AN: I hope whoever reads this, enjoys it :)
Shikaku Nara didn't have much to do with the Hyuugas in general, because, of all the clans in Konoha, that one was probably the most stuck up and snobbish. It came as somewhat of a surprise therefore, when he received a letter from none other than Hiashi Hyuuga requesting a private audience with him.
So, Shikaku Nara found himself on Wednesday evening sipping green tea in a notoriously expensive teahouse, facing ice blue eyes and a frown.
Shikaku watched in silence as Hiashi Hyuuga drank his tea, his hands curled around the cup, ivory fingers blending with the white porcelain.
He broke the silence.
"What exactly was it that you wanted to see me about?"
Hiashi Hyuuga paused; cup raised half way to his lips, and then set it down again.
"It's about your son."
If Shikaku Nara had been expecting anything, it had definitely not been that.
"What about my son?"
Hiashi lowered his eyes, apparently interested in his own long fingers, but then he looked him directly in the eyes again.
"It's about your son, and my nephew."
Shikaku Nara wasn't called a genius for nothing. He knew exactly what Hiashi Hyuuga meant. The strange, unexpected friendship that had blossomed between Shikamaru and Neji had not gone unnoticed by Asuma and Gai who had a laugh about it together, the 'genius meets genius' friendship it was called.
"What about them?"
Hiashi looked somewhat embarrassed as well as stern and haughty.
"It's about the nature of the relationship between the two."
…
Neji was burning up. Shikamaru's rough hands were ghosting their way up his sides. Shikamaru's mouth was bruising places it shouldn't, throat, collarbone, chest; mapping a path down his body. Neji's back was arching, and then bending.
A thrust, a pant, a gasp. The same sort of rhythm the heart beat out.
And then Neji did something he would later consider to be foolish and sentimental. He lifted a pale hand and found Shikamaru's heartbeat. The way it thudded under his palm was exhilarating, like there was something trapped inside, longing to break out. How easy it would be to kill him now. Just one touch and Shikamaru's heart would cease beating.
"Neji…" Shikamaru loomed over him, black liquid pools, which were Shikamaru's eyes bored into him, seeing right through him, searching for something he couldn't find.
'He has better eyes than I do…'
Another thrust was all it took to send Neji flying over the edge, send him falling, causing him to lose control. Falling so far because of Shikamaru.
Shikamaru cradled Neji. His body acted as a perfect cocoon for Neji to hide in.
…
Shikaku Nara frowned. He had some idea of the nature of the relationship between the two. He knew how much Neji wanted to anger the Hyuuga Elders, to provoke them, to spit on their traditions. Shikamaru was his way of breaking free, of showing his contempt for the Elders. Shikaku didn't like the way Neji used his son, but he couldn't do anything about it. Shikamaru was a grown up. He couldn't tell him what – or more importantly what not to do anymore.
"What exactly would the consequences be if their relationship was… unacceptable for the Hyuuga Elders?"
Hiashi's face betrayed nothing, but something went through the icy blue eyes. Fear.
"Neji would die."
Shikaku Nara found it extremely odd how the chatter at the neighboring tables continued.
"Why exactly?" Shikaku had to ask, even if he had a feeling he already knew.
Hiashi let his eyes stray out of the window briefly, and then he began to speak.
"Branch members of our family are there to be bred, traded, used and controlled. They must be as disposable as cattle. A homosexual male, who extraordinarily has exceeded the Main branch heiress in terms of power, who is not willing to father children, is useless. More importantly, if he goes about so openly disgracing the family name he is a threat. An unnecessary threat who must be terminated. Do you see what I mean?"
"The curse mark."
"Precisely. His brain would be burned and turned to soup."
A faint feeling of nausea overcame Shikaku.
"I will talk to my son."
Evident relief spread over Hiashi's sharp features. For a moment he looked almost friendly. Then it was gone.
"Thank you."
An unwilling smile tugged at Shikaku's lips.
"Is something amusing?" Hiashi narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"No. It's just that, even though the topic of conversation is an unpleasant one, that's the most you've ever said to me."
…
Neji couldn't remember exactly when the plan to enrage the Hyuuga Elders had first come to mind. He knew only it had happened because he had had to sit through a slaughter. A Branch member had neglected his duties of looking after Hanabi. The foolish girl had run off somewhere, probably through the village to the forest. Either way she was found thirty-six hours later in a small glade near the Nara property, screaming because she had run into a bear. She got away with a large wound on her shoulder, and a few scratches. Hiromasa Hyuuga had first been punished, and then a file describing the neglect of Hanabi Hyuuga had been sent to the Hyuuga Elders. It was taken so seriously because, as the saying goes, clans needed 'an heir and a spare'. Had she not been the spare it would not have been taken so seriously. And the outcome might have been different.
The death penalty was the verdict. The boy had been twenty-three. Neji had watched in horror as he saw the man writhing on the cold ground in pain, clutching his head as his brain was fried. Once the Hyuugas had cleared, Neji had gone to the body of Hiromasa. Had watched the light draining out of the baby blue eyes. He had reached out a hand to hold his and had felt the warmth being sucked slowly from his body.
The Main branch collected the corpse and, as a final punishment, the long brown hair of Hiromasa was cut short. The most degrading thing to happen to a Hyuuga as the length represented the power a Hyuuga had attained.
Neji had spent sleepless nights seeing Hiromasa dying. Had spent days thinking about his father and thanking the gods that he had been killed quickly by unknown executioners and not slowly like Hiromasa.
And so Neji now found himself placing white lilies on the grave of his father and of Hiromasa Hyuuga. Inscribed on the grave of Hiromasa were nine words, cut in to the grave by Neji.
'We think caged birds sing, when indeed they cry.'
…
Shikamaru could still remember the first time he had held Neji. It had been peculiar. He only knew that the touches between the both of them had become more frequent, the brushing of fingers, the touching of shoulders, and then one night on a mission he had found Neji staring at himself in the mirror, or more precisely, had found Neji running a pale, long finger across his curse seal, tracing the form. He had tried to make him stop it, it had become a struggle, kicking and lunging out, and so Shikamaru had pinned Neji to the floor underneath him and had held him there until the struggling became weak from exhaustion.
Shikamaru still didn't know exactly what had disturbed him so much about finding Neji like that. Maybe it had been the self-loathing so apparent on the Hyuuga's handsome features.
Shikamaru sighed somewhat in frustration. The clouds were unsettled today, being strewn across the sky haphazardly, instead of drifting lazily across the heavens, a help to the troubled mind.
A shadow fell across his face.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
Shikamaru lifted his eyes. His father stood above him, a strange look on his face.
"What do you want dad?" Shikamaru barely suppressed a yawn, his eyelids suddenly surprisingly heavy.
"A talk, and maybe dinner." Shikaku Nara sat down next to his son, and raised his eyes to the ever-changing sky.
"Unsettled isn't it?"
"Yeah, been like that for a while now…"
Shikaku seized the opportunity to begin the dreaded conversation.
"Like your mind then."
Shikamaru snorted next to him, a look of vague amusement crossing his features.
"I had a chat with Hiashi Hyuuga only the other day."
Stony silence greeted him.
"Want to try and guess what we were talking about, or do I have to spell it out for you, Shikamaru?"
More silence.
"The silence on your part kinda sucks, just so you know son."
Shikamaru heaved a deep sigh, as though preparing himself for getting stabbed.
"Alright dad, what did you oldies talk about?"
Shikaku chuckled dryly.
"About you. And your friend, Neji."
A somewhat tense silence followed these words, as though Shikamaru was waiting for more information. Shikaku didn't give him the satisfaction.
"And why would you be talking about us?" Shikamaru knew, but playing for time was just a strategy he often used.
'Coward.' The word flitted across Shikamaru's mind. Always playing for time, never facing a situation head on. Prolonging everything all the time, finding an exit, running away. Coward.
"I think you know why. There's no need to play dumb with me. We both know you're too smart for that."
"What did he say?" A somewhat fearful note had crept in to Shikamaru's voice. Shikaku did not fail to notice it, taking a mental note.
"He said that I should have a word with you, because if you two youngsters keep this up… Neji will die." A sudden drop of rain hit Shikamaru's forehead hard. It began to rain. The angry purple clouds pouring their contents across the land, soaking the earth.
"What do you mean, 'Neji will die'?"
"I just mean that a homosexual in a clan like that isn't welcome. He's even less welcome if he's in the Branch family." Another silence. Shikaku could practically hear the clogs in Shikamaru's brain working furiously. "Look… Shikamaru… I know Neji's trying to chose his own path, or destiny or whatever it is he's obsessed with but-"
"He's not dad. You don't have to lie to me. I know he's using me to aggravate the Elders. I also know it's selfish of me to play along, especially when I know he could get into a load of crap because of it. But I… I need him. No, that doesn't sound right. It just… It feels good to know that he needs me, even if it's for the wrong reasons." A peculiar expression had crossed Shikamaru's handsome features, an expression Shikaku had never seen before, and hoped to never see again.
"Shikamaru… You do realize that Hiashi Hyuuga has already got wind of this don't you? He hasn't said anything to the Hyuuga Elders yet, but what if by some sort of unlucky sighting or slip of words they were to find out? Neji would eventually die."
A sigh escaped Shikamaru's lips. He rummaged in his pocket and fished out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. He lit a cigarette and put it to his lips, exhaling smoke like makeshift clouds.
"I wouldn't let them kill him."
"Don't try to play the hero here, Shikamaru."
"There's always loopholes dad."
Shikaku chose not to answer that, instead he asked, "So how'd it start?"
Shikamaru exhaled slowly, as though considering whether or not to answer.
"You're way too nosey for you own good dad."
Shikaku chuckled.
"Damn straight."
…
Mist was forming in the forest, the trees becoming ghostly silhouettes, misleading and confusing, sliding in and out of focus. The deer of the forest retreated to the center, seeking each other out, for safety lay in numbers.
On the edge of the forest, located at the bottom of a waterfall, lay a small hut. It was used only in springtime to supervise the birth and breeding of the deer, controlling the numbers and helping in difficult births. It was rarely used in mid-August.
That's why Shikamaru and Neji used the hut. Nobody could find them in their perfect cocoon world.
Neji lay tangled in the bed sheets, sleeping. Shikamaru could only smile somewhat unwillingly when he saw the picturesque scene. He supposed not many people had seen Neji Hyuuga in such a vulnerable state.
A shifting from the bed told Shikamaru Neji had woken up.
Neji sat upwards hands clutched over his forehead. This was usual. Neji did not want to let anyone see his handicap in the light of day. It was shameful.
"Shikamaru, give me my headband."
Shikamaru resisted the urge to say 'What's the magic word?'. He didn't feel that Neji's mood should be tested so early in the day. Instead he handed it over placidly, watching as Neji fastened it securely in place, never once letting Shikamaru see the damned thing.
Neji got out of bed.
It seemed so peculiar that Shikamaru could watch Neji move about so normally, collecting items of clothing, when he knew that what they were doing right now could kill him.
"Neji."
"What?" Neji's eyes met Shikamaru's.
"We shouldn't be doing this."
Surprise flickered momentarily across Neji's face. Then just as quickly it was gone to be replaced by a look of indifference.
"Getting cold feet? Or maybe you have your eyes on someone."
"No. We just shouldn't be doing this." 'You could die.' He bit the latter sentence back.
"Well you never seem to have enough willpower to say this nights." Neji said maliciously.
"That was low of you Hyuuga."
Neji's face hardened instantly, a look of fury contorting his features.
"Don't. Call. Me. That." He spat.
Shikamaru didn't say anything. Instead he watched in silence as Neji got changed, slipping easily into his usual day garments, as though they were a second skin.
"Neji. They could kill you if they found out."
Neji paused, his hands combing absentmindedly through the tangles, caused by Shikamaru, in his hair.
"Yes, they could." And with that un-reassuring sentence, Neji left.
'Selfish bastard.'
Shikamaru went to the bathroom, to wash the taste of Neji's lips from his mouth.
AN: Feedback is appreciated!