A/n: This is unedited, beware of grammatical errors.
Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto
Culture Festival (c) Higuchi Tachibana
oOo
"Ne, Neji-kun," a high-pitched voice called out to him. With piercing pearl-like eyes, he did not need to turn his head back to see a girl running towards him from behind. The Hyuga kept walking the side walk that led to his dorm building, paying no heed to the girl that kept calling his name.
Neji made the mistake of blinking. For the second that his all-seeing eyes were blind, the girl had appeared within three feet in front of him.
'A teleporter,' Neji thought, still not interested.
With her chest heaving up and down in an effort to catch her breath in exhaustion, she had managed to spread her arms eagle wide. Supposedly, it was to deter him from going on his way. Neji simply stood there, his face impassive and not revealing anything but a raised eyebrow.
The girl, on the other hand, upon realizing how ridiculous she looked, dropped her stance at a speed that rivaled her own teleportation. Her face started to redden from the neck up in embarrassment.
"A-ano," she stuttered. Neji was beginning to get irritated. The girl seemed to had sensed so too because she started to fidget. It did not help the boy's temper at all.
"I-I just w-wanted t-to ask," she took a deep breath, "W-would you be m-my last dance?" At end of her sentence, she had looked down on the ground and closed her eyes, waiting for him to say something. A few moments later, when no response came, the girl shyly opened her eyes and looked up. Only to see no one there. Gazing frantically left and right, she tried to find him to no avail.
She heard a crunch from a distance behind her and turned around. Hyuga Neji was there walking like she had never appeared before him. And Neji did not care the slightest bit, indifferent to everything around him.
It was that time of year again. The Culture Festival has come to an end and to wrap the festivities all up, the school always hosted a dance in the safer parts of its forests. The western forest specifically. Traditionally, a bon fire would be lit by a special elementary student by firing a flaming arrow towards the humongous goblet shaped fire place standing at almost fifty feet in the center of the dance floor. The heat that emblazed from it was enough to warm down the chill of the October night air. Afterwards, the students and teachers alike were free to do whatever they please. A buffet filled with scrumptious and not so scrumptious amounts of food were served. Somehow, someway, students with special abilities in Cooking and Chemistry, be it intentional or not, were bound to place something on the food that would lead to comical events later on in the evening, Neji made it a point not to eat anything offered to him at all costs.
The highlight of the evening however, was the greatly anticipated Last Dance. There wasn't anything special about it, Neji thought. But there wasn't anything Neji considered special, so his opinion doesn't really count.
School legend says that the couple who dances the Last Dance were bound to stay together forever. Neji, ever the pessimist that he is, thinks otherwise. It's all just a commercial to entice the student population to go. The whole thing was just a lame attempt to feed teenagers their hopeless romantic fantasies. Still, everyone was required to go.
Here Neji was, hiding in his three star room. His supposed costume hanging on his dresser without his doing. He suspected the cleaning robots had provided him a new outfit when he surreptitiously thrown away his old one, like he does every year, in an effort not to attend the whole thing. Alas, like every year, he was forced to attend. He predicted that in a matter of fifteen minutes, his assigned teacher/caretaker would burst into his room with exclamations of youth and springtime and forcibly dress him up in the stupid thing if he had to, if only to make him come. Neji decided to cherish these fifteen minutes of silence in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His thoughts started to drift.
He was inside this damned school for about four years now. He hated every second of it. A fist had unconciously grasped the bed sheet in a white-knuckled grip. He hated how trapped he was. He hated that was being kept in against his will. Hated that when he comes across the tall walls that separated him from his freedom, all he could do was stare blankly. Hated with all his might how he was the one with the all-seeing eyes yet he was the one always being watched like an animal in the zoo. His fisted hands had begun to shake as all of his thoughts had turned dark but he did not seem to notice, only the hate that was fueled by his own thoughts. Too tight was the grip he had on the sheets that his control had slipped and he heard glass shatter from the corner of his room.
His eyes snapped open, not aware that he had closed them in the first place. He forcibly let himself relax and in doing so, releasing the hold he had on the poor sheets. Numbly, he could feel the piercing he had on his ear pulse with the promise of pain. He raised an arm and covered his eyes and let his temper cool down, knowing what he had unintentionally broke in the corner. But he didn't bother himself to care anymore, not when he wasn't strong enough.
That was how his caretaker Gai found him not two minutes later. Neji silently commended the man for being punctual even in their unofficial, unspoken schedule.
"Neji, my dear boy!" With a dynamic entry, the man's deep baritone bounced off the walls the same way his shiny hair bounced with his every movement. 'Odd,' Gai thought, as he gazed at the thirteen year old. Usually, almost routinely, the boy would have shot him a glare upon sight. Neji had always despised him and what he stood for, Gai thought sadly. Yet the fierce Hyuga seemed tired. Stressed, even. It was not a word supposed to describe a mere pubescent but Gai had recalled that the boy before him had experienced a lot of things that even an adult shouldn't have. The man, however, did not let it show on his face lest the boy see and despise him even more. With a smile that fooled almost everyone, he grabbed the outfit that he specifically told the robot dorm mother of the building to always prepare beforehand and like always, pestered the Hyuga. "Come now, Neji! Must you lay when the rest of your peers are merry-making at the dance?"
Neji just sighed like the world was upon his shoulders. He got up, snatched the detested outfit that Gai held out at arm's length and proceeded to the bathroom his three-star rank provided. All the while, he did not look at the man, simply glared at the ground. Gai feared that the floor would burst with the pressure focused on it but alas, the earring was already annoying to him and for once he didn't have it in him to fight with the man. Neji shut the door with a slam and Gai was alone in the room.
His eyes surveyed the area, the room is as sparse as always. Cream white walls were adorned only by the customary still life the room was originally designed with, plain beige curtains hung from the window and dark cherry wood furniture occupied the space. Gai mused that the room's aura was that of its owner: bleak, cold and (only Gai thinks so) just so lonely.
Gai sighed and moved for the door. As his hand touched the knob, he spied something at the far right of the room. Curious, all thoughts of leaving vanished and he went towards the broken pieces of glass like a mosquito would to light. Crouching down, he brushed the stray pieces and found a picture. It was a regular 3R picture that somehow, Gai had never seen before. Gai felt his heart swell. It was a picture of a man with coffee brown hair and piercing white eyes the same as the ones on Neji. But this wasn't Neji. The man appeared to be in his middle adulthood and in his arms was a two year old toddler that was a far cry from the child that Gai had come to know. The boy was beaming in the picture, a grin so bright it rivaled the sun. The man holding him had radiated warmth too, with a smile that promised to get rid of nightmares at night and leave only blissful dreams, and Gai did not doubt that he did, if only for the child that lay in his arms.
He turned back the photograph to see what lay behind and he never thought that he could feel anymore symphatetic for the boy.
"What are you doing?" Came Neji's cold voice. Swivelling around, Neji stood in his mandatory outfit. Meticulously pressed gray dress pants with a matching blazer and pastel pink long sleeves. A slim black tie hung loosely on his neck and tucked in the blazer. Gai fought the urge to ostentatiously envelop the boy in a hug and cry out a river. He knew the boy wouldn't appreciate the gesture, unless they were tears valuable enough to put in a vial. Instead, "Goodness Neji, you should tidy up your room. I wouldn't want you to accidentally hurt yourself." He said, standing up and leaving the shards of broken glass on the floor along with the picture and dusting off imaginary particles off of his pants.
Neji bought it. "Tch. Let's get this over with," he said and left the room.
"How unyouthful," Gai wanted to say but decided against it. He simply followed the boy out and locked the door, leaving the literal mess behind closed doors.
At the back of the picture were words written in ink, the words were smudged but still readable, as if small droplets of water had fallen on it before being wiped away but the words had remained.
Gai opted to stick the thought on the back of his head.
Be strong Neji.
oOo
The bonfire had already been lit when Neji got to the venue, Gai in tow. He figured he hadn't missed much at all, he noticed his classmates had just started eating and people occupying the dance floor were close to none. Neji felt a hand clasp his shoulder. Looking up, it was Gai smiling brightly at him. "Try to enjoy yourself, ey Neji?" He said and afterwards, went to his colleagues.
Neji decided to take his advice and take refuge within the trees of the forest and enjoy his time there in solitude.
There's a place in the west forest that Neji had always frequented. Glancing around, he saw that Gai was preoccupied with wooing the middle school principal's assistant to a dance. Taking the opportunity, he walked towards the part of the forest obscured by the buffet table.
At first, everything was all trees and shrubs. Huge root protruded from the trees and on the ground that Neji had to sometimes rely on his abnormal eyes to maneuver his way around unscathed. After a few minutes of walking however, the trees gave way to a dirt trail Neji knew all so well.
Fireflies littered the area and the occasional sounds of crickets playing their music and owls hooting in the trees had put Neji in serenity. The signs of natural night life were now showing and it was only here that the Hyuga truly appreciated the calmness it brought. Near the end of the trail was a small pond filled with water lilies. With the light of the moon illuminating the place, everything looked as if it came out of a travel brochure. However, Neji's safe haven was the large oak tree that lay near the edge of the pond. Due to the time of year, the tree took an autumn look but in the summer when days were hot, it provided shade and coolness that the Hyuga had come to take advantage of. It's trunk was thick enough that no two people could hug with it between them and for him to lay his back on comfortably. It was Neji's kind of tree.
He didn't know whether or not that Gai knew of this place but he realized he didn't care. Not as long as he didn't bother him here.
Walking towards the tree, he settled himself at the base of it, leaned his back and rested his eyes.
oOo
Neji woke up to someone tripping and cursing along the edge of the pond.
"Who's there?" His cold voice broke the tranquility of the night. As sudden as his question, the rustling had stopped. If Neji strained his hearing a bit more, he could hear the sound of heavy breathing, the one that usually indicates nervousness. He had the sudden urge to roll his eyes.
"I can see you," he was getting impatient with the moron who who thought they could sneak up on him when he has the ability of sight.
Under the light of the moon, a girl in the mandatory gown came out from the bushes directly across from the tree he was perched under and started rubbing her bare arms, whether from the cold or just simply him, he didn't know.
Neji fixed her with a scrutinizing gaze. He noticed that there were scratches on her arms and on the sliver of skin on her legs the gown had provided him were also injured. Actually, the dress itself was scratched here and there. Someone had trouble in the woods. His gaze had lingered on the odd the hairstyle the girl had sported.
Now more amused than annoyed, he raised an eyebrow at the girl, similar to the one he gave the another girl earlier today.
"A-ano," she started. Her response too, did not differ from the one who was in her place that morning. She actually wanted to slap herself. She wasn't like this at all. Taking a deep breath and flashing the guy with her best friendly smile, she continued, "Gai-sensei asked me to come find you. He said that you might be hungry and told me to bring you something to eat."
"I'm not hungry," just when he decided to voice out his thoughts, his stomach betrayed him.
Gurgle. Gurgle.
He could see the girl trying to hold back a smile.
Piercing white eyes scanned not only her form but the surrounding area too. Looking for the food that the girl was talking about. Vaguely, he could hear the start of the Last Dance starting in the distance.
The girl seemed to have noticed because she had appeared surprised, Neji did not think that the girl had actually forgotten to bring food. How stupid can you get?
He was proven wrong however, when the girl clapped her hands, a puff of smoke dispersed. When the smoke faded, a huge platter was found in her hands. From what Neji could see (and smell), there was stir fried rice, some orange chicken and a serving of chopsuoy. She offered the plate to him but Neji did not take it. In fact, he started to become suspicious.
"What?" The girl asked, defensively.
"What's in it?" He asked, the fact that some of the food from the dance could be charmed and this looked like it definitely came from the buffet made him doubt, his hunger be damned.
"What?" She asked again, her brown eyes now confused.
"What charm did you put in it?"
"I-I did no such thing!" He could see her face redden, he thought it was from anger.
"Why should I trust you? And how did you even find me here?" He was being distrustful, yes, but most of the time, that's what kept him alive.
"I just came here in Gai-sensei's orders!" She said red in the face. "And I've been in your class for four years now!"
"Hn," Neji did not recognize her one bit. He doesn't pay attention much at class anyway so he was still suspicious (see Clueless).
"I sit two rows in front of you," the girl tried again but it looked like the Hyuga was still as clueless as ever.
'Unbelievable,' she thought. Currently, she was more astounded by the boy before her than she was afraid.
"You know, Tenten? Seriously? Don't you even recognize my hairstyle?"
'So Tenten was her name,' Neji thought, amused at the spectacle the girl provided as she placed a hand on her hair buns as if it would make him recognize her, to no avail. While one hand was occupied in touching her hair buns, the other one still held the platter, lightly swinging it in such a way that Neji caught a good whif.
Gurgle. Gurgle.
Tenten stared blankly at him. Suddenly, enlightment dawned on her features.
"Oh right! Here just eat it, it's not charmed!" As if to prove a point, Tenten took a pinchful of the rice and placed it on her mouth. She made an effort to obnoxiously show how she was chewing and eating and how she wasn't growing a pig's nose.
"See?" She said, bending down and offering the platter.
Neji looked at it for a while, then at her, then at the food again before he took it with a "Hn."
"Awesome," with a snap of her fingers, a pair of chopsticks came out from smoke and handed that out as well. Neji took it silently.
But he still did not eat. Tenten found it odd until she noticed that he was pointedly looking at her as if be expected her to do something. Her eyes widened a small fraction.
"Oh, right! Uhm. I'll leave you to your food then. I'll go tell Gai-sensei, now." Turning around, she felt her ears redden. She could feel his eyes following her and embarrassingly, she turned back around halfway and waved. "B-bye!" She stuttered out, and promptly left the area.
'Weird girl,' Neji thought absentmindedly.
"Itadakimasu," he said outloud and proceeded to eat his dinner.
A/n: Hi! So I have this new fic in mind. It's in this exact same universe actually, but this isn't the official first chapter. If anything, this is only a sneak peek. I'll tell you some of the background though. It's a fantasy inslired by Higuchi Tachibana's Gakuen Alice. The Culture Festival and the Last Dance was taken from there actually, so I don't own it. The plot, however, would be different somehow. I'm only at the first chapter though. It may take a while for me to post it. So again, see you in June. I really hope you guys watch out for it. It's gonna be a lot of world building.
Leave a review and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is highly appreciated. :)