Prologue:

Neji dodged the kunai thrown at him by the opposing shinobi while hurling several shuriken at his' opponent at the same time.

The enemy ninja evaded them and attempted to shower Neji with an abundance of needles, which Neji easily evaded.

Neji activated his' byukan. "It's time to finish this." He said.

"Oh you think so do you?" His' opponent scoffed. "Well, we'll just see about that!" He rapidly formed twelve hand signs, which Neji did not recognize.

Suddenly two beams of energy shot out from his' eyes and into Neji's. The beams sent a shock of pain through Neji's eyes and brain. He clutched his' head and crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Nej became aware of soft voices around him. He tired to open his' eyes but they had been tightly bandaged shut.

He recognized the deep, confident voice of his uncle, Lord Hiyashi. "How severe are his' injuries?"

A female voice that Neji did not recognize spoke. "Most of the wounds were superficial and will heal shortly. But I'm afraid that the damage done to his' eyes by that jutsu, are beyond repair."

A soft, timid voice spoke, and Neji knew it to be his' cousin, Lady Hinata. "Isn't-t th-there a-ny hop-pe at-t all?" She stuttered.

"I'm afraid not." The first female voice replied. "The high intensity rays from that jutsu went through the cornea, melted the lens, completely destroyed the retina, and severed the optic nerve. There is no way that he will ever be able to see again."

Neji felt as though someone had just dealt him a deathblow. Never be able to see again?! That can't be. He thought. That woman has to be mistaken. She has to!

"P-Poor Ne-ji." Hinata sniffled. "H-How c-can w-we h-help h-him?"

"I suggest that you take him home and hire a nurse or some sort of caretaker for him." The voice replied.

"Thank you miss Kujaro." Hiyashi said.

This can't be happening. Neji thought frantically I must be having a nightmare or something. I can't be blind! He tried desperately to stay alert but his' exhausted mind refused to focus and Neji finally drifted back to sleep…

"Neji nii-san?" A soft voice penetrated the deep slumber in which Neji was submerged. "Neji nii-san, wake up." The voice crooned.

Hinata? Neji wondered groggily.

Neji tried to open his' eyes but there' was some sort of cloth tied around his' face, holding them shut.

"What is this?" He asked reaching up to pull the cloth from his' face. (His voice sounded strange.)

"Oh don't!" Hinata's cool hand took hold of his' wrist preventing him from removing the piece of material.

"What are you doing?" Neji rasped. Why do I sound so weird? He wondered. And why does my' mind feel so foggy?

"You can't take that off; not until the doctor comes to chick on you." Hinata told him.

She's not stuttering like usual! Neji realized.

"Why not?" Neji asked. "What is going on?"

Hinata became silent.

Neji tried again. "Hinata?"

He heard the sound of someone crying and asked, "What is it Hinata? What happened?"

Suddenly Neji felt Hinata throw her' arms around him. "Oh Neji…" Hinata sobbed into his' shoulder. I'm so sorry."

Neji was still totally bewildered. "What the heck is going on?" He asked sitting up.

"Neji…" Hinata hesitated. "How was she supposed to tell him that he was blind? "You were in a fight Neji." she told him. "And you had almost defeated your' opponent, but he did some strange jutsu that I've never heard of before and it…it…"

"It what?" Neji prompted.

"It destroyed the insides of your' eyes." she whispered.

Suddenly every thing came flooding back to him: the fight, the strange jutsu, the conversation at the hospital…everything! Neji's hands flew to blindfold that covered his' eyes. as soon as his' fingers came in contact with his' eyelids an explosion unimaginably intense pain shot through his' head. Neji cried out in agony.

"Oh! Are you okay?" Hinata gasped. She laid her' cool hand on his' brow.

Neji inhaled sharply and nodded.

"Just lie down and try not to move to much." Hinata instructed him.

Neji obeyed. What else could he do?

"The doctor will be by to check on you in a couple of hours." Hinata told him.

Neji nodded distractedly. He tried to sort through the chaotic mess that was now his' mind. Thousands of questions swirled about in his' mind. How could this happen? Why me? What was that jutsu? But the one question that plagued him above all the others was: What will become of me now that I am no longer of any use to anyone?

Being an orphan from the branch family, the one thing that had always earned him respect, was his' genius like abilities as a shinobi. These abilities all revolved around his' kekkei genkai, which was called Byukan, and his' Byukan worked through his' eyes. Without his' eyes, his' kekkei genkai was completely useless. Neji sighed. "And without my' byukan, I am useless." He whispered.

Hi everyone! So what did you think?

Reveiws are greatly appreciated. (No flames please.)

For all of you "Alone or Not" fans, I will be updating that story shortly.

Until next time,

Yaruhi over and out!