I've been looking at a lot of writing prompts lately to help me get back into my writing game.
I saw this prompt, and I immediately thought of Neji.
It can be found on the tumblr blog called putthepromptsonpaper.
So, I hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. The prompt is not mine either. However, the story idea and Sanae do belong to me.
"You promised to stay alive." "I'm sorry."
A young woman sat in front of one of the graves, legs curled beneath her. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, keeping it out of her face.
Her fingers trailed over the grave stone. It was smooth, free of any dirt or grime. Her hand shook a little as her finger tips brushed the engraved lettering. Hyuga Neji.
"Neji..." She whispered as she began to tremble.
~X~
"Naruto!" She rushed over to the blond ninja, skidding to a stop in front of him. A gasp left her when she saw the bandaged stump of his right arm. "What happened?!"
"Nothing, Sanae-chan." He smiled tiredly, shrugging his shoulders. "It's over."
"You can tell me about it later." She smiled with relief. Then her hazel eyes trailed away from Naruto, scanning the crowd of shinobi that were walking into the village.
"Naruto, where's Neji?" Her brow furrowed, because she didn't see the person she'd been looking for. She looked to Naruto again.
He remained silent, chewing his bottom lip as he looked at her with saddened eyes. "Sanae-chan..."
"What? Naruto?" She frowned, but she was met with silence.
He wasn't looking at her anymore, because his eyes had moved over to the gates of Konoha. Slowly, she trailed her eyes over to where he was looking. What she saw caused her eyes to widen.
Walking through the gates of Konoha was someone that she knew very well. She'd know that black, bowl cut any where. But that wasn't what she was looking at. What had her attention was what was in his arms.
Neji. His eyes were closed, and his headband was resting on his stomach. If that had been all, one might think he was just resting from the long battle. But... That wasn't it. She didn't fail to notice what was missing from his forehead. The brand of the Hyuga branch family, something he had explained to her, was gone. Only to disappear if a member of the Hyuga branch family died.
"Please, no..." It came out in a broken whisper. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes as she began to tremble.
At that time, Rock Lee's eyes trailed over to where she was standing with Naruto. There was so much hurt and sorrow in his eyes as they met hers.
"NO!" A devastated scream ripped from her throat. A scream that all heard. That was when the dam broke. Sobs erupted from her, and she would have collapsed to the ground had Naruto not held her up. She slumped against him, tears thoroughly soaking the shoulder of his worn and ragged shirt. Her fingers curled into the back of his shirt, clutching the fabric.
"I'm sorry, Sanae-chan." Naruto whispered to her, pain in his blue eyes as she sobbed into his shoulder.
~X~
Tears well up in her eyes as the event replayed over and over again within her mind. Her hand rested on the grave, now curled into a loose fist.
"Why?" Spoken quietly, full of pain and anguish. "You promised..."
~X~
She chewed on her bottom lip as her eyes met pale, pupil-less ones.
"I wish you didn't have to go." She murmured, resting a hand on his arm. Tears were beginning to fall.
"I know." He lifted a hand to brush away the fallen tears.
"Come back to me." She whispered, almost desperately. "Come back alive."
"I will." He told her softly.
"Promise?" She asked, the tone of her voice pleading.
"I promise." He smiled at her, brushing her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I will always come back to you."
The smile was returned, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding onto him tightly for as long as she could. His arms locked around her waist, holding her against his chest.
"I love you." She sighed into the side of his neck, squeezing him gently.
"And I love you." His smile was soft and small. But she could feel it against her hair, and that was enough for her.
~X~
"You promised..." Her words trailed off, voice raising a little with each spoken word. "You promised me!"
Her voice cracked, and she broke. The tears began to flow, dribbling down her cheeks and landing on the grave stone.
Both of her hands clenched into fists, but then loosened. She slumped, hunching over and laying against the grave stone.
"You promised to stay alive." She whispered against the smooth stone.
A gentle breeze blew by. Slowly, she lifted her head, eyes widening.
Surely, she couldn't have heard what she thought she heard. It was just the wind, wasn't it? But she knew that it wasn't just the wind. After all, the wind alone wouldn't have been able to say the words 'I'm sorry'.