Perfect

Chapter 10: Truth and Lies

Neji thought that by going to the normal world he could get away from the world of fame and fortune. However, he supposed you can take yourself from the fame, but you can't take the fame away from you. Neji was still famous. On the few occasions he checked out those celebrity talk shows, the top story was usually a confused rant about why he quit.

On the even rarer occasions he checked his Facebook page, his wall was plastered with messages of woe from his fans. On this particular day Neji was checking his Facebook in the only place he had access to unrestricted internet (the main building of Konoha's movie industry where he had hisown office), he decided he owed them an explanation. On his wall under 'what's on your mind?' he began typing.

Everyone is confused about my sudden and inexplicable disappearance, but the explanation is a little too long for me to explain why I've disappeared. Don't worry, I haven't given up yet. I just want to relax a little bit. I'm just a bit stressed out at the moment. I thank you for your concern. You guys are some of the best fans in the world, and I'm grateful to have you.

Neji stared at the message for a few seconds before clicking 'post'. For all he knew, he would regret it later. As Neji leaned back, stretching his arms above his head, he imagined all of the people who had him on their friends list getting e-mails, as well as their smart phones and iPods pinging off as they were alerted to his announcement.

Neji's cell phone ringed in his pocket, and he quickly pulled it out. Itachi had sent him a text message.

It's about time you relieved the anxiety of your followers, Neji.

Neji laughed and typed back.

Yeah, hopefully it won't backfire on me. I'm just getting sick of all of the worrying and whatnot.

In the next few minutes, Neji racked up over fifty Facebook e-mails. And yes, he read every last one of them. Most of them said things like 'Woo! Neji's back!' but there were a few odd ones that said many things that warmed my heart. Things like 'I suppose even actors need breaks!' or 'Enjoy your break Neji! Can't wait for your next film!' brought a smile to his lips. It was comments like these that he responded to.

.oOo.

The day passed smoothly, and so did the rest of the week. Neji updated his Facebook when he could just to prove to everyone that he was still alive. It got to the point where he blocked Facebook from sending him emails whenever someone commented on his status. Neji had well over 10,000 people on his friends list (he felt obliged to accept all of the requests) and so whenever he updated, the emails would come in hoards, up to five hundred a day. And seriously, that backed up his inbox really bad.

But Neji's biggest problem came on Saturday. He knew an attack from his uncle was coming, but what he didn't expect is what really happened.

The text message came at 10:00 at night. It was from Itachi. When Neji checked it, he was confused by what it said.

Turn on a television, channel 7.

Short and to the point. That was not Itachi. It had him worried.

Neji had a television in his puny house, but it was only basic cable. He got channels one to thirteen, so he quickly put it on channel seven. The first thing he noticed was that Entertainment Tonight Konoha was airing, and it was him they were talking about. Okay, so he wasn't worried about that. Of course they were talking about him. They had been for the last several weeks, and now that he'd started posting Facebook messages, the hype had started up again.

The next thing Neji noticed chilled him to the bone.

It was Hiashi.

He was being interviewed.

About him.

"So, Hiashi, tell me. What prompted Neji to quit the acting business and leave?"

Hiashi sighed. "I'm not entirely sure what happened. But what I do know is that he's been changing for the last little while."

"How so?"

"He's been becoming more and more violent and confrontational. His behaviour has gotten stranger as well."

"No, that's a lie..." Neji whispered.

"I also have reason to believe that drugs are involved."

"No!" Neji grabbed his head and stared at the television in horror. This couldn't be happening. Hiashi was trashing him on one of the most watched entertainment shows in Konoha!

He had to stop it.

He couldn't let this happen.

Neji ran to the door and threw it open before slamming it shut behind him, not bothering to lock it. He took the stairs, nearly falling down it three times as he headed for the lobby. People milling through the front hallways turned to stare as he ran through them, heading for the doors. Neji flung them open, realizing at the last second that it was pouring rain, and a thunderstorm was currently in session. He also realized he had left his shoes at the front door in his mad scramble. Neji ignored the way his socked feet ached dully because he was running down hard pavement and there was nothing supporting his heels.

Neji ran faster and longer than he ever had before. His lungs burned like fire as thunder rumbled overhead, and rain ran down his face. Neji ran through red lights on multiple occasions when no cars were coming, and he j-walked and leapt fences just as often. It felt like an eternity, but in reality, it only took him five minutes to run from his apartment at the southern end of Konoha, to Konoha's main broadcasting station that was merely an offshoot of the main movie industry building in the west end. And believe me, this is quite a distance.

Neji tore through the front doors, realizing the whole company was standing there, watching the broadcast on the giant screen television. They only looked away to see who had barged in so suddenly, but even then he could still hear Hiashi being interviewed through the speaker system.

"Neji!" Someone called after him.

Neji didn't even respond. He just shoved through the crowd and kept running. Down one hall, take a left, a right, count three doors. He burst through the fourth door.

"STOP! HE'S A LIAR!" Neji screamed frantically towards the stage. There was an entire crowd of people as well as a film crew, and they turned to look at him. Neji realized what a sight he was, covered in mud and water, barefoot, and wild eyed. Still, that didn't stop him. Neji saw the look of horror on Hiashi's face at the sight of him.

"Cut the broadcast!" Neji stated, jogging towards the stage. The crowd whispered softly as he passed. Neji knew they were still broadcasting, and that was what infuriated him.

Someone grabbed him from behind. It took Neji half a second to realize it was a guard, and there were two of them.

"NO!" Neji cried. "STOP THE BROADCAST! HE'S LYING TO YOU!"

"I'm sorry, he's been very disturbed since his father died." Hiashi stated.

Neji's jaw dropped. He was shocked, no longer having the strength to put up a fight. How? How could he say that? How could he say that in front of hundreds of people?

"Lies..." Neji whispered, his voice breaking slightly. "It's all lies..."

Neji was so numb, he didn't even feel the guards drag him from the room.

.oOo.

Neji had horrible nightmares that night. When he checked his Facebook the next day, he realized the damage had been done. His wall was plastered with hate messages, and his friends list had been cut in half. Hiashi had ruined his reputation

And in Hollywood, doing something like that is like shooting fish in a barrel. It's easy, and it's cruel.

And getting your reputation back is like threading a needle with a toothpick.

A/N: And now, I'm finally going to follow what the summary of this story says. Because in Hollywood, everything isn't perfect.

And yes, shooting fish in a barrel is extremely easy. All you have to do is open fire on the barrel and all the fish float to the top.

As for threading a needle with a toothpick, yeah...I can't even thread a needle with thread, okay? And that's the whole definition of threading a needle.

Review if you've got some spare time! I would not ask for reviews because sometimes it makes readers feel like I'm desperate or something, but really. I care about what you have to say which is why I ask for reviews! Speak to me, my friends! :D