My second Neji-Hina Oneshot! Yay!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Some Nights
She would have fits of insomnia, sometimes going days without the pleasures of sleep, and the perks of dreams. It started with a stroll, which eventually led to a trek through Konoha and finally into an area that could only be hers. It was freedom. She was the only one awake, but she felt like the only one alive. The night granted the freedom she could only wish to have.
She enjoyed the sounds of night. Nature came to life, and her imagination broadened with the absence of light. She especially liked when there was no moon to cast off shadows, and stars ceased to exist. In the dark of the night, no one would see her and that's what she liked best.
It was cold, like most nights, and Hinata ran without the restrictions of her jacket. She loved the numbing feel of the wind on her bare arms, face and neck. It kept her awake and alert. Her heart beat harder as she went deeper into the forest. She knew things were out at night, but the temptation of freedom was too strong for her to stop. Control and composure, she knew didn't belong. However fear was a common visitor, she felt it better to push it into the back of her mind. There was no time to be scared.
Her sense of sight disappeared when she was far enough from the village. There was no light to guide her down an unseen path. Like a blindfold, her eyes were blanketed by looming shadows and canopied skies. She didn't have to see, to know- to feel the forest around her.
She felt her feet sink into the sodden ground, the forest alive beneath her, breathing with every step she took. She swallowed, knowing she roamed farther than usual, but took comfort knowing that she just could.
She smiled.
Sleep was never a priority for him. Meditation took care of any fatigue. He would train for hours on end, and time would slip by without notice.
He felt it better to start late afternoon, when it was cooler. He worked around other people's schedules, just to capture the sliver of time that was just his. He wasn't the only person who strove for this.
On nights when the moon hid, he noticed Hinata came out to play.
Occasionally he'd see her while he was resting in the clearing. At first he wasn't sure if it was her at all, but the way the figure moved, practically gliding into the lush, he knew it could only be one person.
She'd always be running. From what, he didn't know. Maybe it was life.
If he felt especially curious, he'd follow her. She'd twirl, skip and dance into unknown depths. He strained his eyes to watch her.
She'd move blindly, her eyes closed as if she were really asleep, looking peaceful. She'd dance to the sounds of the forest. All the while, Neji would be watching her in lazy fascination.
He would see her the next morning, finding it hard not to stare. She'd act as if it was just a normal day, and that's when he realized she did this often.
He didn't change his training around to accommodate time for her, but he did train especially long when he knew she was coming. He realized a pattern after a stretch of time. She would only come out on the darkest nights, when there was no moon and no stars. He noticed the brighter the night became the less she tried.
She was a contradiction.
For someone who was so innocent, so friendly, to play at the most dangerous of times and in the loneliest places.
He concluded her nightly outings contributed to her delayed responses and weak training sessions. She must have known as well, but it didn't seem to stop her from continuing.
Almost like a routine, they worked around one another. It was purely coincidental. It was enough reason for him not to intervene. Timing just worked out so well. So he continued watching her adventures into the night.
He saw her differently after time passed. She was like two different people, her shyer counterpart being her more prominent personality. Her other persona, the one she only reveled to the night, was less reserved, less shy and more her. He took pride in knowing he was the only person to see it. He was positive no one saw her like this, and the fact that he stumbled upon it made the situation all the better.
Going into routine, he was beginning to get sloppy. After a while, he didn't hide himself, and the chances of him being found out really didn't bug him as much as it should have. He wanted to know what she'd do if he were to be reveled. His immediate thought would be that she would stumble and stutter out an explanation that was less than believable. Her face would be red, and she would run home crying, as if she'd been doing something wrong. However, that wasn't the Hinata who roamed around the forest at night.
So when he was found out, he was surprised to see that she could care less. The moment his bandage snagged itself onto a tree, and he absently tore it away, making a noise that seemed to echo in his own ears. He looked to her, knowing he was found-out. And when he met her eyes in the dim, dim light, he only saw her turn away, ignoring his presence altogether. It was a bold gesture. Something he didn't expect.
For the next few nights he kept to himself, and allowed her to linger alone. He wouldn't disturb her anymore than he already had, but the distance resulted in a bubble of excitement that burned him from the inside. He pushed it to the back of his mind until he realized it would be awhile until he saw Hinata wander the woods. Days would grow longer, and nights would be shorter. And if she ever wanted to get out it would be now, when the time was right.
So he decided. He dedicated the next day to meditation. Sitting, he kept his mind clear and his chakra low. Once he felt the warmth of the sun fade, the breeze went through him, as the cold sunk into his skin. His heart began to beat frantically, as he felt her nimble feet rush passed him. She coasted the edge of the clearing like she'd done every night. He'd like to think it was her way of beckoning.
Hinata sensed him. It was hard not to when she knew the forest so well. He had a vibe so rank it disturbed the liveliness that surrounded her. Without him knowing, his essence demanded the attention she was not willing to give.
She noticed that the air changed when he was around, like a thick, looming tension, she felt suffocated. With him there she felt all too normal, crawling back into her shell so quick she feared whiplash. It was almost enough to stop her from taking the dive into night. But if all he did was watch what no one else could see, she would gladly make that sacrifice. Freedom was just too hard to give up, and she swore she wouldn't give it up because of Neji.
She'd ignore him forever if she had to. As long as he stayed discreet she could pretend not to notice. It was until he stopped trying when nerves began to eat her up. For once she glanced back to see him violently yank at something that caught on a tree. She was sure she didn't turn away fast enough because the next few nights as she hesitantly wandered, he was nowhere to be seen. She thought, maybe, he liked to be under the veil of darkness as much as she, and when she gave hint to "discovering" him, he slinked away.
But then, she felt his hand touch her bare arm. All thoughts of being hidden suddenly dissolving into anxiety and utter shock. Things she was failing to control as he breathed into her form, closing the distance she cherished, the freedom she so wanted.
"You're always out at night."
His hand glided up her arm, keeping her put as he continued, slowly.
Experimenting…
Hinata looked away, breaths shallow, as any other sense but touch failed to function properly. It seemed as if the forest quieted. They were encased in a field of silence. The only thing she could hear, the sound of breathing and his menacing-like voice, so close, it vibrated through her. "No jacket…" He paused, glancing down at her exposed torso, eyes lingering on her filled chest, only covered by the thin fabric of her black shirt. She was available to him. "…and on such a cold night?" She felt her heart jump as his other hand felt for her neck, hidden by her long hair. Her vulnerability peeking as he encircled her frailty. "Not even a head-band." Hinata gulped. "How would they identify your body?"
Hinata all but yelped, pushing him away with as much force as she could conjure, but they both knew the situation was beyond stopping. Her mouth opened to protest, to tell him to let go, to stop. She'd even dare order him if need be. But when his thumb traced the curve of her chest, all she could do was gape. "I wouldn't hurt you." He claimed with a voice so smooth and convincing.
He was cold, but the friction between their bodies created a desirable heat. She didn't realize how cold she was until he touched her. Striving for warmth she pressed herself into him. Like puzzle pieces, they just fit.
He felt like living stone. A body of muscle, she felt he was much stronger than she expected. Her mind reeled, as he took his time to study her. He no longer needed to keep her pinned. Plucking his hand from her arm and neck, his hands traveled between them, dipping down to tug up at her shirt hem. Feeling up her sides with cold hands, he decided he liked her best without the jacket.
She noted with dizzy satisfaction, that every movement, along with every precise touch amplified without the luxuries of sight. She had yet to see him, and she was sure he hadn't seen her either. It was all touch, all sensation.
Neji wasn't too surprised to find that Hinata didn't need coercion. Her head fell to his chest feeling lightheaded. "N-Neji-nii…" she whined, "N-…No," she stopped, when his hands slid towards her exposed back, giving her chills. "Th-This…" He knew she wouldn't refuse, no matter how wrong it really was. "Hinata," he began, lips close to her ear as he spoke, "I'm not going to take no."
She gasped, as he began unraveling the bandages of her chest from beneath her ruffled shirt, tugging violently almost. "N-… Don't!" she felt for his forearms, pushing him away, but like stone, he didn't budge.
He was too eager he realized, and he knew Hinata was too shy. "We're in the dark." He reminded, starting slow and kissing her neck. She still shied away, the feeling tickling her. She was beginning to feel giddy.
"No one will know," he moved up, pecking beneath her upturned chin, and finally colliding into her bottom lip. He sucked slightly as she meekly responded, pressing lightly into him in return.
Her face became hot as she felt his hands direct themselves toward her half exposed breasts. She attempted to pull away when he squeezed. He huffed, "You won't let me touch you." She didn't reply, and she didn't turn away. Abruptly, his demeanor changed, "Are you sensitive here?" he squeezed again, and she inhaled sharply, "You're – You're too rough." She managed to say, and even in the dark, he knew she was looking away, face red.
Pressing her hard against a tree, she winced "You'll get used to it."
Well... I tried. :)
Review! I would love feedback!
