His voice was unnaturally loud.
His footsteps were unusually heavy.
In short, he was...
...very angry.
Hinata jumped back as the door flew open.
'Y-yes Father?' she inquired, trying not to show how unsettled she was.
'Where is my copy of Konoha Jutsus: Revisited?' her father demanded.
Hinata put her head down and twiddled her fingers, gestures she always resorted to when nervous.
'I...I...uh...'
'Look at me when I'm speaking to you,' he commanded.
She slowly raised her head. 'I...I...borrowed it, father. To...to try and learn some new skills.'
Hiashi gave his daughter a look of contempt. 'You're not very good at lying. I saw your eyes shift.'
Hinata clenched her fists in frustration. How could she tell her father that she'd borrowed the big, heavy book to press flowers with? He would surely get angrier. She'd never thought that he'd miss it from his study. It was almost identical to all the other decaying books on the shelves.
'How unlucky can I get?' she thought, unhappily.
'Well? Do I have to use the Byakugan to find it?' He had one eyebrow raised. That was never a good sign.
'Uncle.' A voice came from the doorway. Hinata looked up, only to see her cousin Neji, standing there. She bit her lip and instinctively put a hand to her chest, where the injuries he'd dealt her during the Chuunin exam still remained.
His next sentence startled her.
'It was I who borrowed it. I am to train with Nara Shikamaru next week, and I only wanted to read about his family's special jutsu.'
Hiashi's annoyance disappeared in an instant. 'Of course, Neji-kun. Now that, I can believe.' He glared at Hinata, who started examining the tatami mat very closely.
'I'll be done with it by tomorrow, Uncle. Is that okay?'
Hiashi nodded. 'Keep it up, Neji. Do the Hyuuga clan proud. Not like this useless daughter of mine.'
When her father was gone, Hinata let out the breath she had been holding.
'Neji-niisan...arigatou...how did you know I'd taken the book?'
He turned to face her. 'I saw you in your room yesterday. You had a bunch of plum blossoms, some sheets of paper and you looked very busy.'
Hinata reddened. Had he been using the byakugan to spy on her in her room? And why would he stick up for her like that? It was all very unlike him.
'Oh...I...thank you anyway Neji-niisan.' She reached under her bed and pulled the book out, half-regretfully. She didn't have anything else to press the plum blossoms with. Hanabi had stolen the bricks she used to use, just to spite her, and she hadn't been able to find any more.
Neji took the book with both hands, looking rather contemplative as he did so. 'Arigatou, Hinata-sama. I will see that your father gets this.'
With that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving a very flustered Hinata.
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Neji pulled at his long coffee-coloured hair thoughtfully. Yesterday, when he'd walked past his cousin's room, he'd thought nothing of using the Byakugan to look past her back and at the objects she held. She couldn't have felt it anyway, her skill with the bloodline was too weak. But now he kind of regretted it. She already distrusted him.
His cousin had been pressing flowers with that book, hadn't she? She would need something else to use. He knew what Hinata was like. She wouldn't have touched Hiashi's books or scrolls unless she really needed to. The thing was, where was he supposed to find something as heavy as that stupid book? And why did he even care, anyway?
Neji frowned to himself. He had had a soft spot for his cousin ever since they were young. He remembered bringing her flowers. He remembered her trying to kiss his forehead when he had been branded with the cursed seal. He remembered sharing mitarashi dango with her on a wooden bridge over a stream, while fireworks burst into neon stars above their heads.
He also remembered trying to kill her during the Chuunin exam.
He didn't hate her, in fact, it was quite the opposite. He told her to give up so he wouldn't have to hurt her. But she refused, and somehow, some time during the fight, she had changed from the cute cousin he knew into a generic Main House Family Member. Eyes like his staring back at him, surrounding veins enlarged. And he had wanted to stifle all the things she meant to him.
'She won't ever love--I mean, trust me again,' he thought. 'Not after I did that to her. Where the hell did the word 'love' come from?'
A naggy little voice in his head said 'Shut up, Neji. You have to make up for it somehow!'
'How?' he asked.
The voice snapped back impatiently. 'A brick, you idiot! She likes pressing flowers! Tell her you're sorry with a brick!'
'...why, of course.' He wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. The people who thought he was a genius would be disappointed.
With the thought of obtaining a brick for his beloved cousin, Neji headed out of the Hyuuga compound with a determined look in his eyes.