"Naaasaaariiiii. Wake up Nasari. WAKE UP!!"
Nasari was jolted awake by Ino yelling in her' ear. (Ino could be startlingly loud when she wanted to.)
"Wha-at?" Nasari asked in an exasperated voice.
"Come on sleepyhead!" Ino exclaimed piercingly. "It's time to get up."
Nasari glanced at the window to her' right. The sky was pitch black.
"Now?!"
"If you want to be ready to leave at dawn with the rest of us…" Ino said. Then yes, NOW!"
Nasari pressed her' hands over her' ears in an effort to block out Ino's voice. In the beds across the room the newly awakened Tenten and Sakura did the same.
"Ino would you shut up!" Tenten snapped. Her' hair, which the night before had been pinned up into two neat buns, one on either side of her' head, was now two oddly shaped knots, out of which fell random stragglers.
Sakura, up till now, had been holding the pillow over her' head in an effort to shut out Ino's shrieking. Now, as she uncovered her' head, her' short, pink hair stuck out at all angles causing her to appear as though she had just been electrocuted. If Nasari hadn't been so busy trying to rescue her' poor ears from Ino's big mouth, she would have burst out laughing.
"Come on you three!" Ino shrieked. "Up and at em!"
"What time is it?" Nasari growled. Ino was driving her crazy!
"It's two a.m.!" Ino exclaimed.
"TWO A.M.!!" The three girls shrieked.
"I know it's late but if we hurry I think we'll be able to make it." Ino said.
The girls stared at her. "Ino, we're not leaving until five-thirty." Sakura said.
"Ugh! I know." She exclaimed. "I can't believe all we have is three and a half hours to get ready. I mean, how the heck do they expect me to look presentable. I usually need at least two hours' to do my' makeup, and I haven't picked out my' outfit for today- I should ware something special today for when we meet Lord Nihanyo and Princess Yuzoku. (I wonder if he's handsome.)- And then there's my' hair and my' jewelry and…"
Tenten, Nasari, and Sakura looked at one another and groaned. None of them were going to get much sleep tonight.
At five a.m. the Konoha shinobi met out side the Hokage's office. The boys all looked well rested and ready for what lay ahead. All the girls (Ino being the only exception) on the other hand looked as though they had just run a marathon.
"Wow what happened to you?" Naruto exclaimed when they arrived.
"We're tired and we've got terrible headaches so just shut up and don't annoy us Naruto!" Sakura snapped.
Naruto put up his' hands and quickly backed away.
"Geeze did you guys get any sleep at all?" Chouji asked.
Tenten rolled her' eyes. "We were sleeping just fine until someone," here she looked pointedly at Ino who was busy brushing a particle of dust from her' skirt, "had to get up two a.m. this morning to do her' hair and makeup and saw fit to wake us all up to join her."
Shikamaru shook his' head. "Now you see what I have to put up with all the time." He said.
"Well why didn't you just go back to sleep for a little while?" Naruto asked.
"We would have, naturally, but it's slightly difficult when you have Ino in the bathroom singing at the top of her' lungs!" Tenten said pointedly.
Naruto, Chouji and Shikamaru tried to hold themselves in check but ended up rolling on the ground in fits of hysterics.
"SHUT UP!" All four of the girls yelled; Ino because she didn't like to be made fun of for her' singing, and the other three because the noise was making their' headaches even worse.
The boys quickly sobered. They knew better than to anger four, tired, migraine plagued Kunoichis!
"Well," Lee said, "now that we're all in such wonderful moods, how about we start heading to the Hokage's office. We wouldn't want to give Mr. Bipolar any reason to explode."
"He has a point." Sasuke remarked. "That guys a time bomb as it is."
"Alright! Yeah! Lets do it! Come on ya'll!" Naruto shouted; ignoring the murderous looks he received from the girls.
"Come on, let's go." Sakura said with a defeated sigh.
They all turned to follow the blond shinobi who continued to shout out random exclamations at the top of his' voice the entire way to the Hokage's office.
The Hokage's voice rang out sharply, shattering the still morning air. "Honored guests from Konoha, allow me to introduce to you, Lord Nihanyo and his' sister, Princess Yuzoku."
A young man dressed in clothing of the richest blue material stood next to the Hokage. He had raven black hair and cool gray eyes. Beside him stood his' sister who, with her' shoulder length, fiery red hair and amber colored eyes, was a direct contrast to her' brother. She wore a full-length burgundy gown and matching high heels. Several strands of pearls and gems encircled her' neck and she wore a glittering ring on every finger. Both of them eyed the Konoha shinobi coldly and with decided hostility.
The shinobi bowed slightly for politeness' sake; a gesture that was not returned by the nobles.
The Hokage then began to introduce each ninja by name. The nobles acknowledged each of them with only a slight nod of the head. Then Yuzoku caught sight of Neji, and her' eyes lit up.
"Hyuga Neji, known as the genius of the Hyuga clan." The Hokage announced.
Neji inclined his' head politely and turned to leave but paused when Yuzoku addressed him. "Why Hyuga Neji!" she exclaimed. "What an honor to have the genius of the Hyuga clan escorting us on our' trip." She gave a flirtatious giggle and batted her' eyelashes at him.
"Thank you for your' compliments Princess." Neji replied in an unaffected voice. He turned to Nassari who stood slightly behind him. "Allow me to introduce my' wife, Formerly Lady Osara Nasari."
The princess stiffened and turned an icy glare on Nasari who held her' gaze with a more subtle glare mixed with a hint triumph.
"It is a pleasure Lady Nasari." Yuzoku said through clenched teeth.
Nasari laughed to her' self, the princess's jealousy written all over her. Nasari made certain to keep an aloof expression on her' own face as she returned the civility.
Neji led Nasari away from the nobles as the Hokage began to introduce Shikamaru. "Well done!" he whispered into her ear once they were out of hearing distance of the nobles. "You sure got her good!"
Nasari affected an expression of mingled innocence and shock. "Why Hyuga Neji, I haven't the slightest idea of what you are implying."
Neji rolled his eyes. "You know exactly what I'm talking about Nasari, and we both know it!" he pointed an accusing finger at her. "You enjoyed angering the princess."
"Well, what if I did?" she retorted defiantly. "You enjoyed it just as much if not more so than I." She held up her hand as he opened his mouth to argue. "Don't you dare try and deny it; I saw that sly look in your' eyes Hyuga Neji. You're not the only one who can read people. Remember, I've got special eyes too."
Neji huffed and looked away. It still bugged him that she could always find someway to win their' arguments.
Nasari smirked and said, "Come on Mr. Attitude. It looks like the others are about ready to leave."
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Snaaaaakkee!" Yuzoku's piercing scream filled the air for what must have been the tenth time in the last half-hour.
"Now what?" Tenten asked in an irritated tone of voice.
"Neeeejiiii Saaaan! Heeeeellllp!"
Neji rolled his eyes and headed to the back of their' "caravan" as the nobles called it, where Princess Yuzoku stood shrieking and screaming something about a snake.
"Yes Princess?" he asked.
"Oh, NEJI!" she threw her' arms around his' neck and clung to him dramatically. "Oh Neji thank you for coming to my' aid." She gasped. "A horrible serpent tried to attack me!"
Neji sighed. "Thus far he'd already "saved" her from twisting her' ankle, falling into a river, being attacked by the piranha that were supposedly in the river, being attacked by a crocodile (which was actually a foot long lizard), getting bit by a spider, and the most recent, being attacked by (so called) crazy monkeys. And they'd only been on the road for two hours.
"Where's the snake?" He asked. He looked in the direction she pointed and saw a sleeping baby garter snake. He looked at it, blinked a couple of times and looked again.
"That's it?" He asked.
She nodded and clung to him tighter than ever.
Neji shook his' head. This was the most ridiculous thing she'd screamed about all day.
He disentangled himself from her' embrace and, walking over to the tiny reptile, picked it up by the tip of it's tail and threw it lightly into the underbrush.
"Oh Neji you saved me!" Yuzoku gushed. She hugged him again. "Thank you Neji, you're such a gentleman and soooo very brave." Neji thanked her stiffly for the compliment and then quickly made his escape saying that he was needed at the front of the caravan.
"Yikes! She's the worst fan girl I've ever had. And I can't even give her a blow off because we're not supposed to insult the Hokage Tsokai's daughter." He sighed. "You'd think she'd get the picture seeing as I'm already married."
"You'd think so wouldn't you?" said a voice from behind.
Neji whirled to see a grinning Nasari standing behind him. He had to give it to her. She knew the meaning of stealth. He affected a gruff expression. "What are you thinking, sneaking up on me like that? It's rude to follow someone who doesn't know you're there." He growled.
Nasari cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well, look who's talking." She teased. "I seem to recall you having followed me one night." She pointedly reminded him. "Besides," she said in a sly voice, "Who says I was following you. I could have just been out on a walk and happen to have come upon you, you know."
"Oh right, I'm sure that's just how it happened." Neji retorted in a sarcastic voice.
Nasari grinned at him. "We both know that you're not as angry as you're making your' self appear." She said
"How is it that you can read me so well?" Neji asked, exasperation lacing his' voice.
"Well probably because you're more your' self around me than you are around other people." She said. "When you're around others your' vocabulary tends to caver about one word: hn! But when you're around me, you quit your' stone pillar imitation and actually act… human."
Neji sighed. "Yeah… you're right. I have a really hard time opening up to people. I don't know why."
"I know the feeling." Nasari said softly. "Sometimes it seems as if there is no one who you can talk to. No one who will truly understand." She sighed. "It's a hard thing to deal with. One that takes time…" She turned to him with ghost of a smile playing on her' lips. "…and a friend who will listen."
Neji smiled back at her. "Well," he said, trying to lighten the mood, "We'd best be getting back. No doubt her' Highness will be calling me to save her' from a vicious pigeon or some such horror any second."
As if on cue, a piercing scream filled the air. "Aaaaaaaaaaaah!! Neeeeejiiii! Heeeeeellllp!!"
Neji put his hand to his' head and Nasari gave him a half amused, half sympathetic look as he headed back towards the "damsel in distress".
Princess Yuzoku' continued her' attempts to get Neji alone for the next three and a half days. On the fourth night she found her' opportunity. Nasari was taking a short nap before dinner, And Neji had gone out on a walk. (Mostly as an attempt to get away from a loud-mouthed blond, two bickering fan girls, and the said princess.)
Yuzoku followed Neji threw the forest. She had no training in stealth and so was not very quiet, but Neji was too lost in his' thoughts to notice. He paused at the edge of a large pond, and stood staring out into the night, the crescent moon shining down on him.
Yuzoku smiled slyly. It was time to put phase B of her' plan into action.
Yuzoku snuck up quietly behind him, and laid a hand on his' shoulder. He whirled about, startled, but relaxed slightly when he saw that it was not an enemy ninja or something.
"Hello Neji." She greeted him.
"Good evening Princess." He replied. "Did you need something?"
"Oh no… I just decided to go for a little walk and then I caught sight of you here in this clearing and I thought I'd come over and see what you were doing."
"I'm not really doing anything." He said, wishing that she would leave.
She sighed. "Neji… Why do you hate me?"
Neji was surprised. "I don't hate you."
"Then why are you always so short with me?" She asked. "Why do you always brush me aside and act as though I don't exist?"
He didn't say anything. What could he say?
She sighed again. "When I met you I thought that you looked like such a nice person. I thought, I'd like to get to know him maybe we could be friends. I've never had a friend before." She whispered. "I've had people who pretend to be my' friend because I'm a princess… but never a true friend." She turned to look at him her' eyes were brimful of tears. "Is that why you don't like me, because I'm a princess? Is that why you won't accept me?"
Neji stared down at her and, much to his' surprise, he felt sorry for the girl who stood next to him. "I…I'm sorry Yuzoku. I didn't mean to make you feel left out." What's going on with me? Neji wondered. Nasari must be rubbing off on me more than I orrigionally thought.
Yuzoku looked up into his' eyes. "So… you don't…h-hate me?"
Neji shook his' head, and she smiled. "Oh Neji, thank you!" She whispered throwing her arms around the surprised young man. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me…"
Nasari had awoken and, finding that Neji had left on a walk, decided to join him. She knew where he had gone. He had taken her to the pond the day before. Rapping her' jacket tightly around her' she headed out into the forest. It wasn't long before she reached the clearing. She slowed her' pace and, silent as a shadow, (which, indeed was what she resembled as she was clothed completely in black) she stepped forward and drew back the thick curtain of vines that obscured her' view of the clearing. What she saw made her heart stop cold. There, in the center of the clearing, stood Neji, Yuzoku in his' arms. She stared up in to his' eyes and whispered something that Nasari was unable to make out. Neji smiled and nodded. Then, she leaned forward and kissed him.
Nasari stood, unable to breath, willing Neji to push Yuzoku away. But he didn't; he simply stood there, not moving, as Yuzoku moved in closer.
Nasari felt as though someone had stabbed her' in the heart. Unable to remain another moment, she turned and fled; her feet not making a sound as she ran away from that clearing, away from what she had seen, and more than anything away from Neji.
Yuzoku looked up at Neji. "So… do you think we could be friends?" she whispered
Neji smiled softly and nodded. Yuzoku smiled back and made her move. Before Neji could stop her, she leaned forward and kissed him.
For a few moments Neji was so stunned that he didn't think to pull away. He just stood there, struck dumb by the suddenness of it all. Yuzoku moved even closer and Neji snapped out of his' shocked state. Turning his' head he pushed Yuzoku away from him.
She stumbled back a couple of feet and looked up to find him staring furiously down at her. "What's wrong Neji kun?" she inquired. She was confused at his' sudden rejection; she had thought that thing had been going so well.
"Why did you do that?" He demanded.
The anger in his voice scared her. "I-I just…just…"
"NAZE Yuzoku?!" (Why Yuzoku?!)He thundered.
Yuzoku backed up. He was really angry! "B-Because I love you!" She said. "It was just a kiss; why are you so angry?"
"Yuzoku!" He exclaimed. "I am MARIED!!"
"So what?" Yuzoku shrugged carelessly. "It was an arranged marriage, which means it's just a formality. It doesn't mean anything except that your' clan is now joined to her's. You don't love her. Why shouldn't you and I get together?"
"It's not right Yuzoku." Neji said.
"Oh for goodness sakes, be a man Neji! Make your' own decisions for once. Do what youwant to do! Forget what others tell you. Go make your' own path and your' own rules! The only reason you and Nasari are married is because it was what was good for your' clan. Stop thinking of your' clan for once and start thinking of your' self. Only those who look out for their own interests will ever find happiness and success."
Neji shook his' head.
Yuzoku let out an irritated sigh. "No one will see if that's what your' worried about."
"That's not it." Neji said. "I made a vow and a commitment to my' clan, and, more importantly, to Nasari." He looked Yuzoku in the eye and said firmly, "I keep my' vows Yuzoku."
Yuzoku stared at him, unable to believe that any young man would actually reject her. then her eyes narrowed and she said in a sharp voice, "Fine, have it your' way! You're a fool Hyuga Neji; a week minded fool! You're not even strong enough to make your' own decisions! But I suppose I shouldn't have expected any better from a member of the side branch! I guess it's true what they say…once a caged bird, always a caged bird!" she glared at him. "And you, Hyuga Neji, the genius of the Hyuga clan, and yet, a puppet on strings. You most definitely are, and will always be, A CAGED BIRD!!"
Having delivered that final thrust, Yuzoku turned and stormed out of the clearing.
Leaving behind a stunned and angry, Hyuga Neji.
