Guillotine Dreams

Chapter Two: Collision

Nowe: Yeah! Chapter two, baby! I'm excited!

Hope you don't mind, but Collision is going to be a bit longer than Arrival.

With that, I give you Guillotine Dreams…

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Recap:

As I was yanked out of the van by my long, dark brown hair, and I took in the gothic looking insane home, with its barred windows and gargoyles watching you keenly from above, their wretched talons digging deeper into the cracks in the stone walls. The windows that I could see were barred, and patients stared out of them with bulging, crazed eyes. I could hear the cries -- both the silent, and the chilling moans echoing from the other seven or so buildings -- in the air, and in my heart I knew that they were as alone, as hate-filled as I was at that very moment. So I let the hate into my soul, because it would also be a friend of mine. But seeing those people, with their shaking forms and heart-wrenching screams, I couldn't help but wonder if I could retain my sanity.

Roughhands pushed me forward, making me stumble on occasion, while another pulled me by my dark hair towards a large, oak desk. There were several chunks missing and scratch marks adorning it. Probably from the other 'patients', I deduced bitterly. As I got closer to the desk, I noticed a woman sitting on a swivel chair behind it, typing on a computer. She didn't notice me, however, for a few minutes until she finally looked up from her wire-rimmed glasses. With a small gasp, she smiled a unnerving, happy smile that vaguely reminded me of Lee. I flinched slightly as a cold hand crushed my heart more. Did Lee die, too? No, he couldn't have. Lee is too strong of a person to—

"Uhm, excuse me?" The woman's high-pitched, soothing voice chided softly. My head snapped back and I stared at her, hiding my confusion, frustration, and anxiety for the time being. She smiled again, holding up a file containing a few sheets of paper with some pictures hanging loosely out of it. "I'm sorry, but as a standard procedure, I'm going to read you your profile. If I'm right, tell me. If not, correct me, please." As she stood, the guards manhandled me into a different room. This one had a small, wooden table with a few chairs. On one end, there was a computer very similar to the one that was at the front desk. The woman took her seat there, smiling at the guards. They released me hesitantly, tugged and pulled until the straightjacket came off of me, and exited the room. I could tell they were still outside, though; their chakra was still detectable.

Finally able to move my arms, I laid them down on the table and rested my forehead on them. The cool metal from my headband felt… oddly comforting; It was almost as if it was the symbol that I am the person that I am. I stayed like that for a long time, taking a few, much needed deep breaths. The silence, however, was killing me, because in the silence, my mind was wandering. Did Lee die? What happened to him? Why couldn't you save TenTen? Why didn't you die instead? Are you a failure?

I heard the woman clear her throat in an attempt to get my attention. I looked up at her through a mask of my hair. She was gave a small smile before opening the folder and setting it down on the table. She placed the photographs on one side, keeping them in what seemed like a specific order. Then, she grabbed the first sheet of paper. Thus began the aimless questions.

"Is your name Neji Hyuuga?"

"Yes."

"You are a male, correct?"

"Yes."

"You are the cousin of Hinata Hyuuga, and the nephew of Hiashi Hyuuga?"

"Yes."

"Are you currently 15 years old?"

"Yes."

"Are you classified as a Chuunin, which also means you are a ninja of Konoha?"

"Yes."

"Were you assigned to Team 'Gai', consisting of a Rock Lee, TenTen, and with Mighto Gai was a sensei?"

"..Yes."

"Did you kill TenTen on your last mission while the rest of your team was fighting against rouge operatives, whose I.D.'s are still unknown?"

The woman's eyes shot up at me, a look of pure confusion on her features. I was frowning blatantly at her. Of course, I knew that question was going to be asked eventually, and I was stupid to take it as a surprise, but her reaction was not anticipated. She blinked several times, adjusted her glasses, and then looked at the computer screen. There was a long pause before she began talking again, most likely choosing her words carefully. "Then, what did happen?"

I looked down at the table, tracing one of the swirly designs in the wood with a finger. "I'm not entirely sure." That was the truth. It was like a dream – one moment, we were walking, and in the next, she lay there, dead. My mind still wasn't able to process all of this, I figured, so I told her what I knew for sure. "I know that I didn't kill TenTen. She was one of my best friends, admittedly. What happened back there – when she died – I can't remember much of it at all. I didn't even get hurt. So, in a way, I feel like I was unconscious or something."

She just smiled sympathetically, typing some things into the computer.

"I'm not crazy." Her head turned as she looked at me again, her brow furrowed. Eventually, she just waved a hand flimsily.

"Of course you're not, dear. You're just here to make sure."

I narrowed my eyes at her as she went back to typing. I laid my head back down and closed my eyes. That's when the exhaustion hit; I was dead tired. Maybe it was from the fight earlier, or all the stress, but either way, I just wanted to sleep right there. Sadly, I wasn't going to be allowed the privilege. The woman called my two friends back from the other room and they escorted me to a different desk. This time, they began confiscating anything I could try to kill myself or others with: Kunai, scrolls, my belt…

Then, one of them reached for my headband. I growled at him, grabbing his hand and holding in the air just in front of my face. "You are not taking my headband." My voice betrayed my thoughts; it was calm, cold, even threatening, while inside I felt like a small child with a teddy bear. I would rather die than be without it. It was the only thing I had left to reminded me of myself. The guard scowled, reaching his other hand down. It glowed a bright blue, but just before it made contact, there was a soft yell.

"Stop it, please!"

All three of us turned to look at the woman, who was holding the bin with my belongings in it. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but from the way she was looking at my, I took it as a good sign. She walked over and thumped the man who was going to strike me hard on the head. "He is allowed to keep one person item, and if he wishes it to be that, then so be it. We'll be able to see if he takes it off, so there's not threat."

With a groan, the man let me go. "You're lucky this time, punk." He grumbled, crossing his arms. I simply let out a small 'Hn' in response, looking to the woman. She seemed so nice and friendly. Maybe things wouldn't be bad here after all. With a quiet thank you, she escorted me from the room – this time without my guard buddies following. She took me into the back of the building, and we exiting, walking out into the fresh air.

I took another deep breath, a small smile gracing my pale lips. Fresh air felt so much better compared to how it smelled in the buildings. I made a mental note that coming outside was going to be a must. While was I enjoying the breeze, the woman tugged me through the grounds, eventually taking me to a very large building. It had grand doors made of iron and wood, and it made me think that this could have once been a true castle. She opened one of them, pulling me in behind here. There, I saw all of the patients sitting at tables, eating their food. So this must be the Dining Room.

As I made my way through the room, everyone stopped talking and stared at me. I tried to ignore them, but I ended up looking at people as I passed, and they looked awful. One of them in particular, who had all her hair pulled out and looked too much like a skeleton to be considered living, gave me a small smile as I passed. Soon, I found my seat, and the woman who had been helping me soon left.

I didn't really care to eat. I wasn't hungry – just tired. So instead, I offered my food to the small boy across from me, who took it with a large smile and downed it inhumanly fast. I just put my head down and sighed, trying to fall to sleep.

It was then that I felt a pair of eyes still on me. It bothered me. Just because I was new to this place didn't mean that it was okay to just stare at me. Jesus fucking Christ, did these people have no social skills? Then, I met a pair of sea foam green eyes. They were pupil-less, much like my own, except these ones had dark bruises around them. Probably from little sleep, no doubt. He also had fiery red locks and seemed to spike in random directions. It wasn't until I saw the kanji that I recognized this person. This was the person who almost killed Lee in the Chuunin exams a few years ago. The one that almost made Lee unable to carry the ninja way, even after he works so hard to be able to. Those eyes continued to star unwaveringly, and I stared right back.

Eventually, the person stood up from their spot and walked over to me, taking an empty seat to my left. He turned to me, and in a voice that almost sounded relieved, muttered the words I won't ever forget.

"I know you. I know from somewhere…" There was a brief pause before he looked up at me stoically, furrowing the eyebrows that he didn't seem to have. "Why are you here?"

I just stared for a while before sighing slightly, a small smile on my lips. "I, apparently, murdered my best friend on a mission."

"It wasn't that Lee person was it?" His voice seemed cold now, distant. "I thought you two were friends. Lee and I were friends."

"Yeah… He talked about you. You're Gaara, right? No. It wasn't Lee. I'm Neji, by the way."

He didn't answer this time. He just sat there, void of all emotions [or so I could tell]. He didn't seem crazy, either, but I was afraid to ask him if he was. He was here for a reason, after all, and he didn't seem like he wanted to share with me. Instead, he just sat there, motionless. I soon scoffed quietly, setting my head back down and allowing myself to fall into the abyss that was threatening my vision while I talked with Gaara. I allowed it to consume me, and I fell into a numb sleep, the kind you only get after stress and emotions have eaten away all you have. You can't feel anything, you don't dream. You just sleep.