Forgotten Memoirs

…

When he beats his bars and he would be free; it is not a carol of joy or glee, but a prayer he sends from his heart's deep core, but a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings-

I know why the caged bird sings!

…

[7]

He cradled Neji's limp figure in his arms, and slid a thumb across his naked forehead. The cursed mark that once donned the Hyuuga had faded away along with his life, leaving only a body and the memories behind.

It couldn't be, right? He could not, would not, did not lose Neji. Neji was strong; he was the Hyuuga's genius, for god's sake! He fought for justice and loyalty, and did everything a good person should. A righteous hero could not lose- not when he did everything right.

Still, Naruto knew; the proof was irrefutably there. The 17-year old's heart had ceased to beat, no chakra could be sensed, and the light-green tattoo disappeared. No lingering evidence of the Hyuuga's life had been left- only the staining blood of his fatality.

Naruto pledged to save the village, to be their greatest protector. He promised he wouldn't let any of his friends go- yet, here lay Neji, the man whose life was now his own. He clutched at Neji's dead body unconsciously.

Naruto could only faintly comprehend he was in the middle of the war because of his overwhelming grief. He realized he didn't have time to mourn over his comrade's death and tt hurt knowing that Neji wouldn't get the burial he deserved. How could he fight if he couldn't save one friend?

He vaguely felt Hinata's hand strike his tan cheek and it was enough to remind him of the people who believed in his victory, of the people who he already held in his heart. There were so many, he grasped. Chiyo-baachan, Ero-sannin, the Sandaime, Nagato, Okaa-san, Otou-san...

And Neji. They all left their dreams and aspirations with him, and it was Naruto's job to protect them. His life was no longer just his. He laid Neji down gently upon the dirt floor and stood.

After all, if he couldn't fight for his friends, how could he deserve the title of Hokage?

…

[8]

Lee always had his eyes on Neji. After all, as a genius of hard work, he wanted to surpass a true genius. When he learned Hyuuga Neji was going to be on his team, Lee was ecstatic. He was going to have a chance to challenge a true genius every day! So thereon out, Lee made it a personal goal to beat the Hyuuga using his specialty- taijutsu.

After all, he couldn't become a great ninja using only taijutsu if he couldn't beat a genuine intellect.

So Lee trained until his muscles were aching and he couldn't walk any further. He sometimes had to wait until somebody came across his sore body and carried him home. He worked so very hard. His teammate had not yet acknowledged him, but Lee was determined to show him that he too could be a great ninja.

Still, Neji never laid his eyes upon the bowl-cut taijutsu master, and even someone as unwavering as Lee could become discouraged when he could not achieve what he wanted. The bushy-browed individual still practiced just as hard, hoping that someday, his adversary may recognize him as worthy.

That's why Lee was so happy when Neji finally acknowledged his skills, although indirectly. It was after the chunnin exams, and the Hyuuga was still healing from his brawl with Naruto. However, he knew Neji well enough to understand what his words meant.

Lee sparred with Neji more often after that, familiarizing himself with the Byakugan and he was extremely content with the way things were. Even though no one won and no one lost, Lee felt like he had finally connected with Neji. They say youthful men understand each other just through the clashing of fists, and Lee knew that he understood Neji just as well as Neji understood him.

That's why, even though he was shocked, he understood why Neji did what he did. Neji loved his home, his team, Hinata-sama, and Naruto-kun too much to let them go.

And he had never respected his eternal rival so much as he did now.

…

[9]

Her team specialized. That's what they did. They were adequate enough in all areas to be considered good ninja, but it was their exclusive traits that made them great. She was exceptional in long-range combat, and Lee was a taijutsu master and a natural at the drunken fist. Gai-sensei was phenomenal in his taijutsu, and officially dubbed the "Green Beast of Konoha." But Neji?

Neji was remarkable in every area, although he specialized in close-range combat. He was the first of Konoha 11 to be promoted to jounin, and received multitudes of praise about his proclivity to succeed. Neji was a great ninja destined to do things that were larger than him. So Ten-Ten never understood why the world did what it did to a great ninja like Neji.

She didn't really see it happen, and to be truthful, she never wanted to. She didn't believe she could handle seeing a comrade die. Of course, she and her friends were ninja, so she knew it was inevitable. Not to mention that they were in the middle of a war and death lay all around them. But for her, death had never seemed so real.

She remembered Neji had been cold and disdainful at first, brushing her aside as a fading blimp on his map. Something always tugged painfully at her heart, but she didn't let it bother her because it was his nature. Then he started to become warm; a humbling aura replaced the once hostile atmosphere that surrounded him. Pleasantries substituted the tension that lay between the teammates when Neji was still cold.

In time, he became her closest friend and most personal confidant, even more so than Lee, who always encouraged Ten-Ten to do her best in everything she did. Ten-Ten loved Neji. She loved him like she loved Lee, because they had believed in her dexterity more than anyone ever had.

Neji was special to her in a way she couldn't define. He was her teammate, her sparring partner, her friend, her adherent, and if fate had taken the road far less taken, her lover.

Her eyes drifted to his lifeless body, and tears spilled for a future she could never discover.

…

[10]

To her, Neji-niisan had never been the bad guy. Never ever, ever. Even when he treated Hinata more hostile than most, she didn't care because she understood him. Neji-niisan was strong, willful, confident, and above all, compassionate. To strangers, he was shrouded in mystery and impossible to touch, no matter how much one tried to reach for him, he danced just out of their grasp. However, those who did know Neji-niisan intimately could distinguish that underneath the layers of mild conceit, a somber disposition, and a seemingly natural ability to remove his enemies swiftly and without hesitation, was a young man who genuinely cared.

His hatred for the Hyuuga main family and especially Hinata during his earlier days stated otherwise, but like she said- Hinata knew him, before and after, inside and out.

However, the one thing she didn't know about Neji-niisan, is that he would be willing to save her from her ruin. He leaped in front of her without a sliver of indecision, when it was her- it was supposed to be her- that would die a martyr for the village and more importantly, the man she loved.

If anything, she wished for the happiness of the man she had loved so truly. Of course, it would be better if it were she who could stand by his side, but she figured- if she couldn't be with Naruto, she would gladly give up her affections so that he could be happy. Hinata understood, from years of analysis of her own character, that her mind and her heart were selfless in nature. Her essence was unchangeable and she found that her joy had been in giving and never expecting. That's why offering her life a second time for her beloved was befitting for Hinata's love and her heart.

What she didn't know, is that her selflessness would turn to selfishness.

She never knew that Neji-niisan would die because of her, and she never knew Neji-niisan would die for her.

And all the more often, a pang of guilt hit her heart whenever she thought of him, and the life that her dear Neji-niisan could have lived.

(But she didn't let it on because in a war, they had no time to grieve for the lost, but to commemorate them for their sacrifice.)

…

[11]

Neji had never really taken the time to mull over his death. Not that thinking about death was normal, but it was definitely something he preferred not to think about when he could be training to pass the next ANBU test, or even better- sleeping. Death to him seemed a million light years away, and if it ever did occur to him, he believed he would be aged and wrinkled on his bed, with his wife and children wishing him will in the next life- or something along those lines. But now that it's hit him hard, he has no choice but to think about what he's done- which indeed is kind of ironic, considering he's already dead.

First of all, he was stupid for thinking he would die on a deathbed with his wife next to him. After all, he was a shinobi, and there was no guarantee he would come home safely. He could pray and hope, but even that wasn't reassuring for a powerhouse like Naruto when things turn out for the worse. Second of all, he didn't really regret his actions. Although he would miss watching Hinata and his eccentric team grow to be one of the strongest in Konoha, he didn't dare hesitate when it came to protecting his cousin's life and the love of her being. Because somewhere in the back of his head, if he had doubts at all, he knew all that had changed him for the better would have been gone.

All that had changed, and would change, the world for the better would be gone.

Neji just could not let that happen, because he loved his village, Lee, Gai-sensei, Ten-Ten, Hinata-sama, and even his clan too much to let things regress to the way it was.

That was reason enough for him to forfeit his life, if only for the people who had saved his soul from damnation. Even though Naruto's shocked expression brought pain to his head, and Hinata-sama's lovely face twisted in agony as the ten-tails' spears ripped through his body, he was able to say his final goodbyes with a serene smile.

So when God appeared to him in the afterlife, he was not afraid.

Do you regret what you have done for your comrades?

Neji shook his head, satisfied with the life he lived and his accomplishments.

If I were able to, I would do it over again.

The gates opened, and a light so bright he had to cover his eyes engulfed his figure. Rubbing his unmarked forehead unconsciously, he took a step forwards and never turned back.

…

- Sympathy (Paul Lawrence Dumbar)

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So many feels right now. I thank you for your support for the short two-shot, and thanks for all the reviews(: Shout-out to Darth-Taisha (who probably won't even see this) because she is like the reigning ItaHina queen.