Greetings and Salutations!

This is my first NejiXHinata thing, and just for a warning; If you don't like this as a romantic pair, then this fic is not for you. Please don't leave me angsty and mean reviews just because you feel like it. What's that thing your mother always used to tell you? 'If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all.' She's wise; listen to the woman.

Anyhoo...

Enjoy!


Adultery

~-X-~

The angry lover tells himself many a lie.

Publilius Syrus

~-X-~

Neji marveled at the way the light filtering through the holes in the ceiling refracted off of the dust particles in the air. It shone oddly against the wall and gave the room a sort of candle-esc glow.

The wind made a whistling sound as it blew in through the holes and he smiled to himself as Hinata snuggled closer to his body heat. He pulled up his coat that was shielding their naked bodies from the cold of the morning and tucked his arm around her waist.

He turned his face into her hair and inhaled, closing his eyes to let the feelings of her linger. She would have to leave shortly. Her husband was coming home today and she had to be ready to receive him.

"I should go…" She suddenly whispered, as if she read his mind. He opened his eyes and made a sound of concurrence deep in his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair. In contradiction to her statement, she pushed herself closer to him so that not one inch of her body was empty of his touch and she entangled her legs with his.

They lay in the quiet for heaven knows how long, just savoring one of their few stolen moments together where they didn't have to pretend that they didn't care, that they didn't love

"He's getting suspicious." Hinata stated quietly, her nails lightly tracing patterns over his chest. Neji made a curious grunting sound and she continued; "Jiro. He's starting to think about where I go. He's going to find out what we're doing and he won't take kindly to being scorned." Neji licked his dry lips.

"Are you suggesting that we discontinue this?" He asked, half dreading the answer. Hinata made a pained noise and rubbed her head against his shoulder like a cat.

"You know that we should—I know that we should—but I don't think that I could..." she trailed off, unwilling to finish the sentence. Neji knew how she felt, but remained silent. He didn't want to confuse her more by telling her that he also wanted her to stay with him. He knew that she already felt guilty enough about the situation as it was.

He didn't, though. He felt not one iota of guilt. She belonged to him, and she always had. No legally binding piece of paper saying that she was taken was going to keep him from her, and vice versa. The only restraint on him was Hinata's bizarre sense of duty toward her father.

Hinata made a pained noise in his arms and he loosed the grip he didn't even know he had been tightening. She muttered her thanks and kissed the bottom of his chin. There was a light tap on the door and Neji released Hinata just as quickly as she rolled away and began to pull on clothing. He followed her hurried suit and began to pull on his own clothing.

"Hinata-sama, Jiro-sama has just entered the village." Neji watched Hinata relax a bit when she recognized the voice of her maid, but continued to pull on her clothes. She pulled her hair out of her shirt and righted her shoes.

"Thank you, Lin." Hinata answered. Neji finished tying his hair back and they stood there looking at each other sadly. She sniffled a bit and rubbed at her eyes. Neji reached forward and grasped onto her upper arm tightly, trying to reassure her. "Is it horrible that I despise my husband this much?" She asked him, quietly. Neji didn't answer and Hinata didn't wait for one. She squeezed her arms around his waist on last time before departing quickly.

Neji remained unmoved; glaring at the wall. Behind him, there was a not-so-dainty clearing of the throat. He turned his head and glared at Lin over his shoulder. She glared right back.

"He's going to figure it out, and, when he does, I hope you get the most of the trouble." She hissed at him. He glared, but it seemed tired now. Lin stepped back in confusion as he walked forward and stepped past her, stopping when he was level with her.

"I hope I do, too." He said grimly, and kept walking, not looking back.

Ten months and sixty trysts later, he did.

He found out because Hinata gave birth to a healthy little boy, and while there was nothing wrong with this, the time of conception coincided with his month-long business trip. He had been furious, demanding to know how the father was. Hinata had refused to tell him and when Neji came back from his mission, it was just in time for Hinata's appearance before the elders and her father.

Lin had been the one to tell him what was wrong—because he could tell that something was indeed, very, very wrong ,and had worried for a few heart stopping moments that his child, Hinata, or both had died in birth—and none too quietly, at that. She yelled at him tearfully that it was all his fault, how Hinata wasn't going to let him get in trouble, and that he was too late. She also called him a few exceedingly unsavory names that had people stopping to stare at them.

Once he had calmed her down long enough to get the details, namely where they were meeting, he had run off in such a hurry, one would have thought he was being chased by a large and rabid animal. He had literally exploded into the room and demanded to know what was going on. The sight that greeted him was one of mixed feelings.

Hinata was knelt formally on the floor, still in her birthing clothes, with tears of shame and regret running down her face. Her father was in the act of pacing around while her fornicated husband looked so angry that his eyes were fairly popping out of his face.

The elders were all giving her disgusted looks and, judging by the red marks on her face, some of them had struck her. They had all turned in his direction when he had entered, surprise the only expression left.

There was a small squall of a child in distress and Neji jumped in surprise, his eyes finding the small person that Hinata clung to desperately; shielding from any glares or, possibly, attacks. He was small and wrinkly and red with his face all screwed up angrily and tears and snot running down his face.

He kicked and writhed and mewled. Dark curls rested on top of his head in wisps, black like his mothers or brown like his fathers, it was impossible to tell, and, when he stopped crying for a breath and looked over at Neji, he saw white eyes. He was tiny and chubby and annoying but Neji couldn't help but think that he was the most beautiful thing that he had seen aside from Hinata.

"Well," One of the elders said, causing Neji to realize that he had been openly staring at his son with an expression to mirror his feelings. He quickly righted himself, but it was too late. He could tell by the smug smiles on the elders' faces. "We seem to have found the father."

He flinched at Hiashi-sama's reaction. He looked surprised, then disappointed and, for some reason, that was much worse than anything else that could have happened. Neji would have much rather that he became so angry that he attacked him.

Jiro, of course, had become even more infuriated when face-to-face with his wife's collaborator and began to call for his expulsion from the village. He promptly shut his face when all of the Hyuuga's eyes; save for Hinata and the little one's, turned on him with mirrored expressions of annoyance. They turned their attention back to the two lovers.

"Neji, is this your son?" The Head elder questioned, getting straight to the point. Neji looked down at him and Hinata looked into his eyes, silently begging him to just let her take the fall. He raised his head and walked over so that he stood next to them.

"Yes." He answered, calmly and proudly. Jiro's face became unattractively burgundy. The elders looked nearly triumphant. Hiashi turned away. Hinata shivered.

"Have you been with Hinata sexually with full knowledge that she had already been taken by Jiro?" The elder continued, gesturing to Hinata's estranged husband when he was mentioned. Neji met his glare head on with emotionless power.

"I have."

"And were you the one who instigated these meetings with the full knowledge that they were wrong?" Hiashi looked at him again, his eyes full of pity. Neji drew himself up to his full height.

"I was."

"No!" Everyone jumped and looked down at Hinata who had shrieked out the word, looking up at him with desperately crazed eyes. "He didn't instigate them, it was me!" She protested, new tears rolling down her cheeks to match her once again wailing child's. Hiashi looked the most surprised out of the lot at Hinata's raised voice. "I seduced him!" she claimed wildly, lightly bouncing her baby to try to calm him down.

"Hinata…" Hiashi began warningly. Hinata shook her head and seemed to fold in on herself.

"It wasn't his fault…" She repeated as she sobbed.

No one believed her. It was written all over their faces that they didn't think such a timid girl as her could seduce anyone, much less Neji. They all, also, knew why she was defending him so desperately; her punishment wouldn't be as severe as his. Of course, it would be very bad, but his would be worse than death while hers would just be banishment to the House of Reflections.

Had he been of the main house, things would have been switched. He would have gotten a slap on the wrist and a scolding while she would still be sent to the House, where she would be locked in there for a predetermined time in isolation to think about her wrong doings. No contact with the outside world whatsoever.

However, being born Branch, he would have the curse seal activated for a very long time and he would be beat until he could no longer feel his back. The Main branch must protect the purity of their maidens, and no Branch scum would taint them without ruthless consequences.

If she took responsibility, then nothing would happen to him because he was meant to serve her requests and, if she said that it was, then that included sexual favors. She would be punished and he would just be flogged.

It was complicated and unintelligent, but there was nothing he could do about it.

The council looked down at Hinata as she tried to muffle her cries with her unoccupied hand with a calculative and unfeeling stare.

"Neji, join Hinata." An elder stated in a bored manner. He complied, but only to use the opportunity to place a comforting hand on the small of her back. She hiccupped and looked at him with poignant, contrite eyes. Jiro looked apoplectic. "You two are, obviously, aware of the consequences of your actions. Are you prepared to accept what the Head of the Family will decide to punish you with?"

"I am." Neji answered, glancing over at Hiashi-sama. Hinata squeaked a few times before getting her answer out also. The baby continued to bawl. Hinata whispered for him to please be quiet. Hiashi stood there with pride in his shoulders and reluctance in his eyes. There were no sounds from the grownups in the room.

"I…" He started, slowing as he watched his daughter flinch violently at the sound of his voice. "Am willing to take the lesser of two evils on the basis that you are both young and irrational." He said. "Though, not as young as I would have hoped for such foolishness to occur." He gave a pointed look at Neji as he said this. He took a deep breath through his nose before he continued.

"Hinata, you are required to spend one and a half weeks in the House of Reflection, and, pertaining to the state of your marriage, if Jiro wishes to divorce you, he may. Neji," Neji tore his eyes away from the mother of his child as Hiashi tried to get his attention. "How many times did you two meet, approximately?" Neji blinked as he thought.

"Nearly a hundred, Hiashi-sama?" He answered. Hiashi closed his eyes and nodded.

"You will receive double that amount in lashes. You will be placed in a holding cell and you will get no food, with water coming once every three days, for the duration of two weeks. As for the child…" He trailed off as he watched his grandchild finally calm down enough to sniffle and turn his head into Hinata's breast, obviously hungry. "You may do what you want with him." Jiro let out an angry hiss at this decree.

"No! I want you to drown the bastard!" He growled angrily. Hinata let out a wordless cry at that and turned her whole body around so that she was between her husband and her child. As soon as the word 'drown' had left his mouth, Neji had been on his feet with his kunai in his hand and standing in front of his child and Hinata with his Byakugan activated.

"You will not touch him." He spat at the despicable little man. Hiashi raised two fingers and suddenly an explosive pain beyond all belief slammed and echoed through his brain and body as his seal was activated. He exclaimed in pain and dropped his kunai, falling to his knees and clutching his head. Then it cut off and Neji raised his head shakily, hesitantly prying his hands away from his skull.

"Take them away." Hiashi demanded, turning to look at the wall behind him. Two Hyuuga peeled away from the shadows and took them by the arms, leading them separate ways. He dug his heals in and turned towards her.

"Hinata." He called she turned to look at him. He licked his lips. "Hinge would be a good name." He suggested before the door was shut and the man pulled out a whip.

~-X-~

Neji coughed through his dry throat and tried to sit in such a way that it didn't hurt the lashes on his back. He had been here for eleven days already and the water he had been trying to preserve was gone. He tried to tell himself that he only had three more days left before he could get out of this stupid cell but it just made him more anxious.

He had no word of Hinata and his son. Her sentence ended yesterday and he hoped that he would hear whispers of their well being, but none had passed his sensitive ears. He had to take that as good news, because he didn't know what else he could do.

The chains of the chakra suppressing cuffs rattled as he reached up to push his hair out of his face. There was clanging noise from outside and he sighed as he remembered that it was time for the guards to change shifts. Then he heard a noise that had him jolting himself up onto the bars.

"Lin-san, I'll only be a moment." The whispered voice of Hinata echoed through the empty space that held him. Her form silhouetted in the door as she opened it and the sunlight rushed in. He flinched at the sudden light and blinked a few times. He heard a gasp. "Neji…"

A hand was suddenly cupping his cheek and he could feel her soft hands through the stubble on his face. It was like heaven had lent him an angel for a little moment of reprieve. There was a gurgling noise and he looked down in her arms and saw his child looking at him with curious white eyes. He smiled and reached through the bars to wave at him with two fingers.

Hinata smiled and pushed some of Neji's hair back, gently touching a bruise on his forehead. He shook his head and grabbed onto her hand.

"How are you?" He asked. Hinata looked at him in surprise and he realized that his voice had sounded rough and croaky from lack of water and use. He cleared his throat but all it did was cause it to hurt.

"I'm fine. We both are. Oh, Neji…" She looked tearful. "You look horrible." He nodded quietly.

"It's to be expected." He responded. Her expression remained grave and he began to worry. "What's wrong?" Hinata shuddered and leaned her forehead into the bars where his was.

"The elders, Chichiue, and Jiro have reached an agreement." She began; her voice cracking. "He won't divorce me or kill Hinge as long as he grows up thinking that Jiro is his father. You are to have minimum contact with him and you are no longer allowed to be my personal watch." Neji winced but smiled mirthlessly.

"You named him Hinge." He stated. Hinata nodded and smiled.

"It is a good name." She answered. She maneuvered around the bars and awkwardly kissed him on his lips. He closed his eyes to savor the last few bits of it before she drew back. "We have to go. I'm sorry." She stood up. "Neji, I love you." She whispered, and left quickly before he could give his answer.

"I love you, too." He whispered to nothing.


Did you like it?

It's very important that you tell me this because I'm just testing the waters and if no one likes it then I don't want to have to keep my other fics on hold to work on something no one reads. So...

Review please!