I guess I lied before; I can update every month for now since it'll be 10 years since I've first registered here. Honestly, Neji/Hinata motivated me so much to continue writing. Shaved off about 500 words while editing the first chapter again. Chapter 3 is practically done until beta is finished.
((Venus))
what the sun doesn't see
/occasional glimpses of/ ((Neji-centric)) & ((Hinata-centric))
They were separated from the rest by an explosion.
Neji swiftly recovered and rose, concentrated on her familiar scream. She was descending fast, hair whipping violently. His knees bent, the weight of her fall forcing him to kneel and his arms curled tightly around her as the wind rushed at them. "Hinata-sama," he said huskily as she blinked rapidly to regain her senses. He angled her down so her feet touched the ground.
She gulped down air. "N-Neji-niisan."
"You're safe now."
She didn't leave his arms yet. "Where are we?" she asked softly, steadying herself with a hand on his shoulder. "Something shook the ground… and we all fell through this crack." She looked at him. "Neji-niisan," she said worriedly.
"We'll be fine." If Neji had nothing to fear, then it eased her worries. She latched onto his sleeve and when he stared down at her unblinkingly, Hinata remembered he always gave her his undivided attention. "What is it, Hinata-sama?"
"I cannot see anyone nearby for miles," she said.
He looked up. "It seems we fell by a cliff."
She watched his grim face survey the land and didn't think to move away if Neji did not mind her closeness. "Neji-niisan."
His eyes flicked down momentarily, searching her face. "We'll find our way back."
His fingers briefly tightened on her skin and Hinata hastily stood. They went to a winding pathway, riddled with thorns and branches. His broad back was all she saw and it reassured her greatly. He was stoically silent even when she grunted as sharp leaves scratched and caught her in its grip.
They endured it and she focused on his strong figure moving forward until there was a crack and he disappeared. "Neji-niisan!" and she followed down the next second.
She couldn't hear past her own cries until water swallowed all noise. Her legs kicked instinctively to rise. She sputtered, seeing nothing. Neji came up beside her and pulled her around the waist. "I'm here, Hinata," he said and the panic vanished. "I'll bring us to shore." Her teeth chattered, knowing she could move on her own, but the adrenaline still hadn't faded.
Once they touched land, Hinata struggled to stand, the heavy dampness pulling her down. She looked curiously when Neji stood before her and yelped when his hands reached down. He lifted her, shouldering her weight with one arm while the other held a kunai to slash away overreaching plants. "Neji-niisan," Hinata uttered timidly. "You don't have to carry me."
He gave her a brief glance. "It's fine."
Her hands clutched his shoulders as he forged a path. Their uniforms were soaked and weapons were latched on her. She tried to lessen her weight but if she squirmed, she was afraid it would tip their balance. "But it's heavy…"
"I can handle it."
She reddened and didn't say anymore. He effortlessly continued on, occasionally hefting her. Since she was elevated, Hinata looked around.
"Hinata," he said after a moment and she blinked. "You have to climb me."
Without waiting, he used his other arm to hoist her up by the hips. Her hands raised uncertainly. "Uhm."
"Grip the ledge."
His voice was hard and she hurriedly did so. She peeked down but his hair shielded his face. She shut her eyes tightly and pulled herself up. Her legs flailed and she didn't want to acknowledge a soft push helping her. "Wait, Neji-niisan. I'll help you," she called down.
"No need." She frowned and a second later, he leapt up and landed in a crouch in front of her. She looked at him incredulously as he stood. "Let's continue on." She waited to be lifted again and when Neji looked over his shoulder, her cheeks heated. "Hinata?"
"It's nothing," she said and hurried past him.
He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to his body. "Be careful," he told her, lowering her by his side. At her silence, he continued, "Venomous plants inhabit here. We must watch our step."
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, face hidden.
Neji frowned. "Stay close to me." She was almost slack in his grip so Neji tightened his hold and swung her in his arms again. There was something soothing about being surrounded by his strength. "Hinata," he said and she had to look up at his face. "I cannot use the Byakugan," he reminded.
"Oh," she gasped and at once, it crept into her eyes. "A few miles to the south, there is an opening," she said, clutching his vest. "I don't see anyone."
He moved forward. "One matter at a time."
Light finally seeped in when they reached the end. Hinata curiously looked miles beyond and found the land empty. But the sun was setting. "I don't think we can go further," she said, watching him.
He nodded. He was about to say her name, then hesitated, jaw working as if to test out the words until he finally said, "Hinata-sama."
It was a bit strange for some reason. "Yes?"
"We'll rest here for the night."
"Alright," she said. "Neji-niisan."
…
It was not the first time she clings to him at night, but it's very different from what he predicted.
He can sometimes feel her tentative grip grasp the shirt of his back. He cannot sleep some nights when his skin practically hummed from the space between their hands laying close. If her legs shifted too close, he would move away. If the sheets fell further below, he would tug it back up. But he could not, nor would he, do anything if they faced each other in sleep.
He woke, nerves on edge because he found that they were touching. He's on his back like usual but there was a weight spread unevenly on his side and he already knew.
She's fast asleep.
Granted, the space was more cramped and there was no choice, but still, Neji liked to think there were boundaries she had to be aware of. How many times he latched onto the memory of her skin pressing his in the midnight hours.
He nearly scrubbed a hand down his face and realized he couldn't move his arm.
He summoned what little will he had left, though it's difficult to comprehend it when she's making small noises that unintentionally inflamed him. He glanced at her face. A nightmare. He waited until she settled down. Until it passed, he dimly registered he was staring at a row of trees and he slowly blinked.
She was quiet again and Neji risked another look and mistakenly wandered below where her common shirt stretched and the angle was to his advantage– no, disadvantage given his very unfortunate dilemma. Years of carefully built discipline crumbled from just a brush of her garment because he can see the shadows where her breasts curve and it's beginning to distract him.
And Neji thinks himself a fool. He dully stared up and tried to count.
It may have been one hour since she rolled in her sleep. It would take even less for him to be inside her because if she's willingly, then he's confident he can make her succumb to his touch, and though his pride wouldn't admit it, his body was all too enthusiastic to give in first. All he had to do was slash away the cloth that covered her dampness so he could just push into her easily.
He grimaced and exhaled.
Two. Which led him to think on just how shapely her body was. Her chest was remarkably large and it was pressing against him. It was interfering with his ability to count because he cannot get past two.
Four – Neji paused and he's certain he skipped a number but cannot grasp it because she moved and Neji held himself still. It's tempting him; she always managed to without even trying. To just shift her down a little lower where he wanted her to be. He was honest enough to acknowledge it had to do with her womanly body before her smile had the power to reduce him to a man whose imaginations ran wild.
He recounted again.
He successfully reached five. Five, as in five fingers. She had loosely wrapped three of hers to his, leaving two of his curled in the night air. It was warmer below where her legs tangled with his and he was very aware of the hollow between her thighs hovering over the space of his hips.
What came after – six or seven but Neji thought, hell, for his rationality fading. The least he could was reach ten but even that was an achievement.
Disaster struck when Hinata shifted yet again. She liked moving it seems and it made him think hard if she would be the same beneath him. Straying to that thought didn't help because they now fully touched below. It's misaligned though; his abdomen is not completely pressed to hers but their height makes up for it.
"Nngh," she mumbled and Neji selfishly thought he can make her replicate that sound with just his hands.
Where was he – seven or eight. It's close to the number of years he was already waiting for her. Only a year or two left but it won't matter. He will probably wait forever.
"Hinata."
He didn't realize it was said aloud until she shifted. He can sense her eyes flutter and there's a desperate part of him that wanted to see her wake. His mask was slipping and he made sure not a single thread of his turmoil showed. Even if she awoke right then and there, he was sadly certain she wouldn't notice the problem they had. He revised that when her eyes flicked down to a hand clutching his shoulder. Her eyes widened and he thought, good. For all his bravado, there was satisfaction.
She pulled back. "Uhm, Neji-niisan," she began and it was the coldest remedy. "I-I'm sorry."
She slid down to his side and he bit the inside of his cheek. Hard. He lets the silence fill the air and turned his head to watch her face turn red.
"It's fine," he finally said. "You can do as you please."
Before she could decipher it, Neji tossed his blanket to her face to shield her from seeing the front of his pants as he stood and turned away. He looked over his shoulder at the sound of shuffling and her head poked out. "Neji-niisan, I didn't mean–"
"It doesn't bother me."
He left her to wonder about it and made an excuse to briefly depart.
When he returned, she had curled in his spot and Neji sighed.
There was a commotion nearby.
She heard of Neji's victory, but then mass panic ensued. Hinata whipped towards the sudden flock of crows emerging from the deep forest, heard several shouts and saw dark shadows gathering in place. The Byakugan revealed it was allies and Hinata began moving towards it, worry tugging at her. She had not seen Neji yet, which was strange because he would usually appear somewhere nearby.
As soon as she landed, Hinata found other unit members guarding a group of bodies laid on the ground, their chakra pulsating slowly, a disruption in its usual rhythm. Then she saw Neji among them and panic gripped her. "Neji-niisan!" She needed to feel his pulse but someone blocked her pathway from getting closer. The order was on her lips until she met the shades of Shino Abumare.
"You cannot go closer, Hinata."
"What's going on?" she asked, fixing her gaze beyond him.
"They're under a jutsu," he explained, never moving. "We don't know what's been done to them. But it's best we don't wake them."
She tried stepping closer and he followed. "Let me stay beside him."
"The medic is observing them," he smoothly said.
"Is he... is he going to be okay?"
"Believe in them," he said, but she no longer heard him.
All she could focus on was the movement of his chest, signalling he was still alive.
...
His body jerked.
Then his eyes fluttered, a groan resonating from Kiba somewhere beside him, and the shuffling movement of bodies nearby told him that they returned to reality. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to rise. Kiba was on his hands and knees, panting, as Akamaru anxiously licked him. Neji only managed to walk a few steps before dropping to his knees and then Hinata was there. Neji tried to hold his weight, but it was too disorientating. He sunk back on his legs to a sitting position and she suddenly embraced him tightly.
He could feel her tears. "Hinata," he said.
"You're alive," she cried.
Because they were so close, their heads touched and Neji didn't dare to peer at her face, knowing the number of eyes around them. One turn and her lips could brush against his jaw. Instead, he loosely wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I am fine, Hinata."
She gripped him tighter. He tried to make out her words through her sobbing and eventually conceded to silence.
...
Hinata pleasantly realized how comfortable it was being with him.
"Neji-niisan!" He turned towards her and she saw the widening of his eyes before they collided. Hinata wrapped her arms tightly around him, missing the hesitancy in his body. "You're safe," she said in relief, sliding back down to set her feet on the ground.
Neji stepped back, but didn't remove his hands from her shoulders. "I'm glad to see you well too, Hinata-sama."
"We won the fight," she told him.
Sometimes it's quick, to feel the warmth of his skin and hear the steady pounding of his heart. Sometimes she lingered, afraid that it would be the last time. The damage to his eyes was already a heavy toll and she sought him out at the end of each battle. But what sated her was the brief tightening of his arms, a quiet exhale ruffling her hair before his mask returned.
Rarely it was him that initiated it. She could count with one hand.
Lately, it was increasing in frequency from his side. His arm pulled her in, surprising her, and her nose bumped the vest he wore. "You're alive," he said, a line repeating throughout their exchanges. She was released before she could even react. He cleared his throat and it made her smile. "Will you join me as I scout a few miles west from here?"
"That sounds good," she encouraged. "I will gather my supplies," she said and hurried away.
When she returned, he was holding a scroll. "We'll leave in an hour."
She paused. "I'm sorry, Neji-niisan, but may we leave a little later? I'd like for a medic to check your health."
He met her eyes. "It is not possible to deny you."
He looked back at the scroll, seemingly not roused by his declaration. As if it was an everyday declaration. She didn't know how much her authority ruled over him. "It's alright if you do," she said in the silence. "If my decisions are questionable, please say so."
His quiet sigh shattered the tension. "That's not what I meant."
Her heart beat a little faster. "Oh."
Paper shuffled in his hand and Neji directed his attention back down.
…
It happened all too fast.
One moment he was battling an unseen foe, then Hinata intercepting a kunai headed to his blind spot. The battle was nearing its end and it wasn't until Kiba's roar that his body ran cold.
"Hinata! We need a medic!"
"She's not breathing," Shino said grimly.
Neji acted immediately. He knelt, putting his mouth over hers and pushed in air.
Behind him, Shino observed. "Her heart is not responding."
His hands pumped her chest in a rhythm before placing his mouth over hers again.
"Neji, we have to move her!"
But he didn't listen until he heard the faint pounding of her heart.
"Neji!"
"No," he growled and forced his hands to remain steady.
Her lips were cold, too cold.
"She needs-"
She suddenly inhaled deeply, coughed, and curled to her side. The only medic arrived and Neji stood, numb to the core. He walked a distance, enough so that her faint voice was still audible.
He sank into a crouch and breathed.
His heart wouldn't stop pounding, completely unlike hers moments ago. His fists clenched to stop its trembling. He couldn't fix his gaze long enough to focus on anything else than her pale face.
His life stretched before him. They had many responsibilities but during the day, she'd always find her way to him, bringing tea and her smile, and Neji had already decided long ago that she was his place of retreat.
He buried his face in his hands and breathed.
He would have stood witness to her burial and return to the emptiness of the Hyuuga compound. The Main House would punish him and he couldn't imagine living on beyond her. An endless torment of duty to the village and repentance to the clan awaited him. Each day, he had to live longer without her.
He ran a hand over his hair, held it there and breathed.
How miserable his life truly was without her, Neji realized grimly. Cold and duty-driven. Despair filled him until it swallowed him whole. He tried to imagine it, another woman that might have taken his attention as Hinata did. No, he thought darkly. Too long he sought her, all those years to realize he loved her. There could be no one else.
He breathed.
Steps shuffled uncertainly behind him.
"Neji-niisan?" Her voice was small.
There was a sudden need to see her face, but fear still lingered at his near failure.
"Neji-niisan."
"What?" he rasped.
"It's okay," she murmured and sat next to him.
The silence didn't bother him because he was content to hear the quiet sound of her breathing. His heartbeat tried to match its rhythm, slowing from its erratic thump.
She shifted, her arms coming around one of his. Her touch was warm. Unlike the coldness of her flesh just moments ago.
Neji returned her touch and breathed.
The next words from her lips could destroy him. "Thank you," she could say and he would laugh emptily because he never needed her thanks. "Are you alright?" she could say and he would never recover from it.
But all she said was, "Neji-niisan."
He stared, memorizing her features to memory. Color returned to her face, the dark circles under her eyes were more prominent, her cheeks tinged with faint pinkness. Her lips were still not its usual redness, but nowhere did it match its paleness back then.
His hand drifted down from her shoulder to wrap around her body and pulled her in, and she quietly held him in return.
...
It was ill-timing when she became aware sometime in the night.
She shivered and curled in herself. A hand reached to touch her face and moved down to her shoulder, gently pulling her closer.
Her head lifted.
"Neji-niisan?" she mumbled.
He grunted and she felt the vibration of it. She blinked until her vision adjusted in the darkness. He was staring down at her.
Hinata froze. There was darkness and longing lurking in those eyes drinking in the sight of her.
She waited, for when he would give her a wry smile and command her to return to sleep, to have him turn away and leave her to her musings, for him to simply close his eyes and pretend this moment never happened. But still, their gaze was locked.
Her hand clenched and he noticed. "A bad dream?" he asked lowly.
She shook her head.
He shifted, his long hair nearly tangling with hers. "Close your eyes, Hinata."
"Neji-niisan?"
It broke the spell.
He put a finger on his lips and laid back down, face turned away. And she was left wondering what she had seen in him.
...
Some nins were getting acquainted intimately nearby.
Hinata fidgeted and opted for a discreet exit. When it was obvious the pair was too engaged to notice, she fled.
She only managed a small distance when she bumped into something hard. She looked up. Neji looked on with interest. "What are you doing, Hinata-sama?"
She scrambled to her feet and stumbled when he helped her up. "Nothing," she said quickly.
He searched her face and the downturn of his lips told her that he doubted it. He looked over where she had emerged from and when veins started to rise by his eyes, Hinata grabbed him. "Don't look!" she said frantically and he was surprised.
"Ah."
Hinata reddened.
"I wondered why you looked pale," he continued to her horror. However she looked right now, Neji nearly smiled. "You shouldn't be embarrassed."
Her cheeks heated and surprisingly, it was because Neji seemed to find humor in her. "I didn't mean to," she tried to defend herself. "I wanted to pick some herbs a-and…"
"Allow me to help." He moved forward.
"No!" She latched her arms around him.
He looked over his shoulder and she missed the smile on his lips. "You truly are one of a kind, Hinata-sama," he said beneath his breath.
Hinata looked. The corner of his eyes crinkled in his amusement.
"I think I saw some further this way," she said quickly, pulling him alongside.
And because it was natural, she continued to hold his hand as they went deeper in the forest.
He was reminded Naruto was the one she loved.
He towered over her, brimming with power. Neji was prepared to attack. Hinata stumbled next to him, pulling his arm down. "Stop, Neji-niisan, it's him!"
"We don't know that for sure."
In front of them, Naruto burned with immense chakra, his colors different, and eyes without its silliness from innocent days. He wasn't saying anything, watching them with eerie coolness.
She wasn't looking at him, her voice strong. "I know it's Naruto-kun." Neji paused and eventually, he conceded to her.
He stood straighter. He needed to focus. And as the battle resumed, his heart grew heavier.
She pulled away, failing to notice how his hand hovered in the air before falling to his side.
She sought for Naruto, the blond hero, and nearly lost sight of Neji beside her, battling others to keep her safe.
She tried calling Naruto's name, oblivious of the smack of flesh and grunts of pain behind her.
She situated herself by a vulnerable area Naruto couldn't cover, never seeing Neji struggle to protect them both, his eyes beginning to flicker between darkness and light.
She didn't feel the grit of the earth slicing into her skin as Naruto was thrown across the battlefield nor did she feel rough hands push her away from an attack.
"Naruto!" everyone was calling, her voice drowning among it.
The battle ended with their win. Sakura hurriedly attended to Naruto and she watched with growing dread when Naruto didn't respond.
Neji stumbled to his feet, trying to clear his vision and shakily made his way to her. He waved Tenten away, knowing her panic would alert the others. He knelt beside her. "Hinata, where are you hurt?"
But all she could focus on was Sakura trying to revive him. She didn't notice when he lifted her hand, briefly scouring her chakra lines. They watched with bated breath as Sakura pushed on his chest until he responded. Neji narrowed his eyes, trying to see through the shadows of his lids. She breathed easier when Naruto opened his eyes. Neji stood, looking for medics before his vision failed him. Once he made sure she was secured, he left.
"He's alive," Kiba breathed in relief.
Kakashi wandered past the rest to his students and they turned away. "We need a medic," Shino said grimly.
Hinata looked. Blood coated the sleeves of their uniform and she flinched, beginning to feel the sting of fatigue. "Let me," she offered but felt dizzy when she stepped forward.
"Hinata-sama, we will treat you," a Hyuuga said, appearing beside her.
"Did we lose anyone?" Kiba asked and Hinata didn't want to look to see the silent response.
Her wounds began closing. "Thank you. Neji-niisan," she called, turning to where he was, but he was nowhere in sight. Panic gripped her. "Where-"
"He returned to base, Hinata-sama," Kou settled her fears. "Our medics will evaluate him."
"Is anyone with him?"
A delicate pause that made her uneasy. "I believe so."
Kou quickly excused himself and Hinata watched as Lee attended to Tenten.
When they finally reconvened for the night and Hinata cleared and organized her thoughts, Neji remained quiet as he redid the bandages on him. "Neji-niisan," she began, sitting in front of him. "How are your eyes?" His eyes flicked up once and she saw his struggle with the tense slant of his eyes as the Byakugan briefly flashed once and back. She touched her hands together. "Is it getting worse?"
He shook his head.
She watched as he carefully ripped excessive cloth. His eyes looked heavy, his mouth drawn in a line. "Do you want food and water?"
Another silent denial and he wouldn't look her in the eyes. They settled in silence. Neji unwrapped a binding when a red splatter blossomed on his arm and he hissed when she tentatively applied alcohol. "Is this from today?" she asked quietly.
A non-committal grunt.
She set down the materials and generated chakra to her palms. "I'm glad you're okay." He said nothing. It hovered over him, a warm flow streaming down his beaten skin.
It was received graciously but still, Neji did not talk.
"If you want the report, seduce me."
They stared.
"You may be qualified for reconnaissance type of work," the nin said, tapping the papers with her nails.
"This isn't relevant to us," Neji said flatly.
"To you it isn't," she said coolly. "You, however, have potential."
Hinata blinked. "No," Neji gritted. "She will not."
A nerve ticked by her mouth. "Are you shaming this type of work?"
"Only that you chose poorly in considering candidates," he returned. Hinata dropped her eyes to the ground.
"You are not well-informed in this field, Hyuuga," she scoffed. "You cannot even consider the qualifications."
"You seem to think I have not encountered these nins before."
Hinata stared. It was something she never thought of him before.
"Her training will teach her to adapt to new scenarios," she continued.
"Hinata-sama has already chosen her path."
Hinata wrung her hands, trying to choose her words carefully. When she tried to intervene, they ignored her. "We will not send her out unequipped." Her hand waved over and a genjutsu cloaked her face. "They won't recognize her as a Hyuuga."
Neji looked twice and scowled. His hands formed a familiar seal and it dispelled. "It can be removed just as easily."
"It was a demonstration."
"It's not for you to decide."
They looked at her. "No, thank you," Hinata finally said. "My work now is better fitting for me."
Her eyes flicked over her figure critically and Neji stiffened. "We'll offer it to you again if you're interested."
She didn't know what to say to appease Neji because he bristled with anger for some reason. "I'm grateful for the opportunity," she said. "I've never thought about it," she continued, missing his twitch. "But I'm glad I have the potential to do something else." The commander nodded curtly, pushed the report to Neji's hands, and walked away. "That was…something to think about," she began with a weak smile.
"It won't suit you," he wanted to say.
"They will touch you," he said instead and Hinata met his eyes, alarmed. "When you are in their bed, they will care for only their own pleasure. There is nothing convenient about bedding you." Something burned between them and there was a ferociousness in his eyes. "You are not like Ino Yamanaka who can gain the advantage in seduction. You cannot even say no to me."
"Oh," she mumbled.
Neji nodded and turned to walk back and she hurried to his side.
She drowned in her thoughts. He was the eldest male among their companions and was experienced in these matters, Hinata reasoned, which meant it ended badly for the female nins. But she couldn't explain the tight pulse of her heart at the thought.
It was because of his casual remark that Hinata couldn't get it out of her head.
He was across the field, conversing with an older woman from another village. His lips was set in its no-nonsense fashion, but humor briefly flared in his eyes.
Details began emerging and Hinata was uncomfortable, unsure if it was her imagination or slivers of truth presented to her. She pretended to not notice how long it took for him to return from a checkup at the end of a day or the quick looks he exchanged with another unfamiliar female nin when the army gathered.
Her feet moved without thinking and it registered how close she was to him when his voice became clearer. Before her nerves overwhelmed her, she tugged on his sleeve and his attention solely centered on her. "I want to go back," she told him and without another word, Neji followed her. "Do you have any reports to submit?" she asked him to fill the silence.
"No."
When it was clear he wasn't going to attempt conversation, she asked timidly, "Did I interrupt anything?"
"You didn't," he said tersely.
She searched for any sign but he was unreadable. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.
He was bewildered. "It was nothing important." She might have looked unconvinced because he firmly added, "I would rather be with you, Hinata-sama."
Warmth filled her along with her heart drumming. "Me too," she returned and he gave her a smile.
"I believe I overheard Chouji saying he had your favorite brand of tea," he said and lead the way with a small push on her back.
It sobered her, because he understood her well yet she could not even begin to understand him.
...
She woke several hours later to find Neji still asleep.
His guard was always up, even with her. But it was a rare sight to see him at peace and Hinata curled towards him. In the mornings, there was barely enough time to observe him. Her fingers hovered uncertainly over his forehead, where his hair messily fell over his eyes. He had held a kunai to her throat more than once before and she was shaken. It had been years when the fury in his eyes was directed to her. But now, she was aware how frequently they were together in the war, how she had seen more in him than anyone could have possibly have.
How did he know, she often wondered when darkness consumed her thoughts. It only meant he was watching her from long ago. It was her turn, she swore and brushed a lone strand, unthinkingly. Maybe it was okay, she thought, trailing down his cheek. All those times she woke from touching him and he was indifferent to it. Perhaps because it was her, but how different was it to him when it came to others, she thought, surprising herself.
A tight grip bruised her wrist and Hinata was startled to see Neji with savagery in his heavy stare.
He leaned down, shielding her vision from everything else. A near panic gripped her and she froze when his breath fanned her cheek. "What were you doing."
Her throat was dry. "Nothing," she whispered.
His grip flexed on her wrist. "Don't lie to me, Hinata."
"I-" She refused to show fear, afraid it could destroy what they had bridged over the years. "I'm sorry."
His voice dropped low. "For?"
She never noticed how calculating his eyes were behind his blank look. "Your hair," she swallowed. "I just...pushed it back."
He hesitated. "Don't touch me," he ground out. "I may have killed you, Hinata."
But she had touched him before in her sleep. His sleeve, the back of his uniform, and the occasional nights when she awoke in his arms and he was telling her, "Hinata, if you please," with an exasperated tone, though her memory was fogged. It cleared suddenly and now she realized it was said between clenched teeth. "It wasn't like this before," she quietly put in.
His eyes narrowed. "Explain."
"I-It's not the first time. You didn't…You didn't mind."
"That's different."
Her chin lifted, bringing their lips dangerously close. "How?" she managed to say.
"You didn't know what you were doing," he said softly, tightening his hold.
"But I knew it was you," she uttered, sensing him battling a turmoil.
"Don't," he said harshly and shoved himself off her. Without even an apology, Neji left.
When the morning sun came, she rose and prepared for the day.
And when they were together again, he was unusually more reserved.
They stood guard over Naruto.
She willed the strength in her to protect the man behind her, with the assurance that Neji was beside her as was her clansmen, that they were united.
It's a long, rough fight. Naruto couldn't summon the power to fight against that monster and sat there in the crossfire and Hinata rushed to protect him.
She was going to die, but that was fine, because at least there was still a chance Naruto could end the war. Even when she couldn't properly convey her gratefulness to Neji, who was a shadow to her, and Naruto for how much he inspired her; there was no more time. Neji would fulfill her will. Naruto would continue his legacy.
She waited for the embodiment of spikes, though oddly her pitiful life wasn't flashing in front of her, not when Naruto was before her with the terror in his eyes transforming to dread. Then she looked over her shoulder when she saw, heard, the sickening piercing of flesh and Neji using his body to protect them both.
Her limbs became too numb to move and it was Naruto who caught him.
…
He didn't even think.
His body launched towards the exposed pair, awaiting the Uchiha's attack, and strangely Neji was calm, knowing the inevitable as Hinata stood over Naruto with unyielding courage.
This was one way, Neji darkly thought, to engrave himself in her heart.
And as her beautiful hair ruffled strongly in the wind, something large, something severe, embedded itself sharply through his body, tearing skin and vessels, halting his lungs with every piercing breath. But before he hit the ground, the sight of Hinata still standing was enough for him to accept his death.
His vision rushed to darkness and strong arms grabbed him before the hard ground welcomed him. The world blurred. He stared dully at the earth, trying to piece anything together, because the soul in him was pulsating weakly. He managed to move just the slightest bit, vaguely knowing it was Naruto who held him and beyond him, Hinata was on her knees, tears streaming, and not a single sound left her mouth.
Over Naruto's shoulder, the words came out of his mouth brokenly and he tried to smile; it was just difficult to move any muscles and it took all his strength to lift his head and focus on her, to assure Hinata that their parting was not for naught. He was no victim; it was his choice to lay his life down.
He was going to die in the next moment.
"Medic! He needs help! Medic!"
She was shedding tears.
"Anyone!"
There were many regrets, but it disappeared the moment he met her eyes.
"Your life is no longer yours," he told Naruto, focusing on the crystal shine of tears gathering in her eyes. "If Hinata is prepared to lay her life down for you... Then I will too."
He tried to tell her, don't cry, Hinata. But his strength was draining. He wanted to say the words, always simmering beneath the collected surface he used as a front, but it wouldn't come out because he couldn't work his throat to voice it.
She held his gaze, as if trying to keep him tied to this world, but even if it was an order from her lips, then it was something Neji could no longer fulfill.
The cold dark embraced him.
TBC