DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO, THIS IS JUST A FANFIC!
This is just a short NejixNaru thing, one shot.
Note: The time frame for this is just slightly different; the Sasuke retrieval squad happened before the chuunin exams, and Neji is the same age as Naruto.
Hope you enjoy! Please review!
/
The Never in Forever
The hall was silent except for the abrupt beeping of the screen.
The names flashed past faster than the human eye could see, and the remaining genin in the preliminaries of the chuunin exams held their breath.
The screen finally settled on two names.
There were gasps throughout the room.
No, Neji Hyuga thought to himself. Anything but this.
His worst nightmare was coming into play right in front of him.
Neji was fearless and confident, not to mention a fantastic ninja; probably the best in his year level.
But the two names in front of him took his breath away, and for a moment, he couldn't speak.
Uzumaki Naruto
Vs
Hyuga Neji
Neji looked around the room in search of the boy he was supposed to be fighting. He looked over to the remainder of team 7, but saw only Sakura and Kakashi standing there.
Neji froze when he felt a hand on his back. It was a gentle touch, familiar to the genin.
He turned to see Naruto. He wouldn't look Neji in the eyes, and kept his head down.
But it didn't stop Neji from seeing the blank expression on Naruto's face. Neji, though, knew it was a facade; he could see beneath his mask, and there he saw only pain.
Exactly what Neji was feeling.
It only lasted for a single moment, his touch, but then he continued on down the stairs to the fighting area.
Neji had to force his body to move, a few seconds later, to follow him.
/
"Begin." The proctor said, but there was only silence.
The two opponents stood there, facing each other, but didn't move.
Neji's hands shook. He could barely form a fist with his fingers. He looked over at the ninja opposite him.
He wasn't much shorter than Neji, but at that moment, he looked so small. His brilliantly coloured hair was dirty and ravaged from the days spent in the Forest of Death. Neji wasn't exactly an image of perfection himself, though. None of them were.
Neji wanted to reach out and hug Naruto, tell him it was all going to be okay. He wanted to stay with him and heal their wounds together.
He wanted to do anything but fight the boy he loved.
"You're stronger than me, Neji." Naruto said finally, and Neji looked over to him. He was slowly pulling a kunai out of his pocket, but he could sense from his actions that he wasn't prepared to use it just yet. "You're stronger than me."
Naruto continued.
"I came in here today, fully prepared to put my life on the line with whoever I had to face. I didn't doubt for one second that I couldn't beat a single person in this room." He said.
"Naruto..." Neji whispered.
"But this... I just can't do it." He admitted. "I know that after we lost Sasuke, you didn't want to be my friend anymore..."
"Oh, Naruto..." Neji couldn't say it loud enough for him to stop. "That wasn't how it happened..."
"And I know that you don't feel anything towards me anymore, friendship included."
Neji wanted to scream out that he was wrong, and that he had never meant to hurt him. That he was sorry for what he did... but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"But I..." Naruto said. "I still think of you as my friend, even if the feeling's mutual. So I will fight today. I won't betray myself and forfeit, but I can't fight with my full strength against you. I just can't do it."
Naruto shook his head.
"You'd think we'd gone through enough, the two of us." Naruto almost laughed. "But obviously, no one can ever have too much pain in their life. I know you're going to beat me today, and that's okay. I've accepted it."
Neji had never heard this before from Naruto. He had been a boaster, over-confident, since the day they met...
Neji couldn't fight back anymore. It was only his first year in the academy, and he'd already been warned after his third fight, that if he hurt anyone again, he'd be thrown out.
And the bullies took the opportunity immediately. Aware of his setbacks, they didn't hold back at attacking the young Neji Hyuga.
He was walking through the grounds during break when they came and pushed him to the floor. Neji fell, landing heavily on his shoulder.
"Aw, did the poor brat hurt himself?" The one named Dai laughed.
Neji didn't attempt to get up. He just sat there with his head down as they tortured him.
"What's that stupid thing on your head?" Dai asked with venom, flicking his sealing curse on his forehead. Neji cringed away. "Answer me, you little shit!"
Neji saw Dai bunch his hand into a fist, and closed his eyes, prepared for the blow.
But Neji only heard the sound of the bully landing heavily on the floor.
Neji slowly opened his eyes.
Between Dai and Neji stood a young boy, no older than him. He had his arms spread out in protection of Neji.
"What the hell was that, idiot?" Dai said to the young, blonde boy. "Think you can take me on?"
His saviour said nothing, but held his ground.
"Well? Can you not speak are something?" Dai suggested viciously. Still no reply.
Dai huffed, bored, and walked away.
The boy turned to Neji, and laughed.
"Why did you...?" Neji started.
"I heard you're not allowed to fight back." Naruto smiled. "That's not fair! You'll need a protector until you can!"
And then Naruto offered him a hand.
It was then, in the grounds of the academy during break time, that Neji first looked up at Naruto. It never stopped from then on; Neji was always looking up to him.
He felt something inside that made him feel at home. He'd never felt something so strong before. He knew right then that he loved Naruto.
Neji grabbed Naruto's hand but instead of allowing Naruto to help him up, he pulled him down on top of him into a hug.
"Whoa!" Naruto said. "Hey, that's cheating!"
Neji just smiled and wrapped his arms around his prince's neck, pulling him close and never wanting to leave him.
"I love you Naruto." Neji whispered, but Naruto didn't hear him.
/
From the beginning of their relationship, they'd always been together. Closer than friends, closer than brothers; Neji loved Naruto. He would love him forever, but Naruto could never know that. Naruto was Neji's forever and never, all in one.
But know he stood as his opponent, as the one he loved accused him, rightfully, of hating Naruto.
Neji understood how he'd think this. Neji didn't hate Naruto; he was afraid that Naruto hated him.
"Naruto, you don't understand." Neji said, and Naruto looked up at him. "I don't hate you."
"Neji, you don't have to-"
"No!" Neji said abruptly. "I don't hate you. You got the wrong idea from the start!"
"What?" Naruto replied. "But you... you stopped wanting to see me after..."
"It's because I was afraid!" Neji admitted. "I thought I'd lost you! I was ashamed to show my face to you after what happened..."
Neji understood my Naruto would think that he hated him. From the way he'd acted, so selfishly and cowardly, he barely had the confidence to call himself a ninja anymore...
It was a few months before the chuunin exams, and all the genin were in preparation.
Neji and Naruto had been training together, as per usual, and Neji had slept at Naruto's house so they could re-start immediately the next day. Naruto had no missions for a couple of days, so he'd invited Neji to train with him; Neji had jumped at the opportunity.
Ever since they'd been separated into different cells, Neji had been spending less and less time with Naruto. Neji blamed Sasuke; whenever he saw Naruto, he was always with Sasuke. Neji tried to tell himself that there was nothing he could do about it; they were teammates after all, but jealousy boiled inside Neji like a raging fire.
So Neji was ecstatic to finally have some time alone with Naruto.
That morning, there was a knock at Naruto's door.
"Back in a second." Naruto said to Neji. He continued to eat his breakfast as Naruto answered the it.
When he heard a commotion, Neji joined Naruto at the door.
It was Shikamaru. With news of Sasuke... he'd ran away to join Orochimaru. Naruto immediately went to change and Neji's face went hot with anger.
Sasuke was taking Naruto from him once again.
"I'm coming with you." Neji told Shikamaru, and went to prepare himself before he could deny his request.
And so the Sasuke retrieval squad was formed.
/
"Sometimes your eyes are even better than mine." Neji told Naruto, his heart full of pain. He had lied to Naruto, telling him to continue on without him because Sasuke was a part of their village, and it wasn't their way to let someone be forgotten like that.
But honestly, the only reason he was risking his life for Sasuke was because he knew he was important to Naruto.
He couldn't bear to see Naruto in pain, and he knew that with Sasuke gone, Naruto wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully again.
So, withholding tears, he had watched his friends leave, leaving Neji to face death alone.
Letting Naruto go that day was the hardest thing he'd ever done.
/
Neji lay there, broken physically and mentally.
He could feel death upon him, and feel the one he loved getting further and further away from him.
The rays of white light shone down upon his face, and although he felt the pain of his injuries like red hot pokers piercing him, nothing could compare to the hurt within his heart knowing he would never see Naruto, his prince, again.
When he was sure he couldn't survive any longer, and was about to stop clinging to life, he felt arms around him.
It was gentle and familiar, and held him firmly but softly.
Was it an angel?
They pulled him close and held Neji against a warm body, cradling his broken body.
It was his prince.
"Neji." He heard the whisper, muffled as if through glass. "Neji, open your eyes."
Neji, using the last of his strength, obeyed.
And he saw the most incredible sight in all his life.
Hi saviour, his prince, coming to his rescue once again. His face looked so peaceful and perfect, just like always.
Naruto was bathed in light, like the true prince he was to the broken Hyuga, and Neji wanted to hold his hand, but only had the strength to clasp his shirt.
"You came back for me." He breathed. "Why did you come back for me?"
"Because..." Naruto began, but his answer went unheard, for Neji was enveloped by darkness.
/
He awoke in the hospital a few days later to find Naruto asleep next to his hospital bed and the information that Sasuke had escaped after all.
Neji blamed himself.
/
After the Sasuke Incident, Neji hadn't the strength to face Naruto.
He tried to avoid Naruto, because he was afraid.
He'd been afraid that he'd blame him for Sasuke's escape. He was afraid that Naruto would hate him. He was afraid that he would refuse to look at him.
Just as he refused to look at him now.
"Neji, I can't do this with you now." Naruto stated. "Don't make it harder than it already is."
Finally, Naruto ran at Neji weakly, feigning agility, knowing that he would fall under Neji's palm.
Neji prepared himself, but as he saw Naruto's strong, blue eyes, he suddenly saw the innocent one's from long ago when they were still children.
And he knew there was no way he could go through with it.
"STOP!" Neji yelled, stepping out of his stance and dodging the kunai.
"I can't do it, Naruto!" Neji said, and finally, finally, Naruto looked him in the eyes.
"Neji, why are you doing this?" Naruto asked quietly.
"Because I love you!" Neji said loudly, and he heard gasps around the room. "But you're such an ass that you never realised it before!"
Naruto's eyes became limp and helpless.
"I've always loved you, Naruto." Neji admitted. "Since the beginning. I blame myself for losing Sasuke. You should have left me to die! Then I wouldn't have to feel this permanent heart ache!"
When he didn't say anything, he continued.
"All my life I've been in awe of your strength, and compassion, and dreams. And that's why I can't sit by and watch your dream be slaughtered by me! So... I forfeit."
Neji turned away, not trusting himself to look at Naruto in the eyes.
Trying to find the strength to contain himself, he left the stadium at a brisk walk. It wasn't until he'd left the hall, and looked both ways to double check that the hallway was empty, that he let everything out.
He felt his back slide down the wall until he was in a sitting position, and he began to cry.
He cried for all the pain he'd ever felt.
He cried for his family.
For his father.
For not being strong enough.
For all his suppressed feelings.
For losing Sasuke.
For losing himself.
And most of all, he cried for Naruto, and all that he'd even been through, and everything he'd ever felt.
All the times someone had hurt him.
All the times he'd been alone.
All those days he'd spent believing that Neji hated him.
And for confusing him even further when he told him the truth.
Right there in that empty hallway, he saw the door to their friendship closing for good.
When Neji was sure all hope was lost, he felt someone intertwine their fingers with his, pulling him up against the wall, gently but firmly.
Neji didn't open his eyes, in fear that he'd find out it was a dream.
"I never got to tell you why I came back for you that day." He heard Naruto breath ever so softly into his ear.
Neji held his breath.
"I came back... because I love you too, Neji Hyuga."
Then Naruto pressed his lips against his, and as passion filled their kiss, Neji saw another door right before his eyes.
It was the door to their love.
And it was wide open.
/
Well, there you go! Hope you enjoyed it! Please review and any requests for a story are welcome!