A/N: This one…had several ways I thought about going. I think I like this one best. Title comes from the 80's song 'Heaven is a Place on Earth". I'm sure you know it.
An experiment in pacing, so feel free to critique on that and let me know if it worked for you.
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Euphoria
A Place on Earth
From an Online Medical Dictionary
Main Entry: eu•pho•ria
Pronunciation: yu-'fOr-E-&, -'for-
Function: noun
: a feeling of well-being or elation; especially : one that is groundless, disproportionate to its cause, or inappropriate to one's life situation.
She had a place where she would go, in her head, when things were the worst. When her head and body ached from pushing herself well passed her limits, and the screaming downstairs made the pain spike with every heartbeat. When the sounds of breaking glass and flesh-to-flesh contact filled the night, the smell of alcohol tried to strangle her, and she didn't have anything left to fight it with. When perfect days were interrupted by the coming night. When some main house member made a thinly veiled threat against Neji's life. When he was on Jounin missions, hadn't been heard from in days, overdue to be home, and she just knew he was bleeding somewhere and it was forbidden she go help. If he refused to hold her hand or kiss her in public, afraid someone would see. Afraid that they would hurt her simply because she made him happy. Those times when she looked at her friends, at Ino and Shikamaru, Naruto, Sakura, at everyone else and how happy they were, together, in the light, and unafraid, she would close her eyes and she would go there.
In her fondest dream, Tsunade would send her and Neji on a mission together, just the two of them. What didn't really matter, as long as it was dangerous. Once the mission was complete, they would fake their own deaths-this because Neji wasn't sure if the curse mark had a range, she'd asked him once, and if it was convincing enough no one would ever try and he could be as free as possible. It would upset Guy-sensei and Lee, surely, but they had each other so they would be alright.
Once they were certain no one was looking for them, she and Neji would run away to some small town in a place where there were no ninja. In her mind, they built a little house together by hand. It was nothing special. A small house with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a porch they could sit on together to watch the sunset like Neji loved to do. And she could watch the colors reflect in his eyes like she loved to do. And they could do it every night because it wouldn't matter if anyone saw them together a little too often.
She'd find work, sometimes a blacksmith, sometimes a detective, sometimes a teacher, and Neji would stay home and write books. He loved to write, though nobody knew. He would sit on the porch and write stories of their adventures, but masked so well that nobody would guess.
In her mind, they were poor, with nothing left over for extras once bills were paid and food purchased, but they were so happy. Because nothing could separate them again.
Sometimes it was eternally summer at their house. Other times she thought of warm fires and silver winter nights. Once or twice she had wondered about children to fill the second room of the little house with giggles.
Mostly, she just wondered, if she didn't spend a little too much time in her fantasy place. Each day it got a little harder to leave behind the place where she was safe and happy. Where she and Neji were finally together in the ways they could not be now. And she was afraid.
Afraid that someday, she just might not leave at all.