In the dark room, there was nothing. She pressed her palms flat against the wall. Moist with sweat, grip evaded them and she slid down, falling to the vertex where the wall and floor made an unwelcome home for her. She crouched there, quivering in unadulterated dismay, trying to make herself smaller in the smallness of the room. She tensed in sickening anticipation, feeling his omnipresent malice.
Tears welled up in her pearly eyes as she felt the welts on her pale arms and shoulders ache. The bruises on her legs had gone purplish and ocher even, as well as the ones on her hips and thighs.
One tear escaped her lids as she squeezed them shut in a desperate attempt to block out the flashing mental images. She then lifted her chin towards the ceiling and opened her opaque eyes which were swelling with rubicund veins.
Her thoughts lead her back to the only comfort that she had ever known, her mother. She always thought of her mother during the most treacherous times of her punitive existence.
She went to a place outside of the gardens of the Hyuuga compound near the rivers of Konoha. She dreamt of a lovely, beautiful woman in an elegant silk kimono with flowers of pure white in her long indigo hair. The wind was blowing calmly and the sleeves and skirt of her garment swayed gently while her hair flickered softly in an enticing dance with the wind. It was early morning and the young sun shined brightly upon her face, giving the woman a mystifying glow. She was the epitome of radiance.
Suddenly the threatening sound of a door opening and closing ripped her from her pleasant memories. She fought off the urge to whimper, feeling the paralyzing glare of eyes so much like her own devouring her. She held her knees to her chest awaiting what was to come. Slow moments passed before she felt his presence in the room. He hovered over her small, confined frame.
Feeling trapped she began to inch to the left, away from his marveling stature. He then reached down and snatched her up to her feet with cobra speed and agility. His grip tightened around her slender forearm, causing her to cry out in pain. With raging aggression, he slammed her against the wall as he pinned his weight against her trembling body.
He brought his lips down to her left ear and whispered, "This isn't what you wanted, is it Hyuuga-sama." He mocked her.
He then raised a hand up to her face. Two calloused fingers, an index and a thumb began to stroke her soft cheek. Hot tears penetrated her eyelids. His thumb inched to the corner of her right eye. He smoothed away the falling tears. He glared into her milky, panic-stricken eyes and whispered, "Don't cry Hinata."
Her body relaxed minutely as she felt his weight being removed from her. Before she could ease her muffled cries, a quick and painful hand darted across her right cheek. He dashed back to her and flipped her body so that the anterior side of her body was pressed into the wall. He pushed himself hard and solid against her body, crushing her like a boulder. He yanked her wrists harshly from the wall as she continued her silent cries,
"Why?" he questioned imperatively, his voice iced with the hushed bitterness of the lonely and broken winters of his stolen childhood. She muttered something imperceptible to even the keen ears of Neji.
" W-What d-do you me-mean N-Neji nii-san?" she choked out quietly. At that he released her in disgust and stormed to the other end of the small, dark room.
She collapsed to the floor and directed her attention to her freshly bruised wrists. Lost in her frantic thoughts, a few more slow moments passed before he was in front of her again. He exhaled and said lowly, " Why won't you just kill me. You are perfectly capable." Her wrists throbbed as he bent low to her and placed his sealed forehead on her shoulder. She stiffened. He felt her. Before the next slow moment could begin its approach, he had her pinned to the floor.
He hovered over her weak body and allowed his hate for her to consume him. She watched him cautiously and fearfully. She knew a bit too well that he hated her, and believed that he had every right to. She quizzically studied his countenance.
His long, burnt umber hair poked her shoulders as he lingered over her. Even though his eyes were closed, his discontent was apparent to her. His lips were pressed together into a taut line. His sealed forehead was furrowed with wrinkles of mounted fury.
When he reopened his eyes, she'd expected to see the bulging veins that she'd seen so often. They weren't there, not this time. This time he glared at her with conniving yet hungry, almost pleading eyes. She was not familiar with this gaze and was did not like it any more than his usual hateful stare. She felt panicked again but did not dare move. Instead she stared apologetically into this captivating glower. She searched his opened eyes as if she were to read him. She wondered sullenly where the Neji who loved her had gone.
He watched her still. He saw her frantic thoughts and racing emotions. He then sat back on his haunches like an obedient dog. She became confused, seeing the space he had decided to allow her. She was unsure whether to respond and move or to remain deadly still. She squirmed awkwardly. Uncontrolled waves of her own chakra shot up her spine.
He sat still, doing nothing. She decided to speak after a few minutes of contemplating.
" Neji nii-san," she began, her voice a whisper. Before she could continue she was abruptly interrupted by him.
"I hate you." She gaped at him. She not shocked by his hatred, it was true. She knew that he hated her. What was so appalling was his verbal expression of the matter. Never had he flat out said that he hated her. She knew his words were true and not outrageous, yet for some reason she found tears pouring over her eyelids. She was hurt and she knew that she shouldn't have been.
Neji was satisfied. He found strange fulfillment in finding ways to hurt her. At the sight of her tears, he rose back of her. He shifted his weight and brought his hands to her shoulders. He came in close to her. The tips of their noses touched lightly. She trembled nervously as he stalked over her like a wolf over its kill. Like a predator over its catch.
"Hinata," He whispered her name like that of a lover dreaming of his significant other who had been gone for too long a period of time. He pressed his forehead onto hers and blazed into her eyes. He was majestically beautiful and Hinata panicked inside like a troubled siren. He was looking at her as if he loved her, as if she loved him also.
He graced her eyes with the intimate gaze that she had given Naruto so many times from a far. Up close the lure was utterly tantalizing. Open and appealing were the eyes that had destroyed her just before. Her blood burned in her veins. He hated her and mocked her with perverted love.
He had succeeded in finding yet another way to hurt her as he traced the lines of her lips with her own.