Word of the new girl in the village had gotten around quick. Neji had heard her name plenty of times. Tohru. To him, it had a nice ring to it, fresh and sweet. He wondered, would the girl be just the same? He had yet to see her, but the first person to actually ask him about her was Rock Lee.
"Neji!" Lee shouted enthusiastically as he sprinted towards Neji. Neji turned away from TenTen, whom he was training with, and gave Lee an annoyed look. His over-enthusiasm was usually something Neji didn't care for. His new ridiculous training technique, like the time he had said he decided to run around konoha five times on one leg, or something Guy said that made him feel proud. Maybe it was something to do with the youth people just weren't radiating anymore. Whatever it was, it simply caused Neji annoyance.
"What is it, Lee?" Neji sighed, wiping his forehead clean of the perspiration from a hard training. Lee gave him a shy smile, wiping some of his own sweat.
"Have you seen the new girl?" he asked, looking behind him. Neji looked as well, but didn't see her. Had Lee spoken to her already?
"No," Neji mumbled, looking away. "Why? Did you see her?" Neji asked, a bit of interest in his voice. Lee smiled, a bit pleased at the sudden interest. He suddenly gave a small frown.
"Well… no. I mean, everyone's saying that she's really distant and cold. I was kind of afraid to talk to her…," Lee trailed off. Neji turned away from him, back to his training. He dodged a kunai knife that TenTen threw his way.
"I thought you wouldn't be so quick to judge someone," he said a bit breathlessly, a bit of a scolding in his voice. Lee clearly caught it, and choked embarrassedly on his own words.
"W-Well, I'm not judging, I just… I just got nervous okay! Meeting new people is never my best area… I come on too strong…" Lee locked down at his feet, ashamed of what Neji had said. He wasn't judging anyone. He repeated that a couple of times in his head, but still felt guilty.
Neji gave him a quick sideways glance, before getting back into his own training. He saw that Lee was troubled, but he couldn't help it. If he had seen the girl, he wouldn't have hesitated to make her feel welcomed.
"She's always quiet," Lee went on, Neji listening intently. He focused on his training, but processed the words clearly. "Always in her own world… Maybe you should ask her if she wants to hang out with us some time!" Neji glared at the suggestion.
"No," he said, motioning for TenTen to stop. That was enough for one day.
"But Neji, you just-"
"No," he repeated a bit more firmly, and he knew that was the end of that. Even though he had said to himself he would have made her feel welcomed, had he been in Lee's shoes, but he wasn't in Lee's shoes, was he? In the back of his head, he knew he was being unfair, but something about this new girl made his stomach swell with a bit of nervousness.
The sun was setting, giving the blue sky an orange hue. The team decided to part ways and head home as dusk approached. Neji walked slowly, the slight breeze in the summer air making his sweaty body feel cool and refreshed. He looked up at the sky and could see the light crescent of the moon peeking out of the sky. What a beautiful day it was. Neji really didn't feel like getting home just yet.
As he walked around the streets of the village, he heard a bit of chattering behind him. Hushed female voices, one of them whispering 'Tohru.' He slowed down, trying to listen to what they were saying. He stepped to the side, letting the two girls passed by him, and trailed them closely, still listening in to their conversation.
"The new girl?" one of them whispered.
"Yeah, that's her," the other said silently, pointing to a girl with her back turned to them. Neji examined her with interest. The girl, Tohru, had a tall stature and silky long hair. Neji's eyes widened slightly at the sight of her hair. It was long, gorgeous, and purple; a wondrous and odd color, as if the foggy, night sky with not a star to be seen was woven into each strand of her hair. Beautiful yet odd, enough to take Neji's breathe away.
Focus.
He wasn't doing this because Lee told him to. He wanted her to feel welcomed. He didn't want everyone calling her cold and distant, and any other names they uttered. But most importantly, he wanted to befriend her.
He stepped forward, trailing behind her until he was only inches away from her. Again, he felt this odd, nervous weight in his stomach. Was greeting someone really that hard for him? He breathed in, ready to face this head-on.
"Tohru." The sweetness in his tongue from simply saying her name drifted away when he got no response. He frowned. Were the rumors true? "Tohru," he repeated, tripping a bit on his feet. How could she not notice him? A bit angered, he finally stepped in her path, narrowed his eyes at her, and said loudly, "Tohru!"
She was beautiful. Her bangs were swept to the side, right above her right eye. She had a creamy face, thin lips, and blue eyes so dull they were basically a gray color. She was wearing a black long sleeve, red shorts, and her ninja boots reached a bit past her ankles and seemed to be leather. To anyone else, they might have described her looks as dark and gothic, but labels to Neji were silly. To him, she was beautiful and nothing else.
He noticed the blush on his cheeks when the girl didn't respond. She simply blinked at the girlish boy before her, watching his lips move.
"Tohru?" The girl's eyes widened. She suddenly reached for his hand, grabbed it tightly, and led him towards an area with trees and a lack of people.
It was then Neji's turn to widen his eyes. Without a word, without a second thought, Tohru had reached for his hand and dragged him somewhere else. He knew his head was positively flaming, but tried to shake it away and look a bit less… unwelcoming.
Tohru stopped behind a tree, let his hand drop, and looked at him carefully. How long had he been calling her? It wasn't her fault she hadn't heard him, but still. She must apologize. She raised her hands, moving them in strange gestures to Neji. Tohru noticed her sign language wasn't familiar to him, and cleared her throat.
"I… cannot… hear…. I… am… deaf." Her voice was soft, but a bit broken. Her tongue moved awkwardly, and could barely make out any of the words, but Neji understood her.
"Oh! I- I'm sorry. I didn't know," he said apologetically, bowing his head at her. She waved her hands furiously, and began to speak softly, moving her hands in gestures once more.
"I am… sorry… You… did not… know…" She found it a bit frustrating to talk. She couldn't hear her own voice, and by the boy's hard look, she knew she was talking strangely. At least, it seemed he could understand her, and that's what mattered for now.
"You can understand me?" Neji asked. Tohru nodded, pointing to his lips. Her small, rounded finger was close enough to Neji's lips that he could lean forward and give it a small peck. He quickly banished the thought, and tried focusing on what Tohru was trying to say. "You can read my lips?"
His breath brushed against Tohru's finger, causing her to shiver and pull her hand away quickly. She nodded, trying not to seem startled.
"Uh, my name is Neji," Neji said, smiling and bowing his head again.
"Neji," she repeated for him, coming up with a sign for him. Neji smiled. The way she talked, his name sounded kiddish, and came out as 'Nehee,' but cute nevertheless.
"I have to go," Neji said, looking towards his house. "But I hope I can see you again." Tohru smiled at that.
"Me too," she said, giving Neji a small wave before walking towards her own home.
Neji was the first person to befriend her in the course of the five days she'd lived there. She had seen people give her looks, but no one was persistent like Neji. She was sure maybe some kids around here tried to call her, but they didn't know of her disability, and most likely gave up on befriending her. It was what happened when she first lost her feelings. To others, she came off as silent and cold, and many people simply couldn't handle the silent types. But Neji…
If she could hear his voice, she knew it would be smooth and perfect, like an untouched, silent lagoon. Water crystal clear and unmoving, like some kind of thin glass. She smiled to herself. Maybe now, people would try to speak to her, try to get to know her. Anyone else with Neji's persistence to befriend her, she would be glad to meet.
-…-
Neji rubbed at his eyes. He turned to the window. The dark night sky was now replaced with the light, fresh morning sky bathed in thin white clouds. Had he really been up all night? Well, it didn't matter to him. The sleepless night he spent learning sign language would pay off once he saw the shocked and happy expression on Tohru's face.
Before actually heading home, he took a detour and walked into an almost empty library, desperately searching for a book that could teach him sign language. The book was hard to find, but after searching every single shelf, and with a little help from the elderly store clerk, he had found one and bought it eagerly. When he went home, he cracked the book open and went over every single sign, gesturing it with his hands with terrible persistence to learn each and every sign in the book. By seven a.m., his eyes were droopy, his hair was a mess, and he caught himself stifling yawns every few minutes. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, the pale orbs drooping around small, dark circles that showed he had worked hard and lacked sleep.
"Breakfast," he whispered to himself. "I have to eat breakfast…" He yawned, crawling towards his room's door, but couldn't make it before the tiredness washed over him. He sprawled out on the floor, chin resting against the rough carpeted floor. He closed his eyes. Just a nap.
He had learned about seventy-five percent of the signs in the book, enough to keep a conversation going. As he began to drift off to sleep, his lips formed a small smile.
He honestly couldn't wait to see Tohru.
His eyes shot open. The lighting in his room told him it wasn't morning any more. Cursing under his breath, he got up, changed into his gear, and bolted out of the room and towards his training grounds. The village was slow today; Neji didn't have to maneuver through people every five seconds, and he actually found himself smiling back at people who smiled his way.
So far, a good day for the Hyuga.
He wasn't far from the training grounds when he saw the long blanket of hair rested on her back. Tohru. The tightness in his stomach came back, but this time he didn't let it bother him, and walked straight to her. He tapped her shoulder lightly, and felt a shiver go down her spine. He must've startled her.
Tohru turned around to see who she was looking for. Pale-eyed Neji smiling at her as if he was keeping a juicy secret. Tohru smiled back at him shyly, taking a step back to open up some space.
"Hi," she whispered lowly, waving her hand softly. The next event caused her eyes to open widely in shock.
'Hi,' he signed to her.
'Did you…,' she began to sign, but was too startled to keep her hands moving.
'Yes. I learned sign language. I thought, if we were going to be friends, I might as well make things easier. Make you feel welcomed.'
Neji was shocked to see tears springing from her eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked, signing at the same time. He propped his hands against her shoulders, and Tohru timidly hid her now blotchy face in a sea of purple hair. "Hey, what's wrong?" Neji repeated again, shaking her softly. Tohru sucked in a long breath, which sounded slightly like a hiccup, and pushed her hair out of her face. Her lips quivered, and her eyes were slowly pouring a stream of tears, but she was smiling.
"Thank you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"… You're welcome," Neji whispered close to her ear, taking in the scent of her silky hair, taking in the feel of her arms around him, and simply taking in the moment.
He had never felt his heart pound as much as it was then.
-*Quick note: When 'this' is used, they will be using sign language. Neji talks and signs at the same time, so I simply use "both quotations."*-
-…-
After pulling on her clothes, Tohru rested her back against her soft bed and stared at the ceiling, smiling contently. In the span of four weeks, everyone in town sent smiles her way. She had made plenty of new friends, like an energetic blond boy named Naruto, a dark boy named Sasuke, a girl with buns in her hair named TenTen, the boy with the strange eyebrows, Lee, and-
She had met everyone that Neji talked to. And in those four weeks, they understood her situation, and took it upon themselves to learn a little sign language. If they didn't understand her, she would simply speak it in a shaky tone, or Neji would explain. Everyone was so nice.
It was all thanks to Neji.
No soul in this world had been so kind to Tohru.
A knock on her door brought Tohru back into reality. She slipped on her leather boots and marched towards the door. When she pulled the door open, she wasn't shocked to see Neji standing before her.
"Hi," he said, gesturing with his hands. Tohru signed the same. "May I come in?"
Tohru nodded, a bit of nervousness pressuring her stomach. Usually, the two walked to the training grounds, but now Neji wanted to come into her house? The thought made her feel sick, not in the worst ways, but nonetheless not good.
Neji took a seat on Tohru's petite cream couch, Tohru sitting next to him. For a few minutes, they sat stiffly, not saying a world but stealing glances at each other, until finally, Neji broke the silence.
"Want to go to the beach?" The abruptness of Neji's question caused Tohru to furrow her eyebrows.
'Now?'
"Well, you see, a bunch of us are going to go to the beach. We're leaving early tomorrow morning. Would you like to come?"
Tohru hesitated to answer. The beach with Neji sounded like loads of fun. The only thing she wasn't very sure of was having to get in the water itself. Water meant swimsuits. Swimsuits show skin.
Sometimes, our skin is tainted with scars.
The thought of this made her uneasy. Maybe she should just stay home. Of course, something in the back of her head rattled her brain, speaking in a loud tone, "No way! Back home, you didn't have friends, and now that you do, you can't ignore them! Go ahead, have fun! You don't have to wear a swimsuit, just keep it under your clothes!"
'That'd be great,' she finally signed, smiling and sighing lowly. Her inner turmoil wore her down a little. Neji somehow noticed this, but didn't want to bother Tohru with questions that would only bother her more.
"Great. Let's go train, shall we?"
-…-
The salty taste of the wind entered her senses and sliced her arms in a small, cold whip of wind. Her hair flowed in the wind like a sheet hung outside to dry in the afternoon sun, and the fabric of her swim suit bothered her incredibly. She tugged at the shirt she wore over her suit.
She was overreacting. Wasn't she?
"Last one inside is a rotten noodle!" Naruto shouted, racing forward.
"Noodles rot?" Kiba asked, but raced after him, Akamaru at his heels. The two did double front flips into the water, splashing water and getting a few cold drops on the girls. All but Tohru squealed, backing away. Tohru simply walked forward, letting the waves lap at her pale legs, and picked up a small seashell from the brown sand.
"It's pretty," Neji said once Tohru looked up. Tohru sent him a shy smile, and before she could respond, rowdy Naruto shouted, "Come in, Neji you lame-o!" Next thing she knew, she was watching Neji's body be dragged into the cold water, letting out small laughs. A tap on her shoulder interrupted her laughter.
"Want to play?" Sakura said slowly, pointing at a white volleyball. Torhu smiled, nodding her head and walking over to where all the girls were standing.
As the girls played volleyball, falling on their knees against the grainy sand, the boys wrestled in the water, splashing the salty, cold water into each other's eyes.
"So Neji," Kiba began, wrapping his arm around Neji's shoulder. No way was he comfortable with this. "How about that Tohru girl?"
"Leave him alone, Kiba," Shikamaru groaned, trying to collect his hair into a tight ponytail.
"What? I'm sure everyone here knows you've got a thing for her." That was it. Neji frowned embarrassedly, pushing Kiba away.
"I d-don't," he stuttered. The cold water was causing his teeth to chatter. That was all…
"Don't lie! I bet you're dying to know how Tohru looks like under that T-shirt she's wearing."
"Shut. Up," Neji said, but the sight of red on his cheeks just kept the teasing going.
"You learned a totally different language for her, for crying out loud!"
"Knowing sign language can benefit you later, okay? It was just a convenient coincidence." Wow. Even if he was saying these words, he couldn't fully convince himself.
"Whatever," Kiba laughed, that crazy smirk of his bugging Neji.
"Neji's in lo-ove~," Naruto chanted in a sing-song voice, and that's when the splash attacks returned against the boys.
The sun was setting in no time. The sky was mixed with rose and orange, the sun putting on the illusion of sinking into the ocean. The sun's reflection zigzagged in the waves, and peace draped over the beach as the night sky began to grow stronger, and the sun weaker. Instead of heading straight home, everyone at the beach decided to camp out on the sand for the night. As Tohru laid her sleeping bag against the cold sand, the chilly wind of the night rustled her hair and ran a shiver down her spine. She hoped she didn't get sick.
"Hey!" Naruto shouted, grabbing Tohru's shoulder and turning her to face him. Tohru was startled, obviously not having heard him and caught off guard. Naruto smiled at her wide, his blue eyes crinkling around the edges, making him appear like the little kid his character held. Tohru couldn't help but smile, although Naruto's rowdiness didn't exactly please her either.
"Hi, Naruto," Tohru muttered softly. Naruto suddenly grabbed her arm and rushed her to the beach.
"One quick dip before we head off to sleep!" Naruto said enthusiastically. Tohru stared at his lips. He had talked a bit too fast for her to understand. She had only made out the word 'dip.'
"Leave the girl alone, Naruto," Sakura shouted from where they were setting up their sleeping bags.
"Ah, I just want to have fun," he said, this time making his lips readable. But if this fun included going for a swim in ice cold water at night, Torhu wanted none of it. "What do you think?"
"Uh, I'd rather not," Tohru replied slowly, taking a step back. Naruto was persistent, though. He took her arm and shook it a little, whining, "Come on! Don't be lame!" He grabbed the bottom of her shirt, pulling it up a little and laughing.
His laughter was cut short by a sharp sting on his face.
Tohru gasped, stepping back and bringing her hand over her gaping mouth as she gasped. She watched Naruto step back, giving her a shocked look as he rubbed his cheek slowly. Everyone had seen what had just happened. They stared, as shocked as Naruto was.
Neji didn't know whether to go over or stay where he was.
"I- Sorry!" she shouted, her voice croaking as she felt her throat tighten. She didn't hear this, of course. She simply felt the sharp pain in her throat, saw the blurriness in her eyes, and knew she must have sounded pathetic. She turned on her heel and ran off, not exactly knowing where she was going. She just knew she had to get away from the stares. The cold stung her face, bringing out more harsh tears. Her hair got in her face, annoying her. The cold sand digging into her toes didn't feel soothing anymore. She looked up, seeing an army of jagged rocks. She rubbed at her eyes, tugging down her shirt.
The memories flooded back to her like the sea trying to suck up the sand.
Neji watched as Tohru looked away from Naruto, guilt stricken. Finally, something in her eyes flickered and she ran off, leaving deep footprints in the sand that the cold water would even out later. She wasn't running away because Naruto jokingly tried to take of her shirt.
Something greater was bothering her.
Neji quickly got to his feet and ran after her.
"Neji!" a voice called out. He slowed down, turning back to see Naruto. His face had what he wanted to say written all over him. His cheek was still red.
"Tell her I'm sorry…"
"I will," he said, turning back and running after Tohru. She was a bit far from him, but she was close enough for him to make out her small body taking a sharp turn and hiding behind a group of jagged rocks.
"Torhu!" he shouted. A wave of stupidity washed over him. She couldn't hear him…
How inconsiderate.
Tohru's back rested against the rough rock, feeling random bumps poking at her skin. She didn't care, though. Maybe the pain would loosen the knot in her throat. She breathed in deeply, pressing her back harder against the rock. It wasn't working. She gave in to the knot and let the warm tears slide down her cheeks and collect under her chin. She wiped them away with her shirt, hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin against her knees, staring out at the darkening sea.
She was glad to see Neji's worried face not two seconds later.
"Tohru, are you okay?" he signed, his tone worried, despite the fact she wouldn't hear that. It didn't matter, though. His face was written with it.
She outstretched her legs. 'No.'
"He didn't mean to hurt you, Tohru. Naruto's just like that."
'It's not that.'
"Then what? Why are you so insecure?" Neji asked softly, sitting next to her against the jagged rock. She turned to him slowly, unable to look at his face.
Mustering up some courage, she finally signed, 'My scars.'
"Scars?" Tohru nodded slowly. She took in a deep breath, stood up, and took off her shirt, showing him something she didn't think she'd show anyone.
Neji blushed at the action of her removing her shirt. He couldn't help it. But that immediately washed over when he saw dark pink, intricate lines tracing her stomach. They were thin and looked like the roots of a small flower, starting at her heart and tracing down her stomach. Tohru crossed her arms over her chest and turned to her side, letting Neji see the large, dark pink scar covering her entire side. It looked absolutely painful. Neji felt that if he reached out to touch the scar softly, it'd burn his finger and hurt Tohru in some way. She turned to show him her left side, which was almost the same as her right.
"How did that happen?" Neji asked, his voice in a whisper. Tohru bit the inside of her lip.
The memory still haunted her.
-…-
The sky was dark with gray clouds. Rain shot down and sliced Tohru's body like razor blades. She looked down at her arms when she felt the trickle of blood.
No, just the water trickling down her arms.
The loud wind and soft thunder in the distance sort of calmed her on her way from the local store. She knew the thunder wasn't too far. Some strikes were sure to hit around town. The sound of thunder nearby, shaking the walls of her apartment, were the best on days like these. Thunder and loud rain, plus a nice cup of hot chocolate.
Tohru couldn't ask for a simpler pleasure.
She walked home slowly, wanting to get soaked in the rain as much as possible. She carried the bags of groceries close to her, lucky that everything she bought wouldn't get damaged by the rain. When she got to her apartment building, the front lobby was dark and empty. As she walked up the stairs, it seemed that everyone was gone. Did her parents leave, too?
The clang from her feet going up the stairs were heavier now as she stomped down harder and tried picking up her pace. The door to her apartment was open slightly. It seemed like they were home. Nothing to worry about.
She stepped inside and knew she was definitely wrong.
Two dark, unfamiliar figures turned to her, tossing their knives aside. On the floor, she saw her parents lying lifeless in a blood of red liquid that was slowly increasing. The light from a shot of lighting illuminated the room for half a second, but she saw it all.
The red blood, the angry faces of the murderers, the wide eyes of her parents, dead.
She dropped the bags and ran.
Her throat was already hurting when she heard their quick footsteps behind her. She didn't look back. That would take up time. She had seen their faces, and that was enough. She could get them straight to jail. They'd die for committing such a crime.
But that wouldn't happen if they killed her, too.
The rain slowed her down, but she didn't give up. She ran far enough until she wasn't surrounded by houses, and only by trees with leaves shaking madly because of the sharp wind. She wanted to run farther, but the mud slowed her even more. The slimy mud seeping into her ninja boots and staining the bottom of pants wasn't what stopped her.
It was the lighting that hit three yards away from her.
Her pale blue eyes widened with fear. She gasped, falling back into the mud. A loud cackle of laughter erupted, as loud and threatening as the lightning.
"Afraid of a little lightning?" one of the men said. He had darkish skin with plenty of wrinkles on his face, but he seemed to be fairly young. The other man next to him had matted black hair and a face invaded by light freckles. Their eyes looked disturbed.
Tohru quickly got to her feet and stepped back, forming herself in a fighting stance. The two men broke out in cackles.
"Just let me go," she growled, taking another step back.
"No way! You know our faces. We can't let you leave with such information," freckles said.
"Now we can do this in two ways. The easy way, where you let us slit your throat and you're done, or the difficult but somewhat more entertaining way, where we attack you and make your pain one that you'll feel even after you're dead." Wrinkles had a menacing voice and an adam's apple that bobbed furiously when his voice cracked. Tohru refused to give up here. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail, getting it out of her face.
"Fuck you guys," she growled, kicking mud at their faces. They stepped back, shielding their faces with their hands, but Tohru still managed to get some on them. She used the water around her to an advantage.
"Ice Release: Frozen Dragon Jutsu!" The rain around her helped her decrease her chakra use, and as she froze the dragon with her jutsu, some of the rain drops around her froze as well. The two men did something unexpected, though.
They used a lightning release jutsu to break her ice dragon into millions of tiny shards. She gasped.
"How is that even possible?"
"Little girl, you've got much to learn," freckles laughed. His hand suddenly began to flow with a blue light. He was charging another attack.
"Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!" Even the name sounded deadly. Tohru's eyes widened at the immense speed freckles was charging at her. She stepped back to pounce upwards, but it was too late. Freckles thrusted his hand at her heart, the amount of power throwing her back into a pool of mud.
Her body was on fire, especially her chest and stomach. She kept her eyes wide open in pain, staring at the rain drops that still danced down to her, as if the rain knew nothing of her pain.
She couldn't move, and her breathing had barely returned. Even so, her breath was sharp and painful. Images were blurry, but her heart was still beating. As long as her heart was racing, she could still keep going.
Her parents were dead. She was not about to die without a fight for them.
With shaky legs and aching breaths, she got up and slid a little on the mud at her feet. Only then did she notice wrinkle's quick hand signs and the dark clouds forming above her head.
"You're done for," he laughed, and began to shout something. Tohru couldn't hear it, though. The crackle of lightning producing in the clouds above her head was too deafening. She had the urge to cover her ears, but her hands were occupied with creating quick handsigns. She didn't know how they would attack, but if she attacked them with this, they were done for.
Just as she released her Water Tornado jutsu at them, two shots of blue lightning struck down on either side of her. The sound of thunder rattled her brain and caused the ground below her to shake, not that she noticed this. The sound itself was too much to bear. She felt like her ears were exploding inside out, and she felt her flesh burning on her sides. Her arms were stuck in the final hand sign position, and her whole body immobilized. The pain the lightning caused was nothing like the first attack.
She fell to the floor, withering in pain, feeling the electricity surging through her body, preventing her from even breathing. Her ears felt strange and hollow, and she felt the slow trickle of blood oozing out of her ear. Her mind was foggy, her body struggling to function.
Pitch black.
She wondered if she had lost her vision. She wondered if she was simply out cold.
She wondered if she would be off to see her parents now.
She woke up in a room of white; a typical hospital room. Her eyes were droopy. She had probably slept for days. Her body was completely sore, and when she tried to sit up, her chest and stomach stung, but her sides were on fire. She let out a fierce scream, falling back onto the hospital bed. Her eyes were shut tight and she couldn't move from the agony and convulsion.
The doctors heard her loud shriek and fled into the room. Two nurses began to pin her down as she struggled under their hold. Another nurse lifted up her robe, and at the sight of the pulsing pink wounds Tohru almost fainted.
"You'll be okay, sweetie," the doctor whispered soothingly, taking out a jar of something. "The nurses are just going to heal you up with this ointment here and you'll feel a little better, okay?"
Tohru didn't respond. The doctor's thin lips moved, but no voice came out. Her eyes widened and her breathing quickened. Was this just a joke? A test? Was the doctor mouthing out words to test her, in a way?
"What's wrong with me," she croaked loudly, and her eyes widened again, now full of tears.
She couldn't hear anything anymore.
She was deaf.
-…-
'Not only did those men take my family, they took my hearing and gave me these scars,' Tohru signed as she pulled on her shirt and sat down. 'Everyday, when I see these scars, I remember.' She looked up at Neji, tears in her eyes. 'Remembering isn't doing me good. It just… makes me feel more hopeless.'
"Tohru, I-"
'But you, Neji. You were the kindest anyone could be to me after this incident. In my old village, no one spoke to me, because no one knew how. I just watched them, learning to read lips. But sometimes, reading the lips of people that know you can't hear them is bad. People called me names.' She paused to pick up a shell on the sand, set it on her lap. 'But you… went out of your way to learn sign language and teach a bit of it to others. You told them about me, and didn't call me cold or distant or whatever. I don't know what you said to them, but I'm sure it was nice, and your friends wanted to be my friends too. I… I love you.'
There. She said it. She finally said it. She didn't only sign it, but she said it, in a shattering voice that was nervous, in tears that were grateful for Neji. For a second, Neji looked shocked. Dumbfounded and off-guard. He regained his composure, grabbed Tohru's hands, and pulled her toward him.
"I love you, too," he said, letting Tohru read his lips in astonishment. He leaned forward, and before placing his lips over her own, he whispered, "I love you," his breath warming her cold lips.
His own lips were much warmer.
-…-
Tohru and Neji had been dating for years, and she couldn't be happier about that. They went through a lot together, from Tohru being introduced to the Hyuga family, to, most importantly, getting closer to the war. It was inevitable how the war was nearing. So close, she could taste it.
As the sun rose, Tohru blinked her eyes to see Neji pulling on his green jacket.
"Where are you going?" she called out to get his attention. He turned to her, panic sewn on his face. Tohru raised an eyebrow at him, pulling her hair back and sitting up.
"Uh. Nowhere. Early mission, that's all."
'You're lying.' Neji bit his lip.
"No I'm not."
'Yes you are.'
"No-"
"Neji!" she shouted, startling the guilty boy. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Fine. War starts today, and I'm going to go help out." Tohru quickly stood on her feet.
'I'm going too.'
"You're not! You're going to go with the children and women who can't fight and evacuate the village when a Black Ops arrives to escort you out."
'No! I'm going to help out!'
"You can't, Tohru! Understand! Someone could easily sneak up on you and kill you, and I- I can't stand the thought of that! I want you safe and sound."
'Neji, I can fight! Just… Just because I'm deaf doesn't mean I'm defenseless!'
"I didn't say that! I just don't want you to die out there!"
'I'm not going to die… Why are you being so overprotective, just let me go!'
"No, Tohru! I love you too much to let that happen. Just… Promise to wait for me."
'I don't want you to go alone… What if you don't come back?' Quick images flashed through her mind. Neji's face, shocked with death. The village, barren and destroyed. The sky gray and hopeless.
Her parents' lifeless faces.
Tears sprung in her eyes. Neji never liked it when she cried.
"I will. In fact…" Neji grabbed Tohru's hands and got down on one knee. A pang of surprise hit Tohru. Her eyes widened in shock, and she could feel the sting of tears.
"Will you marry me?"
"… Why me," she said shakily, unable to sign. "Why me?"
"Are you kidding me?" Neji laughed, letting go of her hands to sign to her. "You are… The most amazing person I've ever met. You're smart, you're sweet and gentle, and I… I think your scars are beautiful. I think everything about you is beautiful."
'Quit lying.'
"But I'm not lying," Neji said, wrapping his arms around her stomach and pulling her on the bed with him. Torhu laughed softly as Neji snuggled his head against her neck and pulled her shirt up above her stomach, tracing the intricate scars with his finger and sending a shiver through her body. Neji picked up his hands where Tohru could see them, began signing again.
"You care about even the weakest creatures, and you… You always defend Lee's furry eyebrows." Tohru laughed at this. "Your eyes are the perfect color, and your shaky voice is adorable. If you heard it you'd think it's beautiful. Your hair is beautiful, even if you try to fix it and it doesn't work out, even if you just left your hair alone, it's perfect. You're perfect, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to convince my parents to let me give you the byakugan scroll so you can sense when people come near you, and I- I love you so much."
"I love you too," she whispered, turning her head to him and bumping her forehead against his, the forehead protector's metal cold to the touch. He leaned in and gave her a long, slow kiss.
"Yes." Neji didn't even have to ask her what she agreed to. He simply wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for another kiss.
"I promise to come back," Neji whispered against her lips. They sat up, and Neji turned to her. "Promise."
'Promise.'