned against the wooden doorframe of their traditional home right in the center of the Hyuga compound and simply… watched. Healing came to her in a way that combat took years to, and she reveled in every second she spent doing it. He reveled, too, in the contentedness in her eyes.

If she was happy, then that was all that mattered.

When he was younger, Neji thought that he belonged in the wild, dark heart of the forest. Thought that if given the choice, he would choose to be lost in the throes of battle with enemies surrounding him, so he could show them the true might of the Hyuga's Branch House. He certainly thrived in those places, in those bloody and restless times where only his instincts could guide him, but belonged? No. Looking at her now, he knew exactly where he was meant to be.

This was more than his duty or his obligation—this, right here, was his life's purpose. His place on this planet. To love and to protect her with every ounce of strength he had inside of him. Power overflowed from his very being, and he devoted all of it to her. Not a single speck was held back. Because there would be no one else for him. He didn't want anyone else. There was no one more worthy of his hard-earned respect or his tacit affection. If such a person were to ever come along, then he doubted it would be during this lifetime. Doubted more that the feelings within him would waver, despite it.

Hinata didn't need his protection anymore. But if he was ever relieved of his duties, he would, quite frankly, refuse. Not with kindness or the firm manner he usually spoke in, but with a ferocious undertone that would make the offending party see just how ridiculous the mere notion of it was to him. He couldn't see himself doing anything else at this point. Neither did he have the desire to.

Neji didn't want his purpose stripped from him. His world started and spun around her—and her alone. It had since the moment he'd met her all of those years ago, and although he'd lost himself somewhere along the way, he had found himself, too. And he was made better because of it.

There was strength in hate, but there was also strength in love.

All of the rage and pent-up frustration he once held inside of him made him cherish her all the more. All of the times he had hurt her, cautioned him from never intentionally doing so again. The times he raised his voice—but more often—his hand against their enemies was done so in her name, bearing in mind not only his, but also her honor. Their shared pride as members of the esteemed Hyuga.

Neji trembled at the idea that she might've gone to another because of his wild disregard as an adolescent. That he might've ruined what they had now because he had been too blinded by something that seemed so stupid now that he looked back on it. But he quickly shook his head of the thought, before it could ruin the tranquility of this precise moment, where she was his and no one else's.

He needed her. More than the earth and sky, and he wouldn't allow his own insecurities to well up and shatter the right she gave him to be by her side… no matter how much he wanted them to. Because she'd be sad if he did, and he couldn't bear the thought of being the cause of another frown on her face.

People said that someone always loved more in a relationship, and in this one, it was him. But he didn't think that was true. Hinata loved just as deeply. And whether others saw it or not, Hinata needed him just as much. Because while Hinata was strong enough to continuously bend and take on all of the horrors that the world threw at her, Neji provided the support she needed so she could stand again after. So she wouldn't twist all the way, turning over herself like a sail cracked half-mast. Ropes gone to the wind.

He was her guardian.

More than that, he was simply hers.

No matter how much the world around them changed that would remain a steady truth.

The flickering oil lamp on her desk shined gold, as he fell into a seat beside her. His hand brushed against her neck. Hinata turned to smile at him in that gentle way that he didn't think he deserved. It never failed to clear all of the dusky corners of his mind and fill them with love.

"Neji," she called. Hinata brought her hand up to caress his cheek. The ring on her finger glinted in the sparse light. "Can I help you?"

When they were alone, he was prone to randomly saying things that made her flare a vivid scarlet. This time was no exception.

"I didn't live before I met you."

A/N: I'm considering requests. Send them, and I'll do whatever I find interesting. If it's accepted, you'll get a PM saying that it is. I don't reply to anons anymore because I don't want to lengthen my fics with replies, so if you're not signed in and you ask a question, don't expect a response. I will still, however, consider anon requests. I have an ItaHina collection similar to this titled, Adoration, if anyone is interested in that.

If you'd like to check out my writing beyond fanfiction, then I have a fantasy series up for sale. URL on profile.

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