Vignette #3-For her Purity

Pairing: Neji/Hina

Rating: mild T

Neji was furious. But his strict Hyuuga upbringing coupled with his own dispassionate, puritanical personality, compelled him to keep his countenance clear and impassive.

"You have decided to accept his—courtship then."

It wasn't a question; he'd heard the compound gossip, he already knew.

Hinata paused in her folding and glanced at her cousin. Despite his outward composure, she knew he was highly displeased; that slight tick in his jaw and the stiff posture in his back and shoulders, were all a dead giveaway. "It's not a courtship, Neji-nii…it's one afternoon of tea and conversation. Father's been…agitated because of the fact that Kazekage-sama has been sending him repeated correspondence. He's asked about me—well that is, kankuro-san has asked about me. I told Father that avoiding it was no longer necessary…after all, if Kankuro-san has changed then…h-he should be given the chance to prove so."

The tick in his jaw spread and he clenched his fist. "You cannot be seriously considering this, Hinata-sama!"

The heiress sighed heavily; she was tired of going in circles with this argument—she wished Neji would try to understand that she was simply doing her duty! He should; he was the number one stickler for maintaining honor and duty after all.

"...I'm just trying to do my duty, Neji-"

"Do not. Finish that sentence." He grit out, glaring at her.

She snapped and in a rare display of temper, slammed her hands on the table. "Then what do you suggest I do?! I am compassed on all sides by people who expect me to fulfill my place as an heiress, as a kunoichi and as a woman! I have to compromise somewhere, or-"

"So you will martyr yourself by sacrificing your dignity? Your purity?!"

She gasped in shock. "Neji! T-That is uncalled for!"

Did she even realize she said his name without honorific, whenever she scolded him? Well, no matter…

"I will not apologize for speaking the truth!" Neji had lost his patience and his temper flared as his anger increased. "That man is a cad; a disgusting, pitiful excuse, he's no gentleman yet you are about to spend an entire afternoon with him when you know that tea is the last thing on his mind!"

A loud CRACK split the air as Hinata suddenly slapped him so hard, his head snapped to the side. If it weren't for the sharp stinging in his already-reddening cheek, he would've been impressed; her strength had improved exponentially.

The tears in her eyes struck him with heavy guilt, yet he refused to retract his words. She was still too naïve for her own good.

"Dare to speak to me that way again, and I—I will never t-talk to you for as long as I live." A few tears spilled over but she barely spared a moment to wipe them away as she brushed passed him.

The scent of her hair as she passed him—lavender and lilac—wafted to his nose. It was like a switch had been flipped somewhere inside of him, and he refused to let her go. As she moved to cross the threshold, his body rounded fluidly and he caught her by the wrist. She started, tugging her arm to free it from his grasp but the Byakugan flashed in his eyes and he held firm, hauling her back into the room and against his chest.

The door slid shut with a loud THUD, "N-Neji, what are yo-!"

And then his next action was the most shocking of all—he kissed her, hard. She froze, eyes wide in shock, and then she fought him. "Mmmhgf!" she tried to close off one of his tenketsu, but Neji's reflexes were unparalleled and he captured her wrists in his hands, holding her captive as he continued his assault on her mouth. He had no idea what had come over him—didn't dwell on it—because her lips tasted like vanilla and green tea and he was intoxicated with her. Had he always felt this way about her? He couldn't name this feeling nor pinpoint the start of it but…it was….

"Neji…"

Oh gods, she sighed his name and he knew it was the end of him.

But then, she bit his lip. Hard. And he was forced to release her. The moment his hands loosened, she pushed him back with all get might, trembling from head to toe as she favored her bruised, reddened lips. "J-Just what on earth are you d-doing?!" she cried vehemently. He'd lost his mind! But as she looked in his eyes, they were crisp and clear. The set of his countenance was confident and determined—if a little red from the exertion if his attack upon her. "Punish me, if you must; I will not refute. Even hating me would be better than seeing you offer even an ounce of yourself to that vulgarian."

With that, Neji turned and fled the room, leaving a shaking, red-faced Heiress in his wake.

Trembling fingers touched her lips—she could still feel his mouth on hers—his taste was…

Opaque orbs rounded and she gasped, sinking to the floor. Neji…what have you done to me?!