The cake was a lie.
There was a lot of it, though. Little delicate, honey-flavored cakes with green tea frosting, petifores with their tiny layers, thick flourless chocolate cakes with fresh cream. Whole tables full of cakes.
The Hyuuga might not have been the most festive of the noble clans, but they certainly spared no expense when it came to commemorating an occasion. But Neji knew the cake was a lie. No one in this clan was happy about the event they were supposed to be celebrating. Well, maybe Hinata was. Hanabi, however, looked murderous.
At the first sign of pause in the endless parade of ceremonial blessings, pronouncements, vows, toasts, and formal congratulations, Neji quietly slipped into the estate's garden for a moment of solitude – the only one he expected to have that evening. He was standing on the gravel path, looking at the chrysanthemum plant in a corner by the garden wall – the last the Hiashi-sama had planted – when he heard soft, deliberate footsteps behind him. It was a sign of courtesy among ninja; soft, but not stealthy, so as to indicate he was meant to hear the approach. He turned to find Hinata, looking surprisingly at home in her formal kimono, her pearlescent eyes fixed on him placidly, and he could not be sure if the feeling in his chest was relief or just a different kind of heaviness. This Hinata, the woman that had grown from the girl he dueled in his youth, did not stutter, mutter, or gaze at her feet. She had found herself, as they all had, on battlefields, the memories of which were too recent to be dwelt on for long.
"Congratulations, Neji-sama," she said, smiling slightly, her hands clasped behind her back.
"Thank you… Uzumaki-san."
Her mouth still smiled, but her eyes chided him for the formality. She had meant the honorific as a sign of recognition and support, but trust him to only hear the distance. She stepped closer, lowering her eyes to the white chrysanthemum blossoms.
"My father would have been proud."
Neji remained silent.
"He knew you would make a good leader. I'm sure his only regret was that it took so much loss for these changes to be made. I'm sure he and your father are very proud right now."
When she looked up again he was staring at her with such intensity that she wondered briefly if she had somehow offended him.
"Thank you… Hinata."
Now her smile lit her eyes. Looking somewhat mischievous, she brought her hands from behind her back and lifted them in offering. In both palms she held a tiny honeycake, as sweet and delicate as she appeared to be. He looked from her hands to her face, puzzled.
"I know they're your favorite, and you haven't had a chance to eat anything all night."
Gingerly, he took the cake from her hands and bowed just fractionally, to show his appreciation. And somewhere deep inside he locked a part of his heart away forever.
"I should go now, before Naruto starts looking for me. You should come back soon, too. It's your party, after all." She smiled one last time, and turned to make her way back to the house.
Looking down at the gift in his hands, Neji thought that the cake might still be a lie, but Hinata's smile was not, and maybe things weren't so bad. He stuck one finger into the green-tea icing and then sucked on it thoughtfully. Well, at least it was a delicious falsehood. And no, things weren't so bad at all.