"Your uncle wants to see me?" Keiden asked, her fingers fiddling nervously with the end of her braid. "Tonight?"
"Don't worry so much," Neji said smoothly. He removed her hands from her hair, rubbing the tension from her knuckles before setting her palms in her lap. "It's just dinner, not an interrogation session. Besides, I'll be there."
They were sitting comfortably on the floor of Keiden's room, backs against her bed, resting for a bit after another grueling day of training. Well, Neji was resting— Keiden was still as energetic as she was when she'd jumped out of bed this morning. All the same, she stayed by his side.
Even though five months had blasted by since their first kiss, they'd both agreed that entering a more intimate phase of their relationship would only make matters more difficult than they already were. However, Neji sometimes couldn't help stealing a moment to brush his fingers along the line of her jaw, to press his lips to her forehead, to close the distance between their arms when they sat side by side— like he was doing right now.
He often berated himself for being so selfish.
"I don't want this to end, either," Keiden murmured. "But I want to protect Konoha, too."
Neji winced at the sad fondness with which she'd said the village's name. Over time, Keiden had not only made friends with Team Gai, but with Kakashi and the rest of the Konoha Eleven as well. Her charm was simply irresistible, to say the least. Even the village's civilians and most of the members of the Hyuga clan— with the exception of Hiashi and the elders— had taken a great liking to her. She always seemed to know when somebody required assistance with something, and she wholeheartedly helped them complete the task, no matter what it was. Word of her prowess also reached the young ears of all the current genin and chunin, and, soon enough, she was being asked to train many of them— alongside Neji and their jounin leaders, of course. Needless to say, almost everybody adored her now, and she adored them.
Neji's heart ached, knowing that the one thing Keiden wanted to protect the most could someday be the one thing she was meant to destroy.
It wasn't fair.
"Life isn't supposed to be fair," she said matter-of-factly.
She stood, her bare feet padding delicately on the supple wood beneath her, and kissed the top of Neji's head. He relished in her touch, intertwining his fingers with hers, wanting to maintain the contact a little longer, just a little longer. It was always that way for him now— just a little longer. . .
He raised himself as well, still holding Keiden's hands. This time, he wasn't the least bit hesitant about claiming her lips; he pressed his mouth to hers, releasing her hands and placing one of his against the small of her back and the other at the base of her neck. She responded by clasping the front of his shirt, letting him take control. He gladly complied, backing her against the wall and running a hand through her thick curls.
It ended all too soon, for Keiden gently pulled away. Neji rested his forehead against hers and gazed into her unseeing eyes, trying to memorize everything about them. A wavering thumb stroked her cheek.
"I know," she whispered shakily. "I know."
He understood that, now, she needed to be alone. "We should prepare for dinner," he said flatly.
She rearranged her features into something a bit more cheerful-looking. Neji cursed himself for not even attempting to cover up how upset he was; he hated the fact that he couldn't make this any less painful, that Keiden was trying so hard while he, once again, only thought about himself.
He left her, shuffling silently down one of the darkened hallways of the Hyuga Compound toward his bedroom. Flinging open the door, he immediately headed for his personal bathhouse, stripping off his sweat-laden clothes and dunking himself heavily into the steaming water.
Now is not the time to be falling in love! Lady Tsunade's voice chided him as he furiously scrubbed his skin. It had been weeks since he'd last thought about the Hokage's words.
Did he love Keiden? Terms of endearment and words like "love" were not a part of his usual vocabulary; "admire" was there, as was "respect." Even "acknowledge." But love? Did he love her?
He propped his elbows on the edge of the bath, craning his neck to stare at the ceiling that matched his eyes.
Yes. Yes he did.
And, at that moment, he understood why Hiashi wanted to meet with Keiden tonight. His uncle had already known, all those months ago— after he'd asked Neji if he would still be willing to kill her— that Neji's feelings for her went far beyond those of mere acquaintanceship.
He groaned quietly. He wanted nothing more than to be with her; to watch her eyes sparkle with delight when she occasionally trained the Academy students; to listen to her laugh when she chatted enthusiastically with the civilians she so selflessly helped on a daily basis; to feel her wrap her arms around him in a tender hug when they were alone together, even though the bliss was always short-lived.
Drying himself off, Neji donned a clean set of traditional Hyuga robes before exiting his room and heading back toward Keiden's.
The door was closed, which could only mean she was still getting dressed. Nevertheless, Neji knocked lightly, already anxious to see her again.
She emerged not long after, wearing a dark green kimono with sleeves that were too long. "Hanabi lent it to me," she explained happily, deftly rolling the material so as to free her hands. The outfit matched her eyes perfectly. Neji also noticed that Keiden had left her hair out of its usual braid— a sight he'd never seen before. The silver curls provided such a lovely contrast to the deep color of the kimono, framing her face in all the right places.
Though Neji had never used the word "beautiful" before, it was really the only way to describe her. He took her hand. "Ready?"
She nodded.
Hiashi was already waiting for them in the smaller of the two dining rooms at the other end of the Compound. Neji caught the way his uncle's right eye twitched slightly and the way his gaze shifted to their intertwined hands when he opened the door.
"Welcome," he said politely, nodding in Keiden's direction. "I don't believe I've ever properly introduced myself. I am Neji's uncle, Hiashi Hyuga." He held out a hand.
Keiden's hand fumbled in the air for only a split-second before meeting Hiashi's in a respectful shake. "Pleased to meet you, Lord Hyuga. I'm Keiden."
Hiashi chuckled, but the gesture didn't quite make it to his eyes. "I see my nephew's been giving you a few pointers about our ways. I'm impressed." He motioned toward the simply set table. "Come. Let us dine, shall we?"
If Keiden had been nervous during the meal, she'd done an excellent job of masking it. She'd responded easily to Hiashi's questions, which had been few to begin with, resulting in a significant change in the man's overall expression whenever he now looked upon her. This in turn only reiterated in Neji's mind that Keiden's effect on people was indeed astounding.
In fact, her effect on Neji himself was almost too much to bear— they were, of course, sitting next to each other, with Keiden's thigh just barely touching his own. The charge that surged through this feather-light connection was enough of a distraction to have to make him ask Hiashi to repeat himself when his uncle's questions were directed at him.
Before long, Hiashi stood, making his way toward the door and opening it. "Keiden, I'm grateful that you decided to join us tonight. However, I hope you will not mind my speaking to Neji alone for a moment."
"Of course not." She rose graciously to her feet, walking through the doorway. Neji suspected she'd already concocted a plan to keep herself from overhearing this conversation. Her eyes met Hiashi's chin. "And the pleasure was mine, my lord."
Hiashi closed the door behind him.
"A remarkable child," he muttered fondly.
"You do realize that she's twenty years old, don't you?" Neji said, smirking. "In fact, she'll be twenty-one in a few months. She's no more a child than I am."
Hiashi smiled at that. "Being the age I am, everyone is a child." Then his brow furrowed. "You're sure about this?"
Neji didn't need further expansion. He didn't need any more time to think about it, either.
"Yes."
His uncle still looked rather wary. "Is she sure?"
Neji's shoulders hunched a fraction of an inch. "I don't know," he whispered truthfully.
"But you want her to be." It wasn't a question.
The younger Hyuga's eyes closed.
"You're afraid— both of you are. I understand the burden that your promise brings, especially now that I have a much better idea of what this young woman is like." Hiashi's tone was serious, yet consoling. "But you shouldn't let that get in the way of how you feel about her, just as she shouldn't let it cloud her feelings for you. It's been almost two years, now."
Neji still had trouble believing that, a little more than twenty months ago, he'd discovered a broken Keiden on the forest floor. At times, it only felt like twenty minutes.
"Nobody else has ever made you this happy, Neji. You can't deny that," Hiashi finished. "Do what's truly best for the both of you."
Suddenly, everything fell into place in Neji's mind. He raised his head, shooting an extremely grateful glance in his uncle's direction.
Hiashi grinned wisely. "Very well, Neji. You're dismissed."