Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Neji, Hinata, and an Iwagakure (Rock Village) ninja, Furuto, crept into a cave. It was a month after Hinata fully healed when the shinobi joined as one to fight against the mysterious masked man. Neji was reluctant to let Hinata join the forces, but here she was now, about to clear a cave from Zetsus.

The cave echoed only their footsteps for a long while. Buy when they could no longer see the mouth of the cave, something white popped out of the ground.

"Heeeeeeeellloooooo!" cried the first Zetsu.

After him, may, many Zetsus appeared from the walls, floor, and ceiling. All in all, the shinobi were surrounded.

The white Zetsus wasted no time leaping into battle, and neither did their opponents. Neji watched out for Hinata with his near 360 degree vision as he fought his own battles. He watched her fight like she was dancing under stars. Her arms moved like angels opening their wings and her turns were pirouettes worth 10.0. It was easy to imagine her twirling a nightfall colored ribbon over her head.

But after hours of fighting, the shinobi were getting tired like any normal person. Hinata's movements were not as fluid and Neji's were not nearly as sharp as before. As for Furuto, he was ready to flee at any call. Much to their disappointment, the number of Zetsus did not seem to have gone down. In fact, Neji suspected there were more of them than before.

Just the, Hinata was thrown against the wall of the cave. Her head split a crack on contact with the cave.

"Hinata-sama!" Neji cried, whipping around to face his cousin.

"We should really get out of here!" cried Furuto.

"The how *grunt* will we kill these Zetsus?" Neji yelled back, scooping Hinata up in his arms.

"I can probably blow that rock up," Furuto eyed a giant boulder.

"You could have blown this place up the whole time?" Neji made a mental note to face palm later.

"So is it a plan?" Furuto asked.

Neji confirmed it with a nod, standing up with Hinata.

Furuto raised an eyebrow, "You might not make it out in time with her extra weight and her occupying your arms."

Neji nodded in understanding, "I'm not leaving her."

"Suit yourself."

Furuto weaved some signs and blasted into a mad dash. Neji tried to keep up close behind Furuto so that he would not have to push away Zetsus in his path. However, it wasn't easy with Hinata. He felt the heat of the explosion lick his back and his body screaming for a rest. But still, he kept Hinata clutched to his body for what felt like miles.

-x-

Neji took one final leap out of the cave and tumbled onto the floor. Only after he stopped rolling did he dare let Hinata go. His chest rose and fell from his heavy panting and of sweat run onto the floor. Oh, beautiful blue sky

"Oi! Hinata! Neji!" a familiar voice called. It was followed by a bark.

Neji was too fatigued to reply. Now that he knew someone was here to take care of his lady, his glands stopped producing extra chemicals, and he fell unconscious.

-x-

Beep, beep, beep. Neji woke up seeing a lot of white. Am I dead? Then he felt a needle in his arm. He sat up and let the rest of the room sink into him. Next to his bed a monitor beeped steadily. He saw that he was sharing a hospital tent with an unconscious Hinata wrapped in layers of bandages.

After a minuet or so, the flap of the tent was brushed aside and Kurenai stepped through, Furuto told me what happened."

Neji wondered why that was important.

"I'm reassured to know someone is willing to put their life on the line for my pupil."

Neji waited for her to get to her point.

Kurenai sighed, "Neji, I'm sure you know Hinata has been adoring Naruto for a long time.

Neji felt fire burning inside his body. She came just to tell him this?

"What makes you say that all of the sudden?" he hissed.

"Please don't be angry. I just wanted to ask you a question," Kurenai raised her hands in front of her stomach, "I can see you didn't protect her just because she is part of the main branch. I just… I just wanted to know why you do all this and not tell her you… you…"

Neji suddenly felt his fire die down. He saw his vision getting blurry, tears threatening to spill before another person.

"Do you remember Hinata's fight with me at the Chunin exams?" his voice was barely a whisper.

Kurenai nodded. Could she not?

"That day. That day! I hospitalized her, stripped her life from her, and demoralized her. But every time I threw her down, she used every last ounce of her soul to get back up to the cheers of Uzumaki Naruto. 'My nindo is to never give up' she quoted him.

"Kurenai-sensei, how can I take her last standing piece of life by sticking my neck in her love life? I am seventeen now. I do not want to be that self-centered thirteen year-old I was before. This is why I did not and will not tell her as long as she still likes someone else."

Pit, pat. Neji's tears feel on to the hospital sheets. His hands clutched the blanket tight.

Kurenai gave him some silence before asking, "Then… why do you still try to love her?

Neji lifted his head and stared at the ceiling. "Because love is reality, and no matter which way you turn, reality tears you inside out."