This is just the begining of a long and probably painful bit of fanfiction. "Morning" is just a taste of what's to come. :) R&R

Morning

A scarlet sun was rising slowly over the great boughs of sugi cedar and cherry blossom trees that lined the Hyuga compound's courtyard. Sweet smells of cherry blossom flitted through the blood-mingled air and many of the waking villagers were thankful for that single, uplifting note. War was outside Konohagakure's gates, all around and in places, within... Blood was soaked into the earth and no matter how one may pile, burn, or bury the bodies and wash away the grime, the smell lingered like a shroud, staining the land and the people who lived another day; lived to smell the morning.

Neji watched this scarlet sun make it's slow accent from over the boughs and rooftops from the courtyard; his sweat drenched face finding comfort and warmth in the sun, something he'd been denied of for most of the early morning hours. He'd been out here training for almost two ours before sunrise, silently perfecting formations of the Gentle Fist. A circle was etched upon the dark soil, a ring that the young man stood in to preform his jutsus. Footprints were laid out and overlapping, disappearing in the dirt and sweat he'd been cultivating all that a deep steadying breath, he crouched low upon the ground, out stretching his right-forearm, palm out to face away from his body. He brought the arm back with a loud "tch!", the air expelling from his lungs and followed up with the other arm. Over and over again he repeated the motions, lowering himself, striking at the air, then twisting to the side, launching his legs in various series of kicks absolutely silent other than the expulsions of air from his chest. Upon his last set, he let out a startling loud "Hyah!", bringing his leg down hard across an upright log placed just outside his dirt circle, cracking it's bark and marrow right in half.

Chest heaving, Neji watched the bark and wood shrapnel fall to the ground at his feet, decorating the ground and mixing with the browned cedar leaves falling around him as the wind shook the branches.

"Neji-kun."

Taking a deep breath of cedar air, Neji turned around to meet the voice of Hyuga Hiashi who stood on the porch, leaning heavily upon a cane decorated with the etchings of crows. The old man, who in truth wasn't all that old at all, looked worse for wear. Deep purple bags sagged beneath his eyes and deep lines bisected his face and his white eyes seemed more glossed then they should be. Hiashi's illness was weighing heavily on him, Neji mused as he slowly looked over the elder Hyuga, noticing how his black kimono was beginning to sag and make him look more like a emaciated ojii-san wearing a parachute.

"Good morning, Hyuga-sama," the young man said, placing his hands together in a respectful bow, "is there something I can help you with..."

Hiashi's clouded eyes narrowed slightly at Neji's words, taking the latter of his question as an insult. Hiashi knew he was dying, of what, well he wasn't rightly sure. The only thing he knew of was that this disease, whatever it may be, had no cure and he was doomed to join the already freshly dead lacing the Hyuga burial grounds. From rumors he'd heard, it was the very same disease that Orochimaru's boy Kimimaru had died from while fighting Rock Lee and Naruto years before.

Closing his half-blinded eyes, Hiashi rocked softly upon his cane, listening to the rustling of cedar and cherry blossom leaves above him. He could feel the pink petals falling upon his up-raised face, see them falling from the sky like snow... for a moment, there was peace in him; however that wouldn't last. Sighing and clearing his throat, he looked back toward Neji who'd stepped up a few feet and was now standing directly in front of him.

"Hyuga-sama?"

"A word. ...I need a ...word with you...Neji-kun... Clean yourself up and meet...me in the garden," Hiashi's voice was strained from lack of air and he stopped between his words to take in a few shallow breaths, "...within the hour."

The elder Hyuga promptly began walking away, the "tip-tak" sound of his cane and the dragging of his kimono following him his as he made his way back inside the Hyuga compound, shutting its thin doors behind him.

Curious and slightly worried, Neji wiped his brow and began to gather his shirt that lay folded upon the porch, tucking it beneath his arm as he scanned the door Hiashi had disappeared behind. Wondering whatever the enigmatic and distant man could possibly need from him, he began making his way toward the Hyuga Clan's personal bath house, his eyes every so often moving back to the fusuma, his rhythmic steps echoing against the stone steps leading away from the elevated courtyard.