Eleven: Better Days
Since the day of Sakura's "exploration", she'd taken Naomi off bed-rest. The girl could now move about as she pleased, no longer confined to her room, and rejoin Guy's team for sessions and assignments. Fortunately, her first day of excursion was open—there was absolutely nowhere she was scheduled to be for the entire day. As long as she remained within Konoha's walls and was back at the Hyuga compound for sunset, Naomi could do as she pleased with her time.
Excitement rippled throughout her body as she greeted an early morning. Stretching, she peered out her bedroom window and smiled, greeting the sun as it began to lift above the village. Wasting no precious time, Naomi dressed in the summer outfit she'd laid out the night before—her new casual, beige kimono—and, feeling extra indulgent, she found a white ribbon in her dresser and used it as a headband. She was beaming as she started her walk into town.
Naomi let herself wander, turning down smaller side streets and window shopping along storefronts she hadn't seen before. She smiled at people when they passed, bidding them a good morning. When she finally made it to the center of the village, it was almost noon. With the coins she still had in the purse from Tsunade, Naomi purchased an irresistibly shiny, red apple from a fruit vendor on her way by. She turned it over in her hands as she walked on, absentmindedly cleaning it on the material of her kimono until it glistened deliciously in the sun.
As she made her way through the busiest section of Konoha, Naomi's eyes drifted across the street. Almost immediately, they settled on Tenten sitting quietly in a teashop, sipping gently from her cup and smiling. Naomi began to make her way over, but then she froze. Tenten wasn't alone. She was sitting with… who was that? Naomi stretched up onto her tiptoes and shielded the sun from her eyes, peering through the crowds into the teashop. The stranger's back was to Naomi, but just as Tenten glanced her way, she realized who it was. 'Oh… him.' Neji sat across from Tenten at their small table.
Naomi dropped back onto her heels and tilted her head questioningly at Tenten, who, after some hesitation, gestured to an empty seat. The message was clear, though reluctant: "Wanna join?" Quickly, Naomi smiled, shook her head, and trained her eyes on Neji. She crinkled her nose and put her tongue out: "Thanks, but no way." She hadn't spent time with Tenten in a while, which was too bad, but she also hadn't seen Neji in ages, which was fabulous. Even at a distance, the relief was clear in Tenten's eyes. She nodded and brought her attention back to the table. Naomi continued on her way, relishing in the crisp sound her apple made as she bit into its ruby skin.
With no particular destination in mind, Naomi found herself on the outskirts of the village. She could see the wall plainly as it stretched toward the cliffs that loomed over one end of Konoha. Content, she turned and began walking along the loop of the village perimeter. She wasn't sure how far the entire distance around would be, and she didn't really expect to complete the circle, but, for now, this direction worked just as well as any other. Finishing her apple, she tossed the core into some bushes and wiped her hands on her clothes, pausing to check the time. From the position of the sun, blaring mercilessly overhead, it was now after noon, and the temperature felt to be rising accordingly. Exhaling quietly, Naomi picked out some trees in the distance—probably the start of the woods that stretched along either training field—and made a beeline toward them. Some shade would be nice.
As the summer heat reached its peak for the day, Naomi was slipping beneath the protective canopy of the forest. She sighed contently, making her way deeper and deeper into the expanse of trees. Here, where the sun couldn't always reach the forest floor, the air felt cool and fresh. Naomi inhaled the earthy aromas greedily. For now, for today, her life was simple and good.
vVvVv
Naomi hadn't realized she'd dozed off until something was causing her to stir awake. Half-conscious, she felt an unsettling sense creeping up in the back of her mind. The instant before she opened her eyes, Naomi felt her hand shoot out and latch onto something warm. Startled now, Naomi sat up, wide-eyed, and tried to make sense of the situation. Looking down, she yelped quietly when she saw a young red-squirrel, currently paralyzed with fear, quivering in her hand.
"Oh my," she breathed, loosening her grip as her nerves quieted. With her free hand, she gently ran a finger over the rodent's head and cooed quietly. "So sorry, little guy—feeling a bit curious today?" The squirrel must have been sniffing at Naomi while she slept, trying to figure out what the thing at the base of its tree was. Squeaking timidly, the squirrel squirmed in her hand and Naomi released her hold. The little creature stumbled at first, a bit stunned, but then scampered away, disappearing into the gnarling roots of another tree. 'Cute.'
It wasn't until that moment that Naomi realized the unsettling feeling she'd felt before had yet to disappear. At this point, Naomi knew enough to trust this apprehensive edge she instinctively seemed to pick up on. Slightly anxious now, she slowly got to her feet and let her eyes drift across the wooded area, picking up on a sense of urgency lingering in the air. It was only late afternoon, so she couldn't have been sleeping that long before whatever it was causing the tension had found her there. The woods were very quiet—Naomi could only hear her own breathing. She began to wonder what she would possibly do if something actually dangerous suddenly charged out of hiding and tried to devour her. 'I can't actually do anything unless…' Of course. Inhaling deeply, Naomi pulled the ribbon from her hair and secured it around her eyes, blocking out the world with darkness. Then, she waited.
When Naomi finally moved, she, of course, had no idea why, but felt herself push from the ground into a back flip. There was a dull thud as something metal sank into the tree she'd been standing in front of. She swallowed dryly. 'Why is someone—'
"I wanted to see for myself." At the sound of his voice—his cold, calculated voice—Naomi's hands shot up and ripped the ribbon from her face. But, before she saw Neji, she realized something troubling. She was currently perched against a tree trunk… sideways. She gasped and went tumbling to the ground as the chakra binding her hands and feet to the bark dissipated in her confusion. She stood quickly, wiping dirt from her knees and palms, and glared at the Hyuga who stood several yards away. Cheeks flushed, Naomi retied the white ribbon into her hair before folding her arms defiantly across her chest and shifting her weight to one leg.
"You're just bent on keeping me from enjoying myself," she remarked snidely. Every time, it seemed, that Naomi had finally found a way to relax, Neji was just… there. Whenever things were going better for her, he came along and turned them around. Damn it. "I'm allowed to be by myself—didn't you get that memo?" She was so tired of him.
"Tenten told me about Sakura's exercise," he began, tone flat and slightly disinterested. "She said that the only way you stood a chance in battle was if you were blind." Naomi shrugged. What he said was plain truth, but the way he said it… Neji could make anything sound like an insult.
"Yeah," was all Naomi said in return, voice sharp. Briefly, she thought back to when she'd first met Neji. 'I never would have dared to even look at him the wrong way back then,' she remembered, somewhat amused by herself and her changing attitudes. Something dawned on Naomi then and she glanced at the tree behind her, eyes narrowing onto the kunai that jutted from the trunk. Angry, she whirled around and tore it out, holding it up toward Neji. "What is this? You think it's funny to go around throwing really sharp things at people who are minding their own—"
"It didn't touch you," Neji scoffed. Something flashed behind his eyes then, and he continued. "Actually, from what Tenten's told me, nothing can touch you. Only Kakashi was able to bring you down." Naomi felt herself bristling and she sighed coarsely—he was baiting her to tell him more, and she didn't want to give him that satisfaction.
"Yeah," she repeated, matching her tone from before. In her frustration, Naomi threw Neji's kunai off into the trees. The throw was clumsy, but she pretended not to notice. 'Bet I could hit anything with my eyes closed,' she joked silently. Neji didn't even look to see where it landed—he had plenty. The jounin was quiet for a long time, contemplating something. Naomi met his silence with some of her own. 'You're face is so annoying. Maybe that's why you're angry all of the time. I bet—'
"I want to try." Snapping from her thoughts, Naomi quirked an eyebrow and stared at Neji. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, shifting all of her weight onto her other leg. The Hyuga's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah, right. I—" Before she knew what had hit her, Naomi found herself toppling over. Neji had somehow closed the distance and gotten beside her, kicking out the knee she'd locked to support herself. But, just as she was about to hit the ground, he'd pulled her back up and slammed her into a tree; the impact rattled her spine. All of this took place in under two seconds—maybe three—and Naomi's composure had seemed to abandon her. With wide, frantic eyes, she stared at the Hyuga, whose hand at her collarbone was applying relentless pressure to keep her pinned. Naomi squirmed, but kept her arms at her sides.
"I wasn't asking," he stated, his eyes burning into the girl's. He held her there a moment longer before dropping his hand and taking a step back. "Now," he began, continuing to back away. "Close your eyes." Naomi's defiance kept her from obeying, but she could feel this resilience slowly beginning to crumble away.
"No," she heard herself murmuring, voice not as strong as she'd like it to be. She saw Neji's jaw tighten—he'd run out of patience a long time ago. Actually, he wasn't sure he'd ever had any patience with Naomi.
"Why?" he growled, clearly frustrated. Naomi stepped away from the tree, throwing her arms up in agitation.
"Because!" was all she gave as a retort, tone exasperated. Huffing, she could only stare at him, not willing to admit her full explanation. 'Because I don't like the way you fight.' And she didn't; Neji was a frightening opponent. The idea that he could render her completely helpless was not something she liked to be reminded of. Unfortunately, she had this awful feeling that Neji knew that already—knew it very well, in fact. As he watched her, Naomi grew increasingly uneasy. Suddenly, he spoke, his tone suspiciously offhand.
"Wouldn't you like to know if you're capable of besting me?" Something stirred within Naomi then and her eyes lit up. He was playing her emotions, she knew that, but he had a valid point. Biting back her kneejerk response to agree immediately, Naomi took a minute to consider things. 'Alright… what are the chances of him hitting me? I mean… only one of eight people really took me down yesterday… Lee could make contact, but… Neji's not as fast as Lee, right? He can't be; Lee's crazy. And if it turns out that I am better, I'd have something really solid to rub in his face. Yeah… solid and really foul-smelling.' Trying not to appear too eager now, Naomi sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Fine. If it'll get you off my back, then fine." A ghost of a smirk played across Neji's stoic expression. Sometimes people just made things too easy.
"Good. Close your—" Naomi shushed him, working on retying the ribbon around her eyes.
"This works better," she explained, finishing her knot with a firm tug. "Ready whenever," she drawled, behaving as though she were extremely bored. She heard Neji scoff, and that was the last sound she caught from him. He would take his time approaching—Naomi knew he would. Sensing the tension that had intruded into their forest, the birds fell silent. Nothing stirred. Naomi distracted herself by going through all of the different songbirds she knew, and what they sounded like. It wasn't a long list, but it did a fine job keeping her focus off of trying to defend herself.
Naomi could feel her skin prickle and grow cold as time wore on. This whole silent mind-game deal was wearing on her. 'He knows that,' she told herself. 'That's the point. Not really fair, if you ask me. I mean, he—' When Naomi felt him coming, her breath hitched. He may not be as fast as Lee, but he was damn close. The wind seemed to pick up whenever Neji made a move, and Naomi could only conclude that it had to be the chakra he fought with disturbing the air. Their dance carried on, neither individuals becoming particularly winded as the minutes passed. 'Come on, Naomi—act offensively!' she told herself, and she tried, but Neji was moving too quickly; she had no opening. And, really, it was fine if she didn't hit him—just as long as he didn't hit her, either.
Out of nowhere, Neji leapt away from Naomi. She had hardly an instant to catch a breath before she was being forced to move again. The projectiles came in waves, each less maneuverable than the last. As the fourth collection sped her way, Naomi felt… different. She planted her feet, hands flowing through a sequence of seals that felt smooth and natural. At the last possible second, she threw her hands out to the sides and spread her fingers wide, gasping as a powerful force slammed into her chest. What Naomi couldn't see was that, in fact, it had been an outward force—a potent expulsion of chakra which seemed to catch all of Neji's projectiles in a crackling net and render them harmless on the ground. A sizzling hum permeated the air as the surge faded away. 'Whoa,' was all Naomi had time to think—Neji had returned to close-range assault.
She was more aggressive now. Here and there, with increasing frequency, Naomi was able to push in attacks of her own. None landed for either side—not yet—but the first one that did would surely act as a major deciding influence over the spar. Naomi could feel her heart beating and briefly wondered how long this fight had been going on for. She aimed for a swift finish, hopefully in her favor, but such a thing seemed farther and farther away with each second that went by. As adept as she seemed to be at it, fighting blind was mentally exhausting for Naomi. Maintaining concentration on not concentrating had one's mind feeling quite scrambled after extended periods. 'Trust yourself,' she chanted. 'Trust what you know.'
Something happened then—something Naomi could not have predicted. Earlier, when she'd managed to pluck an entire array of Neji's projectiles out of the air, they'd all landed in an unbroken line along the forest floor. This was something left entirely to chance, and, unfortunately, Neji did not miss when Naomi had placed a foot on one end of that line. Immediately he placed his foot down near the opposite end and released a single burst of chakra into the metal. The current traveled through the weapons and ensnared its victim in a powerful bind.
Behind her blindfold, Naomi gasped as her body became momentarily paralyzed. It had lasted less than a second, but it had provided Neji with the opening he had been waiting for. Just as Naomi's body regained control and she went to move away, he was there. His open palm finally made contact with the girl's side. The muscles in that area twitched with rigidity and Naomi felt a distinct drop in her performance. That was all it took for her to lose focus. Her fear of what came next had broken her concentration, and she began trying too hard to fight back. Neji landed a second and third hit in Naomi's ribs and thigh, causing her stamina to drop through the floor and a pain to creep down her left leg. She was struggling now, and Neji jumped on the opportunity.
Moving quickly, Neji began the motions of his Eight Trigrams Heavenly Spin technique, but did not execute it—that level of expenditure would not be necessary. The jounin whirled around and around, his outpour of chakra sending Naomi stumbling and unable to catch her weight on her injured leg. In the next instant, Neji had broken out of the spin and swept both of Naomi's feet out from beneath her. As she fell, she moved to catch herself, but Neji was there. His final hit to Naomi's sternum put her flat on her back. Air rushed from her lungs as he hovered over her, palm in place to hit her again if she tried to get up. 'No,' she thought to herself. 'He can't just… win. Damn.' For a blissful moment of rest, Naomi did not move, merely working on catching her breath.
There was a moment when she wasn't too opposed to just laying there and calling the spar; she was tired of being in the dark and wouldn't mind finishing out the afternoon with another nap. However, she heard the quietest of 'hmph's from Neji, and that tiny breath of arrogance had set her off all over again. With a heave, Naomi moved to kick out her legs and get to her feet, but another solid blow from Neji kept her down. She tried again, and again, and then again, moving for a new approach each time, but Neji had no problems subduing her. The brunette's frustration over the situation reached an astronomical level, and, in a last ditch effort, she simply reached out and latched onto the Hyuga's wrist. She wasn't sure where she'd been going with that idea, but apparently she didn't have to be.
Just as Neji moved to wrench his arm free, Naomi's other hand shot up and she felt it hovering hardly an inch away from the jounin's chest. There was no time for either to react. The rush of energy Naomi felt course through her extended arm caused her to gasp loudly. A crackling noise filled the air, and, suddenly, new energy was pouring into Naomi. This fresh power frightened her enough to make her release her hold on Neji—he jumped clear away from her, his skin feeling burnt all over. The only marks, however, were the irritated redness along the wrist Naomi had been holding and the identical irritation that marked the center of his chest. Jaw clenching, he glared at Naomi as she sat up, far too stunned to get to her feet. She appeared refreshed, and he suddenly felt quite exhausted. The practical voice in his head told him to just call the fight—he'd tried his hand, seen what she could do, and no clear winner was determined. But the louder voice, the one that fueled him to strive for perfection, yelled for him to do more.
The air around Naomi felt alive with energy. Her muscles no longer cramped where Neji had hit her, and she felt hardly winded. Confused, she went to untie her blindfold, assuming Neji had decided to end the match. But then she heard him speaking, and her blood ran cold.
"Eight Trigrams," he breathed. Feeling rushed, Naomi got to her feet. She had been about to called out a truce, but Neji was already moving. "Sixty-Four Palms." To Naomi's surprise and Neji's complete dissatisfaction, she'd been able to move quickly enough to deflect the beginnings of his assault against her chakra network. However, as his speed, power, and temper increased to unknown levels, Naomi felt more and more of his strikes hitting their mark. With the final blow, Naomi was sent barreling into the solid trunk of some ancient tree and then sprawling face first to the forest floor. She groaned, feeling a heaviness in her limbs that sent her anxiety through the canopy. She could still move, but barely.
When she heard Neji approaching with careful steps, Naomi could only manage to roll onto her back and pull the white ribbon down away from her eyes. She squinted in the late afternoon light, grateful she was presently lying in a shaded area and not directly beneath the sun's glaring rays. After so long in the dark, her eyes were quite sensitive. Neji stood looming over her and she watched as the veins around his eyes receded. The spar was over.
"We're done," he breathed. Though he tried to hide it, Naomi could hear his heavy breathing and see the sweat that glistened along his temples and neck. Dirt now decorated his once white shirt, and his hands quivered just slightly from exhaustion. She knew that she couldn't look much better. Panting, Naomi tried to push herself onto her elbows, but her stiff body refused to support her in that moment. Resolute, she simply remained as she was, not meeting Neji's eyes. After a moment, she felt his eyes lift away and she glanced over to see him staring contemplatively into the forest.
"So…" she murmured, voice raspy. "Satisfied?" His lack of a response was a clear answer: no. No he was not at all satisfied. If she performed at this level while blind, and without really being able to plan her attacks too far into the future, what would she be like if she actually knew what she was doing? This thought and others like it had Neji looking deeply concentrated. Though he'd never admit it, that fight had been… interesting; perhaps even enjoyable, in a way. It wasn't often he was caught off-guard in battle. Quietly, he sighed and closed his eyes.
"It's time to go," he stated, his voice just as level as always. Naomi hummed in uncertainty; she probably couldn't stand just then, let alone set off on the long trek back across Konoha to the Hyuga compound.
"Yeah…" she drawled, voice heavy with hesitation. "How much trouble would I be in if I wasn't back for sunset? Or… midnight, or… sunrise." Honestly, the idea of just staying as she was and sleeping like a corpse through the night sounded heavenly. Neji looked down at her and quirked his brow.
"More trouble than I'm willing to deal with right now. Get up." Sluggishly, Naomi tried to sit up, but only managed to prop onto her elbows before she had to stop.
"Nah… I'm down with camping out tonight." Sighing quite the irritated sigh, Neji took a step closer.
"No—I don't think so. We're leaving." Naomi stared in wonderment as Neji—begrudgingly—extended a hand down to her. Her eyes watched his hand like one might watch a stray dog; she wasn't sure if she could pet it without getting bitten. The look on Neji's face told her this offer was only available for a limited time, and so, carefully, she took his hand. His skin was still abnormally hot to the touch—a result of Naomi's last display—and the contrast against her chilled fingers was abrasive. With Neji's support pulling her up, Naomi began the painstaking process of willing her body into an upright position. Halfway there, however, an impulse flew into her head so quickly she had no time to kick it back down.
With a final strain of effort, Naomi pulled back with all of her might and swept one of her legs beneath the Hyuga. Completely unawares, Neji could only go with the fall, landing on his back in front of Naomi. He lifted his head to stare at her, the look in his eyes uncharacteristically incredulous and not as infuriated as Naomi had expected. The girl could only smirk and shrug innocently as she let gravity pull her back into a lying position. Too stunned, Neji clamped his mouth shut and threw his hand over his face, his head and shoulders hitting the ground with a soft thud.
Naomi would be eternally convinced that she had emerged victorious that day.