And Then They Flew
He walked into his room, feeling as if he was in a dream… He held the knife that Tenten had given him as a 'congratulations' present for becoming a Jonin tightly in his hand. The blade was stainless steel, and the handle was made of pure onyx. In an ivory color—the same color as his eyes—the kanji for bird had been drawn onto the hilt, the writing obviously done by a master at that sort of thing. Lee had even given him a present—a set of weights to add strength to Neji's movements—even though he was slightly depressed that Neji had made Jonin before him. Gai had given him many books on different taijutsu styles with jutsu as a supplement.
His family, however, didn't seem to notice at all—besides Hinata, of course, who had given a soft, "Congratulations" and ran off, for she had just been berated by her father for not achieving the position of Jonin before a Branch member. Even though Hiashi had given Neji extra training, it seemed he still didn't truly care for him—he only thought of him as his brother's son, and trained him because he felt bad for what Neji had been put through. Instead of congratulations, Hiashi had even activated the curse seal when Neji glared at him after realizing he wasn't getting a congratulations.
There had even been talk of Neji being married to someone of another clan, and living with them instead of living at the Hyuuga mansion.
Neji was sick of being trapped in his cage, no choice on where he would go or what he would do. He had no options—only to go through the ranks mindlessly, marry someone he probably never met before, have children, and continue doing missions until he died.
But, there was a way to decide his own fate for himself.
So, he tightened his grip on the knife and took off his shirt, then his bandages. He made sure the door was locked before he clenched the knife in his hand. He thought over what he was about to do a few times before he gave himself a firm nod and pressed the blade in the middle of his wrist, and then slashed down his arm, all the way up to his elbow. He winced in pain as he did so, but his ninja will and ability to deal with pain (which eventually came with his job) forced him to continue.
He pressed the blade in the middle of his other wrist, and dragged it downward until about halfway to his elbow, when his hand started shaking and he could no longer hold the knife. It fell to the floor, and Neji finally realized just how much blood was rushing out of his arm. He watched in a strange amazement as the blood flowed out, trickling down his arm and landing in small, defiant droplets. Both of his arms were covered in blood, and his entire body began to shake from the shock. He fell to the floor with a thump; not caring that he had landed on his arms and blood now covered his front.
He smiled as he felt himself fading away, his eyes fluttering close. He swore he could feel his curse seal fade and disappear, releasing him from his cage.
He was free. Finally free enough to fly.
Tenten sobbed uncontrollably at Neji Hyuuga's funeral, Gai and Lee on either side of her, arms around her shoulders comfortingly. Lee stared ahead, holding back the sad tears that would normally be flowing out. Gai did the same, though they were both just as depressed as Tenten was.
"He… he killed himself with the knife I gave him!" she wailed, and Lee and Gai nodded. That was what she had been saying the entire time.
"And… and…" she whimpered.
"And what?" Gai asked, suddenly surprised. All she had been able to say so far was "He killed himself with the knife I gave him", and she might finally be saying something else.
"M-my… m-m-my mother… arranged f-for… us to…"
"You to? You to what?" Lee asked, his attention grabbed by her statement.
"We were supposed to marry…" Tenten whispered, holding back the sobs just long enough to get that sentence out.
Lee and Gai both suddenly felt a strong, overwhelming sense of sympathy for her. She felt like she had helped to kill her future husband, and they both somehow knew she never told him that she really cared for him.
"Tenten, I…" Lee began, but Gai just silently shook his head. There was no point, really.
The wedding was beautiful. The bride was dressed in all white, her eyes truly sparkling for the first time in an enormously long time. She had shed all the sadness from a long time ago, and now she was standing next to Rock Lee, the love of her life, though she didn't treat him like it at first.
"I do," the bride said, and the groom leaned forward for the kiss.
They pulled away after a chaste kiss, and the bride smiled. "I… I just wish…" he whispered.
"I know. I… I wish that they were here, too," Sakura whispered back, holding his hands gently, the two of them talking as the preacher declared them man and wife.
Lee picked her up gingerly and smiled softly together. "At… at least they're together now, ne?"
Sakura nodded before kissing him on the cheek and smiled at everyone as they tossed birdseed at the two of them. Gai watched proudly as his only remaining student walked away, his new bride in his arms.
'Tenten, Neji… I'll never forget you two. But now, you two are flying together,'Lee promised himself as he walked away with Sakura in his arms, smiling briefly at the sky above before turning back to his wife.