written for i heart hatake kakashi 's challenge ^^
...There comes a time, when every lonely little boy must learn to dance..
Dreams can be strange and curious things.
Sometimes, they are nonsensical, flitting in and out of reality, combining and blending the truth and the imaginary in the most bizarre ways. Perhaps they reflect our inner desires, make inquiries of things we ourselves have yet to make, answer today the questions we don't think to ask until tomorrow. For some, they are clear, vivid images that are forever ingrained into our minds, and for others, they are hazy and indistinct, drifting along until that moment you wake up, and come to forget that the dream had ever even passed.
But every now and then, when you lay down in bed at night, letting the warm and heavy fingers of sleep overtake your body, we come to dream, or remember, if you will, a memory of some sort. It could be anything, from an ordinary, everyday moment, to a day that your life was changed forever.
That night, when one white-eyed boy fell asleep, his mind wandered off in the direction of his past, and led him to a time that he had long forgotten – something that had happened many years ago.
~.*.~
After his father had died, there was not really much joy or delight in the rest of his upbringing, and though Neji had long gotten over his anger and hatred at the Main Branch, the fact was that there were just not a lot of memories that he would rather recall.
There was one day, however, that floated in the back of his mind, a brief ray of light that glowed against the rest of the dark and shadowy.
He found himself, for some reason, at the edge of a playground near the Hyuga compound, sitting on the ground playing with small sticks and rocks by himself as other children ran around laughing and shouting.
The sky suddenly darkened, and all the children disappeared to leave Neji completely alone as gentle sprinkles of rain fell from the sky. He closed his eyes, and listened to the steady 'patta-patta-patta', for once not caring if he got wet or dirty.
Another sound caught his attention, and he looked up to see someone giggling and laughing, humming to themselves as they twirled around in the falling water. Spotting him sitting by himself, the person came over.
-Whatsa matter?-
He looked up at a girl, about his own age whose face he couldn't quite make out. But remembered her bright, friendly grin, and brown hair pulled in two small pigtails on the top of her head.
-Wanna come dance with me?-
Startled and caught completely off guard, Neji heard himself faintly reply that he didn't know how.
He was met with an outstretched hand and again with that beautiful, carefree laugh. She pulled him off the ground, and held both hands, and they span around.
-Yes you do, it's easy! I'll teach you!-
A trace of a smile lifted the corner of the sleeping boy's lips, as he and the girl danced, jumping in puddles, spinning and spinning until they got dizzy, and collapsed in a pile in the mud, soaked through the skin, and laughing and laughing. It was the first time someone had voluntarily reached out a hand to Neji in a long time. It was the first time that small boy had felt so carefree.
It was odd; here, dancing in the rain with a strange girl he didn't even know the name of, was the first time in a long time that he felt anything close to resembling pure, untainted happiness.
Yeah, i guess the nejiten was EXTREMELY subtle...and yes, it could be better….but oh well ;) lol, I think I must have taken the "lonely little boy" a bit too literally, but that's the first thing I though of when I read the prompt.
Review please!