Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
A/N: There was a black out at my house last night so I didn't have any internet. (Tears. The pain. The pain is real). And what does one do when there is no internet? That's right! You write fanfiction! So here's an update that came earlier than expected. I felt that a lot of people wanted to see Neji, so… here he is!
Neji was mortified.
A week had passed since the disgusting revelations of the Hokage tower, and Neji couldn't stop thinking about it.
His mind was consumed by thoughts of a lonely four-year-old Naruto begging for attention, of him receiving beatings as birthday presents and rejection as daily medicine.
What bothered him the most, however, were his own actions. Specifically, how he had treated Naruto during the Chuunin Exams.
He recalled his words to Naruto on the day of the finals. He remembered thinking that the blonde was nothing more than a happy go lucky idiot who knew nothing of the world. Spouting empty promises, a shallow determination with nothing to back him up. Idealistic, Neji had thought. And utterly idiotic. Neji remembered feeling insulted that the kid dared to even insinuate that he would win against the Hyuuga.
"Hey... you! Loser! I have two pieces of advice for you. First of all, of you intend to call yourself a shinobi, stop that stupid cheering of yours- it's disgraceful. And second... Once a failure, always a failure! You can't change that!"
Kami, he had really said those things, hadn't he?
He felt like hitting his head against the wall. Repeatedly. Hopefully until he reached unconsciousness. And then maybe someone would take pity on him and dig a big, deep hole for him so he could be swallowed by it. Neji would have gone through with it, too, if he weren't a proud Hyuuga walking through a public setting. He'd try to physically murder his mortification once he was alone in his room and others weren't watching.
Honestly, what had he been thinking? How could he just – just – mouth off like that without knowing anything about the person? He had called Naruto disgraceful. He had called his savior a failure.
And Naruto truly was his savior. The exuberant shinobi had freed him from the darkness that plagued the young Hyuuga. He had shown him a future full of possibilities – a future Neji could decide for himself, with no one to tell him otherwise. He had been liberated, his shackles broken, and it was all thanks to the blonde.
Naruto was the farthest thing from disgraceful and a failure Neji could possibly imagine!
He freed me from my cursed fate.
Neji felt like screaming in frustration and embarrassment and fervent shame. The words he threw at Naruto that day kept reverberating in his head in vicious circles. If only he could go back in time to take back what he said!
There was no recipient more unworthy of those insults.
Naruto was not disgraceful – anyone should be beyond proud to be able to call him comrade. He was not a failure – he was the salvation of not only Neji, but countless others.
Naruto was the light in the darkness. He was hope amidst despair. He was strength when all that was left was weakness.
How can someone like this exist?
Naruto had suffered more than Neji in his childhood. Neji couldn't possibly imagine everything Naruto had had to go through. Yet, while Neji had become a broken, hateful person, Naruto had shouldered his own pain and became someone others could look to for inspiration. Naruto overcame his childhood suffering (despite it still having lingering effects), wishing to help the world instead of resenting it as the Hyuuga had.
Neji sometimes felt unworthy of even standing next to him. Naruto was larger than life, at times.
And this beacon of light, of hope, of strength, had suffered for years. Had been abused ever since he was a child. At the hands of people who didn't even deserve to lick the soles of his feet.
"Oi".
Neji's mortification was quickly replaced by anger. These two seemed to be the only emotions he could feel this past week.
"Oi Neji".
If Neji saw even one disrespectful movement from the villagers directed towards Naruto, he'd do unspeakable things. Things the likes of which even the Torture and Interrogation team had never seen. Things that would forever make the villagers tremble at the mere thought of doing anything to harm Naruto-
"Neji!"
Neji was finally broken out of his homicidal reverie. He looked only to find Naruto standing in front of him, hands on his hips.
"What are you doing?"
Neji noticed Naruto seemed restless. Confusion was obvious on his face, and Neji could detect faint frustration as well. There was a brief silence as Neji thought about how to answer.
"I am accompanying you".
Naruto seemed to become even more agitated at that.
"Okay, yeah, like, that's what you've said the last ten times I asked you just today, as well as the hundreds of times I've asked you for the past seven days, but you've been 'accompanying me' since 6:30 in the morning through the village, to the training grounds, to the top of the four statues, to the barbeque place, to the training grounds again, to Ichiraku Ramen, and now you're 'accompanying me' back to my apartment. As you have every day. For the past seven days." Naruto paused, waiting for a reaction from Neji. Neji stared blankly back at him. As though to emphasize a point (that Neji was clearly not understanding), he elaborated, "You've woken me up by invading my apartment at 6:30 in the morning every day for the past seven days to 'accompany me'".
Well, that made him sound like a stalker. Neji wasn't stalking Naruto. He was just guarding him. Neji took his duties very seriously, and he had appointed guarding Naruto as one. Therefore it was only natural that he be with the blonde from the moment Naruto awoke to the moment he went to bed (and even sometimes after that, just in case someone tried something while the blonde was sleeping). He was glad to do it. He learned much about his savior. Neji had learned what Naruto's favorite ramen was, that he had a devoted follower in the third hokage's grandchild, that he lived in a hovel in the red light district (and oh, did he feel like hitting someone when he saw the place. He wondered how a four-year-old Naruto must have felt). He also learned that Naruto trained diligently every day and succeeded in learning ridiculously powerful jutsus in little time, that he received flowers from a certain Yamanka every morning (much to Naruto's confusion as the blonde had no idea what they meant or even who they were from), and that he engaged in deep meditation on top of the Hokage monument, often spending hours overlooking the village with a serene expression and a small smile that filled Neji with a profound sense of peace (something he would have never thought he'd manage in Naruto's presence, savior or not).
Neji would concede that perhaps – perhaps – his behavior was slightly stalker-like. Slightly. Maybe it was in the Hyuuga blood?
When Neji continued to stare blankly at him without answering, Naruto made a sound that seemed almost animalistic in its pure frustration.
"Okay, fine." He visibly forced himself to calm down, closing his eyes, forefinger and thumb massaging his temples. He was resigned to Neji following him around everywhere. "You're accompanying me. That's fine. Great. I like the company, you're a great guy, Neji, but…
"Why are you always standing behind me?"
And Neji was. For every step Naruto took, Neji took one as well, always two steps behind. When Naruto took a step back in order to stand beside Neji, Neji would take a step back as well, maintaining the two-steps distance. He was following Naruto like a subordinate would follow his superior. The way the Jounin Commander or ANBU Captain respectfully stood behind the Hokage.
Naruto would've been flattered if he wasn't so utterly bewildered.
Through it, Neji wanted to convey his deep respect for Naruto. He owed Naruto everything, after all. If, simultaneously, the act served as a warning for the villagers that messing with Naruto meant messing with the Hyuuga genius, then all the better.
"Because I wish to". Neji finally answered the question.
The sigh Naruto gave in response was both fond and exasperated.
"You know, Neji" he started. "You don't have to stand behind me. You don't answer to me, in fact, we both answer to the same person. You can stand beside me". Neji was entirely unprepared for the blinding smile that was flashed his way. Truly, that thing was a weapon. "After all, we're friends, right?"
Unbeknownst to Naruto, his question had just worsened his situation – Neji might never stand beside him again. His respect for the blonde was too great. The Hyuuga was once again overcome with admiration for Naruto. He is so powerful, so selfless. So ready to forgive despite all the wrongs committed against him.
"Naruto…" Neji started, and then hesitated. He didn't know how to do this. "I- I just wanted to say…" Kami, he really was acting like his cousin. He took a deep breath to compose himself. "For a long time I have wished to apologize for my crude and erroneous words at the Chuunin Exam finals. I am deeply sorry for the things I said". To finish it off, Neji gave a deep bow.
The people around the duo stopped what they were doing to stare. A member of the proud Hyuuga clan bowing? And to the demon-brat as well?
A sudden burst of laughter woke them from their stunned paralysis. Startled, Neji looked up only to see Naruto clutching his stomach, trying, and failing, to suppress his laughter.
"Oh, Neji!" Naruto had to take deep breaths to get his shaking under control. "Is this why you've been acting so weird?" His laughter finally calmed down as he pressed a hand to the Hyuuga's shoulder. "There is no need to say sorry, Neji. I haven't thought about that in a long time." He looked into the Hyuuga's pupiless eyes and Neji almost drowned in sky blue. "You're a different person now. I'm proud to call you my friend".
The Hyuuga stood dazed for a moment. Truly? Just like that? I'm forgiven? But Naruto said it with such earnestness that Neji couldn't help but believe it. He would always regret his words on that day, but they would no longer haunt him as they had for the past week.
Neji smiled. It was moments like these that made him think that Naruto's dream of becoming Hokage wasn't so far away after all. Naruto truly was an amazing person. Neji would follow him until death.
"Well then, laughing like that made me hungry again!" Naruto suddenly burst out, wide grin in place. Already walking towards the restaurant, he shouted, "Forget the apartment, I'm heading back to Ichiraku Ramen!"
"Very well," Neji replied, starting after the blonde, a respectful two-step distance from him, as always.
"I shall accompany you".
A/N: Wow, was not expecting this chapter to be so long. Neji just took the pen from me and ran with it. Not sure how this happened. Anyway, feel free to comment on who you want to hear from next! I'll try to accommodate!