I own nothing. Nevertheless, I can, and will use the characters for my own enjoyment.

The next part of their lives was a blur of happy days filled with smiles and laughter. Until that day…

Neji had been walking to the park. It was a warm sunny day and he was going to see Hinata-sama. His heart swelled with happiness every time he thought about her. He couldn't help but want to be in her presence all the time. He was her protector after all. He found her in the park and was about to go to her, when he was stopped by his father. His father looked sad. Neji didn't like seeing his father sad.

"What's wrong, Otousan?"

Hizashi sighed. He wished, once again, that he had been born into the main house, and not the branch house. But he shook his head and guided Neji into the room where his fate would be sealed for all eternity.

Neji, ever obedient to his father's wishes, followed him into the room. There were many people there, all with the same white eyes staring back at him. There was no kindness in any of their gazes and for the first time in his life, he felt the hostility around him. He was made to stand in the center of the room with his father's hand on his shoulder. The man that he now knew to be Hinata-sama's father, Hiashi, came to stand in front of him and started to form seals. Hiashi nodded to his father, and after giving his shoulder one last squeeze, Hizashi left his son alone in the room.

"Let us begin," Hiashi said and then he put his hands on Neji's forehead. Neji felt his entire body awash with pain. Each nerve in his body felt like it was on fire and he heard a piercing scream resounding through the room. Belatedly, he realized that the sound was his voice. And then it was over, and Neji curled into a little ball in the center of the room. All the people around him walked out without any words to say to him. No one came to comfort him, not even his father. Slowly, tears sprang to his eyes and he sobbed silently. He closed his eyes tight, willing the pain to go away. He heard footsteps coming back into the room, and stopped sobbing. At least his father had come back to take him home. He wouldn't be able to see Hinata-sama today, he thought sadly. The footsteps came closer. Now he could make out two sets of steps. One was harsh and heavy, like his fathers and Hiashi-sama's. One was soft and quiet, and the only reason Neji could hear them was because he spent every waking moment tracking them to make sure that they were all right. No…he thought. Not Hinata-sama. Please let her not see me like this…

The footsteps stopped, and a small cool hand gently stroked his forehead before picking him up. He opened his eyes.

"Otousan?"

The man holding him smiled sadly, and Neji realized it was Hiashi-sama. But why had he come back? Hiashi took him into a room and placed him on the bed. It was a soft bed, and the room looked like a girl's. He buried his head into the pillow. It smelt like the purple flowers that he gave Hinata-sama. He opened his eyes to find himself staring at a vase that was filled with purple flowers. He heard the soft footsteps coming back, but there were two sets of them. Who was with Hinata-sama?

The door to the room opened and in the doorframe, he saw Hinata-sama and a woman who looked like Hinata-sama might when she was grown up. They were both wearing white kimonos in the same design. White, with a red sash, and wooden sandals. Hinata-sama's hair was short and pulled up into two little white clips. The woman's hair was long, a mix of midnight and navy blue all held to one side by a similar white clip. They stepped into the room and the woman picked Hinata-sama up so that she was on the bed with him. Hinata-sama put his head into her lap, and then placed her gentle soft hands on his head and stroked him to sleep.

Hinata had been waiting in the park for a very long time. Neji-nisan was going to come to play with her. He said he'd be there as soon as his father was done training him. She walked among the flowers happily. She heard footsteps and turned, expecting it to be Neji sneaking up on her again. He did it every day, and she was getting better at finding him. Or, at least the direction in which he was coming. He still managed to surprise her each time, and then he'd kiss her cheek and give her a flower. It was always a purple flower. He said that they reminded him of her. It made her warm inside to know that he was always by her side. The footsteps stopped and she craned her neck to see what was wrong. She saw Neji's father, Hizashi, stop him, and guide him in the opposite direction. Where were they going? She decided to follow them. She followed them into the main house and into a room. She made to go in, but Hizashi came out and took her away to play in the garden.

"Don't go back there." He warned her before leaving her. But she was worried about Neji and his father, for she had seen tears in Hizashi's eyes that showed his own fear at leaving Neji alone there.

She stayed alone in the garden for what seemed like a very long time, but was only ten minutes. She found her father coming towards here with tears in his eyes. Hinata had never seen her father cry, so she was very worried.

Her father took her hand and led her to the room that Neji had been taken into. She could hear sobbing. It sounded like Neji-nisan.

She entered the room to find her protector on the floor, crying in the fetal position. She walked to him and put her hands on his forehead. On feeling her hands, he stopped crying, and her father picked him up, took him into her room, and laid him on her bed.

Her mother met her there, and took her to bring Neji something to make the pain go away. She then took Hinata back to her room and placed her on her bed. Hinata gently put her hands on Neji's forehead and stroked him to sleep. Her mother gave her the balm to put on his head while he slept.

"What's this?" asked Hinata, pointing to the green mark that had branded itself into Neji-nisan's forehead. It hadn't been there yesterday.

"That is the Caged-Bird seal," said her mother softly and sadly. While Neji slept and Hinata massaged his head, Hinata's mother proceeded to explain the seal to her. Hinata looked at her cousin upset. She had never thought that he would ever be hurt in any way, but this would hurt him every day. She vowed to destroy the curse seal once she was head. Thus thinking, she kissed Neji on his seal, pulled the blanket over him, and watched him sleep.

This is all I have for now. I will update more later.