Stone-cold and Sober
A tale of desire, desperation, blossoming romance, and the incestuous blood within the Hyuuga clan
Chapter VII:
Bitter Deliverance
Christmas had come and gone, providing temporary sanctuary to our pair of Hyuugas; but that asylum crumbled away when all the Yuletide greenery was removed from the village. Now, it was springtime, and Valentine's Day had passed only days before. Konoha was still in the grip of Saint Valentine's romantic holiday – lovers strolled arm-in-arm down the festooned streets of the village; couples exchanged gifts and kisses with one another; and single men maintained that they would have female companionship for next year's Valentine's Day.
Neji wanted to gag himself.
He hated Valentine's Day more than anything. As he walked hurriedly through Konoha (he didn't want to attract any attention from the opposite gender), he tried not to vomit every time he noticed a smooching couple or a pair swapping chocolate boxes. Girls batted their eyes at him, trying to catch his piercing white gaze with their feminine antics and curvy bodies (curses, they had noticed he was single). He forced his eyes to the ground and hurried around the next corner, heading for the sanctity of the one place he had so dreaded going to – the Nara household.
Bitter deliverance.
---
Silence abounded around the home of Konoha's most knowledgeable clan, broken only by the twittering of small birds in the nearby forest. Twigs occasionally snapped in the woods as the Nara deer approached the edge, drawn out from the leaves by the presence of the powerful Hyuuga; their soft eyes watched every move he made as they gingerly approached on their stately legs, movements slow and uncertain. Neji found himself transfixed by their slow actions, the graceful step of each hoof and subtle twist of each ear. So mesmerized was the Hyuuga that he forgot his wariness of the Naras, his hate of Valentine's Day, and his concern for his cousin. But this was soon broken: apparently, someone within the household noticed the movements of their deer – the sliding door to the courtyard of the Nara house was pulled open, and a bare-footed Shikamaru leaped out over the stones, sliding to a halt before his herd, which trotted eagerly to his side and nuzzled him with velvet noses. He muttered soft things to them, rubbing their foreheads and tugging softly on the antlers of the stags. Thus placated, the deer ventured back into their forest, and Shikamaru turned to go back inside.
A grin broke over the Nara's lips as he took three running steps, leapt gracefully onto a boulder, swung up into a tree, and shot like an arrow onto the roof of his house, clambering over the shingles and swinging down over his front door. He dropped to the ground in front of the Hyuuga, who hadn't the speed or reflexes to escape the agile Chuunin. Curse that boy – he could be fast as lightning when he wanted to be.
"I knew you'd come." Shikamaru bragged, his entire body displaying pride – he had been right, and he wanted to rub it in more than anything. The Hyuuga rolled his eyes and swatted the Nara on the shoulder. He was all business now, and wasn't about to be taken aback by his former flame's tricks.
"Take me inside. I need to speak with you."
Bitter deliverance.
---
"She's having a girl?" The Nara's brows furrowed as he gazed intently at the melancholy Hyuuga, who nodded and focused down into his teacup, not wanting to lock eyes with the calculating Chuunin. "But don't you need to have a son to pass on your blood? It won't be enough to have a girl. You need a son."
Again, the Jounin nodded slowly. "This is why I need your help, Shikamaru-kun. I need to have a son, so that my cousin and I don't have to endure this pain a second time. You said you could help me – what do you have that can give us aid?" The Nara gazed thoughtfully at Neji, his dark eyes sunken and glassy behind the veil of smoke wafting up from his half-drained cigarette. He took another long drag from his cigarette, reaching down to tap the ashes from the end; he was careful to breathe the smoke away from his old lover, knowing how sensitive Neji's gag reflex was when he was agitated. He wasn't about to clean up vomit on his day off. Troublesome.
"Well, my clan is the medical expert in the village. I'm sure we have something back in the old scrolls, some kind of regimen or intervention that can help you and Hinata."
"You mean you didn't know how to help us before?" Neji rolled his eyes; it was just like that devious Nara to lure him in and let him down like this.
The Nara shook his head and was quick to correct the Hyuuga: "I didn't know what sort of problem would be brought to me, but I'm well-prepared to handle any problem you and Hinata have." He got to his feet and crossed the room to the giant, worn bureau in the corner; he pulled open several drawers, sending papers fluttering to the floor. As Shikamaru rummaged through his medical logs, Neji gazed down into his teacup, a ball of uncertainty forming in his stomach. If the Nara couldn't help him have a son with Hinata, he would have to do the horrible deed again…he and Hinata would have to tear each other apart a second time…
"Found it!" the Chuunin exclaimed, tugging a tattered scroll from the confines of the chest. He hurried back to the Hyuuga's side, flapping open the scroll and dropping it into Neji's lap. "Those are the instructions for a reversal jutsu. It'll change the gender of your child…but only if it's not too far along. She's only five months in, right? We can still salvage your chances of having a son."
The Hyuuga felt his heavy heart flutter with hope. If he had a son, he could disassociate himself from his cousin for the rest of his life; he would be that much freer, that much out of his cage. But somehow, this news of rescue made his heart ache...
Bitter deliverance.
---
Hinata blushed and looked down at her feet, unable to look Shikamaru in the eye. The Nara took the opportunity to dig his elbow into Neji's ribs, shooting him a look that screamed, 'will she ever grow a spine?' Neji let out a choked noise that was halfway between a laugh and a disapproving snarl; he smacked the Chuunin's elbow away, distaste steely in his pallid eyes. The Nara raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, a knowing smirk on his lips; he then moved to tug the scroll from the pocket of his Chuunin vest, flapping it open and dropping it to the floor. His obsidian eyes scanned over the kanji, memorizing the instructions with expert speed and skill. He shifted to Hinata's side and politely maneuvered her onto the scroll, into the circle of kanji in the center of the paper. He made a flurry of hand-signs, and then paused to make sure both Hyuugas were ready. Then, with a knowing smile, he made the final sign and concentrated his chakra onto the scroll.
"Let's begin."
Neji waited nearby, his eyes not focused on his old lover or his ancient jutsu. He was watching his cousin. Waiting. Not daring to breathe. His salvation – their escape – was at hand; white shores were on the horizon, waiting to reclaim them from the tumultuous ocean of their doubt, their concern, and the destiny of the Hyuuga clan. The very destiny the pair had dealt with apart all their lives was bringing them together.
Together.
At that moment, Neji's eyes widened marginally; on the outside, nothing had happened, but a Chouji-sized load of something had landed heavily in the caged bird's soul. Suddenly, all the puzzle pieces fit together. All the uncertain emotions he felt on a daily basis, the jealousy of watching Naruto and Hinata embrace, the fits of laughter he suffered through when no one was around – all of them finally fell together. Neji swallowed the lump of conviction that had grown in his throat, a sickly look coming upon him. He couldn't hear Shikamaru question his well-being, or feel Hinata step shakily to his side and rest a hand on his shoulder; but he felt the fire from her touch.
He loved her.
Kuso.
Bitter deliverance.
---
A/N: Urgh, what a hard write. Forgive my late update – I had finals this week. *bows* But I'm out of school for the next two weeks, so I should be able to wrap this story up! Well, check that out – the Nara did intend to help them, but is his help undermined by a deeper desire? And Neji-san has realized his true feelings! When will Hinata find out, and what will she do when she does? And will Neji-san break under the pressure put upon him by his clan, his cousin, and his unborn child? Neji's recognition of his love for Hinata is sure to bring out the demon in him…the caged bird's madness. Darker things transpire in the next installment…dark things indeed.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Neji, or Hinata. In fact, I don't own anything associated with this fanfiction except the plot. Hence, I am not a thief/crook/butt pirate.