Neji frowned as he began his trip back to the Hyuuga house, agitated, annoyed, and in utter mental pain. It wasn't that he minded being a jounin, no, not that at all. It was the fact that he hated children, and that he was getting assigned to three snot-nosed brats the next morning. He wanted to stand up to the Hokage and say straight to her face, How can I help them? They arent even from the Hyuuga clan! But being the respectful, stoic, young man that he was, Neji wasnt going to do that.
No, there were other ways to complain. His ways to complain. Like torturing Hinata. But it wasn't like he could actually DO that. Because if he DID try to do THAT, the irritating, green, cursed mark on his forehead would start stinging and making a little Eee noise that annoyed him down to hell, and then this would make his killing intent for the Head Family worse, which would make the mark hurt more, and so on and so on. A never ending cycle of pain for poor Neji.
But still.
Hinata.
She hadn't been on his mind lately, with all of the A-Rank missions and all, but she had wormed her way into his thoughts that evening, and now he was stuck thinking about her. What was so great about HER? She was weak; he was strong. She was shy and meek, while he was cool and collected (Well, he lost his cool once in the Chuunin exams, but we dont need to talk about that). So why wasn't he the superior one. Why wasnt HE the one that was referred to as sama? Why wasnt HE the heir to the Hyuuga clan?
Neji realized that, while walking, his fists had curled so that his fingernails were digging deeply into his flesh, and any moment now he expected to see blood dripping down onto his knuckles. Slowly, he unlatched his claws from his palms and drew in a deep breath. His anger ceased, but his thoughts still lingered about Hinata.
Nejis mind wandered back to when he had been a Genin, and when he had trained with Hiashi. And what Hiashi, the leader of Hyuuga clan, had said
"If Hinata were here, I would ask you to watch over her," Hiashi said.
"What? Hinata-Sama?" Neji responded, obviously surprised.
"It would help you with your training." Hiashi stood up and placed his cup of tea on the tray, and then stalked away without another word.
Watchover
Nejis frown deepened. What had Hiashi meant when he had said that? Had he actually expected HIM to protect Hinata? His arch foe. Hyuuga Hinata of the Head Family?
As. If.
Sighing, Neji shifted the leather pack on his back that held some paperwork he had to fill out that night. Oh joy. Fun, fun. In no hurry to get home, Neji took slow, paced steps, and his wits were still off wondering about Hinata.
She had always had this crush on a blonde, whom he considered dumb, hyper boy named Naruto, who was sadly now the only Genin of the original rookies of the Chuunin exams. Neji, TenTen, and Lee weren't rookies, but it had been their first time taking the exam.
Sadly, however, Naruto had defeated him in the main matches with a basic technique. Thats what constant babbling had gotten Neji, and he had gotten a lecture about drop-outs in return. Then again, his losing had earned him the truth about the fate of his father. So, it had been a win-lose situation.
Neji paused; he had arrived at his destination, the two gates that read Hyuuga towering above him. He took a few steps forward, and pushed the doors open with ease. In front of him was a large training platform that led to the main house, and onward from there the smaller wings and gardens.
The brown-haired Hyuuga removed his shoes before getting onto the walkway that encircled the platform, only to hear a faint weeping. He ignored it at first, assuming it was Hanabi or a younger child that was tired of training and needed a break. But the closer he got to his room, the louder the crying became, and Neji was able to tell that he or she was older than twelve, at least.
Although uninterested, he didnt want to put up with whimpering and listening to a sob-story about Hiashi's hard training and no time to catch my breath at all tales on the way to his room. So in the end, out of sheer boredom and irritation; Neji activated his bloodline.
Byakugan!
Neji easily spotted the source, but it was hard to believe.
It was Hinata.
And she was right in his pathway to his room. Oh, what a glorious, peaceful night this had turned out to be. But still, it bothered him that Hinata was crying. The Byakugan couldn't tell what she was crying over; it could only outline her shape. And sure, Hinata was shy and considered feeble, but she was fifteen and rarely cried.
Neji deactivated the Byakugan, exhaled, and continued towards his room. Ten steps until Hinata. Eight steps. Six steps. Four steps.
Nejis eyes widened at the site before him.
Hinata's small shoulders were shaking uncontrollably, and she had a blue ribbon tied tightly around her throat, which was an obvious clue that she was attempting suicide. Her hands, also trembling, were clasped around the ends, ready to pull and strangle the girl to her death.
"Hinata-Sama. Please do not do that in front of me. I was told to protect you."
Hinata let go of the ribbon, and she quickly turned to look at Neji. "Neji-nii-san! "She paused and stared at him for a moment. "I-Im sorry. I-I t-thought you werent going to be h-home." Hinata's body racked with sobs, and her voice was smaller than usual.
Neji was on full alert. What had caused this? Had she been abused? Physically? Emotionally? His mind raced, and his heart was pounding rapidly. If something happened to her, he and the other members of the Branch Family would be severely punished.
"What happened?" He demanded, not bothering to use honorifics.
Hinata had stopped crying for a moment, but her eyes welled up with tears again, and they spilled over her already red face.
Neji nodded with patience, but it was thinning quickly. His hatred for the Head Family had begun to burn again at the thought of punishment, and he didnt want to lose control agian.
"I-Its Naruto-kun." She managed to sputter, "I-I saw him. He was with S-Sasuke, and they were, w-were," Hinata was sobbing now, and her face was buried in her hands.
Neji grabbed her left arm roughly, his normal personality taking over. "I cant hear you if your face is in your arms," He said, but his deep tone made it sound more like an order. Now, what were they doing?
Hinata bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears. "K-k-kiss..". Neji nodded impatiently. "K-k-kiss" Hinata was stuttering horribly, "K-k-kissing!" A loud sob made her cough and Neji let go of her arm, only to let Hinata cover her face again.
"I-I thought I could improve myself. Make myself better. So that Naruto-kun would n-notice me more." Hinata sniffed, "B-but I wasn't good enough!"
Neji brow furrowed. Isnt Sasuke a missing nin? Unless He shuddered inside his mind. It wasnt the first time he had seen two boys. In fact, he had seen the Kazekage Gaara and Rock Lee only a few nights before. Neji took a seat next to Hinata, trying to sort out what had happened so far. Why did this effect Hinata so much? She had known that Naruto had liked Sakura so much, and this didnt seem much different.
"Why are you so upset? He liked Sakura, didnt he?" Neji couldn't understand. There was a new feeling in his chest. It couldnt be. But was it..? Sympathy?
"Y-yeah. But this is different," Hinata squeaked, "If Naruto-kun loves a b-boy, that makes me," She swallowed, "L-lower than that I'm not worth anything."
Neji's eyes broadened noticeably. He had thought that Hinata had gained much more self confidence, but this seemed to have downgraded it to nothing. He remained silent. What word had she used? If Naruto loves a boy. Love, he had forgotten about that. Neji could barely remember the meaning of the word. The last time he had loved was when his father was still alive. His mouth tightened at this memory, but he shook it off.
"Hinata-Sama," Neji looked at the floor. His hand was considerably close to Hinata's; perhaps he should place his hand on hers to make her feel better? But what if she took it the wrong way? And..Then..Well, he didn't want to think about that.
Ignoring temptation, Neji withdrew his hand from the ground and ran it through his hair, gazing at Hinata with new interest. His eyes stopped on her eyes, in which lavender met lavender. Neji looked away quickly, embarrassed by the surprise eye contact.
Hinata was still crying, but softer now, and her trembling had almost stopped completely. But not for long. Her brain told her over and over, You aren't good enough. No one likes you. Don't you realize that? You don't deserve to live, you pathetic excuse for a Hyuuga clan member! Hinata rolled her tongue around in her mouth, catching an occasional glance of Neji. Neji hated her; she knew that. And how did she know everyone else didn't? Her eyes became wet again, and she slowly picked up the ribbon.
"N-no one likes me," She murmured so that she thought only she could hear." N-no one"
Hinata placed it behind her neck, one end in each hand. Twisting it around her neck and ready to pull, Hinata took one long look at Neji. She thought it would be the last person she saw. No one likes.......
Hinata swallowed, and when she assumed Neji wasn't paying attention, tugged as hard as she could, and would hold it there
Two hands, both larger than hers, made her drop the ribbon, and pulled her closer to their body. Realizing it was Neji, she tried to draw back, but his grip was strong. He pulled her against him so that their mouths were brushing against each others cheeks, and what Hinata heard made her cheeks flush visibly pink.
"I like you," Neji said....

To Be Continued.....